How will Weiss' situation progress? Will things go uphill or down?
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Chapter 4. Lonely And Lovesick
Throughout the days of the following week, all three girls got into the new habit of trying to keep in touch with one another.
Considering Pyrrha and Yang attended classes on a different side of campus than Weiss, their best bet of communication was using their cell phones to text.
Their conversations were often brief and casual, but just the fact that the pair had even contacted Weiss at all made her happy beyond explanation.
She'd never had close friends at college yet, nothing greater than classmates working together on a project. None of them were people she cared to know for reasons other than necessity.
But now, she had a true interest in Yang and Pyrrha as friends.
And nothing more, she kept reminding herself.
Friends were all they could ever be. All Weiss needed to do was suppress her romantic feelings towards them, and if there was anything she was good at, it was suppressing feelings.
On Thursday that week, the girls discovered they all had a few hours free from classes in the middle of the day, and so they met up at one of the outside picnic areas to have lunch together.
Weiss had just been expecting something casual.
What she hadn't been expecting was being seen by the pair as she approached the tables, and them standing up to rush over and hug her.
They came around either side of her and pressed her into a soft, firm embrace between them, excitedly exclaiming her name and about how much they'd missed her since they'd last seen her on the weekend.
Of course, Weiss had frozen despite the warmth of their strong arms around her. Her heart wanted to read more into this, but her mind wouldn't let it.
Friends hug all the time. This is normal...
Before the contact was over, Weiss did her best to reach out both arms to put around each of them.
The three of them caught up on conversation as they enjoyed their lunchtime together. It was almost exactly like their time together at the ice cream shop a few days earlier, only now they were much more acquainted with one another, and the college campus environment was much more familiar for them.
There was probably less than half the tension and nerves for Weiss now that she was closer to Pyrrha and Yang.
But even though she'd promised to absolve herself of all romantic feelings towards them, she was definitely struggling to keep her heart in check.
She couldn't stop stealing glances at their eyes, some of which lasted just a few seconds too long and could safely be classified as stares. She kept giggling at all of Yang's horrible jokes, even when she knew she wouldn't have cracked a smile if anyone else on the planet had been the one to say them. When Pyrrha's leg brushed against hers beneath the table, Weiss felt her heart thump twice as quickly.
And after they needed to part ways, they engaged in yet another hug, and Weiss couldn't help but smile, sigh, and lean into them.
All things she had no hope of controlling.
She tried her best, because if there was anything she'd been praised for in her life other than exceptional grades, it was keeping her emotions in check.
But the feelings she harbored towards both Yang and Pyrrha were different from anything she'd ever felt before.
It was a challenge she'd never had to face before, and ultimately, one she knew she'd have to face alone.
The weekend arrived, and the trio met up on campus that Saturday morning before heading to the public gym together for their respective workouts.
Yang was thrilled that her machines had been fixed, and she spent nearly all day lifting weights. Pyrrha only managed to nudge her away for a minute to remind her to drink.
Weiss stuck to the treadmill and did a bit of core exercises for herself. Now, she was actively trying not to look in her friends' direction, for fear she'd just keep falling harder and harder for them every time she did.
I can't afford a relationship, anyway. I've got to focus on my studies. There are still two months left in the semester.
So she kept at it. She kept fighting off her romantic feelings, hoping that if she continued denying them, they would fade away completely on their own.
She maintained her friendship with Pyrrha and Yang, and got into the routine of working out with them on weekends, texting during the week, and having lunch with them on Thursdays.
But she didn't allow herself to see them as anything more than her friends.
Whenever she glimpsed them being romantic together, it hurt a little. To see Pyrrha and Yang kissing or holding hands or hugging each other in a way only lovers could...
It made Weiss' heart ache for that very same affection.
But she knew she couldn't receive it from them.
It was wrong of her to wish she could. They were so happy together already, so perfect. Her affections towards them would only cause problems for them, and likely could result in the loss of their friendship.
Weiss needed that at the very least.
She couldn't take being alone anymore, here on this campus where everyone else had a roommate or a circle of friends or someone they were dating. She couldn't bear to keep watching everyone around her thrive in their relationships when she had nothing at all.
Yang and Pyrrha had saved her from that drowning loneliness, and she couldn't afford to lose them now.
So she used their affections towards one another to remind herself that what they had was untouchable, something she could never desire or attain. Every time she saw them kiss or hold hands or embrace, she'd use that little pang of pain that shot through her chest as a reminder to keep away from them, to make sure she didn't let her feelings grow.
Friends is all we can be, she told herself. Never anything more.
The days were a little rough once she started to deny her feelings for them. It seemed her assignments piled up, and she received more quizzes that week than usual. She got fewer hours of rest due to those things, and when she went to lunch with Pyrrha and Yang on Thursday, they both noticed she looked a little pale.
Of course, Weiss waved off their concerns and reassured them both over and over again.
But the next day, Weiss considered herself lucky that she only had one class on Fridays, because all throughout that lecture, she was feeling lightheaded and queasy.
She barely managed to stick it out until the professor dismissed them, then limped back to her dorm room to quite literally collapse in bed.
She spent the night sweating and shivering, tossing and turning on her mattress. When she pulled the sheets up, it was too hot, and when she kicked them off, it was too cold.
She couldn't stop thrashing, whimpering into her pillow for hours on end. She just kept thinking about how much more bearable this might've been if she'd had Yang's arms around her, and Pyrrha's soothing voice to help calm her down...
When either of them were sick, Weiss knew they took care of each other, and chased away a bit of the discomfort.
But just as she always seemed to do, Weiss suffered alone.
She only fell asleep at all that night because she was so mentally and physically exhausted. She felt worse than she ever had in years, and once again there were damp spots on her pillow.
As Yang's alarm went off the next morning, she stretched in her bed, waking to find Pyrrha curled up beside her as per usual.
It was 9AM now, a much more reasonable time to be waking up on a Saturday to hit the gym. Pyrrha had made sure to remind her girlfriend to change the alarm times the night before so they wouldn't wake in a panic again thinking it was a school day.
As she felt Yang stir, Pyrrha pushed herself up from the beds and yawned. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, and Yang reached out to comb her fingers through those soft red locks to help rouse her.
"Morning, gorgeous~" she cooed, straining up to kiss her nose.
Pyrrha chuckled softly as she cracked her eyes open.
"Good morning, yourself." She lowered herself down into Yang's arms for a moment, and they simply held one another.
They dozed happily for another ten minutes or so, until the alarm's snooze was activated and forced them to pull apart. They sat up and stretched, cracking necks and shoulders and twisting backs. Pyrrha glanced at the time to see they'd already lost twenty minutes.
"Come on," she said, taking Yang's hand and pulling her over the beds. "We should get going. You know how Weiss likes to be punctual."
"Right, right. Wouldn't wanna keep the princess waiting."
Both girls tidied up their beds, and then went about gathering their workout clothes for the day.
Now that they'd gotten closer as friends, the three of them went to the gym together on Saturday mornings. Weiss, who was typically ready more quickly than the two of them, would wait outside at the picnic area for them until they emerged. Pyrrha found her phone and sent Weiss a quick text:
Sorry! We're running a bit late! Be there in a few minutes!
She and Yang brushed their teeth together in the bathroom to save time, then got to brushing each other's hair.
Just before they were about to change into their workout clothes, however, Pyrrha's phone went off again. She swiped the screen to view her new message and was a little shocked to read it.
"Oh, my..."
"Is it from Weiss?" Yang wondered, peering over her shoulder.
"Yes. She says she's sick and won't be able to make it today."
"What? Oh yeah, she didn't look too good the other day at lunch. Poor thing... Guess we can't give her those little gifts we bought her today, can we?"
Both girls were silent for a moment, equally upset that their friend wasn't feeling well. They both sighed heavily, their chipper morning moods effectively dampened by this news.
But Pyrrha couldn't shake away the idea that had crept into her mind.
"Maybe we can still give them to her."
Yang perked up at the suggestion she was implying.
"You mean, we should drop by after our workout to check on her?"
"Why after?" Pyrrha wondered. "We've exercised plenty for the past few months. I think we could survive a break, don't you? If she's up for it, why not go see her now?"
Yang clapped and pumped her fist.
"Yeah! Let's surprise her!"
"Good idea!"
Both of them were now eager to go see Weiss. They changed into normal clothes rather than outfits they'd wear to the gym. Yang picked up the little gift bag which contained the small presents she and Pyrrha had purchased for Weiss a few days ago.
The pair decided to hurry and get some breakfast first before visiting their friend.
"Like you said," Pyrrha murmured as they hurried on their way to the dining hall. "She didn't look well on Thursday. So if she's even worse right now, she probably shouldn't be getting out of bed to get food."
"I know just the stuff she likes!" Yang declared.
Once they'd arrived at the dining hall, Pyrrha and Yang shared a bagel and each took a muffin with them to eat as they headed back to the dorms. They'd also gotten some toast and jam for Weiss, which Yang was carrying on a little tray on the arm where the gift bag hung. Pyrrha was using both hands to hold onto a cup of warm tea they'd gotten for their sick friend.
They made their way back to the dorms and hurried to Weiss' room. There, they caught their breaths briefly before Yang tapped her knuckles against the door. She didn't say anything, because she didn't want her voice giving away the surprise.
They both heard a bit of shuffling from inside, then a thin, weak cough. That made them both a little concerned. Weiss' voice was nothing more than a rasp as she called out.
"One moment..."
Yang and Pyrrha each took a step back and waited. The knob clicked, and then slowly pulled back the rest of the door.
Weiss was dressed in a thin blue nightgown covered by a bath robe, her feet bare on the cold wooden floors. She was clutching the robe to her chest and shivering slightly, her hair frazzled and cheeks flushed. Her blue eyes were hazy, but the second she recognized her visitors, she let out a small gasp.
"Y-Yang! P-Pyrrha!"
"Surprise!" they said softly.
"We brought you some breakfast!" Yang announced.
"How are you feeling?" Pyrrha fretted. "If you'd like us to leave, we can let you rest. We're sorry for coming by unannounced."
Little did they know they'd just made Weiss' dreams come true.
All night, she'd been crying to herself, wishing someone could be there for her. The sickness had made her more prone to her emotions than usual.
Even now, she didn't realize that tears had started dripping down her cheeks until the other two let out horrified comments.
"Weiss!"
"Are you okay? What's the matter?"
"Y-Yes..." she whimpered. "It's... It's nothing... I'm fine..." She stepped aside, rubbing her sleeve over her eyes as she invited them in.
Yang and Pyrrha quickly put everything they were carrying down onto a small table before attending to Weiss.
Since Pyrrha had fewer items to put down, she reached Weiss first, pulling her in gently and wrapping her arms around her shuddering back.
"Goodness!" she gasped. "Weiss, you're shaking like a leaf!" She let her go, only so Yang could take her place and take her turn hugging Weiss.
"Jeez! And you're burnin' up, too!" she exclaimed.
"You should go back to bed," Pyrrha advised, taking her hand. Yang took the other, and together, they guided Weiss to her mattress. Pyrrha stood the pillow up against the headboard and gently helped Weiss lean back against it.
"Just relax," she murmured. "Sitting up will help you breathe better. Just take deep breaths."
At the same time, Yang was pulling the blankets up over Weiss' bare legs and into her lap.
"Gosh," she mumbled. "You were like this all night? You should've called us! We would've come to help you out a bit!"
Weiss was more than touched by their concern, as well as by their words and actions. They were both so quick to comfort her, and so careful when touching her. Their eyes were ridden with concern for her alone, and no one else.
It made her feel more special than she knew she should.
They'd do this for anyone...
"It's fine..." she wheezed. "I... It wasn't so bad... last night..."
Somehow, neither of the others seemed convinced.
"Weiss," Yang said. "We're your friends. You can count on us okay?"
"That's right," Pyrrha nodded. "We love you."
Weiss sucked in a sharp breath, and she felt the hot sting of tears rise up all over again. She looked away, letting her hair cover her face.
Yang and Pyrrha eased back to give her some space, fearing they'd invaded on her personal boundaries. Yang fetched the tray of her food and brought it over to Weiss, resting it in her lap as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Here. You should eat something. Just a little bit, okay?"
Weiss wiped her eyes a few more times, then nodded.
Pyrrha and Yang kept an eye on her as she took each bite and chewed slowly. But they didn't want to just be standing and sitting there in her room in total silence, so they were sure to start up a casual conversation about their classes or a party they'd heard about.
Weiss only managed to eat half the food they'd gotten her, but she promised to try and eat more later.
Once Yang had put the tray aside, Pyrrha brought over the still-warm cup of tea.
"We know you prefer coffee," she said. "But we thought tea might be best for you today."
Weiss' fingers were shaking as she reached up to accept the cup, so Pyrrha sat down beside her to help keep her hands steady.
Weiss took a few sips, letting the warm liquid soothe her shivers and quench the thirst that had been parching her throat all night. When she indicated she was finished drinking, Pyrrha placed the glass aside. Weiss sighed, flashing her tired eyes to both of them.
"Thank you both so much..."
"Don't mention it."
"How are you feeling now?"
Weiss paused before answering. She felt she'd already gotten everything she wanted from them. She didn't want to waste any more of their time.
"Much better," she said, trying out a smile.
It almost seemed to work, but Yang got an inkling it might've been a fib. As a big sister, she knew when someone was trying to lie in order to make someone else feel better, especially if the person was embarrassed to rely on others for help.
"Mind if I check to see if your fever's gone down?" she offered.
Weiss hesitated, and Yang noticed the way she bit her lip.
"I think it's fine now..."
"C'mon. Just lemme check, okay?"
Weiss swallowed, but ultimately nodded her consent.
Yang took Pyrrha's previous place on the bed and sat down beside Weiss. She wrapped one arm around Weiss' shoulders to find there were still weak shudders running through her body.
Weiss leaned into her touch, finding she needed the support after all. Yang held her free hand to the base of Weiss' neck, then turned her slightly to press her lips to her forehead.
Weiss didn't even flinch. She barely even reacted to the contact. She just felt so dizzy...
"God-" Yang pulled away to look her over. "Weiss, you're really burning up. And your heart's racing. Do you have any medicine in here?"
Weiss shook her head. For once, her increased pulse wasn't just due to Yang and Pyrrha's presence, but the sickness really was taking its toll on her.
Yang leaned her friend back against the pillows and slipped away from her. She turned to Pyrrha, a hint of urgency in her tone.
"I'm gonna run to the Wellness Shop real quick. Pick up some meds. Could you stay here with her?"
"Of course!"
"Great. I'll be back soon!"
With that, Yang hurried out of the room.
Pyrrha cast a worried glance down at Weiss. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing through her mouth, a little harshly.
She hurried into the bathroom to grab a small wash cloth, then ran it under some cool water and rang it out. She returned to Weiss and sat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"Let me help cool you down."
Pyrrha dabbed the damp cloth over Weiss' cheeks, ran it around her hairline and over her temples, then traced it along her forehead. Weiss shivered again, but the coolness was helping to fend off the stifling heat.
"Th-Thank you..."
Pyrrha kissed her forehead.
"Don't mention it."
The kiss had been so brief and so soft that Weiss couldn't even be sure if it had been real, or just a trick of her own mind.
Pyrrha continued to run the cloth over her skin, collecting the sweat. She wiped down the sides of Weiss' neck, then pressed it lightly over her collar. Her heart was pounding thickly underneath, so much so that Pyrrha could feel it.
"You really should have called us," she murmured. "I'm so sorry you dealt with this alone, Weiss."
Weiss had closed her eyes again and was leaning against her friend. She let out a long exhale, one that trembled slightly. Though Pyrrha's actions and presence were helping to loosen a bit of the tension in her chest, her mind still felt fuzzy. She didn't feel like she was totally in control of herself, so she didn't think it through when she started to speak.
"Pyrrha...? Can I... talk to you... about something..." Weiss lifted her head only slightly and opened her eyes to look up at her imploringly.
Pyrrha couldn't say yes quickly enough.
"Of course! What is it? Anything I can do to help." She rubbed Weiss' back for her to encourage her to talk.
Weiss sighed again.
"I... It's about... someone I like..."
Pyrrha blinked, a little surprised to discover the topic. Her shoulders became a little stiffer, and she felt her hold on Weiss tighten a bit.
"Oh...? Then... what about them?"
Pyrrha felt strange suddenly. She felt like she wanted to hear Weiss out... But she also didn't want to hear.
She didn't understand it at the time.
She was tense now as she prepared to hear Weiss' answer.
But before her sick friend could say any more, the sounds of footsteps reached the door.
"I'm back!"
Yang pushed into the room with a bottle of pills in her hand. She hadn't even broken a sweat in her run to the on-campus store and back.
She scurried over to the bed and opened the bottle, shaking out a single pill into the palm of her hand. Pyrrha picked up the tea cup from the nearby table and brought it back to the bed. Yang handed Weiss the pill, and Pyrrha helped her hold the cup so she could swallow it down with some tea.
Once she'd taken the medicine, Weiss thanked them both again.
"It really... means a lot to me..."
"It's our pleasure," Pyrrha said softly, taking Weiss' hand.
"Yeah." Yang patted her shoulder. "We'll always be here if you need us, Weiss. We're glad to help."
The couple stayed there for about fifteen more minutes, checking and rechecking Weiss' fever to make sure it was going down.
Once she'd finished her tea, Pyrrha fetched her a bottle of water from the mini fridge and placed it on her bedside table. Yang left the rest of Weiss' food there as well.
But it wasn't long before Weiss started to nod off.
The two taller girls took their cue.
They each took turns in hugging Weiss one last time, both of them pressing quick kisses to her forehead as well. Then, they helped lay her down in bed.
"Get some rest now," Pyrrha whispered.
"And text or call us if you need anything else." Yang had picked up Weiss' phone from the desk and brought it instead over to her nightstand, so it was within reach. "We'll be around all weekend, so if you need us for anything, just give us a ring."
"Oh!" Pyrrha gasped. "And don't forget this." She picked up the little gift bag they'd brought for her and placed it on the floor beside her bed. "It's not much. But we'd just wanted to get you something, even before we knew you weren't feeling well."
Weiss was finding it difficult to keep her eyes open now with the medicine taking effect. She could only blink up at the other girls and smile faintly.
"Thank you... so much... both of you..."
They could tell she was about to fall asleep.
"Take care," Pyrrha wished her.
"And feel better," Yang added.
Together, they left the room, making sure to close the door quietly behind themselves.
Weiss watched them go. She could feel her heart pounding again, but it wasn't because of the cold now, nor was it from her conflicting emotions.
The medicine had allowed her to forget her inhibitions for now. She was able to experience the affection she felt towards them and not worry about the potential repercussions of doing so.
She felt so warm – in a good way.
She felt so loved, even if it might not have been in the way she'd hoped for.
With the last ounces of her strength, she reached over the side of the bed to pull up the gift bag. Her fingertips brushed against soft material inside.
She pulled up two small, simple items.
One was a sky-blue sweat band for her wrist for when she worked out. A small sticky note on it read: From Yang.
The other item was a soft white towel, brand new, From Pyrrha.
Both things they'd gotten for her for their times together at the gym.
Those gifts told Weiss that the time they spent together meant just as much to Pyrrha and Yang as it did to her.
She pulled the two soft items under the covers with her and held them over her heart.
Sleep came and took her shortly afterward.
A/N: Weiss was a bit affected by her medicine. How will it affect her relationships? See you in chapter 5!
If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!
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