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Being busy had its perks. There was always something to do, and it led them on many adventures: ones they would remember for the rest of their lives. However, it also had its negatives. Ruby and Weiss had known that being huntresses during a time of great upheaval wouldn't leave them a lot of moments to spend together. That hadn't stopped them from confessing their love for each other, though. It also didn't stop them from wishing they could just have a few moments to themselves.
Lately, things had gotten worse in terms of how busy they all were. Grimm sightings were being reported constantly, and the four of them were always out fighting them and saving lives. As always, it was rewarding, but it was getting steadily more exhausting. By the time they would be able to get to their rooms, they would be too tired to do anything else. As much as Ruby and Weiss wanted to spend their downtime together, their sore muscles demanded either a warm bath or shower, then to flop into bed and conk out immediately. The best they could get in those moments was holding hands while sleeping, but they'd always lose their grip with each other sometime in the night.
They would eat together, and they would train together, but it wasn't the same sort of time spent together that they wanted. There was always something they needed to talk about, or something they needed to do. Never did they have a moment where it was just the two of them, not having to worry about anything else in the world. There was too much to worry about to even consider not worrying.
They had just gone through another day of Grimm killing and populace saving, followed by a strategy meeting with Team JNPR. It was no surprise that the four of them turned in early. Even Yang, who tended to stay up later than all of them, looked visibly drained. She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. The rest of them were out like lights soon afterwards, bringing the room into silence.
However, a full night's rest didn't reach all of them. Weiss woke up in the middle of the night, staring bleary-eyed at her alarm clock. Normally she was able to sleep through the night, but it seemed that wasn't in the cards this time. She was stuck between wanting to drop back down onto the pillow and being awake enough to need more time to fall back asleep. Sighing to herself, she decided to get out of bed and take a walk. Maybe that would tire her out.
The air outside was nice and cool on her skin as she stood there in her white nightgown, looking every bit like the wistful former rich girl that she was. She stared up at the moon, looking big and bright against the night sky. With her eyes, she traced the patterns of the broken pieces that had shattered from the celestial body long ago. Her chest gently rose and fell as she breathed, thinking about what a nice night it was. Everything was calm, as if there were no problems in the world. At least not in that moment. If only she could share it with Ruby.
"Weiss?" Speak of the devil. Turning around, she saw Ruby walking over to her in her pajamas, stifling a big yawn. She looked exhausted, and it was honestly surprising that she was awake at all. Between her and Yang, the two of them could sleep through a stampede of Beowulf. "It's the middle of the night. What are you doing up?"
"I woke up randomly," she admitted, eyeing her partner in the pale moonlight. She was irrepressibly adorable in her pajamas, even after all these years. Though she had grown into a lovely young woman right before her eyes, she would still hold that innocence that Weiss had seen the first time they met at Beacon. Fighting had changed them all, but some things even the dogged destruction of battle couldn't erase. She was thankful for that. "What about you?"
"It felt like you weren't in bed anymore, which woke me up." Ah, of course. Ruby seemed to have a sixth sense for disturbances in the bedroom. She shouldn't have been surprised by that. "Is everything alright? You don't usually stand outside in the middle of the night like this." She didn't bother covering her next yawn as she ambled over to Weiss, wrapping her arms around Weiss and snuggling up to her.
"I'm fine, don't worry. I just needed a moment." Hearing those words leave her mouth made her pause. A moment, huh? It made her remember that she and Ruby hadn't had any of these moments to themselves lately. They'd been so busy that there was no time to relax together. Now they were, and it didn't seem like either of them had realized it. "Ruby?"
"Mm?" Ruby mumbled against her shoulder, sounding like she was about to fall asleep standing up. That would be impressive, but she wanted to keep her up for a little bit longer. She gently lifted Ruby's head off of her shoulder, holding her upright with a soft smile on her face.
"Will you stay here with me for a little bit? I know it's late, but I just want to have a moment with you." She gently wrapped her arms around Ruby and embraced her. It didn't feel all that long ago where she felt uncomfortable with physical contact. Hugs, even from her partner, were a no go no matter the circumstances. Now she was the one initiating hugs. If only her past self could see her now. "I need a moment with you where nothing's going to pull us apart."
"Okay." Ruby smiled and nodded, returning the hug. It had taken a lot of effort to get Weiss to the point where she felt comfortable receiving hugs. Knowing that they were close enough that Weiss would give her hugs unprompted made her feel like she would never stop smiling. She was exhausted, but this was more important than going back to bed. Weiss was right: they hadn't gotten many moments to just be together in each other's arms, pretending the rest of the world didn't exist. Just for a little bit, it could be the two of them: nothing and nobody else.
For a couple of minutes, neither of them spoke. They were just enjoying each other's company, not wanting to break the silent harmony that had enveloped them. The weather was nice, the company was nice: everything was just that --- nice. This was what they had been missing through all the hectic weeks. All of their stress seemed to melt away the longer they held onto each other.
"This is nice," Ruby whispered, sighing contently on Weiss's shoulder. "It feels like we haven't gotten to do this in forever."
"Mm..." She honestly couldn't remember the last time they'd had time to themselves. They were both liable to fall asleep right where they stood, but they forced themselves awake to make sure they had as much time together as possible. In the morning, they would probably beat themselves up for not going right back to bed and resting for another hard day's work. In that moment, however, neither of them regretted what they were doing.
"Is it selfish of me to wish that the world could take care of itself for one day?" Ruby spoke out shyly, guilt tainting her words. "I know how important it is for us to continue fighting to save everyone, but sometimes I just want to be able to spend time with you. I mean, we're always together, but we're fighting Grimm and stuff. That isn't how I wanna spend our time together."
"I understand. It isn't how I want to spend my time either." She felt the same way Ruby did. It seemed selfish to want things to not involve them for even a day, but sometimes even a huntress needed a break. They were no different. "Maybe it is selfish, but is it so wrong to want to spend time with your girlfriend? Don't we deserve a day for just ourselves?"
"Yeah..." Ruby murmured, unsure, yet agreeing a hundred percent. Life would be a lot less stressful if she got a day to just lie in bed with Weiss and talk about nothing in particular every once in a while. Doing that used to seem like the most boring thing in the world at one point. The thought of lying in bed all day, not moving at all, would have driven her crazy. Now, however, she wanted that more than anything, as long as it was with Weiss. "I wish we could have those again."
"Me too. At least we have right now, though." Weiss pressed herself closer to Ruby, trying to leave no space in between their bodies. "We have this moment to ourselves, and I don't want to let it go." Both of them were tired, but neither of them were willing to go back to bed yet. As long as they could keep their eyes open, they could stay in each other's arms, enjoying the calming weather that accompanied the midnight moon.
"I wish we could sleep out here." Of course, Ruby knew that would never work. Weiss would never deign to sleep outside if she could help it, and they had beds inside. Still, it would at least mean they could spend as much time together as possible until sleep inevitably took them over. "I know we can't, but..." A couple stray tears trickled down her cheeks, which she didn't bother trying to wipe away. "I wish we could just stay like this forever."
"Let's enjoy it while we can, then." Being the realist of the two, sometimes she wished she could be as much of a dreamer as her partner. Ruby usually seemed happy, talking about all the things that might happen and the things that could likely never happen. She was a dreamer, and Weiss loved her for that. It just wasn't her way of living. Lately, however, she had found her mind wandering to more fanciful thoughts. Ones where she and Ruby lived somewhere far from civilization -- - far from the travesties life constantly threw their way. There would be nothing to bother them, and they could spend the rest of their days together in peaceful bliss. It wasn't realistic, but she could have her dreams sometimes.
"I'd like that." Smiling, Ruby held onto Weiss as tight as she could, enjoying their moment together for as long as possible. She soaked in everything: every detail of her girlfriend, the way the weather felt, how the moon shined above them. It was important to her to remember everything about that night, because both of them knew they wouldn't have many nights like that one for awhile. They would need the memories for the days and weeks to come.
Eventually, the two of them knew that they needed to go back inside. Sleep was desperately trying to overtake both of them, and though neither had the time on them, they knew just how late it was. They were going to reach a point where they would be even more exhausted upon waking up. It had been worth it for both of them, though. This was exactly the kind of moment they had been looking for, and getting to spend it together was a breath of fresh air.
"We should get back to bed." Weiss, ever the realist, had to be the first to break the silence that had fallen over them. As much as she didn't want to, she knew that it was important someone bring it up. It had always been likely that she would be the one to do it. Ruby didn't argue the point, instead just nodding with a slight pout on her face. She was so cute that Weiss couldn't help but kiss her. "Come on, you dolt. You can sleep in my bed again, okay?"
"Yay!" Her pout immediately turned into a smile, which warmed Weiss's heart considerably. She grabbed Weiss's hand, and the two of them headed back inside, holding hands the entire time. It would be the last moment the two of them would have to themselves for a while, but they held it close to their hearts every day.
When they returned to bed, they both fell asleep almost immediately. However, it was a peaceful sleep, with the two of them spooning beneath the covers. Even while they were asleep, they could feel each other's presence. Perhaps that was why, when they woke up together the next morning, they felt rested and ready to take on the day. Of course, both of them would keep their eyes open for another moment that they could steal together. It would be worth it in the end.