Weiss stared at the bottom of Ruby's bunk bed, her mind racing from the day's events. No matter how much she assured herself there was nothing to worry about, she couldn't stop dissecting Winter's every word. When she forced her eyes closed, she saw the bruises on Whitley's arms all over again.

She was making a big deal out of nothing.

Winter's experience as a Huntress allowed her to see things Weiss would overlook. She'd know if Whitley was in any real trouble. If Winter was confident nothing was wrong, then there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

She was also overthinking her sister's opinion about Adam. Winter was simply worried about her. It's only natural she'll assume the worst about Adam for her sake. There was no evidence to prove Winter was anything but a worried older sister. The White Fang problem in Atlas only exasperated Winter's concerns. Weiss had no doubt her sister would be more open to Adam if work wasn't so stressful.

Yet, she couldn't let go of everything she heard and saw, like the wall of wanted posters and criminal sketches that still haunted her.

A cold hand clutched at her heart the longer she lay awake. It fueled the racing thoughts keeping her wide awake.

Her Scroll buzzed beneath her pillow. Happy for the distraction, she pulled it out to find a message from Adam.

Adam: Awake?

Weiss: Yup. Nightmare?

Adam: Yeah

Weiss: On my way.

She threw her covers off and crept out of the room. Weiss shivered when a couple of robotic soldiers passed by in the hall. They both stared at her for a second before losing interest and continuing on their way.

Weiss knocked on his door before letting herself in. He sat on the floor, back resting against the bottom bunk below his own, and his blazer draped over his shoulders.

Like everyone else, Atlas Military provided him with new sleepwear. She'd gotten so used to seeing him dressed in a suit that it was strange to see him in a white t-shirt and sweatpants. His shirt hugged his figure closely, sculpting the broad muscles filling his chest and shoulders. Her heart fluttered when their eyes met.

Ignoring the jitters in her stomach, Weiss dropped down beside him.

"Hey, is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, just need a minute to calm down." He sounded breathless. "Sorry about waking you up like this. I know you must be exhausted but..."

"I understand." She leaned against him.

A comfortable silence lapsed between them. Weiss sneezed when a chill crawled up her back.

"Sorry, you must be cold." He adjusted his jacket so it draped around both of them. Whatever chill she felt became irrelevant when his bare arm pressed against hers.

"I-it's fine." She blushed, realising how warm he was.

"Are you able to sleep tonight?" he asked.

"I didn't have any nightmares." She couldn't dream if she lay awake all night.

"You looked like you had a lot on your mind earlier."

"This isn't about me right now."

"Talking about something else helps," he said with a small smile. "Remember when we shared fairy tales? I didn't tell you at the time, but it helped me a lot that night."

Weiss smiled. It wasn't that long ago in the grand scheme of things, but it still felt like years had passed since they were in that smelly barn.

"I can recite Grace and the Grimm if you want," she joked lightly.

"No thanks. I've had enough sappy love stories for one lifetime."

"What about my brother's favourite fairytale? I still know it by heart."

The image of Whitley's bruised arms flashed in her head again. She swallowed the lump in her throat and ignored it.

"As long as it doesn't involve falling in love with a Grimm again."

"Don't worry, there's no romantic Grimm in this story."

She recited The Hunter's Children in perfect detail. Out of habit, she spoke in exaggerated inflexions when reciting character dialogue, remembering how much Whitley used to love her silly voices.

"You have a knack for telling stories," he said at the end. His voice was calmer now, and his breathing had evened out.

"I've told this story so many times it's impossible to forget. I only started doing the voices to make it more interesting. My brother ended up loving it, so I kept it up."

"You two sound close."

"When we were kids, yeah. I barely know him now." Weiss didn't normally care about that, but tonight it left her unusually cold.

"Is that what was bothering you earlier?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're still a shit liar, Weiss." Adam playfully elbowed her. "We all saw how quiet you were at dinner. It's obvious something was wrong."

"Hey, this isn't about me right now."

"In that case…it would make me feel a lot better to know what's bothering you."

She laughed, slapping him lightly on the chest. "Were you planning to say that this whole time?"

"No, you're underestimating how clever I can be," he joked. "Are you going to talk now?"

"Only because you asked so nicely."

Weiss delved into her conversation with Winter, awkwardly going over the questions Winter had about him. A flash of anger appeared in his eye when he heard Winter's more damning accusations, but he clenched his jaw and kept his thoughts to himself. She also told him about the bruises on Whitley's arms and Winter's thoughts about them.

"It's dumb. I'm overthinking everything she says." Weiss shrugged. "Winter's always been protective of me. It can be annoying, but she means well."

Adam didn't respond right away. Fearing her sister's comments upset him more than he let on, Weiss quickly apologised and made it clear she didn't think of those things about him.

"It's not that," he said reassuringly. "I'm concerned about something, but I don't know how to word it without offending you."

"You've always been brutally honest with me, but I'm still here. You know I can take it."

"Fine." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Don't you think you're putting your sister on a pedestal?"

That was not the answer she was expecting to hear. A spark of annoyance ignited from his question, but she didn't let it take control of her.

"What do you mean?"

"You act like your sister's word is the truth without questioning any of it. When you do, it's brushed off as overthinking."

"Winter's always had my best interest in mind. She's the reason I became a Huntress in the first place."

"Even Huntresses make mistakes, Weiss. It's dangerous to idolise her and your profession like this."

"She's my sister, Adam. If I can't trust even my sister…" She shook her head.

Weiss didn't want to finish that thought. It was pointless to come up with horrible hypotheticals when Winter was nothing but kind and considerate. It wasn't a crime to be overprotective either.

"Fine, but I think it's still worth cross-checking her claims. You could talk to your brother and see if Winter's story holds up."

"My brother would rather die than see me," Weiss remembered the hatred on Whitley's face at the Mine. Had he always looked at her with such disdain; or was she only seeing it for the first time?

"It doesn't have to be seeing your brother. You could try talking with her colleagues instead. All I'm saying is you could use a fresh perspective. Your sister isn't always right."

Weiss forced herself to nod despite having no intentions of digging into her sister's life like she was some felon. He didn't know Winter as well as her.

They sat in another long stretch of silence. It allowed the restrictive feelings from the conversation to dissipate into the shadows until there was nothing. As time ticked on, it grew increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open. Between the warmth surrounding her and the late hour, she was ready to pass out on the spot.

"Thanks for staying. I'm doing a lot better now. You should go back and catch some sleep."

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

"I'll survive."

She didn't miss the way he sidestepped her question. It felt wrong to leave when he wasn't completely okay.

"It's fine," he assured her when he caught the hesitation on her face. "You helped me a lot just by being here. I'll be okay now."

"I don't want to go if you're still…" She nibbled on her lower lip, trying to find the right words.

"And I don't want you to fall asleep on the floor." He laughed softly. "Seriously, I can take it from here. You should go before your friends worry."

Weiss reluctantly left his side and headed for the door. She'd just about turned the handle when she remembered the night their roles were reversed. Although the awful memories had left her shaken that night, it was overshadowed by the comfort and safety she felt in his arms. She would've never fallen back to sleep alone.

"Something wrong?" he asked when he noticed she hadn't left the room yet.

"I can stay with you if you'd like," she offered without looking back. "You said it was hard to be alone on nights like this…right?"

Her heart drummed against her chest. It wasn't the first time they shared a bed, but it was still embarrassing to invite herself over like this. He was still her good-looking guy friend after all.

"You don't have to. I feel bad for taking you away from your friends."

"You're my friend too, and right now, you need me more than them." She looked over her shoulder. He'd already crawled back to the top bunk bed. She could hardly see him through the shadows covering his bunk, but she felt him looking back at her.

"If it's fine with you…I wouldn't mind if you stayed." He moved over to make more space for her.

The bed was much smaller than the one in his motel room. Even with her back turned to him, Weiss still felt his warm breath tickle the back of her neck. If she moved even slightly over, she would be against his chest.

"Sorry, I didn't realise it was so cramped up here," he breathed.

"I-It's fine." Weiss laughed nervously. He fell silent beside her, but her back tingled at his proximity. She could feel the warmth radiating off him."…I also don't mind if you get closer, b-but it's up to you."

Weiss was glad she had her back to him. Her face was so hot he would've spotted her blush even in the dim lighting.

Adam's arm curved around her waist, pulling her in until the entirety of her back pressed against him. He snuggled his head against the back of her neck, sending a jolt through her heart.

"Thanks, Weiss." His breath kissed her neck.

"N-no problem."

Weiss stayed wide awake, listening to his breathing gradually deepen until she was sure he'd fallen back to sleep. She closed her eyes, but it was impossible to fall asleep when all her senses zeroed in on Adam.

Her skin tingled against the warm embrace of his body, and her heart skipped whenever his breath tickled her neck. Even when she tried to let physical exhaustion take over, she was keenly aware of the sweet scent of pine on his pillow and blanket.

Weiss gasped when his arm hugged her even closer to him. Without thinking, her hand found its way down to his. She held her breath, searching for signs of him waking up again. She relaxed when his steady breathing pattern continued without a hitch.

Her thumb danced over the back of his fingers. The soft texture of his skin kept her fascinated with the feel of his hand.

The first time he touched her with his bare hand was when she passed out in the forest. Even back then, she was surprised by how soft it felt. She'd only felt it a few more times after that, and it was always because he was checking her temperature.

A flutter of warmth tickled her chest when she remembered the touch of his fingertips grazing against her cheek. She never thought someone like him could have such a gentle hand. Even through years of hardship and training, his hand still felt so soft.

Her fingers tingled with the need to explore him further. She wanted to study the muscles filling his upper arm, to skate her hands over his broad chest, explore the firm abs lining his stomach, and drop between his thighs–

Weiss snapped her eyes open, staring at the wall opposite her as all the puzzle pieces fell into place. The warmth in her chest spread to her face and core like melted gold. It all clicked together to form a terrifying image.

Her first instinct was to blame Sapphire for planting the idea in her head. Then she turned her frustration on Blake for all her teasing. Even Jaune was guilty of pushing the narrative. But most of all, she blamed herself for wanting something she could never have.

The conversation she had with Blake about this in Argus flooded her mind. Looking back now, it was a warning she'd recklessly ignored.

"Dammit," she cursed into his pillow.

She liked Adam.

She liked Adam so much more than she ever thought was possible.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be relatively easy and uncomplicated from here on out. When did she let herself fall for him like some lovestruck teenager?

Adam groaned in his sleep. Weiss buried her face into her hands, her heart melting at how cute that was. All she wanted was to plant a kiss on his cheek, run her fingers through his fiery red hair, and lose herself in the beautiful aquamarine blue in his eye.

Fuck.

She was hopeless.

When did she let it get so out of control? Was it even possible to control it anymore?

Weiss didn't know how long she spent brooding before falling asleep.

That night, she dreamt of kissing him on a bed sprinkled with rose petals and washed in moonlight. Amidst the sweet-scented rose petals, their hands and kisses explored each other's bare bodies.

Fun fact: This scene didn't exist until I did my first editing session. And this is why I didn't post until this story was completely edited at least once haha!

Thanks so much for the 200+ favourites! Very happy to see this story completely blow past the old story's stats!

Thanks to ZeraMyra, Iwr1918, Gleaming Onyx, LiteralWhiteTrash, yeaaaahhhh I read, BrazeRancor, TerraCut017, a Guest reader, and Speedster419 for the reviews!