As if poor Blake didn't have it rough enough already, now she's got painful emotional and physical feelings to deal with. And Ruby's not much better off.

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Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Chapter 11. Without Words

When Blake came to, she thought she'd find herself in her room, surrounded by books, taking in the sight of the sunlight through the maroon curtains, breathing in the scent of old parchment...

But instead, everything was just... white.

Bleak.

A shudder ran through her, but she felt warm somehow, and she knew she was in bed, though it wasn't her own. Her ears flicked at the sounds of beeping, and she soon found herself in a situation she'd always seen on her father's television.

She was in the hospital.

She could feel the slight prick of the IV in her forearm, and she very much wanted to pull it out. She hated hearing her own heartbeat out loud. She wanted it to go back to being private, as it should've been.

But as soon as she tried to move, the beeping of the machine was joined by voices.

"Blake, honey?"

Blake shook her head from side to side on her pillow, taking a moment to open her eyes. Her mother and father were seated nearby, both wearing kind, though concerned expressions.

"M-Mom? Dad...? H-How long have I-?"

"About two hours, dear," her mother said softly. "You father and I got calls at work and we both rushed to get here. Do you remember what happened?"

With her ears drooping a little, her mother reached out and took Blake's hand.

Blake did her best to try and recall the events of two hours ago. It wasn't hard to remember that immense pain, the loudness of her own pitiful sobs, the contrasting softness of someone holding her as she'd blacked out...

"The tea..." she moaned. She turned scared golden eyes on her mother's pretty face, then to her father's broader one. "How bad...?"

It was her father who answered this time, in his deep, familiar voice.

"Thankfully, it wasn't anything serious," he said. "The doctors say the burns weren't too severe, so you'll heal completely within a few weeks."

"That's right," her mother added. "It's all thanks to whomever helped you. They said you might've gotten second or even third-degree burns if someone hadn't immediately wiped the tea off your skin and iced it for you."

Absently, Blake mumbled out the only name on her mind.

"Ruby..."

Her parents' ears perked up.

"Oh," her mother nodded. "Is that her name? The girl with the brown hair? She's been in the lobby for some time now. We tried to speak to her to thank her for helping you, but she didn't say anything. She was very upset. Would you like us to send her in to see you, Blake?"

Blake didn't need to think for longer than a second.

"Yes," she murmured. "Please."

Her mother nodded.

"I'm sure she'll be very relieved to see you're finally awake."

Her parents stayed a minute longer, reassuring Blake she was going to be fine. They told her the doctors had treated her and done all that needed to be done, and that she could be discharged whenever she felt well enough. Her parents would stay in the lobby until Blake felt she was ready to go home. They both leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"We'll be in the lobby," her father reminded her.

"Just send someone to let us know and we'll come get you," her mother added. "I'll send in that nice girl for you."

Blake nodded.

"Thank you."

Her parents exited the room, leaving Blake alone in silence once again, with nothing but the insistent beeping. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore it, but when she tried to shift in her bed, she felt an uncomfortable ache in her chest and thighs. She froze and lay still once more, trying to control her breathing.

It wasn't long before a shaky knock came on the door. When she focused her ears, she could hear little sobs on the other side. She instantly recognized them to be Ruby's, and two other soothing voices told her Yang and Weiss were there, too.

For fear of aggravating her healing burns, Blake made no effort to sit up on her own. Instead, her hand found a small remote on the side of the bed and she pressed a button to elevate the mattress a bit to help her straighten up.

"Come in."

The knob clicked, and the door opened slowly.

Ruby was standing there with a tissue pressed to her mouth. Blake could tell it was one of many. Her cheeks were puffy and red, and tears were still brimming in her eyes.

Blake knew that in the past two hours, the tears had been for fear, but now they were for relief.

Yang had a supportive hand on her sister's shoulder, and she gave her a small pat on the back.

"We'll wait out here," she said. Her lavender eyes flashed quickly over to Blake. Yang didn't say anything to her, but she smiled and nodded, silently telling her she was glad she was all right.

Yang stayed in the hallway as Ruby stepped in, and Weiss quickly fished out a small packet of tissues to hand to the brunette.

"You'll need them," she murmured, not unkindly.

Ruby thanked her and hugged Yang quickly before they closed the door to give her some privacy with her friend.

Blake knew Ruby was hurting just as badly as she was, though it was in a different sense, no doubt. So she offered a weak smile and, realizing there was no reason left for bashfulness anymore, Blake spoke first.

"Hi, Ruby."

It was as though simply hearing her speak had brought Ruby to tears all over again. She nodded as she managed to walk to Blake's bedside and sit in the chair closest to her.

"H-Hi..." she whimpered meekly, still hiding the lower half of her face behind the tissue. There was a small trash bin nearby, and after blowing her nose, Ruby tossed the tissue away, then hastily pulled out a small bottle of hand-sanitizer – another gift from Weiss – and rubbed her hands with it.

She tried to straighten up in her chair as she looked at Blake. "H-How... how are you f-feeling?" Her lip trembled with every word, and more tears threatened to fall.

Blake's heart went out to the girl, and she did her best to reassure her.

"I'm all right now," she said softly. "It's really thanks to you, Ruby."

Ruby made a choked, sobbing sound as she hid her face in both hands and shook her head.

"N-No, buh-but- it was my fault-" she wailed. "I wa-was the one who knocked it over a-and it hurt you so bad-" Her voice tapered off and became more heavy sobs.

Blake realized that relief had only been a minor part of composing of Ruby's tears. She now understood that the main factor was guilt. She blamed herself for all of this, and Blake wasn't about to let her.

"Ruby, no," she murmured. "Ruby, look at me. Please?"

She waited a moment until the girl had composed herself enough to lift up her tear-stained face. Blake gave her a smile, a real one, like the ones she'd always given her before Blake herself had messed up with her confession.

For some reason, speaking to the girl came more easily now that Blake knew it was Ruby who needed comfort and support.

"Ruby, it's not your fault at all. It was just an accident. Things happen sometimes. You helped me when I couldn't help myself. You... you did everything you could, even though I know you must have been so scared - more scared than I was. And do you know what you did?"

Blake lifted her right arm, which wasn't hooked up to the IV. The hospital robe fell away down to her elbow, revealing the red skin of her burns. Ruby looked at the wounds and sobbed again, but Blake soothed her kindly.

"See this? If you hadn't done what you'd done for me, Ruby... this wouldn't ever go away. It would've scarred me for the rest of my life. But since you were there and you helped me, it'll heal in just a few weeks. And I really... can't thank you enough for that."

Blake reached her unwired hand out towards her. Ruby fumbled with the tissue packet, blew her nose again, tossed it away, then sanitized her hands before she carefully reached out. Her fingertips brushed lightly over Blake's upturned palm, tickling the sensitive nerves of her skin in a pleasant way.

Blake dared to curl her fingers up and around Ruby's and gave a gentle squeeze. Ruby whimpered again and returned the gesture, and though her hand was shaking, Blake stilled it gingerly.

Ruby soon reached out her other hand as well, and clasped Blake's with both of hers. She moved her chair as close to the bed as possible, until Blake felt the tears dripping down her forearm.

"S-S-So..." Ruby stammered. "Y-You're not, I-I mean you don't-" She let go with one of her hands to grab another tissue.

Blake's ears flicked a little, and she understood what the girl had been meaning to say.

"Of course I'm not mad, and I don't blame you. Don't be silly."

She squeezed Ruby's hand a little tighter to keep it from trembling.

Ruby repeated her usual process of blowing her nose, tossing away the tissue, then cleaning her hands before she finally found her voice again.

"Y-You're sure? Because I know I was the one who-"

"Saved me," Blake finished for her. "You saved me from being scarred for my entire life, Ruby. You iced the burns for me and had someone call for help. What happened was bad, but... if you hadn't done what you did, it would have been a whole lot worse. Especially for someone like me with this condition." She spoke calmly, doing her best to put her genuine appreciation into every word.

Perhaps it worked, because Ruby wiped her sleeve over her eyes and gave a tiny nod.

"Okay..." she mumbled. "I just... thought you were g-gonna be mad at me or something. I was just... I was so scared, Blake. You were crying so loudly and you were really, really hurt and I just d-did whatever I could... I've never seen anything like that before... I was so scared..." She lost herself to her tears once again, hunching forward to bury her face in her hands.

Blake couldn't bear to see her like this. With effort, she pushed herself up a bit more, leaning away from the angled mattress now to reach out and pull Ruby into her arms.

Ruby shifted her weight from the chair to the edge of Blake's bed, allowing the Faunus girl to lean back against the mattress again with Ruby curled up against her chest. Ruby sobbed there against her hospital robes, worried she was hurting Blake by making contact over her burns.

But Blake didn't let her worry for any longer.

It was hard to do when it had been so long, but she started to purr very softly. It was rumbly and gravelly, but unmistakably a sign of her happiness.

That was what allowed Ruby to forgive herself for the accident.

Slowly, and very very carefully, she wrapped her arms around her friend.

And despite all that had happened, Blake had truly never felt this happy before in her life. The pain and fear of the accident had all been washed away now, and Ruby's tears were of joy. Blake felt her own eyes stinging a bit more as well as she cradled the girl in her arms.

A month ago, she'd been too panicked to speak to Ruby without running away flustered. But over time, their friendship had brought them closer. Even when they'd almost drifted apart, neither of them had ever intended to let it stay that way.

Blake didn't let Ruby go for a long time. Her warmth was soothing against the prickling burns. Whenever Blake's purr got a little louder, Ruby would giggle until her tears had finally stopped.

Blake's heart soared, and she blushed in embarrassment when she realized Ruby could hear it very clearly now thanks to the monitor. She'd never been so close to someone else who wasn't directly related to her before. She'd hugged Ruby many times in the past weeks, but it had never been quite this intimate, this warm, this soft...

Blake sighed into the girl's shoulder and shed the last of her happy tears. All the painful silence and avoidance of one another had been wiped clean now.

Blake continued to purr and hold her, until Ruby shifted a bit and lifted her head. Blake lowered her purr to listen as the girl cleared her throat.

"Blake..." she began. Ruby sat back a little so she could look directly into Blake's eyes. "This... all of this made me realize... I've always liked you as my friend. I was always so excited to talk to you and text you and see you every day. It always made me so happy."

She paused for a minute, took a breath, then went on.

"But what happened today... it made me realize that I wouldn't ever be okay with you getting hurt. Ever. And I think that I... that I care for you as more than just a friend..."

Another pause, then-

"I really, really like you, Blake."

Blake heard for herself just how quickly her heart began to pound. It rose high up in her chest, beating harder than ever before.

Ruby had just-

She'd just...

And Blake had failed to do it so many times...

Even so, it still brought upon the same results, no matter which of them had confessed.

Blake needed a moment to register the words, blinking slowly and shaking her head to clear it. But she didn't want to keep Ruby waiting for a response in uncertainty for any longer.

Blake was too emotional to speak right away, so all she could manage to do was pull Ruby in again and sob over her shoulder. Ruby made a small, surprised sound, but nonetheless hugged her back.

"Blake...? A-Are you okay?"

Blake nodded vigorously, trying to remember how to speak. Her heart was a whirling mess in her chest, but it was a good feeling. It was such a good feeling.

"Yes..." she whispered. "I'm... Ruby I've never been better. Honestly..."

And now that Ruby's feelings were already laid bare, Blake's words came easily.

"Honestly... I've liked you... for a long time. Since day one, actually. The first time you spoke to me and I ran out. Then you returned my book and I kept running away because I was so nervous. I liked you so much.

"And... when you started eating lunch with me? You can ask my parents. I'd never been happier. Until now..." A shaky sigh filled her lungs, and when she sniffled, her purr hitched a bit in her throat. "I like you too, Ruby. As more than just a friend. I... I always have."

She heard Ruby gasp softly, the hands on Blake's back clinging a little tighter.

"R...Really?" she mumbled into her chest.

Blake nodded.

"I'd... thought I was being too obvious all that time... I'm not good at hiding my emotions most of the time... But yes. I've always liked you, Ruby. In a lot of ways."

A moment passed between them, nothing more than Blake's pulse filling the room. Ruby ignored the monitor though and listened to the actual source of the sound, nestled warmly against Blake's chest. Then, she pulled away a little bit, her silver eyes shimmering with water as they met gold.

"Then... Blake?"

The Faunus girl swallowed, and she flicked an ear.

"Yes?"

Ruby fidgeted in her lap, a healthy pink blush rising into her cheeks.

"Would it be okay if... if I kissed you, then? I-I mean we don't have to if you'd rather not, I just-"

"Ruby..."

Blake didn't know where this newfound, reserved confidence was stemming from, but she believed Ruby had given her the strength to find it.

Blake leaned forward and bumped her lips to Ruby's cheek ever so softly.

Ruby went stiff in her arms for a brief second, then made a small, happy squeal. She quickly darted in to kiss Blake's cheek in return.

Blake felt the warm, plump lips against her cool skin, radiating a pleasant heat that had previously been kindled within their hearts.

They both got nervous, then both realized the other was just as nervous as she herself was.

Then, they both got to chuckle softly when the reality began to settle in.

After all these weeks, it was really happening.

Both of them cried a little bit, purely out of joy this time.

Ruby peppered small kisses over Blake's cheeks and Blake kissed her eyelids and forehead. After a moment of giggling, Ruby pulled back a little and let Blake rest her back against the propped-up mattress. She looked over the bits of burnt skin that were visible to her with melancholy eyes.

First, she took Blake's injured hand and kissed the backs of her knuckles, then moved up to the underside of her wrist and inside her elbow. And then she hugged her again, holding a very gentle kiss to Blake's collar where the burn had been the worst.

Blake sighed and held her close, savoring this indescribable feeling.

She'd always felt her emotions very strongly, but this time it was different. It was still very strong, but it didn't overwhelm her like in the past. Ruby's presence and affection soothed her like nothing else she'd ever known.

When she could manage it, Blake kissed the girl's temple, pouring every ounce of gratitude into the contact.

Ruby moved back a moment later, and their eyes met again.

They didn't need words.

Like in the fairytales they both loved so dearly, their lips came together at last in a soft kiss.

And that moment began a new chapter for each of them.

A/N: Most of you know I'm a sucker for happy endings. But this isn't the end! There's a bit more to come!

If you like my work and would like access to chapters earlier than anyone else, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!

Please review!