I came back to give this baby the ending she deserved.
Giza simultaneously felt a weight off his chest and a pang of guilt. He was relieved that he and his mother wouldn't be financially ruined because of his medical bills, but he also felt terrible for having to rely on Weiss to help him out.
"Weiss. I don't know what to say," he told her. He really didn't know. He wanted to thank her for her charity and kindness, but he also wanted to tell her that she really didn't have to pay.
Weiss shook her head. "You don't need to say anything, Giza. You've helped so many people since I first met you, and I want to repay that," she assured him.
Giza knew he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He had to accept it for the sake of his mother, and because it seemed that there would be no convincing Weiss otherwise. He didn't like the prospect of asking other people for help, but in this case, it was really his only option.
Accepting his situation, he smiled at Weiss. "You're a great friend Weiss, and I can't thank you enough for this."
Really, there were no words that could accurately describe how grateful he was. His situation would have been infinitely worse if his mother had to cover his medical bills. They would have gone into serious debt, and he didn't want to imagine where things would have gone from there.
"We're the ones who should be thanking you, Giza. Maybe you're too humble to admit it, but you've made all of our lives better. Everyone in this room thinks you're a hero, and we're far from the only ones," Weiss told him, with Heshima, Yang, Ruby, and Blake, all nodding in agreement.
Giza couldn't help smiling at how happy all of the most important people in her life now were. It didn't even matter whether he felt like he deserved to be called a hero or not, as their happiness was the most important thing to him.
His mother, despite all the hardships she had to struggle through, seemed, at least for that moment, to have no worries in the world. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he couldn't detect a hint of sadness, or shame, or guilt, in her expression.
Weiss, one of his new closest friends, showed no signs of the stress he'd seen in her at school. She'd no longer have to put up with the bullying for being friends with Blake, and she'd been able to reconnect with his mother, and it really showed in her smile. It wasn't put on to mask her true feelings, she seemed genuinely happy, happier than she'd been during their movie night.
Ruby, the little sister he never had, somehow managed to seem happier than usual, despite that fact she always seemed to be bursting with joy and energy. Like Giza, she was always so concerned with how the people she cared for were doing, and she was very obviously, overjoyed by how happy and relaxed everyone now was.
Yang, his best friend since childhood, was practically radiating pure joy. She would no longer have to put up with people mocking her for her sexuality or for the situation with her mother, and wouldn't have to spend any time worrying about her friends or getting angry at her tormentors. For the first time in a long time, she seemed truly carefree, exactly how she was always meant to be.
Blake, the love of his life, was clearly overwhelmed with happiness. He'd seen her happiest before, during their private moments, but this seemed different, this version of Blake, was completely devoid of the usual worries and fears that usually plagued her. This version of Blake wasn't thinking about her family, or Adam, or the bullies, or anything like that, she was just full of joy and excitement, and a lust for life that he'd never seen in her before.
Ultimately, the reasons for their happiness were insignificant, all that mattered was that they were happy, that was all that ever mattered, that was all that Giza had ever wanted.
"You really don't need to thank me, for anything. Seeing you all like this is the best reward I could ever hope for," he told them, not expecting any special treatment or recognition for his actions.
Everything he'd done, he would do again a billion times, if it would make them happy. He would walk through hell or fight the gods themselves if that would make their lives easier. Sure, he had his own needs, but the people that mattered to him would always come first.
"Well somebody's getting laid tonight," Yang quipped, bringing the moment to an end with a groan from everyone present.
"Really Yang? Hashima's right there," Ruby chastised her sister, her and Weiss' cheeks having gone red at Yang's implication.
Hashima chuckled. "Oh, it's quite alright, Ruby dear. I may be old, but I know what it's like to be young and in love," she said.
"Mom!" Giza moaned, feeling the same embarrassment he told her Blake was moving in.
Hashima just shrugged. "What? Like I don't know what you kids get up to. I was young once too, you know."
"Right on, Mrs C," Yang said, before fist-bumping the older woman.
Giza couldn't help laughing at that. "It's a good job I like you," he told them.
"Alright everyone, let's leave the poor boy alone, I'm sure he and Blake want a little, alone time," Yang said after that, taking pity on her poor friend, but still teasing him a little.
With that, the beet-red Ruby and Weiss stepped outside, and Yang wheeled Heshima out. "We'll be right outside, so don't do anything I wouldn't do," the blonde said, just before she left.
"Yang!" Giza halfheartedly complained, knowing that he could never change her sense of humour, and not really wanting to.
"That's a shame, I had so much in mind," Blake purred in his ear, once the door closed behind Yang.
Blake's words were too much for him, and he had to silently curse his hospital gown for leaving little to the imagination. The dark-haired temptress really put him in the mood, she always held that power over him, but as much as he loved the idea, it really wasn't the time.
"You're too good at that. Where'd you learn how to do it?" he asked her, with a grin on his face.
Blake giggled. "I learned from the best," she told him, as she joined him on the bed.
He laughed. "I'm so glad I get to see this side of you."
"Good, because you're the one who brought it out of me," she responded, with a smile.
"I can't take all the credit, it was there all along, I just helped it shine," he told her, as he returned her smile.
She kissed him on the cheek and said "Oh, you deserve all the credit. I would never have ended up like this without you."
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "Gods, I love you so much,"
She rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled into his neck. "I love you too," she told him, as they shared a tender moment together.
His arousal quickly faded, replaced by a feeling of joy, serenity and love.
The romance and the sex didn't matter, just spending a few quiet moments together, was more than enough for both of them. They didn't have to exchange any words, the love radiating from their bodies as they held each other close, was enough to tell them everything they needed to know.
As the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders and melted away into nothingness, Blake drifted off to sleep.
Giza couldn't stop smiling, as the most wonderful girl in existence slept peacefully beside him. He couldn't have been happier, as he felt her soft and slow breaths on his neck, and heard the light purr emanating from her chest.
Warm tears of pure joy and contentment began streaming down his face, as the reality of his situation dawned on him. The girl of his dreams was his, and he was hers. Whatever troubles came their way in the future, and they would ride them out together.
She'd saved him from his demons and he'd freed her from her own. They were no longer the people they had been when they first met, they'd weathered the storm of hatred and suffering, and now they were no longer held down by her fear and his fury.
And, with that, the main story is over. Thanks for reading if you made it this far. There may be a few chapters of fluffy and fun epilogue to come before I finally put this to bed.