Hello, again! Today's oneshot is a scene depicting my headcanon that Weiss is even worse than me during exam weeks when it comes to taking care of herself. Thankfully, she has Yang to force her to take the necessary breaks.
Enjoy!
Weiss's notecards went flying as the door to Team RWBY's room swung open.
"And the Ice Queen is now on break!" Yang declared as she stepped into the dorm. "Drop the textbooks, and step away from the packets!"
"Yang," Weiss groaned as she started picking her cards up off the floor. "Finals are in three days. I need to focus."
"You've been focusing since this morning," Yang said flatly. "Since last week, actually. Your brain's gonna turn to oatmeal if you keep this up."
"If I don't keep this up, I'll fail Doctor Oobleck's exam, and probably Professor Peach's as well." Weiss put the stack on her desk and started looking for her history textbook. Yang walked over, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey. Don't all those talks about 'healthy studying practices' say that you need to take a few breaks each day?"
"That…" Weiss frowned. Yang was actually right about that, though she hated to admit it. She glanced at her clock and sighed. "Fine. One hour." She took out her Scroll to set a timer before starting toward her book case.
"Whoa, what are you doing?"
"Reading."
Yang groaned. "Weiss, you've been reading all day. Come on. The weather is actually nice for once! We can go outside without wearing fifty layers."
Weiss paused, tilting her head curiously, realizing that she hadn't actually looked outside that day. Despite it being spring, the weather had been decidedly dismal over the past few weeks, without even the beauty of snow to soften it. She opened the window and was met with a surprisingly-pleasant breeze. She felt her muscles loosening in response to the scent of grass and sunlight, which everyone had been deprived of throughout the long, cold winter.
"See? Come on! We can take Zwei for a walk."
At that moment, Zwei, who had been sound asleep on Blake's bed, immediately jumped up and started spinning in a circle, barking excitedly.
Weiss giggled at the dog's antics. "Well, I can never say no to Zwei. Do you want to go for a walk, sweetie?"
Zwei bounced up and down, his tail going a million miles an hour.
The three went outside and down the path across the courtyard, where several other students were taking much-needed breaks. Yang took a deep breath of the air, which was still tinged with coldness, but smelled like spring.
She glanced sharply at Weiss, noticing a contemplative look on her face. "Stop that!"
Weiss jumped. "Stop what?"
"You were reciting dates in your head. Or formulas. I can't really tell which."
Weiss huffed, folding her arms. "How could you possibly know what I'm thinking?"
"Easy. Your face gets all scrunched up like this." Yang did an exaggerated imitation of Weiss's slightly-stressed frown.
"I don't look like that!" Weiss gasped indignantly. "…Do I?"
"Only sometimes," Yang assured her with a grin. When Weiss's expression didn't change, Yang nudged her shoulder. "Chill out, Weiss. You're gonna ace everything. If you don't, I guarantee the rest of us will be flunking out because clearly the exams are impossible."
"I appreciate the confidence, Yang," Weiss said, stooping down to pick up a stick that Zwei had just brought over. She threw it toward a stretch of uninterrupted grass, allowing herself a smile as the corgi ran after it as fast as his short legs could manage. "The fact remains that I need to study in order to get those grades."
Instinctively, she reached for her Scroll to check the time, only to feel a warm, calloused hand stopping her. She blushed, starting a little at the sudden contact.
"I saw you set an alarm. It'll go off when it goes off." Yang's brows creased with concern. "Seriously, Weiss. You need to relax. Don't think I haven't noticed how little you've been sleeping, or how your eye starts twitching whenever you stress yourself out too much."
"You…noticed that?" Weiss subconsciously put her free hand over her eye. Yang still hadn't let go of her right hand, and she found herself lightly wrapping her fingers around her friend's wrist.
"Of course, I did." Yang rolled her eyes, even as she smiled a little and squeezed Weiss's hand gently. "Don't forget that I have a big sister sense. Also, you fainted in the shower during our last exam week. Did you think I forgot that?"
Weiss winced. "I certainly hoped that you would…" Zwei returned and she bent down to throw the stick again, feeling slightly disappointed when Yang let go of her hand. "I'm sorry to worry you."
"Don't apologize. Test anxiety is a thing." Yang watched Zwei as he ran after the stick, stopped halfway, and started chasing a nearby squirrel.
"It's more than that," Weiss admitted. "I do hold myself to certain standards, but the main factor is…" She paused, suddenly worried that she was about to reveal too much.
"Yeah?" Yang gently urged, leading them to a vacant bench and sitting down.
"I…I don't want to go back home." Weiss let out a sigh as she sat down next to Yang. "If my grades aren't high enough, I won't be able to stay here."
Yang frowned. She had always suspected the worst about Weiss's home life, and her suspicions were regularly fed by things Weiss had let slip over the past few months. She didn't want to pry, though, so she put on a casual face. "Please, Weiss. You'd have to fail pretty hard for Beacon to expel you."
"Beacon isn't the issue," Weiss muttered. "If Father finds any excuse to bring me back, then…" She shook her head. "Sorry. It isn't your concern."
"Uh, yes. Yes, it is," Yang said bluntly. "My friend, my teammate, my concern." She noticed the way Weiss's expression was starting to close up. "Look, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I'm just saying that I'm here to help. If you ever need to stay somewhere, you know Ruby and I would be glad to have you. I've already told Blake the same thing."
"Ruby did mention that to me," Weiss admitted, smiling slightly. Even now, it still felt strange having people who cared so much about her and were ready to drop everything to help her. Winter had always been there for her, but there were limits to what she could do and how often she and Weiss could be together. At Beacon, however, she was surrounded by people who cared, who wouldn't have to leave at a moment's notice for several months. It was strange, but in the best way possible.
"And it's not like your dad can force you to do anything," Yang pointed out. "You're almost eighteen. Legally, you can do what you want. Ozpin gives scholarships and special loans to people who don't have their own way to pay tuition, and you're definitely smart enough to qualify."
"You need exceptional grades for scholarships," Weiss noted. "And that requires studying."
"Yeah, but… Ugh! You and your logic." Yang slumped back against the bench.
Weiss couldn't help but giggle a little. "Thank you, Yang." Zwei had curled up in the grass at her feet, and she bent down to scratch behind his ears. "It really is a nice day," she remarked.
"Yeah." Yang's heart thudded at the rare sound of Weiss's laugh. "Too bad the weather waited till exams to actually lighten up a bit."
The two were quiet for a moment before Yang spoke up again. "Say, Weiss? Speaking of lightening up, how about we hit up a dance club I know after exams are over?"
Weiss couldn't help but notice that Yang hadn't mentioned any of their other friends in that invitation. "I don't know," she murmured. "Is this the club you got kicked out of for beating up the staff?"
"…You don't know that."
Weiss's Scroll went off, and she turned off the alarm, though she didn't stand right away. "I'll tell you what: Find a club you don't have bad blood with, and I'll consider it."
Yang's mouth dropped open. "Aw, what?! Do you have any idea how hard that'll be?!"
"I'm sure you'll manage." Weiss allowed herself a smirk as she stood and walked back toward the dorms. "Also, don't think I haven't noticed how little studying you've been doing. Come on. We should both go over Oobleck's notes."
"Uuuuuggggghhhh…" Yang groaned dramatically, slumping against the bench again and trying to play dead.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I can and will use my glyphs on you."
"Fine," Yang grumbled, folding her arms and pouting as she followed Weiss back to the room. Her annoyance faded when she noticed how Weiss was obviously trying not to laugh at her exaggerated behavior.
It faded even further about an hour later, when Weiss fell asleep in the middle of a chapter, her head coming to a rest on Yang's shoulder, her face looking truly peaceful for the first time that day. Carefully, Yang closed both of their textbooks and took Weiss's small hand in hers yet again.
Tomorrow's chapter will be a bit longer. The prompt is "Double Date," and you'll be getting a nice dose of Rose Garden with your Freezerburn. Let it never be said that I don't do nice things for my readers.
If you like what you see and want to show extra support while earning sweet rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!
