The Lines We Draw
Chapter 6
The reason Ruby wanted Blake's company was frankly rather simple. The woman wouldn't try to meddle any more than Ruby wanted her to. Blake didn't like conflict, and she wasn't a fan of picking fights inherently. She was dragged into them, sometimes, when personal conviction permitted. Other than that, Blake had no desire to provoke what didn't need to be fooled with.
On top of all of that, her reading was a nice distraction, and possibly the only one that Ruby could deal with right that instant.
She couldn't stop thinking of her sister though, the pain in her voice, and felt guilty. She knew she should go apologize, but she just couldn't bring herself to get off her bed to go looking. Besides, Weiss was with her, and that was another good reason to just stay put. She was sure talking to Yang would be a disaster, so Ruby didn't budge. Instead, she listened to Blake's voice. To the wind, and the cawing birds. She tried to rest. To sleep, but she couldn't.
Finally, her voice found purchase in the too thick air. "Blake…" Ruby said weakly after the fifth short story came to an end. "Am I really just a kid, like Weiss always says?"
Blake closed the book and sighed. Of the many pressing question she had expected, that had not been one of them. "Childlike, in some ways." Blake admitted distantly, but had long concluded that might not be a bad thing. "You're innocent, I would say. Not jaded, like the rest of us."
"And…if you had to say what you thought about Nora?" Ruby asked quietly. "Isn't she…I mean…aren't we the same?"
Blake huffed, inwardly cursing Yang for leaving her alone with Ruby. Like it or not, this girl really needed a different influence. Blake refused to be it. "Nora...hmmm...well, her exuberance is forced, I'd say. Yours comes naturally, there's a difference. Nora's history, well, it's probably pretty dark."
"You really think so?"
"I can feel that. I think most of the others can feel it too."
"I never noticed it before." Ruby murmured with a sigh. "She's always laughing and fooling around…"
"And mowing down her classes, and training particularly hard." Blake added. "That smile on her face, that's just determination. Nora's down to earth though, and all of that optimism is no different from Yang's. There's a limit to it, Ruby. She works just as hard as the rest of us, probably even harder, actually."
"But what about all of the food fights, and the pranks?"
"She's boosting the morale of her classmates." Blake explained simply. "We all do it from time to time, in our own little ways. I'm sure she's genuinely having a good time when she does that, but, she does have reasons for it, I'm sure." Hopping off of the bed, Blake opened the window to get some fresh air. "None of us have had an easy time of things, but you've been lucky enough to have Yang to look after you. That's another thing that separates you and Nora."
"But she's always had Ren." Ruby protested before her voice grew quiet again. "She told me that…"
"Bonds built by shared adversity kept her going, but, that really doesn't matter right now." Blake shrugged. "Listen, you need to talk to Yang, and you need to apologize to her. You mean the world to her, and she hates seeing you upset…pushing Yang away like that isn't right…and that's not all." Blake sighed again. "You have goals, right? That's why you came to an advanced high school for hunters and huntresses."
"Yeah, and my grades haven't completely plummeted, right?" Ruby asked. "I get that I'm younger, but I'm holding my own in class and on assignments."
"Let me rephrase that." Blake tried again. "This is a school where everyone is between two and six years older than you are. On top of that, you're a team leader. You've got a lot to prove to everyone." Flicking an apprising glance at Ruby just once, she considered it. "Especially if you have any chance of Nora seeing you as the adult you think you are. You're a prodigy as a huntress, but what about as a person? And romance?" Blake shook her head. "You've got time, so give yourself some."
…
Team RWBY was sorely missed at the lunch table that afternoon. Other teams had noticed that the usual lunch room hullabaloo had yet to occur, and many sat on edge, waiting for one of the troublemakers to come crashing through the wall, or worse. Not a day went by that someone wasn't starting something, and with half of the usual culprits missing, even more attention fell on team JNPR.
It was a ticking time bomb, and everyone, even the second and third years, noticed.
"I must have really done it this time." Nora proclaimed as yet another worried team scurried by. Her plate of pancakes had been left entirely forgotten, and this raised many questions from the surrounding tables. "I was hoping she would bounce back."
"She will." Ren told her.
"Yes, of course she will." Pyrrha concluded with an assuring little nod. "Ruby wouldn't let something like this get her down for long. Besides, the rumors speak differently. An illness, I presume?"
"That's what people are saying, but, I don't know about that." She rebuked tiredly. Nora had slept in, forgot breakfast, and had merely chomped on an energy bar during first hour. Strangely enough, the bottomless pit was not hungry. She was many things, but the growling of her gut wasn't on the list of things she cared to think about. "I'm such an idiot…"
"I heard it was a flu bug." Ren explained as he ate from his respective position right beside Nora. "Even Weiss, who is particularly studious mind you, missed out on class. I would think that might hold up the validity of the argument." When Nora gave him a sour look, he merely closed his eyes and shook his head.
"He's right. It probably is just a cold, or the flu." Pyrrha, who flanked Nora's other side gave Ren a tiny smile, even though he clearly couldn't see it. His unwavering fortitude was something she could respect about him, especially in times like this. "They'll be back on their feet in no time at all."
"Yeah, you guys are probably right." Jaune said, believing the excuse for what it was. He leaned across the table, regarding the shortest among them. "Besides that, Nora, don't you think Yang would be ticked off? If it was really your fault, I mean…"
"It's only a matter of time." Nora deflated, frowning deeply as she sipped from her milk. "Ruby is her little sister." The white substance made her want to cry. She just felt so, so guilty. "She's such a cute little thing too, you know? I really didn't mean to break her. Oh, but then again, I break everything. It's unforgiveable!" She slammed her carton onto the table, her drink now splashed into a puddle, the cardboard unsalvageable. "See? Broke that too."
"Depression strikes again…" Ren sighed as he cleaned up the mess. Afterward, he put a comforting hand on her back, rubbing her shoulders as he knew she liked. The action was an unspoken promise between the two of them. "Nora, it's honestly not your fault. You did what you thought was best, right?"
Nora nodded as a flair of static electricity touched between two strands of her unruly tresses. Unfortunately, she was not the only one affected. "Sorry Ren…"
With a long drawn out sign, Ren just pulled out the comb he kept hidden in his shirt sleeve for just such occasions. It happened more than he wanted to admit. After tending to his hair, he handed the comb to Pyrrha, who was also experiencing some static cling.
"Oh great, it's happening to you too now?" Nora rubbed her face, groaning out in aggravation. "Today just isn't my day…or your day for that matter."
"Well, I am sitting next to you, Metal acts as a conductor, and I'm covered in it, so there really isn't anything to blame you for." Pyrrha replied with a soft smile, already dealing with her unruly locks of red. "I'm surprised you have such good control of your semblance…well, usually."
Nora just sighed as Ren ruffled her hair with a tiny little smile. Her team knew how to comfort her, and as he slid the pancakes back in front of her, his words were as steadfast as she always knew they would be. "They'll make you feel better he said…and then after that, we can go look for a odd job or something."
"Actually," Pyrrha said with a knowing little smile. "I think I'd like to go one-on-one in the practice area. Nora's powered up today by the looks of it, might be a challenge to actually take her down. What do you say, Nora? Want to blow off a little steam after we eat?"
"All arena battles have to be watched over by a teacher." Ren reminded her.
Nora's eyes lit up. A fight sounded good. Better than good, if she were being honest. "That's true, but Port is always happy to sanction a fight when Goodwitch isn't. Do you think one of them would go for it?"
"It's either that, or let you destroy the lunchroom. The air is dry today, you'll be picking up static wherever you go at this rate." Pyrrha told her. "I'm sure that one of the teachers will understand completely. When we're done eating, we'll go locate one and ask right away."
…
Yang and Weiss didn't show up to the dorm room until well after curfew. Ruby was sound asleep already, and Blake had her eyes closed, ignoring the world. Her ear flicked against her pillow a few times though. A little reminder to her bunkmate that she could, in fact, hear them. They dressed for bed in their usual way. Yang out in the open. Blushing, Weiss walking down the hall to the bathroom, no doubt to drown herself in a shower for the second time that day.
Remembering what Blake said, Yang set the alarm to sound off an hour earlier than usual. They couldn't afford to miss class again. Her mind trailed to earlier that afternoon, when that soft hand slipped from her own. That unconscious little gesture so far and away from what Yang had been hoping for. She knew that Weiss wanted to keep things quiet, and only their team would every really know the truth.
Even so, the lack of public affection was a painful thing, because Yang hated to hold back.
She jumped up into her bed despondently, making herself comfortable, and laying in the quiet darkness. She tried to settle in, get comfortable, but the moments passed by, a slow trickle. No sleep came. Just deep thoughts, and ones of a carnal nature. A short while later, the door creaked open, and Weiss stepped through, clad in her too long nightshirt that covered her completely.
The woman headed to her own bed on instinct, but Yang called to her, lifting up the covers, and patting the mattress beside her.
"Do you really think we should?" Weiss asked, her voice low.
"Sure, why not?" That grin lingered until she realized Weiss was on the edge about it. "You don't want to?"
"I do but…" Looking over to Ruby's bunk, noticing the soft snores that came from the lump under the covers. She pointed. "What about her…and Blake."
"Please?" Hopeful, oh so very hopeful. Maybe too much so. She needed Weiss by her side.
Weiss let her soft frown even out, and she made her way across the room. Climbing to the top bunk, she smiled as Yang immediately pulled her close and draped the blankets around them.
"That's better." Yang murmured. Burying herself in the warmth of the girl in her bed was second nature now. Something so completely, utterly perfect. She didn't want to let the opportunity slip by ever again. She needed that assurance, more so than she wanted to let on. Certainly, that was her first mistake, because she leaned in, kissing Weiss deeply.
Having been denied such a passion all day long, she needed that contact now.
More than air, more than sleep. The barriers of the afternoon melted away in that too tight embrace, and it was the closest to heaven Yang had ever been. Perhaps too sure of herself, too sure of them, she let her hand wander under that nightshirt that was in the way. Eagerly, cupping one toned thigh, as she dragged it to rest over her hip, pressing herself even closer.
That's when Weiss froze.
"Yang…" She murmured, face flushed. "No."
It hurt again, even as another soft kiss on her lips eased the tension in her heart. "Do you think they'll judge you?" Yang asked, eyes closed, afraid of the answer.
"They wouldn't." Weiss said softly, tucking herself closer to the blonde. "It's just…"
"Tell me…please tell me…" Yang said under her breath, heated words, begging, pleading. "Please…"
Weiss didn't have words. She could only produce a shake of her head, and a kiss to Yang's forehead. Bashfulness overriding her usual calm demeanor. "Just please…not now." The heiress said, hoping it would be enough.
It wouldn't be, not for Yang. Still, she nodded anyway. Acceptance, completely and utterly so, even as her grip on Weiss tightened. She buried her face into the crook of that slender neck, inhaling deeply. "I need to hold you." Yang said under her breath once more. Careful not to let even Blake hear her cracking voice. "Please, don't push me away…I need this."
"I do too." Weiss spoke, this time more sure of herself…of Yang's intentions….of knowing that she wouldn't be hated by the other inhabitants of the room…reminding herself of that all too important fact again. She too found herself burying herself into the warmth of another. Her forehead touching Yang's own. "I won't push you away. I'm right here."
"Are you?"
"For now." Weiss said. That's all she could promise. All she would ever be able to.
The world was ash to the two lovers. Sadly, Blake could not say the same. The inhabitant of the bottom bunk was still wide awake. Her left ear flicking in irritation as she rolled over, stuffing her nose firmly into the pillow, and pinning her ears against the top of her head. She dared not to be informed about her surrounding anymore, and for not the first time, wished she had been graced with a human's lack of perception.