A/N: So this thing was supposed to be an angsty fic with crying, panic attacks, self blaming and stuff, but my mood suddenly changed halfway through, so it was turned into something more wholesome instead x)
It's never specified when these events take place, so it's up to you. I just didn't really think about that. During v7 maybe? It fits, I guess.
The whiteness of the whole hospital room they were in was getting on her nerves. Places like these always seemed to be so unfriendly, scary, even dangerous, despite the fact that people wearing the white coats here intend to help you, not to hurt you, torture or kill. Hospitals are associated with pain. Maybe that was the case. Walls tend to remember everything that happen within them. Pain, sorrow, death. All of this had been absorbed through the long years like the sponge soaking in water. Blake was not the first person to be scared of hospitals and its fake whiteness and definitely not the last one, however being the person who spent most of her life living in camps, it was even more uncomfortable for her. And the smell. The terrible smell of gross medicines. The noises coming from the other rooms non-stop. She was amazed at how Ruby was able to sleep, while being in such an awful place.
Yang and Weiss went to get something, while Blake stayed here, sitting next to Ruby's bed and thinking about different things. And trying her best to ignore the unpleasant mood of the hospital, of course. While being off in space, it took her some time to hear a noise coming from her friend. Blake turned to her and saw that Ruby's silver eyes were wide opened and directed right to the ceiling above, and she was breathing heavily.
"Ruby?" Blake tried to get her attention. She clearly saw fear in her eyes before it disappeared, and Ruby looked at her friend tiredly.
"Hi Blake." She smiled. "What's up?"
Blake frowned. Something didn't seem right.
"I'm fine. But what about you?"
Ruby simply shrugged. "Eh. I'm okay. It hurts a little and I want to get out of this place as soon as possible, but… Yeah. I'm okay. Don't worry."
Her voice was weak, hoarse, but most importantly extremely strained, like she was trying her best to hold back her scream or something. It was really worrying, considering how serious these claws marks on her stomach had been looking when the rest of the team found her.
Blake was staring at her leader and couldn't help but think about what happened recently. Their mission was supposed to go well, as always. It wasn't that difficult after all. They were maybe not the best hunters out there, but definitely not the inexperienced ones. Something had gone terribly wrong, Blake still wasn't sure what exactly, however, Ruby ended up being injured by Beowolf. Your dear friend lying in a slowly growing pool of her own blood is certainly not the best thing to ever witness. Blake was wondering why Ruby would be defeated by such a weak enemy. She was pretty sluggish before that too.
"Ruby, it sounds like you're in a lot of pain." Blake said in sympathy for the girl. "I can get you painkillers if you-"
"No, no, no," She cut her. "I'm… fine. It's not necessary."
"Are you sure?" Blake said. "Yang is going to kill me if I leave you like that."
"Ha-ha, I really doubt that." Ruby almost smiled. "I'm fine, Blake, really."
She was trying to reassure her, but it only made Blake more worried about the girl. The girl that was clutching the sheets firmly with her hands. She was definitely not fine at all.
"No, no, it's not right, I should call the doctors."
Blake stood up from her place, knowing how Ruby always been when it came to expressing her feelings which she never actually did, hiding everything instead. Believing these I'm fines and okays repeated like a spell of some kind is really not the thing to do, as Blake miserably thought.
"Wait, stop!" Ruby exclaimed. Blake stopped in her tracks and looked at Ruby. She wasn't expecting to see what she was seeing. Tears were forming in the shiny eyes of her friend and some of the salty droplets were already running down her red cheeks. Oh. So that's what Ruby was holding back actually. Blake was confused, but did obey.
"Ruby, what is happening?" Blake returned and sat on the stool she previously occupied. "Tell me what's wrong, please."
Ruby sighed, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears flowing, but it didn't really help. She shifted on her bed, trying to get into a comfortable sitting position,
"Blake, it's not the pain…" She said in a trembling voice. The whole condition of a usually cheerful girl broke Blake's heart. "It's another thing. Not the pain. Don't go anywhere, please."
"Then what it is?" Blake asked.
Ruby's eyes moved to the side. A weird, nonreadable expression passed over them.
"Ruby, please, tell me." Blake begged. "I'm just trying to help. You can trust me."
Ruby was a little surprised by her friend's stubbornness which she never expected to see, and even if she was pretty stubborn herself not wanting to talk about the thing bothering her, a little part inside her was getting a warm feeling.
"Ruby," Blake said suddenly, "you… you had a nightmare, hadn't you?"
Ruby sighed again and returned the gaze. It wasn't that hard to guess, after all. Denying anything was useless.
"It's okay now." She sniffed. "I calmed down, really."
"I guess you don't want to talk about it. It's alright, I understand." Blake tried to smile. "You know… I have them too sometimes. Not a nice feeling at all, right?"
"Yeah."
"Just keep in mind that it's not something to be ashamed of, and we all going to listen to you whenever you're ready." Blake said in a soothing voice. "You don't seem to get enough sleep."
It wasn't that hard for Blake to put two and two together.
Ruby blinked and gently nodded, silently appreciating how Blake, even if she was really worried, still respected her personal boundaries.
Heavy silence fell after that. Ruby was rubbing her face awkwardly, and Blake suddenly felt a really strong urge to also correct her position on her stool. And she did. Her clothes rustled a little, breaking the silence, but once she was done, it got quiet again. Even the annoying noise coming from the hall disappeared, and Blake wished it didn't.
"Blake?" Ruby spoke suddenly, startling Blake.
"Yeah?"
"I… have something to tell you. I'm not sure about it, but I can't really hold it anymore." Ruby fiddled with her fingers.
"Oh? What is it?
"It's complicated. I've been thinking about this for a while. Well, since we found out you are a faunus."
Now that's really interesting. It seems like Ruby was ready to open up sooner than Blake assumed. What was on her mind? Blake's ears perked up in response.
"Y-Yes. These." Ruby said. Her cheeks started burning up again, but for another reason this time.
Huh?
"What do you mean by these?"
"Y-Your cat ears." Ruby looked like she was ready to jump out of her bed at any moment and run away in a random direction, begging brothers to let her take her words back.
Blake was never been so confused in her whole life. Their entire conversation seemed like some weird dialogue in a poor-written book.
"Ruby, I don't understand."
Ruby couldn't stop shifting on her bed, adverting her gaze that was bouncing like crazy across the whole room, and trying to unintentionally rip her own fingers off (which made Blake wince a little), but in the end she, suddenly determined, finally looked at Blake and inhaled.
"Iwanttotouchyourcatearsblakeplease!" Ruby granted her dear friend not just the answer that would explain the entire situation and the thing going on with the ears, but a gibberish Blake wasn't able to understand.
"Ruby!"
"Please Blake, it's never been the right time, but I thought maybe I could ask you right here n' right now and there are only you and me, so I thought- Blake I want to touch your ears."
Seeing how bad was Ruby before, Blake already saw some heavy conversation coming. She was ready to listen. Maybe not about the nightmares, but about something else. Definitely was going to calm Ruby down. Say something and make her day better. That's what friends are for. Even if the topic was addressing the fact that Blake was a faunus. She even got enough time to get scared and a little upset. But Ruby sitting here wrapped up in bandages with tears stains on her cheeks, suddenly confessing to Blake that she wanted to touch her cat ears was the last thing the faunus girl ever expected.
"Ruby…"
"Is it rude? Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, maybe I shouldn't have- Ok never mind, forget about what I sa-"
"Yes, you can, Ruby." Blake couldn't help but giggle a little. "You can touch my ears."
Ruby froze. Her arms that she was waving in despair stopped in the air too.
"Oh. R-Really? I mean, maybe it's something inappropriate among y'all, I'm not very sure-"
"Maybe some faunus do consider it rude, but in general it's not something weird or unusual."
"A-Are you sure? I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way, it wasn't-"
"Ruby, it's fine. Again, it's not something unusual. Well, as long as you don't try to pluck them like a flower, of course. Then yes, that wouldn't be fine at all."
"I w-won't, I promise."
Blake saw how Ruby's silver eyes began to sparkle.
"I know."
Blake got closer and bowed her head just a little bit, so Ruby could get to her ears comfortably, not forgetting her leader hasn't fully recovered yet. The girl gasped, examining. She was so excited about such a small and silly thing, and Blake couldn't stop smiling. Just Ruby being Ruby.
Ruby extended her arm, slowly. She hesitated for a bit, but a few seconds later she, still nervously, finally touched Blake's fluffy, black cat ears. All the people of Remnant could have sworn the ground shook for a brief second when this happened.
"Oh my god." Ruby said, living through such a big moment in her life even if a minute ago she had been almost bawling her eyes out.
"Ruby, you've never patted a cat before? Or any other animal?" Despite Ruby being wholesome, Blake was still a little confused. "Um… Zwei?"
"I-It's another thing! And feels not the same way!" Ruby gently stroked Blake's ears, making her flinch. "Gosh they're so fluffy and soft I can't- Now I want these too-"
Now Blake was trapped in Ruby's grasp. It's not like Blake was against it. In fact, she enjoyed the way Ruby was playing with her ears while squeaking and telling her how cute they were, etc. Seeing such reaction, Blake felt a little bit ashamed of myself for hiding her faunus trait under a ribbon like that. She had no idea there would be anybody loving it so much.
Blake wasn't sure how much time passed, but she ended up carefully laying down on Ruby's chest while the girl was slowly scratching Blake behind one of her ears.
"Even knowing you, Ruby, I wouldn't have guessed that the thing that has been haunting you all this time was the wish to touch my ears."
"It's not like I've been thinking about it all the time and having dreams about this." Ruby giggled at the thought. "But it was still interesting for me."
"You could just ask, y'know?"
"Eh. No?"
Blake sighed with joy.
"It's going to be so weird when Yang and Weiss see us like this." She noticed.
"Maybe." Ruby replied. "I'm not letting you go anyway."