Sneezes

EARLIER RELEASE FOR MY HIGH-PLEDGING PATRONS!

Unfortunately due to excessive college and work I can't fully participate in Monochrome Week, but since it falls on Valentine's Day I had to make sure I at least did a little something for it. This isn't specifically a Valentine's-themed fic, just a little drabble based off a post.

The post was something like "cats can sense the stutter in your pulse when you sneeze, so they might meow at you when you do" and I'd mused to myself about Blake doing this if Weiss sneezed so...

Not any particular setting. Could be canon-verse or a normal AU, whatever you'd like to imagine where Blake is a Faunus.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														Sneezes

It wasn't often Weiss and Blake found themselves with a bit of time for repose.

And with all of the activity recently, it was nice to opt for a quiet afternoon alone in the room together.

It began with a pair of books as they sat down on the bed, leaning back against the pillows or sideways onto one another in a lazy display of comfort. They kept their arms looped together while still allowing for both hands to hold onto each of their respective books.

As was typical of when she was alone with Weiss, a small content purr rumbled up in the back of Blake's chest and spread, bubbling up in a cozily familiar sound that had Weiss slouching – something the world knew she rarely ever did. Easy smiles curled their lips as they read their respective stories, the only sounds in the room being soft purring and the occasional flip of a page.

But to Blake's keen hearing there were other sounds that were just as notable as all the ones recognized by humans. Her Faunus ears picked up on a lot of other things; the faint rustling of the blankets whenever one of them shifted their legs, the tiny sounds of nails on book covers as they adjusted their hold, the happy little sighs fanning out from Weiss' lips...

Most of these had become background noise, things Blake could easily drown out without much effort or distraction.

But the one sound she never made an effort at stifling was less of a sound, and more of a feeling.

Her ears could detect the slight wavelengths drifting off of Weiss in little pulses, an intangible signal that indicated her heartbeat.

Blake savored times like these for the intimacy it allowed her to share with Weiss, not only in a physical manner, but through her other senses as well.

As her eyes scanned the pages, her ears naturally tuned into the sounds of Weiss' breathing and the way the air quivered softly with the tremors of her heart.

It wasn't long before Blake's mind started focusing less and less on the story and more on the drowsy lull of the quiet moments.

Weiss had flipped three pages in the time it had taken Blake to flip one by now, so the heiress wasn't surprised at all when Blake gave a little yawn. She pressed her finger against her current page and gave Blake her full attention, leaning over to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"Tired?"

Blake half-hummed, half-purred as she rested her head on Weiss' shoulder.

"How could you tell?"

"Lucky guess." Weiss brushed her head lightly against Blake's and nuzzled for a moment. "You should take a nap. We have that luxury for once."

"True. Care to join me?"

"In a bit. I admit I'm a bit engrossed at the moment," she said, tapping the book.

Blake lifted her head and kissed the scar on her cheek.

"All right."

She closed her own book and put it aside, then slumped down onto her side facing her girlfriend. Blake tried to stay as close to Weiss as possible without disrupting her. She curled one hand to her chest and let the other reach out across Weiss' lap, hugging her softly as Blake tucked her face into Weiss' hip.

She closed her eyes right away, but still sensed the motion when Weiss reached out for a thin decorative blanket at the foot of the bed. She pulled it up and draped it over Blake, who purred a little louder in response. She waited for Weiss to settle again, until the quietness returned – the flip of a page, the pattern of her breath...

But again Blake focused primarily on the sounds of her pulse, which were heightened now that Blake's other senses were resting. It was a calm and steady beat, comfortable and at-ease. With how stressed Weiss often was about one thing or another, Blake knew times like these were rare. She was happy to savor it now, especially if it meant she could enjoy a nap.

She moved her head a little bit more, forehead pressed into Weiss' dress, her arm still looped loosely across her hip.

After a few minutes she felt Weiss adjust again, resting one hand over Blake's back as she used the other to balance the book. The hand on Blake's back began to stroke slowly, nails brushing gently along and over Blake's ears before trailing down the length of her hair, as far down as Weiss could reach.

Blake's purr got a bit louder, her lips curved in a constant state of smiling. At one point she actually purred a little too much and ended up choking softly, coughing and grunting before she regained her rhythm. It earned a chuckle from Weiss. Blake made a little embarrassed pouting noise and curled in closer, ears relaxing.

Weiss' pulse was very faint in the backs of her ears, a grounding beat that helped her calm down and slow her own breathing, willing sleep to come.

The moments passed by, but neither girl took notice of them.

As Blake drifted off to sleep at her side, Weiss expertly turned the pages of her book with one hand while balancing it against her knee, and pet through her girlfriend's hair with the other. She multi-tasked even now, even when she was enjoying her free time.

She focused on the book, turning another page with care, trying not to let it be too loud. Her eyes flashed to Blake every once in a while. Seeing her curled up beneath the blanket with a smile on her face, softly clinging to Weiss made the heiress' heart melt.

She returned to her reading for the time being, enjoying the faint warmth Blake was emitting at her side.

It was several peaceful moments later when Weiss felt the undoubtable ticklings of a sneeze coming on. She scrunched her nose in an effort to prevent it, but that only made it worse in the end.

It turned out to be one of those almost-sneezes, the kind where her breath hitched and ended in an unfulfilling gasp two, three, four times before the silence was ultimately shattered by the petite little "ah-chu!"

She hated to wake Blake. But surprisingly it wasn't just the sneeze that did it.

Blake had been teetering on the borderline between conscious and unconscious, still vaguely aware of where she was, but not by much. Her ears had long-since grown accustomed to the steady rhythm of Weiss' calm and consistent heartbeat.

So when it suddenly stopped, faltered, hitched, and repeated, Blake's partially-conscious mind was jarred. The sound of the sneeze itself was what actually woke her up with a start, her eyes flying wide open as she pushed herself up all at once.

"Weiss!"

And her sudden movement spooked Weiss, another gasp that caused her pulse to freeze for another second. Weiss looked up at her with startled eyes.

"Blake? I'm so-"

But Blake was still half-lost in her almost-dreamworld, her mind still a bit groggy. But her voice was thick with concern.

"Are you all right?"

She reached out to put a hand on Weiss' shoulder and the other lingered in midair, uncertain. She wanted to touch her and run for help at the same time.

Weiss' brow furrowed, her expression somewhere between shocked and puzzled.

"O-Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Blake's ears were perked tall in alarm, her grip on Weiss' shoulder was firm, and her overall posture was tense. Her eyes dropped down to give Weiss a once-over, then quickly returned to her face. Her ears swiveled. Weiss was totally fine.

"I... I just thought..."

As the reality sunk in she tapered off, and a blush began to bloom on her cheeks.

Weiss, too, began to understand what had happened. Slowly, her lips curved up into a smile. Without even marking her book she put it aside and reached out to cup Blake's face.

"I only sneezed, Blake. You're too precious."

"I..."

Blake let out a sigh, embarrassed but still relieved that Weiss was really all right. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, leaning forward to bump her forehead against her girlfriend's.

Weiss chuckled softly and brushed their noses together, then nudged Blake back an inch. Still cupping her face, Weiss pulled her in for a little kiss.

Now that everything had quieted down a bit, Blake's ears once again could hone in on Weiss' pulse, which had returned to its usual pace. The tension drained from her shoulders as she sighed into the kiss, and the beginnings of a purr resurfaced.

Weiss eased back a little, caught her breath, then kissed her again.

Blake welcomed each and every one, gradually shifting closer until she was partially-draped across Weiss' lap. Her hand slipped down to Weiss' side where her thumb rolled in little circles.

Weiss kept one hand braced on her cheek while the other slid to cradle the back of Blake's head.

After several more little kisses the two girls parted, though only to come back together for eskimo kisses instead.

Once the little bouts of giggling had ensued they eased back far enough for eye contact once again. Weiss idly brushed a hand across Blake's ear.

"I'm sorry for waking you."

"It's fine. I'm glad you're all right."

Weiss kissed her nose as another display of appreciation for the concern. Blake leaned forward again, just a little – wanting. And Weiss was more than happy to cave.

"Well after all this excitement I think that's reason enough to join you in that nap."

Blake hummed in agreement. She slid one arm around Weiss' back to hold her upright and adjusted the pillows behind her with her free hand. Once everything was arranged nicely, Blake gently pushed her down, the purr already thick in her throat. She wasn't sure about where to place herself, but Weiss left no room for questions as she coaxed her down by the shoulders, willing Blake to be her blanket.

Blake complied, easing her weight onto the smaller girl gradually, stealing another peck on the lips before resting her head sideways across Weiss' collar.

Weiss squeezed her tightly to get snug, then let her grip slacken a little, though the overall embrace remained comfortably intimate.

Blake all but deflated against her, especially when she felt Weiss' hands running up and down her back again, covering her with the little blanket once more before rubbing in slow massaging circles.

Blake purred louder, knowing the sensation was relaxing for her. As she laid her head in a spot that was preferable for both Weiss and herself, her ear flicked and naturally tuned into her pulse once again.

Of course it was nice being able to pick up on it even from a short distance. But nothing beat this kind of closeness where she could press right up against Weiss' heart and listen all she liked.

She enjoyed the movement as Weiss breathed beneath her, rising and falling in time with the pattern of her breath. Her heartbeat was full and pleasant.

The hands roaming Blake's back eventually came to a stop and simply held her there. Blake wiggled a little closer, as close as possible. And then her ear flicked at the tired little exhale from Weiss, followed by a drowsy voice.

"I love you."

Blake's purr rose to its highest volume.

"Love you, too."

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A/N: Not much, but it's something! Plenty of fluff for Valentine's Day~

The idea of Blake purring so hard she choked on it was one I got the other night from lying in bed with my cat haha