Chapter 3
Weiss stood hunched over, gripping the sides of the sink as the water ran. Steeling her nerves, she straightened to look at herself in the mirror. Get it together, you dolt. It's amazing that no one has noticed you leering over Pyrrha all semester, and now you're starting to go all schoolgirl-crush on Neo. A girl, I might add, that recently tried killing Yang. And you! A girl you know nothing at all about. And, a girl who probably just wants to ransom or kill you for being a Schnee.
Weiss cast her eyes down at the running water as her thoughts drifted to her worst-case scenario: Or worse, destroy Grandfather's name.
With a sigh, Weiss pulled her clothes off, jumped in the shower and turned the cold knob as far as it would go. Most people would have shrieked and jumped into the corner when the icy water hit them, but Weiss refused to flinch. The first time she confessed the way she felt about another girl to Winter, the older girl grabbed her by the wrist, dragged her into the bathroom and roughly tossed her into the shower, fully clothed, and turned on the cold water.
Holding Weiss down she began, "These thoughts are inappropriate, Little Sister. I will not let you ruin Grandfather's name with your… Sickness. The next time these stupid thoughts enter your empty little head, sit here until you freeze them out and wash them away." Releasing her grip, Winter glared at her sister and continued, "Now, you are going to stay there under that water until I am convinced that you are no longer harboring such thoughts for that girl."
Years later, Weiss's default action whenever she started having feelings for another girl was to jump in the shower and try to freeze out those thoughts. It didn't work. Having taken many such showers, the cold didn't really bother her anymore. There was always another girl. Another girl that would only see her as a Schnee. Another girl that would reject her sick, inappropriate advances. Another girl that would potentially accept her sick advances, only to use those feelings against Weiss to bring down Grandfather's company.
Weiss sighed again.
Hopping out of the shower, she dried herself off, threw on her light blue gown, and wrapped her hair in a clean towel. Gathering her things, she realized that there was still a girl in her bed and she wasted the past twenty minutes by not thinking about what she was going to do with her.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Weiss found that her teammates had returned and were all in various stages of winding down for the night. Walking towards her bed, she saw Neo still mostly dressed and pressed tightly to the wall, her jacket and corset neatly folded and fashioned into a makeshift pillow under her head.
Weiss put her things away and walked towards her bed, stopping short before hopping in. She reached under the bed and grabbed one of the extra pillows she kept there for when she wanted to turn her bed into a warm little nest on those cold, rainy days when she just wanted to drink her tea to warm up and engross herself in her studies.
Slipping into bed, she felt Neo shift and roll over. Weiss tried to genuinely smile at her as she offered up the extra pillow she was holding. Tentatively, Neo took it and fluffed it in her hands a few times before hugging it into her body. Weiss smiled at the cute sight before her as Neo appreciatively laid her head on the much-softer-than-her-corset pillow and pulled their blanket up over them.
Thinking that they just shared a moment of understanding, Weiss felt an unfamiliar pain in her heart as Neo rolled away from her and faced the wall, intent on sleeping. Unsure where that pain came from, Weiss likewise rolled over, turning her back to Neo, and stared at the floor in the space between the room's bunkbeds, trying to think what she was going to do with her prisoner when they woke.