It was still dark outside, the first light of morning still a few hours away.
Asher's room was quiet. The fire in the fireplace had burned down to embers, the logs still glowing faintly, scattered between the ashes. The couch where he and Weiss had been sitting was empty, and further into the room, they could be seen lying in his bed instead.
Weiss was curled up under the blanket, sleeping soundly. She still wore the lingerie she had picked out, though it was a little worse for wear now. The skin exposed by it, along with the blanket just below her shoulders, revealed faint marks scattered across her neck and collarbone.
Despite all of that, Weiss slept peacefully.
Asher, on the other hand, had sat up in bed, only wearing sweatpants and no shirt. His back was against a pillow, leaning against the headrest. One hand reached out, gently running his fingers through Weiss's hair, careful not to wake her.
His expression was as relaxed as his movements. He stared at nothing in particular, his mind elsewhere.
The two of them had ended up on the bed together, falling asleep after the long night. But something had woken him up in the middle of the night—no sound, no disturbance. It wasn't the usual night terrors either, which had been happening less often, but more intense when they did.
This time, it was just his mind—too active to let him sleep deeply. It buzzed with thoughts, but those had mostly been sorted out earlier in the bath. Instead, he was focused on everything that had happened recently. The raid on the crater, the aftermath, and the strange 'game' he was playing with Mori now.
A few more quiet moments passed before Asher sighed softly, turning his head to look down at Weiss, still sleeping beside him.
In that moment, his mind drifted—not to their first kiss, or any other shared memories between them. Not even to the passionate moments from just that night. No, his mind went back to one thing, one particular set of words she had spoken.
'I love you.'
She had looked so happy in that moment, her smile so content as Asher gazed down at her.
But when she said those words, something inside him cracked. Her voice, Weiss's voice, seemed to shatter along with his own memories. Images from his past blurred together with her figure. Faces of people he'd known, people who loved him, people he had been able to love in return.
For a brief instant, their confessions, their expressions, and their voices all mixed with Weiss's. Asher didn't know why his mind had decided to do that, of all moments, but he quickly snapped out of it. And now, this was the conclusion, the reality.
All he could do in the silence of the room was apologize, silently, as he kept his hand gently stroking her head.
I'm sorry, Weiss... for getting you involved in all of this. I wish you'd had a chance to experience a normal relationship before crossing paths with someone like me.
He leaned back against the headrest, staring up at the ceiling, and let out a soft, self-deprecating chuckle.
But I guess I'm the last person who should be wishing for anything. I approached her knowing exactly what I was dragging her into. And now… I'll be the one responsible for what comes next, for what she'll go through because of those very same feelings.
His hand stilled against Weiss's head, and he leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before pulling back. She made a soft sound in her sleep and shifted, instinctively drawing closer to him, her head tilting more into his touch.
As he watched her, Asher's eyes narrowed, and he whispered, more to himself than her:
"The only thing I can promise is that I'll do my best to make sure you don't regret saying those words anytime soon."
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December 15th, 2033
When Weiss stirred, it was the sunlight creeping through the windows and warming her face that roused her. She shifted in bed, trying to roll over and face the other way, but as she did, a dull ache made itself known. It wasn't exactly painful, but it was definitely uncomfortable, with a soreness around her thighs.
At least she didn't feel stiff, probably because of how frequently she pushed her body, even if it wasn't always in the same way.
After lying there a little longer, she reached out with one hand toward the other side of the bed, mumbling, "Hmm... Asher, what time is it? I feel like I need another hour of sleep."
But as her hand reached out, it found nothing but the cold sheets. Her eyes, which had been closed a moment before, snapped open in confusion. Turning her head, she saw that Asher wasn't there. She was alone in bed.
In fact, she was alone in the entire room.
Realizing it, Weiss pushed herself up, the blanket slipping down with her as she scanned the room again.
"Asher?" She called out softly.
No answer.
A small, hollow feeling crept into her stomach.
"I guess he had to do something…" She muttered under her breath, her gaze dropping as she sat back down on the bed.
It's fine. Asher's busy, you know that. He's been working with the Atlas Military a lot lately, and who knows how many other things he has going on. He already spent a whole day with me yesterday, helping me with summoning... He must've had other things to do during that as well.
She tried to reassure herself, pushing aside the gnawing feeling in her chest. But when you're left alone with only your thoughts, it's hard to keep everything at bay. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself it didn't bother her, one thought kept resurfacing.
She remembered the moment when she told Asher she loved him. The panic that had gripped her, terrified he'd pull away, and the warmth in her chest when he hadn't. But even then, deep down, she couldn't ignore the feeling that something was off.
He hadn't said he loved me back...
The silence in the room and in her mind lingered after Weiss had that thought.
It wasn't until a knock at the door broke the stillness that she looked up. The next moment, one of the doors creaked open, and the sound of dishes clattering against a metal tray filled the air. Someone nudged the door open with their back before turning to face her.
It was Asher.
When he saw that she was awake, he paused, then smiled at her.
"Oh, hey, you're up. Sorry, I didn't want to jolt you awake by knocking too hard or just calling out to you." He stepped fully into the room, closing the door with his foot, and made his way over to her side of the bed. In his hands was a metal tray with legs. He motioned for her to scoot back slightly before setting it down in front of her.
"Hope you're hungry," Asher said.
Weiss's eyes flicked from the tray to him. She blinked a few times, a bit confused.
"I- I thought…" She ended up stopping herself from finishing the sentence.
Taking a breath, she switched and instead asked, "You went to grab us breakfast?
"Oh, well, I already ate a while ago and couldn't really fall asleep. But I didn't want to just lie around, so I figured I'd make something for you before you woke up," he explained.
Weiss's eyes widened a bit at that last part.
"Wait… you made this? You can cook?" She looked down at the breakfast in front of her, suddenly seeing it in a whole new light.
"Just a little. I picked up a few things," Asher replied.
In a way, it was true. Asher had studied nearly every technology-related field he could, so he'd started branching out. Not just biomechanics, like he was reading about in the hospital, but a variety of other skills.
Even now, despite not reaching a hundred percent assimilation in terms of culinary expertise, he was on par with—or perhaps even better than—a master chef. He knew which plants were safe to eat and which ones were poisonous. He knew how to start a fire from scratch if he found himself caught in a blizzard.
He even knew how to hunt—at least, in theory.
Some of this knowledge came from his time in a coma, but regardless, he never knew what situations he might face in the future, so he worked hard at making himself a jack of all trades.
For Weiss, though, she was still processing his words—'a little'—as she looked down at the meal Asher had made for her.
On the central plate, with a little zest, were lemon-ricotta pancakes. They were perfectly puffed and fluffy, their edges crisped to a golden brown. There were only two pancakes, but they were dusted with a light layer of sugar and topped with a warm berry compote made of blueberries—her favorite fruit.
Beside that, a portion of buttered scrambled eggs sat, soft and slightly wobbly, with runny cheese melting into them, giving them a silky smooth texture. A few cuts of smoked salmon were laid on top, seasoned just enough to pair perfectly with the eggs.
"I wasn't sure if you were a coffee person or not, so I just got you water," Asher added, nodding toward the glass of slightly chilled water in the top corner of the tray.
Weiss was still stunned. Not only did she like most of the food on the plate, but she liked everything, whether it was the seasoning or the ingredients themselves. She hadn't even told Asher that she liked some of these things.
How did he know?
"This... looks amazing, Asher," she finally managed to say, her voice full of surprise and genuine warmth. She had thought he was busy, off doing something else. But now, knowing that he had taken the time to cook for her, she felt a bit silly.
As she looked up at him, the thoughts from a moment ago seemed to vanish.
Her gaze softened with affection, and she spoke again, her voice warm, "Thank you. I love it. It's perfect."
"Well, that's good to hear," Asher replied, brushing her hair as he leaned down toward her.
Weiss turned her head to meet him, and their lips met in a soft kiss. When they pulled apart, he stroked her hair one last time before standing up straight.
"Alright, you should hurry and eat before it gets cold. I have to do some checkups on my scroll, but I'll be at my desk if you need me." Weiss nodded, a warm smile on her face as she watched Asher walk over to his desk. He sat down and pulled out his scroll, focusing on a few things.
Turning her attention back to the food in front of her, Weiss reached for her fork and knife, cutting into one of the pancakes. She raised a bite to her lips and took a bite, letting out a soft sigh of contentment. It was warm, soft, with just the right amount of butter. The edges were crisp, giving a perfect crunch.
How does it taste even better than it looks?
As she chewed, her gaze drifted back to Asher, who was sitting at his desk, perfectly framed by the morning light. It was still just her in the bed, but that pit in her stomach was gone, replaced by a warm, comforting feeling that spread through her, making it hard for her to stop smiling to herself.
For a moment, everything truly felt perfect.
Weiss ate slowly, savoring the food over the next twenty or so minutes. When she finally finished, she downed the last of her water before setting the glass down. A satisfied sigh escaped her as she leaned back against the headrest of the bed.
She placed the tray aside and, with a content smile, muttered, "That was delicious."
She looked over at Asher, gently rubbing her stomach. However, she paused when she noticed he was frowning slightly, not in anger, but more out of concentration as he focused on whatever was on his scroll.
When he realized she was looking at him, his gaze flicked away from the screen, his expression quickly returning to its usual calm.
"Oh, sorry. But I'm glad you liked it. You don't have to worry about cleaning up. Some of the maids will come by to take care of it since we made a bit of a mess last night." There was a teasing note in his voice that made Weiss's face flush, though she didn't shy away this time.
"Well, before they do, can you tell me what time it is?"
Asher glanced at his scroll before answering, "It's around eight fifty."
"Hmm, alright, I need to hurry and take a shower, then, and get dressed. My driver is picking me up at nine thirty. What about you? That look on your face just now tells me you've got something to take care of too, right?" Asher didn't bother hiding it, nodding to confirm her suspicion.
"Yeah, apparently there's been a breakthrough in the investigation. It's related to the hijacking, and they want me to come down."
Weiss sat up slightly at the mention of the hijacking. It had been a while since they'd heard anything about it, and the news seemed to have faded.
"Do you think they found the people responsible?" She asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Possibly, but I won't know for sure until I go to check it out. I'll probably head there after you leave," Asher replied.
"Huh? You don't have to do that, Asher. You can go now; I'll be fine on my own, really." This time, Weiss was completely sincere. After the night and morning they'd shared, she felt completely content. She didn't want to take up any more of his time, especially with something as important as this.
But Asher just shook his head, tossing his scroll onto the desk before saying, "It's fine. I have prior engagements after all."
Weiss raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by what he meant, as Asher stood up from his desk and started walking toward the bathroom. Then, he stopped and turned to face her.
"Unless you didn't want to take a shower together." For a brief moment, Weiss froze as the words sank in. When she finally reacted, part of her seemed to be trying to figure out if Asher was serious. But seeing him standing there, waiting, made it clear he was.
She hesitated for only a moment before swinging her legs off the side of the bed and standing up.
As she walked toward the bathroom, she glanced at him and pointed, "I want to make it clear first that we're not going to do anything, okay? My legs still feel weak, and I'm sore everywhere. We're just doing this to save time and water."
Asher raised his hand in mock surrender and nodded, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Of course." Weiss narrowed her eyes at him for a second, trying to look stern, though the faint flush at the tips of her ears gave her away. She walked into the bathroom first, and Asher followed with a quiet smile as the door gently swung shut behind them.
Needless to say, what was supposed to be a quick shower ended up lasting nearly thirty minutes.
By the time they both emerged, dressed for the day, and made their way to the entrance of the Frostvale Manor, Weiss's ride was already waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs in the driveway.
She was wearing the same clothes she'd arrived in, her fur-lined hood pulled tight to cover the marks on her skin. As for the lingerie, she had asked Asher if she could leave it in his room—she didn't want to explain to her family or their staff why she had it.
"This is going to be so hard to cover up with makeup," Weiss muttered, rubbing her neck lightly.
"Sorry about that," Asher apologized, adjusting her hood for her.
Weiss sighed, shaking her head.
"It's fine. Not like I tried to stop you when you did it." She stood there for a moment, looking at him.
She wanted to kiss him, but she couldn't, not with the driver waiting just downstairs. She knew the moment she did, he'd report back to her father, and things would get complicated.
Asher broke the silence first.
"I'll see you later, alright?"
Weiss gave him a nod, her voice soft, "Yeah."
She turned and started heading down the stairs toward her ride. Asher watched her get in, and she gave him one last glance, offering a seemingly polite wave. As the vehicle lifted off the ground and started hovering down the driveway, eventually disappearing through the gates, Asher's expression shifted back to neutrality.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his scroll, and started sifting through his messages until he found the one he had been looking for earlier.
[Graz (Director): I've just gotten word from Ironwood that they've found a lead on the ones behind all of this. He's calling us to his office—me, you, and Winter.]
Asher quickly typed a response.
[Asher: I'll be there within the hour.]
He closed his scroll and slipped it back into his pocket.
The ones responsible for backing the White Fang here in Atlas...
As those thoughts lingered in his mind, the task Mori had given him echoed. He was supposed to kill them himself.
And it looked like the opportunity to do just that was coming soon.