Lady Misfortune: Daddy, I'll Be A Righteous Villainess!

Something in Lady seems to flutter the moment Weiss initiates an affectionate gesture.

This sort of intimacy is nothing new in their friendship. It just naturally comes with their closeness. They would hug and cuddle all the time, and they would even kiss each other's cheek every once in a while. But this one right now is a little bit different. The way he makes contact with her skin holds an undertone, especially when it lingers much longer than she's expecting.

His lips are soft and warm against her forehead, his cool-water scent enthralling. The fluttering turns into somersaulting. Her eyes are in a perfect spot to view his strong, broad shoulders, and her cheeks are in touch with his huge, rough hands. That's when it occurs to her.

'Friend or not, Weiss is a guy.' 

Allowing the thought to process, Lady fails to notice how her face starts burning. Weiss has pulled away by then, bemused to find her looking somewhat tense.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, a little concerned.

"N-Nothing. Just thinking," she replied a bit timidly.

"Well, as Fallon would say it, that's rare." 

"Hey! That's mean! Fallon's rubbing on you!"

"We're best buds, after all. Now, go to sleep."

"Hmph! You're just easily influenced."           

Weiss simply laughs while Lady huffs indignantly.

She does as she's told despite herself. As soon as she lies down, that weird feeling has vanished. All she feels now is blissful contentment. She's glad he's always there for her, and she wishes to repay him somehow.

"Hey, can you lean in for me? I've got something to tell you," she told him, peeking from under the blanket as she spoke. 

"Yeah? What is it?" he blurted out as he bent down to her level, resisting the urge to swoon at how adorable she looked from under the bedsheet.

What he didn't expect to get then is a cute little peck on his nose. She scooted closer once he's near enough, and with that, she responded to his kiss with one of her own. He's instantly knocked out of his breath at the heart-melting contact. But even when his emotions are starting to go haywire, he only settles with a surprised expression. 

"Thanks for everything," she said, endearing him more.

Weiss admits that today's entire fiasco is more tiresome than usual, but as always, everything that Lady does in return is more than worth the trouble.

---

Two hours in, and it still feels like a daydream.

Weiss had accepted his feelings a long time ago. If only it wasn't for the fact that Fallon would constantly interfere, he would've already confessed. Lady also seems to be taking too long to pick up. 

Even then, he's satisfied with what they have in the present. He doesn't mind staying this way for a bit longer, but he's a little worried that someone else will suddenly come and beat him to it.

'As if I'd let anyone get too close to her in the first place.' 

Inching over to the side of the bed, he lets his fingers comb through her honey-yellow locks. Her hands, so delicate to his touch, are curled into loose fists, and as he trails his gaze down her bare arm, his cheeks blossom with color, his heart swelling with affection. He remains next to her, not a sound floating in the air save for the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

It's mesmerizing, how perfect their hands look when interlocked – almost as if his large, calloused fingers are meant to fold between her small, thin ones. 

Her knuckles are smooth white, and as he runs his thumb over them, his eyes take in every inch and detail that makes this moment feel so right. He moves a few loose strands of hair away from her forehead, the movement causing her features to relax more. His heart beats erratically in his chest. 

Breathing in, he gives her hand a squeeze. Then, he raises it up to his lips.

'I hope you'd finally change your mind about keeping up the 'bad guy' act and everything, especially after all that had happened today. You're just going to get yourself into more danger, and I don't think I can let you get treated badly anymore.' 

With those thoughts in mind, Weiss seals a kiss on the back of Lady's hand. 

He can't help but revel in the warmth of her touch – and in this intimate gesture altogether. Her sweet, fruity scent never fails to entrance him. He'd love to keep her this close for as long as he allows himself to.

It's just a shame that he forgot they weren't exactly alone.

"Oh, wow. You've got it that bad, huh?"

Weiss perks up in surprise then turns around to meet Sarah's judging stare.

He didn't even notice that she's already awake. It's kind of his fault, though, considering that he'd permitted himself to get too occupied. She'd definitely find it awkward to catch him doing what he's doing. 

"Ms. Gracelyn. You're awake," he started without being too extra, effortlessly playing it cool.

"Well, obviously, I am," she unflappably muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Grumpy.

She's acting the exact opposite now that he's not in his disguise. He should understand, though. Getting thrown off the stairs won't leave anyone in a good mood. Still, it doesn't hurt to be congenial. 

"How are you feeling right now…?" he inquired as he faced her.

"Does anything hurt?"

"My whole body does. I feel like I crashed on a surface or something…" she replied then trailed off.

"Oh, wait. I did crash."

"Our friend managed to catch you, luckily. Would've been worse had he not."

"It's Hartigan Holbein, right?" 

"Yes. That's him."

"Ughhh… It was so mortifying."

Weiss is a bit taken aback by that. Whatever facade that Sarah's trying to put up has just cracked a little at the mention of Hartigan.

"First, it's her, and now, it's him – these people are just so hard to understand," she groaned, looking torn between ashamed and irritated.

"What's so hard to understand about them?" he queried, knowing quite well who she was pertaining to. 

"They're… t-too nice."

"Uhhh… You mean Lady and Hartigan, right?"

"Yeah. Those idiots. Blondie over there had invited me to eat lunch with them, you see, and pinkie had agreed to it even though he knew we didn't get along. I don't get them. What's our relationship supposed to be, really?" 

"I personally think that saving you has nothing to do with that. It's already in their nature to help those in need, but if you really want to know, you've got to ask them directly. There's really nothing to fret about since they always mean well." 

Weiss is expecting that Sarah will not second the motion. Hartigan should be fine, considering she doesn't know much about him yet, but she already has a history with Lady.   

Contrary to his initial belief, though, she didn't say anything in opposition to his statement about them meaning well. Instead, she just regarded him contemplatively.

"Anyway, it's a relief that you're feeling okay…" he began again, changing the subject in favor of addressing the main issue.

"Is it fine if I ask you to tell me the full length of the story?"

"Oh, it's absolutely horrible. Terrified me to the bones. Worst experience ever. Period…" she told him in a theatrical manner, but knowing that all of that was most probably true, he could not say she was exaggerating. 

"Well, basically, it all started when blondie and pinkie found me having my daily dose of angst in the courtesy of my unhealthily obsessive classmates."

The way Sarah narrates the whole thing is quite poetic, Weiss must say.

Regardless, the information she shared with him is much appreciated. He can finally piece the puzzle together. His friends' inputs will still help, of course. They all need to discuss this thoroughly once school is over.

The last period soon arrives. It won't be long before the others come.

"I'm bored. Hey, wanna play a game?" Sarah asked at some point.

"Depends on what kind of game it is," Weiss answered, mildly surprised.

"Relax. It's easy. Tad bit weird, though." 

"Which game exactly?"

"Hmmm… I call it the Wanting Game."

He froze.

The term clicks in his head faster than his brain can process. It's strange how he quickly picked it up as something eerily familiar. He knows he heard the name before. But he's having a difficult time recalling when and where.

"Come on. It's simple. We're just gonna tell each other what we want regardless of how small or big it is. Childish, I know. But it can be pretty fun," Sarah continued to elaborate, though it did nothing but disorient Weiss more.

He hardly even knows this girl. Yet, he feels like he knows her secrets. Then, he remembers that peculiar dream – that wholesome talk between siblings.

He wonders why he's trying to connect that to this. But he didn't get enough time to do so as he got snapped out of his thoughts by a loud screech. 

"Sarah! You're awake!" Lady exclaimed out of nowhere, having just woken up from a short nap to find Sarah already up and about.