A Comfortable Silence

EARLY RELEASE FOR HIGH-PLEDGING PATRONS! THANKS!

A small commission for antonslavki020! They asked for Blake and Weiss just getting together~

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														A Comfortable Silence

Team RWBY's dorm room was bustling with activity that Saturday morning as Ruby and Yang prepared for their Sisters Day Out.

Blake sat on her bed with a book against her knees, trying to focus on the words on the page rather than the words being said.

"Oh! Oh!" Ruby was saying. "Maybe we can go to the weapons store! Pleeeeease, Yang?"

"Well... Just make sure you don't touch anything without asking this time. Don't wanna get kicked out again for accidentally shooting an employee in the foot."

"Yaaaay! Don't worry, it wont' happen again!"

As Blake tried and failed in her concentration, her eyes flicked over to the other side of the room. Weiss was sitting on her own bed, filing her nails with care. After she'd heard the sisters' present conversation, Weiss' jaw dropped.

"You what?! Ruby, how does that even happen?"

"Uhhh, long story! I'll explain some other time!" Their leader turned to Yang and grabbed her by the arm. "Time for us to go, right sis?"

"Yup! We're gonna have a blast!" Yang ruffled Ruby's hair until she looked like a wet dog. "You two have fun chillin' out here, or whatever it is you guys do." She nodded to Weiss and Blake, who both simply shrugged.

"Have fun," Blake said.

"Yes, and don't accidentally shoot anyone," Weiss added.

"No promises, but I'll try!"

With Ruby's final declaration on the air, the sisters turned and left the room, taking the volume of excited conversation with them.

The room was heavy with silence now. The only small sounds remaining were the aimless flipping of Blake's own book pages and the tiny scratches of Weiss' file over her nails. The sounds were easily picked up by Blake's sharp ears, even beneath the bow.

She turned her page back, realizing she'd flipped it without really reading what was there. Her ears flicked beneath the bow, and she kept crossing her ankles and fidgeting.

She'd known this was going to be a difficult day from the moment Yang had told her she and Ruby would be going out.

Despite their rough start and glaring differences, Blake had developed a very soft spot for Weiss now that they knew one another better. They'd been through a lot together, and once Blake had actually taken the time to get to know the heiress, she realized Weiss wasn't nearly as bad as most people (Weiss herself included) made her out to be.

Blake wanted to do something more today than just sit in their room for hours on end in borderline dead silence. But she was too nervous to make a suggestion to do otherwise.

/Maybe Weiss just wants to stay in and relax today. If I suggest going out and she refuses, I'll just feel foolish.../

"Blake? Would you like to go out?"

"H-Huh?" She nearly dropped her book, and had to make an unceremonious scramble to keep it from falling, which resulted in her wishing she'd just let it. The Faunus girl quickly sat up straight, closed her book, and put it aside so she could face the heiress. She took a deep breath and tried to recover from the surprise of her teammate's comment. "You want to?"

"Yes. Why should those two get to go out and have all the fun today? We deserve to let loose a bit too, don't we?"

Weiss stood up from her bed and offered her hand out to Blake, a casual motion that probably meant nothing, but was making Blake's chest feel tight. Even so, she didn't waste a second in accepting. Weiss smiled, gave a small tug, and helped Blake to her feet.

"Come on. Let's go to Vale and find something to do."

They caught an airship and sat together, and all the while Blake found herself lamenting that she hadn't brought her book along. Weiss' face and eyes were turned to the window, giving her plenty to content herself with during the ride.

But Blake soon found that she had quite a nice view, as well. While Weiss gazed out at blue skies and white clouds, Blake stole glances at blue eyes and white hair.

When they landed after a half-hour flight, Blake discovered that Weiss' version of 'letting loose' wasn't anything like Ruby and Yang's version.

While the sisters chose to go to weapons stores and watch wrestling matches and mock fights, Weiss preferred simply walking around town and through the park.

Blake was more than happy to accompany her, holding casual conversation whenever it struck their fancy to do so.

As they sauntered along the sidewalk through the park and marveled at the blossoming springtime flowers, Blake was more than content just to be quiet at Weiss' side. The uptight heiress seemed to be more at ease than she'd ever been before.

Blake knew her teammate often felt compelled to speak about one thing or another, simply to fill the silence. She'd learned early on that silence often made Weiss uncomfortable, to the point where she'd seek to break it at almost any cost.

Blake could assume it was a natural, defensive reaction of Weiss'.

To a girl like Blake who had known much violence and volume in her past, silence represented peace, and allowed for a few moments during which she could lose herself in the worlds of her books.

But for Weiss, it was just the opposite. Talking or even chittering nervously was often better to her than silence, because silence to Weiss meant that there was bound to be something awful brewing in it. Blake could imagine that instances of silence for Weiss in her family life had often ended in verbal arguments and other unpleasant things.

So whenever Weiss wanted to talk, Blake listened, and joined in if she thought it would help her feel better.

But today, as they walked through the park at their leisure, Weiss didn't seem anxious at all.

With smiles on both their faces, they continued following the path through the grass as they headed back towards town.

Blake had been expecting to entertain that comfortable silence, or possibly speak up again if Weiss showed the desire to.

What she hadn't expected was to feel a brush against her hand, soft and trembling.

She found it a miracle that she didn't stumble as her wide eyes flashed sideways. Weiss was there, closer than ever before, with her hand curled into Blake's. Blake could feel the soft, thin creases of her palm, and the lines seemed to fit perfectly into her own. She loosened her own fingers, silently allowing Weiss to slip hers through and into place.

Without a word, they continued walking, the natural sway of their steps masking the shaking of their nervous, entwined hands.

Blake wasn't sure what this meant. Her heart begged to jump to the conclusion that benefitted her most strongly, but her mind refused to let it. It could've been that Weiss merely wanted a bit of support, perhaps for something yet unspoken, yet to be revealed.

Perhaps she did this with Ruby and Yang whenever either of them were alone with Weiss, as well.

Her mind was racing as quickly as her heart was as they headed back to town, hand in hand. They didn't make eye contact once throughout their walk, not after they touched hands.

Once they were back following the sidewalks of the town, Blake noticed that Weiss was starting to slow down a bit, her pace becoming ever so slightly slower with mild fatigue. Without looking her way or changing her grip on Weiss' hand, Blake suggested they take a rest somewhere.

The nearest building happened to be a theater, and Weiss made no qualms about going inside. However, it was necessary for them to let go of one another's hands in order to make payments for tickets.

Blake's entire body was so warm, she didn't even consciously realize which moment it was when the warmth of Weiss' hand left hers.

She didn't want to overreact. She didn't want to get her hopes up.

But there was little else to do in terms of reacting once they got their seats and the lights went out.

Blake dared to rest her arm over the back of Weiss' seat, in a manner that was nonchalant and not suggestive in any way.

But Weiss leaned into her in a way that could be interpreted as nothing short of intentional.

The film on-screen was merely an excuse to get closer. The plot went unnoticed by both girls as Weiss leaned herself over the arm of the seat separating them and rested her head on Blake's shoulder.

It was only then when Blake decided to accept this as reality. She curled her hand around Weiss' back, fingers rubbing softly on her shoulder. The nerves were killing her, the tightness in her chest making it hard to breathe.

But she imagined it might've been the same way for Weiss, so Blake decided to spare them both.

Briefly, she rested her cheek against Weiss' head and took a moment to get her bearings. Then, with a deep breath, she found her voice, soft and private.

"Weiss...?"

Weiss shifted slightly, her eyes and attention fully on Blake now, and somehow, the Faunus girl knew they'd never really been on the film to begin with.

"Yes, Blake?"

Somehow, seeing the acceptance in Weiss' eyes and hearing it in her voice encouraged Blake to ask her question despite the anxieties.

"May I kiss you?"

A moment of pause, just so they could both absorb those words and take in the moment, to understand it as reality.

Weiss leaned herself further over the arm of the seat, dipping her head, though her eyes never left gold.

"You may."

Somehow, the months and months of wrestling with troubling emotions and self-denial could melt away so effortlessly within the course of a single moment.

Blake found it incredible how she brought herself to lean down at the exact moment Weiss was straining up for her. Even when they closed their eyes, the universe worked in their favor and guided them to one another.

By some miracle, the kiss didn't miss. It was soft, small, and perfect.

/Sort of like Weiss herself,/ Blake mused.

She almost ruined it all with a chuckle, but managed to control herself.

It took a moment and another kiss before she could truly accept this reality. Weiss pulled back, her breath still lingering on Blake's lips, uncertain. Her eyes fluttered open and found Blake's once more, asking silent questions.

Blake kept her arm around her shoulders, a grip that was firm enough to keep her close so Weiss knew this was what she wanted as well, but also loose enough to allow Weiss to pull away if she wanted to.

But it soon became clear she didn't want to.

Weiss inhaled again and bit her lip, one of her hands finding its way to Blake's. The Faunus girl whimpered, a sound of relief and elation, a sound that suggested one of many fruitless dreams had finally come true.

"Weiss..." she rasped. "May I-"

Kiss you again?

She'd wanted to ask it, but Weiss was an intelligent girl. She deciphered it long before Blake could finish speaking.

The heiress reached a hand up to cradle the back of Blake's head and pulled her forward and down.

Blake knew it was a good thing they hadn't purchased any food or drinks to put in between them, because with the desperate proximity they were displaying now, everything else would've been on the floor by now.

Weiss kissed her again, with a little more fervor, and a little less breath. She didn't speak another word, nor did she let Blake.

For once, it was a silence she didn't mind.

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A/N: I tend to think of Weiss as I described here, as always needed to talk or fill silence. I feel she appreciates silence when she's working or trying to do something important, but otherwise it probably makes her uncomfortable. Her family life seems to have conditioned her to be constantly talking, even to the point of arguing, hence why some people think she's 'bossy'.