Weiss blinked awake, a quiet inhalation the only outward show of her nightmare. She took a moment to calm her racing heartbeat, trying to focus on her breathing before it corrupted into sobs. She reached down, a hand clasping over the pale scar through her ribcage to affirm that there was no wound, no blood.
A moment of weakness turned unfortunate. She'd been blind to the threat Vernal posed, too confident in her Knight as an easy road to victory. She'd almost paid the ultimate price for it. She'd never been so close to death as she had when she saw a mockery of Pyrrha's javelin pierced through her as though she was a butterfly on a corkboard. Not even the scar over her eye had damaged her so severely. That was a mark of pride, of victory, overcoming insurmountable odds.
Not the scar on her ribs, a match to one on her back. In that case, it was pure desperation she was still alive. She tried not to let it bother her. Tried and failed.
She flinched when she felt Yang's grip around her waist tighten, pulling her close as she mumbled something unintelligible into Weiss's nape, every bit of her radiating warmth like fire dust. It was welcome, once she recognised the source. The room in Mistral was cool but not cold, unlike Atlas, where everything was either on the edge of stifling hot from the heating systems, or cold enough to make her shiver even with aura.
She forced herself to relax and take in her surroundings, deliberately relaxing her muscles. She was with Yang, cuddled up in a shared bed, with an open window that let in fresh air and a faint chill, the latter of which was warded off by her girlfriend. Who would never hurt her. Just… hold her.
That was something that Weiss spent a lot of time thinking about. The hugs. Weiss spent a lot of time thinking about Yang in general, if she was going to be honest.
Being with Yang was different to anything Weiss had ever experienced before. She'd had dates here and there, obviously, she was once a rich socialite, having the odd coffee date with someone of similar wealth and standing was only proper. It was always a carefully-rehearsed dance of politeness that never reached friendly warmth, a minimum level of distance at all times, and a perfectly flattering letdown that didn't offend. Or, occasionally, not flattering at all. But that was reserved for those dates that went spectacularly poorly, or for unwanted pursuers that weren't worth her time.
Yang did what she always did, and made everything different.
Instead of frigid small talk and empty space, time with Yang was full of genuine smiles and warm hugs. The latter was what had Weiss so deep in thought as she curled under the blanket, Yang's prosthetic arm sitting on the bedside table beside her gauntlet and Myrtenaster. Weiss smiled as she felt another soft snore rumble through her petite frame, wondering if Yang was graced with a peaceful sleep this time.
She shifted, awkwardly turning herself around and accidentally elbowing Yang in the gut. She winced as Yang's eyes opened, the gorgeous lilac turned pale blue in the moonlight that slipped in through the window. "Sorry."
"Ow?" Yang smiled blearily, yawning immediately after. "S'okay. M'rnin'?"
Weiss smiled, reaching up to brush some of Yang's hair back from where it fell in golden strands over her cheek. She caught herself right before she did, remembering that Yang was very particular about her hair. "May I?"
Yang blinked at her, still waking up. "Yeah."
Weiss relaxed slightly at being granted permission, tucking the wayward hair back into Yang's wild mane. She tried her best to be gentle, the way Yang deserved. "It's still night. Go back to sleep."
Yang yawned again, awareness flickering on in her eyes like a lit match. "Nope, I'm good. Why are you awake, Weiss?"
"Oh." She couldn't sleep. Her head was too full of thoughts. Of fears. Of memories of her lower lung slowly filling with her own blood, the threat of drowning on the floor of Haven Academy overwhelming even now. But she wouldn't admit that, or Yang would worry. Or should she admit that? She was trying to be more open, after all. The first thing she and Yang had decided when they chose to take their friendship into a tentative relationship was to support each other, to try and communicate. "I was just… thinking about something."
"What?" Yang lifted her hand from where it was wrapped around Weiss's waist, coming up to shove more of her golden hair off her pillow.
"Just… Haven. And us. I had-" it was going to sound so childish and immature. She couldn't come out and say it. "This is going to sound stupid-"
"Nothing you say sounds stupid," Yang reassured her.
"That's factually incorrect. I once got into a spat with you about fog machines and doilies." Back when she thought they were all invincible. Back before Yang had to put on her arm each morning, if she wanted to, back before Blake opened scars on them all with her absence, and Ruby charged ahead recklessly into things none of them knew the truth about. Back before Weiss was skewered by a madwoman just because she was there.
"Yeah. It was kinda dumb, looking back, but it was fun, and we both got what we wanted." Yang smirked roguishly. "I like that about us."
"Me too." Weiss couldn't agree more. She nodded to herself. She didn't want to ruin this with discussion of a nightmare. It was only a dream. Only a memory. She'd already talked through this with Yang, the first time she woke up from a false death. It was time to let go, and to think instead about other things. She didn't have to hide the truth, but she could ask for an alternative option. "I had a nightmare about Haven again. Distract me?"
Yang blinked in surprise as the words filled the air, her stomach twisting as Weiss said it. Haven. She knew exactly what Weiss had dreamed. She remembered how the world seemed to stop when she saw Weiss run through by that spear, how Cinder had been smiling. The world had frozen around Yang, even Mercury seemed to back off for a minute as she tried to process that the kindest person she'd ever known was going to die just because Cinder wanted to prove a point to Jaune.
It wasn't fair. Weiss never should've been hurt like that. It had been too close. Yang couldn't even be there for her, too caught up in trying to fend off Emerald and Mercury, and then seeing Blake, facing Raven, fetching the Relic, forcing a smile for Ruby's sake when all she wanted to do was tell Blake to go and screw herself-
But that didn't matter right now. She shoved thoughts of Blake and Raven and Mercury and Haven out of her head, letting her palm rest against Weiss's cheek. Weiss was never vulnerable. Not really. Not like how Yang always felt, always on display with her lopsidedness and false arm- she tried to reclaim it, make it hers, and some days it worked. Other days it didn't.
But Weiss always had strength in her. Real strength. Not like what Yang tried to cling to. She looked into those beautiful, frost blue eyes, and tried to think of something to say. "Distract you. Okay. I'm drawing a blank, what do you want to talk about?"
Weiss bit her lip, which made Yang want to kiss her, but she held back. They were still figuring things out, still asking tentative permission. She could kiss her after, not like Weiss was going anywhere. She wouldn't. She promised.
"Cuddling." Weiss announced, like it was obvious. Yang raised a brow, silently prompting her to explain. Weiss smiled back, a little awkwardly and completely adorably. "You hug a lot. We sleep like this. It surprises me, sometimes, how comfortable you are with it."
"Do you want to stop?" Yang asked, worried but willing to do so. It'd suck, she'd always been a hugger, always slept better when there was someone to hold and someone to hold her. But for Weiss, she'd do it.
"No!" Weiss took Yang's hand, squeezing it tight with cold fingers. "I just… I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I've been, well, cuddled. Before you, that is. You've made the numbers rise very quickly."
Yang smiled, trying to figure out what to say. "It's… there's a story behind it." She'd told Blake part of it. Weiss a different bit. But only she knew the whole thing.
"I'm listening," Weiss smiled at her, lifting their joined hands up and kissing the inside of Yang's wrist, so soft it stole her breath away.
"When I was a child, Ruby and I got attacked by Grimm." Dad left them with Qrow, but Qrow had passed out drunk, and so Yang had snuck out. "It was my fault. I could've gotten us killed, but Uncle Qrow saved us." He'd killed the Grimm in seconds, carving them apart like they were nothing, and then he'd pulled Yang and Ruby close, endlessly apologising and carrying them home.
Weiss listened, not a trace of judgement in her eyes, and Yang appreciated that. She smiled and kept talking. "After, Ruby and I were so shaken, we couldn't sleep. Eventually we had a sleepover on my side of the room, and it helped. From then on, for a long time after, we just shared a bed. Even when we got older, if one of us had a nightmare, or dad was out, or sometimes just for no reason at all, we'd dump all our pillows and blankets on one bed and fall asleep like that. I guess I'm pretty used to sharing a bed, it's almost weirder not to."
Weiss took it in, Yang could see it on her face as she listened and worked through it in her own head. She could practically see the cogs turning. It took her a minute to get her thoughts in order, and Yang didn't rush her. Weiss was patient enough to let Yang figure her words out before she said them, Yang could do the same.
"That's a very sweet story. Thank you for telling me." She leaned forward, lightly touching her forehead to Yang's. "Just so we're clear, I don't want this to stop. I like sleeping with you-"
"Oh really?" Yang grinned, waggling her brows. She was just teasing. She wasn't ready for that. Not yet. She ignored a twinge in her right arm and a quiet, nasty little voice in her head that whispered 'not ever'. No. Weiss thought she was beautiful, had said so before. She hadn't lost her spark. It was just… harder to find.
Weiss's cheeks went a really fun shade of red as she spluttered, quickly catching her bearings. "Not like that- you know what I mean!"
"I do know what you mean," Yang chuckled, untangling their hands so she could instead wrap her arm around her girlfriend and pull her close. "And I like cuddling with you too." She wanted to do it forever.
"So we're in agreement, then?" Weiss slid an arm around Yang's waist in return. "Cuddles are good and you may continue."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Yang grinned.
"May I?" Weiss asked as she cupped Yang's cheek with her free hand, treating Yang like she was something precious. Not fragile, not breakable, but something to be cherished and cared for.
"Please." Yang's heart did a flutter-thump in her chest as she nodded and leaned in, closing the distance with a kiss. She wanted to do this forever too.