Ruby's return to consciousness was a slow process. She could tell that she was waking up, but she couldn't really move, or even open her eyes. At first she was terrified that maybe she had actually died. However as time passed, and she gradually became more and more aware of the sounds of her team moving about as quietly as they could manage, she realized that she was in her dorm room. A precious few minutes passed before the silver-eyed girl was finally able to force her eyes to open. The sight she opened her eyes to was, unsurprisingly, the ceiling.
At the sound of someone approaching she forced herself to look over. Upon doing so her vision was filled with the golden blonde hair of her sister as she felt arms wrap around her. She smiled at the warmth of being close to another person before forcing her arms to wrap Yang in a hug. An action that took a surprising amount of effort. It was then that she realized that her sister was shaking slightly, something that worried her.
"Yang?" Ruby asked in concern. Her voice only coming out as a small whisper "Are you okay?"
In response, Yang released Ruby from the hug and moved back a little bit, irritation and concern shown on her face. "No. I'm not okay. My sister pushed herself so far that she randomly collapsed and fell unconscious. What would I have done if the doctor said you weren't going to wake up?"
The thought struck Ruby like a slap to the face. What if she hadn't woken up? She'd never pushed herself that far before and she'd had no idea how her body would react. She didn't regret it. In fact the only thing she regretted was ignoring the pleas of her friends and fighting Cardin. She just hadn't thought about how much worry she was causing her friends, and now she felt horrible for making them worry so much.
"I'm sorry, Yang," Ruby said, her voice still barely above a whisper. "I… didn't mean to worry you."
"Really?" Yang asked back a bit forcefully. "Because with the way you ignored all of our pleas to take it easy, it felt like you didn't care whether we worried or not."
Ruby closed her eyes, the pain she felt from those words evident on her face, and waited for a few moments. The words, "I'm sorry," found their way out of her mouth without her realizing it. She wanted to explain what was going through her mind and why she felt a need to push herself. Looking back though, she couldn't find a reason to justify it. So she waited for her team to leave her and go to class. To her surprise she felt herself being hugged again, but this time when she opened her eyes, she saw white hair. "Weiss?"
"Don't make such a pitiful face, you dolt," the white haired heiress responded with a kind voice and a disapproving glare. "You'll break people's hearts, and while I may agree with your sister, I want you to know that I'm still your friend. However, I expect you to remember this and never push yourself so far again. Deal?"
The smile that found its way across the younger girl's face was all the answer Weiss needed. Still she decided to wait and hear Ruby's response. She only had to wait a moment before the word, "Deal," was spoken softly by her team leader. She smiled before stepping down from her own bed to give Ruby some space and watched as Ruby turned herself over to look her teammates.
"So," she began hesitantly, her voice gaining a little volume. "What exactly happened?"
"You collapsed," Blake answered immediately, earning a blank stare from the team leader. "Weiss caught you, Yang carried you to the infirmary, and we all waited for the doctor to tell us what was wrong."
"Okay," Ruby responded thoughtfully. "What did the doctor say?"
This time Yang was the one to respond. "You overexerted yourself Rubes. The doctor said that you probably won't have the energy to move around for a couple of days, and you're not allowed to leave this room for at least six days."
"Six days...?" She repeated dejectedly
"Yes, Ruby," Weiss answered, taking note of the dismay evident in Ruby's voice. "We did, however, set up a schedule so that one of us would be with you at all times."
"Really?" Ruby asked, happiness evident in her voice. She started to smile before frowning thoughtfully. "But you'll miss classes."
Yang smiled in response. "Rubes, I think we're all in agreement when I say that you're more important than classes." Weiss and Blake both nodded in agreement with small smiles.
At that moment they all heard a series of small knocks on the door. Ruby looked at the door in confusion as Weiss walked over to open it, revealing Velvet. The rabbit faunus walked into the room with a small smile and a basket of food. Placing the basket of food down by the door, Velvet walked over to the bunk beds that belonged to Ruby and Weiss, stepped on Weiss' bed, and gave Ruby a short hug before smacking her lightly on the cheek.
"I specifically remember warning you against pushing yourself," the brown eyed girl said sadly. "Yet here you are, bedridden, all because you pushed yourself."
"I know, Velvet," Ruby responded, her voice dimmed by her own sadness. "I should have listened to you."
"Good," was the response that came from the brown-eyed faunus. "As long as you realize your mistake, then you shouldn't make it again."
"By the way, why are you here Velvet?" The bedridden girl asked with mild confusion.
"Well Rubes, you know how we set up a schedule so that one of us will always be with you," Yang responded, eliciting a nod from Ruby. "Well, Velvet volunteered to be put onto that schedule. She's going to be here 'till afternoon classes start and then it's Weiss' turn, and after classes all of us will be here."
"Oh," Ruby said softly. "Thank you guys… for being willing to do this for me."
"No problem, Ruby," Weiss responded with a sincere smile. "However we do have to get going to class… so we'll be going now. See you later." After that reminder, both Blake and Yang got up and left after telling Ruby to do her best to relax.
"So, Velvet," the silver-eyed girl began as her team left the room. A mischievous glint appearing in her eyes.
"Yes, Ruby?" Velvet responded without suspicion.
"I've been meaning to ask. Are there any boys that have caught your interest?"
The question caused Velvet to freeze and stare at Ruby. "Why do you want to know?"
The red-tipped brunette seemed to think for a few moments before answering. "Mostly curiosity," she said simply. "My friends from signal keep asking me about cute boys… but I haven't really found any, and Weiss and Blake have too much to worry about apparently. I was kinda hoping I could use your words when writing responses."
Velvet giggles softly at Ruby's answer. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you Ruby, but I haven't found any boys that I'm interested in in that way. Despite what most people think Yatsuhashi is more like a brother to me. He's always there when I need him, and sometimes when I don't, but we're not interested in each other in that way. He actually has a crush on someone else entirely."
"Do none of my friends have crushes?" Ruby asked in exasperation, her voice still closer to a whisper than her normal volume.
"Apparently not, Ruby," Velvet answered with a small giggle. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful right now."
Ruby sighed slightly in defeat. "It's okay Velvet. It's not your fault. I'll just have to warn my friends back at Signal that there aren't any cute boys at Beacon."
Velvet tilted her head to the side as she sat on the chair at Weiss' desk. "Some might say that Jaune is cute."
"Pffft, he's useless. Completely counteracts any charm he might have."
"Wow. Harsh."
"I'm sorry," Ruby responded quietly. "But if you're going to be coming to Beacon… make sure that you know what you're doing before you get here. As it is he'd be better off trying to become a teacher for tactics or something like that. I mean he's a nice guy and all, good friend too, but he's useless. If it weren't for Pyrrha teaching him… he'd stay useless as well."
"I didn't realize that you were so judgmental there, Ruby," Velvet said with a slight giggle. "I might have to reevaluate our friendship. Wouldn't want to be judged like that myself."
"I wouldn't judge you like that!" Ruby said with a small amount of panic. "You're not useless, so you're fine. I just wish Jaune had actually … you know… prepared to come to Beacon."
Velvet shook her head in response. "It's not that I disagree with you, Ruby, but think about it this way. If his parents didn't want him to come to Beacon then he would have had a really hard time preparing. Honestly it's a miracle that he's as prepared as he is."
The silver-eyed girl gave Velvet a confused stare. "What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well," the rabbit faunus began. "For one he actually has a weapon. Second he's fit enough to actually train with Pyrrha, and thirdly he's actually strong. In a contest of raw strength there aren't many here that can actually beat him. Cardin, Yatsuhashi, Yang, and Coco are the only ones that I can think of off the top of my head." She paused for a second. "And here I thought you were a nice girl who'd do anything for her friends."
"Alright, he's not completely useless. Just partially useless," Ruby responded tiredly. "I'd still do anything for him. As I said he's a great friend. I guess… I've just let some frustration about his lack of skills build up."
"It's okay Ruby," Velvet said with a small smile. "It's best to let people know about those kinda things. Like if I'm doing something that you don't like let me know. That way it doesn't build up and end with you calling me useless."
"Alright, Velvet, I'll remember that. Also can you come over here real quick?"
Instead of responding, the rabbit faunus got up and walked over to Ruby and Weiss' bunk beds. When she got there she stepped onto Weiss' bed and lifted herself up to be at Ruby's level. She then gave Ruby a questioning stare which prompted a nervous laugh from the younger girl.
"So," the silver-eyed girl began with an air of innocence. "This is going to be a little weird, but in my pillowcase is a plastic bag. It takes a lot of effort for me to move right now so I was wondering if you could get it."
"Sure," the brunette responded after a moment of thought. She then looked and realized that the opening to the pillowcase was on the other side of Ruby. Hesitantly, due to the fact that Ruby's bed was hanging from the ceiling, Velvet placed her weight on Ruby's bed and moved over to be able to reach into the pillow case. She found herself painfully aware of her proximity to the younger girl, and judging by the mischievous glint in Ruby's silver eyes she was aware as well. It took Velvet a few moments to find the plastic bag in Ruby's pillow. A few moments where she was increasingly aware of their closeness and position, and she felt like somehow the younger girl had planned this. When she finally pulled the plastic bag out and saw that it had cookies in it she gave Ruby a disbelieving stare.
"I want you to have them," the smaller girl said with a smile.
"You're giving me … cookies?" The rabbit faunus asked, confusion obvious in her voice.
"Yup!" Ruby said joyfully with a weak smile. "I like to give cookies to my friends to show my appreciation for them. Just ask Weiss and Blake. I've given them cookies several times."
Velvet looked between Ruby and the bag of cookies several times before letting a smile appear on her face. "This is how you show appreciation for your friends?" She asked as she reached into the plastic bag and pulled out a cookie. Her smile grew slightly when she saw Ruby nod hesitantly. "Then I guess I'll show my appreciation for you in the same way," she said as she placed the cookie on the bedridden girls mouth. "I'd give you the whole bag but that'd kinda negate the point of you giving me the cookies in the first place. So you'll have to settle for one."
The smile that spread across Ruby's face, though partially hidden by the cookie, was all the response Velvet needed to know she'd done a good thing. She giggled to herself as the sickly girl ate the cookie as energetically as she could manage. The two then spent the rest of the morning talking to each other about random things until eventually a white-haired young woman walked in wearing a light blue dress with white trim. It was at that moment that Velvet realized how much time had passed and looked down to realize that she'd eaten all of the cookies Ruby had given her.
"Hello," Weiss said as she looked around the room. "Did you have a nice morning?"
"Yup!" Was the quiet yet happy response that came from the bedridden team leader.
"Yes, we did," Velvet said with a small smile as she stood up. "Though if you're here I guess it's time for me to go to class. Have a good one you two."
"You as well, Velvet," Weiss responded kindly. "Thank you for being willing to help."
Velvet turned to look at Weiss before closing the door. "Ruby's a friend. This isn't even really a sacrifice because I get to spend time with her as a result." With that Velvet closed the door and left Weiss and Ruby alone together.
Weiss walked over to her bed and sat on it. This put her in a position where neither she nor Ruby could see the other, but knowing the other was close was enough for them. The two sat in silence, something that Weiss thoroughly enjoyed, for several minutes before Ruby felt the need to speak to her friend and teammate.
"How were classes, Weiss?" The younger girl said, just loud enough for Weiss to hear clearly.
The white haired heiress on the bunk beneath her hummed softly before responding, "Oh you know. Professor Oobleck talking faster than most people can understand and Professor Port hiding all of the useful information in exaggerated stories about his own accomplishments. I took notes so when you're feeling better we can go over them together."
"Sounds like a normal day," Ruby responded thoughtfully. "Nothing interesting happened at all?"
"Some of the teams from Shade Academy in Vacuo got here today. I didn't really get a chance to meet them though."
"Because you had to come watch me?" Ruby had whispered the words to herself sadly, any semblance of a smile disappearing from her face as she realized what a burden she had forced herself to become. She was almost certain Weiss didn't hear her so she was shocked when her partner actually responded.
"I don't have to watch you, Ruby," Weiss said sternly, giving a mild glare to the bottom of Ruby's bed. "I'm doing this because I'd rather be with you than be learning about the teams from Shade."
A small smile started spreading across Ruby's face as she heard Weiss' response. "Thanks Weiss," the bedridden girl said softly. "It means a lot that you care that much." After she finished she heard a noise from underneath her and turned her head to look towards the center of the room. A couple of seconds later she saw a face with white hair and piercing icy blue eyes rise over the side of her bed.
"Ruby," Weiss said sternly. Though her eyes were full of care and concern. "You're my friend. You're going to have to expect me to care about you."
"I know, Weiss," Ruby said with a smile while poking Weiss on the forehead. "It's just weird. I can't exactly wrap my head around the idea that you guys know about my illness and still decide to care about me."
"Well you better get used to it soon," the white-haired girl responded with a small huff. "Or I might start getting annoyed at the fact that you don't expect me to care."
Ruby's smile turned into a small pout as she thought about her response. "I … expect you to care. It's just… up until now the only people who've known about my problems were my family, and not all of them took it really well."
Weiss tilted her head as she looked at Ruby and reached to grab Ruby's hand. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you."
Ruby gave a forced smile and squeezed Weiss' hand softly. "When my mom died… my dad didn't take it well. He broke down and got lost in being a huntsman for a couple of years and my Uncle Qrow had to raise me and Yang. When he was finally making progress to being his old self, or at least a good father," Ruby paused there as tears started to form in her eyes. "We got the news that I had this illness, and… he broke again. Ever since he's kinda treated me like I've already died and he's just waiting for me to stop moving. So I'm scared of letting people know. I don't want people to treat me like I'm already dead."
At that point Ruby started crying. Weiss was shocked by the story she had just heard, and she made a vow in her heart that she'd have words with Ruby's father, should she ever meet him. She then pulled herself up onto Ruby's bed, sat down next to her, pulled Ruby into a sitting position on her lap, and hugged the smaller girl tightly. Weiss honestly wasn't sure what she could do to comfort the young team leader so she waited for Ruby to stop crying and break the hug herself.
It took a little over an hour for Ruby to regain control over her rampant emotions. When she did she looked up at Weiss and gave her teammate a small smile. "Thanks, Weiss. I really needed that."
"No problem, Ruby," Weiss responded with warmth in her eyes. "I told you I'd be here for you and I will be here for you."
"Thanks again," Ruby said while giving Weiss a final squeeze before releasing the hug and sliding off of Weiss' lap. "Can you do something for me right now?"
Weiss nodded while giving a kind smile. "Of course, Ruby."
"Can you go over to my dresser and grab something?"
"Sure," the white-haired heiress responded while hopping down from Ruby's bed and landing lightly on her feet. She then walked over to the wall that had Ruby's dresser and called out, "what do you want me to grab?"
"In the top right drawer, in the very back there should be a plastic bag."
"Okay," Weiss called back while opening the specified drawer. "Ruby… This is your bra drawer."
"Perfect hiding spot, right? No one would look in there unless I ask them to," came the most energetic reply Weiss had heard yet today, though Ruby's voice was still very soft.
"If you say so," Weiss said as she reached for the back of the drawer, doing her best to not mess with anything. It only took her a couple of seconds to find the plastic bag and pull it out. Revealing a bag of cookies. She then walked back over to Ruby and put the plastic bag on the team leader's bed. "Here you go."
"They're for you, Weiss," Ruby said with a large smile.
Weiss looked at the bag of cookies before looking back at Ruby. "How about I take one cookie and you can have the rest? You're probably a little hungry and you can munch on those while I get some food for you. Plus I need to show my appreciation for your friendship sometimes as well… Though asking a friend to look through your bras is a little weird."
A bright smile found its way onto Ruby's face as Weiss finished her statement. "Yeah, but we're best friends. That's way different than normal friends."
"Really?" Weiss asked skeptically.
"Yup! You can cuddle with best friends. Kinda. Boys don't seem to be okay with cuddling unless you're actually in a 'relationship.'"
"That's… good to know?" Weiss asked more than stated. She then walked over to the small fridge she had bought for her team a week prior, pulled out a couple of readymade meals, and used her semblance and some burn dust to warm them up. As she was doing this she thought about what Ruby said and smiled lightly to herself.
"Ruby," she began as she was walking over to the bedridden girl's bed. "Here's your food." She then placed one of the two meals she had warmed up on Ruby's bed with a fork to eat it with.
"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby said softly as she grabbed the warm meal. "I've said it a lot but I am really grateful for a lot of things that you've done."
Weiss then pulled herself up onto Ruby's bed and once again sat down next to her friend and team leader. The two ate together in silence for several minutes until Ruby decided to lean against Weiss. The blue-eyed girl glanced at her best friend in silence before deciding that she was fine with cuddling with Ruby. The two passed the rest of the afternoon like that until classes were over. At which point in time they spent the rest of the day with their friends and they eventually all ended up having a massive slumber party on the floor.
A/N
Thanks for reading everyone. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Sorry it took so long though. I was getting part of the way through when one of my friends told me that I wasn't putting enough emotion in so I erased it all and started over. I hope I was able to put an acceptable amount of emotion in this time. Please leave a review.
