A.N: You might wanna read the last scene from the previous chapter before reading this one to get some stuff. I'm hoping it's not necessary but who knows.
Weiss woke up. She didn't remember falling asleep. She didn't even remember getting in bed. But she remembered the nightmares.
The routine took over. Shower. Clothes. Ponytail. Coffee. Work. Lots of work. Chess.
Blake was not a good chess player. She was learning quickly, yes, but she didn't put up much of a challenge. Still, it wasn't important. All that mattered was that her hands were busy. It was good for her. Therapeutic.
"What do you do for fun Blake?" The faunus didn't answer. She was staring at the white knight. Weiss coughed.
"Um…sorry. What?"
"What do you do for fun? You must have some kind of hobby, something you do when you get bored"
"I don't get bored, I guess? I'm always pretty busy"
"Oh I'm sure that's not true. And even if it were, your new job consists in just watching me. You must be getting bored by now"
"Not really. You are interesting to look at…She said out loud." Now this should be fun. And Weiss figured after all those terrible chess games, Blake owed her some fun. Just try not to smile too much
"I'm interesting to look at?" She asked sweetly. It had taken years for her to perfect that tone of voice. Jaune had once said it felt like being lured into a dark cave by something shiny that turned out to be a Deathstalker's stinger. Jaune watched too many Hunter movies.
"What you do, I mean. It's interesting." Blake finally moved the knight "It's not like I'm just watching you sit there, you're actually working on important things. Life changing things. It's interesting to get to see how things work on behind the curtain. And it's not like it's all I do, most of the time I have my own work to do. So. Much. Paperwork" Blake was always very vocal about how much she hated paperwork.
"Oh. Good. So I don't have to worry about waking up and finding you watching me in my sleep because I'm…interesting" Blake blushed. A lot. "Relax Blake, I'm only joking. Check by the way." Blake mumbled something "I'm sorry, what?"
"I read. Sometimes. When I have time"
"Oh. Now that's interesting. I don't think I've seen you reading"
"I can't really risk going back for my stuff"
"Right. Sorry. But we have a pretty good library here, feel free to use it. And if there's anything specific you want, all you have to do is ask, I'm sure someone will have the time to get it" Weiss was feeling guilty about having fun at Blake's expense. She had expected Blake to reply in a similar manner, not to be so embarrassed. Still, guilty or not, there were limits to her kindness. Limits were important. "It will of course come out of your pay. As will any books from the library you mishandle" Blake nodded. She seemed calm again, relaxed. She was on comfortable ground. "So what kind of books do you enjoy?" Aaaand now she was tense again.
"Oh, this and that. Anything really" Well that was an encouraging answer.
Blake was sitting against the doorframe again. It had been a really long day for both of them. At least this time Weiss had managed to get into bed. On the downside, she had forgotten to take her clothes off. After a while, Blake was confident the nightmares weren't coming that night. She stood up and gave her boss one last look before closing the door. So I don't have to worry about waking up and finding you watching me in my sleep because I'm…interesting. Ok, so maybe this was a bit creepy. But it was her job, and yeah, that was the most ridiculous excuse she had ever come up with, but she was going to stick with it.
Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes to the damn press conference that had consumed her entire life for the past few days. Blake had managed to stay every single minute by her employer's side, but now, now, when it really mattered, she had had to leave her. Yes, Weiss was as safe as she could be, locked away behind layers of redundant security, but still…it didn't feel right. But this was important. Everything had to be perfect. And an unidentified sniper in the area was very, very far from perfect.
There was something off about this sniper though. Blake knew she was good at stealth, but she wasn't really trying to be stealthy anymore. The sniper should have heard her steps. But the red hooded figure just lay there, as if there was nothing in the world but her and her rifle. Blake coughed. No response. That's when she heard it. Music. Blake reached and pulled down the hood, revealing a set of big headphones. Seriously? This finally got a reaction. The woman took off the headphones and turned to look at her. Gambol Shroud's barrel was practically touching her nose. She smiled.
"Yes?" She said
"Who are you?" Blake asked. The woman's expression went serious. A bit too serious.
"Ruby Rose, huntress, on loan to the Vale Police Department" She paused "I can, um, show you my badge if you want. They give us badges when we work with the cops. It's pretty cool." Blake started contacting the local police, ready to shout at people. What was the point of all that god forsaken paperwork if things like this would slip through the cracks "Wait a minute!" The girl said, standing up. She was fast. Too fast. "Who are you? How do I know you're not with the bad guys? Oh god did I just mess up?"
"I'm with Miss Schnee" Blake said as she texted Ruby's name to the incompetent, soon to be fired idiot that had almost single handedly ruined the entire operation. As it turned out, texting while aiming a gun was not easy.
"You mean like…together-together, or…"
"I'm her bodyguard"
"Oh. Right. That makes sense. Yeah, I remember now, there was something about some weird new bodyguard no one really knew anything about, there were some pictures of you, I know it was you because of the cute ears, and I'm doing that thing where I talk again, right?"
"You are, yes" A message came in, containing files on the huntress. "Ok, you're good"
"Yup, that's me" The girl was now looking at her screen over her shoulder. Blake looked at her other hand. Gambol Shroud was just aimed at nothing. Way too fast. She was starting to understand just how much she had been underestimating Ruby just because of her behavior "Good ol' Ruby Rose. Say hi to Weiss for me, will ya?"
"You know W…Miss Schnee?"
"Oh, sure! We're friends! Best friends! Well, we haven't really seen each other in a while, but yeah, she's cool. We're cool. Friends."
"Blake! Finally!" Weiss practically jumped from her chair "I mean, what took you so long?"
"Unidentified sniper on the roof" Blake paused "She said she knew you, actually. Ruby Rose? A huntress"
"Ruby's here? Thank god" Panic flashed through her face for an instant "If you tell her I said that I will kill you. The last think I need is that hyperactive puppy thinking I actually want her around"
"But you do want her around?"
"Well I'm not stupid, she's one of the best there is, of course I'm glad she's out there on our side"
"Really? Her? I mean, she was fast, yeah, but she didn't come out like…'one of the best'"
"She never does. Except when she's actually fighting. She killed Cinder Fall you know" Well, that certainly changed things
"Wait. Cinder Fall…but that was years ago, she must have been…"
"Young. Yes. She still killed her"
"But, everyone's heard the stories. Cinder was…a mess when they found her. They never found her head. Hard to do that with a sniper rifle"
"It's also scythe"
"Of course it is. Huntresses"
"I know, right?" The two women shared a brief smile "What about Coco? Is she out there?"
"She is. She brought quite the crowd."
"She always does. Who are they rooting for?"
"Well, they are unusually quiet. And all their signs and flags are blank"
"White is the Schnee color…although I don't think that's what this is"
"Apparently it's meant to be 'symbolic'. That's what they tell me anyway. Me, I think they spent so much time arguing about what to do that they never had the time to paint them" The new smile wasn't as brief. Weiss bit her lip, like she always did when she tried not to show she was amused.
"That...is actually a plausible explanation" There was a knock on the door, signaling that they were ready for her. This was it. The smile vanished from Weiss' face, and Blake's smile went with it "Shall we?" Blake nodded.
"I'll be right behind you"
"Well, that could have gone better" Blake thought as her attempt at stealth was ruined by the sound of her steps on sewer water "On the other hand, it could have been a lot worse" she added when she felt a small hand grabbing the back of her suit. Weiss was ok. She slowed down and inspected the woman she was carrying. Her eyes were closed, but Blake could see she was making the effort to keep them that way. Weiss was awake. When the hand on her back held her even tighter, Blake instinctively held her closer. She had managed to get Weiss out of there, now she just needed to keep her alive.
They had stopped. Weiss opened her eyes as Blake gently lowered her. As her feet met the ground she looked at the faunus. Her expression told her nothing: there was no relief or concern, just alertness.
"Can you walk?" Blake asked. Weiss looked at her feet. That's when she noticed the water. They were in the sewers. Ew.
"Yes. I…I don't know if I can run though" Ew ew ew. Keep it together Schnee, this is the least of your worries right now.
"That's ok" Blake turned around and started walking. Weiss followed, hurrying the first few steps to make sure there wasn't much distance between them.
"Are…are we safe?"
"No"
"Do you think everyone made it out ok?"
"No"
"Oh"
Blake sighed at that.
"I doubt there are any dead. The attackers weren't actively trying to harm anyone else. But who knows."
"What about-"
"Weiss!" Weiss had never liked the way Blake addressed her as 'Miss Schnee'. Considering the way they had met, she thought it was rather silly, but she understood why the other woman wanted to keep that distance, so she had resisted the impulse to ask her to just call her Weiss. But now the faunus had finally decided to use her name, and Weiss did not like the way she said it. Blake had turned to see her for a second, her mask of alertness broken by irritation, and had hissed the word with anger in her voice. Once she wasn't facing Weiss anymore, her voice softened "I'm sorry Miss Schnee, but you'll have to save your questions until later. I need to keep you alive, and for that I need to… stay focused" It was the odd pause in the middle of the sentence that made Weiss realize she had seen something else in Blake's face. Pain.
"You're hurt"
"What did I just say?"
"How bad is it?"
"I'm still walking, right? Now please, please shut up" Blake hadn't even looked at her. She just kept walking. Weiss grabbed her arm, trying to get her attention. Blake reacted with by shoving Weiss and hissing.
"Blake, stop this!"
"I can't! If I stop, you're dead! Do you think they will stop hunting you? That they'll give us a break so I can patch up my wounds?" Wounds. Plural. "If we want you to survive this we need to keep moving, and we need to stay alert, so please-"
"Shut up"
"Yeah"
Weiss nodded. Blake turned around and started walking again. They kept walking for about an hour. Blake would signal her to stop at times, her ears alert, only to keep going. The sewers were a maze and Weiss wasn't certain if they were still running away or if they were actually headed somewhere, until Blake stopped one last time next to a ladder.
"We're here"
"Where?"
"Safe house"
"Which one?" The SDC had a few locations that couldn't be legally be tracked to it intended for various uses. Providing safe haven was one of those uses but they had also served shadier purposes in the past. Weiss had put an end to that.
"Mine. No one knows about this one, not even your people"
"Our people"
"Right"
"How safe is it?"
"It's been a White Fang safe house since I can remember, and it's never been tracked back to them. Trust me, we'll be safe"
"You're kidding. You brought me to the people who're trying to kill me in the first place!"
"Not today"
"What?"
"Those weren't White Fang trying to kill you. The White Fang has been lying low since my…'failed' attempt. They won't be using this place. And besides" a hint of a smirk flashed in Blake's face "This is the last place where anyone would think to look for a Schnee"
Once in the safe house, and after making sure they were indeed safe, Blake found the medical supplies, hidden in the same place they had been the first time she had been there years before. For a radical organization, the White Fang could be very set on its ways at times. She checked Weiss' ankle, but luckily there was nothing really wrong with it. Then it was her turn. Weiss helped tend to her wounds, although her assistance was more hindrance than help: her hands were still shaking, her touches were hesitant and, Blake suspected, she just had no idea what she was doing. But she had insisted on helping and Blake didn't have it in her to deny her.
After the safe house, it had all been a blur to Weiss. How long did they stay there? One day? Two? Twelve hours? As long as Blake said they had to. That was the answer that mattered. It was nighttime when they left. When planning for the conference, even before meeting Blake, they had designated a pickup point for an emergency like this one, but Blake chose to ignore it. Too risky, she said when Weiss asked.
"You don't trust our people?"
"Too many things went wrong. They had help from the inside. I still don't know who, but I'm going to find them"
"Is home safe then?" Blake's ears twitched. Or rather, the dusty black bow she had picked up from the spare clothing at the safe house to hide them twitched.
"Yes. The problem is not your employees. Those are loyal. And well paid, which is kinda what matters. The problem is the SDC's employees. They still get paid if you die"
"I see. My own company is trying to kill me"
Home. That's what Weiss had called it. Again. Just…home. It didn't feel like home to Blake, but the idea of a home was starting to feel nice. Even right. It wasn't something she was used to. Getting there had been easy. Too easy, said a voice in Blake's head. Of course, other voices suggested that her paranoia, which had admittedly kept her alive through many complicated situations, was making her overreact. They probably could have taken a random cab right outside the safe house and they would have made it safe and sound. Probably. But she just couldn't risk it. Not anymore.
The moment they walked through the door a red blur tackled Weiss
"Weissohmygodyou'reokIwassoworried"
"Ruby Rose! Let go of me!"
"Sorry. Right. Personal space still a thing with you then?"
"IT'S A THING WITH EVERYONE RUBY!" Weiss sighed and tried to calm down "You can put the gun down now Blake"
"It's ok, I don't mind" Ruby said smiling at Blake.
"Blake"
"She's funny" Ruby said, still smiling.
"Ruby! Don't encourage her!" Weiss yelled, as Blake slowly lowered the gun.
"Sorry" Ruby and Blake said quietly.
"What the hell are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be, you know, defending humanity from the forces of darkness or something along those lines?"
"Pfff, nah, it's cool, Yang's got that. My team was stationed here, actually. Might have pulled a few strings. We were supposed wait for any news about you so we could respond as fast as possible. They're kinda mad that you were ok and didn't let them know by the way. Something about going off the book?"
"Bad guys can read too." Blake said "We had to improvise. It turned out ok though, so I guess your team isn't really necessary anymore"
"Blake. Manners."
"Nah, she's right" Ruby smiled. It wasn't a nice smile "Of course, if we leave now we wouldn't have time to catch up. And I've got so much to tell you Weiss!"
"Ruby, we can talk about Zwei's puppies when things are less hectic!" Weiss blushed and bit her lip "Do you have pictures?"
"I…was trying to cleverly imply I had vital information on the people who tried to kill you, but sure"
"You will give us everything you have. Then you will leave. I will not have people on government paychecks around Miss Schnee. I know how easy they are to bribe"
Ruby giggled.
"That came out wrong" Blake added.
"Well, I'm sorry but I happen to work for the government. I think. It's never been that clear. And I do just fine. But I know who I don't work for and I don't work for you. So if you want to know what I know you're gonna have to do better than that."
"You're right. Allow me to rephrase that: You will give us everything you have. Then you will leave. I will not have people on government paychecks around Miss Schnee"
"That wasn't even rephrasing! That was repeating!"
"I know"
"Blake. The attitude is getting less and less cute by the minute. It ends now"
"I…cute?"
"That's what you got from that? Really?" Weiss sighed. Again. She was sighing a lot lately "Now listen you two. We mature adults have this thing called compromise. It's kind of a big deal. Blake: Ruby is my friend. She has saved my life before and the way things are going, she will do it again. We can trust her. Ruby: Blake is paranoid. Like, really paranoid. 'I wouldn't be surprised if she started covering her cat ears with tinfoil to keep the government out of her head' paranoid"
"That's sweet Weiss, thanks"
"Oh shush, I meant it as a compliment. What I mean is, she's the best bodyguard I could hope for and I will trust everything she says. So if she believes your team being here is a liability then I believe it too"
"But…"
"Shhh! I'm talking damn it. So. Ruby. I am asking your team to leave the premises. I am also inviting an old friend to stay for dinner tonight, and I will have a guest room prepared for her, just in case"
"Who?"
"You, you dolt!"
"Oh. Ohhhhh"
"Blake?"
"That's…acceptable"
"Ruby?"
The girl nodded.
"Great." Weiss aid "Marvelous. I'm glad we could all get along."
Weiss woke up. Someone was shaking her shoulder. She looked up and met Blake's golden eyes. She was surprised by the softness of her expression, miles apart from the hardness she had been showing since the press conference. Weiss heard Ruby yawning somewhere behind her, her soft steps fading through the empty halls of the manor.
"What's going on?"
"We were talking after dinner. Ruby and I got a bit carried away with the planning. You fell asleep" On the table. Great.
"Aw. You guys had fun without me"
"Trust me, you didn't miss anything"
"So, what now? What's our next move?"
"Well, for starters, we get you to bed"
"Ha. Ha."
"I mean it. You just relax, get some sleep. You earned it, after putting up with the two of us"
"Like cats and dogs" Weiss said as she got up and stretched.
"Um…"
"Oh god. I didn't mean…" Blake chuckled
"It's ok. We kinda were. But we actually managed to cooperate eventually."
"So you do have a plan"
"We do. But it's classified"
"I'm your boss!"
"Um, need to know?"
"Your. Boss."
"Plausible deniability" That one raised an eyebrow.
"Are you planning to commit a crime?"
"No?"
"Are you asking me? And where did Ruby go? Is it part of the plan? Are you going to commit a crime right now?" It occurred to Weiss perhaps she wasn't as awake as she had thought.
"Weiss! Hey, relax. Ruby went to bed. She said good night but you were just waking up. She was really tired. Not surprising, with the way she moves all over the place."
"Oh. Ok then. So. Bed?" She started walking and Blake followed.
"Bed." Blake answered.
Weiss bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she was trying to keep the words from coming out or if she was trying to muster the courage to say them. One way or another, the words were just there and they didn't really care about what she wanted.
"Um. Blake. Could you…stay in my room? Just for tonight? I know you're just next door but with everything that's happened…well, I don't know if I'll feel safe by myself anytime soon" Blake's expression hardened. It wasn't the harsh, alert expression of only a few hours ago, but Weiss found herself immediately missing the warmth.
"Of course Miss Schnee. Anything." Miss Schnee. Now that they were safe Blake was retreating, hiding behind manners and blank expressions again. It was understandable, it was appropriate, and perhaps it was even necessary, but Weiss hated it. She almost would have preferred the alert, irritated Blake from the sewers.
"Blake. If you find it in yourself to call me Weiss when we're running for our lives through the city's filth, I'm sure there's no need to call me 'Miss Schnee' in the safety of our own home" Blake frowned. An actual frown, with lines in her forehead and everything. Was that the first time Weiss had seen her frown? She wasn't sure.
"I am sorry about that Miss Schnee. It will not happen again"
"No you idiot, it will! That's my point! Ugh, you're not getting it!"
"I know I was rude and out of line, and I'm sorry, but the situation got to me and…" Blake was mumbling. Who was this woman? Where was her stoic assassin?
"You called me Weiss a minute ago!"
"I…did not?"
"You did!" Blake was panicking. Weiss wanted to laugh. And to cry. And to sleep. She really, really needed some sleep.
"I'm…"
"Don't you dare apologize again!"
"Ok, sor…Um. Ok."
"Now listen carefully. We are going to go to my room. You're going to check that it's safe. You will even check under the fucking bed if you have to, but I will not go to sleep until you say it's ok. When I do, I'm going to say 'goodnight Blake', and what are you going to say?"
"Um…"
"It's not Dust Science, Blake"
"Goodnight?"
"You're going to say 'Goodnight Weiss'!" Weiss was yelling and she knew there was enough security roaming the manor that, statistically, someone had to have heard, but she didn't care. All she cared about was the look of realization on Blake's face.
"Ah."
"Yes."
"I think I get it now"
"Finally"
"Weiss?" There it was. And it wasn't just the name. It was the voice, the expression, even the way one of the cat ears twitched, relaxed.
"Yes Blake?"
"Where are we going?"
"I just told you"
"Your room is the other way"
"…oh"
Blake made sure the room was safe. She even checked under the bed, ignoring how Weiss rolled her eyes at that. Meanwhile, Weiss had gotten in her nightgown in the bathroom. They said their goodnights, and Blake had to resist the urge to call her 'Miss Schnee', just to mess with her. There were limits. Limits were important.
Weiss fell asleep almost immediately. Blake sat on a chair. The room was rather large (the size of the rooms on the manor seemed to range from 'rather large' to 'ridiculous' or, as Blake had put it, from 'not safe' to 'deathtrap') and actually offered a few alternatives. There was even a large couch that Blake could have used as a bed, if she had ever gotten the hang of falling asleep on one of those damn soft things. After she was certain Weiss was fast asleep, Blake sat on the floor, back against the wall, facing the sleeping woman. She hesitated. She wasn't sure how Weiss would react if she found her like that. But Blake knew she would wake up before Weiss: her boss had more…regular sleeping habits than her. Gambol shroud in hand, she closed her eyes and let the rhythm of Weiss' breathing carry her into her sleep.
A.N: Did anyone say Newspaper? No? No one? Good, 'cause this is still Monochrome. I think this chapter is as long as the previous two together.
There's something I feel I should point out, although by now it should be evident: this is a "fill the blanks" kinda story. Trust me when I tell you, no one wants me writing action scenes. If I get bored writing them, you'll be twice as bored reading it. So I'm not gonna tell you a lot of things. What exactly was in those papers Weiss signed, how the press conference was going before the attack, how Blake got wounded, etc. I actually deleted a whole segment of this chapter dealing with Blake's thought process when preparing for the press conference, because it was boring (some of it surived scattered throughout the chapter though. Kinda). All that stuff isn't really the point of the story, and it wouldn't be fair to you (or, let's be honest here, to me) if I were to write lots of filler. Not that all action is filler, I might eventually have to write some of it.
I'm kinda considering eventually writing a prequel to this, set ten (edit: five) years in the past. It would be mostly about Ruby and Cinder but our lovely Monochrome ladies might make cameos (especially Weiss, since that's around the time she met Ruby)
Oh, I got to experience the sad sad feeling of trying to reply to a lovely review only to find out it was by a guest. So dear guest, thank you, I love you too and I'm glad I get to go to bed with the warm feelings your review gave me. Cause I can be kinda weird like that sometimes.