Sequel to Snow Angel! Thanks to all the kind reviews over there! Even if it is out of character, please enjoy this one as well!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Sick Day

Chapter 1. Unexpected, But Not Unwelcome

"Ruby, as your older sister, I will not let you go in there."

"Yang, please-"

"No! I won't let you risk your life!"

"But Yang-!"

"It would be beneficial to your health not to enter."

"Not you too, Blake!"

"We're doing this for your own good."

"You guys, come on!" Ruby groaned, exasperated as she pushed past her two teammates. "She's not that bad!"

"Well that's because she didn't hurl a box of tissues at you. Must be nice to be the princess' girlfriend when she's like this..."

"Well, we kind of anticipated this would happen..." Ruby recalled.

They were, of course, referring to none other than Weiss.

After their snowball fight the day before, team RWBY had returned to their room, slightly chilled. It was apparent to the sisters that neither Weiss nor Blake had ever really experienced a snowball fight before, and therefore the two of them had been fairly exhausted afterward. Ruby and Yang had prepared coffee and tea for their partners as well as themselves, and they had changed into their sleepwear and taken things easy for the remainder of the evening.

However, while Yang snuggled up to Blake as she silently read a book, Weiss had declared to Ruby that she was too tired to stay awake and had buried herself beneath her blankets. It was only when Ruby had leaned down to give her girlfriend a light goodnight kiss three hours later when she realized Weiss was shivering uncontrollably in her sleep.

Ruby had wondered aloud to her other teammates if she should wake the heiress, but Yang and Blake both agreed they should just let Weiss sleep in hopes she would be well in the morning.

Yet Ruby had been forced to listen to Weiss sniffling and sneezing beneath her all night long, and upon waking up that morning, Weiss had not risen from her bed even after the other three had changed into their uniforms. Out of concern, Ruby had woken Weiss, and when the heiress had been informed that she was sick, Weiss quite literally freaked out.

Ruby could still clearly recall every word Weiss had spoken, starting with the denial of, "There's... there's no way..." to the horrified, "I can't be sick! I've never been sick in my entire life!" to the enraged, "I can't miss classes because of something like this!" She had then proceeded to throw a miniature tantrum in her panic, tossing the box of tissues that had been provided for her in the direction where Yang and Blake stood, which they just barely managing to dodge.

The three of them had tried to calm her down and tell her it was a normal thing to get sick every now and again, but Weiss would have none of it. She had tried to stand to change into her uniform, but collapsed back into her bed from a dizzy spell.

Despite what her teammates said, she kept insisting on going to class. Only when Ruby offered to diligently take every single note for her in all of her classes did Weiss begrudgingly agree to stay put.

But when they suggested sending the nurse to check up on Weiss, she refused with such vehemence that the topic never came up again.

The three girls then had no other choice other than to guiltily scurry off to class and leave Weiss behind.

Naturally, Ruby could not concentrate in their first class for more than 3 seconds without having her mind wander back to worry about her stubborn girlfriend. The professor had demanded an explanation for her case of absentmindedness that was twice as bad as usual, and when Yang had explained the situation, he had surprisingly understood. He had excused Ruby for the day so that she may tend to Weiss, knowing Ruby would only be a major hindrance in class otherwise.

"But I also understand the feeling of wanting to help a friend in need," he had said.

Ruby had bowed to him before trying to run out, but Yang and Blake presently held her up at the exit of the lecture room.

"You guys, I really need to go back," Ruby reasoned. "Like he said, there is zero, no... negative chance I would be even remotely focused on anything in class today. We just left her there and ran out! I've just gotta go back. You guys would do the same for each other." She knew that playing that card always worked, and it yielded the same results this time as Yang and Blake shyly met one another's gaze.

"Fine." Yang sighed, even though it was obvious that she intended to let Ruby go from the beginning. "But if anything happens, come and get us or find the nurse right away. I don't care what the princess wants or doesn't want; if something goes wrong you have to take care of her, got it?"

"Of course!" Ruby exclaimed. "You don't have to tell me that, Yang."

"Good." Yang nodded approvingly. "Then get going!" She gave Ruby a rough pat on the back, sending her stumbling out into the hallway.

"We'll take notes for the both of you," Blake added reassuringly.

"Thanks, you guys!" Ruby grinned back over her shoulder before dashing off.

She made it across the campus which was still blanketed with snow, then back to her room within minutes, halting outside to compose herself. She cleared her throat before knocking lightly, not wanting to wake Weiss if she was asleep. "Weiss? Can I come in?" she asked softly.

When she received no reply, she felt a bubble of worry rise in her chest, so she tried the door. She was hardly surprised to find that it had been locked from the inside, and Ruby dug out her own scroll before typing the code and slowly creaking the door open.

She slipped inside, covering her face with her hands in preparation for whatever Weiss might throw at her, but nothing came. Ruby tentatively lowered her arms and peered around the room to find it just the way she had left it, only Weiss was nowhere to be seen. "Oh my god! She didn't really try to go to class on her own anyway, did she?" Ruby began to fret profusely as she imagined Weiss fainting in the hallway or stumbling down one of the staircases.

Ruby was prepared to tear off back through the entire school to search for her teammate until she remembered that the door had been locked from the inside. Thus, she quietly treaded over to the bunk beds.

Weiss' bed was always left pristine and made neatly unlike Ruby's or Yang's, but when she approached, Ruby could just barely make out a slight bulge under the blankets. Only several strands of long, white hair protruding onto the pillow indicated that Weiss was sleeping there, cold enough to have buried her head under the covers as well.

"Oh, Weiss..." Ruby murmured miserably as she gently pulled the blankets down to reveal the heiress' face.

Her eyes were closed, but she did not seem to be sleeping peacefully - in fact it appeared she was trapped in a frightening nightmare more than anything else. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her hair in disarray, and her cheeks flushed with an unhealthy lividness as she breathed shallowly. Her entire body was trembling, and as Ruby looked closer, she could make out damp spots on Weiss' pillow; she could only pray the cause had been sweat from a fever, as Ruby would never be able to forgive herself if she discovered that she had left Weiss alone when she was sick enough to cry.

Ruby bit her lip, unsure of what to do. But as she looked down at Weiss, writhing in an uncomfortable excuse for slumber, Ruby could not stay still. Slowly, she reached her hand down, brushing her fingers ever so slightly over Weiss' unnaturally warm cheek.

However, upon the contact, Weiss started awake with a loud, fearful, gasp as she shot up into a sitting position. Ruby yelped and jumped back in surprise.

"R... R-Ruby...?" The heiress clutched her blankets to her chest in a defensive manner, looking as petrified as a rabbit backed into a corner by a predator.

Ruby had not meant to wake her girlfriend, but now that she had, she was glad that was how things played out.

Although Weiss was trembling from shock, Ruby could clearly see a small wet trail running down her cheek, so she found solace in the fact that she had at least freed Weiss from some unseen torment in her dreams.

"Yeah. I'm here now, Weiss," Ruby said quietly.

"T-That..." Weiss sniffled once before realizing her disorderly appearance and attempting to straighten her posture. "That's precisely what I'm asking." Her voice dropped a pitch as she tried to sound annoyed. "Weren't you supposed to be taking notes for me? I thought we had an agreement, since it's likely your fault I'm in this mess, anyway."

It was almost painfully obvious how hard she was trying to cover up the utter vulnerableness she had been displaying seconds before, and Ruby frowned.

"Yang and Blake are taking care of it," she replied. "And I'm here to take care of you."

"D... Don't be ridiculous," Weiss scoffed. "I don't need you to take care of me. I'll be just fine on my own."

"Weiss..." Ruby was looking at her with tortured eyes. "You were crying..."

"Wh..." The heiress immediately fell silent as she raised a hand to her face, pulling away wet fingers. "Y... You're imagining things. It's just sweat..." She hastily lifted her arm, wiping her face on the sleeve of her nightgown.

"Right..." Ruby truly wanted nothing more than to sit down beside her and embrace her, but she knew Weiss would not like it. So, demonstrating great restraint, Ruby forced a smile instead. "Am I... unwelcome?" Ruby checked, a little nervously; despite how badly she wanted to stay by Weiss' side, she would leave if her presence would truly upset the heiress.

But the sick girl merely let out a long sigh. "Unexpected..." she mumbled. "But not unwelcome."

Ruby's smile then softened in relief. "Thanks. May I make you some tea?" she wondered.

Weiss sniffed again.

"...You may," came the soft reply.

Offering a faint grin, Ruby hurried off to fetch what she needed. In her girlfriend's absence, Weiss muttered curses to herself about her pathetic appearance as she readjusted the blankets as neatly as possible.

Ruby returned not long afterward with two steaming mugs. She handed one to Weiss, having made sure it had cooled enough for the sick girl's hands to hold. But temperature was not so much the issue as Weiss' quivering, and she very nearly dropped the mug due to how feeble her arms were acting. Ruby managed to quickly put down her own mug onto the bedside table before leaning down to steady Weiss' hands with her own.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice slightly raised in alarm.

"I'm just fine." Weiss sniffed yet again, scrunching her nose.

"You're obviously not..." Ruby mumbled under her breath so that the heiress could not hear.

She helped Weiss hold her tea as she put her pale lips to the rim and slowly drank it. The hot liquid soothed her parched throat, which had been irritated from coughing all night. Weiss made no complaints when Ruby placed a hand on her back, and she soon drained the entire mug. Ruby placed it on the table and drank some of her own before turning back to Weiss.

Her girlfriend looked slightly better than when she had woken up ten minutes ago, however her face was still feverish and she continued to shiver. Ruby had not really thought through what it was she intended to do in order to take care of Weiss; aside from making her tea, she had no medicine to offer her, nor did she know how to try and make her feel any better.

She retrieved the box of tissues that had been lying near the door all morning and brought it back to Weiss, who obviously needed it now. Moving the waste bin by the bedside, Ruby watched with a frown as Weiss pressed tissue after tissue against her nose. "You should try to get some sleep," she suggested when her girlfriend had finally tossed her last tissue into the trash.

"That's what I was doing this morning until you came in." Weiss' voice was slightly stuffy now.

"I'm sorry. It just looked like you were having a nightmare..." Ruby lowered her gaze.

Weiss stiffened but turned her back to Ruby as she laid down. "I'll try to sleep..." she mumbled, knowing it would make Ruby feel better.

Ruby did crack a small smile as she watched Weiss turn over, her long white hair fanning a curtain out over her back before pooling onto the blankets.

Ruby watched her for a moment, debating what she should do next. She settled for kicking off her shoes and selecting one of Blake's books she had been interested in reading before sitting down on the floor with her back leaning against the side of Weiss' bed. She made sure to keep very quiet so that Weiss could sleep, but Ruby was painfully aware of her girlfriend's labored breathing.

She glanced behind her ten minutes later to find Weiss had not budged, but was clearly shivering again beneath the covers.

Just then, an idea sparked in Ruby's mind and she carefully reached up to her own bed and yanked the covers down. She then draped them over Weiss, hoping to provide a bit more warmth for her sick girlfriend.

It appeared her plan worked at first, but when she turned back a few minutes later, Weiss was shivering again.

Ruby was having internal conflicts of whether she should go and try to comfort her and risk waking her, or just let her be. She could not concentrate on her book at all, as she was forced to listen to the heiress' irregular wheezing.

Ruby was about to start tugging her hair out in frustration about not being able to do anything for her girlfriend, but not a moment later she was pulled back into reality when she heard Weiss cough.

It was only seconds later when the heiress was hacking painful bouts, almost spastically, her whole body jerking violently as she rolled onto her stomach, trying to stifle it to no avail.

"Weiss!" Ruby stood instantly and sat on the bed, taking Weiss into her arms as she helped her sit up. Ruby panicked as she saw tears welling at the corners of Weiss' eyes as her body jolted with every cough.

Ruby wrapped her arm around the heiress' shoulders, firmly patting her back as her other hand found Weiss' in her lap and held them tightly. "Weiss, take it easy!" Ruby tried to sound less alarmed than she felt, but she could not ignore the steady stream of tears falling down her partner's face.

Ruby felt her own tears coming on as she helplessly pulled Weiss close to her, her coughing continuing as her breath hitched several times. "I'm so sorry... This is all my fault..." Ruby sniffed.

But then, it appeared Weiss fought against the assaulting coughs, forcing them back long enough to crack open her watery, mist-blue eyes. Weiss' tormented gaze met Ruby's for a second, just long enough to shake her head from side to side before her fit resumed.

Ruby wanted to scream in frustration at her own helplessness, but continued to stroke Weiss' back slowly. She could feel the heiress' heart pounding roughly within her chest, the throbbing causing her entire body to shake even harder. "Calm down..." Ruby willed her, as a single tear dripped down her cheek. "Shhh... Just breathe..."

Weiss continued to choke on her sobs for several more minutes until she finally wore herself out, her brave face completely demolished as she was now reduced to a whimpering girl, shuddering and sobbing in Ruby's embrace. "Weiss..." Ruby's voice was cracked with misery. "It's okay... you're okay..."

She did not know what else she could do other than hold her and pull her in closer.

Once Weiss had calmed down a little more, Ruby propped her pillow up and leaned back with her girlfriend still resting on her for support. Ruby reached sideways to grab some more tissues, gently drying Weiss' tears.

At last, Weiss shuddered one last time before she released a long, trembling sigh.

"Ruby... I-"

"You don't have to say anything," Ruby cut her off gently. Weiss' voice had been reduced to a ragged rasp after her coughing fit, and it hurt to listen to. "I think I understand," Ruby continued. "I mean, you said you'd never been sick before, right? So this was the first time you've ever gotten sick, and it was my fault, too," she admitted guiltily. "But... it must be really, really scary for you. If you've never felt what it's like to have a fever or the chills before, it must be really painful. I just hope you can get better quickly..." She trailed off wretchedly as she rubbed her hand over her girlfriend's shoulders, trying her best to keep her warm.

Weiss let out a withering breath. "Thank you, Ruby..." she whispered simply; nothing more needed to be said.

Just from those three words, Ruby felt a smile coming to her lips, and she had Weiss rest her head on her shoulder.

But she could easily hear that Weiss was exhausted, her voice laden with enervation, her body having gone limp at Ruby's side. The young leader let go of the heiress' hands for a few seconds to grab the blankets and pull them up over them both, tucking them around Weiss' exposed side before she placed her palm over those chilled hands once more. She traced her palm in soothing circles over the heiress' slim back, gingerly running her fingers through those soft, snowy tresses.

Weiss seemed to have calmed down at last as her breathing slowed and deepened. Her heartbeat had returned to normal and Ruby smiled a little as she nestled Weiss closer still, gently resting her cheek on her girlfriend's head. She still felt a little feverish to Ruby, but her trembling had ceased now, which was very relieving.

It was not long before it was apparent the heiress was asleep once more, only this time it was significantly more peaceful.

Ruby considered herself blessed that she had been allowed to stay by Weiss' side through her most vulnerable time.

Weiss often went to bed after the rest of them, and so Ruby had come to assume she did not like the idea of other people seeing her sleep.

Yet, Ruby had not been met with serious protest when she had come back for Weiss that morning. Although she could tell that Weiss had been tense from the idea of having someone watch her while she slept the first time, she had eventually accepted Ruby's presence as a guarding one rather than a threatening one.

And now, as the heiress dozed beside her, it was obvious that all her defenses were down in a very rare display of the utmost trust.

Ruby sat there holding Weiss for a while, content now at the silence only broken by her girlfriend's soft breathing. However, the pesky blanket rolled off of Weiss' shoulder one too many times before Ruby decided on a different plan.

Moving as slowly and least disruptively as she could manage, Ruby laid down the pillow she had been leaning against. She moved exceedingly carefully as she positioned Weiss to lie on her side, praying she would not wake the sleeping heiress who looked much better than she previously had.

By some miracle, Weiss remained in her slumber throughout the endeavor, and Ruby eventually placed herself beside her. She wrapped her arms around Weiss' shoulders protectively, challenging any nightmares or ailments that might dare cause her discomfort. But Weiss slept soundly now, unconsciously nestling into the crook of Ruby's neck.

Knowing that most of her girlfriend's behavior today had been the results of her sickness, Ruby realized that she would probably never get to do this again any time soon, and therefore, she decided to enjoy every moment of it to the fullest.

Her hands glided soothingly up and down Weiss' back, and she occasionally brushed a stray lock of hair out of the sleeping girl's face. Her nose still sounded a little stuffy as she breathed, but it was not too concerning to Ruby anymore, for something told her that the worst of it was over.

Since Weiss had somehow never been sick before in all her life, Ruby knew that this first illness would be the most severe thing she had ever experienced. Weiss probably detested the notion of sickness more than anyone else, as it was an enemy she could not fight with weapons or words. Not even her aura was much use in this situation.

Instead, the requirements for being sick included some things that were clearly not within Weiss' capabilities, such as waiting patiently while taking no action other than seeking medicine, and relying on others for her own care. Ruby knew this was the most difficult thing for the strong-willed heiress, as she still sometimes displayed an inability to work alongside her teammates and would often try to tackle things on her own.

"Well, not this time..." Ruby reflected a bit smugly, resting her chin atop Weiss' head.

It was still before noon when Ruby's eyelids fell shut and she drifted off into a calm sleep beside her partner.

It was the first time in a long while since Weiss could recall waking up slowly and naturally.

Usually, she woke with a start and a cold sweat beading over her forehead from being trapped inside and inescapable nightmare of blood and darkness.

This was also the first time she could remember sleeping in a pleasant world, where nothing was chasing her and no one was screaming.

But perhaps most significantly of all was how it was the first time Weiss had ever woken up... warm.

Never in all her life had she slept with another body beside hers... except for one time.

When she was very young, she had found a stray cat on a bench, and when she was sure no one was around, Weiss had sat beside him until he crawled into her lap. But she had napped for too long, and when her father's people located her, there was so much yelling that it hurt Weiss' ears.

The cat had tried to run, but had been kicked and viciously called a filthy creature. Weiss had screamed and begged for them to stop, swearing she would never fall asleep beside another being ever again. This had distracted the men enough to allow the cat to limp away, but Weiss had meant what she said.

Since then, she had never allowed anyone else to sleep beside her, for the dreadful fear the notion dug into her heart.

Now, it seemed that during her fever, Weiss had not been thinking clearly enough to remember those fears, but as she opened her eyes to find herself within Ruby's strong embrace, she very nearly almost cried out in terror.

Her heart began to pound harshly as she squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to hear loud footsteps charging any minute now to tear Ruby away from her.

But thankfully, that never happened, and after several minutes, Weiss composed herself just enough to speak.

"R... Ruby..." she whispered, still fearful her nightmares would become reality again.

Ruby was normally a very heavy sleeper - annoyingly so, Weiss had told her - as she would sometimes have to shake the young huntress awake. But at present, Ruby opened her silver eyes immediately when she heard Weiss calling.

"Weiss? You're awake?" she murmured.

"Ruby..." the heiress went on in a hushed whisper. "Ruby are you okay?"

"Am I...? I should be the one asking you that!" Ruby was dismayed as she got a clear look at her girlfriend now.

Unlike when she had peacefully fallen asleep not so long ago, Weiss had now been reduced back to how she had looked during her fever. Her hair was frazzled and she was breathing hard, but what worried Ruby the most was heiress' gaze; her mist-blue eyes were no longer glazed with sickness -rather they were clear and stricken with fright. This was not a side effect of her sickness, and Ruby grew panicked again when she saw Weiss looking at her with such an intensely concerning gaze.

"Weiss, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She offered a small, reassuring smile, trying to disguise her own worry.

Weiss blinked once very slowly, as if to calm her thoughts. Her shoulders relaxed again and she exhaled.

"Nothing..." she sighed. "It's nothing..."

"Weiss, you can tell me," Ruby offered. "That's why I'm here; to support you as best I can."

"No, it's really fine, Ruby."

It was a little tough to do, but Ruby did not want to force her to say anything she did not want to, so she let the topic drop.

Ruby looked her over, and this time Weiss appeared more relieved than anything. It still bothered Ruby that she would not talk about what was troubling her, but despite how much she hated waiting, she knew she would have to be patient until Weiss opened up of her own volition.

"If you're sure..." Ruby said in a tone that still offered Weiss the chance to speak, but the heiress silently declined. "Then... can I get you anything?" she wondered.

"...Some water might be nice. Thank you." Weiss presented her with a rare smile and Ruby tried to force away her blush. She knew for a fact that such a smile was not the cause of deliriousness from her cold, because Weiss had shown her that smile a few times before; all instances were when she and Ruby were alone together.

This was why Ruby knew it was a true smile that came from the heart, and she reflected it with one of her own.

Squeezing Weiss to her briefly one more time, Ruby then let her go and got up from the bed. Weiss propped herself up on her elbows as she watched Ruby leave, instantly deciding it was a scene she did not like. Ruby's warmth remained on the bed beside her, but Weiss already bitterly missed the pair of arms encircling her back.

Thankfully, Ruby returned not a minute later with a glass of water. Weiss thanked her again as she accepted the glass, and Ruby watched with an air of accomplishment now, because Weiss could hold the glass on her own without shaking.

Putting the glass aside, Ruby then felt her mischievous spark ignite; since she was certain Weiss was alright now, she decided it would be okay to have a little fun.

"Let me check if you still have a fever," she instructed, motioning for the heiress to sit up.

Ducking down, Ruby placed one hand on Weiss' shoulder before pressing her forehead to hers. She felt Weiss jolt in surprise and embarrassment, and Ruby could hardly hold back an amused smirk.

"Okay..." Weiss spoke up after a torturously long minute. "Ruby that's enough, isn't it?"

"Hm? Oh yeah!" Ruby finally pulled away, allowing Weiss to release the breath she had been holding in. "Yup! Fever's gone!"

"Good," Weiss grunted, sounding a lot more like her old self.

But Ruby was not finished with her antics yet.

Since Weiss had never been sick before, she was not aware of the necessary duties of the caretaker, which in Ruby's case, involved a lot of unnecessary teasing.

"I should probably check your pulse, too," Ruby said, sounding like she knew what she was talking about.

"What? W-Why?"

That tiny stutter in Weiss' voice was exactly why.

"Oh, you know. Just to make sure you're okay," Ruby shrugged.

Weiss contemplated for a moment before resigning herself to her fate, even though at this point Ruby was simply playing doctor for the fun of it.

She sat down on the edge of the bed as Weiss slowly lifted her arm from beneath the covers. Ruby pressed her fingers against her warm wrist and put a serious expression on her face.

Ruby did not even bother to actually check her pulse and instead amused herself with glancing sideways at Weiss' reddened cheeks. It was evident that she disliked the idea of someone else being so close to her heart most of all, both figuratively and literally speaking. But she assumed Ruby held the better judgement in this situation and was swallowing her pride to allow her the designated information a caretaker would require.

Ruby kept Weiss frozen for about another minute until she took her hand away. Again, Weiss let out her breath.

"It's no use," Ruby shrugged helplessly. "I can't get a proper pulse that way." She then gave a devilish grin to her unsuspecting victim. "I'll have to try another method."

"A-Are you serious?" Weiss tried to sound annoyed, as though accusing her partner of not doing her job properly, but her true emotions soon broke through. "Even after all that, we have to try it again?"

"Sorry, but that's how it is. I can't be sure you're better without this vital information."

"If... it'll make you stop, then fine." Weiss only just managed to suppress her stammer. "But this is the last time okay? If you can't do it this time, then that's that!" she huffed.

"Okay, okay." Ruby dismissively waved her hand. "Here, sit back." She had Weiss lean against her pillow. "You can't move no matter what, alright?" Ruby instructed. "If you do I might have to start all over again."

"Whatever..." Weiss mumbled. "Just hurry up and get it over with."

"As you command." Ruby gave a slight bow before she crawled onto the bed, positioning herself in front of Weiss before leaning forward to rest her head on the heiress' chest.

She heard her girlfriend inhale a sharp breath, but Weiss held her tongue, remembering what Ruby had said about getting it over with quickly. But when Ruby snaked her arms around her waist, Weiss could not hold back any longer.

"Ruby, is this really necessary?" she asked, sounding as though she was on the verge of suffocating.

"It's definitely getting faster..." Ruby noted with mock seriousness. Weiss tensed even more and Ruby had to bite back a chuckle. "Just relax..." she soothed, snuggling closer to Weiss.

"How much longer...?" Weiss wheezed, feeling flustered. "What if your sister comes back?" As she spoke the words, Weiss felt a foreboding shudder run up her spine.

"I need to count how many times your heart beats per minute," Ruby informed her.

"Hasn't in been, like... 3 minutes already?" Weiss sounded like she was going to faint soon.

"I keep losing count!" Ruby replied teasingly.

All the while the heiress was completely unaware of the fact that this was just an excuse for Ruby to cuddle her.

But once Ruby felt her squirming, she pulled away before her little joke went too far. Releasing Weiss, Ruby sat back with a wide grin on her face.

"W... Well?" Weiss asked expectantly, trying to readjust her unkempt nightgown and hair. "What's with the dumb grin on your face?" she snapped. Weiss clearly had not realized that her own face was as red as a cherry, her expression a flawless combination of confused and flustered.

"You. Are. So. Cute!" Ruby squealed.

Without warning, she dove forward, embracing Weiss again. But her sudden movement took Weiss by surprise and the heiress was knocked backward, her head colliding with the headboard of the bed.

"Ow...!" she hissed.

"I-I'm sorry!" Ruby fretted from where she now lie on top of Weiss. "Are you okay? Weiss can you hear me?"

Seeing Ruby so immediately concerned and panicked gave Weiss a bit of satisfaction for her payback. She gave a short laugh before locking her arms around Ruby's back and rolling them both over until Weiss rested on top.

"You are such a dork," Weiss smirked.

"B-But are you okay?" Ruby looked up at her with silver puppy-dog eyes.

"Don't cry about it, you dunce!" Weiss barked, knowing she would not be able to handle herself if her girlfriend actually started tearing up right now. "I'm fine. Just a little payback for all this embarrassing stuff you've made me do..."

"Ah... guess I was found out," Ruby said sheepishly.

Weiss flicked her nose.

A moment of silence then stretched between them as Weiss silently ran her fingers through Ruby's soft, brown hair. In turn, Ruby wrapped her arms around the heiress' waist, closing her eyes contentedly. She let out a long, happy sigh and allowed her eyelids to fall shut under Weiss' touch.

It was now that the heiress was realizing what lengths Ruby must have gone through on Weiss' account today, so she wanted to let her rest a little, too.

But before that, there was something Weiss had to do.

"Hey, Ruby?" she whispered.

"Yeah?" The young huntress reopened her eyes.

"Thank you... for today."

"You don't have to thank me!" Ruby said, trying to dissuade Weiss from the thought that she had been a burden while sick. "It was my fault you-"

But Ruby was cut off when she felt warm lips brush against her cheek. For once, it was Ruby's turn to be flustered as Weiss chuckled. "Sorry." The heiress looked downcast. "I don't want to give you my cold so, mmph-!"

Weiss was cut off this time as Ruby pulled her down, their lips crushing together in a clumsy kiss. Weiss was taken aback at the sudden action, but quickly succumbed to it nonetheless.

"I don't care if you get me sick!" Ruby beamed.

"You dunce," Weiss huffed once she had pulled away. "Don't blame me if you do!"

"I won't!" Ruby promised, almost sounding like she enjoyed the thought of catching her girlfriend's cold. Weiss could only reply with another sigh.

"You are such a dork," she muttered affectionately.

"But I'm your dork~" Ruby beamed.

"Hmph. You've got that right."

Weiss closed her eyes as she rested her head on Ruby's shoulder.

An elated atmosphere came over them then as they both entered a deep, peaceful slumber, full of bliss, and warmth, and love.

A/N: Gah, why can't I keep these consistent? Sorry it was all over the place again ;_;

Next chapter is for what Yang and Blake were doing in the meantime.

(Also, if anyone's interested I drew out the ending scene for this chapter. You can find it on my tumblr at hanasaku-shijin,tumblr,com/post/62827556342 (except replace commas with periods).

Thanks again! And please review!