This was at least a year-old idea I once started and only just recently finished. So it is very overdone and pretty boring (and unnecessarily angsty), but I just couldn't let it go to waste, so I completed it and just want to post it now!

Dedicated to macdutton! Thank you for your support!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

In The Night

They'd called it.

They'd all called it.

Ruby's bed finally had finally fallen.

Ruby had been staring at the pile of broken wood, frayed rope, and flayed mattresses for some time, not sure what to say or think. Both Yang and Blake had a feeling that Ruby was a little upset about the whole thing.

But at least Weiss hadn't been underneath the wooden death trap when it fell.

It had startled everyone, surprised no one.

Presently, Weiss was still trembling slightly as she stood in her nightgown, eyes staring hollowly at the carnage that once was her bed. She had almost once proposed a bet with Ruby that the accursed mattress of hers would fall one day.

She should have made that bet.

The heiress had been muttering disbelief and mildly-outraged comments under her breath for at least three minutes now as she clutched herself, but counted her blessings that she herself was still miraculously in one piece.

Ruby stood close by and casually slipped an arm around her trembling partner.

"Well, at least you're not hurt, right?"

Weiss glowered at her.

"Perhaps not physically, but I assure you the mental scars will remain for quite some time."

She'd only just barely managed to jump off her mattress as Ruby's had come crashing down. Her white hair was still frazzled, and she felt Yang's warm hand start to comb through it gently to fix it.

"Welp," the blonde sighed. "Guess we're gonna have to figure out what to do for sleeping arrangements tonight. At least until the new beds come. Then again-" With a smirk, she pulled Weiss out of Ruby's partial embrace and into her own. "I think it'd be nice to get some shut-eye tonight sleeping together with our respective girlfriends, don't you guys?"

"Excuse me?" Weiss squeaked.

But Ruby and Blake were sharing approving looks with one another at the idea.

"You're right! We gotta sleep somewhere!" the leader shrugged. "So I'll sleep with Blake and you sleep with Weiss!"

"H-Hold on just a moment!" Weiss protested, slipping away from Yang. "You want us to put two people into these single-person beds now? Yours couldn't even hold one, apparently!"

Ruby rolled her eyes dramatically.

"It didn't fall 'cause there was too much weight, Weiss! It fell cause the rope snapped! But Yang's bed is supported by all Blake's books, so it'll be fine!"

"That's hardly reassuring!"

"Hey hey, there, princess." Yang put a pacifying hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "Just take it easy, yeah? It'll be fine!"

Weiss felt that the sisters couldn't be reasoned with, so she looked to Blake for assistance.

But the Faunus girl was evidently also on their side.

"Unless you and Ruby want to curl up on the floor," she said. "I don't think we have any other options. The new beds won't be here at least until tomorrow afternoon."

Weiss was outnumbered, and while she could've opted to sleep alone on the floor with a few of Ruby's blankets-

-she was the heiress of Schnee Dust, for crying out loud.

She'd gotten into the prestigious Beacon Academy through hard work, perseverance, and rigorous studying, and she was going to sleep on a bed, damn it. She was in no position to refuse the offer of sharing one of the remaining mattresses.

After a moment of internal debate, she heaved a heavy sigh, one her teammates recognized as surrender.

"Fine..." she grumbled. "But I refuse to take the bottom bed this time. I'd rather be the one falling than the one being crushed, thank you."

"And I think I'd rather be the one crushed," Ruby agreed with a grimace. "Falling was scary."

"At least you weren't almost flattened like a pancake!" Weiss snapped.

"But Weiss, pancakes are yummy!"

It was only a joke, but Weiss would have lunged at her had Yang and Blake not been there to respectfully restrain and get their girlfriends out of harm's way.

Blake ushered Ruby toward her bed and begged her to stop talking. Likewise, Yang had locked her arms around Weiss' stomach and dragged her a few feet back, away from her sister.

"Alrighty then, Weiss. Up we go!"

"W-Wait a second!" The heiress struggled out of the brawler's strong grip, glancing doubtfully up at the suspended bed. "How exactly am I supposed to get up there?"

"It's easy! Haven't you ever watched Ruby or me do it before? Like this!" Without regard for how much she rattled both remaining beds, Yang jumped up and clambered over the edge of her top bunk before crossing her legs and waving down triumphantly. "There, see? Easy-peasy!"

"Easy-peasy for you to say," Weiss grumbled. She stole one last glance at Blake's bed, where Ruby was hiding behind her Faunus girlfriend at the moment.

Ruby squeaked an apology.

"S-Sorry again, Weiss!"

"Never mind that," the heiress sighed. "Just the both of you get out from there for a moment. I want to make sure Yang's bed can really support my weight as well, and if it can't, I'd really rather not see the both of you crushed."

Blake nodded in agreement and coaxed Ruby out of bed, so they were both standing safely to the side. Once they were clear, Weiss directed her gaze back up to Yang's bed and swallowed.

"C'mon, Weiss!" the blonde called down to her. "It's not hard! I'll help ya, don't worry!"

Weiss took a shaky step forward.

"You'd better not drop me!"

"Of course I won't! What do you take me for?"

Weiss made her way to the beds, trying to figure out where to put her hands and feet to get a good grip.

She'd maneuvered her body in countless ways for the sake of battle in the past, but this was entirely different; she'd seen and felt Ruby's bed come shattering down, and Weiss wasn't sure if she trusted this one, either.

At least her team was patient with her. Ruby and Blake kept watchful eyes on her, ready to reach forward if she slipped off. Yang encouraged her softly from above.

"That's it, just take your time." She offered Weiss her hand, and the heiress strained up, slipping her smaller fingers into that warm palm. "That's it, I got'cha, princess. Easy now..."

Holding tightly to Yang's hand, Weiss managed to drag her torso up over the edge of the bed, though she did end up pressing her stomach a little too hard into the wooden side.

"Ow..." she wheezed, flustered that a bed of all things had gotten the better of her twice now in one evening.

Yang chuckled a little as she helped Weiss up the rest of the way.

"It takes practice."

At last, Weiss got her knees up on the bed, and Yang kept a hand on her back to keep her steady. The heiress peered down over the edge, realizing just how high up she was; if she stood, she'd surely hit the ceiling.

Not that she was planning on standing.

From below, Ruby gave her a thumbs up.

"You'll be fine, Weiss! Just enjoy your first time ever on the top bunk!"

"Goodnight, you guys," Blake said softly.

"Yeah, night!" Yang waved down to them. "You two snuggle up tight, it's a bit chilly tonight! And don't worry, I'll be sure to keep Weiss nice 'n toasty!"

"Wonderful..." Weiss grunted.

Now that it was clear Yang's bed could support the extra weight, Blake flicked off the beside lamp before disappearing beneath. Ruby followed after her, giggling softly in the darkness as they settled.

Weiss looked over her shoulder when she felt Yang tap it.

"C'mon, princess," the blonde murmured, patting the spot beside her. "You've had a rough evening. Let's get some rest."

"I can't guarantee I'll be able to sleep whilst all the way up here cramped on this mattress with you... but I'll try."

"Atta girl!" Yang scooted over to make space for her, lifting up the blankets so Weiss could slip underneath.

The heiress was extremely cautious as she moved almost painstakingly slowly. Yang seriously considered shaking the bed by "accident", but ultimately decided against it; she'd teased her poor girlfriend enough this week.

Once Weiss had finally laid down beside her, Yang wrapped her in a loose hug and pulled her in. "C'mere, you~" She peppered kisses all over Weiss' face, holding tighter to the girl when she struggled.

"Y-Yang, please!"

"Don't squirm too much, princess! Wouldn't want you to roll off, now would we?"

That had the heiress freezing in place, accepting Yang's affection with a pout puffing her cheeks now. The blonde giggled and nuzzled into her neck before kissing her chest.

"It's kinda nice up here in the dark, huh? We don't get to do this kinda thing too often, else Ruby and Blake'll see us~"

"Hush! They may not be able to see us now, but they aren't deaf, you know!"

A grunt from below confirmed her words.

"Maybe so," Yang whispered. "But neither are we. Blake, we can hear ya purring like a motorboat down there. Don't make her wear out her voice box, Ruby!"

There was an embarrassed hiss of "Yang!" from below them, and the blonde laughed into Weiss' shoulder. Since Weiss couldn't risk either of them falling off by pushing her girlfriend away, she displayed her grievances by nipping Yang's ear.

"Whoa-ho, there!" Yang hummed. "If ya wanna get into that kinda thing tonight, I think it might be a bit of a challenge up here like this, but I'm all for it!"

"Shut it!" This time, Weiss bumped her skull against Yang's, making her whimper pitifully. "You clumsy oaf. Just go to sleep."

"Alright, alriiiight."

Yang kept her arms around the girl as she herself finally relaxed and prepared for sleep, though the same couldn't be said for her girlfriend. She could feel how tense Weiss still was from being so high up and in a space meant for only one person. Yang slowly ran her hands up and down over the girl's back, cooing into her ear.

"Relax, 'kay? You're fine up here. I got'cha, princess. I promise." She pressed a sweet kiss to Weiss' forehead and held it, curling her fingers through soft, silky white hair.

Weiss closed her eyes and breathed a little deeper, a little slower, letting Yang's warm palms on her back soothe her. She knew Yang wouldn't rest until she knew Weiss was alright, so the heiress did her best to focus on the warmth of the arms around her, the softness of the blankets and pillow.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. "Just sleep, Yang. If I recall correctly, you had a rather tough workout today."

"Nah, it was pretty much the same as usual. I just tried lifting a few more pounds is all."

"Still, I'm sure you're exhausted." Weiss lifted her head to kiss the underside of the blonde's chin. She too slipped her arms around Yang and slowly rubbed her hands up and down her surely-sore back. Weiss' assumptions were confirmed when she felt Yang sigh, moaning a bit when her shoulders were massaged.

"Weiss~ That feels criminal. Feels so good..."

"Good. Sleep now."

She tucked her head beneath Yang's chin and tilted her head until she'd found a comfortable position that allowed her to breathe.

There was a naturally-strong heat emitting from the blonde, a welcome contrast to Weiss' lower body temperature. Yang's heart thumped loudly beneath her ear - even when her mouth was finally quiet - and Weiss thought of how fitting that was for her enthusiastic girlfriend.

She both felt and heard as Yang gradually fell asleep, and the ensuing silence that filled the room told Weiss that she was the only one left awake.

It was then she realized this would be the first time she'd slept beside her girlfriend – or anyone, for that matter.

And yet, she wasn't uncomfortable about it at all, but was rather welcome to the experience; she assumed it was because she was already so used to physical affection after having been dating Yang for two months now.

Still, she allowed herself to savor those moments, that intimate closeness between them.

To someone like Yang, hugging a person as she fell asleep was probably second-nature, but to Weiss it was something she wanted to relish as much as possible for as long as she could.

It was... almost strange, this proximity between them. She could hear Yang's breath and her heart, feel her warmth and the little ways she twitched in her sleep. And sometimes she would let out small noises, and Weiss couldn't deny those were adorable.

The two of them slept soundly for a while, as did their partners beneath them.

. . .

Yang didn't know why she woke an hour later, for what seemed like no particular reason.

Weiss was still in her arms, quiet in her sleep, but for whatever reason, Yang was wide awake.

She'd felt this before, back when she and Ruby were younger, after Summer had passed...

It was then she realized Weiss felt very warm, even for being in the same bed as Yang. The brawler glanced down at the girl's face to find her sweating. She was asleep, but her expression was pained, suggesting she was trapped.

Yang knew all too well what was happening.

She quickly slipped a hand between the two of them and pressed her fingers to Weiss' collar, feeling her pulse, finding it rampant. Yang didn't waste another second in rousing her.

"Weiss? Weiss..." She leaned over her protectively, shaking her gently, kissing her forehead. "Weiss, wake up, please..."

It didn't take much more than that to save her. Weiss' eyes flew open a second later, her lips parted in a gasp that she quickly covered with her hand.

Yang instantly scooped the girl into her arms and cradled her softly.

"It's okay. It was just a bad dream. You're safe now."

Weiss couldn't even fully make sense of what the nightmare had been about, but she knew that it had been nothing pleasant, and that was enough. She tried to push the thoughts and images away, burrowing into Yang's shoulder in an effort to steady her breathing.

Yang kissed her cheeks repeatedly to soothe her, murmuring reassurance.

Weiss considered it a miracle that she didn't cry, and when she was finally able to lift her head again, there was a tiny smile on her lips.

"Thank you, Yang. Just... thank you."

It was obvious she didn't want to talk about it, so Yang didn't press her. Instead, she kissed her again, this time on those pretty lips of hers.

"Don't mention it. I'm just glad you're okay now. Try to go back to sleep, okay?"

Weiss nodded, kissing her briefly to show her gratitude.

The two girls settled once more, and the heiress relished the peace of mind Yang had so effortlessly given to her. It was an ability unique to Yang, and one Weiss wished she herself could obtain somehow.

Yang drifted off before her this time, and Weiss quietly let the sounds of her breathing wreath around her once more, Yang's pulse still loud beneath her ear. The heat that kindled between their stomachs was comforting, something Weiss had sought all her life, but never realized she truly needed until now.

She must've laid there for half an hour or longer just curled into Yang's shoulder, listening to and feeling everything about her, things no one else got to know about her, not even her own sister or partner. She even got accustomed to the snoring once that started up, though it did hinder Weiss in falling asleep for several more moments.

She dozed in the utmost comfort for about an hour, breathing softly in the blonde's arms. When she finally did feel herself slipping, she was almost reluctant to let go of her conscious and Yang's presence around her.

However, just before she could succumb to sleep, something... happened.

The continuous, lazy snoring came to an abrupt stop, cutting off in a sharp gasp. The gentle arms around her suddenly went taut, and Yang's arms crushed Weiss so quickly and so powerfully to her chest that the heiress felt and heard her own back crack.

Nails tore through the fabrics of her nightgown, digging into her flesh, and Weiss could feel warm blood seeping into the materials. She bit back a cry of pain as she tried to get a look at the other girl's face.

"Y-Yang...?" She coughed, whimpering at the pain in her back now. The soft, cozy peace that had settled had been cut short and shredded to pieces within seconds, and Weiss was finding it harder to breathe. "Yang..." she whispered, wincing. "Yang, what's... the matter?"

But Yang didn't hear her girlfriend speaking to her. She couldn't focus on anything else other than the immense pain shooting through her right leg. It was so severe it had woken her from her sleep, and her entire body went stiff for fear of moving and making the ache spread.

She clung desperately to whatever she could get at, not caring who or what it was. The pain was just so bad...

She could only hear a light ringing in her ears, her skull throbbing as she gasped again. Maybe if she just moved a bit, that would stop the pain from getting any worse...

She tried to move her leg a bit, but it only caused her to cry out again. Tears jumped to her eyes as she bit her lip, strong shockwaves of agony pounding through her body. Her nails dug deeper into whatever they were already sinking into, but she couldn't stop it.

It just hurt so much...

Weiss gasped when Yang crushed her closer still, and she knew the girl was in great pain.

"Ya...ng... What's wrong? You've... got to tell me..." Weiss couldn't even free her arms or reach up with her hands to comfort Yang like she wanted to. She could only pray the girl would release her before long, but for now, it was clear Yang just needed to be still until the pain subsided.

Weiss heard her crying softly, and she tried to hold back her own tears as she felt the nails in her back go deeper still, tearing her skin.

She kept quiet for as long as she could manage, but even after several minutes, Yang was still locked in the same position, as if every muscle in her body had frozen in place.

Weiss trembled against her, blinking past tears in the darkness as she whispered to her girlfriend in a thin voice.

"Yang... please... what's...?"

But she couldn't speak anymore - she didn't have the breath to.

Fortunately, that was the first time Weiss' voice had managed to reach Yang. The ringing in her ears had faded just slightly, but it was enough for her to recognize the sound of her own name.

She more or less forced her eyes open, scared the action might make the pain in her leg worse, but it didn't. She felt several tears drip down her cheeks and she muttered a curse.

It was then she realized what was happening.

Weiss was trapped in her embrace, completely immobilized by her large arms.

Yang was literally crushing her.

"Oh god- agh! Shit!" Yang hissed as she yanked her nails out of Weiss' back, both hands flying to her right leg. The pain only increased more as she moved so rapidly, and she buried her face into her pillow and clamped her teeth down hard.

The second Weiss felt herself being freed, she scrambled back breathlessly, trembling as she wiped her tears.

But they just kept coming when she looked down at Yang like that.

She was breathing harshly, trying to stifle her screams as not to wake the others. Weiss crawled back over to her, ignoring the pain in her back as she ran cool fingers over her girlfriend's cheek.

"Yang-" she gasped. "What-"

"W-Weiss..." The blonde turned her head just a little to look up at her. "Shit, I'm-I'm so sorry, I didn't- shit, Weiss I-I'm-"

"Hush. Wh-Where… does it hurt?"

Yang's voice was hardly audible.

"M-My leg... oh god..."

Weiss immediately shifted downward, placing her hands on Yang's thigh and the back of her knee. She emitted a small flow of her aura and shared it, seeking out the source of the blonde's extreme agony.

Weiss knew what this was, the infamous athlete's cramp that often paid unpleasant visits to any person who partook in extreme physical activities. She'd heard how bad it could be, how the pain was so bad for those few minutes that the person affected would rather be dead than suffer through it. It was immobilizing and searing, burning and numbing all at once.

It wasn't uncommon for huntsmen and huntresses to be affected once or twice a year. Weiss had never gotten it herself, but she could imagine that with all the workouts and excessive training Yang did on top of training as a huntress, she was particularly prone to them.

And this was a very bad one.

Weiss could feel it now as she shared her aura with her girlfriend, feel just how knotted up her muscles had suddenly become due to the massive cramp. She did her best to untangle those areas, loosen them up until the natural placement was achieved once more.

It took her a few minutes, but she didn't stop despite her own lack of breath. She could hear Yang hissing curses every few seconds, felt her wincing and twitching and shaking.

But Yang could feel the pain dissipating, slowly but surely. Weiss' aura was cool and tiny, a small trickle in contrast to the raging, burning sensation flaring in her limbs and stomach.

Weiss persevered until every last knot of pain had vanished, and Yang slumped limply onto the bed, panting like a wounded beast. There was a dull ache left behind, but the worst of the pain was gone.

"Shit..." she wheezed. "That was bad... that was... really bad..." She closed her eyes for a moment, wiping her tears on her pillow.

Right now, she couldn't do anything more than lay there and get her breath back. She'd almost forgotten about Weiss until she felt the cooling aura seep away.

And then she smelled the blood.

Yang pushed herself up just in time to catch the exhausted heiress as she fell backward.

"Weiss- Weiss! Hey!" The girl was quivering in her arms and still fighting for breath – Yang seriously feared she may have fractured a few of Weiss' ribs when she'd clung to her earlier.

But she could feel the warmth oozing from the smaller girl's back, and propped her up, supporting Weiss with her free arm. Yang squinted in the dark, finding tear trails all down Weiss' pretty blue nightgown, gashes she herself had caused, wounds that were bleeding.

"Oh my god, Weiss- I'm so sorry..."

She felt she might cry again, but forced herself to save it for later. Weiss needed help right now.

Yang covered the wounds with her hand and shared her own aura with Weiss; the heiress had already used too much of her own on Yang. The cuts healed quickly, though there was still a bit of blood. Yang leaned back to grab her orange scarf where she'd slung it on the post of her bed, using it to press over Weiss' back to absorb the blood, getting the scent of it off of her.

"That was too much, Weiss," Yang scolded her under her breath. "Too much, you hear me? You should've been healing yourself, you dummy. You're already in bad shape cuz'a me..."

Once the blood was mostly gone save from what had dried, Yang tossed the scarf onto the floor and gently turned Weiss to face her, continuing to rub her back as the heiress breathed raggedly. Yang met her eyes, reaching out to catch the last of Weiss' tears and then wipe her own.

"Hey, Weiss, look at me, hun. Can you breathe okay? Ya gotta let me know if there's something wrong inside, cause if I was too rough on you-"

"Yang..." The blonde stopped speaking instantly in favor of listening to her voice, tired as it was. "I'm fine now. Promise. Are you?"

Yang bit her lip, but nodded.

"Yeah. I've had a few of those cramps before but... never one like that. It was so bad, god." Her lip started to tremble as the tears came all over again. "Weiss... I'm so sorry I hurt you, I-I didn't-"

"Yang..." Weiss reached up and slipped both arms around the other girl's shoulders, pulling Yang's head down to rest on her shoulder. "I know you didn't mean to. It's alright."

Yang sniffed and sobbed into the side of her neck.

"Sorry... The one damn night I can finally... sleep next to you and this has to happen... I'm sorry, Weiss..."

"Enough of that now," Weiss murmured, petting through the tangle of her hair. "It's not like you asked for this to happen. I'm rather glad it was tonight when I was next to you. If not... you'd have been up here by yourself, suffering alone in silence and stubbornly refusing to ask for help because you wouldn't want to wake any of us. Idiot."

"B-But I hurt y-"

"That was nothing, Yang. I've been bitten by a Beowulf before, or have you forgotten?"

"Don't remind me, please."

"Sorry." Weiss kissed her ear, the one she'd nipped playfully before. "But I really am fine now. So don't worry. I'm not lying to you, Yang."

Yang clung a bit tighter to the girl's waist and nodded into her shoulder.

"'Kay... Thanks, Weiss. And sorry again..."

"Quiet. We're both fine now, so no sense in remembering the past if all it'll do is prevent us from enjoying the present."

Keeping Yang in a loose embrace, Weiss laid herself down onto her back, bringing her girlfriend with her slowly. Weiss threw the ruffled blankets down before pulling them back up again, covering Yang and herself up to their shoulders.

Weiss could feel the warm wetness on her skin where Yang had been crying for the past minute or so, but she simply continued to hold her like that for as long as she needed it. She scratched lightly through Yang's hair and down her back, murmuring softly to her.

"Now you know you need to eat more vitamins to prevent that from happening again."

"I'd swallow a bottle of pills a day if it meant avoiding that..." Yang mumbled. "But..." She pulled back at last, propping herself up on her elbows and gazing longingly down at Weiss. "This part, I don't mind."

"That makes two of us."

Yang balanced her weight on her arms, keeping pressure off of Weiss as she leaned down for a chaste kiss. Weiss cupped both her cheeks and held the contact, breathing Yang into her lungs.

The blonde pulled back a moment later, to ensure Weiss got enough air after everything that had happened tonight. She gently turned Weiss onto her side to face her, and Yang slipped one arm beneath her to reach her back, rubbing apologetic circles over the wounds she herself had made there.

"I'll sew your nightgown for you tomorrow after we wash it," she promised. Her other hand found Weiss' stomach, rubbing softly over her ribs, making sure nothing was broken.

Weiss sighed calmly under her touch, though when she next opened her eyes, she was met with concerned lavender yet again. "You're sure you're okay, Weiss? Nothing hurts? Not even a little?"

The heiress rolled her eyes.

"Well, my back had been killing me before, I'll admit. But you fixed that for me when you pulled me in, believe it or not - cracked it just right. It hurt at the time, but now it feels like heaven."

"Good," Yang smiled. "Cause so do you."

Weiss held back a chuckle at the sappy line, but accepted the following kiss with fervor. She hugged Yang in return, sighing against her.

Weiss continued playing with her messy tresses for a while as she felt Yang mapping patterns over her back.

They broke apart and indulged in several more kisses to the lips in between stealing pecks to cheeks and foreheads and noses. The tension was gone, as was the pain and the fear of it returning.

All that remained now was the quiet enjoyment of the other's presence, curled up beside them as they fell asleep together for the first time.

It was a little scary how – as huntresses – things could find ways to attack them even in their sleep, be it physically or mentally. Whether they were out in the woods or inside their own room, the night was full of monsters of all sorts.

But so long as they had their team, their friends and family and those who loved them, it was possible to overcome the things that haunted them, or at the very least, start to.

And it was nice to know they could ask for help, and it would be provided, that they would no longer have to face such things alone, and that they could in turn help their loved ones when necessary.

A/N: I just love Freezerburn because of their elemental dynamic, fire and ice. By nature, they're meant to not get along, and to hurt one another. And they do, and they will, but they'll always overcome that :3

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