The night seemed to drag on forever. Weiss' breathing had slowed down to the calm rhythm of sleep, but all Blake could do was to lie restlessly, trying to avoid accidentally waking Weiss up. The situation wasn't all that different from normal. Weiss was curled up on the very edge of her side of the bed and there was quite a distance between them. If she got startled, there was a good chance she might fall to the floor.
Blake didn't mind that Weiss kept her distance. She never gave any signs of discomfort during the day, but Blake supposed that it was exhausting for her. Truth be told, it had been exhausting for Blake as well. She had spent most of the day second-guessing herself. Surely Weiss didn't mind her shows of affection. Blake was sure that if Weiss had any reservations, she wouldn't hesitate to voice them. Weiss wasn't the type of person to run away from a row.
What was more concerning was just how eager Blake found herself to be. Seeing Weiss blush and slowly accept Blake's attention was just so much fun. It had been such a long time since she had last allowed herself to be close to anyone like that… not since Adam. She shuddered at the memories associated with that name. If there was a better way to make her not fall asleep than thinking about Adam, Blake didn't know about it.
She tried thinking about Weiss instead. The curtains in their small room were drawn, but enough light leaked in that Blake could still see Weiss' shape on the bed. Huddled against herself like that, she looked even slighter than usual and Blake felt a surge of desire to get closer and hug Weiss to comfort her in her loneliness. She, of course, thought better of it. Weiss was already uncomfortable with having to share a bed and the idea that she was lonely existed only in Blake's head.
Emulating Weiss' example, Blake rolled over to the very edge of her side of the bed and closed her eyes. Involuntarily staying up late like this had become an uncomfortable habit in the last week and she needed her rest if she wanted to be ready for whatever Ilia would end up doing. The entire width of the bed now gaped empty between her and Weiss. Blake felt a chill run over her back. The distance seemed almost unbridgeable in the night's darkness.
Blake was woken up when her Scroll buzzed loudly. Her first instinct was to roll over to the side and silence it. Only at the last moment did she remember that she was on the bed's edge. She groaned and sat up. The buzzing had stopped: it was just a message notification. Before she could read it, grumbling from the other side fo the bed let her know that she wasn't the only one woken up by the sound.
"What time is it?" asked Weiss, her voice muffled by blankets. Only a little bit of sunlight found its way into the room, but Blake could tell that sun was already high in the sky. A look at her Scroll confirmed it. Along with a message for Sun, it displayed the time it arrived: 9:54. "Ten," she replied.
"Morning or evening?" asked Weiss, her voice still muffled.
Blake turned around to see that Weiss' face was hidden under the blanket. Only a few strands of white hair revealed who was lying on the other side of the bed. "Morning," replied Blake as she set her feet down on the wooden floor, "Do you want me to make you a coffee?"
"That would be lovely," was another muffled response. Perhaps in response to Blake's weight leaving the bed, Weiss shifted towards the center of the bed. Blake could sympathize: Sleeping on the very edge of the bed was uncomfortable and it left her feeling stiff.
Blake didn't examine the apartment's kitchen counter thoroughly the day before, but she was sure that there was some instant coffee: Weiss made sure to ask Mom for it before they departed. It wasn't anything special, but it'd have to do. A quick search of the cupboard revealed a kettle and while the tap grumbled strangely at first, water eventually started running from it.
As she was waiting for the water to boil, Blake was reminded of the message on her Scroll when it started buzzing again. The second message had also come from Sun.
Please reply. Your mom's about to organize a search party if I don't tell her you're fine. She hoped that Sun was exaggerating.
The previous message was a lot shorter. Everything OK at night? Keep in touch. It was strangely restrained for Sun. Perhaps Mom really was looking over his shoulder as he was writing. Maybe she didn't want Blake to receive a bunch of messages first thing in the morning, which is why she didn't send her own.
Everything's fine, just overslept. Hopefully, that reply would be enough to assuage her mother's worries. The water still wasn't boiling and the soft sound of breathing coming from the bed told Blake that Weiss was asleep again. She looked at her and thought back to yesterday. Maybe Weiss was tired because Blake was too forward with her. Romance novels, it seemed, were a poor substitute for all the experience that Blake lacked. She and Adam were together for a long time, but most of their relationship happened in the Wilds outside the Kingdoms, secret White Fang camps and so on. The best date one could get while living like hat was destroying SDC property together. Weiss might be less opposed to that than her family name would suggest, but the lack of SDC facilities in Menagerie made it a moot issue. Once Weiss woke up again, it might be a good idea to ask her what she wanted to do.
The whistling of the kettle both told Blake that the water was boiling and woke Weiss up. By the time Blake had finished pouring out the coffee, Weiss was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking like she had barely slept at all. "Thank you," she mumbled when Blake handed her the steaming cup.
"I think we should take it easy today," said Blake, "You look like you didn't get any sleep at all."
Weiss looked at her and Blake thought she could read "And whose fault do you think it is?" on her face. She felt herself drowning in guilt all of a sudden. Just because Weiss wanted them to get together didn't mean that she would be okay with whatever Blake tried to do.
Blake looked down at her own cup of coffee hat that she was still holding without setting it down. The dark liquid did not offer any answer in its surface. "I'm sorry," said Blake, "I pushed you too much yesterday." She didn't know what she was apologizing for, but she felt so terribly guilty that she just had to express in some way that she was looking for absolution.
Instead of a reply, Weiss just sipped her coffee. Her hair was falling all over her shoulders in disarray. There was a palpable tension in the air. Blake knew that she had made a mistake somewhere, but she didn't know what it was. Everything seemed like a possible mistake when she thought back to it. She let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "Look at us," she said, "Second day and we're already having an argument."
"It's not much of an argument when neither of us is saying anything," replied Weiss. "Does that make it better or worse?" she added after another sip.
"I have no idea," said Blake, "...worse, I think."
Weiss laughed at that, but it sounded just as unhappy as Blake's laugh did. "Come sit here," she said as she patted the bed next to her, "And we can talk about how we're making a mess of everything."
Blake obeyed even though she did not have a good feeling about it. If Weiss wanted to break up so soon, it clearly was Blake's fault. Weiss' tired small figure on the bad was enough to remind Blake of her own guilt again. She wanted Weiss to be safe from all dangers and worries and instead she had made everything worse. One small, almost insignificant, consolation was that it was the result of what Blake herself had done. If it was because of what she did and not what Ilia, or Adam, or Blake's parents did then she could do better next time. Assuming Weiss would want a next time.
Her pessimistic musings were interrupted when Weiss extricated the cup of coffee from Blake's fingers and then set it down next to her own on the nightstand. The next moment, Blake found herself hugged tightly by Weiss who was hiding surprising strength in her arms in moments like this. The initial confusion was quickly replaced by a sense of relief. Weiss wasn't angry with her after all.
The contact did not last long. Weiss withdrew back after only a few short seconds. "Look," started Weiss, "I'm sorry I pressured you into all this. It's not the only way, we can figure out something else." She was looking away from Blake as she was speaking.
Blake found it difficult to form words. Not only wasn't Weiss blaming Blake for going overboard yesterday, but she was thinking it was somehow her own fault. Saying that it wasn't Weiss' fault didn't feel like enough. She had to do or say something more, but everything was a potential mistake.
"Let's finish the coffee and go outside. We both need air," she said at last. Perhaps fresh air would give her some fresh ideas.
Weiss looked at the window. "If we keep walking around the city, I'll get so tanned my family won't recognize me," she said.
"That's… not a bad thing, or is it?" replied Blake. She wasn't sure Weiss even was capable of tanning, but she didn't bring that up.
"It would be a change, I guess," said Weiss. She took a sip of coffee and they both sank back into silence. Blake kept sitting next to her and waited.
Weiss did not seem bothered by Blake's proximity, but that was scarcely reassuring. Maybe Weiss was just numb. Then again, Weiss was good at hiding her anger until it reached its boiling point and exploded.
When Weiss was done with her coffee, she rose up without a word and disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of running water made it clear what was going on and the sounds from outside the window let Blake know that the city of Menagerie was waking up. Weiss returned from the bathroom in much better spirits. She even smiled at she said "The bathroom's free, so go get ready. I'll wait."
Blake did just that.
Perhaps it was the sleepless night, but Blake felt on edge ever since they left the tiny room they shared. Every look the locals gave Weiss seemed to be filled with poison and hate and Blake felt that they thought the same of her by extension. Weiss seemed unperturbed, but Blake knew that she could be skilled at hiding her emotions if she wanted to.
They had no particular aim except for perhaps getting something to eat, although Blake was in such a state that she'd have a hard time believing that food served to her wasn't poisoned. She led Weiss all around the densely packed streets, hoping to find a spot where they wouldn't be recognized, but she had no luck. The White Fang must have spread news about Weiss' presence all around Menagerie by now.
As her stomach gew more and more insistent, Blake finally settled on a small restaurant tucked away in an almost quiet side alley. The owner, an old bear Faunus, seemed half-blind, but Blake was determined not to let her guard down.
They sat down at an empty table and Blake leaned towards Weiss. "Let me order for you," she whispered hoping that the tone of her voice would be enough to convey her meaning.
Weiss looked at the approaching owner, then nodded silently. A quick glance at the menu revealed Blake's mistake: the menu was almost entirely Atlesian dishes adapted to use ingredients easily obtained in Menagerie. If the owner of this restaurant originally came from Atlas, he was sure to hate the SDC and the entire Schnee family.
"Your order?" asked the owner who was by their table all of a sudden. In a panic, Blake forgot all the fancy-sounding dishes on the menu. She instinctively fell back to her old standby of tuna sandwiches and tuna salad along with tea and coffee. She looked guiltily at Weiss, but there was no frown or scowl on the white-haired girl's face.
"Sorry," said Blake sheepishly when the owner retreated from their table. Once he disappeared into the kitchen, they were all alone in the establishment.
"I'm not that picky when it comes to food," said Weiss speaking in a quiet voice barely above a whisper.
Blake had to smile. This little exchange was soothing after all the uncertainty of yesterday. It was as if Weiss and her were just friends eating breakfast together rather than… She forced her train of thought to stop. Everything that happened between her and Weiss was too sudden and too fast, but she was sure that it wasn't wrong. Circumstances forced them to take steps that would take some couples weeks or months in a matter of days. It was no wonder if things were awkward, but everything would settle down with time. The thought was comforting. Now if only she was able to express that sentiment to Weiss.
"What are you thinking about?" asked Weiss and Blake could hear a tiny note of uncertainty in her voice.
Blake took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Just that I don't regret anything I did since I came to Menagerie."
Weiss appeared to be taken aback by that, but before she could reply anything, the owner came back with two steaming cups. Blake took the one filled with tea and passed the other to Weiss. The owner mumbled something about their food being ready in just a minute and retreated back to the kitchen, but the moment was broken.
They book took a careful sip from their cups. "It doesn't taste as good as the coffee you made," said Weiss and Blake was once more at loss for words.
The ensuing silence was broken when two plates of tuna sandwiches were set in front of them.
"I hope I didn't interrupt a tender moment," said a familiar voice filled with venom.
Blake raised her eyes to look. It was Ilia.