Ruby definitely knows.
That one thought chanted in her mind the entire day at school. Anxiety sprouted from the depths of her mind and bloomed over her entire body.
Last night, Ruby had been the one to save her when she was choked and briefly lost consciousness. There was no doubt about it. Even if Weiss didn't see the girl in the darkness. Ruby was there.
After a deep breath, Weiss used the long mirror to apply the tenth layer of makeup onto her neck that day. The dark bruises were in the shape of large fingerprints. The marks were brashon her pale throat.
Before school, Weiss considered wearing a scarf today. The downside was that it was still Spring. A scarf would be highly suspicious during this time. People might think she was trying to cover a love bite made by Yang.
The thought caused her to blush under the harsh lighting.
Why'd I think about that? She affects me even when we're apart.
The bottom line was that a scarf would turn too many heads. Therefore, the least suspicious course of action was to cover it with hefty makeup.
Ruby saw what happened. I don't know how much, but she saved me and I owe her. There's no way she kept this to herself. She probably told Blake and Yang about it.
Again, anxiety almost overwhelmed her. The bathroom air pricked her skin and absorbed her emotions like a sponge. She was thankful to be alone. Currently, her class was in session. This was the perfect time to be here since it was vacant.
She spent several minutes applying different colors of foundation to blend the bruises into her natural skin. Lifting her injured arm repeatedly caused her to grimace. Her forearm was swollen thanks to Adam's kick.
The bruise almost ate the entirety of her forearm, but at least it was covered with her school uniform. She didn't have to disappear during class to cover it.
I'm a mess, Weiss thought, trying to find humor in the situation. I couldn't dodge his kick in time, so I had no choice but to block. I'll use my switchblade if he tries again.
After what felt like ten minutes, Weiss used the fluorescent lights to examine her neck. The powder was annoyingly visible, which wasn't ideal. But it was the only choice she had. It was better than wandering eyes seeing the violent fingerprints.
This is probably as good as it's going to get.
Begrudgingly, Weiss packed the makeup bag and headed out of the bathroom. To her surprise, Yang leaned next to the door like she'd been waiting for her.
"Yang," Weiss called, which caused her to lean off the wall. "Were you waiting for me?"
Slowly, Yang approached her and slammed both her hands between Weiss' head. "You're missin' the pizza party," her voice lowered seductively as she warmly leaned over her. "Ice princess…."
From the closeness, Weiss blushed fiercely and gulped from how nervous she made her feel. In the span of two seconds, her heart beat wildly and so hard it felt like it would leap out of her chest.
"Y-yes?" Weiss asked, trying not to stammer.
Yang leaned closer, their lips almost grazing.
"Strip," Yang murmured, her breath ghosting across Weiss' cheeks.
The command caused the gears to turn in Weiss' head like she was hearing things. Her face tinted redder than a cherry as steam drifted out of her ears. Her nervous smile warped to a scowl.
"Like that's happening, you blonde brute-!"
When she tried to shove her away, Yang grabbed her forearm. What ensued was a pained groan and a tightly clenched jaw to prevent a yelp. From Weiss' reaction, Yang didn't look at all surprised.
She does know!
In the infirmary, Yang settled an ice pack on Weiss' injured forearm.
"Did you even ice this yet?" the blonde asked, trying to mask how worried she was. "It's so swollen it's almost black."
Dark purple skewered along the edges as it devoured the entirety of her small forearm. It looked like her twig of an arm could break if Yang didn't handle her carefully.
From the lecture, Weiss looked away and tried to downplay the injury to prevent her from worrying. "It's not like I'm bleeding."
Her comment caused Yang to subtly smile. She knew her girlfriend was strong, but now she didn't have to be alone anymore.
"You need to keep ice on it," Yang instructed with her brows furrowed. "It shouldn't be a problem since you're an ice princess. You're practically immune."
The pet name elicited a blush from the flustered girl. Quietly, Weiss watched her girlfriend try to ease her pain. Yang was so gentle. So gentle that her touch tickled like a feather. Being alone like this made her almost forget why they were here in the first place.
"I gotta ask what happened," Yang said and looked up to meet her gaze.
Weiss bit her lip from the sudden request. "Ruby didn't tell you?"
"She left out a lotta details," Yang revealed as she held her hand.
Instinctively, Weiss' hand curled around her own.
Why didn't I realize that before? Weiss thought. If Yang truly knew, Cardin wouldn't be in school today. He'd be in the hospital. Or perhaps a coffin.
"I see…"
When Weiss trailed off, Yang brushed a finger over her cheeks and down to her neck. Lilac eyes remained fixed on the layers of powder and she frowned.
That dolt watches out for me in her own way, too, Weiss thought. Those sisters… I can't lie about this. Especially not her.
Those twinkling lilac eyes shined with pure concern. The way she looked at Weiss… it was full of love and adoration. And it was for her and her alone.
"Listen, Weiss," Yang started, which grabbed her undivided attention. "I really care about you. So of course I'd love to know the personal details of your life. But I also understand you like to keep some things private. What I'm saying is that I hope you know you can always come to me. For anything. I don't want you to face anything alone. Especially now that you have me."
From the genuine speech, Weiss felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. When Yang gazed at her like that, there was nothing Weiss wouldn't do for her.
After heaving a thin sigh, Weiss stood and walked over to the infirmary door before locking it. The sound caused Yang to tilt her head in confusion. She looked like a curious golden retriever.
"I knew you wanted to be alone with me," Yang teased. "I didn't think you'd be so straightforward about it."
While Weiss wanted some alone time with her girlfriend, she locked it for another reason. With a playful pout, Weiss crossed her arms and sat next to her.
"Get your head out of the gutter, you blonde brute," Weiss gave her a smile and sighed again. "If I tell you, you must promise not to murder the people responsible."
From her words, Yang straightened up. She was almost certain that Weiss would give her vague details like her sister. Not tell her exactly what happened.
"W-wha-"
Yang's shock dipped off and fell into her throat. Whoever messed with her girlfriend would receive the wrath of the raging inferno. The fact that Weiss shut her down struck her silent.
"Yang," Weiss said sternly. "You have to promise me."
Frustrated, Yang pinched the bridge of her nose. She tried to come to terms that this violent vigilante wouldn't face justice. Briefly, she wondered why Weiss cared about their well-being. Why didn't she want revenge?
"Okay," Yang said like she wasn't happy about it, but if that was the price to make her open up, it was worth it. "I promise."
Glad to hear that, Weiss sat next to her on a stiff chair and held onto her hand. In the past, she noticed that calmed Yang. Like some sort of soothing, secret button on her body.
"One guy is named Adam. You don't know him. I highly doubt he'll mess with me again. Not after last night. And if he does, I will tell you. That I promise you."
At first, Yang was angry that a guy put his hands on her. But the last part Weiss said made Yang really happy to hear. There would be no more secrets about this.
"The other guy…" Weiss drifted off.
Internally, Weiss debated if she should tell her or not. But Yang promised.
Yang leaned forward in suspense with her elbows on Weiss' lap. "What?"
Weiss cleared her throat and avoided her intense gaze. Her reaction caused Yang to perk an eyebrow.
"... may or may not have been Cardin."
The new information forced Yang to stand as Weiss watched her in worry. The blonde clenched her jaw and curled her fist so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
In an intensely calm voice, Yang asked. "That's why he has a black eye today? You did that?"
"He didn't actually hurt me," Weiss tried to defend in an attempt to make her less angry. "Adam was responsible for my injuries."
When she realized she said injuries 'plural', Weiss covered her mouth. In response, Yang lightly soothed a thumb over her girlfriend's powdered neck. Quiet, Weiss allowed the touch and frowned from how heartbroken Yang appeared.
After spotting the powdered thumbprints, Yang nodded to herself. She unlocked the door and opened it.
"Yang," Weiss said sternly and stood from the chair, setting down the ice pack. "You promised."
"I won't murder him," Yang glanced over her shoulder. "I'll only help him along to his grave."
While she strode down the hallway, Weiss hastily followed her.
"Where are you going?" Weiss asked, afraid of the answer.
"Professor Oobleck's class."
Exactly where Cardin was.
"Yang, you can't do this," Weiss tried to bargain and almost jogged alongside her. "You can't get another detention. Forget that, you'll be expelled-"
"I just wanna talk to him."
After Yang said that, she rolled up her sleeves. The aura around her screamed murderous intent, so Weiss grabbed onto her arm in a feeble attempt to douse her fumes.
"He wants a reaction from you," Weiss said in a plea. "Don't give him what he wants."
"I'm glad he wants to be on a breathing tube."
From how eerily calm she was, Weiss knew she had to break her out of her trance somehow. Yang was like a predator that was about to corner her prey. The feeling was intoxicating as she kept her stride.
"Would you stop?!"
The desperate shout rippled through the hall. Weiss stood in front of her and pulled onto her arm. This made her grimace from putting pressure on the swollen bruise. Yang watched her with newfound interest.
"I won't let you throw away your future for this! You can't go and break promises because your emotions get the better of you!"
When the echoed shouts settled, Yang took a deep breath. She blinked, and those ferocious lilac eyes softened in a way that Weiss had come to adore. There was something about Weiss that calmed her. Even if she did receive an earful.
The fiery flames were effectively doused.
"You're right," Yang admitted. "I'm sorry."
Before Weiss could lecture her more, Yang leaned down and kissed her on the lips as an apology.
That made Weiss completely forget what she was about to say. Tasting a hint of lavender soothed her. Unfortunately, the kiss couldn't last forever. When Yang felt Weiss lean onto her, she reluctantly pulled away.
"I-I'll get your ice pack while you go back to class," Yang suggested with a blush, loving the way her girlfriend appeared flustered. "There's a pizza slice with your name on it."
Satisfied, Weiss squeezed her hand. "Thank you for being reasonable for once."
"Anything for my ice princess."
Stay dandy,
~Toto