𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 [ʀᴡʙʏ x ᴍᴀʟᴇ ᴏᴄ]

Chapter 58

Weiss POV

Everyone had slowly started to doze off, lulled by the steady creaking of the cart and the cold wind brushing past us. My eyelids were heavy too, the exhaustion settling deep into my bones after everything we'd been through. I leaned back slightly, eyes fluttering shut—until I felt it.

Warmth.

Not from the blanket draped over me. Not from the small heater we'd rigged into the cart. No... this warmth was familiar. Steady. Alive.

I looked down.

Klaus.

His eyes were half-lidded, confused at first, but they slowly met mine. That soft blue I missed so much. My breath hitched.

"Klaus..." I whispered, voice cracking just a bit. I didn't even think—I just moved.

I gently cupped his cheek, guiding him upright as he blinked in groggy confusion. Then, without a second thought, I pulled him into me, wrapping both arms around him. His head rested right against my chest, right above my heart. And I held him there, protectively, like he was the most fragile, precious thing in the world.

"You're okay..." I whispered into his hair, my fingers threading through it gently. "You're really okay..."

Klaus didn't speak. He didn't have to. His arms slowly wrapped around my waist, holding me back just as tightly. The wind howled outside the cart, but in that moment—none of it mattered.

Klaus let out a strained breath, his voice low and rough, barely above a whisper.
Klaus: "It feels like... every bone in my body is broken."

Weiss: "Hush, hush. Don't talk."

I gently guided him back down, slowly and carefully, until his head rested on my lap. He didn't resist—just let himself be lowered, like his body had finally given up the fight now that he was safe. I brushed a few strands of his hair away from his face and began running my fingers through it, soft and steady.

His eyes fluttered shut, and I could feel the tension in his jaw relax just a little. I shifted slightly, adjusting the blanket around us both to keep him warm.

Weiss: "I've got you."

I kept caressing his hair, humming a faint lullaby my mother used to sing when I was young—just loud enough for him to hear. He didn't say anything else, but I felt the way his body leaned into my touch.

Ruby's scroll rang out sharply in the stillness, the sudden sound startling everyone awake. I blinked, tightening my arms just slightly around Klaus as he stirred in my lap.

Ruby: "It's Jaune!!"

Yang immediately slowed Bumblebee and brought her to a stop, turning back with wide eyes.

Yang: "Wait—Jaune?"

Everyone else echoed her surprise, still shaking off sleep, the exhaustion not enough to dull the sudden rush of hope. I sat up straighter, keeping Klaus cradled against me while I watched Ruby with curiosity and disbelief.

Ruby: (answering her Scroll) Uh, hello?

Jaune: (voiceover from the Scroll) Ruby! Oh, thank you! I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!

Ruby: The city? Wait.

The group sees a hill where the snow ends. Yang proceeds forward to drive them up the hill. At the top of the hill, the group sees a walled city in the distance along the ocean.
Yang: (smiling) Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Argus.