Yang's smile made me melt. Adam never had that effect on me. She IS the shoulder I cry, lean, and bleed on.
"Are… you planning on calling that psych back any time soon?"
I nod. "Well, if I want to keep fighting on RWBY… I have to."
Yang grinned, coming up to be level with me and shifting forward. "Well… how about you wait til tomorrow? I want you for the rest of the evening."
I cocked an eyebrow, even as she placed her hands on the insides of my thighs and gently spread my legs so that she could kneel between them. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't miss her, even after three days...
I felt her hands get underneath my top, those warm hands pressing on my back in a way that angled me closer to her. I closed my eyes the moment I felt her lips fold with mine.
My arms wrapped up around her neck, keeping her close, but I wanted her. Every bit of Yang Xiao Long- her blonde hair, fair skin, lilac eyes, firm curves, and unlimited warmth.
…
I saved her life, once. Well, probably more than once, but there's one time in particular that I remember, after Ozpin cleared me to work with the team. To Weiss's protests, as you might imagine.
I was a military operator. I knew how to handle myself in a fight. I knew how to breach a door, and I knew how to be a gunfighter in close quarters.
When we lined up on the wall beside the door on some Grimm hunting mission, Weiss decided to be behind me. I didn't trust her to cover my back, just like she didn't trust me not to shoot her team as soon as we went in. Her gun was behind me, but I wasn't convinced that she had it pointed down at the ground, away from me.
We were in a compound. A broken chain link fence to my right, with only forest existing beyond. This was the first of three other buildings in the compound, simple gray, cinder block buildings. Crude, but that was sorta the way Grimm operated. We had already killed two guards to get to that point. I'll explain a bit more later.
Yang came around on my right. She normally kicks down doors on the team, since she was stronger than anyone else.
I closed my eyes, my cat ears turning and listening, for anything that was out of the ordinary before swinging a hand back to tap Weiss's leg. I heard her gently hit Ruby's before the tap came back, to Weiss, then to me. When I felt it, I locked eyes with Yang and gave her a nod.
She quickly stepped forward, her foot coming up to kick the door down.
"Wait…" In that split second, I heard the rack of a shotgun on the other side of the wall. It was faint. Weak, distorted by the thickness of the concrete. But I heard it. Nobody else would've.
"Down!" I surged forward, letting go of my weapon and wrapping my arms around Yang. Since she was already on one foot, we both crashed to the ground, sliding on the gravel of the landscaping around the building.
No sooner than I had Yang down did the stained wood of the door blow outward, showering the sidewalk with shards of wood that reminded me of toothpicks.
"Yang!" Weiss stayed out of the doorway, but I felt her gun trained on me, even though I couldn't see it. There's this… strange feeling you get, like the sound of a buzzing chainsaw, when people point guns at you. Even if you don't see them or the gun.
I opened my mouth, panting. "You okay?"
"Yeah!" She grabbed for my rifle, which was hanging from me by the sling. I reared up a bit, settling so that I was on my knees, straddling her. She forced it into my hands and pushed me off. "Let's kill these assholes!"
I sat there as she got back up and shoved the butt of her gun into the doorjamb. The door busted open, and I just… watched. Watched as Weiss and Ruby went in. Watched as I heard multiple gunshots, and I heard Ruby call "One up." Weiss and Yang each responded with "two up" and "three up." Yang was standing in the doorway when she looked back down at me.
We locked eyes again. My cat slit eyes into her seas of lilac. They weren't flared red or anything. Not… yet, at least. I felt a pang of guilt at the fact that I was still just… sitting there. I looked away, somewhat ashamed that I had been useless in actually clearing the room. Sometimes, even the best of us freeze up. We get tunnel vision, or that stream-of-consciousness that so many soldiers experience just stops cold. "Hey."
I glanced back up at her.
"Thanks for the save." One hand stayed on her weapon, the other flicking a 'thumbs-up' at me.
Yang always took such a… whimsically confident approach to combat. Hilariously different from my mindset when the bullets started flying.
But that comment made me feel like I did something. Like I was part of the team, for once.
…
"Yang…" I gasp as her lips break away from mine and press hotly against the skin of my neck.
She doesn't let up, trailing them from my neck to my jaw, then back to my ear. I'm met with electricity rippling over my skin. I… wasn't expecting this. Not now, anyway. But I'm not going to stop her. I've missed her too much…
I feel the waves of her breath right by my ear while her lips gently caress my skin. My own hands slip under that leather jacket that she's wearing, and start to push it off. Not breaking away from my ear, she relaxes her arms, and it falls away with ease. She nips at my ear when my nails trace against her skin and along the edges of the yellow tank-top she's wearing. She had decided to wear something comfortable, just like me. But when my hands fall even lower, to her waist, I'm met by the harsh coolness of gunmetal.
I shrug the pistol out of the holster, but I'm cut short by the feeling of her hand up by my cat ears. With crisp yet tender precision, she pulls the bow off and tosses it to the side. I set the pistol on the nightstand by the bed, and nudged her back so I could look into her eyes.
As I pull away, her gaze meets mine with concern and worry. Wondering if she'd gone too far or if I didn't want that tonight, but I reassure her with a gentle caress of her cheek.
In truth, I'm smiling. Almost grinning. And… purring. It was something that I had never known about, something that never happened with Adam. But Yang found when we were first being intimate together. Mom and Dad didn't bother to tell me that being a Cat-Faunus meant that I could purr…
But Yang loves it. It drives her crazy.
"You're getting sloppy, Yang…"
"Huh?" Yang's eyebrows perk up when I abruptly change the topic.
I reach down, pulling out the boot knife that I decided to conceal with my pistol that morning. I never bothered taking it off. When I toss it to the floor, Yang's eyes follow it with a smirk.
"I was getting there… don't be so impatient, Blake."
"Sure you were." With my arms around her neck, I pull her in again. Completely against my chest, so she can hear and feel the gentle vibrations resonating through me.
Yang's breath catches, and she tucks her face into me. "You- you're purring…."
"I know…"
She squeezes me. Hard. Like she never wants to let go.
…
I'm not going to bore you with the details of me joining Yang's team. It was a crazy series of events all masterminded by Colonel Ozpin. Every time I met or talked with him, it always seemed like he had some underlying scheme or plan, but I couldn't read him.
Point is, I was… leery about joining another team. Adam's change hurt. The wound hadn't even come close to healing by the time Ruby Rose jumped down from her bed and loudly proclaimed, "R. W. B. And Y. That spells something like RWBY, right?"
I couldn't get past Weiss's distrusting, sideways glances or how her eyes stayed on me a little too long when I walked through the room. Ruby seemed friendly enough as long as I didn't deter from team cohesion, and Yang… she was a godsend.
Even as I settled in, I had thoughts about leaving. Thoughts that I didn't really tell anyone, and I don't know why. I wanted to hunt Adam and the Lieutenant down before they turned the rest of the White Fang into what they were. I didn't want to have other people trust me, and have me let them down, like Hawk. I wanted to stay in the fight, because that's all I knew, but I didn't want these three girls depending on me.
That's why I bought the apartment- to get away when I needed to. I started disappearing, sometimes for whole weekends when we didn't have a mission or training to get done.
One day as I was leaving, I met Yang working on her motorcycle. She stopped me.
"Hey. Where are you going?" She said from underneath the bike. She was in a light orange tank top with gray pants marked with grease stains.
"Out." I normally shielded my answers, and nobody really questioned them.
"So, you're leaving again to nobody knows where for nobody knows how long?" She shifted from underneath her bike, and sat up to look at me as I kept walking to the black sports sedan that I called my own.
"Hey." Her sudden, commanding tone was a stark contrast to her normally cheerful and outgoing demeanor. "Let me ask you something."
She closed the distance between myself and her, putting my back uncomfortably close to the car. We were in an open garage with the bay doors open… but she was too close for comfort.
I only nodded, silently looking for a way out. Where I'd go if she took a swing at me. Every muscle on edge, ready to jump or run in an instant.
"If some driver runs you off the road between here and wherever it is you're going, how are we going to find you? What if Adam or the Lieutenant come back to tie up loose ends, and you need help? What if-"
"Yang, I can take care of myself." My hands turned into fists with a heavy, angry sigh.
"It's not about whether or not you can take care of yourself, it's whether or not you need help."
I shook my head, looking down at my feet then back up. "You don't understand…"
"No, you don't understand!" Her eyes flared. A bright, fiery red that pierced right through me. She threw up her hands. "You have no clue what-"
My own arm came up to guard my face. Eyes shut. Looking away and hiding my face in my hair. My opposite arm was reaching for my Gambol Shroud. My sidearm.
"Blake…" She stopped.
I never told Yang, or anyone, how abusive Adam was. Bruises don't leave scars that you can see, but that doesn't mean they're not there.
"I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…" She steps back, well out of my inner comfort zone, but still close enough that I don't feel distanced. It's… hard to describe. "Look… whatever he did doesn't matter anymore. He can't touch you. Not with the rest of the team around."
Even though I didn't tell her about Adam's abuse… Yang did understand. At the time, I thought that maybe she'd been there herself. Maybe she had an abusive partner, or parents, or had also had a rough patch in her life. Now, I know that that wasn't the case. She lost two mothers when she was younger… one to the Grimm War, the other to, well… she doesn't like to talk about it and it's not my place to tell you.
…
I just want to cuddle her tonight… when she relaxes from her tight, locked-down grip, I nudge her up. At first, I'm met with raised eyebrows and a bit of reluctance, but after a moment, she understands, and lays down on her back. With a sigh that eases the tension out of my shoulders, I collapse beside her, shifting down and nosing my way under one of her arms. My head finds its way onto her chest, and… I hear it.
Her heartbeat. A strong, steady rhythm that tells me, in every repeating instant that she's here. She's alive. She's not going anywhere.
Her hand traces up my form, brushing over stressed tendons and scar tissue. It cards its way through my hair, which by now is a complete and total mess. Finally, it rests against my cat ears, gently tracing shapes and patterns against them. Sometimes, they twitch involuntarily, as if I'm reacting to some kind of insect landing on them. I'm still purring, knowing that Yang's lips are tugged up into a wide, satisfied smile.
Laying against her is like sitting by a crackling campfire and falling asleep in a cloud at the same time.
It… occurs to me that two of the things that Yang loves the most about me are Faunus traits… the ears, and my purring.
Maybe that's why I love her. She doesn't draw back at those things that distance me from humans. She embraces them. Sometimes quite literally.
…
I mentioned how Weiss never really seemed to trust me. Or any Faunus, for that matter. I mean… I'd be lying if I said I liked her. But you still have to trust someone on the battlefield to get something done.
Back to that mission where I saved Yang by tackling her out of the way of that door…
It was a rescue mission. About a week earlier, one of Mistral's political leaders had been ambushed while traveling through the mountains. Grimm were able to overwhelm her and her protective guards, and they captured her. Atlas had gotten intel that the leader had been taken into Vale territory, and that she was being held in one of those abandoned towns on the east side of Vale.
RWBY was ready. Colonel Ozpin brought us the files and briefed us at Beacon Field, on the spot. Normally, higher ranking officers don't do that, but there was always something different about him.
"I expect you will maintain discretion, and keep in mind that this woman you are going after carries a lot of weight in the Mistrali government. Please, tread lightly and keep her safe. Mistral is placing a lot of trust on us to get this done." He swirled the brown liquid in his coffee mug before taking a swig. "Oh, and Specialist Belladonna…" His brown gaze met mine, his words lingering on the word 'Specialist.'
It was the first time anyone had called me by my new military rank, which was different than the rank of 'Specialist' in the Atlesian military. A Vale specialist is set apart from the chain of command with no specter of seniority or hierarchy, able to make their own decisions at their own discretion. Much like a member of the Special Operatives Unit in Atlas. Ruby and Yang both bore the title of specialist, but that never stopped the people of Remnant from referring to them as "Huntresses."
"... I want you on this mission." Ozpin's word was firm. Decisive.
Weiss immediately stepped forward, voicing her protest with large, wavy hand gestures. "Sir, surely you understand that with a mission of this caliber, she-"
Ozpin dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "Captain Schnee, Blake will be joining you on this one, unless she herself refuses. Your team leader can choose how to best coordinate her… skillset into your strategy."
And just like that, I was sitting on the side of a helicopter, my legs dangling over the lush forests and railroad tracks that covered the Vale countryside. Places where Grimm could hide. Normally, that side of Vale would be a hotbed for Grimm attacks. I wasn't sure why it hadn't been for that particular week…
Yang sat beside me, humming some EDM song that was audible even over the sound of the rotors beating against the air. Slipping in the lyrics here and there when she knew them.
"You're standing too close to a flame…" Humming. "Hotter than the sun in the middle of July." Humming again, bouncing her head side to side in some phantom beat. "I burn! Can't hold me now…." She trailed off, echoing the refrain with a confident grin spread across her face.
It never occurred to me that I had been watching her- the girl that gave me a chance- so closely until Weiss pushed me aside to yell at Yang and I. "One minute to touchdown!"
Fast forward to just after Yang kicked down the door. The compound only had three buildings with a few rooms each. I saw Grimm bodies in the corners, slumped over from my team's handiwork. Sunlight cast rays in through the cracks in the blinds and curtains of the structure. This particular room had filing cabinets and stacks of paper. All of which probably contained valuable information, but our goal was to retrieve the politician before things got ugly.
There was a door at the far end of the room, sealed shut. There was a padlock bolted across the door. From our reconnaissance, we knew that the politician was most likely in that room.
"It's locked. Blake, you're up." Ruby pointed at me, then at the padlock.
Both her and Weiss stood on either side of the doorframe as I pulled a simple lockpicking kit from my vest. All I needed for that little lock was a standard hook and tension wrench.
"Hurry up, Faunus." Weiss whispered to me, her words cutting deeper than they should've. Still, this was a skillset that the White Fang had honed in me. Within moments, my tools turned, and the lock popped open. I always involuntarily smiled whenever the pins lined up just right like that…
"Yang, cover our six. Blake, open the door." Ruby commanded, her silver eyes trained on her gunsight, pointed at the door.
"Copy." Yang replied, as I stepped forward, and turned the handle slowly. In one swift motion, I flung the door open and Ruby and Weiss rushed in. No gunfire this time, only the sound of boots scuffing on concrete floor, and the faint sound of splashing water, as if someone stepped in a puddle.
Before I even made it in, I heard both Ruby and Weiss announce "Clear!"
When I entered the doorframe, my eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light of the bare, cinder block sided room. There was only one incandescent bulb in the center of the high ceiling. No windows. A sloping concrete floor with a drain in the center. The floor was wet- slightly flooded, actually, but not to the point where it could soak into our combat boots anytime soon. The odor of stale air and urine emanated from the doorway.
The next thing I saw was a woman slumped over in a metal folding chair in the center of the room, her hands tied behind her back so she couldn't go anywhere. Her clothes were wet, just like the floor. She… she was shaking, but I couldn't tell if it was from the cold… or that scared look in her eyes. Her gaze darted at each of us, trying to find some ounce of recognition even though we probably just looked like dark, sinister figures to her.
I don't remember what called my attention to it at first. Part of me smelled the scent that wasn't totally human. I could hear the quickened rate of her breathing, a trait of some Faunus with faster heartbeats than those of humans.
I didn't even need to see the tiger-striped tail to know that she was a Faunus.
Ruby moved behind her while Weiss took a knee in front of her and tried to calm her down. "Ma'am… we're Huntresses. Vale Special Forces. Do you understand?"
The woman just recoiled at Weiss's touch. I knew what Weiss said was what she was supposed to say… but I knelt beside Weiss and nudged her out of the way.
"My name's Blake. I'm from Menagerie. You're… a tiger Faunus, right?"
Feline Faunus have a very acute sense of smell and hearing, as you've seen. However… just like any other sense, these senses act subconsciously all the time. For example… consciously, I can recognize Yang's scent long after she's left the room. However, Faunus are naturally drawn to other Faunus, even if both parties are hiding their traits. It's weird to explain… but it's an innate sense of comfort.
I think that's why the woman in front of me in the dark room suddenly looked up at me, her eyes widening and her head nodding. She could smell the fact that I, too, was a feline Faunus, and took comfort in it whether it was conscious or not.
I put my hand on her shoulder, but that time, she didn't pull back. "You're going home. You're gonna stick close to me, and we'll keep you safe on the way out."
She sighed, relieved, with Ruby suddenly undoing her hands and letting her slump forward against me. She was sobbing, and I didn't blame her.
Ruby reshouldered her rifle after undoing our charge's hands. "Okay, Let's move. Diamond formation, protect the hostage. Yang, you take point on the way out. Everybody ready?"
I looked over at Weiss, who was standing, and eyeing both my cat ears and the woman's tail. Her mouth was slightly open, and she shook her head. Maybe she understood. Maybe she didn't.
…
I bite my lip and gasp sharply when Yang's hand lingers slightly too long over a bruised rib. She immediately pulls her hand away.
"Blake?"
I shake my head, eyes still closed with my head tucked into her chest. "It's okay. Just… stilling healing from that hit I took."
"Oh. Sorry…" Her hand resumes to trace around my back, mostly avoiding that spot this time. After a moment, I feel her lean down and kiss the top of my head, directly between my ears. They twitch at her sudden touch- a reflex- but I fold them down as she does. Her lips stay there, however, brushing against my hair, then against the black and gray fur that's normally covered by a little black bow. Each kiss sends a ripple across my skin, not because it's uncomfortable, but because she's the only one who's done that besides my mother when I was younger.
"You love those, don't you?"
"Mhmm…." Yang's response is deep, from the throat. Her lips don't move as she says it, but I can still feel her chest vibrate...
I glance up at her, and watch her reluctantly pull away from kissing me. "Why?"
She's smiling, her eyes momentarily dancing from my own to my ears. "I… I don't know." Her hand on my back traces upward, through my hair, up the back of my neck, to them.
Her fingers caressing them… I can't describe the feeling.
"They're… they're a part of you, Blake. They're as unique as your fingerprints, and I could just nuzzle into them all day…" She kisses my left, then my right.
I fold them down again, feeling the heat rise up to my cheeks. I bury my face into her chest to hide my face from her.
I've pulled dying friends out of danger, I've stared down gun barrels, hell…. I've even been shot. But I still have to hide it when my girlfriend makes me blush.
…
"Blake, stay back! Keep her safe!"
Getting out of the compound was going to be a lot more difficult than getting in. We were dealt a bad hand- as soon as we started pulling the hostage out, things erupted. Our helicopter couldn't get close because of the mess of anti-air. Grimm were coming in from a path near the way we came in. We had ourselves, our wits, and our rifles.
Me, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. Against dozens of Grimm.
At least the place had cover. A few military trucks. Tan and green crates spotted with rust. 55-gallon drums that contained either kerosene or diesel fuel that clouded any heightened sense of smell I thought I had.
I had my weapon slung across my back, and was holding the woman- I found out her name was Iris- by the wrist. She could walk, but at that moment, I had her hunkered down behind one of those crates containing who-knew-what. It stopped bullets, and that's all I cared about as I forced her as low as possible. Any more, and her face would've been buried in the dirt.
Yang was at the "head" of the diamond, directly in front of me behind a truck. Weiss was at my 10 o'clock, and Ruby was at my 2. I could hear Weiss scrambling, grasping at threads over the radio for any chance at air support. Our radios were synced, so I could hear everything she said, as well as any responses.
Like always, the female radio operator tasked to Vale Special Forces responded to Weiss. "RWBY 2, this is Maiden. We have one strike package on standby. They are less than five minutes out, but anything within that compound is also danger close for you. Close air support is not advised."
Weiss's voice, calm and collected despite the harsh cracks and flashes of sparks bouncing off of the crate in front of her. "We'll deal with danger close once they get here. We're going to try and escape to the east, deeper into Grimm territory. Can you have ISR sweep that section?"
"Negative, Captain. We don't have any drones in the area and satellite feeds won't be over your location for at least an 're on your own."
Weiss purses her lips, getting fed up with the situation, even as she glances at me and Iris. "Roger. Chop that air element to my frequency. RWBY 2 out."
I remember thinking about what I could do. My job was to keep Iris safe, sure, but we weren't going to last long with three guns rolling in the fight. Even as Yang's SAW fired burst after burst. Or as Ruby's sniper rifle claimed individual after individual, one by one. Or as the underbarrel grenade launcher on Myrtenaster belched out a 40mm round into one of the Grimm's light trucks that we referred to as Beowolves.
I fiddled nervously with the retention straps keeping my rifle across my back. I let go of Iris's wrist, and for some reason, my hand fell to Gambol Shroud. I mechanically drew it from the holster strapped to my leg, slapped my palms against the grip, and pressed forward. Shoulders shrugged up in perfect shooting stance, just like any day at the range. Head down, looking down the sight at the three dots lined up. Center of mass on a Grimm soldier that just got out of a second Beowolf that just pulled up.
Gentle squeeze of the trigger with the pad of my finger. The gun went off, kicking back against my hands like I'd felt it a thousand times before. I watched my target recoil, but he had armor on.
I fired again, this time watching a dark red spurt appear just above his collar.
"RWBY, this is Air Element 5677." A male voice. Young, tenor. "We heard you needed a hand."
Another voice on the radio, female. Smooth. Confident. "Maiden says that you have targets. Can you confirm?"
"Affirmative, JNPR. We could really use some close air right now." Weiss breathed a sigh of relief as she slid another 40mm round into her rifle. "Targets are multiple Grimm vehicles and personnel within the compound. Friendlies are on the eastern side of the compound. Repeat: watch your fire to the east."
The male voice again. "Got it, Weiss. What's your recommendation?"
Weiss paused for a moment, then peeked over the top of her cover for a split-second, minding the sparks that met her. "Jaune, it's a tall order, but I want you and Pyrrha to streak over. Supersonic. Get their heads down, then establish an orbit. Nobody gets to Ren and Nora. I need a north to south gun run from Ren, then have Nora hit the compound with the biggest thing you've got."
The male voice once more time- it had to be this 'Jaune' that Weiss was talking to. "RWBY… you know this is insanely danger close, right? You're going to be in range of everything we put down."
Weiss responded, her voice even colder this time. "Do as I say. We'll take care of everything down here."
"But-"
That other smooth female voice- Pyrrha- cut in. "Fire mission acknowledged, RWBY. Jaune, Arkos will accelerate for the high-speed pass and climb to altitude for air superiority. Ren, break off for the gun run."
Another male voice, this one much deeper, but even more confident than Pyrrha's. "Can do. On my way. Ordnance is one minute out."
Weiss turns to Ruby, who catches her glance and just nods in understanding.
"Okay, We've got one minute before this place gets smoked. Blake, lead out, keep Iris safe!" Ruby called out. Both her and Yang popped out of cover, guns blazing. I stood, letting go of my pistol with my left hand and taking hold of my Faunus charge's wrist once more. I led her backwards, keeping most of my body between her and the Grimm. We had to cross a gravel driveway, out in the open across the compound before we could disappear into the forest, and escape.
I don't remember what I felt first- the heat of the blood rushing to that point, or my head slamming backwards against the ground.
I got hit. It felt like a hammer, and my chest was the anvil. One single, solid, off-center hit that put me straight on my back with Iris under me.
She gasped. Screamed. I don't think she realized what had happened.
But I was still breathing. I felt something warm run down my chin. I had bitten my lip when the round came in. But… as my right hand, now free since I dropped my pistol, swept down my form, I realized that the bullet had only struck the ceramic plate I wore as part of my combat gear. Armor. The bullet had hit the one place where it couldn't go through.
But… it still hurt.
"Damn…. It…." I sat up, still trying to keep Iris as low to the ground as possible. I was grimacing, biting my lip even more to will the pain away.
"Blake!" It was Yang. "You okay?"
I nodded, groaning as I snatched my pistol from the gravel driveway. "I...that fucking hurt…."
Yang … laughed? Grinned? The same kind of laugh my dad had when I fell off my bike for the first time, but didn't want help getting back on.
Yang was immediately by my side, her own body in between me and the Grimm. I got back to my feet, leading Iris away with Ruby, Weiss, and Yang backpedaling while shooting and covering our escape.
No sooner than we had gotten to the ring of forest that surrounded the compound… I heard two fighter jets, Raptors by the look of them, scream over, followed by the telltale sound of a Warthog's gun firing.
I counted to ten, and that's when the whole compound, including all of the Grimm soldiers within, exploded. Nora's ordnance. I could've sworn I heard something like a "Weee!" echo over my radio.
"Maiden…" Weiss was panting. "RWBY is clear, for the moment. Hostage secured and stable." She looks around, eyeing each of us, lingering on me for a second longer. Her eyes silently ask if I'm okay, to which I gently nod. "Four Huntresses in the green."
…
"Four Huntresses in the green… I always love hearing that." Yang's hand keeps trailing against my ears.
I can feel myself relaxing… even though it's only mid-morning, threads of sleep start to pull at me. I didn't sleep that well last night.
"Hey… you gonna fall asleep?" God… for a girl who can be so hot-headed and quick to temper… her voice is magnificently soothing.
I just nod, my eyes still closed. I focus on the gentle rhythm of her heart, the steady rise and fall of her breathing. It's all slow. Relaxed.
So is mine…
It's all so easy, so peaceful, that before long… I'm fast asleep.