For a few minutes, the room had been silent. It was deafening. It drove certain extroverts- Yang- to the edge as she leaned over her desk. She gripped her head as she reread the question at least five times. The words on the page made zero sense.
Frustrated by the problem in front of her- taunting her- Yang threw her hands in the air in frustration. That definitely caused her teammates to focus on her.
Yang announced to the room in hopes of getting some help. And also to distract herself from the annoying homework.
"I hate this assignment."
Since all Blake was doing was reading a book for fun, she stood to help her partner. She leaned over her shoulder and frowned from recognizing the problem.
"Ah, that one is tricky."
"Do you know the answer?" Yang asked enthusiastically, almost certain she knew it.
Unfortunately, Blake shook her head. "I can't. I don't even know if I got it right."
The blonde put her head in her hands. "Aw, come on!"
Across the room, Ruby had been listening. She told herself that if Blake didn't know the answer, she would help her sister. Eager, she darted over to them.
"I got this, sis."
"My hero!" Yang almost cheered, giving her a clear view of the assignment.
For a moment, Ruby stared at the problem. The gears were in her head, but nothing was turning as her mind went blank. She blinked twice.
"It's simple, stupid," Ruby said thoughtfully.
"What?!" Yang yelped from the insult. "What is it?!"
"I got nothing," Ruby admitted with a sigh.
"See, it's not so simple!" Yang tugged on her hair in frustration. "I need the answer."
Ruby put a hand on her shoulder. "Wait for Weiss. She probably knows. She knows everything. She should be back soon-"
The door opened, announcing their teammate's presence.
"Speak of the devil!" Yang boomed, happy to see her.
After Weiss shut the door, she whirled around with a scowl. Yang probably wanted something. That wasn't exactly at the top of Weiss' priority list.
"What is it now?" Weiss deadpanned.
Yang's head fell in defeat, sensing she wouldn't want to help out. But she was desperate.
"Help…"
The meek request scarcely danced into Weiss' ears. All too often, Yang teased her. Now that she was asking for something solemnly meant she was desperate. This was a great chance.
Weiss adorned a smug smirk and egged her on. "Help what?"
Yang took a deep breath as if asking physically pained her. "Please help me with a question on my homework."
From hearing the pleasant phrasing, white eyebrows rose. "Was it really that hard?" she asked, amused as she sat next to her blonde teammate. "Which one?"
"Oh my god, really?!" Yang burst with joy and hugged her with appreciation. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
"Get off me, you brute!" Weiss scowled, trying to push her off. "Unhand me or you can forget it!"
"Ah, right," the blonde pulled away with a bright smile. "It's this one…"
When Weiss passed by Blake, her scent wafted into her nostrils. Due to her enhanced sense of smell, it was easy to hone in on a familiar, yet dreadful scent. It wasn't the typical pleasant lavender she normally adorned. No, it caused creeping concern to well up in the pit of her stomach.
She didn't… Blake thought. She couldn't have- not again.
Blake's legs moved on their own as she approached Weiss, who was in the middle of explaining the answer to her teammate.
"We need to talk," Blake said with finality, adorning a poker face.
Hearing that made the sisters look confused. It wasn't often that Blake was so straightforward and so suddenly, too. However, Weiss simply glared up at her.
"When we're done," she replied and focused back on the paper.
Yang only stared at them, utterly confused. She'd completely forgotten about her assignment by this point.
"Now," Blake said sternly, lightly grabbing her shoulder and her tone warped to pleading. "Please."
Mostly, Weiss was irritated with how stern she was being. She almost snapped at her, but noticed those gold pools whirled with pure concern. A thin sigh. They twinkled with determination and she almost got lost in them. How could she resist that?
Reluctantly, Weiss pushed the chair away and stood. "Fine, it needs to be quick."
"Naturally," Blake agreed.
The longer they were gone, the more the sisters would worry.
After the door shut, Ruby looked like a confused puppy. "What was that about?"
Yang shrugged. "Beats me."
It's been a few weeks since Weiss last bleached her arms, Blake thought. Why'd she do it again? I thought she stopped. I- I guess I assumed she would stop after catching her...
Concerned, Blake led them to the roof of the school so no one would hear the private conversation. A breeze greeted them and caressed their cheeks. A breath of fresh hair helped them immensely to ease their anxiety. The shattered moon floated high in the dark night as it glowed down on them.
"Blake," Weiss addressed, almost like she was tiptoeing around her. She likely had an idea of what was going on. "What is this about?"
"Are you okay?" Blake asked sincerely. "Are you hurting again?"
Rather than answer, Weiss looked away. The city in the distance suddenly was the most interesting thing in the world.
Calmly, Blake rolled up her sleeve. She was careful as she did so, and was a bit surprised that Weiss didn't attempt to pull away. It appeared she knew what this was about, after all. There was no point in hiding it.
Underneath, white bandages covered the entirety of her arm. From the sight, cat ears drooped in sorrow. Her reaction caused Weiss to give her reassurance.
Weiss held onto her hand. "This is part of my life, Blake. I'm sorry, but I didn't say I would stop."
From the revelation, Blake choked back a sob. Her skin had to be stinging right now. At the very least, have discomfort. That didn't sit well with Blake. To her, Weiss was incredible. So the fact that she was hurting unnecessarily hit a pang in her heart.
"I don't like seeing you hurt, Weiss. What can I do to convince you to stop?"
That was a loaded question. One Weiss didn't know the answer to. She looked up to the moon, finding the rays magnificent.
"Weiss?"
"It's not that simple," Weiss murmured, almost under her breath. "This is my reality."
"I want to understand," Blake said evenly. "Please help me understand."
After a few moments, Weiss released a heavy sigh she didn't know she'd been holding. It was difficult, but she finally decided to open up about a part of her childhood.
Excited for you to see what happened in her past!
Lyrics from Asphyxia: "Sinking deeper, fading with the setting sun. This is my reality." -Weiss spitting facts, not realizing how dark it is.
Stay dandy,
~Toto