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Chapter Text

*Velvet's POV

The crisp Saturday afternoon within the park brought with it a number of photogenic scenery that I just couldn't pass by, not without snapping a picture or two of course. Granted, I wish I had my actual camera with me, but that is exactly why I had bought a phone with a high resolution HD camera.

Snapping yet another photo of the parks half frozen lake, I hear a chuckle from behind me. Oh.. heh, right. Turning around to face Coco with a blush, I guiltily put my phone back into my pocket. We were suppose to be out on a simple date, a casual stroll through the park. Of course.. I'm the one getting distracted by all of natures beauty.

"S-sorry." I apologize for perhaps the tenth time, stepping up to Coco's side to link arms with her. Gratefully, she doesn't look the least bit upset. If anything Coco just looks highly amused.

"Don't worry about it bun," she says, the pet name making me blush and my stomach flutter. "In fact, I think I see something you've missed."

At first I'm confused, my head turning every which way to see just what it was that Coco was talking about. Had my photogenic eye missed something? Was it something in how the end of winter's frost clung to the trees? Or was it something on the other side of the lake that I missed?

Turning to question my girlfriend (gah, even thinking that word still sends my stomach fluttering with butterflies), I see that Coco is wearing a crooked grin which I'm not entirely sure is a good or bad thing as she is holding her free hand out to me. Was she asking for my phone? Mostly confident that Coco wouldn't do something, like say, throw my phone into the lake, I dig the device back out from my pocket and hand it over with hopes that she'd be able to show me exactly what it was that I had 'missed'. Once Coco had my phone, she unlinked our arms so that she could grab me by the shoulders to turn me towards the lake.

Ooo so it was something across the lake then, I thought as I began to squint, trying to peer at the opposite side for something unique until Coco rested her chin on my shoulder, snaking her arms around me with my phone in her outstretched hands and the selfie function running on my phone's camera.

"Cheeeese." I hear Coco say, barely giving me enough time to slap on a convincing smile.

After Coco took the picture, I giggled for a moment, unable to help myself as she brought my phone closer for the two of us to inspect the picture. Despite the suddenness of it, my face still looked happy and warm next to Coco's cool looks, peering over the rims of her sunglasses and smokey smirk.

"You know what?" I said, snuggling into Coco's embrace since she hadn't moved, plus her spicy perfume smelt amazing and I just wanted to breath it all in. "This is the best picture yet."

Coco squeezed me in a hug as we both shared a laugh like the silly love struck couple that we are.

Chapter Text

*Coco's POV


I may be one to jump the gun and dive right into things, but ever since I began officially dating Velvet, I've been enjoying taking the slow route. Although, as I sat down a monstrous vanilla and chocolate milkshake swirl with a literal mountain of whip cream on top down at the table that Velvet and I shared, I was beginning to think that some of my barista bunny's friends thought that maybe I'm going too slow.

"Coco that's-" Velvet began as I pulled out a chair to sit across from her.

"Not what we had ordered? Yea I know." I interrupted her, shooting a glare over the rims of my sunglasses at Neon who stood behind the cafe's counter. Catching my glare, the cat faunus waved with far more enthusiasm then warranted with a sly wink. Yea, she new exactly what she was doing when she decided to combine our orders.

"Neon." I heard Velvet growl, which made me turn to see my girl's cheeks puffed out as she shot a glare of her own. Honestly, she looked too cute to take her anger seriously, and I couldn't stop the amused chuckle that slipped passed my lips.

Spearing the milkshake with a straw, a held out a second one towards Velvet. "Well we can either throw it at her, or attempt to eat it all."

Pulling her stare away from Neon, Velvet turned to me with a smile tugging at her mouth as she took the offered straw. "We'll have to get her back, you know." she said with a delightful little glint in her eyes. I love it when my barista bunny tries to be evil.

"I might know of someone who can help us." I winked at her, enjoying how the gesture still makes Velvet blush.

As we began to enjoy the milkshake together, I whipped out my phone to send a text message to Fox.

Chapter Text

*Yang's POV

Last night work was.. well it was tough, and I'll leave it at that. But instead of going home to let my fists fly into a punching bag at three in the morning and risk waking up Ruby, I instead called Blake to see if she was awake and would let me come over so that I could talk it out. She was, and we did. Talk, I mean. We talked for a good hour and some minutes, going over what had triggered my anger at work and such. It helped, and even though my awesome girlfriend was super sweet in lending both sets of ears towards my emotional baggage, the late (or early) hour had eventually worn us both down and it was easily decided that I'd spend the night.

Yet despite being super thankful that both Blake and I were comfortable enough in our budding relationship to sleep in the same bed together, I hadn't shared a bed with Blake since back in high school during one of Nora's slumber parties. So needless to say, I had forgotten how much of a clinger she can be. Normally I'd find it super cute, slowly waking up thanks to some evil sliver of light poking through the curtains to find Blake all curled up on my left side like a kola bear at gods know what time it was, but I needed to pee. Badly.

"Blake." I croaked out, smacking my lips to try and put some moisture back into my mouth. Alas, the small side effect of sleeping on my back.

Blake was still sleeping soundly on my arm, unmoving aside from the gentle rise and fall of her rib cage to note her breathing. Knowing that I must have been the one to kick the sheets off at some point during the night, I lifted my head off the pillows just enough to confirm that both of her legs were wrapped around one of my own and her head tucked into my collarbone. I couldn't see Blake's face from this angle or through her mass of raven hair, but my heart still melted from what I could see as I nuzzled the spot atop her head between her faunus ears, trying to wake her up once more.

"Blake, kitten, I need you to move." I whispered, knowing that Blake's faunus hearing could hear me just as loudly as if I had spoken normally. What I wasn't expecting, was both of her cat ears flicking me in the face as my breath no doubt had tickled them. It was like a tiny, furry, double slap to the face, and I scrunched up my nose from the assault.

Alright. Time to play some hard ball.

I never wear my prosthetic to bed, and sleeping over at Blake's was no exception. It just meant that my task of trying to force myself into a raised position was made a little more difficult with my only arm being pinned by my girlfriend. Speaking of which, as I moved, Blake finally stirred but only to curl further into my side with a soft mumble of protest.

Drats.

I was hoping to just simply slide out from beneath her grasp, but with Blake now even more wrapped around me, my only other option was to roll up, over, and off. Which is what I did. Again, my task was made trickier because I hadn't realized that my left arm had gone completely numb, but I still managed to swing my right leg over and twisted the rest of me to follow until I was both free of Blake's grasp, and straddling atop her waist. Blake finally woke up then with a surprised noise, rapidly blinking the sleep from her eyes as she grumbled something at me. Ashamedly I didn't catch what she said, I just know that in my movement my bladder urgently reminded me of why I needed out of bed in the first place.

"Morning kitten." I purred cheekily, leaning down to place a quick kiss on Blake's furrowed brow before I hopped off of her to finally rush to the restroom. I'll apologize to her later I swear, maybe with a plate of pancakes or something.

I hate it when I wake up and can't feel my left arm. Not just because of all the fumbling around I do because my fingers refuse to grip anything, or because of the sheer amount of focus I have to put into getting the movements right as I wash up.. It's the panic attacks that usually came with it.

Blasting the sinks hot water with my hand beneath it, I grit my teeth as I focus on the feeling of pins and needles shooting through my arm to prove to my brain that I still have one limb left. My brain is stupid. This was stupid. It is all just so stupid! I suddenly had the urge to punch something, because even with my brain telling me lies, feeling the impact of a punch run up my knuckles to my shoulder was always real enough to make my brain shut the hell up. But seeing all of Blake's beauty products lining her sink counter, stopped me.

"This isn't your apartment, dummy, don't Break Blake's things," I hissed at my reflection through gritted teeth.

Blake.

My brain's emotional negativity came to a sudden and complete halt with that name, replaced with the gorgeous face that associated with it. Then I found myself thinking back to last night, remembering how Blake sat with me on her couch to listen to me rant about work, how adorable she looked as she tried to hide a yawn at four in the morning, how she still managed to give me some soothing advice as she rested her head on my shoulder..

Thinking of Blake got me through the rest of my panic attack, and I breathed out a long sigh.

With feeling restored in my fingers, I finished washing up before turning the water off in the sink. Then curiosity, of course, had me scanning the many bottles of makeup stuffs Blake had along the counter as I grabbed a cloth to dry up with. A particularly dark palate of eye shadow caught my attention the most, so naturally I read its label. Ninja's Shadow Collection. I couldn't stop myself from grinning.

Finally feeling refreshed enough to exit the bathroom, I opened the door to come face to face with Blake. She was standing in the hallway with her arms crossed across her chest, the sexiest looking bed head, flattened cat ears, and the grumpiest of faces pointing my way. Heh, oops. I guess I was accidentally hogging the bathroom all this time as I was wrestling with my brain. Yup, apologies will have to be more then just pancakes. Maybe some bacon and eggs as well?

"Ninja's shadow? Really?" I grinned at her, unable to stop myself as I flashed my teeth with a shit eating grin (no pun intended I swear!) as I tried to deter my girlfriends morning ire.

Blake rolled her eyes at me with what I hope was fake annoyance, reaching to grab a fist full of my t-shirt to pull me out of the bathroom and into the hallway. I laughed because I couldn't help it, Blake was just too cute, and I laughed even harder when she gave me a quick kiss like she does when trying to shut me up before slamming the bathroom door closed in my face.

Not wanting to hang out around Blake's apartment in just my shirt and underwear all day, I threw on my pants from yesterday before heading to the kitchen to get breakfast started, deciding that I'd also throw in a large mug of Blake's favorite tea to my 'Please Forgive Me for Waking You Up and Stuffs, But You're an Awesome Girlfriend for Putting Up With Me So I Made You Breakfast' breakfast.

Chapter Text

*Blake's POV

"So we'll just move this over there, and put some lights around-uh, hmm.. over there maybe? Yea that'll work. Oh! Should we make an impromptu tent thingy to go over it? What do you think?"

Ruby and Yang had, for some reason or another, gotten it in their heads that the three of us should go out for a picnic. Mind you, it was still technically winter with spring a few weeks away, and I was not sitting outside in the cold. So when the two sisters weighed their options for locations, somehow my apartment was voted best choice to host an indoor picnic with additional invitations being sent out to Velvet, Coco, and Weiss who would be skyping in through Ruby's laptop. It took some major sweet talking on Yang's part, but I eventually agreed to the crazy idea.

Ruby arrived early so that she could help me rearrange my living room. Currently, we just finished moving both my couch and coffee table up against the walls to clear out a large enough space for a bed sheet to be laid out, which would be our picnic blanket. My two cats were split in their decisions on how they liked the temporary arrangement, Shroud having tucked himself into a corner scared because all of his hiding places had been moved, while Gambol zipped across the new open space excitedly.

Scooping up Shroud to hold him against my chest, I headed towards my hallway closet where I kept most of my spare things like cat litter, the vacuum, spare blankets, my sparse holiday decorations, etc.

"I think we'll pass on the tent idea," I called out to Ruby as I fished from the closet a string of fairy lights. Heading back to the living room, I handed the lights to Ruby since she was masterminding the whole setup. While she began setting them up around the corners of the living room for a calm ambiance feel, the first of our guests began arriving so I went to let them in with Shroud still in my arms.

Velvet was the first to arrive, bringing with her some homemade hummus and a tray filled with various edibles to dip into it such as veggies, chips and cheese slices. Arriving next was Coco with a store bought sandwich platter, closely followed by Yang who brought beverages. Mostly soda, but she was still considerate in bringing a pack of canned tea which Velvet and I were curious to try.

With all of my physical guests present, and Weiss skyped in on Ruby's laptop, I released Shroud from my grasp so that he could hide in my bedroom before helping the others set up our picnic display, heading to my kitchen to grab some plates. Ruby even set up a little tray of food in front of her computer for Weiss.

All in all, I didn't think an indoor picnic could be this fun, but it surprisingly was. Aside from all the introductions (Weiss hasn't really spoken with Velvet much to know her and this was the first time she's met Coco), and the usual catching up banter, we even all got a good laugh from my cats. Yang's hair was assaulted by Gambol climbing up her back to nuzzle into it, and Shroud braved the living room to steal one of Coco's abandoned sandwiches. Of course, no one noticed the all black munchkin to stop him until the little tubster was already half done eating it, the ensuing chase led by Ruby leaving my living room even more of a disaster as a few things got knocked over, but I didn't mind. I was laughing along with everyone else.

Chapter Text

*Ruby's POV

"How does this look?" Weiss asked as she tilted her mixing bowl towards her webcam for me to see.

"Mmmm you still have a few clumps, so keep stirring until it's all smooth but you can add your chocolate chips in now." I tell her, showing her my own perfectly mixed cookie dough as an example before reaching for my bag of chocolate chips to dump into it.

Teaching someone to bake is easy, especially if you're both in the same space and you can take the spoon out of their hands and physically show them how it's done. Teaching someone to bake over skype is, mmm.. a little trickier then I first thought. And when that someone is none other then Weiss Schnee.. Well...

Weiss has servants and butlers for just about everything, but when she asked me to teach her how to bake so that she could do something special for her sister Winter who was visiting in a few days, I totally was not going to turn down this golden opportunity, no matter how difficult it was.

Because, ladies and gentlemen:

..Weiss Schnee..

..In her own, massive, kitchen..

..Baking.

Best. Day. EVER! (I even took a screenshot to show Yang later)

Weiss had her webcam set up to were I could practically see all of her kitchen at an angle, as well as herself and what she was doing, while my own webcam was set up the same. I let out a little giggle as I watched Weiss grumbling something in her foreign language before she began stirring her cookie mixture once more. While she did that, I dug out a cookie sheet.

"And this?" Weiss asked, once more showing me her bowl, now perfectly mixed with little chunks of expensive looking chocolate in it. I say expensive looking because the package she had them in did, indeed, look expensive. Satisfied, I nodded as I pointed towards my pan.

"Looks good, now we get to roll them up and prepare them for baking!" I happily exclaimed, throwing my hands into the air.

Weiss first looked at me, then to her bowl of cookie dough and made a face like she wasn't sure on how she felt about sticking her hands in it. Naturally I laughed at her, and that only fueled her determination as she shot a very Weiss-glare at me through the camera before deliberately sticking her hands into the mixture.

I laughed even harder when I watched how meticulous Weiss was as she rolled the perfect little balls of dough, then gently flattening them into perfect little pucks. I, of course, quite literally just mashed my cookie dough into a vague shape and slapped it onto the pan like a real cookie baking pro.

"Allllright. Now we set them in the oven with the timer going, and then we wait." I said with classic drama school dramatics. Or would that be me just simply speaking dramatically? Eh, whatever, I was being a goof for the fun of it.

Weiss nodded and followed my instructions, looking  pleased with herself as she set the timer on her phone. That's when she started putting all of her dishes into the sink, and so I had to flail my arms to get her attention.

"Wait! Weiss, what are you doing?" I shrieked, nearly mortified that she would waste such perfectly delicious cookie dough. Weiss of course was just confused, looking from me (her camera), to her sink, and then back.

"I'm cleaning up." She raised an eyebrow at me like I was crazy.

"But Weiss! You're missing out on the best part about making cookies!" I exclaimed, grabbing my mixing bowl to reveal the dough I still had left over. "You get to eat what's left!"

"Ew! Ruby! There's raw egg in this." Again, Weiss was looking at me like I was crazy. Pfft, as if.. she's the one willing to waste such tasty noms.

"Uh.. So?" I said, scraping up a large chunk of leftover dough onto my finger and pointedly eating it. Mmmm, soooo delicious.

Weiss put her whole body into the eye roll that she then gave me before continuing to clean up her dishes.

"You dolt."

Chapter Text

*Weiss's POV

Despite spring being near, winter still dominated the northern reaches of the world. Not that I minded. I deeply enjoyed the aesthetic of a thick sheet of snow as far as the eye could see, long crystals of ice dangling or crawling over edges, and the air so cold it turned ones breath into fog.

But best of all, and perhaps my most favorite: the cold froze the lake.

The lake behind the Schnee Manor was once a man made pond, simple, elegant, and designed to be a gorgeous back drop for the estate grounds. Framed with a mixture of tall tree's and hedges, an elaborate stone walkway leading from the back of the manor directly to the water's edge, and a wire frame gazebo with a bench set at a distance so that one could look upon it all from afar.

But nature had other plans for man's design.

One generation later and now the tree's looked like dead twigs, the hedges lost beneath the water's surface, the walkway's length shortened with it's elaborate stones cracked and uneven from lack of maintenance, and though the gazebo still stood it too was threatened by the waterline's slow approach as the, now lake, kissed the base of it's rusted frame. Only the bench remained wholly untouched. A little weather worn of course, but still sturdy.

Such is where I currently sat, lacing on a pair of ice skates.

Though my father had me take many ice skating lessons when I was growing up, I was not about to put any of the moves I learned to good use. Not today, at least. Today was a day that I needed to clear my head, and a simple glide across the lake's surface would be sufficient enough in those needs.

Stretching my toes out from the bench, I pushed off onto the ice as soon as I felt my skates find purchase. Such was the nearness that the lake had grown over the years.

Of course, come summer my father's maintenance crew will once more try to tame nature and fix the 'damage'. But why bother? I think with some bitterness, there is nothing 'damaged' here. Only a sense of elegance so organically beautiful, that man simply can not comprehend nor replicate it's design. Picking up my speed, I try to let the rush of wind pushing past my earmuffs drown out my thoughts. But it is of no use.

"We have delivery hiccups all across our international sea routes."

"New freighters are currently being designed to handle the elements, as well as compensation for the buyers being-"

"The faunus workers in the southern mines have gone on strike!"

"Their concerns over their working conditions are being investigated so that proper action-"

"You have no idea how much we're losing in the stock markets because of this."

"Actually, if you'd like to take a look at these charts-"

Coming to a stop somewhere in the middle of the lake, I glare down at my skates hot enough to, metaphorically speaking, melt the ice beneath me.

A difficult board meeting with equally difficult men. None of who were happy to see me sitting at the head of the table, none of who were particularly pleased with the answers and sound options that I had given them. But all of whom were far too happy in letting me speak fewer and fewer words, interrupting and talking over me in hopes that I would just stop talking altogether. Heavens forbid a woman tell them what to do.

If I had my way, I'd fire every last one of them.

But I can't. Couldn't, even.

Because they belonged to my father.

Taking a large enough breath that the cold air burned my lungs, I turned around with plans of doing a few more laps around the lake. Spotting a particular figure standing back by the gazebo, however, had me skating back that way instead, a smile pulling at my lips despite the foul mood I was riding on.

"Hot coffee, Miss Schnee?"

My family's butler, Klein, smiled at my approach, holding in his hands a large thermos that had what was no doubt my favorite flavor of coffee and two mugs to serve it with. Klein always seemed to know just how to cheer me up, even when I didn't think or know I needed it. Of course, I definitely needed it today.

"Thank you Klein." I said genuinely, carefully stepping off of the ice and onto the gazebo to accept one of the warm mugs before sitting down at the bench.

"No dashing acrobatics today, young miss?" Klein asked as he took a seat beside me, setting the thermos between us as he drank from his own mug.

I knew that that was his way of asking me if everything was alright without actually outright asking, and I was grateful. It was one of the many things I found most endearing about Klein, how he would always choose to word his questions in a manner that would allow me the ability to answer on my own terms. He never truly pried, and it made opening up and talking about things so easy with no pressure, and no judgment.

"Not today I'm afraid," I finally said after taking a sip from my mug, "I just don't have the head space for it right now."

There wasn't any need to give further explanation, because I already knew that Klein was fully aware of how my meetings went. According to my father, it was what made Klein useful, being where he needed to be with the right items to accommodate the situation without being ordered to do so. Coffee for my pick me up moments, whiskey for my father if it was his own business dealings turning sour, a tray of crepes for my brother..

Klein said nothing for a moment, letting silence fall between us as he twitched his bushy mustache in thought. He nodded after a bit, seemingly coming to a conclusion with whatever thought that glinted behind his mix matched eyes.

"Perhaps a distraction is in order?" he began saying, peeking my interest as he dug into his coat's breast pocket to pull out my phone, "Miss Rose has been messaging you rather feverishly as of late. Shall we see what for?"

Holding my phone out to me, I tried not to snatch it from his grasp too quickly. Not in the mood to handle anything else work related for the day, I had left my phone in my office before storming off to be out here in the cold. But with Ruby texting me, I was only hoping that it wasn't something urgent. But Klein had used the word 'distraction', plus he would have alerted me much sooner if it had been something dire instead of taking the time to make me coffee, so maybe it was Ruby just being.. Ruby? With only one way to truly know, I pulled up my message log and began to scroll through the list of most recently received.

<OMGWEISSUNEED2CTHIS>
<SO TINY>
<TINY BUT FEIRCE>
<can we builds 1 of theze?>
<OMGWEISS we totes need to builds 1>
<were has this been all our livez?>
<here watch this and>
<I dare u 2 tell me no!>

The last message had a youtube link, so I opened it up and leaned in close to Klein so that the two of us could watch it together. For the next five minutes, we watched tiny robots squeal around each other at high speeds as each robot tried to push their opponent out of an equally tiny ring. By the videos end, I was smiling in earnest.

"Ah, there's my happy little snowflake." Klein beamed at me, and I couldn't stop the small, girlishly childish giggle that escaped my lips.

The things Ruby sends me.. Whether it's random robot video's, baked goods she made herself, stuffed teddy bears with long winded letters like she sent me one time as a congratulations gift, or even a simple text message saying 'hello'.. she always made my day. Always.

..Ruby..

During my high school years, I had decided to follow in my sister's footsteps in experiencing the rest of the world, thus enlisting in a student exchange program. Now if anyone had told me that I'd become best friends with the passionately brilliant, genuinely honest, albeit socially awkward Ruby Rose who always wore her heart on her sleeve, I'd have called them a liar and then sue them on principle. But yet it happened. And I let it.

Meeting Ruby, her sister Yang, even Blake.. The three of them changed my life forever. They made me laugh, sometimes even cry, made sure to drag me places to include me in their shenanigans.. They made me feel welcome and wanted without a care about who I was, whose daughter I was..

And I missed them.

Sure, skyping regularly with Ruby and sending the odd text or phone call to the others were enough to sate my need to stay in touch.. But I still craved more. Wanted more. Needed more.

Tucking my phone away into my coat pocket, I looked out across the frozen lake with a sigh escaping my lips, my breath puffing out in front of me in a thick foggy cloud.

This lake.

Created by man with a particular image in mind so that it would suit a particular taste in aesthetics before nature took the reigns, showing man just what grandeur she was truly capable of. 'You started this, but if you just let me this is what I can be. Something better, something beautiful, something unique.' That is what this lake was saying. And I wanted to be more like it.

I was tired of being made into something so base. Tired of being treated like something lesser when I could be so much more..

Turning to face Klein, I could see the absolutely heart warming smile that stretched beneath his mustache that reached to crinkle the crows feet by his heterochromia eyes. It was like he could see the gears in my head already turning, and knew what I was about to ask next.

"Klein, I need a favor."

Chapter Text

*Velvet's POV

"Ooo can we take one more?"

The bride and her two sisters were so enthusiastic over getting their pictures taken that it was infectious, myself smiling wide as I lifted my camera up to snap another picture as they each struck a silly pose very reminiscent of old spy films.

The wedding was a cheerful event, and despite not knowing a single soul here, I was still super excited that I was asked to be the events photographer. It meant that someone out there thought that my measly portfolio looked good enough to land me the job.

With the main ceremony already over with, and the family photos taken care of, it was the groups dinner event next and I made sure to get as many pictures as possible of the best man's touching speech, as well as the maid of honor's more comical one. I even snapped a photo to capture a moment between one of the bridesmaid and bride as she came over to slap some loose change on the lucky couples table. An inside joke, I'm sure, but they were all laughing so hard that a few tears were shed and I made sure that I didn't miss it.

After that, was dancing.

According to the bride's mother it was the last event this evening, allowing everyone the chance to 'work off some of the food' (her words) and even asked if I wanted to stay. Personally I think she wanted me to stick around so that she could pawn off some of the dinner leftovers my way, and maybe try and hook me up with one of the available groomsmen, but I still agreed on the account of enjoying the rest of the night without a camera occupying my hands.

First I made sure to get plenty of photos of the various couples on the floor before officially packing up my camera, then I went and found a small table to sit at to just enjoy the atmosphere. Plus my feet here killing me, because of course I dressed up nicely for the event, wearing a simple blue dress that surprisingly matched the weddings color theme, with heels included.

"You know, I'm surprised to see a girl like you sitting down instead of being swept all across that floor." a sly voice purred from behind me, and I tried not to appear too startled as I turned to see who it was..

.. Only to have my jaw hit the floor.

It was Coco, bending at the waist to be more eye level with me, wearing black dress pants, a white dress shirt, vest and bow tie, complete with that crooked little grin she gets when she's nervous over whether or not if she's being too flirty but is still too cool to stop herself.

"Coco!" I exclaimed with a smile, suddenly feeling very warm with a blush as I looked around the crowd of people. "What are you doing here?"

Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic to see my girlfriend, but curiosity killed the faunus. As far as I knew, Coco wasn't on the guest list and though I had told her I was doing a photo shoot today, I didn't tell her where. I didn't even tell Neon, so she couldn't have gotten the address from the gossip queen.. right?

Coco stood up straight with a shrug lifting her shoulders. "My Bunny Senses told me that a cute girl was in need of a partner." she then held out a hand to me, and though I wasn't buying her goof of an explanation, I still took her hand.

She led me to the dance floor were the two of us just swayed along to the music, slow and easy. With the both of us in heels, our height difference hadn't changed from what was normal, so I rested my head against Coco's collarbone as she wrapped a hand around my waist. I could feel her smiling into my hair as she said, "You look beautiful, honey bun."

I didn't say anything in response, mostly because I didn't know how to top that, or how to convey my happiness over having her spontaneously show up just for me. I just simply nuzzled my nose further into her collarbone to try and hide both my blushing cheeks, and my happy smile.

Chapter Text

*Coco's POV

I had stayed up wwwaaayyy too late last night, I decided as I staggered from my room towards the kitchen, balancing myself along the way with a hand held to the wall. What time was it? I honestly didn't know, rubbing life into my face with my free hand in attempts to wake myself up in order to think properly.

Coffee. Need. Now.

Standing like a zombie in the kitchen, I squinted blearily at the coffee maker as it begun brewing. Then I began to smile like an idiot when the smell reached my nose, clearing the fog of sleep to erase my dislike of mornings and replacing it with memories from last night.

After the wedding festivities finally ended, I offered to take Velvet home since she had initially taken a taxi to get there. And despite that it was already approaching close to midnight, I turned the ride into something of an impromptu date after deciding to indulge in some Stupid Me Theatrics to take my barista bunny out to the park so that we could stargaze until we got too cold to remain outside. I even took a page out of Yang's book and walked Velvet all the way to her apartment door once I got her home, resulting in my first goodnight kiss from Velvet for my chivalrous efforts.

Just remembering the kiss had me reaching to touch the corner of my mouth where Velvet's lips had pressed against mine. I also felt the dreamy smile that came with the memory. Dust, I really am in love with this girl.

Chapter Text

*Yang's POV

With spring came rain. Lots of it. Now I didn't mind the wet weather, in fact I sort of enjoyed it. The smells, the sounds.. It soothed my nerves and calmed me inside and out. Of course, I could name a certain sexy cat faunus that would happily argue with me that the rain was the devil.

Standing outside the coffee shop beneath the widest umbrella I owned, I waited for Blake to finish her shift. Naturally, weather like today's always kept the curious customers away, leaving only the regulars going in and out. That meant that business was sure to be slow enough for Blake to be out on time, and I grinned as I was proven correct.

Catching the silhouette of Blake through the glass of the cafe's front door, I took a step closer towards it with my umbrella tilted so that she wouldn't have to get too wet. I'm sure there was a naughty joke in there somewhere that I could make, but watching my girlfriend dart outside to clutch herself as close to my side as possible beneath the protection of the umbrella, had me amused and chuckling over that instead.

"Hey there kitten, good day?" I kissed Blake's temple affectionately, nuzzling my nose into her dark hair as she hugged my right arm. She smelled like her lavender shampoo, which when combined with the faint warmth of her perfume, the lingering scents of coffee grinds, plus the rain.. yea there was no denying that I was totally in love with this woman.

Blake tilted her head up to catch my lips in a quick and gentle kiss, which made me hum with a smile before we began walking down the sidewalk. We were headed towards the library today. "I could honestly do without the weather. But yes, today has so far treated me well. You?"

I shrugged one shoulder, still smiling from Blake's kiss. "I'll more then likely find something to complain about during work later, but right now, I've got this rreeaallllyy hot chick that I'm dating that I want to take to the movies later this week. I just gotta find out if she'd be into seeing a movie about female spies kicking butt and taking names. Got any idea's to hook a girl up?"

From the corner of my eye, I could see Blake giving me one of her tiny smirks as she slid a hand down my arm to interlace her fingers with my prosthetic ones. My robotic limb made the sensation of touch feel like I was wearing a really thick glove, but I could still tell that her thumb was rubbing circles into the back of my hand. "I think," Blake started, playing along to my little game as she side glanced my way, "that if your date finds your company enjoyable enough, your movie choice won't matter."

"See kitten, I knew you'd give me the best advice." I winked at Blake, giving her hand the barest of squeezes. She had her other hand wrapped around my bicep, just above where my prosthetic ended, and I felt Blake give my muscle a firm squeeze in return.

We crossed the street like that, a disgustingly cute couple as we drew nearer to Blake's apartment building with the library being a block and half further down the way. It wouldn't take us long to get there, not with the long strides that we were taking, but as we passed an ally somewhere in between, Blake had me stop as she glanced down the empty street.

"What's up Blake?" I asked, following her gaze. There was really nothing to see. Just your typical ally that was wide enough to fit a single car, trash cans shoved up against the walls, and side entrances to the two surrounding buildings with no one in sight.

"Oh, nothing. Just memories." She said, turning her head to face me with a soft smile. "This is where I found Gambol and Shroud."

I smiled in return, remembering not just the moment of when the two kittens entered Blake's life, but everything that had led up to it as well.

After I had gotten out of the hospital from my motorcycle wreck, Ruby tried just about everything she could think of in order to get me out of the house and socializing again. I'm not proud to admit it, but I was an asshole of emotions that flat out refused to do ninety percent of what Ruby wanted back then. Going to the cafe for coffee was the only one that worked, because heading to the Grimm Bean for a tall cup of caffeine gave me a routine, something that surprisingly gave my brain a reprieve from all of its negative bullshit.

Two months of that and Blake moved back into town, easily picking back up her old job as one of the cafe's baristas and moving into her current apartment. And I.. I just about flipped my shit.

A part of me wanted to lash out at Blake, she being my highschool crush that fled town shortly after I tried asking her out a second time, which was what led me to driving into my accident the following day. A part of me knew that it wasn't her fault, knew that I wasn't the reason she had skipped town but.. that didn't stop me from wanting to scream at her.

Still, I continued to go to the cafe for coffee, though my trips there were filled with tension when Blake was on shift. Leave it to Ruby to play advocator between us until I came to the realization that, despite how shitty my life had become, it was good to have Blake back. Which of course slowly led me to try and make amends for my behavior, which even with Blake's powerful patience, was not an easy task mostly on my part. But still I tried.

One such attempt was actually on a day like today, cold, wet, and rainy. I had given Blake the scarf I was wearing that day so that she could be warm on her way to the library, absolutely insisting that she take it because I knew she hated such weather.

What surprised me most was that later that day, I had received a shopping list via text from Blake of items she wanted me to pick up and bring to her apartment. Of course I was confused at first, one being curious as to why she couldn't just go get them herself, and secondly because it was all pet stuff. As far as I knew at the time, Blake wasn't a pet owner. Still, with nothing better to do with my time, as well as using the moment as a means to work on repairing our friendship, I drove to the nearest pet store.

When I had gotten to Blake's place with the goods, she met me at the door with an apology about my scarf, and that's when she revealed to me the two tiny furballs. I've always considered myself more of a dog person, because my dad's corgi Zwei is the best pooch ever, but the two abandoned kittens Blake had wrapped up in my scarf were admittedly kind of cute.

That was almost two years ago. Presently, I pulled my thoughts back to the now as Blake and I continued our walk towards the library.

Cheekily, I nudged Blake's shoulder with my own to grab her attention. "You know what that means right?" She looked at me with a bit of confusion, no doubt unsure on were I was going with my words though she was still smiling as she waited for me to continue. "You found the munchkins in the rain, so that means that the rain isn't all that bad." I grinned. My opinion may be only slightly biased since I loved this kind of weather, but to me my logic was bullet proof.

Blake just rolled her eyes at me, and I chuckled. I could tell that she wasn't going to confirm nor deny my statement, but mostly she just wasn't going to admit that I was right.

We walked in silence for a bit, myself simply enjoying being so near to this gorgeous woman as we avoided large puddles while listening to the rain bounce off of the umbrella above us. But as we finally approached our destination, I turned to Blake with a toothy grin as I opened the library doors for her. "So, sexy cat mama, wanna go see Atomic Blonde with me on thursday?"

Blake breathed out a short laugh, pulling on my arm to get me to lean in close enough for her to kiss my cheek as she said, "I'd love too."

Nailed it.

Chapter Text

*Blake's POV

With Spring Break over, college classes resumed as normal. However, Dean Ozpin announced a delightful twist on how students could all earn extra credit towards their degrees: Simply take what studies you are attending his college for and, combine it with another students work. If the end product made sense for all parties involved, then everyone got the credit. Simple as that. It was clearly meant to be a social experiment created by the staff to get the students out of their comfortable social cliques and mix them up..

And yet.. I don't think even the Dean could have predicted what happened next.

Neon (of all people) and the rest of the journalist students made a campus wide event out of it, getting in touch with just about every department and student clubs available. And, over the course of just two days, they turned one of the schools largest gyms into a convention center to help students hook up with other majors so that everyone could cash in on the Dean's offer.

The marketing crew helped the art students produce flyers, the journalist club wrote all sorts of articles for not just the school's paper but for the local radio stations as well, the culinary studies whipped up homemade snacks to sell at the door, and the rest.. The rest were placed in a sea of hastily thrown together booths ran by small groups seeking others to combine their degree's with.

"Whoa.." Was Yang's exact words, to which I couldn't help but hum in agreement as both she and I stepped into the gym. Even my mind was officially blown away.

"This was all Neon?" Yang asked me as she looked over the crowd, completely in awe. She wasn't enrolled as a college student, but I had my reasons for bringing her with me on campus aside from revealing the might of the 'Gossip Queen'.

"Allegedly." I replied, looping an arm through one of Yang's to lead her through both students and booths alike. "I believe it was the whole journalist club that initially came up with the idea, though I've no doubt Neon instigated most of it. She is, if anything, persistent when an idea strikes her."

"Yea no kidding.. So which of these booths we heading to?"

I pointed towards one of the back corners of the gym, already being able to make out the vague shape of an impromptu tent made of dark sheets above everything else. "That one there."

It was a booth ran by Velvet along with some other representatives of her class, mostly promoting photography. According to Velvet, her classmates snagged a few folks from both theater and cosmetology so that they could even do themed shots. Since I was in need of a few reference pictures for one of my literature projects, I found this as a suitable means to get them.

"Blake! You made it." Velvet greeted us, camera in hand with the strap around her neck and a wide smile across her face. "Flynt is already here and getting dressed, did you want to get ready and grab your outfit?"

"Uh.. outfit?" I could feel Yang's questioning glance being pointed at the side of my head, but I ignored it, instead returning Velvet's smile.

"Sounds perfect."

"Great!" Velvet smiled at us one more time, jerking a thumb over her shoulder towards the photo area they had all set up with lights and a simple projection screen in use as a backdrop. "When you're all set, we'll take a few pictures. See Aura from cosmetics if you want your makeup done, he's just behind the screen."

Giving Velvet one last smile and wave of thanks, I tugged on Yang's arm to lead her towards the gym's locker rooms which was being used as the booth's dressing rooms (thus their corner location). Of course once inside, it looked more like the costume closet of the theater department rather then a locker room, since it was crammed to capacity with various outfits, but I knew exactly what I was looking for.

"Blakey, I love your mysteriousness, but are you gonna tell me what we're doing?" I heard Yang ask with curiosity lacing her words as I was already elbow deep in one of the racks. Though I had told Yang of the event, I hadn't shared the exact details of what I needed her for. I didn't want to ruin the surprise despite knowing she'd have agreed regardless if I had asked or not.

"Here." Turning, I held out a classic pinstripe suite and pressed it towards Yang's chest. "Go put this on."

"A mafia outfit? You know I only wear my super suit to live the thug life at night, right?"

Rolling my eyes at Yang, I closed the space between us to kiss her lips briefly, pressing the costume into her arms once more. "Remember how I told you that I was working on a paper about women breaking the social norms of society following the first great war, thus revolutionizing the boundaries of gender roles?"

Though Yang had given me a small nod of the head, and a tight throat "Uh-huh," I knew she wasn't really listening to my words because she was staring at my lips. That was Yang's tell that if I were to kiss her again she was sure to get handsy, and since I didn't want to get caught necking in the locker room..

I gently shoved at Yang's shoulder to push her away, shoving the costume into her arms once more with a light laugh. "Go. Or you won't get the chance to see what I'll be putting on." I even gave her a wink for good measure.

That seemed to get Yang's attention, and so she finally left to go change.

Searching for my own costume, I quickly went to get dressed so that I could beat Yang out of the dressing rooms in order to seek out the booth's makeup designer without being caught by my girlfriend. While the flamboyant boar faunus was fussing over my looks for the camera, I could hear both Yang and Flynt chatting happily as they no doubt came across each other just on the other side of the screen.

"Damn girl, look at 'chu! You robbin' the bank after this?"

"Ha! Only if my Bonnie hurries up so we can get there before closing."

Choosing that as a perfect opening, I got the all clear from the cosmetic student before I finally stepped out from around the screen.

Flynt was looking sharp in a pair of silver shoes, pinstripe pants, a dark vest over an untucked white shirt, loose blue tie wrapped around his collar, and a fedora. Completing the look with a trumpet and dark shades, Flynt looked ready to roll out a one man jazz concert right then and there.

Yang of course was wearing the suite I had handed her, though it looked like she had also found a matching fedora, a purple tie that matched her eyes, a toy tommy gun, and a pair of leather gloves to wear to cleverly cover up her prosthetic hand.

Of course, when the two spotted me, there was no describing the feeling of being the cause of having two sets of jaws hit the floor.

For the photo shoot, I chose a dark colored flapper dress that ended mid thigh. A simple look made more fetching with heels, a frilly leg garter (that Yang couldn't take her eyes off of), ballroom gloves, a dark feather boa, and all the pearl necklaces I could grab on my way out of the dressing rooms. With the quick application of makeup, and one of the string of pearls being used as an impromptu headband with my faunus ears exposed, Yang was looking at me with a hungry stare that had me positively squirming beneath it.

Flynt was the first to recover, sliding his shades down his nose to give out a low whistle. "Oooo Blake you are looking good, girl. Look-ing good."

I tried not to laugh as Yang immediately raised her fake gun to point at Flynt without even taking her eyes off of me, practically growling with desire as she said, "Mine."

As Flynt raised his hands in surrender with a good natured laugh, Velvet stepped in between the two of them to interject happily, "Oh good! The three of you are all set. We'll do a few poses with a few takes of each."

In total, the three of us did four different poses as a group with about three to five pictures being taken of each. It was fun, and despite it being over too quickly the three of us had had a good time.

Chapter Text

*Ruby's POV

Unless the planets have aligned, Weiss never answers my text messages right away because she's always busy. And I'm cool with that, because I know that when she gets a free moment she'll send me something as a reply, even if it's super late at night or the crack of dawn the next day. Three days with no response is no biggy either because that's been happening a lot lately, while one week with nadda has happened once before as, at the time, she had to fly somewhere with her dad for a super important meeting and apparently the guy is a stickler for having phones out while conducting business..

But two weeks... two weeks with no response is a new record, and Weiss always lets me know if she's traveling or doing something this time consuming so that I don't blow up her phone. Yet she hadn't told me anything. We've even missed some of our scheduled Skype calls!

Aside from making the mental note somewhere in the back of my mind that two weeks was too long of a period for me to not hear back from Weiss, I begin diving into the internet to try and find a way to get in contact with her sister. Like.. If I found a corporate number to one of Winter's facilities and make a convincing complaint, will they put Winter on the line? Weiss has her very valid reasons for not giving me her sister's number, but this was an emergency! There is a missing Schnee out there, and apparently only a Detective Ruby Rose can find her!

Among the obnoxious clacking of my mechanical keyboard, I almost didn't hear my phone buzz from beside me. Who-what? If it's not W-holy shizz.. it's.. IT'S WEISS!

With everything else forgotten, I scoop up my phone and swipe the message open to find.. a photo? Weiss hardly ever sends photos. And she never sends pictures of food, either. Yet.. in response to the tidal wave of text I've been sending her these past few days, Weiss has sent me a picture of a bagel delicately topped with cream cheese and a missing bite.

My response was a rapid fire of <Weiss?! Where have u been?> and <What have u been up 2?>

Out of habit I began to set my phone back on my desk, but it buzzed with another incoming message... Had.. had the planet's aligned? Does she have the day off or something? Suddenly super excited by that little spark of hope, I scooped up my phone once more to see what it was.

It was another picture, this time the same bagel but it was off to the side of the image, the photo focusing instead on what looked like a plane ticket that was tucked beneath the bagel's plate with the bottom of a (coffee?) cup cleverly covering up the ticket's destination. Jokes on her though, I could still barely make out the arrival time if I zoomed in, which was two hours ago.

So she's been traveling then? Yet that still didn't explain as to why she was suddenly sending me pictures instead of either calling or texting. It was unlike her. So I decided to inquire further with a <What have u done with Weiss? :O >

Once more the response was almost immediate, making me think that if this really was Weiss and not some dirty imposter, she had to have had all of her pictures done and ready because (shocker) it was another photo.

This message however proved that it was in fact Weiss, because it was of her hand wearing a thin silver wristwatch. Was she showing off the watch, or was she showing the time? If she had landed where ever her ticket destination was two hours ago, the time on the watch was showing forty five minutes ago.. I was suddenly confused.

<what time zone u n?> was what I asked next, sending the message off as I stood from my desk chair to begin pacing around my apartment. So she was traveling, traveling and having a nice bagel but in what time zone? That was the real question. Had she gone somewhere and made it back home safely, or had she just arrived and is having fun? This time it took five minutes for her to respond, which was enough time for me to build up enough anxiety over the mysterious nature of Weiss's picture messaging that I felt like I was walking a groove into my carpet.

When my phone buzzed in my hand, I opened it immediately to see that it was yet another picture, this one being a string of numbers. But not just any numbers.

The sort of brass numbers you see on doors.

The sort of brass numbers you see on apartment doors.

The sort of brass numbers you see on apartment doors that look suspiciously like MY apartment door.

There was a knock at my front door and I dropped everything and ran. Could it be? There was no way, it just couldn't! With only one way to find out, I excitedly thundered my way down my short hallway, slamming myself bodily into my door before throwing it wide open to find-

A pizza delivery guy?

"Oh, heh.. uh.. Hello." I nervously laughed out of sheer embarrassment as I waved at the startled guy, who I clearly frightened the piss out of when I slammed into my door like a crazy person.

"Uh-erm.. d-delivery for a.. Miss Rose?" The guy swallowed hard as he pulled out a delivery receipt to read over.

Wait-what? I tilted my head to the side curiously, my initial embarrassment of classic mistaken identity momentarily replaced by sudden confusion. "I didn't order any pizza."

The delivery guy and I shared an awkward glance at each other before a very matter of fact voice chimed in from somewhere out of my sight down the hall, "No, I did."

OHMYGODSISTHISREALLYHAPPENING?!

Stepping up to the side of the delivery guy, Weiss handed the guy a crisp high dollar bill and primly took the pizza from his hands with a nod. "You may keep the change."

I wasn't paying attention to the money that Weiss handed out, but it must have been a lot because the guy sputtered his thanks before rushing down the hallway, no doubt wanting to make a quick exit so that he could keep the huge tip before Weiss could change her mind.

With the pizza in hand, Weiss walked passed me and into my apartment to head straight to my kitchen table to set it down. That is where I tackled her.

Throwing my arms around Weiss's shoulders, I squealed with pure joy as I hugged her tightly. "OhmygoshWeiss! YOU'RE HERE! Ooooo why didn't you tell me? Does anyone else know yet?"

Weiss returned the hug, surprisingly squeezing me just as hard as I was squishing her. "I wanted it to be a surprise, and, yes. I got to see both Blake and your sister at the cafe before I came here."

Breaking the hug but not letting go, I bounced happily on the balls of my bare feet as I mock pouted, "Wait, you saw my sister before you came to see me? I'm hurt! But if it's because you were saving the best person ever for last then I guess I can find it within me to forgive you."

Weiss laughed. She laughed I tell you! I've never seen Weiss this happy, and that's saying something. It was great, and a smile looked really good on her as she shoved my shoulder.

"You dolt."

Chapter Text

*Weiss's POV

After we had our fill of pizza, Ruby of course bombarded me with a string of questions, but was no less absolutely ecstatic that I was visiting. Of course, I hadn't told her yet that the best part was that I.. well.. Another time, I'll tell her another time, I told myself.

Naturally though, with Ruby's interrogation, I had to use deflection to avoid answering most of her questions, which led to me bringing up a fund raising gala that I would be attending later in the week. Then of course that led to Ruby getting up out of her chair to stand in her living room and making fun of how the dances usually go.

Her impersonations of social aristocrats were atrocious despite being simultaneously spot on, but I wasn't about to let her mockery of a waltz go unchallenged.

So I then began teaching Ruby the basics of a ballroom waltz. It still sometimes amazes me when I stop to remember that Ruby is not only younger then myself by two years, but is also taller then I am when I'm not wearing heels. It's almost unfair. But as I took one of Ruby's hands to place on my upper back, holding aloft her other with one of my own before placing my free hand on her shoulder, I didn't mind the difference one bit as I gave Ruby the lead position. And I certainly didn't mind her nervous blush.

"Left foot forward, then side right, feet together.. There you go." I tell Ruby as we dance barefoot in her living room, going through the moves for a fourth time.

"And then we move.. backwards with the right, right?" Ruby asks, eyes glued to our feet like they have been ever since we started.

"Correct. Then you'll side left, and bring your feet together once more." I nodded, mirroring her moves.

As we complete the box set with no casualties of toes this time around, Ruby lets out the tiniest noise of excitement, and I do my best to hide a smile. "And that's it?"

"Of course not," I begin, trying not to show how cute I thought Ruby's sudden pout looked as I switched the placement of our hands to take the lead. "That is just the basic core of it."

I watched Ruby's throat bob as she nodded nervously, eyes still glued to our feet as I could feel her palms grow sweaty. Tentatively she placed her toes atop mine, a trick we learned on our third time around the box set in teaching Ruby the moves. "Al-alright. So how do we.. um.. what else is there?"

I smiled as I began to slowly move Ruby through the motions of the basic set that I had just taught her, carefully showing her how to move her feet to follow into a twirl when her apartment door opened.

In walked Yang, where she paused to look at the two of us from within the doorway.

"Damn Weiss.. already sweeping my baby sister off her feet while I'm not home? For shame! Give it a day at least will ya?"

"Sis!" Ruby shouted at her sister, and though I remained mostly unphased by the lighthearted jab, I had a good front row seat Ruby's crimson blush. Yang of course just laughed as she closed the front door before proceeding to disappear down the hallway, no doubts headed to her room.

Having not let my dancing stance with Ruby falter with the interruption, I looked at Ruby once more when I heard Yang's bedroom door close. "So, shall we continue?"

Chapter Text

*Velvet's POV

Normally I'd spend my Sunday's doing much needed house chores like laundry, or last minute school work that's due Monday morning. Sometimes I'd even see what my friends are up to in case they wanted to hang out or something. But today, today I'd be doing none of those.

Having woken myself up with a sneeze at four in the morning, it was then I quickly realized that my health was and would be spiraling downwards from there. I hate it when I'm sick, and head colds are the worst.

Coughing sickly into my pillows, I cocoon myself further into my blankets. I didn't even know what the current time was, only that I knew I didn't have the energy to crawl out from the warmth of my bed unless it was to grab another glass of water.

Of course, when my phone began to ring with music that told me that it was Coco calling, I did manage to untangle myself just enough to grab my phone from my nightstand and just laid it on the side of my face lazily instead of holding it to my ear.

"Hey." I croaked out in greeting, wincing when I realized that my voice must have sounded like a young boy going through puberty.

"Woah-you alright there bun? You sound a little sick."

The concern I detected in my girlfriends voice had me smiling.

"Yea, just a little." I tried to stifle the urge to cough by clearing my throat, and only succeeded in making myself sneeze. Great.

From over the phone, Coco gave me a sympathetic noise. "Aww, honey. I was going to see if you wanted to go out today but.. well you just rest. Want me to bring over some tea?"

Half of me didn't want my girlfriend to go through all the trouble, plus I wasn't sure on how I felt on having her in my apartment. Sure she's been to my apartment a few times before, but they were never long visits. Just a few minutes here and there of helping me drop off a few things, dropping me off, or picking me up. The other half of me, however, did want Coco to come over.

"I don't want to get you sick." was my feeble argument mostly with myself on the matter, leaving the decision up to Coco instead. Somehow though I could already imagine that she was reaching for her car keys.

Coco just laughed sweetly. "Alright love, I'll be over soon."

Coco hung up the call like that, and I couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside. "She said love." I gushed aloud to no one but myself.

Eventually I found the energy to gather up my blankets and relocate myself to my living room so that I could wait for Coco's arrival on my couch.

Chapter Text

*Coco's POV

The knight and her opponent were both mounted and ready, staring each other down from opposite ends of the list as each gripped the reigns of their steed tightly, each awaiting the signal for them to charge.

The crowd was silent.

The jousting event for the princess's hand had been intense, all boiling down to this last moment. The last round of the last match. The knight and her opponent thus far proven to be equal in both skill and score.

The flag finally dropped.

The crowd suddenly erupted into a roar as the two contestants spurred their steeds into a thundering gallop of hooves and steel, lances held aloft as each took their aim.

It was now or never, the knight knew. Calculating that her opponent was going to try and aim for her helm to gain the maximum points, leaving her the only options of risking the same move, or..

As the two drew near towards the point of impact, the knight spurred her mount into a burst of speed at the last moment, leveling her lance towards her opponents chest just as they leveled theirs at her helm as predicted.

Both lances struck true and hard.

The knights head was a pounding ache, hearing the crowds rising cheer as a dull buzz through the ringing in her ears. Her lance arm throbbed as well, but with one glance downward she could see through her swimming vision that her lance remained in hand. A good thing.

But what of her opponent?

Feeling her mount trotting to a stop, the knight lifted her visor so that she could see, focusing both her mount and vision to turn so that she could see where her opponent stood.

But her opponent was not standing.

In fact, they were laid bare upon the dirt of the tournament grounds.

The knight breathed a sigh of shocked victory, her brown gaze lifting to spot the princess within the stands.

Something jerked me awake and I couldn't tell what, so I shoved myself into a sitting position within my bed, holding a hand to my head. My skull was absolutely pounding with the mother of all headaches, and I hadn't even had anything alcoholic to blame it on either.

But that dream though.. was Velvet the princess? I couldn't quite recall with the dream already beginning to fade from my memory. But what a dream though..

Shoving aside my sheets, I stood from my bed to go and sit at my desk. There was no time for coffee, not even time to grab pain medication for this bloody migraine either. I needed to draw.

I don't ever regret taking conceptual art design, because it put my skills to good use for the business I had planned once I was done with college. But for right now.. it was perfect for sketching out the line work of a princess and knight.

I just hope that Velvet wouldn't find it creepy that I had a dream about her.

Chapter Text

*Yang's POV

"I feel like we're always having a movie night," Blake said as she came sliding onto the couch next to me with a bowl of popcorn in her hands, "You know you could always just ask if you wanted to cuddle."

Pressing play to the random movie I had chosen for the night, I shot Blake a grin as I took a handful of popcorn. "Where's the fun in that? Can't a girl get classy with the love of her life?"

Blake leveled a raised eyebrow at me with one of her tiny amused smirks, deliberately grabbing my wrist to drag my arm around her shoulders.

I just laughed, squeezing said arm to drag Blake in close so that I could place a quick kiss to her temple. "Don't worry kitten, next time I'll take you out somewhere nice with no movies involved."

Blake hummed softly, making me smile with content as she rested her head on my shoulder as we both turned our attention towards the movie.

Chapter Text

*Blake's POV

Even though it was already after noon, I finally managed to peel myself away from my latest book to get dressed so that I could be productive on my day off. Thankfully it was also the weekend, so it wasn't like I had to be in class, although all my studies were caught up.

Hmm.. but what to do?

Admittedly, crawling back into bed was tempting but I wasn't willing to be that much of a cat and sleep the whole day away. Although, grabbing my book so that I could finish it was also a very tempting option..

Still contemplating on what to do for the day, I stepped into my kitchen with the intent to make some tea when movement from my living room caught my eye: it was Yang's yellow flannel shirt draped across the back of my couch, and it was moving.

Amused, I went to my couch and lifted up the flannel to have Gambol come tumbling out from beneath and onto the couch, the kitten having tried to bundle herself up in the fabric. At the way the little munchkin looked confused before looking up to meow at me in protest, I couldn't help but chuckle at her as I gave her chin a little scratch.

"Little one, what is your fascination with Yang's stuff?"

Gambol only purred like a tiny motor in response.

I'm fairly certain that when I had bundled up both Gambol and Shroud in one of Yang's scarves when had I first found them, that it imprinted something of safety and comfort. Something I could relate to, I guess.

Pulling on the flannel, I scooped up Gambol who nuzzled happily into the shirts collar as I went to find my phone so that I could snap a picture of the kitten clutching happily against my chest. Sending the picture to Yang even though I knew she was helping her dad out at his gym today, I released Gambol and finally went to make myself some tea while still wearing Yang's shirt.

Chapter Text

*Ruby's POV

"What was the point of this game again?"

Weiss asked as she sat beside me on the floor of my living room, mashing the buttons of her controller so haphazardly that it resulted in having her game character dodge right into a pack of baddies, making me redirect from my own badassery to go and save her. Amateurs, amiright?

"It's a hack and slash. There is no point except hacking, and slashing." I say cheerily as I wipe out not just her pack of bad guys, but my own as well. Pro status, right here.

Weiss makes a little "Hmpf." noise as we continue to play. "No, I mean.. There has to be a plot, right?"

I answered her once we survived the final wave of baddies, finding it a safe time to set my controller down since I knew there wouldn't be any more fighting until we crossed a certain section of the map. Bonus to having played this game repeatedly with sis, heh.

"We're kickass students from an academy of heroes, sent out into the world to kick butt and take names. What more plot do you need?"

I made a wild gesture towards the tv screen with both hands, turning to flash Weiss a toothy grin that was all too infectious because she was smiling in return. Ok, it was more like a reserved Blake kind of smile, but it still counts!

Weiss shook her head at me with the tiniest eye roll before she reached over to grab my chin, surprising me utterly as she leaned in to kiss the side of my mouth.

"You are such a dolt." she said, looking smug as she turned back towards the game with controller in hand.

I think my brain melted because there was no words. NONE! It's suddenly very warm.. In fact, am I blushing? How red am I? Probably like a tomato.

Then it clicked: She kissed me.

Oh my Oum... Weiss gave me my first kiss..

Yang had better not find out.

Chapter Text

*Weiss's POV

Most people think that being a Schnee heiress is a glamorous lifestyle filled with considerable wealth, social influence, and perhaps a spot of entitled fame. Though those people are not inherently wrong, they couldn't be farther from the truth, either.

Being an heiress meant that I had to follow the rules, learn proper etiquette, learn how to follow, how to lead, how to speak, how to sing, dance, skate, play piano.. The list goes on and on, but the most important of them? I wasn't allowed to think for myself, I was only to do as told.

And I hated it.

The oldest Schnee heir, my sister Winter, wanted to fly free of that cage we were put in. Wanted to see the world as others do, and not through the windows of our father's manor.

So she did.

After that, Winter wanted to break away from the family's business so that she could pursue her own passions. Reach out and try to make a difference that would ultimately benefit others.

And she has.

And all it cost her in the end was a falling out with the rest of the family, with our father, her title as heiress revoked and passed to me as she was cast out.

Yet Winter kept her chin held high through all of it. Still does, in fact. I honestly don't know how she does it.

All I wanted as a little girl was to make my father proud, but after Winter left, I wanted to be just like her because I looked up to her. I, too, wanted to be able to think for myself, do the things that I wanted, to not have to be controlled by what my father had envisioned for me. And yet, after meeting all of the friends I had made in high school and I returned back home, I thought, maybe I could do both. Maybe, I can be both. Be not only the heiress that met my father's standards, but also be my own independent self so that I could steer the family company towards better goals as well.

I was foolish.

"Weiss!-are you.. are you all right?" Blake asked in a soothing hush, pulling up a chair to sit next to me at the tiny cafe table instead of across from me. No doubt she was drilling a concerned look into the side of my head, but I wasn't looking at her, my eyes downcast towards the coffee cup in front of me.

When I came to the Grimm Bean to visit Blake on her break, I had managed to keep myself mostly composed when I had ordered myself some coffee. Yet without realizing it, after sitting down at a table and getting lost in my own thoughts, a few tears managed to spring free to dampen my cheeks and redden my eyes.

Quickly I swiped a hand across my face to be rid of them, grabbing my coffee cup to take a sip but my hands still gave away my emotions as they trembled. Thankfully my voice didn't waver when I finally chose to speak, setting down my coffee to look at Blake. "I will be."

"Want to talk about it?" She asked almost immediately, and I managed to exhale a sort laugh. It was, after all, why I came here.

Initially I had wanted to talk to Winter, but my sister was unavailable as she was in an important conference meeting that would be lasting for another few hours yet. Winter did, however, respond to my text message saying that she would give me a call as soon as she was available. But wanting to talk to someone right away left me with few options, Blake being the only one that was the most level headed choice. She being a faunus also only seemed to solidify my decision in a weird, defiant way. A Schnee confiding in a faunus? I could only hope my father finds out just so that he can choke on the scandalous news.

"I really have followed in my sister's footsteps." I told Blake with a grim smile. At her confused look I dug out my phone so that I could bring up my emails, opening up one long winded message in particular before sliding the device across the table towards her for her to read.

As Blake read the first few lines of the email that I had read perhaps a thousand times already, I watched as her brows knit together first in confusion, then in anger before I finally decided to summarize the emailed letter aloud, "I'm no longer an heiress to the family name."

Despite Blake wearing her usual bow, it was still obvious she had hidden ears when she flattened them against her skull. She looked at me when I spoke, but finished reading the email first before sitting back in her chair. "Why?" was her question after a long moment of silence. Of course Blake would ask me that question first.

The email, as pompously long winded as it is, doesn't out right say why my status was removed, only that I have been found unfit to uphold the title any longer and that my younger brother Whitley would be the new heir and face to the family's company and it's earnings.

But I knew the real answer.

Picking up my phone, I closed the email and then opened up the picture gallery to scroll through them, swiping past more then a few that had Ruby's bright smile as I searched for one in particular.

"Aside from my father being a raciest.. turns out he also holds the ancient ways of bigoted thinking." I said, finally coming across the picture that I was looking for as I, once more, sat my phone on the table for Blake to look at.

It was a selfie of Ruby and I, the two of us laughing hard as Ruby had her arms wrapped around my neck as she pressed the sloppiest of kisses into my cheek. The picture was taken two days ago, and I had made the mistake of posting it on one of my personal online blogs. I had received a very upset phone call from my father later that night, demanding that I give him an explanation over it. An explanation that he undoubtedly and obviously did not agree with.

"I guess, in a way, I'm glad I don't have that burden anymore but.. I don't know.. Blake, I could have done so much with the company, you know? Like, pick it up out of the mud that my father is dragging it through and make it better. But now.. I can't, I can't do any of that."

Once more, Blake sat in silence as she patiently took in the information. Eventually she looked up from the picture to lock gazes with me, a slow mischievous smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "So, the real reason you're telling me this is.. you want me to help hide you from Yang, right?"

I knew Blake was trying to make light of the situation. And in a way, it worked. I let out a small chuckle as more tears, happy ones this time, slipped down my cheek. But I was smiling.

"Oh please," I sniffled as I rubbed my cheeks dry, "at least leave me the illusion that I can hold my own against Xio-Long."

Blake hummed with mirth as she stretched an arm across my shoulders, pulling me into a tight one armed hug that I happily and gratefully leaned into. She didn't need to remind me that being one of our high school wrestling champions, Yang would be able to snap me in half if she really wanted to, one arm or not. I can dream, I guess.

"On the plus side," I said as Blake and I pulled away from each other, "I suppose it was good planning on my part to make my trip here a one way flight."

"Oh?" Blake raised an eyebrow at me with a smile as she stood from her seat, getting ready to get back to work I guessed.

"This is my real home, after all." I said with a smile, also rising from my chair. It was about time I headed back to my hotel anyway so that I could do some apartment hunting.

Chapter Text

*Velvet's POV

"Oh come on, I had that!"

"What you had was 'slow'."

Standing in Coco's kitchen, I smiled with a quite laugh as I listened to both Coco and Fox bickering like siblings as they played some sort of video game in the living room.

"Are they always like that?" I whispered up at Yatsu with a grin as both he and I were making sandwiches for everyone.

I will admit, when I was first getting to know both of Coco's roommates, I was truly intimidated by the both of them. Yatsu for his sheer mass and height, and Fox because.. we'll Mr. DarkandBroody still sums him up pretty well, but as Coco told me before I've learned that Fox is actually a really nice guy (at least towards me) and Yatsu was just a large teddy bear.

Speaking of, standing next to me was Yatsu wearing a frilly pink cooking apron like it was the most natural thing in the world, nodding as he answered my question. "They usually have more swear words."

I chuckled at that. Figures that the two would be on their 'best' behavior with me visiting. It was cute, in a way.

As Yatsu reached above my head to grab some plates, I stuck my head out of the kitchen to sing song at the two in the living room, "Food's ready." There was a scrambling of feet and a few hushed curses as the two tried to race each other to the dining table as I ducked back into the kitchen, grabbing two plates to help Yatsu take them to the table.

As Yatsu sat down after setting a plate in front of Fox and his own seat, I sat one down for Coco before sitting next to her.

"Looks great honey bun, thanks!" Coco said cheerily, leaning across the space between us to place a kiss on my cheek. I blushed at the show of affection as well as the pet name, as I typically do.

"Not in front of my sandwich you two." was Fox's monotonous statement.

I blushed even more, and Coco just laughed.

Chapter Text

*Coco's POV

"Oh come on! Don't be a chicken."

"What?! Neon, no-I-Welcome in!"

Velvet greeted me hastily as I entered the Grimm Bean close to it's closing hour, leaving me assuming that I've either interrupted her conversation with Neon, or my barista bunny was using my entrance as a means of rescue. By the looks of red embarrassment all over Velvet's face, I'm going to go with the latter.

Walking on up to the registers, I rested my hip against the counter as I crossed my arms to stare down Neon with a dangerously sweet smile. "What's this about my girl being a chicken?"

Without missing a beat, Neon shot me a wide grin that made Velvet groan and duck out of sight beneath the counters. "She won't play the pocky game."

"The what now?" I arched an eyebrow in genuine confusion as I've never heard of this 'pocky game'. Velvet must have had, or at least knew of it, because from her hiding spot she gave a loud painful groan. Neon on the other hand, just looked like I had given her more delicious ammo and somehow, somehow her grin got even wider.

Reaching to drag Velvet from her hiding place, Neon produced a colorful box of treats that had chocolate coated biscuit sticks printed on the front to hold in front of my face. "The Pocky Game!" she announced far too happily as she gave the box a little shake, "It's like a game of gay chicken. One person puts the pocky in their mouth and then they and one other person begin to eat their way to the middle with the first person to chicken out, loses."

Once more I raised an eyebrow at Neon. "So.. it's a kissing game?" I said slowly.

In response, Neon grabbed Velvet by the shoulders to place her in front of herself, my barista bunny moving with an adorable 'eep!' before the cat faunus stuck a pocky stick in Velvet's mouth.

"Try it!" Neon devilishly grinned, keeping her hands on Velvet's shoulders to keep my girlfriend from running.

On the one hand, I could refuse, order coffee and then wait for Velvet to finish her shift for the night so that the two of us could go to the movies like we had planned.. or, on the other hand.. Stupid Me was honestly begging to see if I could make Velvet's blush reach the tip of her rabbit ears. Which honestly wouldn't take much doing with how red she already was.

Making up my mind, I gave Neon a shrug, much to my girlfriends horror. "Alright." I said, pushing off from the counter with my hip so that I could fully face the counter directly.

Leaning in close enough to Velvet so that I could bite the other end of the pocky stick in a show of teeth, I waited a second which Neon took as her que to give us the signal to begin.

But I wasn't going to play her game.

Before Neon could even finish shouting "GO!" I gave Velvet a big ol' wink as I let go of the pocky stick, quickly reaching to pluck the treat from her mouth while simultaneously leaning in to give her lips a quick kiss.

Leaning back to my side of the counter with the treat in hand, I gave Velvet's beautifully blushing face another wink before eating the pocky. My girlfriend's reaction was too adorable for words as she pulled down her faunus ears to hide behind, but I could still tell that she was smiling.

Neon only seemed mildly disappointed as she looked at me and said, "Cheater."

Chapter Text

*Yang's pov

Before Blake had dug my head out of my own rear to get me to ask her out, the act of hanging out at her apartment had me feeling.. I don't know.. I don't want to say bored but, unsure of what to do with myself, I guess? Hindsight is twenty-twenty as they say, and looking back, I suppose most of the awkwardness I felt whenever Blake asked me to stick around after I walked her home from work came from us not making out on her couch sooner.

Now though, as Blake heads to her bedroom to change out of her work clothes, it feels natural. Kicking off my sneakers at the door, scooping up Gambol to place on my shoulder so that I wouldn't have to suffer the munchkins tiny claws, and heading to the kitchen to begin washing the small pile of dishes that lay on the counter.. it was as natural as coming home.

Using my prosthetic hand to hold the dishes to keep it mostly out of the soapy water as I clean them, I heard Blake step into the kitchen as I was scrubbing at a plate.

"You know, I have a dishwasher for a reason."

I didn't look up from my cleaning, but I did smile. A smile that only grew as Blake stepped close to my side to kiss my cheek before she grabbed a hand towel to begin drying.

"Yea but," and this is where I mentally cringed because my mouth was speaking before my brain could tell it to stop, "your dishwasher doesn't get me wet."

It was a dirty joke, I knew that. I'm fairly cert-no-I'm positive that Blake knew that too. Gods I'm hopeless sometimes.

Glancing towards my girlfriend, I could see that she stopped drying the dishes to give me one of those looks. The raised eyebrow, knowing smirk look that tells me that she's got a response, because of course she has something to say, but she's not going to say it because knowing me I'll use it as more fuel to propel myself further down the embarrassed rabbit hole.

Opting to speak first, I took my hand out of the soapy water to point a finger at her, declaring boldly with a grin, "Hey, you knew exactly what you signed up for, and you love me. Admit it." and then to be a further goof, I flicked some of the water on my fingers at Blake's face.

That was a mistake.

As the water hit Blake, she let out an adorable tiny yelp, scrunching her eyes closed as her faunus ears tilted all the way back. When Blake finally opened her eyes again, her ears were still slanted backwards and she shot me a glare that made me gulp with regret, and I quickly let out a "I love you." as a quite apology with a nervous smile.

Blake didn't say anything, giving me instead the silent treatment as she went back to drying the dishes. We stood like that for a good minute, no noise between us except for the sounds of me washing and passing off the dishes for her to dry. I felt bad, and honestly the silence was killing me.

Letting the last few dishes be forgotten for a moment, I turned to face Blake with my hip pressed against the sink. "Blake, sweetheart. Look I'm sorry."

Blake also stopped her task, turning to face me as she said "No."

Alright.. I'm officially confused. Blake may not have looked angry anymore, but she was certainly difficult to read at the moment with her neutral poker face that she had going on. At least her faunus ears were no longer flat on her skull, which was a good enough sign in of itself.

"No?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow at my girlfriend.

Blake hummed an 'mmhmm' as she shooed Gambol off of my shoulders so that she could slowly snake one arm around my neck. Automatically, I placed my hands on Blake's hips as she leaned in close to speak against my lips. Not quite kissing but damn, I could feel the heat of her breath on my mouth and it made me want to close the gap to kiss her.

"Yang don't lie to me, you're not sorry," she said, and I couldn't really brain at that moment to form actual words, managing only a nervous chuckle instead. Alarm bells should have gone off in my head when I could feel the ghost of a smirk spread across Blake's lips as she continued speaking, saying, "Not yet, anyway."

I really should have seen what was coming next, because Blake pulled away suddenly and slapped me upside the head with the soaked dish sponge.

I only stood stunned for a second, Blake's burst of laughter tugging a toothy grin to my face as I shot a challenging stare at my girlfriend.

"Oh.. it is on kitten." I said, dipping my left hand into the dish sink to scoop up water so that I could begin tossing fistfuls at her.

Blake of course shrieked in more laughter as she reached for the sink's spray hose to douse me with.

We scuffled like that for a bit, laughing and throwing water at each other before Blake called for a truce when I pinned her against the sink counter where I claimed a victory kiss.

Chapter Text

*Blake's POV

According to Yang, 'somewhere nice with no movies involved' turned out to be a trip to the cities botanical gardens on a warm and sunny day. A perfect setting for walking arm in arm down one of the parks many cobbled walkways, enjoying not only each other's company, but all the beautiful sights and smells of the gardens themselves.

It was perfect.

"Huh.. so the listed Swan Lake doesn't actually have swans then. Cool." Yang whistled out as we casually strolled past one of the lakes.

Indeed, the lake did not have any actual fowl roaming the water, but delicately crafted hedges that convincingly resembled a few species with wings outstretched or necks bent as if searching for food.

Squeezing Yang's arm, I rested my head against her shoulder as we continued down the path to walk beneath an archway completely covered in ivy. Beyond were the fields of colorful flowers with more animal shaped hedges such as horses and deer, some blown glass displays that resembled cactus, a run down car that was used as another overgrown ivy display, and other colorful arrays of flora that simply took my breath away at the shear amount of detailed imagination that went into them.

Passing the community gardens, Yang and I stopped at the fence line so that we could people watch the few families that where there learning how to plant tomatoes.

"Hungry?" Yang asked, holding out to me a granola bar that she had packed for our walk.

Taking the offered snack, I leaned in to place a kiss on her jaw before tearing open the wrapper. "Thanks." I told her, delicately speaking around a bite of granola as I continued saying, "This date is perfect, by the way."

Yang gave me a bright smile along with a wink, digging out from her cargo pants another snack bar for herself. "Told ya I'd take you somewhere nice. And we haven't even gotten to the part where I surprise you with a book when we reach the Sunflower Gazebo."

Successfully managing not to choke on my granola bar, I blushed at Yang's lack of brain to mouth filter. Although to be honest, the romantic plot slip could have been purely intentional as well, meant solely for the reaction in which I was about to give her as soon as I finished chewing on the last bite of my snack. My reaction being: grabbing a fist full of her shirt front and pulling her in for a quick kiss on the lips, which is where I lingered to touch my nose against hers afterwards as I smiled. "I will do my best to be thoroughly surprised when we get there, then."

When we did finally make it to the gazebo that over looked a small field of sunflowers, I really was surprised when Yang pulled from her pockets the latest release of my favorite romance series (the more historically realistic, less cheesy, but no less smutty, Maidens of Grimm by Z.C. Howler). The book was even signed by the author, which was the truly touching part that left me speechless for a good minute or so.

Yang may be obnoxious some times, but she's certainly not lacking in ways that make me love her even more then I already do as we sat at one of the gazebo's benches together. And as I curled up against Yang's side, I whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "I love you." before opening up the book to begin reading the first few chapters.

Chapter Text

*Ruby's POV

"You have got to be kidding me.. is this really the place?" Yang asks aloud as she peers over the steering wheel of her car as she brought it to a slow stop.

"Um.." Whipping out my phone, I double checked the address that Weiss had sent me before looking back up to the building that was in front of us. Granted, we were in the richest of rich part of town where the houses simply looked expensive, massive front lawns that were several acres of hilled or flat land, and your next door neighbor was at least a good mile or so down the road.

So when Weiss asked if we'd like to help her unpack her things to move into her new home, it should have been no surprise when Yang and I found ourselves parked outside an elaborate iron gate entrance to a three story mansion that looked like it was conjured straight out of a fairy tale book but with extra creepy mixed into the brick and mortar. Still, even I couldn't help but be lost for words, and that's a rarity.

".. Yes ?" I replied tentatively, flinching at how squeaky my voice sounded just then. The address was right, and my little gps app even confirmed that we were, in fact, in the right place. But just to play on the side of absolute certainty I took a picture of the entrance way from my spot in the passenger seat and sent it to Weiss with a quick message of <4realziez?> .

It took a minute for Weiss to reply but just as my phone vibrated with the incoming text of <yes> , the big creepy iron gates groaned open and Yang and I both shared a look before sis slowly drove through. Pressing my nose against the passenger seat window, I took in all of the surrounding area with my eyes no doubt growing to the size of saucers.

Beyond the iron gates was a long gravel driveway that ended in a loop around a stone water fountain in front of the spooky mansion, and as we drove closer I could see that while it still trickled water, it was in definite need of repairs. Along the driveway were open patches of dirt which I assumed were for flower beds to give the entrance a splash of much needed color but, who knows? (maybe it was where she stashed the bodies of her enemies) Other then that, it was open grass fields and a backdrop of questionably scary looking woods that have not yet transitioned with the spring season.

"This place would be sooo cool for a Halloween party. Think Weiss will let me get away with decorating?" I asked aloud, turning to Yang with a sudden burst of excitement. I honestly don't think Weiss would let me, but maybe if I pulled the ‘it’s my birthday’ card...

Yang just snorted as she smirked, saying nothing but probably thinking the same as she pulled her car around the graveled loop to park next to two other vehicles that were sitting there. The powder blue mini cooper I knew belonged to Weiss because I was with her when she bought it, however the sleek black Aston Martin that sat right next to it (which is the one Yang parked next too) I didn't recognize. Yang was drooling though, giving the car a low whistle as she got out of her own pitifully beaten up mazda.

" Hel-loooo sexy. Hey Rubes, think you can sweet talk your girlfriend into letting me take this beauty for a test drive?"

To think that I was actually scared to tell Yang about how Weiss and I were officially dating only to have sis be completely cool about it once she had given Weiss the 'Big Sister Speech'. We were like, totally expecting some sort of death threat, or even bodily harm. But nope, just a simple " break her heart princess and I'll break your legs ". Ok I was still a bit terrified by the threat, but Weiss was just awesomely calm about it and even shook Yang's hand saying that my sister had a deal.

Finding it a bit weird that my sister was eyeballing a car more than she does Blake (though it is a sexy car, I'll admit), I turned to face the spooky at a distance- but not so spooky up close - mansion. "I don't think that one belongs to her..." I began to say, trailing off my words as the massive double wooden doors opened with Weiss stepping outside.

Her hair was down and, leave it to her upbringing in the frozen parts of the planet, wearing jean short shorts and a blue sleeveless blouse. I was still wearing my red hoodie this time of year, and I had to suppress a laugh at the thought of how much Weiss might boil come summer if she was dressing this lightly for spring. But as I locked eyes with Weiss, I grinned from ear to ear, jogging over to her with a wave. "Weiss!"

I could see that the smile on Weiss's face grew the closer I got, and I couldn't help but tackle her around the neck in a big hug with a sneaky kiss on the cheek. Pulling away with an open arm gesture towards all of the stonework that made up the entrance way I asked, "Is this really your new home now? I thought you were looking for an apartment. "

I think Weiss blushed but she cleverly hid it by turning to look were Yang was still drooling over the sports car. Too late, I thought, I totally caught Weiss blushing. It was super cute.

"About that," she said while tucking some hair behind an ear, which in my opinion made her look even more super cute. "It's.. well, it wasn't my first choice, I'll admit. But Winter is giving it to me as a... gift. I may no longer be in line to inherit the family company, but I'm still a Schnee. "

I knew there had to be a bit more to it then the simple way that Weiss was putting it, but I wasn't going to press on it. Still, I reached for both of Weiss's hands to hold within mine and have her face me. "She's family and she cares, just like I do." I happily told her, earning myself a shy smile and another blush from Weiss that made me want to kiss her fully. I couldn't though, because Yang walked up the few entrance steps to throw an arm around each of our necks, laughing aloud.

"Alright love birds, I'd say 'get a room' but I'd rather not think about what you'd be doing to my baby sister, princess."

Weiss breathed out a huff (though she was far from annoyed if I was judging the smile she was trying to hide correctly) before tactfully switching the topic on my sister in a way that only I think Weiss could get away with, gesturing for all of us to head inside so that she could give us a quick tour of her new home.

And-

Oh..

My..

OUM!

This place..

So the outside may have been the creepy perfect place to throw the ultimate Halloween bash, but the inside.. the inside was a renovated modern interior of marble floors, textured blue walls, stone arches with vaulted ceilings, and.. and.. was that a double spiral staircase with a fountain? Part of my brain had to register that we hadn't even left the foyer yet, but my jaw already had to be scrapped off of the floor. Thankfully I had Weiss holding my hand so that she could drag me out of my shock with the smugest of Scnhee smirks.

Continuing with the lower level, there was three rooms of equal size (all of which were empty save for the one that Weiss had already set up as a temporary office), a sizable kitchen that I absolutely adored with an open bar counter that separated it from the rest of what I guessed to be the family room. From there, a set of double doors led out to a covered porch that wrapped around most of the back of the mansion where Yang and I could see the groundwork for a pool that was still being installed in the backyard.

There was also a large library that stretched up all three floors, and though it was completely void of books (we all joked that Blake could fix that) it was instead used as a temporary place to stash all of Weiss's moving boxes that she hadn't unpacked yet let alone figured out were she wanted to put them. Aside from that, the second floor was pretty much a big lounge area with balconies that overlooked most of the lower level, and the third and final floor had all of the bedrooms.

This place was Huge! And echoey.. as I've discovered while playfully shouting at Yang from the second floor while she hung out at the kitchen bar on the lower level.

But as it turned out, Weiss didn't have or bring any furniture with her on her official move so she had gone shopping to get what she knew were the essentials like a bed, food, and kitchen stuffs. Turns out it was the kitchen that Weiss wanted us to start helping her get settled with first, mostly so that we could get a tasty meal out of the way before doing any heavy lifting along with the incentive of allowing me free reign in making whatever. I. Wanted.

I don't care if I'm twenty one, I was opening and closing all of the cabinet doors with absolute glee while Yang began the process of peeling open packages of kitchen wares to put away. Weiss though had to excuse herself out the back porch, apparently having to tend to another guest that was already here that she was going over house paperwork with that she didn't want to keep waiting.

Muwahahahaa! This was going to be great!

In the midst of me stockpiling a mini mountain of tasty nom ingredients atop one of the counters, Yang paused in her quest of finding homes for an armful of cutlery utensils to quirk an eyebrow at me as I practically dove waste deep into one of the lower cupboards, then doing a double take as I emerged with a victorious cackle.

"Wait- Ice Queen bought oreos? " Yang asked, clearly in disbelief of the mere notion that Weiss liked cookies. I could believe it though, she was dating me afterall.

Setting the box of store bought sweets amongst my pile of goods, I grabbed a wooden spoon from Yang's arm full of utensils and brandished it at her. "It's Weiss ," I corrected her in mock warning as I attempted to poke Yang's nose with the spoon only to have her swat it away with a quiet laugh of 'whatever' before I continued, heroically pointing the spoon at the box of delicious noms. "Though my dearest is aware that these delicious sweets may not be the holy chocolate chip in which I favor," I said with some dramatics (Yang though just held in a snort), "their second rate cookie powers will serve to enhance my baking prowess, aiding me in turning my most treasured of creations into the ultimate cookie!"

I may, or may not have (I plead the fifth!) struck a heroic pose with the spoon still in hand. Yang of course just barked out a laugh after a moment of blinking at me. "Sooo.. oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies then?"

Though Yang was looking at me with a knowing smirk, I neither confirmed nor denied her assumptions. A true villain never reveals their secret! Instead, I turned back towards my mountain of ingredients with the most dastardly evil cackle I could manage on the spot.

"Let the Cookie Inception... BEGIN! "

Chapter Text

*Weiss's POV

As Ruby began over joyously opening all of my kitchen cupboards, I caught Yang's knowing smirk and returned it with one of my own before gently pulling the porch doors closed behind me. With some amusement, I wondered how long it would take before Ruby found the cookies I had hidden for her.

The gentle clinking noise of a mug being set down on its coaster dish interrupted my thoughts, and my gaze drifted to follow the source of the sound.

"No introductions?"

Winter sat outside at one of the three tables that were set up along the porch, strategically seated along a beam between two of the windows so that anyone inside the mansion wouldn't be able to see her unless they had their nose pressed to the glass. That also meant she couldn't see Ruby absolutely bouncing around the kitchen like I could as I pulled out a chair to join her.

My sister's tone was.. well.. to anyone else her tone would come across as being addressed by a drill sergeant who was questioning your judgement. But to me, though it was still a question in essence, it held a certain amount of amusement that only a sibling could detect.

"Ruby is a fan of your work," I responded in kind, picking up my now lukewarm coffee that I had left on the table before leaving my sister to go welcome both Ruby and Yang inside. "I thought that I'd give you a chance to prepare while she is undoubtedly creating something unhealthy in my new kitchen." My kitchen. It was such a simple phrase, a simple thought. However just associating anything as mine still felt foreign to the tongue after having lived under my father's regime for so long. But that didn't stop the smile that spread across my lips.

Across from me my sister readjusted within her seat to fold her legs over each other, mirroring my smile with one of her own. As an individual my sister was impressive both personally as well as professionally. She graduated top of her class with a masters degree in science engineering, is a fencing gold medalist, military trained, and currently works with top ranking generals and scientists in developing prosthetics for amputee soldiers (Yang even wore one of Winter's prototypes). So saying that someone like Ruby who is a fellow study in science and mechanical engineering is a fan of my sister's work, is a colossal understatement. To Ruby my sister is a rock star. That however just led me to my other concern: This would be the first time that Ruby would be meeting my sister face to face, and I could only pray that Ruby doesn't do something foolish that would no doubt be embarrassing for everyone present.

Somehow though I doubted that.

Case in point, as if on que both Winter and I could hear Ruby suddenly shout from within the mansion, "Let the Cookie Inception... BEGIN! "

Ruby's followed obnoxious cackling left me feeling a warm heat rise up my neck that undoubtedly added a rosy hue to my otherwise pale complexion. My sister on the other hand made direct eye contact with me to insure that I spotted her growing smile before having the decency of hiding it behind the rim of her coffee mug. "I see."

Some folks think that my sister is cold, but they couldn't be any further from the truth. At this moment, Winter was teasing me without actually using so many words.

I sighed through a smile. "She makes me happy. I just wish," I paused, looking past my sisters shoulder through the window to watch Ruby zip in and out of view in a red blur, "I just wished that father could see that."

Winter grabbed my attention by reaching across the table to gently rest her hand upon my wrist. "Though I wish I could have seen his face, father has only ever cared about himself and his legacy, but you? You, dear little sister, you worry about yourself. You've already made this big leap by moving out here, now you just have to keep moving forward. Father's professional tantrum is just that, a tantrum. You owe him nothing, and while he struggles to find someone to fill the big corporate shoes you left behind,” (we both shared a quick chuckle at that because I have tiny feet) “while he’s doing that, know that I can see that you're happy. And that is why I am giving you this place Weiss. Enjoy making it your own, fill it with what makes you smile. And when you look back with no regrets, that is when you'll know that leaving father behind was worth all of it."

Fighting back the sudden urge to cry with emotions, I turned my hand over to interlace my fingers with my sisters to give her hand a tight squeeze. She wasn't big on hugs, but this was enough for the both of us. "Thank you." I said, wiping at my eyes with my free hand regardless of my success of keeping myself from crying.

We sat like that for a few minutes, silently offering each other sisterly support when the double doors to the porch opened. Yang came walking out backwards while balancing a few loaded dishes in her arms. The sight reminded me strongly of her brief days as a waitress one highschool summer.

"Hey Weiss, Rubes slapped together some sandwiches and a cheese platter but she couldn't figure out how to work your cold press so I hope that sweet tea will.. be.. Oh, uuuhh .. Hi."

Yang came to a slow halt a few steps away from my sister and I, glancing back and forth between the two of us in a clear silent question of 'am I interrupting?' . My sister took quick action in keeping the moment from lapsing into awkward silence as she leaned back in her chair with a single handed gesture towards the table, "Tea sounds lovely, Miss..?"

"Winter meet Yang Xio Long, Ruby's older sister. Yang, this is my older sister Winter."

The introduction snapped Yang out of her temporary daze, speaking a quick "Nice to meet ya" as she unloaded her burden onto the table before standing beside me. How Yang kept trying to stuff her hands into her tight jean pockets didn't escape my notice, nor my sisters.

"Yellow suits you well," Winter spoke while very pointedly looking at Yang's prosthetic before lifting her gaze to make proper eye contact, continuing very swiftly yet calmly, "Weiss tells me that Ruby's favorite color is red?" Winter had made it a question but I knew that she already knew the answer because I have mentioned it to her on several occasions in the past.

But with Yang wearing one of my sister's prototypes, it only made sense with all the work she did for a living to know that those with prosthetics would be more than a little hyper aware and self conscious around strangers. Leave it to my sister to shine light on something to reveal that it isn't as big a deal as some may think it may be before moving on. At least, that is how I saw the tactic seemingly work with Yang, giving the blonde an out to roll with as she finally gave up on trying to hide her fingers in her stubbornly tiny pockets, choosing instead to fold her arms across her chest.

"Yea, sis is always wearing something red. Soooo.. you're the Winter?"

My sister looked mildly amused, and thus I decided to answer for her with the appropriate level of eye rolling. "Yes Yang, this is the Winter Schnee."

Yang of course just gave one of her good natured chuckles as she reached for one of the crackers she had laid down on the table, popping it into her mouth to chew on as she looked at me with her signature grin. "Ruby's head is gonna to explode, you know that right princess?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I did my best to repress a sigh. "Yes Yang, I am aware."

Yang clapped me on the shoulder with another chuckle before she turned to head back inside, "Well good thing I saw that you picked up a turkey baster, it’ll give me something to scoop Ruby up with later."

I groaned at the ridiculous jab of a joke. Winter however was looking at me with a rare cheshire grin.

Chapter Text

*Velvet’s POV

A meteor shower was scheduled to hit Thursday night, and I had no intentions of missing it. My only dilemma however was that my apartment window was not the ideal stargazing spot, and the neighboring park was sure to have a bit of a crowd. Did I mention that it was already Thursday? Hurray procrastination.

After my shared closing shift with Neon, I headed home in a rush so that I could grab my camera and maybe something warm for the night. Perhaps I could beg the building manager to let me on the roof? It was worth a try, and honestly my last and only hope if I wanted to get photos of the cosmic event.

While digging through my pile of clothes for my beloved beanie, a knock came at my door.

I wasn’t expecting any form of company, let alone Blake and Yang. I looked at the two of them in absolute confusion, unable to wrap my head around on why they were at my door close to ten at night.. “Uh… hello?”

With a sunny smile Yang was the first to say something, twirling a set of car keys around a finger. “We’re headed to the snow princess’s palace. You in?”

I looked towards Blake who stood beside Yang with two large thermoses in her arms, seeking a bit more clarification since all I could muster was an unflattering noise of confusion in response.

“Weiss has a large backyard and made plans to watch the meteor shower tonight with all of us,” Blake gestured with a shrug of a shoulder towards herself and Yang before continuing, “but Neon called as we were leaving saying that you also wanted to see it. You’re welcome to join, we're sure Weiss won't mind.” Blake explained.

I about cried with happiness then. I may have confessed my woes to Neon during our shift together, but I didn’t think she would go out of her way (and so quickly) to find a solution for me. “I would lo - I mean - yeah! You uh, won’t mind me tagging along with my camera will you?” I pointed behind me to my large luggage case that held said device within. I didn’t want to sound too hopeful, but I may have still sounded a little desperate despite my efforts.

“Well hop to it!” Yang chuckled aloud as she headed towards the apartment elevators. Blake however was kind enough to wait behind for me to grab my stuff and lock up and the two of us reached Yang’s side just as the elevator arrived. Oum, my friends are the best!

The drive there was filled mostly with Yang chatting away with great enthusiasm about how huge Weiss's place was and how she came about getting it. Blake and I both silently agreed that maybe she was over exaggerating more than a few details, and yet, even with Yang coming up with tall tales, I was still not prepared to be met with a three story mansion on vast gated acres of open fields. I knew Weiss came from a rich family (richer then Coco’s though my girlfriend doesn't talk much about her folks), but I’ve never really gotten the chance to get to know her. The heiress has always been a friend of friend, but maybe tonight that could possibly change? From what I could tell from the few interactions I’ve had with Weiss, it's that she’s good people for someone with the Schnee last name.

Shortly after Yang put her car in park, the heiress met us at the entrance and ushered us through the mansion. Aside from myself, apparently this was also Blake's first time visiting Weiss's home, but not Yang’s, so it was just mine and Blake’s jaw hitting the floor at the mere grandeur of the mansions inside. With the meteor showing scheduled to happen soon, there wasn’t much time for a tour but Weiss promised to give us one (if we so wished) afterwards before taking us out some double doors that led to the back of the estate.

Outside we met up with Ruby who was setting up some cheap lawn chairs that looked horrendously out of place from the rest of the mansion’s setup just passed what looked like the beginnings of a pool. She waved at the four of us enthusiastically and passed out some blankets when we got close enough.

“Hey Velvet!” Ruby greeted me with enough genuine enthusiasm that she could outshine even her sister. “Need help setting that up?” Ruby then pointed at my large camera case and, how could I say no to her bright smile?

“Sure.”

Together, Ruby and I set up my camera further in the field so that any light coming from the mansion wouldn’t ruin any of the photos, and I was grateful that she seemed to follow along with most of the camera lingo that I excitedly babbled out as we set it up on a timer so that I could (hopefully) get some good random shots, and maybe even a star spiral later on in the night if Weiss allowed me to leave all my gear outside for a few hours.

Just as we rejoined the others, the first meteor was caught streaking through the sky and we all quickly claimed a chair and blanket, each of us occasionally pointing one out as it blinked its way across the sky.

The only thing that could have possibly made this night better was if Coco had joined us so that I could have someone to cuddle up with.

Chapter Text

*Coco’s POV

A shout, a crash, a guilty giggle followed by more shouting. Honestly, the other end of my phone call sounded like -

“Sounds like a mad house there honey bun.” I laughed. Velvet was less amused.

“My sister brought along her youngest who-” there was another crash in the background that made even me wince, “-who has learned how to walk.”

Velvet sounded drained. Poor girl.

Though she made mention about her family reunion, Velvet was sweet in giving me the choice of whether or not I should join her. Admittedly I’m a little intimidated by how large her family is, so I opted to bow out with the promise of joining next time when it's maybe just her parents or perhaps one or two siblings.. you know, start small and all that.

“Got her!” shouted a voice in the background. The many other sounds of the Scarlatina family were quickly drowned out by the shrill shriek of a very unhappy child whose reign of freedom had ended too soon.

Giving everything a minute to settle down I could hear Velvet sigh, whether from relief or exhaustion I'm not sure, followed by the gentle sound of a sliding door being closed and then.. silence.

“Love you.” Was all I could think to say at that moment.

It made my barista bunny smile though. I know because I could hear it in the way she replied,

“Love you too.”

Chapter Text

* Yang's POV

“What do you mean Blake went home already?”

I couldn’t keep the confusion from my voice. Showing up at the coffee shop for my ritualistic routine of walking my girlfriend home only to find out that she had already left?... I know Blake, meaning that I know she takes her job way too seriously and would never duck out unless it was deader than a graveyard. Which it’s not. It's the Grimm Bean for crying out loud, it's busier than a pride parade!

More importantly-

“She would have told me if she went home.” I pointed out, perhaps with a little more heat than necessary. Poor Velvet at least did not deserve my irritation.

“She was pretty out of it Yang. A migraine I think? I’m not sure but, she was having trouble concentrating on even the little things.”

As Velvet was doing her best to explain without bulking at my tone, Jaune came from the back of the cafe to place Blake’s phone on the counter and add in his two cents to the conversation. “Boss made Flynt take her home when he clocked out. Look, Blake even left her phone behind or else I’m sure she would have tried to tell you.”

Picking up Blake's phone, I could feel my (irrational) anger evaporating bit by bit as I looked down at it. Three missed texts, one from me, two from Weiss, and one missed call from her mom if I recognized the number right.

“Order something already or step aside, ugh.”

Aaannnd like going from zero to sixty, I was angry all over again.

Without a care about how long the cafe’s line had gotten (it was out the door), I turned around with the full intent on giving the impatient hipster punk that spoke a piece of my mind. That is, before my phone began ringing in my pocket stopped me, the bland ringtone announcing that it was my boss calling.

Opting to do the total adult thing I instead shoulder checked the guy, almost knocking them over and promptly ignored their continued cursing (as well as Velvet and Jaune’s shouting) towards me as I stomped my way outside of the cafe to finally answer my phone in an equally less than friendly manner.

“Yeah?”

“Blondie, got a big wig renting the club and I need a bartender. Now.”

It took all of my willpower not to crush my phone right then.

“It’s my day off Junior, get DJ to do it.” I gritted out, pocketing Blake’s phone so that I could fish out my car keys.

“DJ can’t mix drinks like you can.”

He hung up.

I wanted to scream.

But I didn’t. Go me, but if looks could kill.. standing on the sidewalk near my car, I did my absolute best to contain my boiling temper as I weighed my options.

I could run home and grab a change of clothes before heading into work, not only appeasing my colossal dick of a boss but also ensuring that I have a paycheck to pay bills with. Or , I could say fuck it and risk my job to head over to Blake’s apartment to check on her.

I also debated the idea of attempting both, the only drawback being that I’m sure my boss is impatiently watching the clock until I showed up. And if I showed up later than the allotted time that he knows it takes me to dash to work from my apartment… A voice in my head that suspiciously sounded like Weiss said, “you’re on thin ice Yang.”

I hate being caught between a rock and a hard place.

“You know, you’re pretty when you’re angry Xiao-Long.”

Neon.

Turning, I saw Neon standing a few feet from me on the sidewalk with her roller blades and work apron slung over one shoulder, chewing bubble gum in that obnoxious way of hers and cat tail flicking back and forth like this was all an amusing game to her. And that smirk …

It was the kind of smirk that just boiled my temper higher, and fell immediately as I closed the gap between us to shove her against the building. Neon let out a yelp and shot her hands up as I got in her face, trying to get a string of words out but I wasn’t going to give her the chance to speak. I currently just don't have the patience for her, but I could use her to my benefit.

“Neon!” I growled dangerously, backing off just enough to wrench a key from my key ring to shove into her palm as I continued saying, “Have someone check on Blake and keep me in the loop .”

She took a split second to look at the key, absolutely bewildered as she held it up the tiniest bit, opening her mouth once again to try and ask me something but once more I wasn't going to give her the chance as I cut her off with a rough jab of my finger to her chest.

“And don’t lose that.”

I wasn’t about to tell her it was my copy of Blake’s apartment key. Neon’s smart enough to figure that out soon enough, I'm sure.

Leaving the faunus sputtering on the sidewalk, I headed to my car so that I could peel out of the cafe’s parking lot and break a few speed limits getting home to grab my stupid work uniform.

When I do finally get to work, my boss decides that it’s very important to inform me that I'm late (pfft, by his calculations maybe) and my followed response is a shiny robotic middle finger as I head to the restrooms to change.

As it turns out, the 'big wig’ renting out the club is some ridiculously rich kid who thinks it’s cool to have an entire club to themself, their friends, and all the random hot chicks to party with. I don't know what my boss was thinking, but his club had transformed into a glorified frat party for the day. Granted, there wasn’t any beer pong, keg stands, or semi nude pool parties to complete the jock dream, but it was damn close with the amount of young blooded testosterone in the air.

You'd also never know that it was only seven in the afternoon. Waaay too early for a party in my opinion, let alone getting shit-faced-drunk, but my boss mentioned something about an “all day birthday bash” and that I shouldn’t “blow it” like it would somehow be all my fault if this party went belly up.

Fucking rich punks. As if I wasn’t already a short fuse ready to go off at the drop of a hat..

I don't even know why I'm angry. Only that I just am , and that I can't seem to calm down enough to even fake a smile. If I were to guess, I’d bet it had something to do with my visit to the coffee shop earlier and how my mind just repeatedly goes to Blake and the frustration of not knowing if she’s ok or not. Or it could be the simple fact that I’ve yet to have enough time to check my phone for updates on her, let alone breathe because this party is keeping everyone busy. Or maybe it’s because I had to come to work on my day off..

Whatever the reason may be, it’s not like this particular crowd is doing my temper any favors. In fact, I think it’s just making my mood worse.

“Yang, we need another tray of shots for upstairs.”

One of the twins, Melanie I think (unless the two decided to swap outfits again, it’s hard to tell sometimes), leaned an elbow on the bar countertop close to where I was mixing drinks.

Glancing up towards the VIP lounge and to the thick haze that I knew was more than just vapor from those e-cigarettes, I rolled my eyes at her.

“How many shots this time?” I asked with a frown, knowing that me arguing with her about the amount of alcohol already served up that way wouldn’t get me anywhere useful.

“Fill a tray.”

Ugh.

Serving the drinks I made to the pair of dudebros that ordered them, I took Melanie’s empty serving tray with a glare (which she ignored) and began filling it up with shot glasses before grabbing a full bottle of tequila.

While filling up roughly thirty shot glasses worth of booze Miltia came up to stand next her sister, boredly looking at me like she normally does with arms crossed. “I need two buckets of beer for one of the lounge tables.”

I swear the twins get their entitled tone from Junior. Always demanding, never asking. And never nicely either. I’m going to slap DJ stupid next time I see him for calling out, because being the only bartender absolutely sucks.

“Let me guess,” I deadpanned, “You want me to carry it over there too?”

A bored nod as if the answer was clearly obvious.

I groaned.

“Fine, just, make sure no one jumps over the counter or something.”

I’d be surprised if either of the twins knew how to mix a drink, but I don’t fully trust that they’d try to stop some thirsty drunk from hoping the counter to get at the booze while it’s left unattended. Whatever, at the rate this party crowd is drinking it’ll be a miracle if Junior’s club has anything alcoholic left for the weekend.

Giving Melanie her tray of shots, I grabbed a few of the buckets I had behind the counter to fill with ice and stuff them full of beer bottles. A ridiculous way of serving a six pack in my opinion, but whatever keeps them cold I guess. I even managed to restrain myself from the temptation of hitting Miltia with one as I passed her.

Passing several of the circular booths that seemed to be full up on drinks and barely legal activities, it wasn’t hard to figure out which table needed the drinks as I practically slammed the two buckets onto a table occupied by a bunch of biker guys playing cards. This group looked far older than the rest of tonight’s party crowd, save for one who sat in the middle of them all.

Aside from clearly being the youngest of this little gathering, the kid was also the most stylishly dressed. Faded bluish hair, an undercut with the longer strands haughtily swept to the side to slightly hang in his face, a maroon dress shirt, black tie and black vest decorated in flowery designs (marigolds I think?), gaudy silver rings to announce his status in case his aura didn’t already scream it, and a charming smile that turned arrogant the longer it lingered.

This one must be the birthday boy, I thought.

And the rest of the guys surrounding him? Probably no more than his thugged out lackeys. I’d say bodyguards buuut.. Yea. There’s a lot to be desired on that front if that’s the case.

“Thanks for the refreshments.” the birthday kid winked at me, flashing his false smile my way as he very blatantly checked me out like I was desert.

Fighting the strong urge to roll my eyes in disgust, I turned back around without saying anything to the kid. I just wanted to get back to the bar and serve drinks until I was allowed to leave. Buuuut unfortunately, my path became blocked by one of the thugs as they stood from their seat with a whistle.

“Hey hey heey, check out this beauty.”

I nearly snapped a tooth as I gritted my teeth to keep myself from telling this guy that the eighties called and wanted their mullet back. I mean seriously. Dirty blonde mullet, a five o’clock shadow, ripped jean vest over a dirty white t-shirt, dark skinny jeans, cowboy boots, and smelled like he was the sole reason why this table needed more booze. Actually forget about giving this guy fashion advice, I was about to give him a rude wake up call if he didn’t get out of my way.

Unsurprisingly none of his buddies, birthday boy included despite his earlier attempt at what he must’ve thought was ‘charm’, didn’t rise to my aide. No, they all collectively did the stupid thing and laughed, some even cheering mullet-guy on.

As nicely as I could, I pointed back towards the booth saying, “I’m good pal, sit back down and enjoy your night.” See? Nicely.

As luck would have it, this guy was either too drunk, too stupid, or a little bit of both to not get the hint.

“I’m serious!” mullet-guy exclaimed, taking a step into my personal space and waving a hand at my figure like he had a point to make. “Not too bulky, not too lean, you’re-”

“Juust right,” I interrupted, finally unable to refrain from rolling my eyes this time. Holding up a hand, I had to press my palm into mullet-guy's chest to keep him from coming any closer. “Like I said pal, I’m good. Now, let. Me. Pass.”

Missing the second hint to leave me the hell alone, mullet-guy continued to press himself into my hand and managed to get another step into my personal space, which by the way, was dangerous territory right now.

Like a further idiot, he continued to drone on, “And that hair..”

As soon as he reached out to touch some of my hair that had fallen loose from my ponytail, I grabbed mullet-guy by the wrist and... finally snapped.

I don’t consciously recall winding back my right fist to punch him in the mouth, but punch him I did. And honestly, watching a tooth go flying was the most satisfying thing I’ve seen all night.

By the time the guy hit the ground after being sent airborne, his buddies rising from their seats, or my boss storming down the stairs from his personal VIP lounge to see what the commotion was about, I was already back behind the bar.

I had just gathered up my keys and the bag containing my day clothes when my boss made it to the bar, slamming his fists onto the counter and shouting at me loud enough to be heard by anyone above the thumping music with a visible vein throbbing in his temple.

“Blondie! What the HELL did you do?”

Well, I thought, no time like the present.

Wrenching the red tie from around my neck that was a part of my ‘uniform’, I threw it at his face as I yelled right back at him-

“I quit!”

And then I left.

I think Junior yelled something at me, actually, a lot of people were yelling at me, but I was done listening. But even with the music still going, people nearest the bar looking confused as to what was going on, and those that did know openly glaring at me, no one tried to stop me as I showed myself out.

And burning rubber as I sped out of that parking lot? A lot less satisfying then I thought it would be. But whatever, I was officially done with this place.

Back before my motor accident, I would on occasion just drive around on Bumblebee if I needed my head cleared. No destination in mind, just open roads and the thrill of the wind in my hair and the pull of horsepower beneath me. So after leaving the club, that’s exactly what I did. Window rolled down, one arm hanging out, not exactly speeding but certainly flirting with legal limits, and drowning out my thoughts with whatever music the radio had going.

I was somewhere between work and home when the station I was listening to began playing Over and Over by Goo Goo Dolls. Unlike all of the other songs that played as if they were nothing more than white noise to my ears, I couldn't help but sing along to this one.

The song was Blake's ringtone for me, which of course made me think of her as I finally gave my wandering a sense of direction. It was about time I checked on my girl.

Once arriving at the apartment building I began running in my haste to get inside for reasons unknown. Maybe it was my need to see Blake catching up to me, maybe not. It didn't matter though as I ran through the front doors, down the hallways- I was even too impatient for the elevator to arrive, so I took the stairs three at a time. Probably not the best idea considering I was headed to the fifth floor, so needless to say that by the time I got there I has huffing pretty loudly with my legs feeling a little like jelly. (Looks like I'll be adding more cardio to my workout)

Once at Blake’s door, I reached for the handle-

Only to have the door open for me with Velvet’s head poking out.

“Did you get my messages?” She asked me.

I was still trying to catch my breath as I wracked my brain to process the question, and.. Shit.

Despite telling Neon to keep me informed, I hadn’t checked my phone at all.

“N-no.. Work was too busy for me to check. But I’m here now, is she alright?”

While I was speaking, Velvet ushered me into Blakes apartment and gently shut the door behind us.

The apartment was tidy, as per usual, but there was no sign of my girlfriend on either the couch, in the living room, or in the kitchen. She must be in the bedroom then, I thought.

Velvet was quick to confirm my suspicions as she leaned against a kitchen counter, wrapping her arms around herself as she pointed with one of her long rabbit ears down the barely lit hallway.

“She’s resting right now.”

I let out a large breath, feeling all of today’s tensions finally wash away like a weight being taken off my shoulders as I joined her in the kitchen, choosing an opposing counter to lean on.

Feeling the need to make amends, I smiled tiredly at Velvet, “Sorry, by the way. For earlier. I guess I sort of snapped at you. You didn’t deserve that.”

“It’s alright.” Velvet spoke quietly, giving me one of her tiny smiles and equally tiny shoulder shrug. “I know you were worried. Coco would’ve done the same thing, actually, if it were me.” She laughed.

That pulled a grin out of me. Yea.. smooth talking Coco would tear the place apart if something happened to Velvet. It’s what I liked about her.

“Do you, still have work?” Velvet asked me suddenly, eyeing my black dress shirt and suit pants like she was hesitant to even ask.

I shook my head.

“Nah, I’m done for the night. I can take over from here.” I decided to omit the part where I quit. Velvet didn’t need to know that bit of info.

She nodded slowly, standing in the kitchen for a bit longer before smoothing out the front of her oversized sweater like she was thinking of something else to say.

“Just.. so you know..” She started, beginning to ever so slowly gather up her things like if she moved any faster she wouldn’t be able to multitask, “Blake was throwing up when I got here. She’s alright now! Just- just keep an eye on her temperature. She was running a pretty high fever after I got her cleaned up.”

A part of me tensed up at the news, but then I relaxed just as quickly while remembering all of the times Ruby had a fever growing up, or was sick with a cold, or the flu.. I could handle this. Easily.

I enveloped Velvet in a hug then which sort of surprised her. Not my usual crushing bear hug though, just a tight enough squeeze to hopefully convey my appreciation for her being here when I couldn’t be. “Thanks V.”

I could feel the shorter girl relax before squeezing me back, saying “It was nothing. If you need me, I’m just down the hall. Oh! And your key is on the coffee table.”

“Thanks.”

After Velvet left, I double checked that the cats had enough food and water in their bowls, mildly curious as to where the two munchkins were before turning off all the living room lights and heading towards the bedroom.

What I found there tugged at my heartstrings. Blake, sound asleep with an ice pack on her head and tucked in all nice and neat. But even more adorably were both Gambol and Shroud laying on top of her.

Aside from the gentle rise and fall of her chest, Blake didn't stir as I carefully crawled into bed to lay next to her. Gambol though, being my personal cuddle buddy, stretched impossibly (as cats do) before filling what little space was between us. Shroud on the other hand just blinked lazily as he remained content on Blake's abdomen.

My little feline family, I smiled to myself, absentmindedly giving Gambol belly rubs before her purring lured my eyelids closed.

Chapter Text

* Blake's POV

I woke up to an insistent furry head nuzzling into my chin.

Shroud, I thought, reaching a hand to stroke along the cat's neck. The purring rumbled a little louder. Definitely Shroud .

What time was it? What day was it? I admit I was more than a little disoriented (my head honestly felt like it had gone through a microwave) as I finally opened my eyes to gather my bearings.

I was in my room for starters, but I don’t remember crawling into bed. Sitting up, I took note of the glass of water sitting next to my book on the night stand along with my phone. Another curiosity. I distinctly remember leaving that book on the coffee table.

What I do remember is feeling like there was too much pressure in my skull when I was at work. Then I remember arguing with my boss about staying rather than being sent home, but not the exact words I used in said argument. I also remember Flynt seeing me all the way to my doorstep, and that I had tried making myself some tea in hopes that it would help with my head.

I know that there was more to my recollection, but the most heavenly smell drifting into the bedroom put a pause on my need to piece things together.

Also, my faunus hearing picked up a certain blonde humming in my kitchen. If Yang was here then that explained plenty on how I ended up in bed.

Deciding to join my girlfriend, I got out of bed much to Shroud's dislike, adjusting my yukata (which is another mystery, I don't remember putting it on) as I followed my little grumpy lap cat out of the bedroom.

Listening to music through a pair of earbuds, hair up, orange tank top and black running short shorts she keeps leaving here, Yang looked like she was all set to go out running rather than flipping mouth watering cinnamon french toast.

She must have been either expecting me, or saw me in her perphiel because I thought I was being sneaky when I snuck into the kitchen to wrap her up in a hug. But Yang didn't even flinch (which was probably for the best since she's cooking) as I pressed myself into her back, chin on her shoulder.

She was quick to take out one earbud and planted a kiss on my temple. “Hey there good looking, feeling better?”

I smiled despite myself, making an affirmative noise that I will neither confirm nor deny was a purr.

Yang just laughed, a sweet sound that paired beautifully with the breakfast she was cooking.

“Heh, I'll take that as a yes.”

Chapter Text

*Ruby's POV

“I'm so buying your sister a new car.”

Weiss eyeballed the interior of my sister's car with such judgmental scrutiny that I found it adorable, causing me to laugh aloud from the driver's seat.

I mean- pfft yeah ok , Yang's car is a little rough around the edges, but I've kept it running great which is all sis cares about. So what if the back windows couldn't roll down? Or that the little air vents won't stay open in the direction that Weiss wants them to be? Never mind the little cigarette burns on the headliner (those were from the cars previous owner), and don't even get Weiss started on the peeling paint job...

“Aww Weiss, leave Carlos alone.” I giggled, giving the dashboard an affectionate pat. Leave it to my sister's brilliance to somehow include a pun in her car naming skills.

Weiss scoffed even louder as she folded her arms, temporarily giving up her attempts on adjusting the little droopy vents.

Despite knowing that her pout was completely fake, I couldn't let my girl be grumpy for long. Reaching for Weiss's left hand to gently pry her arms apart, I placed a kiss on the back of her hand before resting our entwined fingers atop the gear shift. That got her to smile.

After a moment of driving in comfortable silence, Weiss squeezed my hand before she spoke, “You didn't have to pick me up you know.”

“I know.” I grinned. “Like a valiant knight, I arrive when my lady needs me!”

Weiss smiles at me with a pointedly raised eyebrow, one finger lifting from our entwined grasp to point at the car's dashboard. Or just at the car in general..

“A knight whose steed is not only borrowed but in need of.. replacement?”

I grinned again. “Exactly! But not the replacement bit. Carlos is a ye old faithful steed after all, war scars and all.”

Weiss shook her head, huffing out the smallest laugh.

“You dolt. ”

“You love me.”

“That I do.”