I'm 25 today! Life is pretty good hope ya'll have a good one!
"She kept it to herself this whole time…"
As Ruby morosely gazed down at her partner, her voice cracked in misery. For a while now, she'd been crying. The tears spilled over and refused to stop. Ruby hadn't left the chair next to her partner's hospital bed in hours.
With Ruby's speed semblance, she was able to get Weiss to the hospital in Marfa in under fifteen minutes. Almost record time. Yang and Blake were able to follow due to the crimson droplets on the snow.
Weiss was resting in a hospital bed, with her team not leaving her side. She still hadn't come to after receiving dozens of stitches to seal her wounds. Her striped arms were bare and settled on top of her stomach.
Now, her breathing was rhythmic and her aura was mostly stable. She was whiter than the sheets due to blood loss, but a slight red tint was slowly returning.
I'm so sorry, Ruby thought as she held onto her limp hand. I hope you're okay...
Ruby was her genuine self, one-thousand percent every single day. Unapologetically herself. She couldn't imagine what it was like trying to hide a part of her identity for her entire life.
It has to be so heavy on your heart, Ruby thought with a frown.
Blake felt a surge of guilt but she tried to quell it. "Don't feel bad. I only found out by accident."
After hearing that, Yang and Ruby looked back down at their resting teammate.
Ruby put her head in her hands as she choked back another sob. "Did she feel like she couldn't tell us? Was it my fault?"
"No," Blake shook her head, addressing both sisters. "You couldn't be more wrong. She's more bent on upholding the expectations of being a Schnee. It's not that she doesn't trust you. She trusts us with her life."
Tears caused Ruby's vision to blur as she squeezed her partner's hand. "You were all alone…"
Her small hand felt like ice. Ruby sniffled and blanketed her in warmth, draping her cape over her. She tried to think of all the pain and anxiety Weiss must have felt for her entire life as the droplets spilled onto the bed below.
Hopefully here, you can start anew, Ruby thought. Now your team- your family- knows you're a faunus. You don't have to hide anymore. Darkness can finally be at your feet, and maybe one day, will leave you completely.
To comfort her, Blake and Yang placed their hands on their leader's back.
Yang murmured, gazing down at her quiet teammate. "I'm glad you had her back," she gave Blake a sad smile. "Hiding something like that for so long had to be emotionally taxing."
Blake heavily sighed, thinking back from her own experience. "You can say that again."
"You sure didn't keep it a secret that long from us," the blonde realized, watching those fluffy ears.
Blake flicked her ears, which caused Yang to become giddy. She'd always loved those furry appendages.
"When I realized you and Ruby accept people for who they are, I felt safe enough to tell you I'm a faunus," Blake stated as a fact. "You don't dislike anyone without reason. That's who you are."
From the kind words, Yang hugged her partner. It took Blake a couple of months to tell the team that she was a faunus. While it took Weiss almost a year. It would've been longer if the mission went according to plan.
Blake returned the hug, feeling the trust and warmth she yearned. A few moments passed before they separated and shared kind smiles.
Yang glanced down, stifling a sniffle as she soothed her fingers through white bangs. "Weiss though- she has to keep hiding it from the world. A Schnee can't be a faunus… That's what she thinks, right?"
A nod.
The blonde grit her teeth as she thought about all the pain that cut her teammate so deeply. "Stupid… she has a stupid father…"
"Tell me about it."
That was a new, familiar voice in the conversation. It was about time Weiss woke up after a couple of hours. Azure pools were slightly glazed over as she looked around in confusion.
Yang adorned the brightest smile. "You're up!"
Experimentally, Weiss moved around a bit to take note of the extent of her pain. Fortunately, she was only sore and her body was absorbing some vital blood through the transfusion.
"You think a few scratches can keep me down?" Weiss quipped. "Don't be ridiculous."
Ruby held her down by the shoulder to keep her from moving. "Wait, wait, woah there. Don't move so much. The gashes weren't too deep, but they're pretty long."
A groan. In defeat, Weiss' head fell back onto the pillow.
"When can we leave?" Weiss asked, impatient.
"Relax, princess," Yang said calmly. "This isn't our favorite place either, but you need a few more hours at least."
Tenderly, Blake soothed her fingers over her cheek. "You're still really pale."
From the compassionate contact, Weiss felt her face flush. "Uh, Blake? That's normal."
Satisfied with her reaction, Blake pulled her fingers away. Weiss swallowed a sigh, missing the contact.
"They're red now," Blake said, almost teasing.
Flustered, Weiss looked out the window. There was a light dusting of snow that coated the ground.
Ruby pulled out her scroll and swiped through the messages, looking for one in particular. "Ozpin said they will have a permanent huntsman tomorrow. You should be good to go by then."
There was a thin sigh.
That was a troubling sound, so Ruby gazed down at her with worry. "Is something wrong?"
Weiss turned over on her uninjured side and pulled up the blankets. She sounded more annoyed than anything.
"Normally, I would be healed by now. My aura is too low."
"Don't feel bad," Blake chimed, watching her curl into herself. "You need a break."
Yang gave her a wide smile. "Yeah, don't sweat it."
There was a hum that could also be interpreted as a groan.
From the small sound, Blake's cat ears flickered. Something was wrong. "Do you want another blanket?"
"I'm fi- nngh…"
Suddenly, the heart rate monitor beeped wildly. Weiss' face contorted in pain as her whole body flinched. To Weiss, it felt like a sudden surge of throbbing throughout her whole body. Her stitches would burst from the stinging pain. Her breaths came in short pants.
"W-Weiss?!" Ruby yelped, putting a hand on her back.
Yang knelt to get at eye level with Weiss. She was holding her entire body as if it would explode. "Can you tell us what's wrong?"
With great effort, Weiss cracked open one eye. There was a haze in them as she looked directly at Blake.
Fortunately, Blake knew exactly what she was asking for.
Lyrics from Asphyxia: "Start anew in this time of peace with darkness at your feet, so turn the key and it will all begin." - Ruby, hoping her partner has a little more light in her life now that the team knows she's a faunus.
Stay dandy,
~Toto