Touch faded into existence first.
Her finger twitched when her brain registered how fuzzy the sheets were. Her head severely pounded, but at least it was supported by a fluff ball. Probably a pillow. From the abrupt pain behind her eyes, she intended to growl and challenge it. All that came out was a weak whimper. Apparently, the feeble noise was enough to alert someone already awake.
"Last time I checked, you're supposed to be the ice princess. Not sleeping beauty."
That familiar, friendly voice carried comfort. Fingers glided through her bangs in an attempt to wake her. In response, Weiss furrowed her face and feared opening her eyes, or light would assault them. But thankfully, the room was bathed in dim light.
"Ugh…" Weiss groaned and turned to the side to see her girlfriend. "Did I drink that much?"
"For you, yeah," Yang informed, feeling a little rundown from her hangover as well. "Rubes isn't doing so hot, either."
Slowly, Weiss took the leap and pushed herself upright. Yang gently coaxed her and leaned away to give her some space when Weiss held onto her head like it hurt.
"Want some meds?" Yang whispered, hoping not to worsen the headache.
That was a question Weiss didn't realize she'd been dying to hear. To hide her eagerness, she sighed. "That would be ideal."
Yang gave her a nod and wrapped her favorite green blanket around her form. "I loved cuddling you. We should do that more often. Minus the hangover."
"I'd love that."
That made Yang widely grin. "You should have some."
Weiss heaved a sigh since the thought of food made her nauseous, but she wanted to please her girlfriend. She swung her feet over the bed and planted them on the floor.
"How did we get back here?"
"You don't remember?" Yang asked, surprised.
Weiss held onto her head like she was trying to jog her memory. "I remember spin the bottle, drinking a lot of water, and…"
There was a blank space in her brain. Almost like TV static. She desperately searched her mind for answers. She felt like she was missing something critically important and couldn't get rid of that annoying feeling. It tugged at her.
In suspense, Yang sat on the edge of the bed. She could tell her, but wanted to see if she could remember on her own.
Flashes of Whitley flashed into her fogged brain. Those beady eyes, that sadistic voice. Her first instinctual reaction was to curse.
"Shit- ow!"
From the loud curse, the pounding in her head increased tenfold. Like her head tried to punish her for foul language.
Yang rubbed a hand on her back, knowing she remembered the dreadful event. "Take it easy."
"Whitley," Weiss growled his name like it was poison. "He found me."
Uncharacteristically, Yang fell quiet as she watched her girlfriend frown. A lot could be said about his unexpected arrival. Weiss was consumed with worry, so Yang wanted to console her.
"We'll figure this out together, but let's worry about that when you're better."
When Weiss tried to merely think, her head pounded. "We might not have a choice."
Reluctantly, Weiss stood with the blanket enveloped around her. She dragged her feet over to the door, which Yang lovingly opened for her.
As Weiss passed by her, she asked. "Are you okay? You don't look dead."
"I didn't drink nearly as much as you, ice princess," Yang informed with a knowing smirk and suddenly yelled across the room. "Blake, we need an egg sandwich, stat!"
From the sudden shout, Weiss flinched. The loud sound infuriated her throbbing head.
"Sorry," Yang apologized lowly, regretting she caused her some pain.
"Roger!" Blake yelled back and cracked open two eggs that splattered on the simmering pan.
It smelled like a previous batch had been made, so the girls must've been up for a while, Weiss deduced. At last, Weiss shuffled over to the couch and flopped down like her body weighed six hundred pounds. She let out an exhausted groan as Ruby curled up on the other side with her own blanket.
"Look who's up," Ruby said smugly, yet softly. "You looked like you had a lot of fun last night. Was it worth it?"
It looked like Ruby wasn't doing so hot, either. She was pale and not bouncing off the walls for once, so she must be feeling a little run down. At least they were in this together.
"Shut up," Weiss mumbled through a yawn and rubbed her eyes to clear the blurry vision. "What time is it?"
All three girls blurted in unison. "Noon."
From the revelation, Weiss groaned again and dropped her head to rest on the back of the couch. "Heavens…"
It felt like the crack of dawn. Her whole body wrestled with an overall weakness. Even worse, there was a more prominent feeling of nausea. The lingering scent of eggs was enough to make her stomach churn.
Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose to suppress a lingering ache behind her eyes. "I'm not doing that again."
Ruby smirked at her, knowing that was a rookie phrase. "That's what I always say. And then it happens again…. And again…. And again."
In annoyance, Weiss released another groan. It appeared she wouldn't receive much sympathy from Ruby.
"Why would anyone do this repeatedly?" Weiss asked the room, fighting off a grimace and mumbled so no one would hear. "Mother must be invincible…"
While Weiss stared blankly at the carpet, Yang suddenly appeared and knelt in front of her.
"This'll help," Yang said, giving her two magic white pills. "Wow, I've never seen you like this."
Positively miserable. From the comment, Weiss popped the pills dry and scowled. She was fully aware of the knots in her hair, the sleep in her eyes, and her overall grouchy attitude. Not exactly the picture of perfection. In defeat, she sank into the cushions and vanished under the blanket.
"I think you're more beautiful than ever," Yang said honestly, glad to see this side of her. "I'm not saying that to make fun."
When Weiss didn't push the blanket down, Ruby chirped in an absurd valley girl voice.
"Yang likes you at your worst, so she'll love your best."
From the teasing, Weiss knocked down the blanket and tossed a throw pillow in her face. "Quiet you," she grumbled and sighed. "Is there water?"
"Here," Yang had the cold glass ready to go and handed it to her. "Drink it slow."
"Thanks," Weiss mumbled and eagerly sipped on the chilly water.
After she swallowed a few sips, a sudden burst of nausea swelled in her stomach and through her body. She quickly put a hand over her mouth.
Yang yanked away from the possible line of the path of vomit. "Are you gonna be sick?"
Ruby panicked when she didn't reply. "Not the couch!"
After a deep breath, Weiss brought her hand away. "The feeling has passed."
When it was clear, Yang sat in the middle of them. "The pills are anti-nausea, too. Give it a few."
Blanky, Weiss watched the television screen in front of them. Her body moved to instinctively curl into Yang as she enveloped one of her arms. From the casual cuddles, Yang widely grinned and moved closer to her, laying her head on top of her own. It was a tiny slice of heaven.
Ruby chose some sort of cheesy comedy show. The girls blankly watched the show like they were in a trance. Any lines that were supposed to be humorous didn't receive the slightest grin. After a while, it was like they took turns falling asleep only to wake up and regret last night all over again.
At last, Blake finished a steaming plate with an egg sandwich. She rushed over and presented it to Weiss, but she had to be tapped on the shoulder to rouse. Weiss scowled at the food like it taunted her.
"You need it," Blake urged. "I know the last thing you want to do is eat, but it'll help you feel much better, way faster."
"How are you not dead?" Weiss asked, noting she looked good as new as she hesitantly accepted the plate.
"Some things you have to learn as you go," Blake replied as she sat next to her girlfriend. "Eat. I don't want the cops to think we're harboring a corpse."
That earned a round of giggles.
"Make that two," Ruby added softly.
Casually, Blake propped her feet up on the coffee table and curled into Ruby. Ruby released a wheezing sigh and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"You're so funny," Weiss said sarcastically and rolled her eyes. The plate in her lap was pleasantly warm and smelled delicious, but she couldn't shake her overwhelming nausea. Not wanting her friend's hard work to go to waste, she slowly took a bite. "It's good."
Even though she really didn't want to taste it, she had no choice. The nausea stayed at bay and didn't overwhelm her this time, so she felt safe to eat.
"I didn't know corpses have tastebuds," Blake replied with a grin, unable to stop teasing her. "Where'd you go last night? One moment you're with us and the next you're gone."
Weiss groaned for what felt like the millionth time that day. There were sure to be many more.
"Whitley…" Weiss growled lowly, her head pounding full force. "That conniving… scheming… little…. Ugh…" she dipped off, too enervated to express more distaste.
Ruby tilted her head like a confused puppy, having never heard that name. "Whitley?"
"My brother," Weiss informed, which earned gasps. "They- he- found me."
Collectively, the girls understood what that meant. Her former gang- The Dusts- had found her. At least, one member did. Now, it was only a matter of time before they made their move.
Blake asked the question they were dying to know. "Does your father know?"
"Not yet," Weiss said bitterly. "Whitley decided to be oh-so generous and gave me some time."
Briefly, the girls looked confused as to why he would. But ultimately, that didn't matter. This gave them some much-needed time to form a plan.
"Screw that," Yang replied irritably. "He doesn't get to decide when you have to go. You do."
That's how it should be, anyway. Unfortunately, they had to be realistic.
"This means he knows where I live," Weiss realized in dread. "He knows about Beacon. I need to be more careful. He could show up wherever, whenever."
When she looked notably stressed, Blake consoled her. "You have us now. You and your army of undead."
The comment made Weiss lightly giggle. With purpose, Yang stood. The blanket flowed to the floor, which made Weiss scowl in her displeasure.
"New rule!" Yang announced, which made Ruby and Weiss grimace. The cat ears on Blake's head flicked from the shout and leaned back in irritation. "Weiss is not allowed anywhere alone. Not even in school!"
Ruby raised her hand. "What about the bathroom?"
"Great question, Rubes. Except for the bathroom!" Yang agreed eagerly. "Unless of course she wants me in there with her, in that case-"
"No," Weiss deadpanned, which made Yang slyly smirk.
Ruby raised her hand again. "What about the bed?"
"I have graciously volunteered," Yang said proudly, winking at her girlfriend. "It took a lot of thought, but I'd be willing to sacrifice myself if that means it's for Weiss' safety. No need to thank me."
From their antics, Weiss pinched her nose. She felt her headache returning. Ruby raised her hand again.
"What about-"
"Ruby," Weiss interjected and lowered her arm. "Stop with the questions."
"Excuse me for trying to learn the rules!" Ruby yelped.
Blake's tone shifted to solemn. "Whatever he has planned, we'll be ready."
When the girls gazed at her like that, Weiss almost fully believed them. They looked at her like she was their world. It calmed her when she recalled their special talents. A katana, boxing, and slingshot.
That made her feel a little better.
"I hope so."
Stay dandy,
~Toto