A/N: Fiercesomest here-Defenestrator is busy moving to a new apartment this week, so that's cool. Enjoy the chapter!
-Fiercesomest
Back at the cabin, Ruby settled into Blake's bed, snuggling up with one of the pillows and a bunch of blankets. It was cold- almost as cold inside as outside- and she couldn't stop thinking over what had happened since they'd gotten to James Point. There was that whole mess with Weiss and the scary miner guy, and Blake somehow winding up drunk or something, and now the accident with Yang and the Grimm Bat.
Ruby cringed, burying her face in the red pillow she'd claimed. Well, at least they hadn't topped Mountain Glen. Though technically falling into that hole and discovering the bad guys' hideout had turned out totally fine. Beacon's students and huntresses had made quick work of the Grimm Torchwick's train had busted into the city, and since then the city had been as peaceful as ever- more so without all of Torchwick's cronies robbing Dust shops right and left.
Right. So team-wise, the goal of this mission was the same as every other mission: no major property damage and no lasting bodily injuries. The latter condition was kind of in question at the moment... but it would probably be fine. The teen propped herself up on her elbows then, whispering to her sister in the other bed, "Hey Yang, can you hear yet?"
Movement in the corner of her eye broke Yang's concentration, causing her to nearly drop one of the small chips she was currently extracting from inside her scroll. Ruby's admittedly brilliant idea to simply text things to each other didn't pan out when they discovered that the Liliac's sonic blast had fried Yang's scroll just as badly as her hearing.
Taking a moment to rub the sleep from her eyes, Yang looked up from her current assigned project - carefully gutting the small piece of technology so Ruby could look over each of the pieces in the morning - and caught her sister's questioning gaze. She returned it with an easy smile. "Can't sleep?"
"I'm taking that as a no," Ruby dropped back to her pillow, her chin sinking in the soft fabric. "Annnnnd you know it's way after midnight," she scooted up a bit and reached for the lamp set between the beds, catching the pull string for a second to show Yang her intentions, "I'm going to turn out the lights on you if you don't quit soon."
Amethyst eyes tracked Ruby's motions. "Oh, you want to sleep. Okay," Yang carefully placed her scroll, its circuit board, and the chips she'd managed to pull out, safely in the orange scarf laid out on her bed before her, wrapped them all up into one neat bundle, and set it beside the very lamp Ruby was threatening to turn off.
After dusting her hands together, Yang quietly slid out of her covers on to the floor and crouched, grinning up at her little sister for only a split second before exclaiming, "Hugs first!" and pouncing.
"Agh!" Ruby collapsed into the pile of pillows on her bed and flailed to escape the surprise attack, "Treachery! I should have known," she laughed, twitching as Yang hit a ticklish spot and mounting a counterattack of her own against the blonde's ribcage.
"Hey now!" Erupting in giggles, Yang tried to twist away from Ruby's prodding fingers, caught off-guard by the sudden retaliation. "Think you can take me, huh?!" She reared up, smirked, and dove back down, descending upon the younger girl with a counter-counterattack aimed straight for the neck and ears, sparking a patented Rose vs. Xiao Long Tickle Fight to the Death. One that lasted approximately 20 seconds, and did not, in fact, end in fatality.
Instead, exhaustion from the day's events finally set in, and Yang ceased her attack, arms shifting from seeking out Ruby's weak points to wrapping her up in a bearhug. "OK ok, you win." She placed a kiss to the top of her still-squirming little sister's head. "But only because I'm tired~"
"Yaaaaaang," Ruby ducked to try to avoid the kiss but her big sister was so heavy. Not that Ruby was a lightweight, being made almost entirely of whipcord muscle after her years with Crescent Rose, but Yang was like a mountain pinning her to the bed. The younger girl pushed Yang up as far as she could, "Rrrrrrrrg, go to your own bed."
"Oh, what's this? Am I being banished?" Yang allowed herself to be pushed back into a sitting position, the exasperated smile on Ruby's face cementing her own. Mission accomplished. "Well, OK then," she swung herself off of her little sister, straightening out her tank top and shorts before rolling back into the other bed and slipping under her own sheets. "If you get cold, you know where I am~"
"I'm going to draw on your face if I wake up before you," Ruby chirped back, blowing hair out of her eyes and reaching for the light. Having a sister who was completely deaf could be slightly entertaining... so long as the lack of hearing wore off when they needed to fight stuff.
She clicked the light off, and the room went black except for the residual glow of Yang's boosted aura. Her hair shimmered like near-molten gold. Ruby gave her a last worried glance and snuggled back down among the pillows on her bed. It didn't take long for her to drift off to sleep.
Yang simply remained motionless, watching the silent rise and fall of Ruby's side, illuminated by her aura's soft glow. Granted, everything was silent for the brawler as she lay, wide awake, seemingly incapable of attaining the peaceful respite of unconsciousness.
Exhaustion apparently didn't guarantee safe passage aboard the ship to dreamland. Not when Yang's thoughts refused to stop sprinting in circles, and especially not when she could almost physically feel the pure, suffocating quiet of her surroundings.
There was no rustle of cloth when her sister rolled over onto her back, no whisper of wind to accompany the shadows of the trees dancing across the wall, not even the faintest creak of the bedsprings when she finally sat upright what felt like hours later - though a cursory check of the digital clock on the nightstand revealed it had actually only been just shy of one.
"...Ruby?" Yang whispered, unable to hear even her own voice, eyes locked on the faint outline of her little sister in the nearly diminished light of her overcharged aura. She waited - but she saw no response.
Shrouded in the darkness left behind by her aura's return to normal levels and the clouds obscuring the moon and stars, the brawler slipped out of her bed, vanishing down the stairs.
Surrounded by the soft sounds of falling snow, Blake peered through the darkness, dutifully scanning the skyline, but still occasionally stealing glances at her teammate. She could understand where Weiss was coming from. The desire to be open with others, to be yourself, not have to put up any pretense... Blake reached up and idly straightened her bow. Maybe, with the help of their partners, both she and Weiss would be able to do that someday...
Her thoughts were interrupted by a quick buzz from her scroll. Blake pulled the small device from her coat pocket - it was a message from Ruby.
Hey Blake - are you up?
Concern pooled in her stomach - why was Ruby sending her a message in the middle of the night? Had something happened? Her reply was swift. Yes, it's my turn on watch. But what are you doing awake at this hour? Is everything OK?
Blake, it's me.
One dark eyebrow quirked. Yang?
I can't sleep.
Blake couldn't help but sigh in relief, a half-smirk pulling at her lips as she sent a teasing reply. Did you have too much caffeine?
haha. says the girl whose veins are made of tea.
Amber eyes rolled in amusement at the spammed tiny icon of a teacup that bookended Yang's reply. Herbal teas often have little to no caffeine. She shot back, adding a second message to tease, Did you forget to charge your scroll?
mine's straight up fried. The brawler's explanation ended with a tiny bonfire and an explosion. pretty sure it was that lilything's screeching.
Blake frowned at the news. Being down one communication device while out in the field was not ideal, and she was fairly certain no one in this town was especially versed in handheld technologies. Can Ruby fix it?
dunno. she's asleep.
Taking a quick glance at the time – 2am – Blake sighed and wrote back, You should be asleep too. For a long while, no reply came, and just when Blake was convinced Yang had gone back to bed, or drifted off, her scroll blipped with another message.
it's too quiet.
That wiped the smile right off of Blake's face. She stared at the short, dispirited sentence for a long while, concern marring her features. For someone who had just completely lost one of her senses Yang had seemed suspiciously nonchalant the entire evening... Can you hear anything at all?
no.
The brawler wasn't even using emoticons at this point. That wasn't a good sign. Blake took a moment to consider her reply, choosing each word with care. Knowing how quickly you heal, it'll only be for a day or two, I bet.
She waited, worry gnawing at her when Yang's reply took just as long.
sorry, I finally get some peace and quiet and all I can do is complain.
The brawler's attempt at a joke hit a sour note with the Faunus. Even through the static black and white letters on a small screen she could feel her partner hurting. Don't worry, the doctor said your hearing would eventually come back
Her valiant effort to be encouraging seemed to fall flat - no reply came for so long that the Faunus began to worry she'd said something wrong. Blake's eyes reluctantly returned to scanning the skyline, hoping Yang had simply fallen asleep.
She jumped when her scroll buzzed again.
what if it doesn't?
Four simple words sank Blake's heart. She scoured her thoughts for a bit of positivity. That tea they gave you was supposed to really help - you caught fire it was so strong. It might just take a little while.
but what if it doesn't?
Panic started to set in. This wasn't like Yang at all – the brawler was optimistic to a fault, and on top of that had a bad habit of hiding her worries from others. Now, here her partner was bearing her fears to her and Blake felt as though she was failing miserably at being even remotely reassuring.
Yang was clearly caught up in a different set of what-ifs - those that presumed a permanent loss. Determined to provide some sense of comfort, the Faunus shifted gears to match, her next reply coming with surprising ease. Then, we'll figure it out. We'll work out some kind of system. Learn new ways to fight. Whatever it takes.
A short pause preceded Yang's reply.
we? you'd keep me as a partner?
Amber eyes rolled. Seriously? Of course. When I chose you back during initiation, it's because I thought we would work well with one another - and we do. So whatever happens, we'll face it together.
…you chose me?
Blake's thoughts halted, a treacherous blush spreading across her cheeks. She had not meant to reveal that particular piece of information. With a sigh, she resigned herself to the slip, opting for honesty as the best policy. I might have stalked a few options in the Emerald Forest for a bit. When I saw you take down an Ursa with your fists... well, how could I resist?
you're ridiculous, Blakey. I love you.
Blake nearly dropped her scroll - sure now that her face could function as a beacon for lost travelers in the snow. She stared wide-eyed at those three simple words glaring out from the backlit screen, branding her like a hot-iron. Weiss's teasing lilt played through her head "I take it nothing's official~"
Shaking her head to clear it, Blake ran a hand down her face. This was Yang, extremely affectionate in both words and actions – she probably said things like that to close friends all the time... Just an off-hand remark. Nothing to fret over… Though she couldn't deny how nice it felt to hear. Even just as a message by scroll. And you're going to be just fine – so go back to sleep.
Yang's reply arrived fairly quickly.
I think I might actually be able to now. thanks for letting me whine at you.
Success - a quiet sigh escaped Blake's lips. Anytime.
…I'm deleting all of these messages by the way.
The unspoken message was loud and clear: this conversation never happened. Me too. See you tomorrow.
looking forward to it. ;)
Blake unceremoniously shoved her scroll back into her pocket, not bothering to dignify the flirtatious winky-face and heart icons with a response. In roughly an hour she would wake Weiss, and get a bit of sleep herself. For now though, she watched over the town, a small smile pulling at the edge of her lips.
The light was funny.
Ruby stared at the square of bleached sunlight on the floor of the loft, uncomprehending. That color meant something, and so did the crisp taste in the air, but she couldn't remember what. She ducked her head back under the covers, gathering up the warmth before venturing out of her blanket cocoon.
"Cold, cold, cold," she hopped on one leg to save at least one foot from the icy wooden floorboards as she exchanged her sleeping shirt for her long-sleeved blouse and corset.
Yang was missing. She noticed as she pulled on an extra pair of leggings and dragged her cloak off the bedpost where she'd hung it the night before. What time was it? She searched around the beside table for her scroll but found only the dissembled pieces of her sister's.
Ruby picked up a couple bits of circuitry, examining them. If something had just gotten knocked loose, she could take a soldering gun to it, but most likely something'd been fried. Majorly so. They'd have to order new parts when they got back to Beacon if they wanted to fix it, and even then Ruby wasn't that good with electronics. (She tended to fare better with moving parts and explosives and stuff.) Still, if there was a book or a guide online or something she could probably figure it out.
Ruby shook her head and fumbled the bits and pieces back to their places by the lamp, muttering, "Okay. Not distracted."
Finding Yang turned out to be pretty easy. Ruby leaned over the railing and spotted the blonde passed out on the couch down by the fireplace. Ruby's scroll was on the floor beside her hand.
She crept downstairs, stealthy in stocking feet, intent on her pack and the markers therein. The bright white outside the front window caught her eye, though, and Ruby backed up so fast she almost tripped over the edge of her cloak.
Snow!
The entire valley lay quiet, frosted white overnight. The dirt path had vanished, and the pines along the hillside were fringed with snow. The town itself was coming alive, smoke rising from chimneys and townsfolk out clearing the roads with shovels where the snow had piled up in drifts.
"Yang, wake up!" Ruby zipped to the couch, showering the slumbering girl with rose petals. She vaulted onto her stomach, shaking her shoulder, "C'mon, look, it snowed!"
As she spoke, footsteps sounded on the front porch. Ruby balanced herself with an arm on the back of the couch cushions as the door opened, admitting Weiss and Blake, who both stomped to get the snow off their shoes.
"Hey! What's wrong with you? Get off the couch," Weiss started to scold when she noticed the sisters in her chosen sleeping place. She had her arms crossed low over her stomach, and her face twisted with an odd expression before she could go on, "No, no wait, don't-" a clear, girlish laugh escaped her as a tiny gray fluffball squeezed up out of the collar of her white coat, mewing and gazing around the room with perked ears and wide blue eyes.
Shoes finally rid of snow, Blake stepped past Weiss, two kittens safely ensconced within her own coat as well. She reached into her pocket, revealing a squirming orange kitten which she handed to Ruby. She then plucked the lazy the tuxedo kitten from her other pocket, placing it gently on Yang's face just as the brawler's eyes fluttered open.
"Rise and shine," Blake leaned over the back of the couch, smiling down at her partner.
"... Am I still dreaming, or is there a kitten on my face," Yang whispered, trying to move her mouth as little as possible, lest she send the wobbly fluffball tumbling into the abyss of her hair. Amethyst locked with inquisitive yellow for only a moment, the former widening as the kitten took fate into its own paws, willingly leaping down off of Yang's face and curling up in the crook of her neck, safely buried in the brawler's wild yellow mane of hair. Yang clapped a hand to her mouth, stifling a squeal. It didn't matter if she still couldn't hear anything yet - any day that started with kittens was a good day.
"Where did they come from?" Ruby's silver eyes were awestruck. She cuddled the orange kitten under her chin.
"That boy brought them to the bell tower. The mother never came to find them, and who knows where he lives, so we thought- ow. Ow," Weiss detached the gray kitten's claws from her dangling earring and set it on top of the couch, scritching along its spine so its back arched and its tail stood up straight and happy. Remembering herself, she turned her focus back to Ruby, "... you get the idea. How's Yang?"
"Um..." Ruby shifted on her sister's stomach, addressing her, "How're you doing this morning? Want to be in charge of breakfast?"
Yang squinted up at her sister - distinctly catching what looked like the word "breakfast" on her lips. "Yes! Breakfast!" She threw an arm in the air, suddenly very serious. "I volunteer to cook."
Ruby exchanged a glance with the others. Had that been lip reading, or...? Either way, the team leader gave a solemn nod, "Offer accepted."
Breakfast ended up being a simple affair. Once Yang saw the snow Ruby was eagerly gesturing to, she caught the younger girl's excitement and just about leaped into the kitchen, starting on a familiar winter breakfast of cinnamon oatmeal, eggs, and whatever that strange purplish meat was. With Blake lending her a hand, and Weiss and Ruby on Kitten Patrol, it wasn't long before their small cabin was filled the smells of an unburnt, completely edible meal, soon followed by filled plates, filled cups, and a filled table.
After everyone was settled, Blake pulled out her scroll, ready to type shorthand notes for Yang as she turned to address Ruby. "So, what's the plan for today?"
Ruby's cup sloshed milk as she slammed it down on the table, clenching her free fist in the air, "Play in the snow!"
Weiss paused, a bite of oatmeal halfway to her mouth, "Did you write yesterday's report?"
Ruby shut her eyes and raised her fist higher, "Write-yesterday's-report-after-playing-in-the-snow!" She took a drink of milk, relaxing back into her seat, "Also we should probably try to talk to that angry miner guy again. I mean, he'll let us in if he sees we haven't done anything bad to his town, right?"
"I wouldn't hold my breath," the heiress stirred her bowl, frowning down at the patterns of cinnamon in her breakfast.
Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. Not to be discouraged so easily, she turned to Blake, "It's still worth a shot, though. Maybe?"
Blake looked up from her scroll, angling it so Yang could see the potential agenda of the day. "Certainly worth a shot." Provided they could keep Weiss from saying anything too... well, really anything at all. "But I'm less certain about... playing in snow." She typed a quick message for Yang - Snow is cold. :( Her actual frown so closely matched the ridiculous frowny-face emoticon, Yang couldn't help but hunch forward with a hearty snort of laughter.
Ruby leaned halfway across the table to see Blake's message, "You've just got to play in it right. Then you won't feel cold."
"For once Ruby's correct," Weiss nodded from her place at the table, gesturing with her spoon, "With the right gear, you can certainly keep the cold out. It's all a matter of proper insulation and layering."
A slow grin snuck across the young team leader's face as she plunked back down in her chair, "... that's not exactly what I had in mind."