A Stormy Night

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL PATRONS! THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER YEAR OF SUPPORT!

So this was one of my back-up fics (aka, a fic I wrote a long time ago and have been saving for a time when my commissions and other current stories are finally finished being posted). I wrote this one at the beginning of this year, back in January.

ChuckleBrotherz had requested a very similar story about a month ago. Only as I was writing that did I realize 'Hey... I've written something exactly like this before...' And then I realized I'd completely forgotten all about this story. Which is the real reason why it's almost a year late ahaha

But I think you'll enjoy nonetheless!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														A Stormy Night

It had been raining heavily all day, and even by the time Team RWBY had sat down at the cafeteria for supper, the weather hadn't improved.

In fact, it had gotten worse; the patter of pouring water now sounded twice as loud as it had earlier that morning.

But thanks to the usual din of the cafeteria at suppertime, the hissing of the rain was mostly drowned out.

Naturally, Blake's keen ears could still pick up on the sounds if she focused past her bow.

But it seemed there was someone else who was much more distracted by the storm raging outside.

It wasn't Weiss, that was for sure. She was going over notes with Pyrrha, while Ren, Nora, and Jaune chatted aimlessly with carefree expressions on their faces.

And it wasn't Yang, who was making it a habit to jump into said conversation for a moment, then switch to pester Weiss a bit.

But the blonde did keep flashing her eyes at the person Blake knew was most uncomfortable with the storm.

Ruby sat beside her, fidgeting in her seat all the while as she picked at her tray of food. She'd eaten most of it and had saved the cookie for last as always. But she seemed to be having trouble finishing it.

That was how Blake knew something was wrong.

She didn't want to pry, but if there was something she could do, she wanted to do it.

She met Yang's worried gaze a few times, and it was clear that Ruby's dislike of storms had been going on for quite some time.

The brunette tried to put a few words into the conversation as she nibbled nervously at her cookie, but Blake could tell the effort was half-hearted. It was hardly noticeable when Ruby began to mumble.

"Please don't thunder, please don't thunder..."

Anyone else might've missed it, but thanks to Blake's ears and her proximity to Ruby, she heard every scared word. She hoped it wouldn't thunder for Ruby's sake, but only a few moments later, the first blast rolled through.

Ruby stiffened and shoved the rest of her cookie into her mouth, swallowing almost forcibly. Yang winced as she glanced at her sister, knowing the thunder wasn't a good sign for her sanity. Blake cleared her throat and tried to speak up, but her leader stood in a rush before she could manage.

"U-Um, guys? I think it's a good time to head back to the room."

They could all tell what was bothering her, but for the sake of delicacy, none of them addressed it directly.

Weiss finished up her conversation with Pyrrha, and Yang wished the rest of Team JNPR goodnight. Blake had hardly gotten up from her seat when Ruby was already halfway out the exit doors and into the hallway. But she waited up for her team anxiously, just so she wouldn't be walking out alone.

The sounds of the storm were much louder now with the cafeteria behind them, and she shuddered and jolted whenever the thunder blasted.

Blake's heart went out to the poor girl. She'd once been terrified of storms as well, as was probably true for most people. But it was very hard to grow out of, and she knew the girl must be trying her best to conceal her fears.

Yang made it a point to walk beside her sister as they headed back to the room, keeping a protective arm around her. Blake trailed behind with Weiss. The heiress kept her voice low, but there was plenty of concern easily detectable in it.

"Is she okay?"

Blake tried to sound reassuring.

"I think she'll be fine. This is the first big storm we've had since joining, so it might be a little tough. I'm guessing she wants to get back to the room and try to fall asleep before the storm can get any louder and keep her up."

As soon as they reached their room, the young leader confirmed Blake's assumptions as she darted into the bathroom to change into her pajamas, then climbed up into her bed with a clipped wish of "G-Goodnight, guys-"

She disappeared beneath the draping blankets that hung around her bunk, but Blake could still hear her as she fumbled around with her blankets to get comfortable.

The three older girls took their time getting ready for bed, but as soon as they were in their sleepwear, they didn't linger with menial tasks before curling up tonight.

Blake decided against reading her usual book, Weiss didn't bother filing her nails, and Yang didn't play any games on her scroll. They all simply climbed into bed, wished one another goodnight, and turned off the lamps to be lulled to sleep by the patter of the rain.

Naturally, Blake's keen ears kept her up for a while as they picked up on the sound of every last splattering raindrop outside the window.

Yang was the first one asleep, snoring loudly above her.

Weiss was next, her slow, quiet breathing a welcome contrast to the fast, loud rain. Zwei had curled up at the heiress' feet, snoozing contentedly.

Every few minutes, Blake would think the thunder had stopped, only to be proven wrong by a loud crash a second later.

Ten years ago, she would've been wailing for someone to hold her, but now it was just annoying.

She just wanted to sleep...

She rolled herself over and pulled her blankets up above her ears in a vain effort to stifle the noise outside. But it was no use.

On top of that, she was still worried about poor Ruby.

So she turned herself onto her side to face the opposite bunks, opening her eyes in the darkness.

As the downpour's relentless hiss continued, accompanied by the occasional earth-shaking blast, Blake perked her ears forward to focus elsewhere.

Yang was still snoring, Weiss was still deep in sleep...

But there was another sound.

A glance at Zwei told her it wasn't from him, which meant the whimpers could only be coming from one other occupant.

Ruby was clearly awake now. Whether she'd managed to fall asleep earlier and had been recently awoken, or if she'd never fallen asleep at all this evening, Blake wasn't sure.

But she could hear her now, choking back sobs into her pillow, sniffling endlessly.

Blake tried to give her leader a few minutes to see if she'd be able to compose herself.

But the sounds of distress continued, to the point where it was almost painful to listen to. She couldn't take it any longer.

Blake threw her covers off, her enhanced night vision easily finding the nightstand between her bed and Weiss'. She grabbed a handful of tissues from the little box there, and tucked them into her pajama's pocket.

Carefully, she crept across the room, pausing beside Weiss' bed. The heiress was curled up on her side fast asleep, with Zwei still at her feet. As Blake braced a foot on the edge of Weiss' bed, the dog lifted his head and yipped softly. His ears perked when he heard his owner's whimpers, and Zwei stood, immediately alert.

But Blake soothed him.

"Shh. It's okay. I've got this."

He blinked up at her, then grunted and plopped back down at Weiss' ankles.

With the duty to comfort Ruby officially on her shoulders now, Blake moved with meticulous slowness as she peered up over the edge of her leader's bed. She slipped a hand beneath the curtains and pulled them aside slowly.

Ruby was facing away from her, mumbling incoherently to herself with a blanket over her head. Blake took care in reaching out to touch her shoulder as not to startle her.

"Ruby?" she whispered. "It's me."

She heard a little gasp of surprise and some shuffling about. Then, a hand removed the draping blanket, and Ruby peeked out.

"B-Blake...?" Her cheeks were wet, but looked as though they'd been hastily wiped with a forearm. She sniffled and swallowed, trying to compose herself. "W-What's up?"

Blake smiled kindly.

"I just thought you could use some company. You sounded like you might need it."

Embarrassment painted Ruby's features now as she realized she must've been more obvious than she'd initially thought she was being.

But Blake didn't want her to feel ashamed about her fears. So she kept her voice low as she reached out a hand to cover Ruby's.

"I used to be scared, too. In fact, I think some part of me still is. Just a bit." Another blast of thunder sounded, and her ears flinched. But her smile never faded. "It's okay to be scared, Ruby. But you don't have to do it alone."

She rubbed her fingers lightly over the back of Ruby's hand. After a moment of this, Blake pulled out one of the tissues she'd gathered and offered it to her leader.

Ruby tearfully accepted, wiping her eyes before blowing her nose as softly as possible. When she was finished, Blake extracted another tissue and used that to pick up the used one. She climbed down from Weiss' bed for a second to toss them into the trash, then hopped back up.

Ruby was still upset and frightened by the loud storm, that much was clear.

So with a smile, but not so much as a single word, Blake opened her arms from where she stood on her perch.

Ruby accepted the invitation. She slid over to the edge of her bed and looped her arms awkwardly around Blake's shoulders.

It was certainly difficult to keep her balance this way, but the Faunus girl hugged her leader back as best she could without risking a shift of weight.

Ruby jolted and clung tighter to her as another blast shook the school.

Blake wasn't exactly confident in her abilities to comfort Ruby, at least not as well as someone else might've been able to. Gently, she tapped her leader's shoulder and murmured to her.

"Do you want me to wake Yang? Would she be better in knowing how to help?"

But Ruby shook her head.

"N-No... she was really tired today. I don't wanna bother her..."

"Ruby, you could never bother her. Trust me."

"I know... but still..." she sighed. "I just... I wanna try to conquer my fears without her sometimes, y'know?"

That, Blake could understand; not wanting to be so dependent on someone whom she'd been dependent upon her entire life up until this point. It was good to find a bit of strength in oneself every once in a while.

"All right," she whispered. "Then would you like me to help? I'm sorry, but I don't think I could sleep tonight knowing you were still so upset like this."

Ruby swallowed thickly as lightning flashed and lit up the room.

"I-I get it... sorry for keeping you up."

"That's not how I meant it." Blake hugged her a little tighter before letting her go, once more holding onto the side of the bed. "How about I tell you some stories?"

Ruby visibly perked up at that, her silver eyes twinkling a little even in the darkness.

"Yeah... I-I think that would help... But it's so dark. Can you see enough to read even like this?"

Blake smiled proudly.

"I never said I'd have to read them."

Even Ruby cracked a smile now.

But Blake looked so uncomfortable clinging to the side of the bunk like that, and Ruby didn't want the thunder to startle her and have her fall off.

"Okay," she nodded. "But first you should come up here. There's room." She moved over and patted her mattress.

Blake hesitated now, worried that her added weight might do the trick to break the strings suspending Ruby's bed, and that would be the end of poor Weiss.

But Ruby reassured her in the best way she could.

"Don't worry. Yang and I've been up here together before."

Even so, Blake went slowly, testing her weight before settling it as she climbed up and over. Ruby held onto her arms to support her and ensure she didn't slip.

Once Blake had successfully gotten herself up onto Ruby's mattress, they both let out sighs of relief. But another sudden crash of thunder had Ruby quickly reaching out to hug her friend, burying her face in Blake's shirt. Blake rubbed her back softly and cradled Ruby's head against her chest.

"It's all right. Nothing's going to hurt you."

Carefully, slowly, she laid herself down on her side, keeping Ruby with her. She pulled in the curtains hanging around Ruby's bunk, effectively blocking out the lightning. She then tugged the blankets up over them both, tucking Ruby warmly into her collar, draping one arm around the smaller girl's back.

Ruby stayed close, her arms slipping almost timidly around Blake's waist as trembling fingers gripped the fabrics of her pajamas.

Blake's presence was similar to, and yet fundamentally different from, Yang's. It provided Ruby with the same sense of security, but a different feeling overall. It calmed her down gradually, breath by breath, and when Blake began telling her stories, it only got better.

"Where to begin...?" she pondered. "How about once upon a time..."

Blake recounted wonderful fairytales, old folktales she'd read and re-read over and over again until she knew them by heart. She recited them all word for word: one about a duckling, one about a princess, one about a caterpillar...

As she whispered the stories of her childhood fondly to Ruby, Blake never stopped smiling to herself. She'd never gotten to share such things with anyone else before. These were the stories most children knew and were told by their guardians, but Blake had always read them by herself. She'd never been read to like Ruby and other children probably had been.

So it was nice to share those stories with someone else for the first time.

Whenever the thunder crashed, Ruby would jolt and tense up a bit, and her grip on Blake would become tighter.

But Blake never got impatient with her. She would merely keep telling her stories as though she hadn't noticed Ruby's reaction, though she was always sure to rub her back for her.

Soon, she started to purr a little, trying to give Ruby some other sound to listen to besides the rain and thunder.

She kept telling her stories in a soft, comforting tone, all the while emitting a cajoling purr as her gentle hands patted the girl's shoulders and back.

Ruby willingly allowed herself to fall into Blake's warm trance. Eyes closed, she pressed close, and the tears stopped before very long. She laid her head across Blake's chest, listening to the vibrations of her voice, the soft rumbles of her purr, the steady beat of her heart...

Those things were all so much nicer to listen to than the storm.

Ruby chose to focus on them as Blake helped immensely in calming her down. Her mind formed little images of whatever story Blake was telling at the time, colorful animals and bright forests and pleasant-smelling flowers.

It made her feel like a kid again, safe and happy in a world she could only dream of.

Soon, Ruby's fears ebbed away, like thorny vines being washed away by a quiet stream.

Now, even when the thunder crashed, Ruby didn't flinch. She nestled close to her teammate, relishing the natural warmth emitting from her body. Every time Blake breathed, Ruby could hear and feel it in the most intimate of ways. Her heartbeat was consistent and comforting, never faltering or fading even when the storm began to.

With all of these contributing factors, Ruby felt herself drifting off before long. But she didn't want to fall asleep without letting Blake know how much she appreciated all of this.

She moaned softly, tiredly, hugging herself closer to her teammate.

"Blake..." she mumbled against her chest. "Thanks for... for..." A yawn interrupted her.

But Blake understood. She returned the hug and purred a little louder.

"It's never a problem, Ruby. If you ever need me – or any of us – just ask." She pressed a light kiss to the younger girl's temple.

Ruby hummed happily, no longer tense or frightened by the pelting rain or the distant thunder. She could feel Blake's chest rising and falling beneath her own, little vibrations from her purr transferring over to Ruby.

And Blake's heart was just so nice to listen to. Each beat was slow, steady, familiar...

It lulled Ruby to sleep, coaxing her warmly under the blanket of relaxation until she was curled up in the combers of slumber.

Blake stayed with her that night, knowing it could wake her leader or any of the others to move.

And besides, Ruby was far too soft, and Blake couldn't remember the last time she herself had felt quite so warm.

She wrapped her arms around the girl, keeping her close and safe as the storm passed on by, and sleep swept over them both.

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A/N: Ahhh I'll always love just doing simple little oneshots like this~ Especially when they're fluff. Hope you enjoyed! Stay warm, everyone!