Chapter 46
The night was silent with not an object out of place. The lights shined between the slits of the blindfolds over the window and thus provided little visibility in the dark room. Winter slept soundly in her bed, her quilt flat and with barely a crease as it covered her form. Her breath was one of the very few sounds that melded into the ambience alongside the heart monitor. It was a perfectly normal night.
The sound of the heart monitor was accompanied by another stray sound, one that didn't belong. After each beep a shadow loomed closer towards her bed, making use of the sound to mask its own steps. The thin beams of light that escaped in through the blinds patterned the figure as they grew to a halt besides the bed. Mismatched eyes looked down in an uncaring manner towards the woman that slept as the light reflected off of a thin, sharp piece of metal.
Often did impulse control Neo, favouring the thoughts that came quickly to her. Most of the time she would not question them and simply act, such was her blunt nature. But on the sparse occasions she did stop to think... The tip of her thin blade was pointed down towards Winter's chest. A single thrust and her problems would be gone. She could keep Weiss to herself.
Her eyes narrowed as hesitation struck her. This woman sought to destroy what she had, something she was unable to forgive. It was an act of violence, a declaration of war. Weiss belonged to her now, no one else. She raised the blade higher in preparation.
Weiss, however, was riddled with emotion and held a sense of justice that came basic to most people. To her family seemed important despite the way they treated her. For Neo it was different, she never learned to love her own family and so the concept was lost on her. But her ways weren't the ones that others followed nor understood. Her actions here would only hurt Weiss, even if it was to her benefit. Such a fickle thing, family.
For now her impulses would be ignored. She liked Weiss. She liked the comfort of her arms wrapped tightly around her form, she liked the taste of her lips and the rush of heat that flowed through her body when they kissed. She wanted to keep her, but that came with other responsibilities. She came to understand that simply having her was not a good way to make sure she wouldn't leave, she needed to keep her happy and see to her desires and needs.
The idea of love was mostly alien to Neo, or at least her own perception of it was skewed. She realised she had been growing more attached to the heiress however, almost as if some part of her was depending upon the girl. She believed that Weiss loved her though, how could she not? She accepted most of her advances and sought her for comfort. That would surely be good enough to be called love, and if not, what was it? Her expression twisted with confusion as she lowered her blade slightly.
Killing Winter would, for a reason she couldn't fathom, upset Weiss. And Weiss being upset meant she was spending more time crying and less time loving her. Not only that however, Neo didn't want to see her cry. When she cried, she grew upset herself. It was an awkward experience and she didn't much enjoy it but even when she was sad the mere presence of Weiss lifted her spirits. Was that love?
The heart monitor continued its rhythmic beating as Neo took a step back to match it. She was unsure what was going to happen to herself and Weiss if they continued to ignore Winter's demands that they separate, but what could she even do except yell at them? The woman was stuck in a bed and far too weak to prove a real threat. She continued with her steps back as she quietly sheathed her blade, the lights coming from the blinds soon lost her as she disappeared into the darker parts of the room. A slit of light appeared in the shadows as the door opened slightly only to close a second later.
Her sensitive ears could pick up distant footsteps behind corners within the hallway but she knew it was likely more staff simply going about their jobs. She sighed as her golden eyes glanced down at the selection of choices upon the machine. Her slender finger pushed upon one of the buttons gently as the machine began making an assortment of sounds. Her ears twitched beneath her bow as her eyes casually glanced to her left. Just another empty hall. She hadn't met many other patients in the hospital but she was sure they were actually here, otherwise they wouldn't have had to have switched rooms after all.
A scent stung her nostrils as her eyes narrowed back to the machine and the drink it was dispensing. She hated coffee and unfortunately for her Yang loved it. She said it was something about how it just hits you but any time Blake had tried the beverage she immediately had to spit it back out. It was still late in the night and her partner had asked her to go and get her some decaf. It was only tonight that the Faunus learned the difference between it and an actual cup of coffee. Apparently decaf was exactly the same without the buzz. Why somebody would remove the only advantage to coffee was beyond Blake.
She picked up the warm foam cup in her hand as she turned and began making her way back to Yang's room. Along the way she paused outside of Winter's door. She had always had an odd relationship with the woman, she knew that she was certainly good at what she does but personality wise she left much to be desired. She recalled the time Winter had stated her distaste for the relationship she shared with Yang, this was one of the many things that soured her opinion of her. Even if she didn't actually mean it.
But the way she had seen her react earlier to both Weiss and Neo... Blake narrowed her eyes at the door, she could understand treating Neo like that, but to have made Weiss run off in tears... She turned her attention away from the door as she continued on down the hall. She saw another member of staff passing by her and she smiled politely in passing as they nodded back. Finally she reached the door to Yang's room, reaching her hand forward to push it open. Inside Yang was laying down upon her bed with her arm behind her head. Her lilac eyes glanced towards Blake. Even now every look the blonde gave her made her heart flutter, as if she was meeting her for the first time again.
She couldn't imagine what she would have done if Yang hadn't chased her down. Maybe eventually she would have gained the courage to seek her out herself? She knew she lived in patch and it was a small island, finding someone with such a vibrant personality as Yang would have been easy. But she was happy the way things turned out, happy that she could be with her. "You're like a vampire waiting for permission" came Yang's voice as she watched Blake stand aimlessly in the doorway.
The Faunus seemed confused at first before looking down at her feet. She smiled and shook her head as she entered the room, closing the door behind herself. "I'd be a pretty terrible one, aren't they suppose to seduce you to get you to invite them in?" she asked as she approached the bed, placing the hot beverage upon the table besides it as Yang shifted herself into a seated position.
Yang narrowed her eyes mischievously with a smile as she spoke, "I dunno, all you had to do was stand there" she answered as she reached her hand for the cup of decaf, the foam material was warm to the touch.
Blake paused before offering Yang a sly smirk in return as she sat down on the side of the bed besides her. "So you're seduced, are you?" she asked, idly brushing a hand through her dark hair.
"Ain't I always?" asked Yang in response as she brought her cup to her lips. As she made to drink the hot beverage she found that Blake had grabbed it, stopping her from doing so as she pulled the cup back down from her mouth. Yang looked up to question the action but quickly found that her lips had come into contact with her partner's. She was mildly surprised at the action but quickly gave in to the kiss as she closed her eyes and pressed back against her.
Their lips parted as their eyes opened once more, lilac locking to gold. "I just wanted to take the chance to kiss you now before you drink that" spoke Blake in a soft voice as her slender finger pointed down to Yang's cup of decaf. Her lilac eyes followed the gesture before she chuckled softly.
"You really saying you won't kiss me if I drink it?" she asked in response as she leaned her face in closer with a daring grin.
Blake's gaze shifted into that of a seductive one as her lips brushed softly against Yang's. "How about you put it down so we don't find out?" she purred as her eyes remained locked intensely upon her girlfriend's.
"Oh yeah...?" smirked Yang as she raised a brow suggestively.
"Yeah..." whispered Blake, readying herself to kiss her once more. Heat raised up towards her face accompanied by a scent that stung her nose. She reclined and looked to see Yang had abruptly started drinking her decaf, all in one go as she leaned her head back. "Ugh, Yang!" pouted Blake as she crossed her arms.
Yang brought the cup down, it was now empty as she burst into laughter, pointing it at the Faunus. "Your face! I couldn't resist, it was perfect!" she laughed.
"The worst!" yelled Blake in response as she slapped the empty foam cup from her hand, it clattered harmlessly against the floor.
The blonde's laughter barely ceased as she held a hand to her own chest in mock impersonation. "Oh look at me, I'm Blake, I read smutty novels, I'm romantic" she chuckled.
"We better have a soft, loving moment that you don't ruin one day" sighed Blake as she smiled gently up at Yang, she couldn't fault her for the fun side of her she fell in love with. Even if it did aggravate her sometimes.
"Like one of the ones in your books? I like the one with the maid and the princess" answered Yang as she stretched her arm behind her head.
The ever keen eyes of the Faunus glanced down at Yang's chest beneath her tank top as she stretched. It was often a hard thing to keep her gaze away from it normally, never mind when she seemed to be intentionally displaying it. Her eyes darted back up to her face as she blushed softly, "Where did you find that? I lost it-..." she paused as she came to the realization.
"Chapter twenty three is a personal favourite" winked Yang, she noticed where the wandering eyes of her partner had ventured to but didn't at all mind it. They were a couple after all and she was comfortable with it.
Blake's mind was alight with new ideas all of a sudden as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck with her hand, "R- Really?" she asked as her eyes glanced aside.
"Why, is it yours too?" teased Yang as she prodded her finger against Blake's cheek.
The Faunus swatted at her hand as she turned her attention to her once more. "We're changing topic" she stated.
"We are? Okay then. Weiss and Neo" nodded Yang as she lowered her arm to her side.
Blake sighed softly, "You want to get into that now?" she asked.
"Yeah, sure, why not? Weiss is our friend so we gotta think about her a lot and stuff" answered Yang, eyes briefly glancing towards the door of her room.
"Well... Anything in specific about them both...?" responded Blake.
Yang pondered upon the topic for a second before her expression turned away from her cheery one. "Do you think Weiss is gonna be okay? With her?" she asked.
Blake frowned, "I want to think she will be... But we don't know Neo. It's true that she seems to be treating her well but what if Weiss is hiding it from us? Does she seem like the type to do that to you?" she asked in response, giving the blonde a questioning look.
"I don't think so. She was always telling us to be more open to each other back in Beacon remember? You especially. So long as we don't go near any abandoned cabins in the forest she should be fine" answered Yang.
"That's an awful thing to joke about" answered Blake with a saddened look.
Yang gave a sigh, "Just trying to make things less... That" she answered, eyes glancing down to the bed for a moment. They looked back up towards Blake, "What about Winter? How do you think this is all gonna work? She clearly hates them being together" she spoke.
"She's not the only one" answered Blake.
"I get that, sure, but it's not up to us. If Weiss wants to date the only other person in existence that's the same height as her, that's her choice. I'm just worried what her sister is gonna do about it if they stick together" replied Yang.
Blake paused, "She'll probably try to force them apart" she answered.
"But if Weiss doesn't want that..." began Yang as she frowned.
Blake's eyes sharpened with suspicion, "Wait..." she spoke, pausing in consideration. Yang looked at her in a fashion that told her she was right about what she was thinking. "Yang, we can't-..." Blake halted herself.
"See...?" replied Yang as Blake came to the realization. "No matter what happens we stick together. We stick to our team... And if Weiss wants to stay with Neo then that means..." she paused.
"...That means we pick her side over Winter's..." answered the Faunus. The choice was simple, Weiss was one of their closest friends and while Winter had earned herself a spot as a friend also, she did not outclass Weiss in priority.
"We need to support her, no matter what she chooses to do. So long as, you know, it's not insane" answered Yang.
"Some people might consider dating Neo insane" added Blake with an unsure look.
She wasn't wrong. "Ehhh... Still..." responded Yang. "If it comes down to it, we know what we're doing. That's all that matters for now right?" she asked. Blake nodded to her in response.
Her golden eyes caught sight of her neck and the faded tattoo. "That's coming along nicely" commented Blake as her hand reached to her neck, fingers touching upon it.
"Oh right, yeah" replied Yang as her lilac eyes glanced down despite the fact she couldn't see it herself. "The nurse said it'll take two more treatments before it's gone, but she said it'll show up if I work on my tan" she answered.
"I guess keeping you indoors forever is out of the question?" asked Blake. Her eyes turned back to Yang's and they locked together once more as the two paused.
The blonde smirked at the Faunus as she leaned her face closer. "I won't complain if you keep me busy enough" she spoke in a sultry tone.
Blake's otherwise pale cheeks took on a red tint once more as she tilted her head slightly at her partner. "What would that involve?" she asked as she bit her lip.
Yang chuckled softly, "Come closer and I'll show you..." she whispered as her eyes closed slowly.
"I've always liked the practical approach..." spoke Blake in return as she leaned her face in closer. She closed her eyes as she felt Yang's hand reach around the back of her neck, tugging her towards herself. Their lips met as Yang instantly opened her mouth to deepen the kiss quickly. After a second or two Blake opened her eyes in protest as she moaned in disagreement. She struggled to pull back until Yang let her do so after another few seconds. As they parted the blonde once more burst into laughter as Blake leaned away suddenly with a cringing expression. "Ugh- Yang! Not again!" she exclaimed, having been fooled into kissing Yang after she had drank her decaf.
"Like you care what I taste like" laughed Yang as she leaned back against the headrest of her bed, one arm folded behind her head. Teasing Blake alone was entertaining enough for the days in this place to fly by.