Schnee Week Day 3: Weiss Multiship
"Are you sure that you're okay staying here over the winter break by yourself?" Blake asks, the tone of concern clear in her voice. "You can always come to my house for the holidays. My parents said they would love to have you."
As Weiss looks up from her book, at her college dorm mate, she can see the sincerity in her expression.
"Thank you, Blake. And while the offer is greatly appreciated, I think I'd rather spend the time here. Get a head start on reading for next semester."
After a few seconds of silence, Weiss refocuses her attention to Blake, who was now continuing to pack up her things for the next few weeks. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to spend a few days away from Blake, much less weeks. Since they had started college two years ago, they had been roommates, and best friends. And not that she'd ever admit it to anyone, but Weiss had always wished there had been more behind the occasional fleeting touch, or the small moments that the two of them had shared.
"Only if you're sure." Letting out a small sigh before answering, Weiss decides to give up on reading and closes her book.
"You know me, I'm always sure." Standing up, Weiss leans against the bed frame. "And it's important that you spend time with your family. Without me following you around all winter break."
"You don't follow me around. If anything, I'm the one that follows you. I only go to the library for study sessions because you go. Or to group lunches at the cafeteria. And I definitely only do tutoring once a week because you make me do it." The look on Blake's face shifting from sincere to unamused.
"Doubtful. You are a self motivated and respectable person. And not nearly as socially introverted as you would like to believe, Blake Belladonna. Now, it's time for dinner, if you would like to go eat with me one last time before you leave in the morning." If Weiss said she was happy to be eating dinner with Blake for the last time in a while, it would be a lie.
"Of course." Blake smiles and the breath inside of her chest hitches before she grabs her bag and leads the way to the dining hall.
—
The following morning, Weiss tries to stay out of Blake's way as she rushes back and forth across the dorm. Trying to make sure she doesn't forget anything. She tries to ward off the impending loneliness by immersing herself in a textbook of business ethics.
"A-Alright. I think I'm ready to go." Blake tosses her bag over her shoulder and turns to face Weiss one last time. "Last chance. You sure you don't want to go with me?"
Yes. It's all she can think as she looks at her. Yes, she wanted to go with her.
"I'm sure. Go." Weiss brushes her hand in Blake's direction, as if to shoo her out the door.
When Blake turns around and opens the door to leave, she stops in the doorway. Quickly, she turns back around and walks over to the edge of Weiss' bed.
"Stand up. Please." When all she gets in response is a quirked eyebrow and a look of hesitation, Blake rolls her eyes and motions with her hands. "Just get up."
Begrudgingly, Weiss closes her book and sets it aside before swinging her legs off the edge of her bed and standing up, coming face to face with Blake. Well, she would if she were taller.
"And why am I standing?"
Without an audible answer, Blake wraps both of her arms around Weiss and pulls her into a tight hug. It takes a few seconds for the tension to fall from Weiss' body before finally relaxing. She's sure her heart is racing, and just hopes that Blake can't feel it. But just as quickly as it began, the hug ends and Blake steps back and retreats to the door once again.
"Call me if you need anything. Or change your mind. Or just… anything, okay?"
"Blake, you're going home for winter break, not going off to war. And you've stayed here with me and sacrificed enough of your break already. Everyone else went home a week ago."
"I know, but-"
"No but, just go spend time with your family."
Sighing one last time, as if in final defeat, Blake nods her head and pulls the backpack up onto her shoulder one more time. She turns and looks into the room and gives Weiss a small wave before pulling the door closed behind her.
—
The first few days were easy for Weiss to trick herself into believing weren't bad. Like she was thoroughly enjoying the alone time. Having the dorm to herself was a nice change of pace. She was used to spending a majority of every day with another person, and now it was sudden silence. But after those few days, and all she had were texts from Blake and her other friends, Weiss was beginning to realize how deafening the silence was.
Christmas had come and gone. She had received gifts from home already. Most of them just impersonal things like gift cards or money. Which was fine, she expected nothing more of them. And she had thought nothing more of it, until she received a message from Blake.
~ hey, are you busy?
no, I'm not. something wrong?
~ oh, no. are you in the dorm?
yes. where else would I be?
~ I don't know. you are a human, so you have to eat some time.
ha, ha. did you need something in particular, or just concerned as to whether or not I've eaten?
~ I do care whether or not you're eating, but your Christmas present is at the campus post office and they close at five, so they need you to go pick it up. please.
fine. I'll throw on something warm and go get it. I told you not to get me anything.
~ and clearly I don't know how to listen.
The walk to the campus post office wasn't too long. About ten minutes each way. But it was cold outside, since it was winter. So when Weiss arrives, only to find out there's nothing waiting for her, she sends a scathing message back to Blake. Mostly reprimanding her for wasting her time, as well as making her go out into the cold. Mumbling short curses under her breath as she makes her way back through the dorm hallways, she rounds the corner of the last hall. Stopping short, she notices a light coming from beneath the door. And she remembered making sure to turn off the light before she left. Was someone in her room? No one else was still there from the floor. So if someone was in her room, who was it? Carefully, Weiss reaches out and twists the doorknob and pushes the door open, ready to either run or fight. But once she can see into the room, there's no reason for either of those things.
"Oh hi. You walked back faster than I thought." Blake is standing, tangled in a mess of Christmas lights, in the middle of the room. Some of the lights had been strung neatly along the railing of their beds, and had gotten progressively worse as they went along. "I knew you would walk back faster because you would be mad that I tricked you into going to pick up something that wasn't there."
"What exactly are you doing? And why are you here?" Weiss' voice is softer than she expected as she looks at the lights and then back to Blake.
"Yeah um, I can explain."
"Please do." Crossing her arms over her chest, Weiss shifts her weight back onto one foot.
Blake opens her mouth to speak a few times, each time falling back as though she's trying to find the right way to start. Eventually, she sighs heavily and when she looks up, Weiss can't help but look back into amber eyes.
"Well. I wanted you to come with me." As soon as she sees Weiss roll her eyes, Blake finds a little more resolve to keep going. "But you told me to go without you, so I did. And the entire time I've been gone, all I've done is think about you being here. I've wondered what book you're taking notes from. If you've been putting enough marshmallows in your hot chocolate when it snows. I've been thinking a lot about how you didn't want to come with me."
In the brief pause, Weiss sees something in Blake's eyes that normally isn't there. Sadness? The thought of causing her sadness wasn't something Weiss wanted to know if she could bare.
"I told you it was okay-"
"I want to stay with you."
"Blake, what are you talking-"
"For the past two years, I've spent a lot of my time with you. Admiring from afar. Going to study sessions at the library, sitting through meals in the cafeteria dealing with Nora and Yang throwing food in our hair, helping tutor other students because it was something that I knew you enjoyed. And I didn't know how to tell you what I felt without sacrificing our friendship."
She's pretty sure that her heart is beating in her throat and her arms and legs feel absolutely numb as she feels the blood rushing in her ears, as she listens to Blake keep talking.
"And I know that you didn't want to go with me. But I want to stay here with you." Blake fumbles with the lights that are wrapped around her arms and hands as Weiss takes a few steps closer to her. "I had wanted to put the lights up and surprise you and I had this whole speech planned about how I was going to tell you that I wanted to be more than what we are, friends."
Without saying anything, Weiss reaches out and begins to untangle the lights from Blake's arms, her hands shaking slightly. Letting them fall to the floor, piece by piece.
"But apparently, I'm not very good at hanging up lights. Nor am I very quick at it." And when Blake looks down into her eyes and speaks softly, Weiss can feel her heart melt in her chest. Weiss reaches up to pull their foreheads to rest against one another, as Blake whispers into the small space between them. "Do you want to stay with me?"
"I would like that very much."
