Sorry for the foramting errors in the previous version. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 32: Cold

"Put more force into the punch!"

"You need to have the will to defeat your opponent before he defeats you!"

"Aim higher!"

"Stand your ground no matter what!"

Those were the words of encouragement that Serena received all throughout her training sessions with Adam. He was strict, always correcting her whenever her punch was off or her kick didn't have enough force behind it, but he was also a good mentor. During the two days that they had trained together now, she had learned multiple new moves and tactics that would help her overpower an opponent that was stronger than herself.

She was currently learning how to get out of a chokehold and after her fifth try, she finally managed to break free of his iron hold and kick his legs from under him. He landed with a thud and she quickly walked over and offered him her hand, though she did little to help him get up again as he was heavier than her. Adam dusted himself off and gave a satisfied smirk, pleased that she was learning so quickly.

"Good, I think you got that now. I guess there is nothing else that I could teach you," he said, but immediately added a sentence at her sad expression. "But I'll stay until after tomorrow so that we can have one final spar."

"Okay. Then I'll start making dinner," Serena said, her voice quieter than usual. She knew that he would have to leave one day, she just hadn't thought that it would be so soon. But it had to come eventually; his wound was completely healed now, a scar now visible where it used to be and he had only stayed longer because he had wanted to finish training her. It saddened her, but she had no right to keep him from his friends. There were people waiting for him, and she was sure that they were worried about him, too.

Grabbing her quiver and bow, she put on her black coat and started wandering into the forest. The days had turned unexpectedly cold, the nights even more so and she now wore her black jeans with a black top and her red sweatshirt over it, but she still had to put on the cloak to keep herself warm. Grabbing a tree branch, she heaved herself up and went from one tree to another, not making a sound once, her body having accustomed to this kind of travel long ago. It was when she spotted something moving a few feet away that she crouched down and peered at the object.

It was a brown deer, small horns protruding from its head, head bent low and chewing away at the leaves and grass on the floor. It had not noticed her and the female silently took an arrow from her back and cocked it into position on the bow. Breathing in deeply, she pulled back the bowstring and, with a final exhale, let go of it. The arrow soared through the sky before imbedding itself in the chest of the animal, killing it instantly. It fell to the side and Serena got down from her tree, calling for Ajax. The Grimm appeared soon afterwards and she heaved the cadaver on its back before they went back home.

"I brought some deer," she called as she spotted Adam who was currently practicing with his sword, movements fluid and fast. He paused and looked up before nodding and, after sheathing his sword, he went over and helped her get the dead animal off Ajax's back. They prepared it and when it was time to eat, he grabbed their plates and cutlery while she cut them both a decent portion of meat, adding carrots and potatoes.

They ate in mostly silence, a small conversation occurring here and there and she cleaned their dishes while he put some more wood into the fire. Both went to bed soon after, Serena still in her sweatshirt and pants while he was only wearing his red t-shirt and black pants, not seeming to mind the cold at all. To add to this, it seemed like a storm was coming up and Serena could already hear the thunder in the distance. She buried herself in her blankets and promptly fell asleep, the training having drained her more than she thought.

Serena woke up, body shivering, as a loud crack sounded outside. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by complete darkness, the only light being provided by the occasional lightning streak that would cross the sky. The wind was howling outside and into the cave and she figured that it had extinguished the fire. Wrapping the blanket more tightly around herself, she drew her knees up to her chin, though it did little to keep her warm. Her teeth were chattering from not only the cold but also fear. Yes, she was afraid of the dark. She hadn't been before, but now the darkness reminded her of the bottom of the lake in which she had drowned and she felt suffocated in it.

"Hey, you okay?"

The groggy and sleepy voice came from her bed and she looked over to see Adam looking at her, his red eyes the only thing she could see in the darkness. She had moved closer to the fire that evening which put him at some distance from her, yet she could still make out his silhouette. It seemed like she had woken him up with the noise she'd made.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, not wanting to admit that she, a nineteen-year-old girl that was legally an adult, was afraid of the dark. No doubt he would laugh at her.

"You sure?"

She could detect a hint of worry in his voice. No, she was not fine but she would not admit that; she had some pride. Pulling the blanket more tightly around herself, she nodded before remembering that it was pitch black and he couldn't see her. She didn't know that Faunus actually had night vision.

"Yeah."

He was silent for some time and she took it that he'd gone back to sleep. She tried to follow his example, but the chattering of her teeth and the constant fear that lurked inside her wouldn't let her. She tossed around for about two minutes before she heard his voice again, this time not as sleepy as before.

"Get over here."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said get over here. You're obviously freezing and I can't sleep with all the noise you're making," he replied gruffly. But she knew that he didn't really mean it like that; there was no trace of contempt or annoyance in his voice.

"I'm fine, really-"

"Get. Over. Here," he repeated, this time more insistent and the girl knew that it was pointless to argue with him now. Sighing, she got up and, holding her hands out in front of her, stumbled to where he was, almost falling over something once. When she had reached the bed, she wanted to ask what she was supposed to do now before a hand grabbed her wrist and she was pulled down. Letting out a surprised gasp, she found herself lying next to the red-haired male, his back turned to her and blanket placed on top of her.

"There. Now go back to sleep," he muttered before going back to sleep himself. Serena didn't know what to do; never before had she shared a bed with a guy. Deducing that it would be best to just try and fall asleep, she pulled the blanket to her chin and closed her eyes, trying not to think that Adam was lying directly beside her.

It was definitely warmer here, but she refused to get any closer to him. This was already embarrassing enough as it was. When she finally drifted off to her much needed rest, she was not aware of her body moving closer to him during the night, her head now pressed against his back.

Neither was Adam aware of the fact that he had rolled over during the night and subconsciously put an arm around her waist, holding her close to him. This shocked him greatly when he awoke the next morning, stirred by the early rays of the sun. It was when he tried to shift his position a little that he noticed that something was wrong. Looking down, his eyes widened and he sucked in a breath when he saw the girl lying next to him, one hand holding onto his shirt while her head was tucked under his chin, resting against his chest.

He internally panicked, not knowing just what the hell he was supposed to do in this kind of situation. Sure, he had been together with women before, but not in this kind of intimate way. Debating on whether or not to get up or just stay there and go back to sleep, he decided that it wouldn't harm him if he just went back to sleep again. He was sure that she would be even more embarrassed than him and maybe, when he went back to sleep, he would roll around or she would turn away from him.

Letting out a frustrated breath, he closed his eyes again, his grip on her waist slightly tightening as she moved impossibly closer. He could smell the shampoo in her hair, the faint fragrance of flowers wafting into his nose and mentally noted that it suited her. He lay his head so that his chin was now resting on her head and not soon after did he drift off again, a faint smile on his lips, expression peaceful for once.

A/N: I do not own RWBY or its characters. I do, however, own my OC Serena and any other OCs that appear in this story.

So, like I already said in the previous chapter, i will up the romance a little. So I decided to make this chapter a little fluffier than the previous ones. I hope it's not too rushed or anything, but do tell me if it is.

Anyway, stay tuned for the chapters to come and review if you want to, I'm always happy to receive a feedback.