Bread And Citrus (ch4)

2-day-early patron release!

I'm glad you guys liked Ruby's confession in Yang's stead!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

----------------

							Chapter 4.

The following day, Yang was a little nervous about showing up at the bakery, but she was determined to go through with it.

Ruby and Blake agreed to let her go alone as to not interfere with whatever conversation would potentially arise between Yang and her crush.

The blonde was jittery all that morning through her kickboxing class until she found herself outside of the bakery shop.

There, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves and stepped inside.

Thankfully, Weiss greeted her with the same smile and call of her name just as she'd been doing for just over a week now. Neither said anything about what had been revealed yesterday, and the tense atmosphere between them quickly lifted.

Yang became her usual giddy self around her, doing her best not to stammer as she placed her order for food and entertained Weiss' casual question of how her day had gone.

By the time she'd stumbled home with the little boxes and bags in-hand, Yang was back to her giggly, lovestruck self.

Ruby had been eagerly awaiting a verdict about the situation, nervous that she herself had screwed it up for Yang.

But the grin on her sister's face as she walked through the door was more than enough to reassure her.

Ruby passed the news on to Blake the next day that everything was fine, but from then on, the two agreed to let Yang go to the bakery alone without disturbing her.

That afternoon, they simply waited for Yang a few blocks away and walked back to their neighborhood with her, helping her carry the baggies of food. Blake observed that Yang was always holding a little brownie or cookie or muffin in her hand – the daily treat given by Weiss.

That week and a half had been some of the most interesting days of Yang's life thus far, and never before had she felt so excited and happy, even when she wasn't in the shop with Weiss.

It was the next day, however, – a Thursday – when Yang walked into the shop and didn't hear the happy call of her name.

Instead of Weiss, there was a teenage boy standing behind the counter to greet her.

Yang could feel her heart and smile drop instantly as all the worst-case scenarios went through her head.

What happened to Weiss? Did she get fired? Is she sick? Did they replace her?

She managed to slip the question into conversation with the boy.

"Um..." she mumbled. "Do you know what happened to the other girl working here? Sorry if it's weird to ask, but I've just gotten so used to seeing her that... well not seeing her now feels weird."

The boy maintained his relaxed expression as he answered her.

"Oh, you mean Weiss, the boss' daughter? She has college classes on Thursdays, so they're her days off from the shop. She'll be back tomorrow."

The swiftness with which Yang felt herself relax at hearing that Weiss was alright attested to just how deeply she'd fallen for the girl.

"Oh, I see. That's good. Alright then, I'll have..."

She placed her order, vaguely remembering that last week Weiss had been here on Thursday, but could guess that there must have been an off-day from school.

After Yang had paid for her food, she lingered an extra few seconds before she realized she wouldn't be receiving her usual free snack today.

It felt odd walking out of the bakery with nothing in her free palm.

----------------

Weiss dropped her school bag the second she arrived home that evening.

She'd been given a ton of assignments that day during her classes. Not to mention that things had worked out poorly enough so that she'd have an exam in all three consecutive courses next Thursday.

With her usual job at the bakery, she wouldn't have much time to get her work completed and study as well, so she decided then and there to cut two hours into her sleep schedule every night in order to take care of that.

She skipped dinner that night in order to use the time to get started on her work, not realizing that it would become a common habit before long.

----------------

The next day, Yang sauntered happily into the bakery, knowing full-well that Weiss would be there.

She wasn't disappointed when she heard her name being called out.

"Good afternoon, Yang!" Weiss said as she stood up; she hadn't been eating lunch that day, but studying instead.

The kick-boxer visibly brightened and waved to her.

"Hiya, Weiss! It's good to see ya again! To be honest I, um... kinda got a bit worried yesterday when I came in and didn't see you."

"Worried?" Weiss felt her heart beat a little faster at the concern. "How so?"

"I dunno. Like I thought something had happened to you and you'd been replaced. I was scared until the boy working here told me you had school."

Weiss couldn't deny how flattered she felt about having Yang worry for her, but there was also a bit of guilt as well.

"I'm sorry I made you worry," she said. "I should've mentioned to you that I have summer classes on Thursdays."

"Naw, it's alright! You're okay, and that's all that matters!"

"Still, let me make it up to you," Weiss pleaded. She grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the counter and then a pen from her apron's pocket. She scribbled something down on it before handing it to Yang. "Here."

Curious, the blonde girl accepted the napkin and flashed her gaze over the ink.

It was a phone number.

Yang almost fell over.

Heat rushed to her face even faster than when Ruby had confessed to Weiss for her.

"Wh...What's this?" she wondered.

"My number," Weiss said, confirming Yang's thoughts. "This way, if you... if you ever get worried about me again, you can text me. If I'm near my phone and able to reply, I always will."

"R-Really?" Yang blurted out.

Weiss gave a shy nod.

Yang had to restrain herself from kissing the napkin. She folded it carefully and slipped it into her short's pocket, ensuring it was absolutely secure and wouldn't fall out.

She made a mental note not to throw her clothes in the washing machine tonight without retrieving it first.

From there, the two girls went about their usual procedure of placing orders, fetching food, and passing smiles. Yang paid, and Weiss handed her the food and a muffin as usual.

Yang didn't want to leave, but other customers were beginning to flow in, so she said her goodbyes to Weiss and headed out, munching happily on her muffin.

Ruby and Blake met her on the way home, and the latter of the two asked why Yang was excessively bubbly.

"I'm guessing Weiss was back today?" she assumed.

"Yep!" Yang confirmed. "And she's cute as ever~!"

Blake and Ruby were both happy for Yang. Seeing her so giddy all the time now made them happier as well.

That night, after she'd successfully remembered to take the napkin out of her pocket, Yang lay in bed with her phone and typed in the number, saving it and favoring it as well. She worked up the courage to send a simple text to see if it was working properly:

/Hi, Weiss! It's Yang! I hope you're having a good evening!/

She bit her lip and hit send, waiting for a response as her heart pounded.

It was less than a minute later when her phone buzzed, and she eagerly read the reply:

//It's a much nicer evening now that you've texted me.//

Yang had to stop herself from squealing out loud, lest her parents or Ruby hear her.

She only texted Weiss for a few more minutes, not wanting to keep her from sleeping. So she wished her a goodnight with a promise:

/See you tomorrow!/

Weiss returned the same words:

//Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow!//

Yang curled up that night with the biggest grin on her face.

----------------

The next few days were difficult for Weiss.

They consisted of juggling her personal life, work, and the excess schoolwork.

Now, with Yang's nightly text messages thrown into the mix, she was effectively distracted for a good portion of every evening, which only ended up cutting further into her sleeping time. So she often decided to stay up and study more instead.

After three days, she'd finished all of her assignments, but sacrificed a lot of rest for them.

. . .

It was presently Tuesday morning, and Weiss slipped out of the house before her father or sister could offer her breakfast.

She carried a textbook under her arm instead of her lunch bag, and her stride was a little shorter than usual as she walked through town.

Had it not been for the friendly greeting of the old lady who ran the flower shop, Weiss might've walked down the wrong street.

She shook herself awake once she reached the shop, and one of the bakers let her in before retreating to the back kitchen.

Weiss slipped her apron on over her blouse, tying it behind her back to the best of her abilities. She stepped up behind the counter and placed her textbook down on the little table back there, opening it to a specific page so she could glance down occasionally to skim a passage or two.

Her head was throbbing a little, but as soon as the first customer stepped foot inside, Weiss forced herself to ignore the pain and focus on her work.

She did her best to smile and greet each and every person, though her voice grew quickly feeble. She focused instead on gathering the requested types of bread or muffins the people were asking for.

Weiss could count on one hand how many mistakes she'd ever made on the job by means of switching up orders or giving someone the wrong kind of bread.

That morning, it happened three more times, and she apologized profusely to her customers, though they merely smiled and ensured her it was fine.

But in Weiss' mind, it wasn't fine.

In her mind, she was making more mistakes than she was doing good for her father's business today.

She pushed herself harder as the day went on, wiping the sweat off her forehead, and continuing to ignore the throbbing in her head.

Yang wiped the sweat off her face with a wet paper towel, dabbing at her hairline, cheeks, and down the sides of her neck.

She deodorized as per usual and slipped her pretty sunflower-colored sundress over her sports bra.

Today was the first day since she'd met Weiss that she'd be wearing a dress, and Yang was a little extra excited to be able to show off. It was also fairly hot today, so the attire worked well for her.

She freed her hair from its ponytail and combed through it a few times until she was finally satisfied.

At last, she gave the usual spritz of perfume, slung her bag over her shoulder, and she was on her way.

The day was bright and warm as summer finally got underway. When she passed the flower shop, she stopped for a moment to pet the old lady's cat and comment on how beautiful the flowers were.

A few minutes later, she caught the whiff of bread, and continued on toward the bakery.

When she stepped in, she felt the fabrics of her dress dancing around her knees, flowing slightly in the breeze in contrast to the way her usual shorts would hug her thighs.

"Good afternoon!" she called in. "Guess who's here, Weiss?"

As usual, she didn't see the white-haired girl right away, but knew Weiss was sitting down in her usual chair. Yang skipped inside, a smile spread across her lips as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Weiss~" She hummed, but still the girl didn't appear.

Is she on a bathroom break? Yang wondered.

Just before she reached the counter, however, she heard the sounds of movement and saw motion behind the display cases.

"There she is!" Yang beamed gregariously.

Her voice was what persuaded Weiss to get out of her chair and put her textbook aside, holding onto the nearest wall and counter to support herself.

"Oh..." she mumbled. "Hello, Yang. Sorry, I was just..." She couldn't even finish her sentence as a pang went through her head.

Yang's smile fell instantly at the sight of the girl.

Weiss was extremely pale, her pallor unmistakably sickly and expression clearly pained. It was evident that she couldn't even stand on her own.

Yang felt an uncomfortable prickle go up her spine and she frowned.

"H-Hey..." She rushed to the counter and leaned over a bit. "Weiss, what's wrong?"

The other girl shook her head and brought her hand away, offering an attempt at a smile.

"Nothing at all. What can I... get for you today...?"

Yang didn't even consider answering. She was feeling nauseous just by looking at Weiss; the poor girl looked like she'd fall over any second now-

And then she did.

It was just a mis-step, but Weiss slumped against the counter with a hiss of pain. Yang cried out, reaching over the counter to grab her hand and steady her as best she could.

"Easy!" she gasped. "Hey, hey, you gotta sit down."

"No. I need to do my job..."

Yang bit her lip; she should've known by now that Weiss was one of those stubborn people.

But Yang wasn't about to let her condition worsen. She kept a tight grip on Weiss' wrist for a minute, until she was sure the other girl could stand on her own.

"Don't move," Yang ordered, a bit firmly. "Just stay there for a sec, okay?"

Cautiously, she released Weiss' wrist before quickly scurrying around to the side of the counter. She lifted the moveable flap portion of the countertop, and that was the first time she noticed the step there.

Yang moved behind the counter and hurried over to Weiss, putting a hand to her back and the other on the front of her shoulder.

She'd never realized that all this time Weiss had been standing on an elevated part of the floor, which was why she'd always been the same height as Yang.

But now that they were on the same surface, Yang noticed just how small the girl was. Yang had at least four inches on her, possibly five. Aside from the time Yang herself had tripped and fallen and Weiss had rushed to her side, she'd never been this close to her before.

But Yang could easily feel the heat wafting off of her now. The girl's shoulders were shaking beneath Yang's palm, and Weiss' heart was thumping so hard that Yang could feel that, too.

"Whoa, whoa, hey..." Yang pulled Weiss close to her, feeling the girl couldn't last on her own two feet for much longer.

Weiss leaned into her weakly. Her eyes were closed, her head and chest were pounding, and she was trembling all over.

But when she breathed in, there was a pleasant scent around her, like lemonade.

She recognized that as Yang's scent.

"I'm sorry..." Weiss gasped. "I think I... need to sit down..."

"You bet you do," Yang agreed, keeping an arm around her. "C'mere. Take your time. Easy, easy..."

Yang coaxed her to the single chair and helped guide Weiss down. The blonde crouched beside her on the floor and dropped her gym bag, keeping a hand to Weiss' back, rubbing gently. All embarrassment or shyness was absent now as concern and the need to care for her took presidency.

She'd dealt with Ruby being sick before, but this-

Seeing Weiss like this sent a different kind of worry shooting through her.

Yang kept one hand on Weiss' knee and the other on her back, brushing her ponytail aside as she peered up at the girl's flushed face.

"What's going on?" she asked gently.

It took Weiss another minute to catch her breath before she could re-open her eyes and form a reply.

"It's just... I received a lot of schoolwork and... there are exams coming up..." She trailed off, and Yang instantly understood. Weiss probably hadn't been sleeping enough recently and she'd fallen ill.

But it was when she heard a growling stomach that wasn't her own when Yang really grew anxious.

"Hey, hun, when was the last time you ate?"

Weiss heaved a shaking sigh.

"I... didn't have lunch or breakfast... I can't really remember... if I ate last night..."

"Weiss..."

Yang remained where she was for a few more minutes, crouched at the girl's side and rubbing her back for her. But she knew she needed to get some food in her and hydrate her as well. Weiss was running a bad fever and couldn't stop shivering.

Yang stood slowly, unable to stop herself from pulling Weiss into a gentle embrace. When the girl didn't protest or resist, Yang knew it was alright. She spoke to her softly.

"I'm gonna take care of you, okay? Don't worry about a thing. You just sit tight, okay?"

Yang looked down into her tired blue eyes, seeing just how exhausted Weiss was. Yang trailed her fingers lightly through the girl's bangs, damp with sweat.

"Hey, listen," she murmured. "Your heart's goin' really fast right now. I need you to slow it down for me, alright? Just take deep breaths. That's your only job right now, okay? Just breathe."

It wasn't easy, but Weiss did her best to follow the instructions.

Yang kept a hand on her back until she could feel the girl's pulse begin to slow down.

"Good, that's better. Just relax, yeah? I'll help you out."

Yang forced herself to leave Weiss' side, just for a minute. She rushed out from behind the counter and hurried into the small restroom at the side of the shop. She pulled out some paper towels from the dispenser and wetted them with cool water before hurrying back to Weiss.

Yang dabbed the paper towels over the girl's cheeks and forehead, wiping away the sweat. Weiss whimpered, but it wasn't a pained sound this time, but rather it was relieved. Yang placed a few more damp paper towels in the girl's hands.

"Just use these, okay?"

She then looked down to the gym bag she'd dropped before and dug inside. She'd been so excited about wearing her dress today that she'd forgotten to eat her granola bar, but now Yang was thankful for that. She tore off the wrapping and handed it to Weiss.

"Eat," she begged. "Just a little bit is fine, but you gotta eat something."

Weiss gave a small nod and curled her fingers around the bar, bringing it to her lips for a nibble. Yang watched to make sure she ate a bit, and patted Weiss' back for her when she coughed a bit.

Yang continued dabbing the wet paper towels over her forehead until the feverish blush began to subside.

After a few minutes, Weiss had stopped trembling so much, and her breathing came easier. She'd eaten half of the granola bar when she gave a small grunt.

"What's up?" Yang asked instantly. "You okay?"

"Yes..." Weiss said. "My throat's just a little dry is all. But I can-"

"Oh, right, of course. Hold on, I got'cha covered."

Again, Yang dug into her bag, reaching past her folded workout clothes before her fingers brushed against a water bottle. She extracted it and held it out to Weiss.

"Oh, uh... I took a few sips after kickboxing. I could run across the street and buy you a new one."

She didn't like the thought of leaving Weiss here alone, but if she was quick-

"Don't worry about it," Weiss said. "This is fine... I-I mean if you... if it's alright with you."

Yang blinked in surprise.

"Yeah! Of course it is! Then if it's okay with you, drink all you need. Please," she urged. She reached down to the bottle in Weiss' lap to unscrew the lid and remove it for her.

Weiss brought the bottle slowly to her lips, feeling her pulse jump again at the thought of an indirect kiss with Yang.

The water was cool and refreshing as it flowed down her arid throat, effectively cooling her down from the inside. Weiss sighed again once she'd finished drinking. Yang put the cap back onto the bottle, but let Weiss keep it.

"How're you feeling?" she asked. Before Weiss could answer, the blonde pressed her forehead to Weiss' to feel her temperature. "You've still got a bit of a fever. I think you should go home and rest. Is there someone you can call?"

Weiss was hesitant.

"I don't think it's that bad anymore. I should keep working-"

"Think about it this way," Yang stopped her, using a bargaining tone. "If you just take the rest of today off and get better, you can come back at a hundred percent tomorrow. If not, you'll only be giving fifty percent or less today, and you won't get better as quickly, so you'll still only give half of your best tomorrow, too. So don't you think it's better to just rest up today?"

Weiss listened carefully to her words.

"You're right," she agreed. "I'll do that..."

"Good. I'm glad." And she truly meant it.

Weiss reached into her apron's pocket and pulled out her cell phone, dialing a number. Yang stood and took a few steps back, not wanting to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help but listen as Weiss spoke.

"Papa? I'm... not feeling very well. I'm sorry, but is there anyone else who could take over the rest of my shift today?"

From what Yang could gather, Weiss worked things out with her father and a replacement would be on their way soon.

Until then, there was only one problem.

A group of customers was just coming in, but Yang didn't want Weiss to exert herself with tending to them. So the blonde made the snap decision to do it herself.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully to them. "Welcome to Schnee's Bakery! What can I get for you?"

She recited Weiss' greeting perfectly and with a smile, as though she were an employee there. If Weiss had been able to stand and do the work herself, she would have, but it was no use in her current condition.

So she stayed in her chair and coached Yang, directing her to where each kind of bread was and how to package things.

Yang had watched Weiss do it enough times, and she was sure to use napkins to pick up cookies and brownies individually, and though she had a bit of trouble with putting things into boxes, she did fairly well, all things considered.

Weiss heaved herself up only to work the register, and Yang was sure to keep an arm around the small of her back to keep Weiss standing.

They saw off the group of customers, and by then a middle-aged man with grey hair and matching eyes hurried in.

Weiss perked up instantly.

"Papa!"

"Weiss, sweetie."

He rushed to the side of the counter and Yang helped Weiss toward him, cautioning her to watch her step. She released Weiss into her father's arms as his daughter explained what had happened, how she'd felt sick and how Yang had helped her.

"I feel a bit better now," she said. "But I think... I want to go home and lie down..."

"Of course," he agreed, kissing her hair. He thanked Yang for her assistance as the blonde handed him Weiss' forgotten textbook and slung her own bag over her shoulder.

"Sorry for coming behind the counter without permission," she apologized.

"She was very skilled, Papa," Weiss chuckled softly, untying her apron. "We may have to hire her."

"We'll see about that," he said jokingly.

By the time Weiss' replacement worker had shown up, her father had thanked Yang at least ten times before he led Weiss to the door.

"I've brought the car," he informed his daughter. "I'll drive you home."

"Thank you, Papa," Weiss said tiredly. She then turned to glance back over her shoulder. "And thank you, Yang. Thank you... very much."

The blonde girl merely smiled.

"Feel better, Weiss."

"I'll text you," she promised.

Yang watched the father and daughter go before she herself exited the shop as well, bound for home.

She hadn't picked up any treats today, and when she met with Blake and Ruby she explained everything to them, though she left out a few details that she didn't need them to know, such as the indirect kiss.

Both girls expressed concern for Weiss, but Yang reassured them that she'd done all she could; hopefully Weiss was resting now.

Blake parted ways from them once they reached her house's street, and the sisters continued onward toward home together.

It was then when Yang's phone went off, and she checked to find a message from Weiss:

//I'm home now and in bed. I'm going to sleep early tonight. Thank you again, Yang.//

Yang smiled and finally was able to let herself relax as well.

/I'm glad. Sleep well, and feel better! C3*/

Sending the heart had been more out of habit than it had been intentional, but it was too late when she realized she'd already sent it.

A few minutes later, Yang received one last message from Weiss:

//Thank you C3//

Yang smiled again as she followed Ruby into the kitchen for supper.

----------------

A/N: Just to note that I wrote this months in advance and at the time just wanted to ignore the canon and have Weiss' dad be a nice guy in this fic haha. This mishap sure progressed things more than previous ones did!

*And also, Fanfiction doesn't allow hearts or brackets in stories, so their "heart" is going to have to be a C3 with a C instead of a bracket.

Ch5 preview: Weiss had focused on going slowly that morning, moving and walking and eating experimentally to figure out what still aggravated her. But the headaches were gone, the shaking had stopped, and she was able to eat again in a healthy manner.