Weiss was alone in the room she thought of as her own within Atlas Academy, lying atop the bed with her hair down and feeling exhausted. Only the bedside light was on, lending the room a dreary feeling of isolation far from the problems in the cities below. The room was rather cold, in part due to Weiss trading her bloodstained uniform for a simple silk nightie. Though the low light and temperature made the place seem far from welcoming, it was quiet, peaceful, and hers. It was the only place Weiss felt safe anymore as she waited, unaware of what time it was.
Fortunately, the wait after returning from General Ironwood's office wasn't terribly long, and she sat up atop the quilt as the door to the suite let out a telltale beep. Within seconds, an equally haggard-looking Marrow appeared in the entrance to the bedroom, his own uniform splattered with dried, dark stains and his usually tied hair down around his shoulders. He had made an obvious attempt at cleaning himself up a bit after tending to his superior and Daisuke, but Weiss could only describe him as looking like hell.
"Hey," the faunus said with a tired smile. "You alright?"
"That's a loaded question," Weiss answered while beckoning Marrow to approach her. "Relatively, yes. Overall… you already know."
"I do," Marrow confirmed as he leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips. "Everything is just a mess right now."
"Yes, it is," Weiss agreed as she began unbuttoning Marrow's stained jacket for him. "How's your family?"
"I got them set up in two suites like this one," Marrow answered. "They're actually pretty close, just a hallway over. You and I can move to my room tomorrow, if you'd like. Or stay here. Whatever works."
"I'll probably move in with you," Weiss answered as she peeled back the bloodstained shell over Marrow's shoulders and let it drop to the carpet. She took a moment to admire his chest before pressing a cold hand to the dark flesh and running her fingers along the contours of his pecs. "This space would make more sense for Coco, Neptune, and the others once they're out of the infirmary."
"Yeah, it would," Marrow agreed, his tail wagging at Weiss' touch despite his exhaustion. "They're all in various states of duress. Coco's in shock and just having trouble coming down from her anxiety, Fox is stable and still asleep, and Cardin… I did what I could, but some of those bits of armor are probably going to be permanently embedded in his skin. Removing it all would be too risky, especially if I tried in one go. There's also R-…"
Marrow stopped as Weiss unfastened his belt and pulled the tip out of the buckle. She didn't look up at him as she worked, nor did she seem particularly eager.
"…go on. I plan to stop at your boxers, if you're wondering."
"…I kinda was," Marrow admitted as Weiss unzipped the front of his pants. He stopped to help peel them downward before awkwardly bending over and beginning to undo the laces upon his boots. "I don't think going any further would be smart right now. We both need to be in a much better place before we even talk about anything like that."
"Definitely not tonight," Weiss confirmed. "What of Raven?"
"Right, Raven," Marrow echoed as he finally got his pants off, leaving him in a pair of sky-blue boxers and a sleeveless black tee. "Obviously nothing I could do for the arm other than disinfect the wound and prep her for surgery. Dr. Polendina went down to the infirmary to see her and start talking about prosthetic options. That's when I got the call to head to Ironwood's office."
"And found two more patients and the corpses of the council," Weiss finished for him as she put her hands upon Marrow's shoulders. With a bit of pressure, she guided him to kneel at the foot of the bed, putting their faces at roughly the same level. "There's… actually more to all of that than you know."
"Do I want to?" Marrow asked rhetorically as he made a pouty face. "Tell me anyway."
Weiss was ready for the following kiss, letting her lips linger upon Marrow's partially out of need and partially to stall for time. She had no idea what Marrow's reaction would be… or how she felt, even after hours of reflection. All that was clear was that a big change was coming, and there would need to be huge adjustments in both of their lives moving forward in order to compensate.
"Ironwood… promoted Cinnamon, Daisuke, and I to members of the Atlesian Council," Weiss explained with more than a bit of apprehension in her voice. "The three of us will be a balancing force against him if his methods become too extreme, as per his own words…"
Marrow shivered horribly, both at Weiss' hands rubbing along his shoulders as well as the news.
"…considering he just shot the people you're replacing, that doesn't exactly fill me with joy…"
"In self-defense," Weiss said, unsure if she even believed it. "He and Daisuke both explained to me that Sleet and Camilla made an attempt on their lives, and that they acted in retaliation."
"Proving that one way or another would be almost impossible," Marrow said quietly as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Weiss'. "I don't even know if we should try to find evidence in either direction, considering what might happen if they're lying…"
"If we somehow find out, we don't have to necessarily act upon the knowledge," Weiss pointed out. "But knowing whether or not we can trust them… that could be more valuable than trying to bring them to justice in the event that they murdered their opposition."
"Yeah, but if either of us gets caught trying to find out?" Marrow asked. "That would be terrible, regardless of the truth. I'd lose my position as an Ace, and you'd lose your council seat… if we didn't both lose our lives. I think… we should table it for now and consider our options again later."
"I agree," Weiss said with a sigh. "And that might make us horrible people."
"We're not horrible people for wanting to survive and help others as well as ourselves," Marrow denied as he gingerly put his hands in Weiss'. "We need to take care of each other, especially now. Our friends, too. Putting ourselves in needless danger could suck them in and do even more damage. For now, we… we need rest. Even if we can't get to sleep, just lying here with you would do so much good."
"We should probably both shower," Weiss pointed out as Marrow slowly stood and climbed onto the bed. "And move the bloody clothing… but honestly, I'm too tired to do either one."
"You and me both," Marrow agreed as he finally got onto the mattress entirely and flopped onto his side. Weiss did the same, shifting herself to cuddle into the faunus' chest. "We can figure it out in the morning."
"Alongside several other things," Weiss replied with a sigh. "For now, let's just… lie here. I think that's all I can handle at the moment."
Marrow silently rested his chin atop Weiss' head as he held her close and stared at the far wall. Neither of them moved for the remainder of the night.
Neither of them slept for more than an hour at a time.
"I wish I knew what to say… but I don't. I have no idea what to do, and I can't even help you directly. I feel like… I feel like I failed both of you."
"You didn't…" Yang started, pausing to wipe her nose on the shoulder of her missing arm with a sniffle. She sat atop a wooden picnic table with her feet down on the bench in the backyard. A rather large hole with jagged edges was in the surface of the wood next to her. The sound of crickets and the occasional breeze were the only things accompanying her outside. "You didn't fail us. You've done everything you could to help us, and… not being here now isn't your fault, either. You had to stay to be Raven's anchor. This is just… how it has to be."
"I know, but I would give anything to have it any other way. I'm so sorry…"
"You and me both," Yang agreed. "I just feel… everything. Empty. Furious. Heartbroken. I don't know what to do with myself. I want to be there for you, too."
"And you are. At least, as much as you can be. This is the best we can do, Yang. Please, just… keep calling me once you're in Vacuo. I'm going to be sick with worry every day that you're gone, more than usual after all this."
"I know. I'm worried, too," Yang admitted. "About you, about all of us… fuck, about the state of Remnant at this point. I don't even know what to say to my team, or how to let them know when I'm ready to refocus and try to move on. I want to push them away right now, but I know I shouldn't."
"Don't. When Raven left, Summer was the only reason I got through it. When Summer… if it wasn't for Qrow, I might not be here. Lean on them. You're strong, Yang, but no one is strong enough to face something like losing a sister alone. Not if they want to come out of the situation even close to whole."
"And what about you?" Yang asked. "Qrow left for Sanus, and most of the people still in Atlas are just students or Aces you don't even know."
The line was quiet for a moment. Yang knew exactly what it meant.
"Dad, I don't think I c-"
"I'm not asking you to. Not yet, anyway. Not for a long time, and I get it. She left me, too, and getting back your trust is something she's going to have to work at for years to come. That being said, she's… changing, Yang. She's finally seeing the damage she caused to our family, and she's given up a lot already to protect people she doesn't even know."
"Yeah, the irony of her losing an arm too isn't lost on me," Yang said with a heavy sigh. "I'm… maybe I'll talk to her, once we're settled in Vacuo. Have her come down for a little chat about all the ways she fucked up my life."
"Honestly… maybe you should."
The sound of a sliding glass door shifting from behind caused Yang's shoulders to tense as her mood immediately shifted from despair to anger. She could only guess as to who dared to come and try to comfort her… or what her reaction would be when they started talking. Jaune's well-intentioned bumbling, Blake's stoic and awkward strategy of waiting expectantly for her to talk, and even Sun's attempts at boosting her confidence by pointing out the good she had done would do nothing but piss her off. Whoever had come outside, they had made a grave mistake.
"Dad, I… gotta go."
"Sure. Try your best to get some sleep, kid. I love you."
"You too," Yang said quickly before disconnecting the scroll. She could hear the sound of feet shuffling through the grass behind her, each and every step grating on her nerves as she put her elbows on her knees and her forehead in her palm. "Just… go back inside. I'm not in the mood."
Yang didn't bother to look over as someone else climbed onto the table and sat beside her, opposite the gaping hole in the wooden surface. She let out an irritated noise and closed her eyes, trying her best to just will away whoever had the bright idea of trespassing on her territory.
"…everything changed when I lost my brother," Corsac said softly. "It was… incredibly sudden, and as much as I've tried to move on and find new purpose, the pain never truly fades. I'll carry it with me forever, and I don't expect anyone else to understand what it feels like. I hope they have to."
Yang couldn't bring herself to be angry, the emotion draining from her entirely as she listened. With a deflating sigh, she moved her remaining hand away from her head and laced her fingers between those of the faunus. There was another quiet moment as she squeezed rather hard, channeling whatever frustration was left into her friend's palm.
"…me neither," Yang agreed. "I can't explain it."
"You do not have to," Corsac reassured. "I have… at least some idea as to what you're going through, and I am here to listen to anything you need to say."
"What if I don't want to say anything?" Yang asked as she looked over at Corsac.
"That is fine as well."
Yang nodded and scooted over, closing the distance between herself and the faunus. Without another word, she leaned her head sideways, resting it upon the man's shoulder. Neither of them said another word for the remainder of the night.
It was hours before Yang finally fell asleep, Corsac's arm around her back.
Author's Note:
Next week, the "Vacuo Arc" officially kicks off. There's that, and the Final War arc left to go.
Both will probably take over a year Jesus Christ why do I do this shit.
-RD