Chapter 32 — Cold

"As she lay her head upon his chest,

His heart beat to a tune that soothed her soul."

— Louise Alexandra Erskine

"Don't just put out your fist. You have to imagine your opponent. Hit him with everything you got!"

"The hell kind of kick is that? More force!"

"Don't just back down like that! Stand your ground no matter what!"

The harsh words of encouragement pierced the silence of the forest. It was the fourth day of their joint training and already Serena could tell how much she had improved. His words were harsh, true, but he was also an excellent mentor. He had fighting experience. He taught her how to best win a fight. A feat not so easily accomplished since she was smaller and weaker than him. Nevertheless, he showed her countless ways for her to overpower an opponent stronger than her with simple speed and technique alone.

The girl grunted as the chokehold he had on her tightened. He had shown her how to get out, but it was only after several tries that she managed to succeed in escaping him. Jumping away from him, she fell into the perfected stance he had taught her. Waiting for his next move, she blinked in surprise when he rightened his own posture.

"Good. I think you got that now," he praised, giving a nod. "There's nothing more I could teach you. Those are basic moves, but they will help you in pretty much any situation. We're done."

A look of disappointment crossed her face. Serena genuinely enjoyed sparring with him. It was much easier learning something new when you had someone on whom you could test it out. But now that they were done, that would mean he would leave. She would be alone again.

"But," he interrupted her solemn thoughts. "I think we should have one final spar. Test to see if you've really improved."

"Then…"

"I'll stay a bit longer, if that's okay."

A bright smile instantly bloomed on her face, eyes lighting up with joy. "Of course!"

Walking inside the cave, she failed to notice the way his eyes softened as they followed her. Taking off her T-Shirt, Serena put on a fresh shirt with three quarter sleeves. Ruffling her tousled hair to get some order back into it, she grabbed her bow and quiver, slinging the latter across her front. Exiting her home, she told him that she would go hunting for their dinner. He gave a nod before walking inside.

The weather had turned chilly, and Serena contemplated walking back and getting her cloak. But then she remembered that Adam was inside and blushed at the possibility of walking in on him. So she manned up and moved into the forest, steps swallowed by the carpet of leaves that covered the ground.

Her mind wandered as she searched for prey. Although he had decided to stay a bit longer, Serena always knew that the Faunus would leave eventually. It was only natural: he did not belong here. He had friends waiting for him. She had no right to keep him from them. No doubt he, too, wanted to see them again. Still, the moment had come sooner than she thought it would. His wound had healed faster than she had anticipated. She wondered how she had gotten so attached to him in the short time they had known each other. And it wasn't like she was totally alone. She had Ajax, Loki and all the others, as well as Ruby who visited regularly.

But even so, the ache in her chest would not go away.

Movement to her right snapped her out of her self-pity, and her eyes gleamed as she spotted a beautiful deer only several feet away. Climbing a tree silently — something she had also perfected with his help — Serena moved closer, crouching down on the branch. Drawing an arrow, she cocked it into position on her bow. The deer lifted its head, nose twitching as it sniffed the air. Before it could bolt, she let the arrow fly. There was a brief sound of surprise before the animal fell to the ground.

Jumping down from her perch, Serena walked over to her prey. The arrow had pierced its heart perfectly, guaranteeing a quick and painless death. Pulling the shaft out, she cleaned the projectile before placing it back in the quiver. Calling for Ajax, she heaved the cadaver atop his back and walked back to her home, the Grimm trudging at her side.

"I'm back!" she called, breaking through the line of bushes that shielded her home from view. She spotted Adam off to the side, practicing with his sword. Like always, the way he moved with such speed and grace made her halt. "I brought some deer."

The male stopped his training and nodded at her. Sheathing his sword, he walked over, helped her heave the animal's body off Ajax's back and, together, they cleaned and prepared their dinner. It was quiet, the usual chatter having died down to a minimum as a cloud of gloom hung over both of them.

When they had finished, Serena did the dishes while Adam maintained Wilt & Blush. On her way back from the pond, she noticed the heavy clouds that hung over the forest, their dark color foreboding rain and maybe even a storm. A crack of thunder in the distance confirmed her suspicion. She added another log of wood to the ever burning fire before both retired, Serena burrowing herself in her blankets and promptly falling asleep.

A sudden crack of thunder ripped Adam from his peaceful sleep. Eyes snapping open, his senses jumped to full alert, and he only calmed down when he noted that there was no immediate danger. Settling back under the cover, he attempted to return to sleep. A certain someone, however, kept him from doing so.

His acute hearing picked up on her labored breathing and he worried that she was experiencing another panic attack. Turning around so he was facing the fire and her, her noted for the first time how dark it was. The previously burning fire had been extinguished by the wind, probably, and all that was left of it were a few embers. Being a Faunus, the dark handicapped him little. Scrunching his eyes together, he searched for the girl's body, finally falling on the shivering lump by the fire pit. Her body was completely swallowed by her blanket; he couldn't even see her head. If he didn't know any better, he would think that she was hiding underneath the piece of cloth like a child. The picture pulled at his heart strings, and he found himself sitting up.

"Hey," he called out softly, hoping to grasp her attention. The bundle twitched, but apart from that, Adam received no indication that she had heard him. He called out once more, but still she did not react. He also noted with concern the way her breathing seemed to grow ever louder and could almost smell her fear from his spot.

"Serena!"

This call was louder and stronger, but it seemed to do the trick. The girl practically jumped out of her skin, head popping out from beneath her blanket and looking over her shoulder at him. Even in the dark he could see how pale she was. He also smelled sweat.

"Yeah?" her voice, shaky and quiet, replied.

"You okay?"

There was no denying it now; he was worried about her. Not only about the fact that she could faint any moment like she had done that one time. No, this was more. He was genuinely worried and didn't want her to be alone when she was obviously terrified of something. Thinking about it, he guessed that the storm outside had the same effect on her as his shot did. The utter darkness didn't help things either.

"I…" She hesitated for a moment before replying,"I'm fine."

Liar, Adam thought. You're obviously not fine, you idiot.

Sitting up, Adam scooted over so that his side was touching the wall. The bed wasn't particularly wide, but there should be enough space for another person. Settling back down, he caught sight as another violent tremor rocked her body.

"Get over here," he commanded suddenly and imperiously.

The sound of a choking on spit was heard and the girl subsided to a brief coughing fit before asking in an incredulous tone, "I beg your pardon?!"

"Get over here."

"I told you, I'm fine," she protested weakly.

"Yeah, right. Now get over here. It's warmer when you share a bed." The explanation was far from his actual reason of asking her to join him in bed, but he really didn't feel like explaining his sudden urge of protection to the confused girl.

When she was still nestled in her blanket, he added, "Either you come by yourself, or I'll come to you."

That seemed to do the trick. Maroon eyes watched as she hesitantly got up and shuffled her way over to him, arms outstretched and searching in the dark. A foot snagged on something and she began falling forward, but before she could face plant, Adam had caught a hold of her shoulders and steadied her. To his amusement, he could see the blood rushing to her face upon this new turn of events. Letting her go, Adam pulled at her arm to help her get into bed without tripping over anything else. She positioned herself at the far edge of the bed, so close that he feared she would fall off any moment. Shrugging, he figured she would rather change position than fall to the ground. Casting the blanket over her, he settled back down, back facing her.

"There. Now go back to sleep," he muttered, mind already fogging up with new dreams.

The girl lay stiff as a board, barely breathing at all. Adam noted how, after a few minutes when she thought he was asleep, she shuffled closer to him, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders. He continued faking sleep — although he really wasn't; she just thought he was asleep — and paid attention to her movements.

She seemed to be rather lost about how to handle the new situation and he could practically hear her frenzied heartbeat. His own heart was sent racing when she shuffled so close that her front was almost touching his back. He could feel her warm breath through the fabric of his T-Shirt. A small hand clasped the piece of clothing and he was surprised when she touched her forehead to rest in-between his shoulder blades. A deep inhale was followed by a quiet sigh before her entire body seemed to relax.

Within a matter of seconds she was asleep.

Adam was left to wonder about this. He chalked it up to the fact that, as a Faunus, his body temperature was slightly higher than that of humans, so he was a perfect source for warmth. No doubt she had been freezing without the fire. Her need for contact was probably connected to her trauma; she simply needed to know that she was not alone.

His musings quickly tired out his own mind, and he was asleep soon after her.

When Serena woke up the next morning, she almost jumped out of her skin. Instead of being faced with a burning fire, she was faced by the peaceful face of none other than her guest. Eyes wide, she stared at his red hair as the sun illuminated it in a gentle golden hue. His expression was completely relaxed and his breathing even.

Looking around herself, she remembered that she had traded her spot on the floor for his bed last night. She hadn't thought that he would notice her state of panic — storms were a terrible trigger for her, especially ones that came with thunder — and had been surprised when he had offered to share the bed. She didn't think that he cared that much about her.

It was for warmth! Just for warmth, she reminded herself, although her heart wanted to believe that he had acted out of a serious concern for her well-being. Don't expect the impossible, she chastised herself.

Attempting to get up, she was stopped when a weight across her middle made itself known. Looking down in surprise, she was shocked to find his arm across her stomach, encircling her waist and effectively trapping her. She squirmed a bit in hopes of him loosening his hold, but all that got her was him holding on even faster. He even pulled her closer to him! A squeak left her as her back was pressed flush against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, steady and strong, through her back and hoped he didn't pick up on her own, frenzied one.

Realising that there was no escaping his hold, Serena gave a quiet huff of defeat before deciding that, if she was caged here anyway, she might as well get in a bit more of sleep. Eyes drifting shut, she let the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lull her back into dreamland.

Adam was woken by her squirming. Yet, unwilling to rise just yet, he pretended to still be asleep and instead tightened his hold on her waist. Going a step further, he easily pulled her against his chest, and had a hard time suppressing the chuckle that followed when she squeaked at his action. Her heart was racing and he noted how calming the feel of it was to him.

She seemed to have given up for in the next moment, she released a quiet huff and her body became still once more. Her breathing soon even out and he found that she had fallen asleep. A small, soft smile graced his face as his eyes took in her raven head as it rested by his collarbone, barely reaching up to his chin.

Inclining his head, his sense of smell picked up the faint scent of flowers coming from her hair. Inhaling slowly, he noted how well the aroma suited her. Closing his eyes as well, his head lying above hers, chin barely resting on the top of her head, he, too, drifted back to sleep.

It was the first time, Adam Taurus noted, that he found himself to be completely at peace. And it was a wonderful feeling.

EDITED 02/10/2018

As a thank you for all the positive feedback I received for the last chapter, I freed some time and got to work on this chapter.

Hope you like it just as much as the last one!

A special thanks to Kara-Fire 21 and Engage132 for the awesome reviews. Love you guys and hope this chapter makes you just as happy as the last one!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. All I do own are my OC and the idea and plot of the non-canon parts of the story.