Keyboards (ch12)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANKS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Glad everyone is continuing to enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														Chapter 12.

The remainder of the week consisted of a similar process. Weiss informed her father she would be going to a colleague's house to work on a project, and every morning she'd dress, eat, and head out, bound for Blake's house. Once there, the two would greet one another with tender kisses before heading out to the park.

They'd simply walk for an hour or two, resting occasionally whenever Weiss grew too exhausted or cold.

As the days gradually progressed, Weiss could feel the change in herself as clearly as Blake could see it. Less and less time was being spent waiting for Weiss to catch her breath, and more and more time was being spent walking side-by-side and enjoying the scenery.

That week of success was what led Weiss to make her request presently on her Saturday morning with Blake.

"I think I'd like to try running a bit today," she decided, looking determinedly up at her girlfriend. "You're a runner after all, and I think I've gotten good enough at the walking. So I want to try running a bit today. Just a bit."

. . .

It wasn't a surprise to Blake when Weiss wanted to run that Saturday morning when they were at the park. She looked up at Blake with a determination Blake had become familiar with over the weeks.

"All right, we can do some light jogging along the path we set out. You can set the pace and I'll keep up with you."

. . .

She listened to Blake's criteria, knowing full-well that her own wellbeing came first in Blake's mind, and Weiss was thankful for that. The white-haired girl nodded determinedly, shifting her weight eagerly from one foot to the other as she prepared herself.

"All right. Then let's start jogging!"

It was something she never thought she'd be able to say, let alone do.

Standing beside Blake now, they were on the sidewalk of the park, preparing to begin. There was a bit of frost on the grass, but no ice on the sidewalk, so there was little risk of slipping.

With a nervous, yet excited glance to Blake, Weiss did as she was told and set the pace, starting off with a walk. Blake followed along beside her, and for several minutes, they maintained that pace. But Weiss knew Blake was a runner, knew that she could handle much more intense speeds than this, and she didn't want to bore her with this child's play.

So Weiss started to go a little faster, until she was jogging - slowly - but jogging nonetheless. She tried to keep her mouth closed for as long as possible so the cold air wouldn't fill her lungs so quickly, making sure to breathe through her nose. She flashed a glance at Blake, wondering if she was all right with this.

. . .

Blake stretched out her legs a bit before Weiss was ready, and they started off together. Weiss started off with a walk that Blake easily matched. After a moment the white-haired girl started to speed up, and after another moment she sped up again until she was mostly jogging.

Blake was able to keep speed without difficulty, and made sure to take Weiss' hand in hers as they went. She was happy to see Weiss moving more than she'd ever done before.

Weiss looked fine, if not a bit tired. Blake offered a bit of advice.

"Breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. I know it may feel uncomfortable with the cold air, but it will help you get enough oxygen and not tire out as fast."

. . .

She listened intently to Blake's instructions and nodded.

"Right. In through my nose and out through my mouth. Got it."

Weiss made the change, consciously having herself inhale and exhale as her girlfriend had told her to. She continued her slow jog, passing another inquiring glance to Blake.

"You're right. This feels a bit better! Though it is very nippy today."

The frigid winter air was sucked sharply into her lungs and left more slowly. She did her best to monitor her breathing as she continued to jog. She was already starting to feel a bit exhausted, but she didn't want to take a break just yet. They'd only been going for a few minutes, and she knew this was hardly even a warm-up for Blake.

Weiss pushed herself a little harder in an effort to increase her pace. But a sudden pang went through her chest and she gasped. Weiss stopped abruptly and grabbed onto Blake's arm for support, staggering as her heart started to flutter.

"A-Ah…. haa… ow…"

. . .

It had all been going rather smoothly, all things considered, until Weiss suddenly stopped and clutched onto Blake's coat sleeve. In only seconds her posture slumped and she was panting for breath.

Blake froze and quickly grabbed onto Weiss to keep her on her feet.

"Weiss! What's wrong?" She tried to swallow down the panic, not wanting to let it rub off on Weiss. She tried to keep her hands from shaking as she gently stroke them through Weiss' hair. "Hey, Weiss...?"

. . .

This all seemed so familiar. She'd done it again, pushed herself too hard and now she was paying for it, and worrying Blake as well. She could feel her girlfriend's presence beside her now, hands on her back and chest to support her.

Weiss shook her head breathlessly.

"I-I don't know… I wasn't even going that fast…" She squeezed her eyes shut and just focused on inhaling slowly. It took a lot more effort than it should've. Her heart was throbbing beneath her coat, and there was an odd heat in her chest that mixed with the cold air to create a feeling of numbness.

"I'll... be fine in a moment... I just need to rest..."

She couldn't hold herself up any longer. Weiss dropped to her knees, and felt Blake coming with her. She held onto her girlfriend and hugged her as much as she could. She closed her eyes and just breathed.

. . .

Blake yelped when Weiss' weight sagged and she went to the ground. Blake reflexively tightened her hold and lowered herself as well, helping lighten Weiss' landing.

"Whoa! Easy, easy!" Blake held Weiss gently to her chest and just ran her hands up and down her back, petting through her hair softly. "That's fine. Take as much time as you need, okay? No rush. It's okay. I've got you, Weiss..."

The seconds passed very slowly. Blake was just glad there weren't any other people nearby, or else Weiss would've definitely been embarrassed about all this. Blake just did her best to keep her warm and steady.

"Easy... Does anything hurt? Are you okay? Should I call 9-1-1 or something?"

. . .

Blake's arms were around her now, rubbing up and down softly as Weiss continued to wheeze into her girlfriend's shoulder. Weiss focused on Blake's breathing pattern and matched her own to it.

"No..." she sighed. "No need to call. I'm all right now." She hugged Blake a little tighter, more assuredly now that she'd stopped shaking. "This is enough. Thank you, Blake."

The ache in her chest finally faded, and her breath returned to normal now. She heaved one last sigh that turned white in the winter air, then buried her face in Blake's shoulder.

"Thank you."

. . .

Blake kept rubbing up and down her girlfriend's back. As much as the sudden scare had startled her, she was just happy it hadn't been severe or affected Weiss for too long.

Blake's heart finally calmed down a little as she felt Weiss' doing the same. She let out a long sigh and pressed a kiss to Weiss' cheek.

"No need to thank me. Are you sure you're okay?"

. . .

Weiss eased herself back a little and offered Blake a tiny smile.

"I think so. Nothing like that has ever happened before. I just felt a bit dizzy all of a sudden..." Another sigh, and she tucked her face into the side of Blake's neck. "It was just a little scary. I hope something like that won't happen every time I try to move a little more quickly..."

She nestled into Blake's collar and stayed there for a moment, breathing in her familiar scent.

. . .

Blake helped her girlfriend sit up and kept her close.

"We'll take it slow. We can still just go for walks if you can't manage jogging or running. I don't want you to get hurt." Blake kissed her again, this time on the temple, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You couldn't have known this would happen. Maybe it will get better with time. You could always look into getting an inhaler, or see if your doctor has any possible solutions. Either way, whatever happens, I'll be here with you, Weiss."

Blake nudged her back slowly and looked into her eyes affectionately before kissing her lips.

. . .

Blake's suggestions came so easily, and they might've even been good enough to call solutions. Weiss' doctor had only ever diagnosed her before, but Weiss had never thought to ask about potential medication, and an inhaler was a good place to start.

Most importantly, Blake reminded Weiss that none of this was her fault, made her realize she didn't need to repent or apologize for anything.

With another sigh, Weiss squeezed Blake once more.

"All right… I can try some of those things. And yes, maybe let's… take it slow. Just walking a bit."

. . .

Blake wrapped her arms around Weiss and pulled her into a hug again. The cold air hung around them as they sat on the sidewalk. Each time Blake exhaled her breath would bloom in front of her and billow out.

"See? It's not a hopeless situation, Weiss. Even if you can't run very hard, we can still come out and enjoy a walk together. And who knows, maybe your doctor might have some medicine that could really help you."

. . .

She was silent for a moment, eyes closed as she nuzzled into Blake's chest, listening to the faint, calming beat of her heart. The sound served to sooth her at long last, and Weiss hugged her girlfriend's back.

After a few more minutes, Weiss uncurled her legs, determined to stand. With Blake's help, she got shakily to her feet, leaning a bit of her weight on her for support. At the very least, she was able to stand on her own, though she kept her hands on Blake's as she looked up into her kind eyes.

"Thank you, Blake," Weiss whispered. "This is… the third time you've saved me now. I don't know what else I can do but say thank you." She tugged Blake's wrists, pulling her down and straining up to kiss her lips. She just prayed she could convey her utmost affection for Blake this way, hoping this could suffice. She kissed her several times, breathing murmurs of gratitude in between each one.

"I love you so much."

. . .

Blake kissed her back every time, feeling both her mouth and Weiss' curling into smiles. When they were finished she bumped noses with her.

"You're welcome, Weiss. I'm happy to be there to help you again if you need it. I love you, too."

Once they'd parted at last, the two girls unanimously decided not to try any more jogging today. They simply followed the path of the sidewalk around the park, walking at a leisurely pace all the while. Weiss only needed to rest once, and had she not just suffered the attack from earlier, she was willing to believe she wouldn't have needed that break at all.

They lapped the park, and by then it was noontime. That was when the couple decided to stop and get some lunch together, just a few sandwiches and drinks from a small street vender.

. . .

By the time evening was rolling around, Blake had walked Weiss back home, pausing just outside the front door to say goodbye. Weiss turned to her and pulled her down into one more kiss.

"Thank you again for today, Blake. For everything. I'm going to research my condition a bit, and then hopefully make an appointment with my doctor sometime soon. We only have two weeks left for our break, but I hope I'll have gotten a bit better by the time it's over. I know a great deal of it is thanks to you."

. . .

Blake indulged her in yet another kiss.

"It was my pleasure to help you, Weiss. I just hope you feel better. If you need any more help I'm always here. Same time tomorrow?" Blake was determined to spend the rest of the break with Weiss no matter what.

. . .

"Right," she nodded. "Same time tomorrow."

After one last kiss on the cheek, the two girls went separate ways. Weiss retreated into her house as Blake began walking home. Weiss found there was no one else on the ground floor, so she prepared herself a bit of supper before heading upstairs. She checked her phone, ensuring Blake had made it home safely.

Then, Weiss went to her desk and opened up her laptop. But she wasn't intent on going on her blog this evening. She was going to make good on her word about researching her illness.

She checked various sites, trying to dig deeper and find out information she didn't already know. She emailed her doctor as well, wondering about any new potential information that might have been discovered in recent years. Unfortunately, it wasn't like asthma, therefore it wasn't something an inhaler could help.

The only known cure appeared to be conditioning via exercise, nothing strenuous, but repetitive. It seemed to be best to gradually increase the exercise daily to strengthen her heart and lungs, but if she suffered any pain or shortness of breath, she was to stop immediately to rest.

It wasn't what she'd been expecting, but Weiss found she rather liked this treatment. It was something she needed to earn herself, and she wouldn't have to rely on something else like medicine to help herself get better.

This was entirely on herself, and she was intent to succeed.

. . .

Blake made the walk home and was glad to be back inside again. Immediately when she entered her house Fang came to greet her, meowing and rubbing against her leg.

Texting Weiss that she had made it home all right, Blake looked down at her cat.

"I guess you want dinner."

Blake prepared food for both Fang and herself, then spent the rest of the night relaxing and texting Weiss. The scare that had happened today had left Blake nervous, but she was glad to know Weiss was all right for sure now.

Before long she lay in her bed, feeling herself drifting off into sleep.

I'm going to bed, I'll see you in tomorrow Weiss. Love you, hope you sleep well.

. . .

It was Blake's text that had Weiss realizing the time. She'd been researching for several hours now, and she felt she'd learned all she'd be able to. She typed up a quick reply to Blake: Goodnight! Love you, too! and then she retreated to her bed.

Now with the knowledge she held, she felt she could beat this condition, whatever it might've been.

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A/N: This fic will be wrapping up in just one or two more chapters, so stay tuned!