Well, I had been intending to write Punana Punch, but those two are still a bit too complicated for me to grasp ^^;
This chapter is dedicated to my friend Jen (jen-ii) who is doing an art/story trade with me for the piece she drew for my story Gold. She wanted more Blue Eyes White Ribbon so you can all thank her for this~
A/N: This takes place at their last year at Signal, so Serra is about 16 and Star about 15.
Disclaimer: Serra Rose Schnee belongs to Amipiai, and Star (and March) Wukong belong to Weissrabbit.
Chapter 2. Promise
"Serra, Serra, Serra!"
"Star, wait- oomf-!" The older girl cut off with a grunt, her warning too late as her companion quite literally crashed into her from behind, clutching onto her back tightly. "Star! I keep telling you I'm not your personal tree!"
"But Serraaaaa!" the Faunus girl pouted over her shoulder. "It's Friday and classes are over! Aren't you excited?"
"Clearly not as much as you..." she mumbled. "But we are technically still in school, so you should get off of me for now."
"Fiiiiiine..." With a bit of reluctance, Star released her partner.
It was one of their last months together at Signal, and then they'd be graduating and following in their older siblings' footsteps to reach Beacon.
After specifically staying back a year so she could be together with Star, Serra had learned a bit more the second time around in her lessons. She felt twice as confident now, particularly because she'd be graduating with Star, and not ahead of her like initially planned. And when they got to Beacon, they could finally be partners...
Well, they already might as well have been, but Beacon would just make it official. So for now, they could just accept their partnership on a more personal, unofficial level.
As they walked down the hallway, Star kept happily reaching up to flip Serra's twin-tails one after the other. Her hair had used to be dark-chocolate brown like her mother Ruby's with a bit of red naturally mixed into it. But after a comment Star had made about how pretty that reddish color was, Serra had decided to change her entire hair color to that shade.
Star had been thrilled to say the least, and hadn't stopped playing with her hair every chance she got since that day. Serra didn't particularly mind.
The two girls went to their lockers as the students began to file out of class. It was raining today, and being the slightly more responsible of the pair, Serra had brought an umbrella from home. She grimaced as she looked out the window at the black clouds above, rain already starting to pour steadily down. Such weather would typically exhausted any normal person just from looking at it.
But not Star Wukong. She was bouncing – literally – around the hallway ahead of Serra, tail curling excitedly.
Even with her semblance that rarely required she have sustenance, Serra still got weary on such days. "It still amazes me how you can be so chipper on such crappy days," she said so her companion could hear her.
"I think it's just because it's Friday!" the shorter girl replied. "And~! Because tomorrow we're going out on a date!"
Serra halted in her tracks at the hefty word.
"We are not. We're just going to the park like always. So we can practice our battle stances and-"
"And magical girl poses!" Star finished, spinning around to face her. Serra sighed.
"Yes. Those too, I guess." She rolled her eyes but continued after her friend.
When they reached the exit of the school, Serra opened her umbrella and had to drag Star underneath by the collar of her school uniform. They made a dash for the Air Ship that would take them back home to Vale, making it there with only a minimal amount of rainwater clinging to the ends of their hair.
The ride home was only about ten minutes, and Serra hoped the storm would pass by then. But to her dismay, it had only seemed to worsen by the time they landed.
"Okay," she said determinedly. "Make sure you stay close to me and- hey!" She turned to look behind her and found only empty space.
Star had run on ahead onto the sidewalks of Vale, spinning around in the pouring rain openly, jumping directly into the biggest visible puddle. Serra slapped a palm to her face and heaved a sigh.
"C'moooon, Serra! The rain's pretty nice, actually!"
Serra opened her umbrella and headed over to her already-waterlogged friend.
"It's nice now, but it won't be nice tomorrow when you're stuck in bed with a cold and your parents won't allow you out of the house."
Star stuck her tongue out playfully at her partner before doubling back to grab Serra's hand and continue walking with her under the umbrella. She pressed into the taller girl's side and nuzzled her shoulder.
"That's not gonna happen!"
"I can't believe this happeeeened!" Star wailed.
She was presently curled up into a bundle of blankets on her bed, eyes and nose running as she recounted how unfair her life was to her older sister. "I was supposed to play with Serra today and- ah-ah-choo!"
"Ugh, gross!" March leapt back away from the bed just in time to avoid being covered with unappealing fluids. She grabbed another tissue from the box on her sister's bedside table, making a face as she wiped her nose for her. The older girl heaved a sigh. "Didn't Serra warn you this would happen? Don't we all always warn you this will happen? Why do you think umbrellas were invented, doofus?"
"Waaah!"
"Alright, alright. Stop blubbering."
"Don't leave me alone todaaaay!" Star wailed.
"Sorry." March poked her forehead, earning an "uuu" sound from her sister. "But Mom and Dad have that meeting they need to go to, and Julius and I have our own plans respectively. We're going to enjoy this lovely, sunny day that you could've been spending in the park with Serra."
"...You're such a meanie..."
"I'm allowed to be, twerp. I'm not the idiot who caught a cold the day before her date."
"Uwuuu..." Star whimpered, but didn't try to deny her sister's words. Not even the last one.
March rolled her eyes when she saw her sister's pitiable expression, blue eyes watering as she sniffed again, her cheeks puffed and hair frazzled. Maybe she should tell her now.
"But..." March sat down on her sister's pink comforters. "I guess I should tell you that you're not gonna be totally alone today."
Her younger sister lifted her head up hopefully.
"Really?"
"Dummy. Did you really think we'd leave you here when you're sick? Mom was thinking about skipping the meeting to stay home with you, but we quickly found a better solution."
"You... you mean-?!"
"Serra's coming over."
"Kyaaaaaa!" Star bounced excitedly from where she sat. "Serra's coming over! Serra's co-ack!" She cut off sputtering when a small coughing fit interrupted her.
"Oy, calm down, ya dork!" March reached over and gave her a firm slap on the back.
"Uuuu..."
"Try not to keel over before she gets here, okay?" March instructed. She stood then, and ruffled Star's hair, kissing her forehead. "If you guys need anything or if something happens, make sure you give one of us a call, okay?"
"Riiiight!" Star dragged the word out and gave a salute, her tongue sticking out playfully. March bonked her on the head with her knuckles.
Velvet and Sun came into Star's room briefly to give her much the same speech, apologizing that they had to be away today for their meeting.
"We'll try to leave early if we can," Velvet fretted, kissing Star's forehead to make sure she didn't have a fever.
"She'll be fine, Hunny Bunny." Sun patted his wife's shoulder reassuringly. He bent down to kiss his daughter's head as well. "My Twinkle-Twinkle's tough, aren't cha?"
"Yeah!" Star made a triumphant fist before a petite sneeze ruined the effect. Velvet smiled hopelessly and kissed her again.
"Alright. We're going then. Julius already left, but March will stay here until Serra comes over."
"Okay!" Star waved as they headed out of her room.
She listened to the door as they left, and luckily didn't have to wait too much longer before she heard the sounds of someone else coming in.
"Hey, Serra!" March greeted her at the door. "Did you do something with your hair since the last time I saw you?"
"Hi. And maybe." Serra chuckled as she was let in, slipping off her shoes by the door. The traditional greeting between members of their families was a kiss on the cheek, and Serra strained up a little to do so for March. The Faunus girl gave her a quick peck on the cheek as well before leading her inside.
Normally, Serra would have worn her usual outfit today, if she and Star had been going to the park as planned. But now that they would be inside all day, she had opted to dress more casually, a simple skirt and blouse.
March was about to walk with her to Star's room, but an alert from her scroll told her she didn't have the time. "Oh crap, I gotta split! Yin'll never shut up if I keep her waiting. Call me if you guys need anything, okay?" She gave Serra a quick hug before sprinting toward the door and disappearing just as it shut.
Serra took a moment to appreciate the silence of the empty house now, because she knew it wouldn't last for long-
"Serraaaaa!"
Speak of the devil.
"Yes, I'm here."
She walked the last few steps to Star's room, not even bothering to knock before entering.
Unlike the first time she had come in here, Serra was now prepared for the bright splash of pink that met her eyes. The walls, ceiling and carpets were all a vibrant shade of strawberry ice cream color. Posters and figures decorated the walls and shelves, and a few stuffed animals adorned the bed.
The room was bright and cheerful, but its occupant seemed much less so.
Star sat propped up in bed still in her pajamas, purple pants and a shirt with yellow star decorations all over to match the clip in her hair. The second she saw Serra, she gave a toothy grin, though the older girl could see how tired she looked.
But when Star held her arms up to her, Serra couldn't resist.
"Hi," she greeted as she went over to the bed. "Didn't I tell you you'd get sick?"
"Yeah..." Star mumbled a bit guiltily. "But it's okay now because we still get to spend the day together anyway!"
"Dummy. It's not fine because you're sick."
"Right..."
Serra sighed. She was about to lean down into Star's arms and hug her, but the smaller girl instantly recoiled. "S-Sorry. I guess you don't wanna get sick too, huh?"
It hurt Serra to have Star pull away from her, but she realized it must have hurt Star even more to do so.
"You dummy. Come here." Serra stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her anyway. "I'm not gonna get sick. It's kind of hard to do that with my semblance, remember?"
She felt Star perk up in her arms.
"Oh, right!" With gusto, she crushed Serra's torso to her, nuzzling her face into her chest.
"T-That doesn't mean you can go kissing me whenever you feel like it, though!" Serra warned. Even if they were alone in the house together, she still had her limits.
"I wooon't," Star promised. She let go of her partner, and Serra took a moment to get her breath back. Star was still beaming happily when another sneeze surprised her, and she quickly tucked into her elbow.
"Ahh, here." Serra pulled a tissue out of the box and held it up for her. She'd intended for Star to hold it herself, but the Faunus girl instead just blew into it while Serra held it. The older girl grimaced before discarding it into the waste bin.
"Thanks, partner!" Star smiled.
"Don't... mention it," Serra mumbled.
She had a task to perform today, and that was to get Star back to full health.
She crossed the room and took the cushioned pink chair from Star's desk, sliding it over to her bedside and taking a seat. Thinking back on what her mothers used to do for Theo whenever he had been sick, Serra began going down the list of things to cover. "Have you eaten yet today?"
"Yeah. Mom made sure I had fruit. I had two bananas and an apple!" Star declared proudly.
"Okay, that's good. You'll need the vitamins to get better," Serra nodded. "Does your throat hurt?"
"Mm, a little. But only when I cough a lot."
"Alright. Then do you have a fever?" Without really waiting for an answer, Serra leaned forward and brushed her bangs aside before pressing a kiss to her forehead. Star giggled and curled her tail delightedly. She felt a little warm to Serra, and the older girl pulled back wearing a small frown. "It's not that bad. But I don't want it to get any worse."
"I'm fine~!" Star sang. "Now that you're here with me, that is!"
Serra felt her own cheeks grow warm and she looked away.
Star sneezed again, and Serra quickly looked back to her in concern when Star pulled more of the thick blankets up to her chest.
"What's wrong? Are you cold?"
"A little..."
Serra frowned again. That wasn't suppose to be happening. If anything, Star should be feeling hot.
The older girl reached forward and brushed her sleeve over Star's forehead, clearing away some of the sweat that had beaded there. A shudder ran through the younger girl's body, and she bit her lip.
Serra stood again and wrapped her arms around Star once more, and her fears were confirmed. Star was shivering, her breath trembling as it left her body. Serra rubbed her hands up and down her back for a moment in an effort to keep her warm. "I'm gonna make you some hot soup, okay?" She pulled back and kissed Star's forehead.
Star gave a small smile and nodded.
Serra tucked the blankets in around her sides, promising to be as quick as possible before she slipped out of the room.
She was uneasy as she moved about the kitchen, locating some canned soup and turning on the stove. Star had caught colds before, but for some reason this was unsettling Serra more than usual. She didn't like the feeling of knowing her partner was sick; it was an enemy Serra couldn't fend off with weapons or words.
She didn't think she'd ever be able to forget the awful feeling of Star shaking uncontrollably in her arms just now.
Serra shook herself, wanting to clear her mind about that instance, instead turning her attention back to the food. I'll take care of he, she thought determinedly.
Once the soup was finished, Serra poured it into a bowl and grabbed a spoon, setting it all onto a tray alongside a glass of water. She grabbed a small cloth from one of the cabinets as well before hurrying back to Star's room as quickly as she dared. She pushed the door open with her foot and shoulder.
"I'm back," she announced.
Star was just where she had left her, sitting upright and covered in blankets up to her chin.
Serra sat down and held the tray in her lap, coaxing her partner out of her fuzzy fort. "This'll warm you up in no time." Dipping the spoon into the bowl, she blew on it and held it up to Star, keeping her other hand open beneath just in case it dripped. Serra knew there was one way to literally get her to bite. "Say ah."
Star giggled as she pulled the covers back down and leaned forward gladly to take the soup.
"Mmm, it's really yummy!" Star's tail curled up. "Thanks, Serra!"
"Yeah, yeah." She dipped the spoon in again and held it up for her.
They went slowly, Serra making sure not to spill a single drop and Star being certain to savor every sensation of the warm broth soothing her throat, settling in her stomach to fight away the chills.
In this manner, they managed to finish the entire bowl. "There." Serra placed everything aside on the table. "How do you feel now?"
"Really warm!" Star reported. She reached up and wiped her sleeve over her forehead with a nervous chuckle. "Maybe too warm..."
"Then take the blankets off or you'll overheat."
But even after Star had done as she suggested, Serra still thought she looked a bit too pink for her liking. She picked up the cloth she'd brought along from the kitchen, taking the glass of ice water and sprinkling a few drops onto it. Leaning forward, she wiped it over Star's forehead again, dabbing at her cheeks and nose and temples too. "Is that any better?" she wondered.
"Yeah. A little..."
But Serra was unconvinced. Star may have said she was feeling better, but her face certainly didn't show it.
"Hey, don't lie to me." Serra turned the girl's head so their blue gazes met. "I'm you partner and I know when something's wrong."
Star was silent for a second before she sighed.
"Sorry. I am still a bit hot now, though."
"That's probably my fault..." Serra mumbled, still padding the cloth over her partner's forehead. "I shouldn't've let you eat all the soup at once."
"No, it's okay. You're only trying to help me." Star smiled again. "Thank you, Serra!"
Serra lowered her gaze; Star's words didn't make her happy like she thought they should've. She ran the cloth down Star's neck, holding it over her collar for a minute, feeling her sigh. Serra pressed the cloth to each of her wrists to help cool her, and Star made a contented sound.
Star was about to thank the older girl again for her help until she noticed Serra's stern expression, her eyes hard and distant. She didn't like it.
"Serra...?" she murmured quietly. "What's wrong?"
The older girl looked up quickly, and when she saw the concern in Star's eyes, she realized how ambiguous her own expression just now must've been.
"Sorry. Don't look so scared, okay?" She hated that. She didn't ever want Star to be afraid of her.
The younger girl seemed to read her thoughts perfectly.
"I'm not scared of you, Serra. I'm scared for you. Now what's the matter?"
Serra felt two smaller hands cover her own, and she looked up, meeting Star's eyes guiltily.
"It's just..." She sighed, feeling a slight pang go through her chest. "I... I don't know what it's like to be sick. I've never been sick before thanks to my semblance. And I'll probably never be sick. I'll never know what it's like to get the shivers and a fever. I'll never know what it's like to cough or sneeze more than the few normal times. I'll never know what it's like to feel exhausted and tired. I'll never know what it's like to feel your pain. And that scares me."
Her eyes bore deeply into Star's, and the younger girl could see everything in them – the honesty and the fear, the desire to share her pain.
"We're partners, Star. I don't want you to be the only one suffering like this. I wish I could take half of it for myself. I don't like... seeing you like this. I feel like I'm gonna throw up, but I can't..." Serra blinked, and a tear slipped down her cheek, landing silently onto the pink blanket.
Star listened quietly until the end, rubbing the backs of Serra's hands slowly as she tried to think of the correct words to say. What Serra was confessing to her now were her heartfelt emotions, and Star couldn't understand them completely, simply because of the fact that she wasn't Serra.
When they got down to the truth, Star was Star and Serra was Serra, and they could never fully understand one another's insecurities.
However, hopefully having one another and being able to lean on and support the other would ease some of the hardships.
But for now, Serra was crying, and as her partner Star couldn't allow that. She leaned forward out of bed and wrapped her arms around the girl's shoulders; she'd learned a long time ago from March that just because someone was older than you didn't mean they couldn't use a hug and shoulder to cry on from time to time.
She brought Serra close and petted through her hair slowly.
"But I like you just as you are, Serra. I don't want you to ever have to get sick like this. You should just be happy you're always healthy!"
Serra grit her teeth, lifting her head to glare up into Star's eyes.
"That's so unfair! You think... you think that makes me feel better? Knowing I can never get sick and experience your pain? I'm just supposed to be happy while you're coughing and shivering like this and can't get out of bed? You might be able to say that, but from my position it hurts, Star! It hurts to have to see you like this! I don't... I don't want this..." She bowed her head again as more frustrated tears overflowed.
Star felt her own eyes beginning to sting and she hugged her tightly again.
"I'm sorry..." she murmured. "I didn't think about how it must feel from your position. I bet it's scary. I'd be scared too if I had to watch you in pain and could only do so much to help."
She paused for a moment, wanting to be sure Serra was listening.
"But Serra... just the fact that my getting one little cold is upsetting you so much, that you're crying over something like not being able to feel my pain... that shows just how kind you are, how much you care for me. And I can't thank you enough." With a smile, she closed her eyes and rested her chin on Serra's shoulder.
Her words, they broke Serra, but in a good way.
But still, she couldn't hold back the sobs as she clung to Star, hiccuping softly into her shirt. Star rubbed her back until it finally stopped shaking.
The two girls pulled apart and their eyes met again. Star laughed and wiped the tears off Serra's face. The older girl soon smiled and did the same for her.
"See?" Star said. "All better now."
"Yeah..." Serra sniffed, taking a tissue for herself and handing another to her partner. "Thank you, Star." She threw away their tissues and stood up again. "I'm gonna go wash my face. Is there anything you need?"
"Nope!" Star smiled. "Just you."
Serra turned her face away again.
"Dork..."
She turned and dashed off to the bathroom, splashing cold water onto her face as she started to calm down. Her chest felt lighter now that she'd confessed her fears to Star, and her partner had reassured her on every account.
We're partners, after all, she reminded herself.
She dried her face off on a towel and was about to head back to Star's room when an idea struck her. She opened up the cabinets and searched for the medicine, pulling out a bottle of pills that would help Star fall asleep. She slipped one into her skirt pocket and headed back to the room.
But from down the hallway, she could hear the sounds of coughing, and Serra hastily quickened her pace until she was running. She darted into Star's room to find her hunched over, coughing into her elbow.
"Star?" Serra ran to her, placing one hand on her back and the other on the front of her shoulder to help her sit up. She rubbed up and down the girl's back, pushing her hair out of her face. "Are you okay?"
Star coughed again, blinking one eye open slowly and then the other.
"Yeah..." she wheezed. "But c-can I have some water?"
If she was asking before Serra could even offer, the older girl knew it must've been troubling for Star. Serra nodded and grabbed the glass from earlier, holding it up to the girl's lips. Star drank half of it before Serra stopped her. She reached into her pocket and handed her the pill.
"This'll help you sleep. You look tired. Please take it, even if you're not."
"Okay." Star nodded and took the pill, tilting her head back and taking another sip of water to help it down.
Putting the glass aside again, Serra took her seat and rubbed her back some more, making sure the coughing had stopped.
It wasn't much longer before Star's jaws parted in a wide, sleepy yawn. Serra let out a breath, relieved the pill seemed to be working. She helped Star lie down on her back so she could breathe easier.
"Ser... ra?" Star mumbled, finding it harder to keep her eyes open by the second.
The older girl moved her chair as close as she could, leaning forward and holding both of Star's hands with hers where they rested on the younger girl's stomach.
"Yeah?" She reached up to brush the sweat off Star's forehead again, moving her bangs aside to reveal her tired eyes.
"Are you... gonna leave?" She was fighting to keep her eyelids up now.
Serra smiled softly and leaned down, pressing a light kiss to each of the girl's hands.
"Of course not. Even if you sleep all day, even if your parents come back, I won't leave. I'm gonna be right here when you wake up, okay?"
She watched the tiny smile curl her partner's lips just before Star's eyes closed.
"Thanks..."
And with that, Star was silent, the only sounds now being the breaths of air as they passed in and out of her lungs.
Serra waited a while, making sure there was no more coughing and that her airways were clear. She checked Star's temperature one more time, satisfied to find it had gone down from earlier.
It had been a long morning for Serra, too.
Keeping one hand over Star's, Serra curled her other arm underneath her head to form a makeshift pillow. She rested her cheek on her arm and closed her eyes, letting the quiet sounds of Star's breathing lull her into a light slumber.
. . .
Serra had never been sick before, and she likely never would be.
This thought had never occurred to Star before, but it worried her now.
There had been a time in the past when Serra had tried to go a few days without eating or drinking, just to test how powerful her semblance was. But once her mothers had found her out, they'd scolded her and hugged her furiously, upset to the point of tears. It made Serra cry too, and she'd apologized and promised never to try it again.
When Star had found out, she'd been very worried about Serra as well; she had looked a bit paler in those last few days, but Star very much preferred the rosy tinge to Serra's cheeks once she started eating again.
As her partner, Star had vowed never to let Serra try it again, even if she wanted to.
But if Serra got sick...
She'd never been sick before due to her semblance.
But it left Star wondering now as she slowly regained her conscious from her nap. It left her thinking... what would happen if Serra got sick?
No. She didn't want to think about it. If there existed a disease that could somehow slip under the boundaries of her friend's semblance...
If Serra's body had never experienced in all her nearly sixteen years what it was like to be sick, then surely if something like that were to happen to her now, it would be bad. Really bad.
Star didn't want to imagine it, but her mind didn't seem to be under her control at the moment. Her own sickness took control instead, and went against her wishes, forcing her to imagine the worst-case scenario-
If Serra got sick... her body wouldn't know how to defend itself. She'd probably get the shivers really, really badly. She'd probably burn up with fever and be unable to move. She'd probably forget how to breathe past all the stifling feelings and it would strain her heart until-
"No!"
Star screamed herself awake with the word, eyes wide and fearful as she found herself in her room. She panted for a moment as everything came rushing back to her, the memories of how she'd gotten sick and Serra had come over to take care of her.
Serra...
Star looked down, finding her friend slumped forward on her bed, loosely holding her hand. The only thing she could think of was the remnants of her nightmare just now, and she believed it had become a reality.
Panic seized her as she called out her name. "Serra!" She shook her partner's shoulder as gently as she could despite how frantic she was. "Serra! Serra!"
The older girl woke instantly to find herself being shaken. She gasped when she saw the fear in Star's eyes and stood immediately, her heart pounding roughly.
"S-Star, what is it? What happened, are you okay?" She didn't know what was happening, but Star looked really scared and it was making her scared and her heart felt like it was going to burst out-
"S-Serra!" It was a desperate, but relieved cry this time.
Star lifted her arms up and pulled Serra close, burying her face against her collar. She could hear Serra's heartbeat. It was fast and sounded like it hurt, but at least it was beating.
Star felt tears streaming down her face in relief as she crushed her partner to her. "Serra! Y-You're okay!"
The older girl was still in a fluster after Star pulled her in like that. She returned the embrace without a second thought, however, wrapping her arms around the girl's shoulders protectively.
"Of course I'm okay. What brought this on?" She remembered to breathe again as she petted through Star's hair, fixing the hair clip of her namesake's shape.
"I-I... I had a bad dream..." she whimpered. "Really bad... y-you... you wouldn't wake up..."
Serra tensed. She'd had the same dream about Star too many times, always waking up screaming or crying – usually both.
She could understand how it felt, and in addition to Star's fever, it must have been terrifying.
She hugged the girl tighter, rubbing up and down her back to offer solace.
"It's okay. It was just a bad dream. I'm here now, see?" She kissed the top of Star's head, then reaching down to find the younger girl's palm and tracing a familiar criss-crossed shape with her finger.
Once she knew that Star was alright, Serra started to calm down as well. Her heartbeat slowed and Star listened, letting it calm her, letting it remind her that the dream was a lie and this right now was the truth. Serra was okay.
Still, she hugged her tighter anyway and nuzzled closer.
"Dummy..." Serra sighed. "I told you I'd still be here when you woke up, didn't I? I'll always be here."
Star's only response was to nod, but Serra knew she'd heard her. She smiled a little hopelessly at her partner and kissed her head again.
By the time Star had calmed down, Serra had as well, and the older girl felt the familiar sensation of a tail wrapping around her waist.
"Serra? I'm still a little cold," Star mumbled. "So you're not allowed to leave yet."
Serra rolled her eyes playfully.
"I get it, I get it. Move over."
Star quickly did as she instructed and made space on the bed. Serra slipped beneath the covers as the Faunus girl's tail curled up with delight. When she looked at Star's face, Serra could tell the sickness was almost gone, the pallor already returning to Star's cheeks. Her voice was certainly back to normal as she bounced excitedly.
"Lay down, lay down!" she begged.
"Give me a second!" Serra huffed good-naturedly.
She did as Star instructed and laid down on her side to face the younger girl. Star wrapped her arms around her again and nestled into her chest, tail slipping around Serra's hip.
Then, with a slight push, she rolled Serra onto her back with an "oomf!" and rested on top of her. With a sigh, the older girl hugged her shoulders. "Fine. We can stay like this. Just let me nap..."
She was about to close her eyes, but before she could, Star lifted her head up and pressed a kiss to each of her cheeks. She then rested her chin on Serra's collar, looking up at her with those big blue eyes.
"Thanks for taking care of me today, Serra." She slid up one more time to softly peck her lips. "I love you."
Serra felt the blood rush to her cheeks, but she nodded.
"Yeah. Love you, too." She turned her face away in embarrassment, causing Star to giggle.
Keeping one arm around Serra's back, Star trailed her other hand down the older girl's shoulder and arm to find one of Serra's hands, curling their fingers together before she settled, laying her head sideways over Serra's collar. She listened to her heartbeat, reminding her that Serra was her partner and hers alone.
And Serra savored Star's warmth, her liveliness, even as she drifted off to sleep.
They were partners.
They would always to be there for one another, always love one another.
And that was a promise.
A/N: There you have it, folks! All of the fluff and cliches I could manage in a few hours haha~! Hope you enjoyed!
Please review!