Day 6: Heartbeat/Heart Attack
Weiss groaned loudly as she flung the door open and trudged into her house, "I just can't win in this situation!"
Yang nearly flinched from her comfortable seat on the couch, "Uh oh… What happened at work this time?"
Weiss frowned as she clumsily shuffled to the kitchen, "I don't want to talk about it," she pouted.
Yang huffed with a smirk as she stood up and went to follow Weiss, "Sure you don't."
As Weiss and Yang entered the kitchen, Weiss went straight for the refrigerator and began to rummage through it. After a few seconds, she pulled her head out with a carton of apple juice in hand and found Yang sitting on the edge of the dining table with her arms crossed.
"Don't judge me," Weiss huffed as she collected a few teacups from the cabinet and placed them on the table.
"I didn't say anything," Yang chuckled and held her hands up.
"Shut up and drink this apple juice with me," grumbled Weiss as she poured the drink into the two cups and claimed one.
"Yes, Ma'am," Yang rolled her eyes and picked up her cup.
Weiss took one large swig of the juice and grimaced with a shake of her head, "Ugh, I hate apple juice," she said as she poured the rest of her drink into Yang's cup.
"Yeesh, what happened to you today?" asked Yang as she looked into her cup, took a sip, and set it on the table.
"You know how it is, Yang," Weiss sighed as she stormed out of the room with Yang in tow, "I've been trying so hard to get the company back on track after my father completely ruined its reputation, but every time it seems like I'm taking a step in the right direction, I get pulled back the wrong way."
"Care to elaborate?" Yang asked as Weiss checked her appearance in a mirror by the stairs.
"My father used to hire faunus as a cheap source of labor in the mines. Those working conditions were notoriously horrible! And now I'm trying to help them and I get slandered by them? It's not fair!" Weiss ranted as she began to march up the stairs.
"What did you do?" questioned Yang, hot on her heels.
"They think I'm trying to make their lives worse! They complain about me being even more heartless than my father just because I run the company now! It's like they try to fight me on everything even if it'll help them in the long run," Weiss growled as she continued her tirade through the hallway atop the staircase.
"I still don't know what you did," Yang commented as she stayed strong in her pursuit.
"I mean, just look at all I've done for them! I've given them better wages, better working conditions, more benefits— I keep hearing about how unfairly they are being treated compared to the human workers even though everything is equal! I just don't get it, Yang," Weiss moaned as she pushed the bedroom door open.
"I've got to say, I don't really get it either," Yang shrugged as she followed Weiss inside.
Weiss huffed and narrowed her eyes at Yang, "Are you serious, Yang? Did you hear a thing I just said?"
"I heard everything except for what happened at work today," Yang frowned with concern in her eyes as she leaned against a dresser.
Weiss looked into those lilac irises and sighed as she pulled the tiara out of her hair and placed it on the dresser, "I'm sorry… It's just that I get so tired of all this sometimes. It feels like I'm going to have a heart attack at any minute."
"It's okay. I'm here to listen," Yang smiled.
That smile instantly warmed Weiss' heart and she took a deep breath to calm herself down before beginning to pace within the room.
"My father had been saving a lot of money by hiring the faunus under those horrible working conditions, and now that I've given them equal pay, benefits, and everything, the company's wallet has gotten lighter. It also caused a moderate loss in stocks all over Remnant," said Weiss.
"Sounds like a tough pinch," said Yang.
"You have no idea," said Weiss, "Anyway, the last huge issues from when my father ran the company were the dangers of having workers in the mines, so I thought I could kill two birds with one stone by hiring a third party to do the mining work. I made a deal with Polendina Robotics to staff the mines with smart robots that can do everything the workers can do but without the risk of losing any lives. And for a fraction of the cost."
"That sounds great! Why would the faunes hate you for getting them out of the mines?" Yang asked.
"Because I had to lay them all off," Weiss frowned, "I offered them all jobs in upper management, but I keep hearing that they want their old jobs back… even if it means they might be killed in a collapse."
"Oh…"
Weiss sighed as she sat down on the bed, "They call me ruthless. They tell their children I don't have a heart…" She said as she pulled her feet onto the bed, laid down, and rested her forearm over her eyes, "And now, I'm starting to think they're right."
For a few moments, all Weiss could hear were her stressed breaths and the soft pitter-patter of raindrops that had started to dot the bedroom window. She felt the bed shift as another weight climbed onto it and curl up against her side. She cracked open an eye as Yang rested her head on her chest.
Weiss immediately felt the stress flee from her body as Yang's soft breaths warmed her skin.
"You're wrong, you know," said Yang as she took a deep breath through her nose and held onto Weiss a little tighter.
"About what?"
"Shhh… I can hear it," Yang whispered, "Your heartbeat… It's there…"
Both of Weiss' eyes were open now, and she looked down at Yang as she was finding comfort in her heartbeat. At first, she did not know what to do, but then a fond smile formed on her face and she closed her eyes again.
"Thank you for putting up with me," Weiss sighed, contently, as she combed her fingers through Yang's golden locks, "I know I can be a pain sometimes."
"Weiss, I love you," Yang chuckled without moving her head, "I want to hear you rant. I want to hear about your problems and your triumphs. I care about your life and I want to help you in any way I can."
Weiss shook her head; the smile on her face never fading, "I don't know what I did to deserve you… I love you, too."