The Great Heist - Bumblebee (Patreon)

After scanning the room in front of her, Yang found nothing of interest.  Which was good - lack of interest was a very good thing.  At least, today it was.

Reaching the far wall of the room, she smiled at a little boy excited to be out of the classroom for a day before beginning her slow, meandering pace back to the other side of the lobby.  The trick was to look casual and not-too-interested.  It should be a bored pace, not an anxious pace.  Fortunately, for her and her…‘associates,’ she’d mastered the ‘bored out of her mind’ walk long ago.  It was a lazy saunter that suggested she had nowhere better to be when, in actuality, there was a very specific reason for her position in the lobby today.

Making it to the other side, still ‘bored out of her mind,’ she paused and pulled out her phone.  Lifting it up as if reading a text, she muttered a soft, “You clear yet?” that anyone who overheard would think was meant for whatever she saw on the screen.  Instead, a voice crackled to life in her ear.

“Just made it out,” Ruby replied, sounding chipper as usual despite the circumstances.  “We’re all good.”

“Perfect.”  Putting her phone away, Yang smiled at the nearby worker before directing her meander towards the closest exit.

“I like how you don’t care at all if I’m ok,” another voice huffed in her ear.  She masked her smile at the agitated words with a friendly nod towards a family heading towards the ticket counter for a fun day at the museum.

“She just assumes you are because you’re awesome!”

As usual, Ruby diffused Weiss’ irritation in less than ten words.  Yang still heard some muffled grumbles through the microphone hidden near her ear, but Weiss didn’t come up with another gripe.  Not yet, at least, but another complaint was always somewhere on the horizon when Weiss Schnee was involved.

Until then, there was blissful silence and blissful freedom just up ahead.  As soon as Yang walked through those wide open doors, she would rendezvous with Ruby and Weiss and -

Two uniformed police officers hurried through the doorway then, while two more took up positions blocking the exit.  Yang slowed to a stop at their sudden presence, her heart racing in her chest, but calmly turned around and walked the other way. 

“We’ve got company,” she whispered while heading towards the next closest exit, maintaining her slow pace so as not to draw attention.

“How?” Ruby replied.  “We disabled everything.”

“We must’ve missed something…” Weiss mused, both of them probably looking through the scanner reports.  “Shit.  We missed something.”

That was bad news, as was the pair of officers already standing at door number two.  They weren’t causing a commotion - yet - so as not to scare the crowds of families and schoolchildren here on field trips.  Their passive approach wouldn’t last for long though.  Not when they figured out what was missing.

With door number three also under surveillance, Yang sighed and turned back to the large lobby filled with small exhibits, ticket counters, restrooms, and plenty of benches.

“They got all the exits,” she muttered under her breath while walking to a nearby bench.  “I’ll try to get to the secondary meet-up - ditching comms now.”  She heard a mumbled expletive while running a hand through her hair, subtly removing her tiny headset, and flicking it into the nearest trash can.  With that disposed of, she picked a spot on the end of the bench and observed the fiasco from there. 

The first officers had gone right to the front desk before disappearing deeper into the museum.  The others manned every door and probably the side exits, as well.  The sudden police presence shifted the tone of the lobby, with parents casting concerned glances towards the officers while children openly stared in awe.  Without a single word, everyone knew something was up.  Something big.

This was less good.  

Yang didn’t have any money on her to buy a ticket, so she couldn’t attempt another exit within the museum - but it didn’t look like the employees were letting anyone in anyway.  She couldn’t just walk through the doors either, not with cops at every single one.  She’d have to wait and see what they did, and hope she could convince them she was just here...by herself...checking out the sights.

Another girl sat on the bench with her, but she spared only a glance while coming up with her cover story.  Maybe she was a local student studying history who wanted to be inspired by visiting today.  Maybe she was waiting for her friends, or a date, and they were late - again.

More officers arrived, at least half a dozen hurrying through the door before spreading apart and canvasing the lobby.  She watched them as closely as possible while also trying not to draw any attention her way.  From the look of it, they were going person-to-person checking belongings, asking questions, then sending people towards one of the exits when they didn’t warrant further suspicion.

This was better, but Yang needed to be inconspicuous enough to be sent on her way without a second thought.

As one of the officers grew closer, she thought about her cover story some more.  The issue was...being alone automatically increased suspicion.  If she was with someone…

Her gaze flitted to the side then, taking far more interest in the girl sitting beside her.  With long, raven hair and beautiful amber eyes, the girl was drop-dead gorgeous.  And, even better, she was alone.

Yang saw the officer send another group towards the exit, so quickly slid across the bench towards her new best friend.  The officer would reach them soon, and she needed to prove to him that she wasn’t here alone.

“Hey, so, big favor to ask,” she hurriedly whispered to the girl, who looked her way with interest.  “Can you kiss me?”

“You read my mind.”

The answer hadn’t sunk in before the girl grabbed the front of Yang’s shirt and pulled her into a kiss.  

And not just a peck on the lips, either - it was a kiss.  Long, deep, and enough to make Yang’s heart flutter while responding to the passion in kind.  Soft lips moved across her own while an unfamiliar shampoo or perfume filled her nose, making her very much aware that she was making out with a stranger.  A beautiful stranger who was also a really good kisser…

Pressing closer, Yang slid her hand behind the girl’s neck and, for a brief second, felt the girl pause.  That hesitation lasted only a second, however, before a lithe hand wove into Yang’s hair and gave a satisfying tug.

The tug pulled her closer, and she felt the girl taking control of the situation in a way that nearly made her miss the sound of someone clearing their throat.  She thought she heard it, but the kiss continued, so she ignored it.  It wasn’t until the raven-haired girl pulled away - her lips slightly parted and her pupils dilated - that Yang heard the sound again: someone very conspicuously clearing their throat.

Turning to the side, she found the police officer trying not to stare at them.

“Excuse me, ladies,” he said, directing his gaze towards the empty bench beside Yang while a soft blush reddened his cheeks.  “There’s been an incident in the museum and...can you please state your reason for visiting today?”  

Yang glanced at the girl, who gave her a smile and a nod as permission to answer.  

“Uh, we’re here on a date,” she said, glancing at the girl to see if she would complain.  She didn’t - she nodded instead.

“Do you have any bags with you?” the officer followed up, quickly glancing over them to answer the question himself.

“Uh, no.”  Yang looked towards the girl to see if she had any bags, but she shook her head as well.

“Ok.  The museum is being closed for the day, so we need you to leave immediately.  Sorry for any inconvenience.”  When he motioned them towards the nearest exit, Yang tried to look confused by the ‘unexpected’ news.

“Is everything ok?” she asked with fake concern while standing up.  

“Everything’s fine.  Don’t worry, we have it under control.”

Taking that response as her cue to leave, she glanced towards the raven-haired girl before shrugging.  The two of them then walked to the exit together, where the other officers gave them a friendly nod while stepping out of the way and letting them leave.

And, just like that, Yang was free.  

Hurrying down the front steps of the museum and passing at least a dozen cop cars parked along the street, Yang was surprised when the raven-haired girl followed her away from the growing police presence and towards a quieter section of the city.

“You lost?” Yang asked, not pausing her rapid pace for fear of the police figuring out they let one of the culprits walk.

“No.  Are you?”

Tilting her head, Yang gave the girl a curious glance before shaking her head.  “No.  Just...hanging out.”  That statement might’ve seemed a little strange when she ducked into an alleyway to get off the main road.  When the girl still trailed her, Yang paused in the midst of the alley and smiled at her unexpected partner-in-crime.

“You’re a really good kisser,” she said with a wink.  “Maybe we can continue that sometime?”

The raven-haired girl, who’d been so agreeable in the museum, rolled her eyes and walked away.

“We wouldn’t have had to do that if you’d left when you had the chance.”

Yang froze at the response, watching the girl walk several more paces before jogging to catch up.

“Wait a second - how do you know -?”

“Think you’re the only ones after something?” the girl replied with a smug smile while Yang’s mind raced with questions.

“Uh...yeah?”

“Not even.  You’re just the only ones getting caught.”  When the girl scoffed and shook her head, Yang’s jaw dropped while she followed across the next street and into the alley beyond.

“Who are you??”  The girl glanced at Yang out of the corner of her eye before turning away.  “Don’t I get at least a first name?” Yang added.  “I mean, we did just kind of make out.”

The girl’s lips turned up in a tiny smile at that.  “Blake,” she said, turning down the next street while leading them further and further from the museum.  

Still following if only to find out more, Yang grinned at the name and at whoever this person was beside her.  She knew to be careful of rival thieves, but...they had just kind of made out…

“Nice to meet you, Blake” she replied with a smile.  The two of them froze when a car flew by the street in front of them, then relaxed in unison when it didn’t stop.  “I’m Yang,” she added.  “How did you know what we were doing?”

“I didn’t until one of you tripped a circuit.”

Yang sighed at the response and grumbled “probably the ice queen...” under her breath.

“I was trying to be nice,” Blake replied, stopping in the alley and giving Yang another smirk.  “You tripped it when you planted that cloaker behind the ticket counter.  You put it too close to the mainframe.”

Jaw dropping, Yang stared at the girl in front of her, who’d somehow figured out everything she’d done while she hadn’t even noticed the attention.

“Who are you??” she asked again.  Before Blake answered, however, her eyes flitted over Yang’s shoulder when they both heard another car engine nearby.  This time, however, the sound grew closer - not a good thing.

“Shit.”  

Before Yang could even look over her shoulder, Blake grabbed her by the front of her shirt, turned her around, and pushed her into the nearest wall.  A soft huff of air left Yang’s lungs when her back hit the bricks, but she didn’t have time to complain before Blake’s lips met hers.

Her heart fluttered again, and burst into butterflies when Blake immediately deepened the kiss.  Not one to be left in the dust, Yang clutched Blake’s hips closer and heard a soft moan travel straight from Blake’s mouth to Yang’s throat.

She understood what Blake was doing, masking them in another haze of lust to avoid suspicion, but she grew a little confused when the car engine slowed to a soft purr right beside them.  

“Yang, what the hell are you doing?”

Surprised by the familiar voice, Yang broke away from Blake’s lips and found an equally familiar car idling in the alleyway.  And sitting in the passenger seat, looking miffed by the situation, was none other than Weiss Schnee.  Ruby flashed an ‘ok’ sign from the driver’s seat, which Yang replied to with one of her own before turning to Blake.

“I’m guessing this is your ‘crew,’” Blake said, observing the situation with a healthy amount of curiosity and amusement.

“Yang,” Weiss hissed again, motioning Yang into the car.  Ruby, meanwhile, waved for Yang to take her time.  Taking her sister’s advice, Yang turned back to Blake and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Come with us.”  Shock registered in Blake’s eyes, but Yang grasped one of her hands and added “Please come with us.  We obviously need your help.”

After staring at Yang for a long time, Blake glanced at the car and bit her lip.  Sirens sounded in the distance, lending a layer of urgency to the answer, but Yang didn’t want to leave.  She didn’t know this person she was inviting into their lives, but she wanted to know so much more.

“Depends…” Blake finally replied while finding yet another smirk.  “Can we continue that kiss later?”

Yang’s heart thudded at the response, and she grinned like mad while taking Blake’s hand and pulling her towards the car.

“Oh, hell yes.”