Winter had always heard that cities never slept, and at first, she didn't really get it. But after she first moved to the city, the night would fall and bring a symphony of car horns and screeching brakes outside of her window. Then she understood what everyone was talking about. But after a few years, she started to realize that the saying was only half true.
No, the city never stopped, but every now and then everything slowed to a crawl, like the city was holding its breath. For a moment, everything was calm and still before going back to normal like nothing happened. Right now was one of those moments.
Amy and her sat in a booth in the back of some hole in the wall bar that was within walking distance of home. The staticky sound of a baseball game filled the bar, though the details were a gargled mess. The lights were weak and the air was filled with bitter smoke that was thick and sticky with nicotine, so Winter wasn't sure what color the walls were, but if she had to guess, she'd say they were some shade of purple. The table was made of cheap wood and was sticky from all the spilled liquor, while the floors were made out of even cheaper wood and were even more sticky.
Amy was sipping a pink drink that had tasted like pineapple, strawberry, and vodka. Amy had offered her a drink and it made her face wrinkle and her tongue vibrate with how sweet it was. She set it on the table in disgust, before picking it back up two seconds later and drinking half of it. She ordered her own after Amy ripped the glass out of her hands.
"Did Weiss get home ok?" Amy asked as the bartender set a thin glass in front of Winter, who picked it up before the bartender had even turned away.
"Yeah, now she's eating popcorn and watching reality tv," Winter said, recalling the quick words she'd shared with her sister over the phone on the drive over.
"Ooh, which show?" Amy squealed, a wide grin on her face.
"Real Housewives of somewhere. She told me that somebody had just got slapped and then hung up on me. I could hear them yelling through the mic," Winter chuckled.
"Told you she'd like cable," Amy said, a smug look on her face.
"It definitely didn't help that you got her hooked on those shows," Winter laughed, taking another sip.
"I didn't get her hooked on anything, she did it all by herself. I just gave her a list of the best shows to watch is all,"
"You know what we call that at work?"
"What? Being cool?"
"Close. We call it being a pain in the butt," They both broke out into a fit of laughter, making the tv seem quiet.
Winters laugh started to slow and her smile started to fade before she was sitting there looking at the table like it had done something disappointing. Amy smiled sympathetically as she reached out and rubbing Winter's arm like a mom trying to warm up her child, bringing some life back into her.
"Hey, you're zoning out again," Amy said, a soothing tone in her voice. Winter sat up straight, not realizing she'd started to slide down the booth.
"Sorry, haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately," Winter laughed weakly and without any humor.
"I can tell, those bags under your eyes aren't exactly hard to see. Guessing those sleeping pills haven't been helping?" Winter shook her head, taking a long sip of her drink.
"They help. Some nights I might get close to a full eight hours, but I count it as a win as long as I get a handful,"
"Doesn't sound like they're helping," Amy frowned.
"No more all-nighters," Winter gave a weak half-smile while Amy's frown deepened.
"Do you still,-"
"Yes, I'm still drinking your tea too," Winter said, her smile less painted on than before.
"Good. I'm telling you, that tea is probably the only reason you're getting any sleep!" Amy declared grandly, pointing a finger at Winter's nose.
"It sure isn't hurting,"
"What do you even do during the night?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You know, read, do work, listen to music, roll around trying to sleep. Anything that keeps my mind busy," She explained in a bored expression, "Thinking,"
"I'd ask what about, but I already know," Amy sighed, disappointed
"I know, I know,"
"You really like hearing me tell you to move on, don't you?"
"You know It's not that easy," She said, groaning into her hands.
"See, I don't like hearing you tell me that,"
"I know," Winter mumbled, glad when Amy reached across the table and rubbed her arm again.
"So, why'd you wanna hangout? Because I know it wasn't just because you wanted to drink," Amy said, grabbing Winters half-empty glass and polishing it off.
"Hey, that's mine!"
"Stop changing the subject," Amy countered, signaling to the bartender to bring another round.
"But you just- ugh, whatever. I can't really go into details, but Ruby's talked to you about her mystery girl, right?"
"Only a few hundred times, give or take. Why?"
"I have a… suspicion," Amy almost spat out her drink.
"You do? Tell me! Or- wait, would that be unconstitutional or whatever? I forget the word for it,"
"You mean illegal?" Winter questioned, tilting her head at Amy.
"I schedule stuff and check people in, it's your job to know the details on this stuff,"
"No, it's not illegal if I don't give any details. At least it shouldn't be," Winter said, making a note to double-check with Jame's later.
"What's the suspicion? Or, who's the suspicion?" She grinned, leaning closer like she couldn't get enough. A waitress dressed in all black dropped off two more drinks, which they both attacked.
"So Ruby switched her appointment times because of robotics, right?"
"Yeah, I was the one who had to schedule them, remember?"
"Whatever. Apparently, she ran into her mystery girl before coming. Right before. Like, was eating right outside while eating at the food cart when she ran into her,"
"Really? From school? What're the odds of-"
"Right after Weiss left her appointment with Jame's," Winter said lowly, watching Amy's eyes.
"Ok, but what does… No. No!" Amy cried, her face lighting up, but Winter wasn't sure if it was from excitement or shock.
"It's not that crazy, right?"
"It's definitely not crazy! Weiss might've been there, but that doesn't mean it's her. How do they act when they're around each other?"
"What do you mean?" Winter asked, her head starting to feel light.
"When they met, how did they react? Any googly eyes or stuff like that?"
"Not really," She admitted, scratching the back of her head, her eyes flicking between Amy and the table.
"Then it might-"
"Because they've never met," Winter said abruptly, eyes glued to the table.
"What do you mean they've never met? You never-"
"No," She shook her head, stomach filled with guilt and booze.
"Are you being serious," Amy pushed, eyes wide with shock.
"I never introduced them or anything, ever"
"Weiss has been here for months and from what you've been saying it seems like she hasn't made any friends. Wasn't that the whole point of putting her in school?" Amy's voice was harsh, but she wasn't mean as she talked, but her words still hit Winter like a truck.
"That didn't mean she had to meet Ruby though," Winter said, trying to put up some form of a defense for herself. It was total bs, but it was something.
"Winter, I know you mean well, but Weiss probably doesn't even know where to begin making friends. Maybe it would've done her some good to have the most positive person in the world in her corner?" Amy said critically, staring Winter down.
"I couldn't do it, Amy," Winter said, her heart squeezing tight as she sat there still as stone.
Amy looked like she wanted to say something else, but let out a huff of air instead. "I know," She said, standing up and wobbling before walking around the table and plopping down next Winter, bouncing on the cushioning as she landed.
The redhead leaned in and wrapped her arm around Winter's shoulders. Winter put her head on Amy's shoulder without hesitating. Even with Weiss living with her, hugs were rare, so this small warmth helped more than Amy knew.
"Ya know, the two of them wouldn't make a bad couple," Amy whispered, getting a laugh from Winter.
"Maybe, but Weiss doesn't do that,"
"What? Like girls?"
"Not at all," Winter chuckled like it was the most absurd thought in the world.
"Really?" Amy said curiously.
"It's not like it would be bad if she was. I mean, after Ruby and Yang, how could I be anything but supportive?" She said, a dreamy smile on her face, her eyes getting heavy.
"Well, you never know," Amy said mostly to herself.
"Do you think Qrow knows?" Winter asked, biting her lip hard after saying it. Her eyelids were tied to Advils now, and it was a struggle to keep them open, "Should I tell him?"
Amy looked at the ceiling, silently thinking, "If it turns out that Weiss is the mystery girl, which she might not be, and he doesn't know, then it's none of his business. It's between the two of them if anything starts, and it's up to them if they wanna say anything," Amy said, nodding her head in assurance.
Winter smiled and nodded, her chin resting on Amy's shoulder. "They all deserve to be happy," Winter mumbled, her words drunkenly mushed together.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Amy said, looking down and seeing Winter's eye's firmly closed and her breathing slow and low.
"Lightweight," Amy chuckled, finishing the rest of her drink in a single swallow. She set down the glass before taking Winters drink out of her limp hands and finishing that too. "I'll give you twenty minutes, then we gotta get you home, ok?"
"Wei-as" Winter grumbled in her sleep, while Amy signaled the bartender for another round.
"Don't worry, Weiss will be fine," Amy told her reassuringly, hoping that her words were true, and not just for tonight.