For Haley's birthday! Love you~! Monochrome fluff. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Tender Moments

The air of the room was still, disturbed only by the gentle breaths of the two girls inside.

The only sound was the occasional wobble of paper as a page of a book was turned.

But for once, Blake was not the one reading.

Weiss was seated on the floor at the foot of her bed, leaning back as her eyes scanned the pages. Blake's head rested peacefully in her lap, eyes closed as a light purr rumbled in her chest.

It was Beacon's mid-semester break, and Ruby and Yang had both returned home to visit their Uncle Qrow for the first few days. Blake did not exactly have anywhere to return to, and Weiss' ideal utilization of her time off did not exactly involve returning home. So she opted to stay at Beacon with her girlfriend, and enjoy some of the most tranquil days of her life.

When Ruby and Yang were around, Weiss always needed to be on top of things, spouting lectures and keeping them in line. But now that they were out of her hair, Blake noted how much more relaxed the heiress had become. Weiss was always a lot quieter when she was alone with Blake as well, as she knew anything too loud irritated her sensitive ears.

It was presently their second morning alone together, and the two girls had already completed their assignments the previous day, leaving them free of pressure for the remainder of the break. They made sure to message their partners and remind them to try and at least attempt the work, though it was unlikely the sisters would even look at their papers until Sunday evening.

So Weiss and Blake used their time to do something they never had much reason or time to do before – relax.

They had not even bothered to change out of their sleepwear; after their morning showers, they had debated what to do before deciding on their current positions.

Sunlight was pouring in from the large window between the beds, casting bright light onto the floor where Blake lay; Weiss had discovered early on in their alone time that Blake liked to lie in the sun and soak up the rays whenever she could without being an inconvenience.

Weiss multitasked, holding her book in one had as she flipped the pages with her thumb, and running her other fingers through her girlfriend's tresses playfully, a smile on her face all the while.

Blake was half-conscious and drowsy, lost in the blissful warmth of the sun in addition to the calming strokes of Weiss' nails through her drying hair. Blake did not like the hair dryer due to its loudness, therefore she often left her hair to dry naturally. But more often than not, this resulted in the heiress scolding her about catching a cold, and Weiss usually ended up patting a towel through her hair until it was dry. This was precisely what had occurred today, so her hair was still a bit messy, which was why Weiss was easing through the knots now.

Weiss had long-since gotten used to the background noise of Blake's purring as she read her book, chuckling slightly as Blake nuzzled against her stomach.

The time passed languidly, and neither of them was in any rush to get through the day.

Weiss only looked up from her book when she felt Blake shiver slightly. "Is it warm enough for you?" she wondered. The shaft of sunlight was bathing the Faunus girl's midsection and bare legs, but when her long sleeves fell back past her wrists, goosebumps were visible on her skin.

"Yes, it's fine," Blake reassured.

"I'll suppress my aura anyway." Weiss was aware that the air around her was naturally chilled, which concerned her, considering she knew Blake preferred warmth like what Yang could produce.

But Blake shook her head and blinked her pretty golden eyes open to find Weiss' mist-blue ones.

"No, you don't have to," she said. "I know it's uncomfortable to suppress your aura too much."

"You'll like me more in the summertime," Weiss smirked.

"I like you plenty now." Blake reached up behind her head and found Weiss' hand where it rested in her hair. She brought it to her lips and kissed the back gently, feeling the coolness of the heiress' skin.

"That's good to know," Weiss murmured.

She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss atop Blake's head, feeling the soft fur of her ears flicking contentedly against her cheeks. Another purr rolled up Blake's throat and she wrapped her arms around Weiss' waist, burying her face into her torso.

Weiss straightened up again, keeping one arm on her girlfriend's back and rubbing gently as she returned her eyes to her book.

But it was not much longer before she felt a stinging in her nose and quickly put her book down. Her body jolted, and Blake felt it, looking up curiously as her purr cut off abruptly.

"Weiss?"

The heiress turned her face to her elbow, gasping a few times before letting out a small sneeze:

"Ah... haa... ah-chii!"

It was a petite sneeze, one Blake had fallen in love with quickly, despite how Weiss thought it was 'annoyingly girlish'. But the Faunus girl thought it was fit for an heiress, for it almost sounded polite in and of itself.

Presently, Blake pushed herself up, and Weiss instantly missed her warmth.

"Sorry," Blake sighed. "I guess this is still... too much?" Her ears drooped guiltily.

Weiss sniffed once before snapping her head around to face her. "Don't be stupid! Of course it's not!"

"But you-"

"I know what I am..." Weiss mumbled.

It had not taken very long since the two started dating until Blake figured out that Weiss was allergic to cats.

At first, the heiress had avoided much contact with her, and Blake had assumed she was doing something Weiss did not like. However, as soon as the heiress realized Blake was worrying herself unnecessarily, she had confessed her secret to her.

Weiss would never forget the hurt on Blake's face at that moment. She could see it all in her eyes: How can she love me? How will this ever work out between us? I'll only end up hurting her... She had not needed to say any of these things aloud.

But Weiss had instantly quelled Blake's silent fears, cupping her cheeks and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. Blake would remember what she had said then for the rest of her life:

"Who cares if I'm allergic? That will never change how I feel about you. I love you, Blake."

Blake had hugged her tightly, too touched for words.

Luckily, Weiss' allergies to the full-fledged animals were not very harmful to her, and therefore her ailments when around Blake were very minimal; she often only suffered a few sneezes and sniffles at most.

Still, the Faunus girl could not help but feel bad whenever they were so close together, only to have Weiss pull away to stifle her sneezes.

Yet, Blake loved hearing them – they were rather adorable, after all. So long as she knew Weiss was okay, she enjoyed every second they spent together.

Presently, Blake leaned against the heiress, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm just fine."

"That's good."

Weiss slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Don't worry so much. Haven't you noticed I've been sneezing less and less the more we're together? The first time you slept in my bed, I swear I sneezed so much you were about to get out."

"I would never do that."

"Still. It hasn't been affecting me as much recently. Perhaps I'm getting accustomed to it," Weiss shrugged.

"Can that happen?" Blake wondered.

"I don't know, and I don't care." Weiss pulled away slightly, having Blake sit up straight so they were face-level. "Like I said, I love you, Blake. I don't care what I have to go through in order to be with you. I'll find some way around it or I'll deal with it if it means getting to stay by your side." She kissed her cheek lightly. "You shouldn't worry so much. You're not an animal." Weiss wrapped her arms around her, and Blake carefully returned the gesture.

"Thank you..." she whispered.

A moment passed. Weiss felt timid fingertips curling through her hair.

Suddenly, an idea struck her.

She pulled away, smiling excitedly as she met Blake's eyes.

"Wait here a moment. I'd like to try something." She got to her feet and went into the bathroom, Blake obeying and remaining where she was on the floor, watching her girlfriend with ears pricked in curiosity.

Weiss returned a moment later with a small object in her hand, and when she sat down beside her again, Blake realized what it was.

"A... nail file?" She tilted her head to one side.

Weiss wondered if she realized how cute that gesture was, and every time Blake did it, the heiress was forced to bite back an unbecoming squeal.

"Yes," she said. "Now give me your hand."

"Pardon?"

"Well..." Weiss reached to take Blake's left hand in her right, rubbing her thumb aimlessly over the back of it. "I know your ears aren't the only visible aspects of your Faunus heritage." She glanced down at Blake's hands. "And I've noticed your nails break often. They grow back more quickly than ours do, but I know it's still painful and inconvenient. Plus..."

Blake looked at her, prompting Weiss to finished her thought as she trailed off a bit.

"Plus... sometimes you seem like you need something to scratch on," Weiss said.

A soft pink color dusted over Blake's cheeks in her surprise, but she ended up nodding.

"Y-Yeah... sometimes it gets a bit painful if I can't run them on something."

"So instead of using the bed posts..." Weiss gave her hand a squeeze. "Why not let me file them for you?"

It was a thought that had never crossed Blake's mind before, and now she had to wonder why it had never occurred to her, especially considering how often she saw Weiss tending to her own perfectly-manicured nails.

After thinking it over a minute, Blake gave a tiny nod.

"I think that could be... very nice."

Weiss smiled. "Alright. Then come up onto the bed and get comfortable."

She helped Blake to her feet and the two of them moved to her bed. Weiss fixed the pillow against the headboard and had Blake lean back. Weiss kept her girlfriend's left hand in hers, but noticed her right was balled into a fist around the fabrics of her pajamas. "Relax. You don't have to be so nervous," she soothed.

She then went to work on Blake's nails, running the file over them in controlled, practiced motions. Blake could feel the tiny, irritating, ragged ends of her nails being smoothed over, sheared down to a much more comfortable shape.

It was only a few minutes before Weiss was satisfied with her handiwork and let Blake examine the results.

"Wow. Weiss, it feels great."

"I'm glad. Now let me see your right hand." The heiress went over the same process on her girlfriend's other hand, and this time she heard the little purr start to break free from her vocal chords.

When she had finished, Blake was a little disappointed it was over, and was already wondering when she would be able to do it again.

Weiss stood, crossing the room to put away the nail file and picking her book up off the floor to place it on the desk.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like to do today?" she wondered. "I think it's supposed to rain later, so unfortunately, I don't know if going out would be to our benefit."

"That's fine." Blake shifted to one side, patting the blankets beside her. "Let's just relax. Let me repay you for doing my nails."

"Idiot..." Weiss sighed as she climbed onto the bed. "I didn't do that so you'd feel obligated to repay me."

"I know. But I want to anyway."

"You're too good to me," Weiss sighed.

But there was a smile on her lips as she sat down beside Blake, leaning her head against her girlfriend's shoulder. She felt a warm hand slip around her waist, fingertips brushing lightly over her ribs. The heiress closed her eyes for a moment, focusing her senses on Blake, breathing in her mysterious scent that was like a cool autumn night.

She heard a bit of a reprimanding murmur from above her:

"Weiss, you didn't dry your hair properly. You're going to get sick."

"Not if I keep warm," she mumbled.

"And you're always scolding me..." Blake rolled her eyes and sighed, wondering if Weiss had done this on purpose. Either way it did not matter, because Blake had intended to keep her warm anyway.

For a while, they stayed that way, and it was quiet enough to hear the rustle of the wind through the trees outside. Blake's jaws parted in a wide yawn before she rested her head on Weiss', willing sleep to come.

But her ears kept flicking about; it was so quiet without the other two here that now she could pick up on the distant activities of the school, and it was a bit irritating.

Unable to block out the sounds, she shifted a bit, her throat producing a small sound of discontent that did not go unnoticed by the heiress. Weiss blinked her eyes open and let her hands find Blake's, squeezing gently.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes... it's just..." Blake made a conflicted expression. "A bit loud..."

"Loud..." Weiss chuckled a bit. "You mean it's too quiet, I presume? Then lie down. I've got just the thing."

They moved the blankets and slipped underneath them, lying down on their sides to face one another before Blake pulled the covers back up to their hips. Weiss coaxed her forward and she complied, coiling her arms around the heiress' stomach and nuzzling her face into her collar.

Blake knew what was coming, and she happily closed her eyes to welcome it.

Weiss wrapped her arms around her shoulders to pull her close, and Blake could hear the little grunts as she cleared her throat, then the air rushing to her lungs as she inhaled.

Weiss began to sing softly to her – a lullaby of sorts – calming and sweet.

It reminded Blake of her childhood, when she had still had her mother to hum tunes to her on stormy nights when the thunder was loud and frightening. The steady rhythm of Weiss' heartbeat filled her ears, bringing a solace to Blake unlike any other she had felt before.

As the heiress continued to sing, voice gliding easily over even the highest of octaves, Blake felt the rumble of a purr in her chest again. She had once voiced her thoughts on how her purr was gravelly and uncouth compared to Weiss' flawless singing, but she had been promptly scolded by a light flick on the forehead before Weiss went off listing all the reasons why that was not the case.

Blake began to doze a bit just as Weiss finished her song. She held out the final note on a breath that quivered beautifully, and Blake sighed in bliss when it was over.

Weiss brought one hand to Blake's forehead, running her fingers carefully through her wavy, onyx bangs. But when she felt a wetness on the other girl's cheek, Weiss gasped softly. She pulled slightly away from Blake, causing the Faunus girl to grunt in displeasure when Weiss' warm body was no longer pressed against hers. She opened her eyes to find two pools of mist-blue staring back at her, not sure if they were more upset or serious. Probably both.

"Why are you crying?" Weiss growled, threatening whatever could make her girlfriend unsettled.

Blake shook her head.

"It's nothing bad." She chuckled a bit at how deathly serious Weiss was being now, and she felt her cheeks turn warm at the slightest bit of flattery. "Your song just reminded me of my childhood. Before... all that."

Weiss visibly relaxed when she realized they were happy tears.

"I'm glad that's what it was." She moved close again, pressing her lips to Blake's forehead, cradling her head against her chest.

Blake was about to let her contented purrs loose once more, but held back when she felt Weiss shudder against her. She squinted a pouting look at the heiress who glanced away sheepishly.

"I told you you'd catch cold," Blake grumbled.

"Then keep me warm!" Weiss tightened her embrace around her girlfriend and gave a pull as she rolled over onto her back, letting Blake lie on top of her.

There was a soft grunt on the heiress' part, and Blake quickly reached out her arms to either side of Weiss' head to prop herself on her forearms. Instinctively, she had to ask: "Are you okay?"

Weiss was so small, and despite the power and elegance she displayed on the battlefield, as her girlfriend, Blake knew just how thin those petite arms were. Blake definitely had more height, weight, and muscle on her, and as they lie here now, she could not help but fret she was crushing Weiss.

But the heiress was irked that Blake left such a devastating space between them and blinked expectantly up at her.

"I'm just fine," she snapped. "But I really might catch cold if you keep your distance like that." But when she noticed how Blake's ears were flicking nervously, Weiss tightened her grip around the small of her back in concern. "What's the matter?"

Biting her lip, Blake guiltily confessed her fears.

"I just... I don't want to hurt you, Weiss."

The girl beneath her froze, eyes widening in shock.

Then, she gave a hearty laugh, leaving Blake at a loss for how to react.

When Weiss had finished her chuckle, she smirked up at her. "You're humorous, you know that? Now are you going to make me ask you again?"

Blake's golden eyes were still wavering uncertainly, but she heeded Weiss' words. She leaned down to press a kiss over her scarred eye and then her cheek. At last, she moved her arms a bit nervously to slide beneath her shoulders and back. Blake rested her head sideways on Weiss' collar, once more listening to the thrumming of her heartbeat.

Weiss could tell Blake was still concerned about her when in fact, Weiss was quite snug and satisfied with the current positions. Two furry ears brushed lightly against her chin and she whispered softly into them: "It's okay. You don't have to tread on eggshells with me, Blake. You won't hurt me. I'm alright."

Weiss was beyond touched that Blake would concern herself so much over her well-being.

Despite her girlfriend's words, Blake was still uncertain about their positions; she felt Weiss was going to break beneath her at any second.

Likewise, the heiress could feel how tense her girlfriend was, as though she expected to hear Weiss cry out in pain at any second, and her arms were shaking a little. The purr in her throat was choppy, as though she was too focused on Weiss to relax.

The heiress could only allow it to continue like this for so long before she heaved a sigh. She moved one hand up Blake's back to pat her shoulder, gaining her attention. Blake pushed herself up and automatically started to panic.

"A-Are you okay? I'm sorry, I knew I was too heavy-"

"Would you please listen to me for five seconds?" Weiss quipped. Blake fell silent, ears drooping a bit, and her gaze was still worried as she looked down at her. Weiss rolled her eyes a little and sighed again. "Since you're obviously not enjoying this as much as I thought you would, let's move a bit, then."

Blake's ears perked up instantly and she did not waste another second.

Keeping a firm embrace on Weiss, she carefully rolled them both over, switching their positions to have Weiss lie atop her stomach. This placement was obviously much more preferable to Blake, therefore Weiss decided not to complain.

Blake's hands traveled up and down her back, warming the places where her damp hair had made it chilled. Weiss moved her hands to cup her girlfriend's cheeks, and Blake offered a welcoming smile.

Weiss pressed her lips against hers, and Blake squeezed her tighter in response.

They held the kiss for a moment, before Weiss could feel the vibrations of a purr bubbling up from the girl beneath her.

She pulled back with a light chuckle as Blake blushed bashfully. The heiress pecked her cheek before resting her head against her chest, feeling a kiss being placed atop her head.

It was not much longer before Blake started to purr again, and Weiss listened bemusedly. It started out more reserved - patchy and gravelly - only filling a portion of each breath she took.

But as Weiss snuggled closer, pressing a kiss to Blake's exposed collar, her purr became much fuller, like a small avalanche of marbles had been dropped and were rolling about on tiled flooring.

Weiss always found it amusing how Blake would sometimes purr so hard she could almost not breathe fast enough; she found it incredibly endearing and adorable.

Blake continued to rub her back soothingly, and Weiss closed her eyes. The warmth between them was flawless.

After a while, Blake's purring started to soften as her breathing slowed, and Weiss felt herself nodding off as well.

Before she lost consciousness, she made sure to murmur, "I love you, Blake."

The purring got louder again and Weiss felt another kiss on her head.

"I love you, Weiss," Blake sighed.

The time for their differences and difficulties had long-since passed, replaced by a tender affection.

Their heartbeats synchronized as they drifted off into a peaceful slumber, gentle breathing and a slightly rumbling purr rolling softly through the air all the while.

A/N: Well if you're not sick of the fluff by now, I commend you.

Please review!