The Golden Room (ch4)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANK YOU!

Weiss got to go and see Yang practice, and now Ruby and Blake know about her. But if she keeps being late, her father won't be happy...

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														Chapter 4. Recovery

Weiss' father had been irked at her for making him wait in the parking lot that afternoon, but Weiss had quickly and expertly composed a believable excuse.

She'd told him her tardiness was due to a teacher calling her aside after her private music practices to commend her. Since her father now believed she'd been late because she'd been being praised, his anger dwindled away into acceptance.

Weiss knew she shouldn't make it a habit to be late, or else he might get suspicious of her. But for now, her crisis had been averted, thanks to her quick thinking.

She spent a good portion of that night lying in bed, worrying about Yang, but was confident that the volleyball player would be well taken care of now that she was at her own home as well. Instead of worrying, Weiss soon got to reminiscing the scenes of watching her play.

Yang had been absolutely radiant on the court, beaming like a ray of sunshine as she'd returned every ball and perfected every serve and strike, save for the last one. She looked like she'd been having so much fun.

Weiss had to wonder if that was what she herself looked like to Yang when she was singing. If it was, she definitely understood why Yang wanted to come and see her more often.

Weiss loved seeing her friend so lively and happy doing what she loved. She wanted to keep seeing her that way.

But due to her ankle being sprained, Yang was made to sit out for practice for the rest of the week. She knew it was her own fault for trying to show off to Weiss, so she felt it was fair that she accept her punishment for boasting.

She didn't participate in practices for the rest of the week, but rather sat in the bleachers where Weiss had sat to observe the other players.

Weiss didn't come by for the rest of the week due to excessive homework, so Yang sat in the bleachers alone those few days, watching her teammates play and calling out praise or recommendations for them to help them with their techniques.

But the second that whistle blew and practice was declared over, Yang grabbed her things and headed straight for the music room.

All three remaining days that week, she found Weiss there, slaving away over projects and homework. She had so much work to do that she ended up working until her alarm all three afternoons, and didn't get a minute's worth of singing practice in. She apologized to Yang before she left that Friday afternoon.

"I know you come here to hear me sing, and I haven't been doing that," Weiss sighed, hurriedly packing up her bag.

But Yang shook her head, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay, Weiss. I get it. You're busy. I just wish I could help you out with it all."

Weiss was quiet for a brief moment.

"It's fine. It's my work, so it's only fair that I get it done. It's my responsibility."

"And, Weiss?"

"...Yes?"

Yang gave her a smile that was timid in a way, and she couldn't maintain eye contact for very long.

"I... don't just come here to hear you sing. I come here... just so I can be with you, y'know?"

It was surprising for Weiss to hear that, even though she'd been hoping that was the truth of it all along.

Still, to have it confirmed caused her heart to flutter. She didn't know what to say in return.

But she wanted to say something.

She'd never had a friend like Yang before, and she wanted her to know her presence was appreciated and, most importantly, wanted.

Weiss checked the clock, determined she would still be on time if she ran a little down the halls, then quickly opened her bag and started to sort through it. Yang peeked curiously over her shoulder, then almost jumped back when Weiss suddenly popped up again.

"Here." She turned around and lightly pushed something against Yang's chest. When the blonde looked down, she realized it was a phone. Weiss elaborated. "I'd like to have your number. So I can call you to check on you. I've been worried about you these past few nights, what with your ankle and all. So if it's all right, then please..." She trailed off, looking down, embarrassed that she'd revealed the fact that she'd been so worried about Yang for so long.

But Yang was touched by her concern. Of course Ruby and her parents and Blake and her volleyball teammates had all been worried about Yang as she'd been recovering.

But none of their worrying about her made Yang feel quite the same as Weiss' worrying about her.

Which was why she didn't hesitate long to swipe the screen and add a new contact into the phone.

"Sure! 'Course I will, Weiss." She tapped her name and number in, then saved it before handing it back. Weiss dipped her head and put the phone back into her bag.

"Thank you. I think it will be nice if I can message you over the weekend to see how you're doing."

"Yeah! Then I can text you back, too!" she declared with a grin.

But Weiss seemed surprised somehow, as though she hadn't fully realized until now that her texting Yang would mean that she'd be giving her own number out, in a sense, so that Yang would be able to message her back.

Yang's smile fell away as she sought out Weiss' gaze.

"Or... is that no good? Would you rather I not text you? I mean, I'll reply if you ask how I'm doing and stuff, but should I not just text you whenever about whatever?"

She understood Weiss' family life was very strict. If Yang ended up texting Weiss during the middle of supper when phones were prohibited or something, she didn't want Weiss to get in trouble.

If getting Weiss' number only meant Yang could text her if Weiss texted first, then she could accept that.

But Weiss quickly shook her head, earnest in her response.

"No, it's all right. You don't have to refrain from messaging me."

Yang checked her expression and body language. Weiss was still clearly a bit nervous about this. The blonde softened her voice.

"Hey, it's okay. I won't text you unless you text me first, 'kay? That way I'll know it's fine for us to be texting at the time. Sound good?"

The relief that came into Weiss' eyes made Yang smile again. Weiss seemed so happy that there was a simple solution to all of this.

"Yes. That sounds fine," she sighed. "Thank you for understanding, Yang."

"It's no problem."

Yang didn't know why she opened her arms then. It was just a natural motion someone did when their friend was about to leave for the day.

And Yang was a renown hugger, particularly of the people closest to her.

Her perceptive eyes didn't miss the small gasp in Weiss' chest as she realized what was being asked of her. Yang was about to recoil and apologize, but something stopped her, told her to linger just a second longer that way.

And she was glad she did.

Because Weiss stepped forward and wrapped her arms briefly around Yang's torso, hiding her face coyly into Yang's shoulder.

Yang was so shocked that she didn't even have time to put her hands down and hug her back before Weiss had pulled away again, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door.

"Have a good weekend," she called out softly, without turning back around. "I'll message you."

Yang stood there with her arms still open, watching her go.

"Yeah. You, too, Weiss."

Weiss hurried down the hallway and out of sight.

Yang needed a moment to compose herself. There was still a warmth lingering from where Weiss had touched her, where her chest had pressed softly against Yang's own.

/Damn it. I was too slow.../

She'd really wanted to hug her back.

Yang sighed aloud.

"Maybe next time..."

She picked up her own bag, and started limping to the library.

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That weekend, Weiss texted her just as she'd promised to.

It was late on Saturday night, at about 10PM – which Yang knew was 'late' for Weiss, anyway. Her message was rather long-winded and professional sounding, like a doctor checking in on their patient:

//Good evening, Yang.
I'm merely messaging you to inquire about your ankle.
Has the swelling gone down? Can you walk properly?
Do you think you'll be able to rejoin practice again on Monday?
Please let me know.//

Somehow, Yang wasn't at all surprised by the way Weiss texted. Complete sentences, perfect grammar and punctuation, and she'd even given separate lines to each sentence so they'd line up and end neatly.

It was... very Weiss.

Yang chuckled as she sat in her room and replied:

//Heya Weiss! Yeah I'm fine thanks for asking! Coach and nurse say I can go back to practice on Monday like usual! How's all your homework going? I know you have a boatload...//

She hoped it was a good time for Weiss to be sending another reply, and so Yang waited patiently for a few minutes, hoping she hadn't messed this up already.

But thankfully, she received another text rather quickly:

//It's going fine. I've already gotten most of it done.//

With relief, Yang sent a reply:

//That's great! Good job!//

But after that, there didn't seem like there was much else to discuss. Yang felt that was good enough for their first text conversation, and she didn't want to push things.

So after wishing Weiss a good night, she wasn't surprised when there were no more responses.

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By Sunday, her ankle was all better, though she still spent most of the day at home, just to make sure.

It rained that day anyway, so Yang played board games with Ruby inside, watched movies with their parents, and just took it easy in general.

By Monday, Yang was skipping merrily out to her car, ready for school, which puzzled her little sister.

"Yang, are you that happy to go to school? Or are you just happy you can drive again?"

"Hmmm, well maybe not so much the first one, but definitely the second one. And even though I'm not thrilled about school school, like the classes and stuff, I'm pumped to be going back to volleyball practice."

"Oh, right," Ruby mumbled. "And you're probably gonna be meeting Weiss, that soloist girl again, huh?"

Yang shrugged, playing it cool. "Maybe. Who knows?"

She wasn't about to let her little sister catch onto her.

Yang drove to Blake's house to pick her up, then brought them all to school.

All day, Yang was eager to get through her classes as per usual so she could enjoy her afternoon. The second the final bell rang, she was sprinting out the door and down the stairs to get to the gym locker rooms.

After five full days without it, she finally changed back into her volleyball uniform. It felt so nice to shed the stuffy school blazer for the lighter, more breathable material.

Her teammates all welcomed her back and urged her to take it easy today. Yang was just glad to be active again in the sport she loved.

She gave it her all that afternoon, enjoying the exercise drills and running laps alike before getting to the actual games.

Their coach reminded them they had matches against rival schools coming up in a few weeks, so it was time to start playing more seriously than ever.

Yang put in her best effort as she always did, until the healthy, familiar sweat started to coat her skin.

It was during a brief water break when she glanced to the bleachers and realized Weiss wasn't there. She sighed, a little sad, but understanding.

/She's had a lot of work to do recently. Guess she's still swamped./

Even though Yang didn't have her own personal cheerleader that day, she still played her hardest.

By the time she was back in the locker room, there was a familiar ache in her legs and arms, one she eagerly welcomed back.

She quickly changed out of her sweaty clothes and packed them up to take home and wash. As usual, she didn't put on her long-sleeved blazer, but tied it around her skirt before heading off to the music room.

Of course, she'd been looking forward to getting back to practice today. But now, more than anything, she got through her days of school mainly just to see Weiss.

As she walked down the hallways, she didn't hear the tinkling piano keys as she so often did, so she could assume Weiss was still doing homework.

Yeesh, she's gotten so much recently. That's no fair...

As she neared the music room, she slipped quietly in through the open door, not wanting to disturb Weiss when she was working. But she called out a small greeting as she always did now.

"Hey, Weiss! I'm- oh-!"

She cut off right away when she saw her.

Weiss was seated at the piano, where the case was pulled down, covering the keys. Instead of playing, she'd been doing her homework there, leaning on the hard surface for support. There was an open textbook in her lap and several papers pinned beneath her elbows.

But it was clear that Weiss wasn't doing her homework.

Hunched forward with her head resting on her arms, she was very clearly asleep.

Yang froze in her spot as she assessed the scene before her.

In all the weeks she'd been stopping by, she'd never seen Weiss fall asleep. She absolutely wasn't the type to do that, especially when she had work to finish.

An uneasy feeling crept into the pit of Yang's stomach.

/Either she was dead tired all day today, or there's something wrong.../

Slowly, she put her bag down on one of the many empty chairs and made her way across the room. Weiss' pen was still loosely trapped between her left thumb and index finger. To Yang, it seemed as though she'd just wanted to close her eyes for a second, and it had escalated from there.

Part of her wanted to let Weiss, sleep. In fact, most of her did.

But she knew that if Weiss didn't get her work completed, she might get in trouble with her father. So Yang reached out, laying a hand gently on her back, keeping her voice low.

"Hey, Weiss?"

She shook her gently, assuming that would be enough to rouse her. Someone as high-strung as Weiss was definitely a light sleeper, or so she'd assume.

But Weiss didn't budge or make any indication that Yang had succeeded in waking her.

Yang's concern only grew when she brushed the girl's ponytail away from her shoulder and got a better look at her face. Weiss' brow was furrowed and sleek with a thin veil of dried sweat. Her pallor was definitely flushed. And when Yang kept her hand on Weiss' back for a moment, she could feel the slight rasp in her breathing.

"Aw no... c'mon, this is no fair..." Mumbling as much, Yang sat down on the bench beside Weiss and carefully shook her again. "Weiss? Hey..."

That time, Weiss stirred, gasping aloud in surprise as she jolted awake. Yang quickly slipped one arm around her shoulders, bracing the other over her stomach to keep her from falling off the bench.

"Easy! Weiss, it's me!"

"Y-Yang?" The tremble in her voice wasn't just from shock. Yang could feel her shivering. Weiss' eyes were wide with panic. "Wh-What time is it? Oh my goodness, I-I-"

"Hey, calm down!" Yang soothed her. "It's okay, Weiss. You've still got thirty minutes before your alarm goes off."

"R...Really?" Weiss believed her, but some innate, punctually-perfect part of herself demanded she check the clock anyway. She seemed to relax a bit when she realized Yang was telling her the truth. "Oh thank goodness. I... I haven't finished yet-"

"Weiss, you need to slow down." Yang kept her arms loosely around the girl, preventing her from turning back to her homework. She held Weiss' gaze seriously. "You've been working yourself too hard. You're sick."

"What?" Weiss both looked and sounded as incredulous as Yang guessed she felt. The girl shook her head. "No, no. That can't be. I've got too much work to do-"

"Weiss. Please."

"Yang, I've got to-"

"Weiss."

Her voice was firm and left no room for argument. Weiss might've been a witty speaker, but she was no match for a concerned big sister. She knew as much from her past experiences with Winter, and now it was clear to her that she'd never win against Yang, either.

Weiss heaved a shaky sigh, feeling a stinging frustration rise up behind her eyes.

"But I've... I've got to-"

"Rest," Yang finished for her. "You've gotta take it easy, hun. Take a breath. You've got plenty of time, okay? I promise."

Weiss' frantic eyes searched hers, finding solace in their solidarity. Weiss nodded and did as instructed, closing her eyes and drawing in a deep, steadying breath.

Yang still kept her hands braced on Weiss' back and hip, in case she swayed. But thankfully, she didn't, even though she was still shaking a little.

It took a minute for Weiss to get her bearings, but at last she opened her eyes again. She was calmer now, though evidently not for the reasons Yang had been hoping for.

"I've got to finish my work."

A bit of a growl crept into Yang's voice.

"No. Weiss, come on. Let me take you to the nurse."

"Yang, please."

The blonde girl swallowed thickly when Weiss started to beg her. She knew Weiss' work was pertinent to her. She'd never be able to relax unless all of her assignments were completely done. Yang looked away.

/Damn it.../

"Fine," she sighed. "Do as much as you can. But I'm staying here with you, got it?"

Weiss dipped her head.

"That's fine... Thank you for understanding, Yang."

"...Yeah."

She wasn't happy about it, but she was going to accept the fact that Weiss would never be able to truly relax if she still had unfinished work to do.

So Yang stayed by her side as she read over her books and papers, handed her the pen when she dropped it, found the right paper and gave it to her when she needed it.

Weiss toiled away, mumbling to herself as she worked. Yang kept a hand on her back all the while.

By some stroke of luck, Weiss managed to finish her work with fifteen minutes to spare. She announced she was done with an exhausted sigh, which had Yang perking up.

"Really? You sure?"

Weiss nodded.

"Yes. I double-checked."

"All right. Okay. Lemme help you pack up then."

Yang stood from the bench and retrieved Weiss' bag, then did as she'd promised and helped her pack everything away neatly. Once they'd cleaned up, Yang coaxed Weiss to her feet, holding onto both of her hands.

"Wanna go to the nurse?"

But to her dismay, Weiss shook her head.

"No... I don't want to make father wait again."

Yang bit back a groan and an urge to say some colorful things about Weiss' father.

"Fine. But you're not doing any more work today. C'mere."

She guided Weiss over the the empty chairs and sat her down. Unlike the bench, Weiss could lean back against these for support.

Yang fetched her own bag and brought it over, then untied the blazer from around her waist. She gingerly draped it over Weiss' shivering shoulders, then took the seat next to her.

Moving as close to Weiss as possible, Yang lifted up her left arm, inviting Weiss to lean against her. The white-haired girl made no protest as she did so.

"There," Yang murmured. "Just take it easy. No pressure, all right? Just breathe."

Weiss heaved a sigh, but nodded against her shoulder. Yang smiled.

"Atta girl."

She shifted a bit as Weiss leaned into her, trying to make this as comfortable as possible for the exhausted singer.

Even though Weiss was shivering a bit, Yang could tell that her skin was feverish. She murmured an apology as she moved, reaching out with her free hand to grab her bag. She pawed through it to pull out her water bottle and handed it to her.

"Here. I drank from it a bit, but if you don't mind, I think you should have some."

Weiss straightened up a bit and accepted the bottle.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Yang kept her arm around Weiss as she drank a few mouthfuls; clearly, she'd needed it. When she was finished, Yang patted her back as Weiss capped the bottle and returned it to her.

"Feel any better?" she wondered as she put it back into her bag.

Weiss smiled.

"A bit."

"Lemme help a bit more."

Yang managed to find the little purple handkerchief she carried in her bag. With it, she gently wiped the sweat off Weiss' forehead and face. The girl let out another deep sigh and settled against her.

For several minutes, Weiss closed her eyes and rested. Yang brushed the handkerchief over her bangs, clearing off the sides of her neck as well. She went down as far as the ribbon on Weiss' collar before putting the cloth away.

From there, Yang just held her quietly and let her rest. She could feel Weiss breathing, every inhale and exhale, and was glad the rasp from earlier had left her lungs. She slipped her hand across Weiss' back until her palm was resting against the girl's side.

Yang closed her eyes as well. When she focused, she could feel Weiss' heartbeat. It was a little fast at first, but as time went on and Weiss rested, her pulse dropped to a more stable pace.

Yang held her close, savoring their proximity.

The room was once again dyed in golden light, and the sunlight, combined with Yang's blazer and Yang herself worked together to chase away Weiss' shivers.

But as much as Yang enjoyed this precious, quiet time alone with her, she was also dreading the inevitable sound of Weiss' phone alarm that would ultimately force them apart.

For as long as she could, Yang kept close to her, rubbing her back softly. She even believed Weiss had fallen asleep there for a few minutes, pressed against her.

But of course, the alarm sounded soon enough, and Weiss soon shifted and reopened her eyes. Yang let her sit up, though she kept her hand on the small of her back just in case.

"How're you feeling?"

Weiss cleared her throat, and when she looked up at her, her eyes were much brighter than they had been twenty minutes earlier.

"I feel much better. Honestly. I think... this is exactly what I needed."

"Yeah? Naps can do wonders! I'm glad."

"I need to get going, though."

Regrettably, Weiss left the comfort of Yang's side, and Yang let her go just as regretfully.

Weiss stood, shed the borrowed blazer, and handed it back to her with a nod of gratitude. She picked up her bag and silenced her phone alarm. Yang stood as well, sad that their moment had come to an end, but glad that Weiss was feeling better.

"I don't wanna sound all high and mighty," she said. "But I think you should rest up tonight. If you're careful, you could knock this cold out by morning."

Weiss dipped her head.

"I will. I've finished all of my work, so I'll be able to relax tonight." She hesitated, still wearing that grateful smile. "Thank you, Yang. I really do mean it."

"No thanks necessary. Honest." Yang patted her shoulder again. "All you've gotta do is feel better, okay? That's your only job now, so take it seriously."

"I will." Weiss glanced to the exit doors, antsy to get going, but she hesitated a second longer, turning her gaze back to Yang's. "Goodbye, Yang."

She didn't say it in words, but Yang knew what she wanted. So she opened up her arms and invited her in.

Weiss let out a blissful sigh as she looped her arms around her neck and hugged her tight. This time, Yang managed to return the embrace.

"Bye, Weiss. See you tomorrow."

She held her for just a second longer than she needed to, but Weiss didn't mind. It seemed she'd be fine with making her father wait that extra second.

At last, they parted, and Weiss hurried out the door, leaving Yang alone in that golden room.

And even though Weiss was gone, the warmth she'd left behind still lingered.

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A/N: They keep getting closer and closer. But how close can they get?