A/N
I never expected such a nice response to this. Thanks a lot to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed. Also, to address some issues with Chapter 1, I realize now that it is "Epilogue" not "Prologue", it was a typo, and on the topic of perspective changes, this isn't meant for any particular perspective, and with my writing style the smooth perspective switches (without line breaks) are unavoidable, but I will avoid them as best I can.
Please enjoy chapter two!
Chapter 2: Dreams
Weiss sighed as she looked down at her notes sheet. She was sitting in Professor Port's class, listening to what was supposed to be a lecture on the different forms of airborne Grimm, but had quickly dissolved into some story of the mustachioed man's triumph over a giant Nevermore that he claimed to have defeated with his bare hands.
How…unprofessional.
Not that she didn't have the utmost respect for the Professor, as he was a veteran Huntsman and had given her some very useful advice early on in the year, but it was a bit ridiculous when she had been listening for forty-five minutes and only had about half a paragraph of useful information.
Thankfully, it was only an hour-long class, so she didn't have much more time listening to the extended hyperbole that was Port's recount of the fight. Realizing that her Professor planned to prattle on for the rest of the time, she cast her gaze around the room, searching for something for her to spend her valuable time on that might actually be useful.
Her eyes passed over seemingly everything in the room, from the desk Port was standing in front of, to the bookshelf against the wall, loaded up with Grimm Studies textbooks that they rarely ever used, to the Taxidermist's representation of a rather large Boarbatusk that Port had 'evidentially' slain, with the name "Edgar" shown in Brass underneath it, and finally, to the girl sitting just a few feet to her left.
Weiss felt her cheeks begin to heat up as she remembers the events that transpired the previous day, and, more embarrassingly, how they had woken up. She had unconsciously cuddled with the younger girl. She couldn't really blame herself though, after all, Ruby was just so warm and soft and cut-
Weiss sighed once more. Thoughts like those had been plaguing her all morning, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. Regardless, even with the embarrassment of being caught in such a position as the two were by none other than Yang, Weiss had woken up incredibly energized. It was the best sleep she'd had in a long, long time. If the bullet hole in the wall of the dorm was anything to go by, Ruby was equally as rested. Although, at the moment, it wasn't showing.
Ruby was sitting next to her, a notebook set up of front of her in such a way to hide her face from the Professor, not that he was looking, and was resting her head on her folded arms. She was facing Weiss, and so the white-haired heiress could plainly see that Ruby was fast asleep. Weiss felt annoyance begin to surge up from the depths of her subconscious, but it never seemed to surface as it usually would. Instead, it just kind of petered off.
Well that's…peculiar…
Her partner was sleeping in class! It was unprofessional, and, as a Leader, she should be leading by example, not acting so immature! She was, however unintentionally, disrespecting the teacher, her superior! Every bit of training in etiquette and respect was screaming at Weiss to do something. Wake the younger girl up, berate her, and set her back on the straight and narrow, and any other time she would.
Now, though, as she looked at her partner's peacefully sleeping face, she found that she simply couldn't bring herself to do it.
It seemed almost a crime to disturb the serene look on the younger girl's face. Not only that, but she couldn't even bring herself to feel even a little peeved.
This is totally ridiculous! I will not allow this. She is my team leader, and it is horridly unprofessional for her to be sleeping in class!
She once more felt annoyance rising up, and this time with the intent to explode outward. As the anger that the incredibly self-frustrated heiress was forcing into herself began to build higher and higher, Weiss was preparing the lecture of a lifetime.
…Only for all her efforts to be for naught as Ruby simply let out a little noise, somewhere between a snore and a coo, that shot down her fury like a Nevermore over an Atleasian Anti-Air Emplacement.
Oh, good lord, that was adorable. Uh, what am I thinking?! This is absolutely absurd. Ruby does so much that sets me off, why is this any different? I mean, she is distracted during class, is a bad example when it comes to studying, her diet is ridiculous, she always stuffs her face with food to the point that her cheeks puff out, no, wait, that's actually pretty cute.
Damn it all I did it again!
The Heiress was frustrated, and rightfully so. She simply could not fathom where all this was coming from, why whenever she thought of her partner now, her mind wandered to the most nonsensical of things, like her smile, her body temperature, the way she laughs, and that annoying feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever she remembered how good it felt to be tangled up with Ruby in bed.
She almost shoved that final thought away, but then something occurred to her.
Wait, no, if these strange thoughts and feelings keep coming to the forefront of my mind, there must be a reason. Come on, Weiss, you are the top of your class. You can figure out your feelings for goodness sake. Just…analyze the situation.
They seemed to have first started appearing in force this morning, but she had had a few stray thoughts over the past few months. Nothing serious or consuming, but definitely there, and only about Ruby. She couldn't remember ever feeling like this, or thinking thoughts like these, in any other circumstance. She had also noticed that Ruby didn't seem quite as aggravating. What was happening now in class just seemed as another evolution of that tolerance. Another fact of note was that many things that served to annoy Weiss about Ruby now seemed more endearing than anything.
Ok, well that is definitely how I feel. Now to figure out what exactly these feelings are and what they mean.
She then began to cross-reference the information she had just gathered with things that she had learned from and heard of in books, movies, and her own understanding of emotional matters.
Alright, so, symptoms… odd, obsessive thoughts about Ruby, an odd urge to be close too her, that weird fluttering feeling, higher tolerance for her antics, and noticing things I've never seen before. It's not just friendship, because I feel that for Blake and Yang, most of the time. It's not just the partnership that I feel for her, as I have felt that for the longest time.
It was incredibly frustrating for the seventeen year old. The things that had always annoyed her about her other friends, Jaune's idiotic advances and thick-skulledness toward Pyrrha, Nora and Yang's constantly being obnoxious, Blake's poorly hidden stash of smutty romance novels she barely bothered to be subtle about, still annoyed her just as much as they always have, yet, with Ruby, those childish, immature things had slowly changed characteristics in her mind. Over the course of the last few months, they had gone from infuriating to endearing. Repulsive to…
…Attractive?
Wait, no, that was preposterous. She couldn't possibly be feeling…attracted…to her younger partner, could she? No, no, no! Not possible. They were both girls, Weiss was two years older than Ruby, there was no way Ruby liked her back, and there was no way her father would ever even consider considering that she would be allowed into such a relationship, and the fact that…
…I am NOT gay!
However, the feelings were there, and with this new (im)possibility in her head, she began to compare how she was feeling toward Ruby to everything she knew of romance from various novels and movies. To her horror, everything slowly started to match up.
Oh my God…do I have a crush on Ru-
BRRRRIIIING!
Weiss's head snapped up from where she had been staring wide-eyed at the desk at the sound of the bell. Professor Port seemed just as startled, as he froze in the position of holding both hands above his head, as if he was about to initiate some kind of chopping motion. She sat still in her desk for a while longer, simply trying to work through the maelstrom of thoughts filling her head. At least, she was until a soft, warm hand found its way onto her shoulder, belonging to the cause of all her confusion.
"Hey, Weiss, you feeling alright?" the redhead said, concerned, "You've been staring kinda hard at your notes, and I think you're starting to freeze them." Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friend's attempt at a joke.
With anyone else, or even at any point in the past, Weiss would've been beyond angry at someone for the remark about her frigid personality, but found that, infuriatingly, the sheer amount if innocence in the way Ruby said the words cooled her rage. She pushed her thoughts of emotional matters out of her head, saying, "Yes, Ruby, I'm fine. Just…just thinking is all." The turmoil in her head seemed to disappear, the cacophony of thoughts fading into background noise with the arrival of her friend. Ruby, however, still looked uneasy.
Weis stood, noticing now that everyone had left the classroom except for herself and Ruby. As she packed her things, a thought occurred to her.
Those thoughts were tearing me apart, but all it took for them to become null and void was Ruby. She has really changed me. The others have too, but Ruby was the catalyst for it all. She's done so much for me…
She finished packing, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and locked eyes with Ruby in the empty classroom. Those wide, innocent, beautiful silver eyes…
…and she doesn't even realize it.
She was overcome with an urge at that moment. A vague, stray thought sought to justify her actions said something along the lines of "disproving or proving her hypothesis", as she took a step towards her partner and tentatively laying a single hand on Ruby's shoulder, not able to do anything more. Ruby stared into her eyes, and she stared back, nonverbally asking Ruby to do what she could not.
Ruby's cheeks began to burn as she reached forward, pulling her inwardly confused friend forward, and wrapping her arms around her. The hug was soft, almost friendly, but there was something else. Something they couldn't pinpoint, but it pushed Weiss to do something she never would have done otherwise. She tightened her hold imperceptivity, and said, no, whispered, in Ruby's ear, "Thank you."
There was several emotions in those two words that neither girl could decipher, but either way, Ruby pulled Weiss closer, and said simply, "Anytime, Weiss." They held the embrace for a few more seconds before breaking apart, both blushing but happy, and made their way out of the classroom.
Team RWBY was now in their dorm, all getting ready for bed. Ruby was in the bathroom, getting changed. Weiss and Blake was already in their nightwear, Yang was simply taking off her more heavy accessories, getting ready right in the room, since she didn't really change her clothes to sleep. Weiss had nagged her about it being an unhygienic practice, but Yang didn't really care, claiming that her immune system and semblance was so strong combined, nothing short of loss of limb could phase her.
Weiss was frowning at her new bed. The Requisitions Office had simply crammed it in-between Ruby's bed, which had been pushed back into its original position, and the far left wall. It was a tight fit, but fit it did. She pressed down on the surface of it with her hand. It seemed stiffer than her old one, but it would suffice, she supposed.
There was a bang as the bathroom door swing out with enough force to hit the adjacent wall as the red-headed ball of energy exploded from the bathroom into the center of the room in the blink of an eye with a burst of rose petals announcing her entrance. "Alright, Team RWBY, lights ou-!"
"Ruby Rose, what did I say about using your semblance in the dorm?!"
Ruby winced at Weiss's harsh tone and sudden shouting. She did indeed remember that particular lecture, even if she was a but distracted at the moment by the way Weiss's lips formed around the words. Still, Weiss continued by saying, "The dustpan is in the corner, now sweep up those petals before they stain the carpet!" Ruby gave a solemn nod, moving over to complete the task given to her by her crush.
As she was sweeping up the red flower petals, Yang made a wha-psh sound, and moved her arm in a vague whipping motion, before saying, "Dang, Weiss, do I need to buy you some leather underwear to go with that whip?" Weiss involuntarily tried to do a great many things in that moment, only succeeding un blushing heavily at the implications of what Yang just said and sending herself into a coughing fit.
While Weiss appeared to be choking on air, Yang was in stiches on her own bed. Even Blake had lowered her book in favor of watching the spectacle in the room. Yang received a red-cheeked glare from her younger sibling. More than a little frustrated at her sister's teasing, Ruby decided to retaliate. She said, "Yeah, yeah, keep talking Yang, Weiss isn't the one with a pain semblance and a girlfriend who likes ropes!" Needless to say, Blake's nose was back into her book, and Yang's laughter died off quickly.
There was silence in the room as Ruby finished her task, saying, "Ok, now that that's over, lights out! Tomorrow is Saturday, and we don't have anything planned, so we can sleep in." The four girls started laying down for bed, Getting under the covers as Ruby flipped off the lights. Zooming into her bed and under the covers. She frowned slightly as she got under. Her bed wasn't nearly as confortable as it was last night, but she just chalked it up to a lack of heiress.
It really was shocking what that girl could do to her without even knowing it. Either way, Ruby rolled over and closed her eyes. Sleep did not come nearly as easy or as quick as last night, but it did come, and without fail, Ruby fell asleep.
Weiss frowned as she climbed under her own covers. They were cold. Very, very cold. Weiss presumed that it was just her mind playing tricks on her, and wrapped herself in the covers. They refused to warm even slightly. As she laid her head on the pillows, an odd sensation came over her. Despite the fact that she was in a room with her team, and Ruby was only a few feet away, she felt completely, unequivocally alone.
Everything was cold. The fitted sheets under her, the blankets on top of her, the pillow her head was lying on, even the silk nightwear she was wearing. It all felt like ice on her skin, only serving to remind her of the warmth she had felt the previous night. She longed for that, even if she denied it in her mind, she could feel it.
This is unbelievable. I sleep alone every night, last night excluded. I am used to it! Seriously, I can fall asleep without Ruby.
With her thoughts backing her, Weiss settled down in bed, getting as comfortable as she could, and closed her eyes. Her brows furrowed. Just a minute ago, she felt fairly sleepy, but now that she was actually in her bed and trying to sleep, she felt absolutely no trace of tiredness in her system. Sleep simply would not come.
Weiss rolled over, seeking a comfortable position on her own bed. When that didn't help, she opened her eyes once more. When she rolled over, she had, unintentionally turned to face her slumbering partner. Ruby was facing her as well, her eyes closed, her mouth partially open, and soft, almost inaudible noises came from the sleeping girl. Once more, Weiss felt her chest flutter in that frustrating way it always did when Ruby did something cute. Then, a stray thought came to the forefront of Weiss's mind.
What if I ask to sleep with her? I mean, this is Ruby. She would understand, right? There is no way she would just tell me no…STOP! That is positively ridiculous. I am not going wake Ruby up and ask to sleep with her just because I am having trouble sleeping. Its not like her being with me would change anything…
Slightly ashamed she'd entertained the thought for as long as she had, Weiss pointedly turned away from Ruby. She would lie in bed for several hours, and, in the end, it would be the phantom memory of those arms and that warmth that would allow Weiss some thin, restless sleep.
Weiss and Ruby walked down the street. It was late Saturday evening, and Ruby had persuaded Weiss to go into Vale with her. There was no real goal in mind for their little excursion, aside from a movie that they were planning on seeing later about some superhero that Ruby had shown Weiss a trailer of. Until seven-thirty, however, they were just wandering about.
Evidentially, Ruby had been looking forward to seeing this movie for years, as she was always a fan of the protagonist, Dead-something. Weiss couldn't remember the name. Even if she hadn't told Weiss this piece information, one could probably tell that Ruby was looking forward to this simply by the boundless excitement that was just oozing off of the younger girl. Weiss refused to acknowledge the fact that it was leaking into her a bit as well. Deciding to break their contented silence, Weiss said, "So, it sure looks like you are exited to see this. By the way you are bouncing around, it definitely appears so."
Ruby turned to her friend and partner, her silver eyes wide and exited Weiss could've mistaken her for a puppy, and said, "Yeah! I've been waiting for the to make a Deadpool movie for, like, three years!" Ah, so it was "Deadpool". Odd name for a super hero, but to each their own, she supposed. The younger girl quieted down, noticeably less bouncy, much to Weiss's surprise. The continued walking down the street in relative piece.
At least, until Ruby reached out and grabbed Weiss's hand.
Weiss's eye quickly snapped wide open, her head jerking to the side to look at the blushing younger girl, who was slightly shorter, as Weiss was wearing heels. 'T-thanks, Weiss. For coming, I mean," began the 15 year-old, "I know you don't care all that much about the movie, but you came anyway." Ruby then stops, and turns to face her partner. Grabbing her other hand, Ruby looked into Weiss's eyes and said, "That…that means a lot to me Weiss. I actually, really like you. You act all cold, bet you are really sweet when you want to be, and I think I lo-"
Everything after that fell on deaf ears. While Ruby was talking, Weiss had begun to feel an odd sensation, like all her limbs were filling with concrete. That was when she saw him. It was that…bastard…from the train. He was right behind Ruby. How he had snuck up on them, she didn't know. How Ruby didn't hear the revved up chainsaw-sword, she didn't know, as the sound was filling her ears. Ruby leaned in towards Weiss, and the white-haired girl could feel the intent behind it.
Ruby was going to kiss her, even as the saw came barreling towards the two.
Weiss couldn't move her lips to warn her partner. She couldn't move as Ruby's confession was drowned out by the psychotic cackling of that madman. She couldn't so much as scream as Ruby's sweet, kind, innocent voice changed into a scream of pure agony. Tears forming in her eyes as she looked at Weiss. She choked out a, "Why, Weiss. Why aren't you helping me? Why are you just watching?" Her legs crumpled underneath her, clinging futilely to Weiss's clothes as the saw cut her spinal column, and she lost control of her legs. Still, she kept weeping and talking, "Why, why wont you speak, help me Weiss! Do you want this? This is your fault, why aren't you helping me?" Tears were now pouring out of Ruby and Weiss's eyes together as the White Fang Lieutenant began hacking the smaller girl to pieces, Ruby screaming all the while.
Once he was done with Ruby, he moved to her. He didn't harm her physically, but simply got in her face, and growled out a simple, "You did this. This is your fault." His mask had filled her vision, so she couldn't see what was happening behind him. As he backed away, several mixed emotions played through her as she saw her partner, standing there, completely unharmed. Only, then the Lieutenant revved his bloodstained saw once more, and went back to work. He would slaughter Weiss's best friend, Ruby screeching and begging the immobile Heiress to help, all the way until she finally would die. The, he would get in Weiss's face, repeat that same sick message, and repeat the process.
Over, and over, and…
…over…
Weiss and Ruby stumbled through the dorm. Their faces were attached by the mouth, their hands all over each other. They stumbled onto Weiss's bed, Weiss falling on top of Ruby. Her hands were all over Ruby's body, tugging at her clothes and fondling her through them. Ruby was loving it, and reciprocating with everything she had; Weiss's jacket had been ditched halfway to the bed. It just felt so good finally getting to hold the Heiress like this after so long. Weiss seemed to feel the same way, as she pulled back, away from Ruby, a hot breath of air and a thin string of saliva all still connecting their sweaty, blushing faces as Weiss said, "I think I love you Ruby!" Ruby's chest filled with joy, while her nether regions filled with lust, and grew slick.
Huh, where did all our clothes go?
…Questions for another time.
Ruby moaned as Weiss continued feeling her up, now fully capable of feeling the skin-on-skin contact, and she was just loving it. Being able, and allowed, to touch and be touched by the woman she held so close to her heart was a breathtaking experience. Ruby flipped the two over, Weiss easily accepting the new position.
I always did thing she would be submissive in bed sometimes. Good to know.
Ruby continued kissing her crush, wrapping her arms around her neck, Weiss doing the same. At least, until Ruby started working her way down. Nibbling on her neck first, then absolutely worshipping the Heiress's beautiful collarbones, kissing down the valley of Weiss's (admittedly small) breasts, across the smooth, tight skin of her stomach, all the way down to her ultimate goal. It was pretty and pink, and everything she had dreamt it would be, and it smelled just lovely. She articulated this with, "Weiss, its so pretty!"
Looking up at her in-more-ways-than-one partner, Ruby saw Weiss's frustrated frown. She thumped Ruby lightly on the head, saying simply, "Dolt, don't just say that!" Next, Weiss wove that same hand into a head of Red and Brown hair, and saying, "Now, quit teasing, and get to work!" There was a slight whining quality to her voice that just set Ruby off.
She gave a playful salute, said, "Yes ma'am," and dove down at her prize, eager to finally bring Weiss the pleasure and happiness that she had wanted to give for the past several months. She brought her moth to Weiss's womanhood, loving the moan that came from just the slightest touch…
…then she woke up.
"Damnit!"
Thankfully, even in her aroused frustration, Ruby kept her venting at a whisper-yell level. It was always incredibly frustrating when she had dreams like that. Even so, she had never come so close to actually getting to the act before, which only made the whole situation even more infuriating. She turned her head towards the clock on the bookshelf in the middle of the room.
3:32?! Why am I awake? This is dumb! There has to be something that woke me up.
It was then that a sound reached her ears, one that she only noticed now that the sleep was fading from her. The sound caused her previously sleepy mind to sharpen immediately. Ruby sat quietly, waiting to see if the sound would repeat, or if it was simply a trick of her mind. Sure enough, the sound repeated again a few seconds later.
A quiet, pitiful little sob.
The sound alone was almost enough to put tears in her eyes as she rolled over toward the source of the sound: her partner. There was just enough light left in the room for Ruby to see tears streaming down Weiss's face. It broke the red heads heart so see.
Oh, dust, she's having a nightmare. Should I wake her up? It looks like a bad one. No, no! She'd just get mad for interrupting her sleep. She always says not to interrupt her sleep if it isn't an emergency. Plus, she's strong. I'm sure she'll be all right.
Resigned to her path, Ruby rolled around, closed her eyes, and attempted to fall asleep. She ignored Weiss soft crying for a few minutes, severely straining her resolve.
Only for it to completely shatter at a single, heart-imploding whimper.
In barely a second Ruby was on her feet and at Weiss's bedside, which wasn't exactly hard considering the two beds were hardly a foot from each other. Ruby stood over Weiss, her form was shaking slightly under the covers and she was curled in on herself, small noises of pain coming from the white-haired girl.
Oh, no, it's like one of those animal shelter commercials, but worse! S, how should I go about this?
Ruby climbed onto the bed with her friend, sitting on her knees next to her, and reached out a single hand to her shoulder. She was noticeably sweaty, even through the silk of her nightgown. Ruby shook Weiss's shoulder gently, whispering "Weiss," quietly. She simply received another whimper as a result. Ruby shook her partner with a little more vigor, and said "Weiss" once more, with more urgency, eager to staunch the flow of tears from the older girl.
This would suffice, as Weiss's eyes suddenly snapped open, looking wild and panicked. Ruby recognized the look in her eyes; it was that if a cornered animal. It hurt Ruby deeply to see her partner, such a usually strong person, in such a state.
Almost as much as it hurt when Weiss's fist met her jaw.
The swing was sloppy, and didn't have much weight behind it, but regardless, just the surprise of it was enough to hurt. Weiss began flailing around on the bed, adrenaline fueling her system as she lost perception of reality. To her, she was under attack, and naturally fought back. Weiss writhed against Ruby in the darkness of the room, fighting with all her tired strength at the unknown adversary.
Ruby was struggling; trying her calm Weiss down and protect herself at the same time. All the while, Weiss was sobbing and chanting "No, no, not again!" and such. Ruby bared her weight down on the older, yet smaller girl, using her own body to press Weiss down into the bed, her hands moved to Weiss face, cupping her smooth, tearstained cheeks as tenderly as she could while Weiss's fists pounded on her back.
"Weiss, Weiss! Look at me!" Ruby said as she pushed her face closer to her best friend until their foreheads were touching. In the heat of the moment, Ruby had completely forgotten about how embarrassed she should've been at being this close to her crush. All she cared about at the moment was calming Weiss down. "Weiss, look, it's me, Ruby!" she began, "Your friend! Calm down, Weiss, you're safe, I promise!" Weiss's thrashing slowed rapidly as her eyes focused on Ruby's. Her breath came out in pants, and she held completely still for several seconds, before a single word slipped out of her lips, so small and broken sounding…
"…Ruby?"
"Yeah, Weiss, it me, Ruby," there were tears in her own eyes now, it hurt to see Weiss like this, "You're safe, I promise." Weiss then just broke down. Her arms wrapped around Ruby, her face tucking easily into her friend's shoulder as she sobbed. Ruby froze up for a second, unsure of what would be an appropriate response to these turn of events.
Look, Ruby, this isn't about you or your crush on Weiss. This is about Weiss, so just do whatever she needs, and right now, she needs this.
Ruby loosened up, mimicking what Yang had done for her when she was little, and wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl's neck, and making little "shush" noises into Weiss's ear, along with mumblings of "It's all right" and "Let it out". She took care not to put too much weight on the 17 year old, just enough to make her feel safe.
Weiss gave a small hiccup, and, through her sobs, she said 'Ruby, you're okay! He…he just…he kept hurting you…and I couldn't do anything, and it was all my fau-"
Ruby was having none of that, and she shushed her, saying simply "It was just a nightmare, I'm alright Weiss." Weiss broke down once more. She was like a little kid, all that fear and relief in her system. Weiss clutched desperately at the back of Ruby's shirt, crying with all she was worth.
They stayed like that for several minutes, until Weiss calmed down, and her sobbing died away. When it did, the two puled away from each other slightly. Weiss looked into Ruby's eyes, and her heart swelled. It felt so good to see her partner after her nightmare. She realized, then, just how important this girl was to her. This little dolt who had blown her up on their first day had done what no one could ever do. She was there for her, now, and always. Tears welled in her eyes once more as she said, "Thank you, Ruby."
Ruby gave a small, nervous chuckle, before saying, "Its no problem Weiss." A small frowned formed on Ruby's face as the girl underneath her shook her head at the way Ruby brushed it off.
"No, not about this," Weiss began, "Thank you, for everything Ruby." Her arms tightened around Ruby's neck, attempting to pull her ever so slightly closer. The combination of the liberating feeling that night always brought and the emotions running high through Weiss's body served to help her release her inhibitions enough to continue. "You are always there for me, you always help me, even when I treat you like garbage, Ruby. Why?"
Ruby's jaw worked up and down at the uncharacteristically emotional Heiress's question. No matter how hard she tried, Ruby couldn't quite come up with an answer that would in any way help the emotional girl under her. "Weiss, I…I can't really answer that. You're just all emotional right now," Ruby said. Weiss's only response to that was too begin her sobbing anew, Ruby wincing internally, feeling as if she had made the situation worse by her inaction.
Seeking to rectify the issue, Ruby said to Weiss, "Hey, I've never seen you like this before. You are usually so…reserved, I think the word is, so this is kina scaring me, Weiss." Steeling herself for whatever response the crying Heiress would give, Ruby finished with, "Do you wanna talk about it?"
Weiss felt fear grip her heart once more, oh-so similar to the fear and agony she felt during her dream. However, as her blue eyes met those comforting pools of silver, she felt it ebb away just enough for her to speak, however brokenly, "It-it was all good," she was already losing memory of whatever had happened before it all went to hell, but she could remember the feelings of joy, and that was enough. She continued, "Until he showed up. And…and her just…he hurt you, Ruby!" she was falling apart all over again, not caring about her image for once as she shattered in Ruby's arms, trusting her partner to pick up the pieces. She could not stop taking, however, and continued, "He just kept hurting you, killing you! Over and over and over! And I-I-I was j-just so useless!"
Ruby shushed her then, moving an arm to cradle the back of Weiss's head like one would an infant, and said, "Hey, it's alright. I'm all right. It was just a dream, so it doesn't matter." Ruby did her best to make her words sound as comforting as physically possible, but she was surprised as Weiss began to writhe in her arms, pulling from her grip.
"No, no! You don't understand!" the Heiress began, fresh tears streaming from the pale blue orbs that were frantically looking into Ruby's eyes and around her face, "It doesn't 'not matter', because I-I saw it! Ruby, I saw you!" Emotions that were totally indecipherable were flooding her system, mind-boggling cocktails of anger and pain, of happiness and sadness, of fury and protection. They didn't make sense, but served their purpose of keeping the rush of words coming from Weiss's mouth, "And it hurts so much because you aren't just someone! You are you! You are my first friend, my best friend!" Now, she stared into Ruby's eyes so deeply, it felt as if she was looking into the very depths of Ruby's soul, as she finished, "Ruby…you are precious to me."
Ruby was shaking. She couldn't stop. It was all so much, so fast, and her mind simply couldn't process it all at the moment. However, she still got the gist of Weiss's speech, and forced the following words from her shocked mouth, "It-its alright, Weiss. You are really…important to me too. I promise I'm ok, and you're ok." Despite the clumsiness of the delivery, it served its purpose as a smile appeared on the emotionally exhausted heiress's tearstained face for what seemed like the first time that night.
The two girls would lie still for several minutes, calming down, before Ruby asked the question, "So, are you feeling better now?" She received a small nod from the heiress. Ruby then said, "Ok, well then, I'm going to be heading back to my bed." she pulled away from Weiss, saying, "Goodnight, Weiss."
"Wait."
Ruby tuned around at the unexpected call, a questioning look on her face as she looked back at the older girl. The emotional night had truly stripped away any semblance of her usual inhibitions as Weiss said, "Could you…stay with me tonight? I don't want to have another nightmare." Seeing the redhead's hesitant facial expression, Weiss continued with, "Just until I fall asleep, ok? You can leave after that if you want."
It warmed her heart and left her feeling that warm, fuzzy, nervous-as-all-hell feeling in her chest seeing the Heiress leaving herself so vulnerable to the Leader, and there was no way she could deny such a beautiful girl such a simple request, even if her face was hidden by the shadows. Ruby simply said, "Ok," before worming her way under the covers, careful to leave a respectable amount of space between the two of them, which was decidedly difficult considering they were sharing a twin bed. The two partners lie there, stiff as boards, reminiscent of the previous night, for a period of thirty or so seconds, before, under the covers, a smooth, cool hand found her own. As one, the two girls relaxed into the bed, beginning to drift off next to each other.
Ruby was careful not to fall asleep, wanting to avoid the inevitable teasing Yang you cause if she found them sleeping together again. Several minutes later, she felt the hand in her own go slack, and heard the Heiress's breathing slow.
Well, it was n-ice while it lasted.
Dang it Yang.
Pun aside; it was time for Ruby to take her leave. Steeling herself for what felt like the hardest task in her life, she rolled over, and began to swing her legs over the side of the bed before something interrupted her. Something unexpected, unignorable, and of utmost importance.
A single, cool, thin arm being thrown around her waist.
Weiss was obviously asleep, the near-inaudible snore told Ruby that, but now there was no way that Ruby could leave without waking up the Heiress. Or, at least, that what Ruby told herself as she slowly fell back onto the bed next to the heiress. Weiss had to have rolled over for her arm to end up where it was, which left even less room than before. It was near impossible to avoid practically cuddling her partner.
Well, if you can't beat 'em…
Not that she was complaining as she wrapped her arms around her small, snuggly partner, and began to doze off.
1 minute earlier, Weiss
Weiss was slowly falling asleep. She knew, deep inside of her, that no nightmares would come so long as she had Ruby there. Her bed was so warm now. Even if they weren't as close as her heart was telling her to be for some reason, the hand in hers was enough so reassure her. She felt exhausted, both emotionally and physically. It was…liberating…to step out of the walls that she had built, even if it was just for a night.
She couldn't help the small smile that fell over her face. Maybe her bed wasn't as warm as it could be with Ruby's presence, but it was surely comfortable. An odd heat was radiating from her chest, and she slowly began to feel the soft embrace of sleep begin to consume her. She relaxed under the covers and slowed her breathing.
At least, until that warmth that was comforting her suddenly pulled away.
No, no, no, not now, I was almost asleep, I need you to be here, don't leave!
There was no small amount of panic surging through her heart, causing it to pick up tempo. With her heart pounding in her throat, Weiss searched desperately for a way to keep her partner in the bed with her. She couldn't just tell her to stay again, that would be uncouth, and make her look even more like a needy child than she was slightly ashamed of looking earlier. With her time running out and a severe lack of options, Weiss rolled over, attempting to mimic being asleep, and sling her left arm over Ruby's waist.
She felt Ruby stiffen at the touch, and felt very minute movements from where her hand was at Ruby's hip. She wanted nothing more than to open her eyes and see what exactly Ruby was doing, but she kept her eyes tightly closed, assuming the movement she could feel was simply Ruby turning her head back and forth. After several seconds of Ruby holding that odd position of being halfway on and off of the bed, Ruby seemed to make up her mind.
Weis completely denied the fact that her heart was soaring as Ruby climbed back into her place in bed by Weiss. Even more so, however, when Ruby Wrapped her arms around Weiss. Gone was the hand holding, now, Ruby was holding the Heiress to her chest, and Weiss could hear the beautiful music of Ruby's heartbeat right in her ear.
Any memory of that horrid nightmare seemed to be swept away by the warmth surrounding her, and that soothing beat in her ear. Even more so, that pulsing proved one thing above all else.
She's alive. She's not hurt; she never was hurt. Ruby is perfectly fine and here.
And it was that heartbeat that slowly began to slow, with Weiss's heart matching tempo, and she began that blissful diminuendo into the realms of sleep.
Thank you, Ruby Rose.
She was warm.
Ruby's brow furrowed as a beam of sunlight shined directly onto her closed eyes. Unconsciously, Ruby attempted to turn away, to hold onto the last dregs of sleep, only to be thwarted by an odd weight in her arms. Curious, she attempted to open her eyes, only to snap the shut again at the blinding morning sunlight.
Frustrated but determined, Ruby tried again, slower this time. She was significantly more successful this time. She glanced down, seeing a head of white hair pressed into her chest. She couldn't help the soft, sleepy smile that formed at the sound of her partner's quiet breathing.
So sweet…
Her attention was drawn to another sound in the room, however, when Yang walked over toward them, a teasing grin on her face telling of things to come. Blake was just waking up, apparently, if the fact that she was still stretching in bed. Yang opened her mouth, about to speak, only to be quieted as the younger sister pressed a single finger to her own lips. Ruby caught Blake's eyes from across the room, trying to convey a message without waking up the Heiress. Blake gave an understanding look, before getting up and grabbing Yang's shoulder, whispering, "Come on, Yang, lets go get some breakfast."
The blonde looked at the faunas confusedly, articulating it with, "Huh? Blake what-?"
Blake squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. She then said to Yang, "Trust me." This was evidentially enough for Yang, who nodded, and soon began getting dressed for the day, Blake following her example. In short, they two girls were making their way out of the room.
Before they left, however, Yang sent a single, questioning look toward her sister, and Ruby responded by mouthing, "I'll explain later." Yang nodded, and then Ruby and Weiss were alone. Ruby stayed like that for several more minutes, just cradling the smaller, yet older, girl, enjoying the cool kind of warmth that always seemed to radiate from her.
Soon, however, Weiss began to wake up, groaning and shuffling around in Ruby's grip. Ruby couldn't help her heart suddenly picking up pace and blood rushing to her face as Weiss, her crush, unconsciously pulled Ruby closer, seeking her warmth. It sent a pleasant fluttering feeling through the pit of her stomach.
Weiss pulled back away from her partner, not yet removing herself from the embrace, and looked up into her partner's grey eyes. "Good morning, Ruby." Ruby didn't reply, instead squeezing her partner slightly. Weiss pulled away, sitting up in bed, and began stretching.
The covers fell away from her form, and her hair, slightly frazzled form sleep, fell down around her shoulders in a waterfall of liquid platinum, and the sunlight shone across her. Ruby couldn't move. She could see everything, from the way Weiss's back arched as her arms raised above her head, the way her mouth opened for a near-inaudible yawn, how her nightgown shifted over her porcelain skin, everything.
Despite how her heart protested, Ruby pulled her gaze away before Weiss could notice. When she looked back, Weiss was looking at her with an odd expression on her face. Confused, Ruby said, "Weiss? What's the matter?"
Weiss sighed, still sitting on her knees. The expression on her face morphed into something closer to worried as she said, "We are still…okay, right?" At Ruby's, for lack of a better term, violently confused face, Weiss clarified, "Last night was…odd. I was really clingy and I don't know why, and you just had to deal with me, so I really hope you aren't mad angry."
Ruby frowned at that. Angry? Did Weiss really think she could be angry at her for her having a nightmare? Ruby sat up, leveling with her partner, and said, "Weiss…of course I'm not angry! Also, I didn't 'have to deal with you'; I decided to help you out. Really, if anything, it makes me happy that you could trust me with you being that…vulnerable." Weiss's worried expression died away at that, replacing itself with a small smile. Ruby could help but note just how beautiful Weiss looked just then.
"Thank you, Ruby. You always say the right thing," she then chuckled, "even if you don't realize it." Ruby just smiled. Weiss smiled right back.
Oum, that smile. Ruby's smile is so…wow.
Her heart rate picked up, only continuing to do so as Ruby reached out her arms in an obvious question for a hug. Weiss gave it to her. They seemed to be doing that a lot as of late. She couldn't help the swelling of her heart as she felt Ruby so close, bringing about thoughts of her revelations from class yesterday that had been forgotten up until now.
Do I really…like Ruby?
Of course not, that is ridiculous.
Even as she denied it, Ruby pulled back, and locked eyes with the Heiress. Weiss was suddenly aware of more things then she was used to. She was noticing things that she had never noticed before. The smooth roundness of her partner's face, the way her hair framed her cute face, how the morning sunlight reflected off of her silver irises…
Maybe…maybe I do…
There it was.
She refused to totally acknowledge it as truth, but it undoubtedly rang a chord deep inside of her.
Ruby broke her out of her revere, however unintentionally, with the rumbling of her stomach. Weiss felt a laugh bubbling up through her form, and no matter what she did, she couldn't stop it from coming out. It was far from the loud guffaws that Yang tended to spout, but instead was light, almost airy.
Ruby likened it to the tinkling of bells.
She quickly decided it was her favorite sound.
Once her laughter died down, Weiss said, "How about we go get some breakfast, okay?" Ruby nodded.
As they got up and began to get ready, one idea kept reverberating through Ruby's mind, a vast well of determination, the kind she had only felt during a hunt before, suddenly appearing out of nowhere in her heart. As the two partners began walking out of their dorm, closer than ever, but not as close as they could be, there was only one thought going through Ruby's mind.
Soon. Soon, I'll tell Weiss how I feel.
A/N
Hey, guys, it seems like its been forever, and, to be honest, I could've gotten this out faster, but, eh, life. I put in a lot of hard work into this chapter, and here is the product of a month and a half of writing. I hope you all enjoy, Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave em in the reviews, and see you all in Chapter 3. If all goes to plan, there will be two or three more chapters in Fate, Frayed Rope, and (Gay) Feelings.