The Golden Room (ch5)

2 DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

The art for Chapter 4. was a little delayed so check back for a link! I'll post it in the fic once it's up!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 5. Being Honest

Even though Weiss had reassured her that she'd be fine, Yang naturally couldn't help but worry about her all that evening.

When she went to the library to fetch Ruby and Blake, she told them about what had happened with Weiss, and the others sympathized.

"You should text her!" Ruby suggested.

Blake readily agreed.

"Ruby's right. I'm sure Weiss would appreciate your checking up on her."

Yang mentally debated it all the drive home, after she'd dropped off Blake, and even all the way through supper. She didn't want to risk getting Weiss in trouble if her phone went off at a bad time. If her father knew she was texting someone he didn't know, he might get angry, accuse her of fooling around instead of studying.

Yang barely managed to plow through her own homework that night before she plopped onto her bed and hugged her knees to her chest, pouting.

"It's not fair. I should be able to text her to see how she's doing without worrying about this..."

She glanced at her alarm clock. 9:35PM was late enough, wasn't it? Weiss would most likely be in her room getting ready for bed. Yang could assume with relative ease that her father wouldn't be anywhere close by enough to hear a phone's vibration.

Therefore, Yang steeled herself and typed out her message.

//Evening, Weiss! Just wanted to check and see how you were doing.//

She sent her text and a little prayer along with it. Please don't let her dad find out!

Only after the deed had been done did Yang start to fret. What if Weiss was asleep right now, trying to rest and recuperate, and the message Yang had just sent woke her up? Yang smacked her face into her pillow.

"Agh, damn it!"

But to her surprise, she didn't beat herself up for long. It was only a few minutes later when she received a response from Weiss, and it was rather pacifying.

//Good evening, Yang.
I'm sorry for not texting you first.
I should've let you know earlier, but I'm all right.
It turns out I was just a bit dehydrated and fatigued, but it's nothing serious!
I'll be back in school tomorrow, so I look forward to seeing you then!//

As Yang read her message, a lopsided grin started spreading across her lips. Oh, thank god.

She chuckled as she entertained the thought that reading a late-night text from a sick Weiss somehow felt like reading a professional email from a very stern teacher.

As she amused herself with the thought of Weiss lecturing a bunch of children about table manners, Yang typed up a speedy reply.

//I'm so glad to hear that, you have no idea! I hope you feel better ASAP!//

Thinking their conversation was over, Yang put her phone aside on the bedside table and flicked off her lamp, letting out a long sigh that took all of her worries with it. But a minute later, her phone buzzed one last time. She squinted at the dark and read:

//Thank you, Yang.//

And Weiss didn't have to specify in order for Yang to knew what she'd meant.

Not only was she expressing gratitude for Yang's act of wishing her well, but also too for the fact that Yang had texted her tonight at all.

Yang chose to only send back a single emoji as a response, but she didn't choose randomly. She made sure to choose the little yellow sun, to remind Weiss of their time together in the music room.

As Yang laid down for bed that night, all she could think about was Weiss.

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Ever since she'd met Weiss, Yang had become impatient with the school days due to how quickly she wanted to get through them so she could see her friend again.

But she was more impatient the next day than ever before, even more than the days she knew Weiss would be coming with her to see her volleyball practice. On those days, she'd be excited and thrilled.

But today, Yang was jittery and anxious all day long, up until the very last serve of the volleyball. She was hardly surprised to find that Weiss hadn't attended her practice today, so Yang rushed to get changed, tied her blazer around her skirt as always, grabbed her bag, and made a mad dash for the music room.

Thankfully, unlike yesterday, it wasn't just silence that greeted her in the hallway this time. Rather, there was that familiar tinkling of the piano being carried on the air. A smile spread across Yang's lips instantly as she quickened her pace just a little bit.

When she arrived at the door, she knocked five times, which was her private way of telling Weiss it was her and not anyone else.

Yang was so relieved to see her.

Weiss was seated at the piano as she always was, back straight and poised. One shoe was tapping softly against the floor along with the beat of the music, and she was swaying contentedly along with the tune as she glided her fingers over the keys.

The song was just ending as Yang dropped her bag into one of the chairs and hurried over to the girl at the piano, arms open wide.

"Weiss!" She was too elated and relieved not to call out to her, voice laden with excitement.

Weiss was just turning to face her when Yang skidded to a halt, her knees bumping lightly against the side of the bench. Yang froze before she could cover the last few inches between them, realizing she was being hasty.

Weiss looked up at her, clearly surprised, but very happy. Yang shook herself off to take her eagerness down a notch, but failed to get rid of the smile.

"Sorry! I'm just so glad to see you... I mean, I'm always glad to see you. You know that. What I mean is, I'm glad you're okay. Well, I'm always glad to see that you're okay, too. Wh-What I mean is-"

"Yang, calm down." Weiss lifted her hand to her mouth to conceal a chuckle. "I understand what you mean perfectly."

"You do? Oh, that's good. Cause I don't know what the heck I'm saying. I just-"

"Yang?" she said calmly, a knowing gleam in her eyes. Weiss lifted up her arms invitingly, leaving no room for questions.

A sound that was half-whimper, half-sigh tumbled from Yang's lips as she sat down on the bench and pulled Weiss into her arms without a second thought.

For a split second, she thought she was being too needy. Weiss had only had a small, harmless cold yesterday. What if Yang was overreacting about being so relieved?

But those concerns were erased right away as Weiss squeezed her back, sighing softly. It was clear she'd wanted this just as badly as Yang had.

Assured everything was all right, Yang held her close for a second longer, then eased back to meet her eyes. They were back to their usual brightness, blue as the sky and clever as her personality. Yang knew the grin on her own mouth must've looked totally goofy, but she couldn't push it away. She was just too indescribably happy.

"Phew..." she whistled. "I'm so glad you're all better. Thank god it didn't last long and interfere with your health. Did you get all your homework and stuff finished yesterday?" She knew Weiss had told her she that she had, but Yang just wanted to be sure.

Weiss presented her with a lovely smile and nodded.

"Yes. I'm all caught up on my work. And actually, I had my last test today, so I shouldn't be getting such a crazy workload like that for a while now!"

"That's great! You of all people deserve a break."

A faint dusting of pink rose up on Weiss' cheeks, and she looked down to the piano keys.

"Thank you, Yang. For taking care of me yesterday and for checking up on me."

"Hey, don't mention it. I'm just glad I didn't text you at a bad time. I was worried."

"It's all right. I..." She flashed Yang a nervous glance, but the smile curling her lips told Yang nothing bad would come from this. "I actually... told my father about you a bit."

"You did?" Yang's jaw almost hit the floor as she straightened up immediately. Eyes wide, she floundered for words. "I-I, you- I mean, wh-what did he say? Is he-"

"He's not mad, first of all," Weiss assured her. "I was a bit nervous at first as well. But he said as long as it's not interfering with my grades, seeing a friend after school sometimes shouldn't be an issue. I was sort of surprised, too. I didn't think he'd accept me doing something like this. Though I did tweak the truth a bit and say I only met with you a few days a week, not every weekday."

"Hey, that's okay! It's not like you're lying or anything," Yang reasoned. "Because technically, you do see me a few days a week. You just see me... a few other days a week, too. And that just so happens to make all five of them!"

Her declaration actually elicited a laugh from Weiss.

"You know, I'd never thought about it that way. But you're absolutely right."

It earned a small chuckle from the both of them, and the mood lifted a little higher. Yang leaned her elbow on the ebony support of the piano, sighing.

"Yeah, I'm just glad you're all right now. I figured your dad would've freaked out if his prodigy got sick or something major like that."

She'd meant for it to be a casual comment, one to sort of wrap up this conversation and possibly transition into another one.

But in contrast to her own laid-back tone, Weiss' responding one was suddenly tight.

"...Right. Of course." Clearing her throat, she looked away, back down to the piano. "Let me get started on my next piece, then."

But Yang could automatically sense there was something wrong that hadn't been amiss three seconds ago. Which meant she'd done something.

"W-Wait! Hold on a sec." She reached out to cover the back of Weiss' hand before her fingers could press down on the keys.

Weiss paused, but couldn't bring herself to look up just yet. Yang felt a sickening feeling twist in her stomach, like the sensation she felt when she'd almost slipped down on a stair. It was weighted and immediate, and she didn't like it. Because she knew she'd upset Weiss just now.

As she recalled now, it had happened the first afternoon she'd met her, too. Yang hadn't been able to recognize why it had upset Weiss at the time, or what it even was.

But now she knew. It just clicked suddenly.

In that instant, her jaw hung slack but no sound escaped her mouth as she tried to fumble for words. Weiss flashed a glance at her with nervous eyes that couldn't hold her gaze.

"Yang, it's fine. I know you-"

"No. No, it's not fine, Weiss."

One of her hands was still covering Weiss', so she used her free hand to comb back through her own bangs, something she often did when she was anxious. When she was done, she straightened her back a little and let out a long sigh, then sought Weiss' eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it before. I didn't mean it like that, Weiss. Honest."

Silently, she begged for Weiss to look her in the eye. If she didn't, Yang felt like their friendship would be tarnished by her own thoughtless mistake.

But Weiss was much stronger than that. She raised her head, and those two pools of blue lifted to meet lavender once again.

"Yang, it's fine," she repeated. "I know you didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry I reacted this way. I should be able to control myself better by know. I didn't mean to make you feel guilty."

"It's not your fault," Yang insisted. "You're just reacting naturally. That's totally normal. It's my fault for not thinking and saying something like that. Again." Her grip on the back of Weiss' hand tightened, and she bit her lip angrily. Weiss slipped her own hand free to lay it over Yang's now, stroking her thumb across her knuckles soothingly.

"Yang, I understand. It's not easy for people to look at me and see anything other than my father's talented little prodigy. People call me that all the time. My classmates, my teachers, even my own family members. I'm used to it. I shouldn't be reacting this way anymore. I'm sorry."

"No!" Yang raised her voice on accident, and quickly brought it back down. "No, Weiss. It's not you who should change your reaction to it. You shouldn't have to hide or suppress what you're feeling for other peoples' sakes. It's the rest of us who should be more considerate when we talk about that part of your life."

"It's really fine," Weiss assured her. She was trying to smile, but Yang could tell it wasn't genuine. Weiss closed her eyes and plastered on that grin, hiding her true emotions. "I'm going to sound so conceited when I say this, but I guess I am sort of a gifted person, aren't I? It's difficult for people to see anything more than that."

"No..." Yang whispered. "Weiss, no." She reached out to her, brushing her fingertips lightly over Weiss' shoulder, coaxing her to open her eyes. Blue locked with lavender, and this time, neither of them looked away. Yang continued in a low, private tone, only for her.

"That's why I'm apologizing, Weiss. Because you're not just some prodigy kid to me. You're not just some talented girl who performs a lot of amazing solos and gets the highest grades in the school. I mean... you are all of those things, but... but you're also so much more. At least to me."

In the silence that followed, Weiss' fingers subconsciously curled over the backs of Yang's hand. Her nails tickled Yang's skin as she found soft purchase there, suggesting she didn't want to move, didn't want to drop the conversation here.

Slowly, Yang flipped her hand over, so they were palm-to-palm now. She angled her hand and Weiss' just a little bit differently, so that their fingers now fit together, interlocking.

Weiss took a moment to absorb everything Yang had just told her. She'd never been recognized for anything other than her talents before, especially not by someone her own age. Her classmates were either jealous of her, or if they weren't, then they certainly didn't take note of anything else about her other than her talents.

Her heart started to pound more quickly, and she squeezed Yang's fingers - uncertain. Her eyes started flicking around the room again as she tried to take it all in.

Yang didn't rush her. She used her other hand on Weiss' shoulder to comb through the girl's ponytail, silently telling her it was okay to take her time.

But Weiss didn't want to keep her waiting. She only took a few more seconds before she ultimately found Yang's eyes again. Taking a deep breath, she finally gave a reply.

"So you... you said that I'm... more than just a prodigy child. To you. What... exactly what else am I?"

Yang searched her eyes for a second. She could tell right away Weiss wasn't just asking this because she wanted to be praised and have her ego boosted.

It was entirely the opposite. Weiss was genuinely confused.

In all her life, she'd never been recognized for anything other than her talents. She couldn't even comprehend what else there was that Yang might've seen in her.

The blonde shook her head, a little disbelieving that she'd be the first person to appreciate Weiss for something other than her obvious talents. She tightened her grip on Weiss' hand and on her shoulder, taking in a breath.

"Heh... Well, where do I even start?"

She wasn't so confident about her speech, but she was very sure about the things she wanted to say. So she tried not to dwell on things for too long. She just said them.

"Like I said, you're not just some prodigy with a gorgeous voice that puts angels to shame. I mean, you are that. But you're other things, too. You're super smart, obviously, hardworking, passionate. And you're also just a super nice person."

With every word out of her mouth, Weiss' cheeks took on a pinker and pinker hue, and her heart beat just a little bit faster each second. She was having difficulty looking Yang in the eye, but especially at the last comment, she made sure to.

"Nice? You... think I'm nice?"

Yang was shocked. "Absolutely! Who wouldn't?"

"...All of my classmates, it seems. They just assume I'm distant because I'd prefer to get my work done rather than fool around."

"That's because they're assuming!" Yang declared. "They don't actually know you. They never bothered to, did they?"

Weiss didn't reply, but that was enough of an answer. Yang squeezed her hand tighter. When she went on, it was in a much more reserved voice.

"You can't make judgements about yourself based on the assumptions of people who don't actually know anything about you. You're a super nice and considerate person. I mean, when I hurt my ankle, you were the one to jump up and rush over and take me to the nurse. You're the sweetest girl I've ever met. And..."

For this, she made sure to make eye contact, and present a big, hearty smile.

"You mean a lot to me, Weiss."

It was such a simple statement to say, but so profound to hear. Weiss' breath hitched in her throat. Her heart that had been beating so quickly until now came to a sudden stop.

She'd... never been told anything like that before in all her life. Not by someone who wasn't her own big sister, anyway.

Of course, there was a basic level of assumption that the people around her would care if something happened to her, that they recognized her existence in regards to their own.

But...

But no one had ever explicitly told or showed Weiss that they cared about her before. Not like this.

Tears were beginning to rise up behind her eyes. She bowed her head, tried to blink them back, her hand trembling against Yang's.

Yang held tightly to her fingers, steadying her, wanting her to know what she was saying was the truth. Weiss' free hand found its way to Yang's knee and rested there, as if to help keep herself upright.

Yang let her have as much time as she needed to take all this in. But she was anxious for some kind of reply, worried that maybe she'd said something wrong. She started to chew on her bottom lip, shuffling her shoes beneath the bench. But when she started to feel warm drops of water on her knees, she couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Weiss?" With concern thick in her voice, she leaned forward a bit, trying to seek Weiss' eyes. "Hey, a-are you okay?"

The girl nodded right away, sniffling as she straightened herself up once more. Despite the tears rolling steadily down her cheeks, there was a wobbly smile on her lips.

"Yang..."

Her voice was so soft, just like everything else about her right now, her hair, her hands...

Yang inhaled slowly and held her gaze.

"Yeah?"

She watched as Weiss, too, drew in a deep breath.

"Could you... show me...? Show me how much I mean to you...?"

She feared it was a selfish request, and almost felt bad for making it. But she trusted Yang not to misinterpret her.

And of course, Yang could read her like a book.

She knew exactly what Weiss meant.

Weiss wasn't testing her, asking her for proof of her friendship, as if Yang needed to be worthy of such a thing. Not at all.

Weiss simply wanted to know.

She wanted to know the extent of their friendship, of what Yang felt for her.

A hug would've demonstrated a clear answer.

But Yang didn't give her that. She wanted to be honest, and she wanted Weiss to be honest, too.

She dipped her head, closed her eyes, and leaned forward. Her breath fanned out warmly against Weiss' lips.

The singer closed her eyes as well, breathed her in, and counted the beats of her heart.

At that moment, the sun shifted in the way that was unique to this room alone. It slipped down over the top rim of the window sill and started to leak in, illuminating the room in a glorious, warm glow.

Weiss' hair was painted in pale sunlit strands, while Yang's lit up like vibrant yellow fireworks.

Their kiss was soft, warm, and golden.

It lasted for as long as that dazzling light did.

When the sunlight began to shift, and the room returned to its usual, creamy color, the two girls pulled away. Their fingers squeezed together over the ivory piano keys, causing a single note of music to fill the air.

Hearts soaring, they opened their eyes once again, winter blue ponds meeting with springtime morning skies.

Simply dazzling.

Their mouths were sore, not from the kiss, but from smiling so much. They longed to speak, but were fine with being speechless. Just for now.

The hands that were entwined on the piano, they kept there. Yang moved her other hand around Weiss' shoulders, and Weiss moved hers to Yang's hip.

Sharing a quiet giggle of excitement and delight, they pulled each other close, resting their foreheads together, noses brushing, cheeks pink.

They stayed that way for a while, engraving the moment into their fluttering hearts. It felt like filling in the blank spots on a canvas, painting it with colors more vibrant than any that already existed on it.

They said nothing, not until Weiss' alarm went off, and the two girls ultimately parted. They grabbed their bags and shared one last hug, as if nothing especially different had happened here today.

But it was a mutual feeling, this enthrallment, this cheerful, indescribable giddiness.

They could talk about it tomorrow.

But for that now, and for the remainder of that evening, they just enjoyed it.

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A/N: I wanted to put an emphasis on wordlessness in this scene. Far too often people (and these characters) talk and think too much. I wanted to focus on the doing, living in the moment~