Confessions (ch5)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!!

This chapter is a bit on the shorter side, but very much on the softer side.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														Chapter 5.

The world came back to Weiss slowly.

First, it was the sensation of something soft beneath her body and something even softer resting lightly over her skin. Then it was the sounds, the rhythmic beeping that was in accordance with the dull thrumming in her chest that flipped like a fish out of water.

Then it was the knowledge that there was something… there. A slight pressure over her mouth, and it forced air into her damaged lungs. It hurt with every breath, but she knew it was necessary, at least for a few more minutes, until she knew she could do it on her own.

Finally, her eyelids lifted to reveal a white ceiling. She was still for a while, letting her mind and conscious come back to her, remind her of what had happened to herself and-

"Blake-"

Trying to speak right now was a bad choice on her part. Her voice rasped up her throat and disrupted the flow of air into her lungs, but she didn't care. She needed to know where Blake was…

Weiss pulled the mask off from over her mouth, ignoring the increased sounds of the machines attached to her wrist as she tried to scramble up, receiving a painful reminder that her ribs were broken.

But all of that was worth it to see Blake laying next to her.

Their beds had been pushed together by the kindness of whatever nurse, and Weiss reached out her right hand - the one not attached to the wires - and touched Blake's hand. Her face was pale, much paler than usual, and she looked the same as Weiss, dressed in pink hospital robes with her hair down.

Weiss was relieved to see the rise and fall of her chest, mustering enough strength to rub her thumb over the back of Blake's hand before the pain in her chest became too great for her to handle anymore.

Panting with effort, Weiss laid down onto her back once more, keeping her face turned to look at Blake. It was harder to breathe without the mask, but she'd tossed it aside to a place she couldn't reach anymore. She felt tears gather in her eyes, slip down her cheeks and she wasn't sure if it was more from the pain or the relief.

. . .

Blake hadn't been able to get rest since last night. They had been stuck in the infirmary for almost two days already, and the infuriating wait was apparently enough to mess with her sleeping habits, even in spite of the pain.

It didn't take Blake long to realize she hated how the pain medication messed with her head, made her feel out of sorts and the nightmares even worse.

Blake tried to turn it all off - her mind, the out-of-sync drawl of both of their IVs, all of it - shut her eyes tight even as the early morning sun crept in through the windows between the curtains and pooled onto the bed sheets.

At least she was warm - at least Weiss was still beside her.

She felt something soft against her hand, heard the insistent beat of Weiss' IV quicken, but the feeling disappeared all to quickly. It almost seemed like her imagination playing tricks, and when she slowly opened her eyes to confirm her assumption, carefully turning her head to look at Weiss, what she saw - tired blue eyes and quiet tears - nearly made her cry.

Looking away, she pressed her hands over her eyes, willing them to stop watering as she inhaled a fluttering breath, the first real gulp of air in what seemed like days. She was almost scared to look back, afraid that this was another nightmare. It wasn't.

It was such relief, such elation, that when she turned back to Weiss, all she could manage was a pathetically muttered, "Hi."

. . .

Weiss felt her heart lift when Blake opened her eyes.

Those pretty, pretty golden eyes. They bore right into her own, and Weiss let out a weak chuckle when she heard her voice. How long had it been? She wasn't sure, but she could remember the last time she'd been conscious, and it felt like a long time ago.

Weiss could tell her broken ribs and punctured lung were on her left side, which meant she was able to turn onto her right without too much aching to face Blake. She slid as closely to her girlfriend as the IV's wires would allow, which was just enough to touch her shoulder, her cheek…

Weiss felt more tears dripping down her face as she wiped away one of Blake's, her lips curling into a tiny smile. The machine beside Blake's bed was visible to her like this, and she was relieved to see her girlfriend's heart rate was normal, her aura slowly replenishing. It must've been at least a few days since they'd been brought here, and their school recess was probably over. Which meant their teammates were likely back, but being kept out of the room for various reasons.

"Blake…" A whisper was all she could manage, her voice raspy from lack of use. She felt dizzy and knew there must have been a store's full of drugs and medicine pumping through her veins. She reached up to touch Blake's Faunus ears gently, fingers curling through her hair to try and silently convey her thankfulness, her affections.

It was clear her girlfriend still needed a lot of rest, though. There were dark circles under Blake's eyes, and she just looked so exhausted simply by laying there.

Weiss sucked in a withering breath, but needed to turn her face into her pillow to cough softly before trying again. "How are… your wounds…?" she wheezed.

. . .

Blake smiled, relishing in the feeling of Weiss' hand through her hair. It felt like heaven and she tried to squirm closer, tried for any and all contact she could get.

"I'm fine." More than fine now that Weiss was awake, the pain in her side and the bruises peppered up her neck nothing more than afterthoughts. She swallowed, reaching across to brush the hair from Weiss' face. Her pulse was soft but alive underneath Blake's fingers, an accelerated rhythm that climbed gradually as it became harder for Weiss to breathe. "I'm more worried about you."

She paused, her thumb brushing lightly over Weiss' cheek. The scratches and bruises were slowly healing, but guilt curled in her stomach like a plague, all-consuming and impossible to ignore.

"The oxygen mask was there to help you, you know," she scolded lightly. As much as she didn't like the thought of someone else right now, neither of them could reach the mask. "Do you want me to call the doctor?"

. . .

She closed her eyes with a sigh as she felt Blake's fingers caressing her face. God, she'd missed this, needed this more than she'd known. Blake said she was all right, but she still appeared to be sleep-deprived, and Weiss didn't even want to imagine the nightmares that must have attacked her whenever she'd tried to close her eyes the past few nights.

Weiss kept her hand at Blake's cheek, needing to feel her softness, her warmth. But the heiress stiffened a bit at the suggestion of a doctor being called in. She feared if someone else entered now, they would move Blake and herself apart again, and Weiss couldn't bear the thought.

She could feel the desperate increase of her own heart rate as the machines started to beep faster, her breath hitching. It didn't help when she started to cry, both from the physical pain clawing at her chest and the emotional pain at the prospect of Blake being taken away from her. Yet still, Weiss nodded in response to her girlfriend's question, blinking her eyes back open past the tears.

"But I don't... I don't w-want to be taken… away from you. Please don't let them..."

. . .

She curled a hand around Weiss', kept it close as amber eyes searched her girlfriend's face, watched as the struggle for air made it hard for Weiss to speak. It was difficult to see her like this, made Blake's heart rate increase, that infuriating beeping noise ringing in her ears. She pulled Weiss' hand from her face and gently squeezed before letting go.

Turning away from Weiss, her eyes settled on the call button just beside her bed. The green button connected to a speaker that would no doubt relay her to the front desk and the doctor shortly following. But she hesitated, eyes narrowing, and after a few seconds she was plucking the IV from her arm, reaching to unplug the stupid contraption and silencing it for good.

Her feet found the tiled floor, and a chill snaked its way up her spine. She adjusted quickly, and even in spite of the way her legs trembled at first as she made her way around the bed to secure the oxygen mask for Weiss, it felt liberating - made her feel useful.

Admittedly, she was a little out of breath. After two days of being bedridden, how couldn't she be? But her quickening pulse made her feel alive, and she leaned over to place a chaste kiss on Weiss' lips before helping to secure the mask.

"They'd have a hell of time trying. Trust me," she said with a playful smile, wiping away a few tears that had trailed over Weiss' cheeks.

. . .

Weiss started to panic when Blake sat up, removing the IV drip's wire from her arm. She wanted to call out to her, but couldn't find her voice.

But Blake managed to make it all the way to Weiss' bed, and the heiress was both fearful for her and proud of her. She blinked away more tears - happy ones this time - as her girlfriend reached her, sitting on the edge of her bed to lean down and press a kiss to her lips.

It was gentle, so gentle. Blake was always so gentle with her…

Weiss wished she could hold the kiss longer, but her lungs didn't allow it. When Blake placed the mask back over her mouth, the oxygen filled her body once more, causing her chest to rise, and it felt better than Weiss cared to admit.

She sighed and closed her eyes, hand seeking Blake's, finding it, curling around it. Part of her wanted Blake to go back to her own bed and put her IV drip back in. But the other part wanted Blake to stay right there beside her, lie down with her and be close to her.

Weiss was ashamed to admit it, but she knew the latter part was the one she was siding with.

. . .

Weiss' hand was cold around her fingers. A grasp clutched lightly around her hand, and Blake squeezed gently in response, the thought of letting go so far from her mind.

"Scoot," she said, gesturing with her head for Weiss to make room, but it was more of a tease than an actual request. Blake didn't want Weiss to strain herself more than necessary, and she was able to crawl over Weiss and settle against her uninjured side with minimal pain. No small feat, for sure, and the sigh that escaped seconds later was nothing if not relieved.

The quiet respite that worked its way into the resulting silence was utter bliss. After two days of horrible sleep, the insomnia finally seemed to be slipping. She wriggled her hand in Weiss' grasp, curling and uncurling her fingers, savoring the weight in her hold. Blake reveled in that feeling of closeness, thrived in it, and pitied any doctor stupid enough to try and take it from her.

. . .

Weiss was relieved beyond explanation when Blake opted to stay beside her.

She was thankful to Blake for putting in the effort to move to Weiss' uninjured side; she wanted to feel her girlfriend as closely as possible.

Weiss longed to speak to her again, to thank Blake for saving her life, to remind her how much she loved her. But the pesky mask needed to stay on and she knew it. Weiss compromised with herself that if she let it do its job now, she would be able to speak more fluently before very long. But for now, she needed to be still.

She squeezed Blake's hand back for all she was worth, trying to convey her feelings through the contact. She could hear Blake's soft breathing as she drifted off into some much-needed sleep, and the knowledge that Blake was finally resting brought Weiss solace and encouraged her to try and do the same.

She closed her eyes, reflecting on the rather impressive feat they had accomplished together back in the forest. It would surely be a gradual road to recovery ahead, but so long as Blake was there beside her, Weiss knew it wouldn't be too difficult a walk.

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A/N: More to come yet!