Home Artists Posts Import Register

Content

Eventually, Yang had to let go.  But she said goodbye only after driving Blake home and sharing one more, slightly shorter hug on Blake’s doorstep.

Under ordinary circumstances, Blake would insist on sticking around and providing even more emotional support than she already had.  But after that kiss, which was passion and solace and something else burning to escape, she hadn’t pressed to stay.  She hadn’t said much of anything, actually.

The uncharacteristic silence worried Yang as she spent the next morning pacing her apartment, wishing for a distraction but unwilling to find one.  Her phone became her worst enemy - a lifeline connecting her to Blake that she couldn’t bring herself to use.  She wanted to reach out.  She wanted to talk about yesterday.  About Raven showing up out of the blue, about that kiss, but she couldn’t summon the courage to dial Blake’s number.

Blake didn’t reach out either, ending the near-constant communication they’d maintained for the past few weeks.  Yang tried convincing herself that Blake just had a busy morning - maybe an unexpected work project came up - but she also knew of a much bigger, much more plausible explanation for the silence.

To be fair, Blake kissed her first.  But she might have responded more zealously than she should have.  They actually kind of, sort of, made out.  But how was she supposed to prevent that from happening?  How could she have stopped when kissing Blake felt so incredible and exciting and right?

It was never ‘just’ a kiss with Blake.  It was an expression of deep feelings of adoration, comfort, and everything in between.  And she loved it.  She really, really loved it.

Every minute of silence that passed, however, made her worry that she made a huge mistake.  It didn’t feel like a mistake to her, and her heart ached at the thought of labeling it one, but why else would Blake suddenly go quiet?  The only plausible answer was that Yang let her emotions get the best of her and possibly broke a fundamental rule of their friendship.

But that didn’t explain the way Blake kissed her back...because Blake definitely kissed her back.  Blake wanted to kiss her.  Either that or Blake was just a really, really, really good kisser.

It felt like Blake wanted to kiss her, and Yang wanted to believe that, but...they needed to talk.  Raven’s appearance and even faster disappearance paled in comparison to the importance of that conversation.

As close as they were, and as intimate and affectionate as they could be, they didn’t cross those lines...especially not with the frequency and consistency of lately.  They weren’t those types of friends.  Not that they couldn’t be, or that there was anything wrong with it, but Yang didn’t trust herself to go that far and ever come back.  Friends-with-benefits was one step closer to dating, and dating meant expectations, and expectations meant failure, and failure led to heartbreak.

But it was Blake.  If Blake was willing to give Yang a chance…

They needed to talk about it, promise never to let it happen again, and go back to how things were.  She loved Blake too much to risk ruining their friendship.  They were best friends.  They relied on each other.  They saw each other all the time.  Their schedules and lives intertwined.  Her heart ached at the idea of burying these new, exhilarating feelings so soon after discovering them, but losing their friendship would crush her.

Fortunately, if that word could be used in this situation, clarity wasn’t far away.  Game night was still on as scheduled and, in the absence of any message saying otherwise, Blake would be there.  They would see each other soon.

That knowledge made picking an outfit more difficult, making Yang late in leaving her apartment, which made her late in arriving at Ruby’s building.  She wasn’t late late, thankfully, but she wasn’t as early as she had hoped either.  Usually, she celebrated arriving on time.  Knowing that Blake would already be there, however, her heart raced as she jogged up the steps and let herself into the building.

Despite her nerves, she hurried to the fourth floor.  Blake was her best friend, after all, and she wanted to spend time together.  Seeing each other might have taken on a slightly different meaning to her recently, but she would always enjoy Blake’s company.

Upon making it to Ruby’s door, she paused, took a deep breath, and reminded herself to stay calm.  Plenty of unexpected events happened yesterday, but that didn’t mean anything was broken or ruined.  At least, she hoped nothing was broken or ruined.  The only way to find out for sure was to knock and shuffle her feet while waiting for someone to answer.  Abruptly realizing that Blake might answer the door, her heart leapt into her throat.  What should she do if that happened?  Smile like normal?  Make a joke?  Pretend nothing had changed?

She relaxed when quick footsteps raced across the apartment.  Moments later, Ruby threw open the door and greeted her with a big smile.

“You made it!”

“How could I miss it when you’re texting me about it every hour?”

Ruby shrugged at the rhetorical question before accepting Yang’s hug.  Yang then stepped through the doorway and immediately locked eyes with Blake.

Of course Blake was already there, and of course she looked amazing.  From the way her black hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, to the jeans clinging to her in all the right places, to the emotions that alternatively hid and revealed themselves in her amber eyes...she was effortlessly graceful and gorgeous in a way that Yang had always adored and aspired to.

But today, as Blake stood from her seat on the sofa and offered a hesitant smile, Yang felt that beauty as desire tingling across her skin and her heart beating like a drum in her chest.

Blake kept a respectful distance, so Yang forced herself to stop staring and look around Ruby’s apartment instead.  What she saw, however, made her brow furrow.

“Am I in the right apartment...?”

Ruby had basically patented her own version of nerdy decor, but that vibe had disappeared.  Plenty of geeky knickknacks were still scattered around, but an unexpectedly chic atmosphere had joined them.  Matching window curtains, throw pillows in different-yet-complementary colors, candles sitting in superfluous silver candleholders...

“Where’d all this come from?” Yang asked before the answer popped into her head.  “Did Weiss decorate?” she asked in a hushed voice while glancing into the kitchen.  Weiss was in the midst of making something and unaware of the conversation, but Ruby still shushed Yang before lowering her voice.

“Please be nice.  She’s nervous.”

“It’s game night.  Why’s she nervous?”

“Because she wants it to be perfect.”  When Yang scrunched her nose and opened her mouth to point out how unnecessary that was, Ruby waved her hands.  “She’s used to hosting huge company parties, not hanging out with friends.  So...take it easy on her, please?  It took me forever to convince her not to hire caterers.”

Yang’s brow shot up at what she hoped was a joke, but Ruby solemnly nodded.  The idea of having a catered game night was enough to make Yang chuckle, but she understood Weiss’ rationale - paying someone to take care of the food meant one less thing to fret about.

“Don’t worry.  I’ll be nice.”  After patting Ruby’s shoulder, Yang waved at Weiss in the kitchen.  “Hey Weiss!  Whatever you’re making smells great.”

“Thank you.  I think it’s almost ready...Ruby, can you check it for me?”

“Of course!”

When Ruby skipped into the kitchen to resume her hostess duties, Yang finally turned toward Blake.  Memories of yesterday rushed to the forefront of her mind, consuming her thoughts so quickly and completely that she wondered if Blake was thinking about it, too.  Or was she the only one who couldn’t get that kiss out of her mind?

Trying to pretend everything was normal, she smiled and walked over.

“Hey,” she began, drawing a small smile from Blake in return.

“Hey.”

When silence followed their greeting, Yang’s worry swelled.  Something was wrong.  Otherwise, they would have no issue finding something to talk about, and that moment of silence wouldn’t feel strained and uncomfortable.

“Um...excited for game night?” she asked, hoping to spark some semblance of normal conversation.

“Of course.”  Another quick smile before Blake glanced into the kitchen.  Finding Ruby and Weiss occupied with whatever they were making, Blake met Yang’s gaze with an uncertain one of her own.  “Can we...talk for a second?”

As much as Yang wanted to get this conversation out of the way, she wished it hadn’t arrived so soon.  She wasn’t even remotely ready, but that didn’t stop her from nodding and following Blake over to the door.  The distance meant privacy, not that Ruby and Weiss seemed to be paying attention, but apparently Blake didn’t want to be overheard.

“How are you?” Blake asked first.

“I’m...ok, I guess.”  The caring in Blake’s eyes calmed Yang’s nerves slightly, but her heart raced knowing where this conversation was headed.  “I’ve just been...taking it easy.  What about you?  Did you have a good day?”

“It was alright.”  A small shrug accompanied the response, but Blake’s gaze grew serious immediately after.  “I hope you didn’t think I was avoiding you.  I just thought you might need some space to...think about things.”

If Blake thought that Yang needed space to think about her, she was correct.  That was all Yang did all day...while simultaneously worrying that Blake was avoiding her.  Thankfully, it appeared that worry had been all in her head.

“Thanks,” she replied, genuinely grateful for the thoughtfulness regardless of the anxiety it caused.  “It’s just been...I don’t know.  It’s hard to explain.”

“It’s ok.  You don’t have to explain anything.”  After a nod and flash of a smile, Blake bit her bottom lip and met Yang’s gaze more hesitantly than before.  “Did she try to get in touch with you again?”

As the conversation somehow made its way to Raven, Yang wrapped her arms around herself and sighed.

“Nope.  And she probably won’t.  Not for another five years or so, probably.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but...I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”

But Yang hadn’t dealt with it alone - Blake was there, offering support like she always did.  Her presence turned what could have been a horrible day into a somewhat confusing but altogether unforgettable one.

When Blake softly cleared her throat and glanced away, Yang knew they were thinking about the same thing - that Raven was only the second-most newsworthy event of yesterday.  The first was, by far, what happened between the two of them.  Just standing here, Yang could almost feel the rush of energy from Blake pressing against her, feeling Blake’s lips on hers…

Now wasn’t the time to get lost in those fantasies though.  Now was the time to get everything out in the open so she could apologize and things could return to normal.  First, she took a deep breath.  Then she reached out and lightly touched Blake’s elbow.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, of course.”  Blake smiled, but that mirage of normalcy lasted only a second before she sighed and hung her head.  “I just...I’m really sorry.”

“What?  What’re you sorry for?”

“For...what I did yesterday.  I shouldn’t have.  You were upset, and I -”

“And you made me feel better.”

When Blake opened her mouth, Yang reached out and squeezed her hand.  The small touch woke up her butterflies, but she ignored the pesky things and focused on reassuring Blake instead.  Her racing heart made it challenging to find the right words, but she tried her best anyway.

“You made me feel better,” she repeated.  “Everything you did.  Even, you know...kissing...was…a good distraction from it all.”

The moment Blake’s brow rose, Yang worried that she said too much.  Or not enough.

“But I’m sorry if I crossed a line,” she hurriedly added.  “I’ll try harder and…I won’t let it happen again.”

To Yang, that sounded like the solution most likely to keep their friendship intact.  When disappointment flickered through Blake’s eyes, however, she wondered if she missed the point.  Was she overlooking an obvious answer?  Or was that apology not good enough to erase the damage done?

“Yang…”  Blake briefly bit her lip and chose her words carefully.  “I’m not upset about what happened, ok?  You don’t have anything to worry about.  Nothing’s changed; we’re fine.”

Nothing’s changed.

Yang had hoped for that all day, but the words hit her heart like a hammer.  Something had changed - for her, at least - but she couldn’t tell Blake that without opening another can of worms.  So she concentrated on the last part - that they were fine.  Nothing was wrong, and that kiss...that kiss would become just another blip in the history of their friendship.  A really confusing…really amazing...really wonderful...kiss.

“Ok.”  The word came out as a whisper, so she cleared her throat and tried again.  “Ok.  Good, I’m...glad.”

The situation seemed resolved, but they stared at each other as if they had so much more to say.  Eventually, Blake moved first - stepping forward and pulling Yang into a hug.

“We’re fine,” she whispered again, patting Yang’s back while Yang melted into the embrace.

There was nothing like a hug to make her feel better.  With her arms wrapped around Blake’s waist and her chin tucked over Blake’s shoulder, she could stand there soaking in the reassurance forever.  But something hid within their closeness now...something she’d never noticed until now.  Something that felt an awful lot like…longing.

“Food’s almost ready!” Ruby called out from the kitchen, drawing their gazes and ending the hug too soon.  “We can start in a few minutes.”

With the announcement out of the way, Ruby helped Weiss prepare the final touches of their game night.  Called back to the present, Blake gave Yang an apologetic smile before walking away and grabbing her bag from one of the dining chairs.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I got you a little something.”  Blake pulled out a small, wrapped gift and handed it to Yang with another muted smile.  “I thought you might need a distraction from...everything.  But...maybe don’t open it here.”

“‘Don’t open it here?’”

After glancing at Blake and receiving a nod, Yang examined the gift in her hands.  From the look and feel of it, it was a book.  But why couldn’t she open a book here?

Eyes widening, she looked at Blake in disbelief.

“Is this…?  Fighter pilots??”

“Maybe…”

Laughing at the noncommittal answer and the blush that came with it, Yang turned the book over in her hands several more times.  “Well, I know what I’m reading tonight,” she said, grinning like mad while setting the gift near Blake’s bag.  And, just like that, she felt remarkably better.  Lighter and...more normal.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The pause following Blake’s response was night and day better than a few minutes prior.  They were smiling, for one thing.  For another...Yang’s heart wanted to leap out of her chest knowing that Blake not only remembered their conversation but got the book knowing it would make her laugh.  That thoughtfulness was what made Blake the best friend anyone could ask for, but she could be so much more than that…

Before Yang followed that train of thought too far, a short squeal drew her attention to the kitchen.

“Don’t worry!” Ruby assured them while waving an oven mitt through a plume of smoke.  “We’ve got it under control!”

“Do we?” Weiss asked in such a bemused tone that Blake laughed.  Yang’s heart somersaulted at the sound, which she had always considered magical and uplifting like nothing else.  Except now she could say that kissing Blake was even more magical.

“They’re cute.”  Catching Yang’s gaze, Blake turned away from the scene in the kitchen and tilted her head.  “What?”

“Oh, nothing.”  Cheeks warming, Yang threw on a smile and nodded.  “You’re right.  They’re cute.”

Blake knew it wasn’t ‘nothing,’ but she didn’t press.  “Should we see if they need help?” she suggested instead, and Yang readily nodded.

“Yeah, definitely.”

With their conversation over - for now, at least - Yang followed Blake into the kitchen to join Ruby and Weiss.  From the collection of bowls scattered around the counters and dishes stacked in the sink, quite a production had taken place this afternoon.  Most of the work was finished though, if the serving platters piled with food were any indication.

“Can we help with anything?” Blake asked while Yang went to see what had been made.

“Thanks, but we’re all done!”

“Are those nachos?”

When Yang pointed at the tray of cheese-covered chips, Ruby grinned and nudged Weiss’ side.

“Yup!  Weiss made them.”

“I’ve never made them before,” Weiss admitted.  “They’re surprisingly easy yet...complicated.”

“Finding the perfect cheese-to-chip ratio is an art form.”

“Oh yes, an art form.  That’s why you had to test nearly an entire plate of them first.”

“For quality control!” Ruby claimed.  One perfectly arched brow later, she dissolved into giggles.  “And they’re just really good,” she admitted while grabbing the plate of nachos from the counter.  Weiss, meanwhile, shook her head at Yang.

“I have no idea how she eats so much.”

“You’ll get used to it after a few years.”  Yang ruffled Ruby’s hair and grabbed a chip off the plate.  “Then it’ll be weird when she doesn’t eat enough for two people.”

While popping the chip into her mouth, Yang noticed Weiss’ subtle smile at Ruby.  Thinking about more years together obviously didn’t scare her in the slightest.  She actually looked excited at the prospect.

“We made cookies, too!”  Nachos still in hand, Ruby gestured an elbow to a plate piled with chocolate chip cookies.  “And mini quiches,” she added, pointing out adorable little quiches neatly arranged on another tray.  “And got wine, so, you know, we can be fancy.”

After glancing at Blake, confirming that the eclectic collection had Ruby and Weiss’ influence written all over it, Yang picked up one of the wine bottles and read the label.

“Wow.  This is nice stuff.”

“It’s from my family’s collection,” Weiss explained while Yang passed the bottle to Blake.  “Only a thousand bottles were made.  I’ve been saving them for a special occasion, and tonight seemed perfect.”

Yang’s brow shot up at the explanation, and she quickly shared a dismayed look with Blake.  Blake then  carefully returned the bottle to the counter and said, “We shouldn’t…”

“Yeah, you should save those for a really special occasion.  Like a birthday!  Or, you know, after finding the cure for cancer.”

As soon as Ruby started giggling, Yang knew she’d been fooled.  Weiss’ smile served as further proof, and she looked quite pleased with herself when Ruby gave her a sideways hug.

“We bought it at the store,” Ruby admitted before giggling some more.  After glancing Blake’s way to confirm they both completely fell for the ruse, Yang chuckled.

“Remind me never to play poker with you,” she told Weiss, who smiled and stepped over to the counter to open the bottle.

“Would you like some?”

“Absolutely,” Yang said before looking at Blake.

“Sure,” Blake agreed with a nod.  “Thank you.”

While Weiss poured four glasses, Ruby shifted the tray of nachos in her hands and nodded at the other two plates.  “Can you grab those?  We’ll put everything on the coffee table.”

“I’ll get your glass,” Blake said while Yang picked up the plates.

“You’re the best.”

Yang’s heart fluttered when Blake squeezed her arm before moving away.  The small display of affection had her smiling in no time - a bright, cheerful smile that lingered as she followed Ruby into the living room.

“You and Blake can sit over there.”

When Ruby set the nachos down and nodded to the sofa, Yang arched her brow.

“Then where are you and Weiss going to sit?”

“Where do you think?”

Grinning, Ruby flopped into the loveseat across from the sofa.  While plenty spacious for one person, it would be an intimate affair for two, which Ruby was already aware of.  Shaking her head, Yang set the two remaining plates down and picked a spot near the center of the sofa.  Blake and Weiss joined them shortly after, two wine glasses in each of their hands.

“Here you go,” Blake said while handing one of the glasses to Yang, who accepted it and took a quick sip.  Unsurprisingly, it tasted really good.  Expensive too, but not one-of-a-kind, ‘save this for the end of the world’ expensive.

“So what’re we playing?” she asked while Blake sat beside her and Weiss willingly, and without any embarrassment, settled into the seat with Ruby.

“I thought we could have a trivia night.”  Yang immediately grinned and offered Blake a high-five, but Ruby shook her head.  “Not that kind of trivia.  Trivia about each other!”

“Oh, this one again?” Yang said while Ruby grabbed the game box and set it on the coffee table.

“It’s fun!” Ruby exclaimed before turning to Blake and Weiss.  “Basically, we pair up and take turns guessing each other’s answers to different questions.”

“I call Blake.”

That was stating the obvious, but Yang still smiled while leaning back and wrapping an arm around Blake’s shoulders.  As soon as Blake looked at her, however, she blushed and pulled away.  “Sorry…” she mumbled before taking another sip of wine and keeping her hands to herself.  The following moment had the potential to be awkward, especially when Blake shook her head but said nothing.  Thankfully, Ruby gave them a curious glance before opening the box and pulling out a stack of cards with questions printed on one side.

“It’s easy,” she explained while shuffling the cards into a neat pile.  “You draw three cards, write your answers down, then your partner guesses.  You get a point if they’re right but nothing if they’re wrong.  We can do half points if it’s close enough, too.”

“That sounds easy enough,” Weiss said.

“Yeah!”  With the whole stack of cards in her hands, Ruby sat back and offered them to Weiss.  “Wanna go first?”

“Sure.  Why not.”

After setting her wine glass on the coffee table, Weiss drew several cards from the pile.  Ruby quickly set the rest of them down and grabbed a pen and a small notepad for Weiss to write her answers on.

“These are...interesting…” Weiss mused, reading over the cards twice before taking the pen and paper from Ruby.  “I don’t think you’ll know some of these.”

“That’s the fun part though!  You can answer honestly or write what you think I’ll guess.”

While Weiss muttered something to herself and mulled over her responses, Yang patted Blake’s leg.

“Want to share one of those quiches with me?” she asked, quickly withdrawing her hand when she noticed the way Blake looked at it.

“That sounds great.”

Happy with that response, Yang grabbed one of the quiches from the platter.  Instinct told her to just bite off one half and pass the rest to Blake, but today she hesitated.  She then glanced at Ruby, who was busy watching Weiss decide on her answers, before clearing her throat.

“I’ll, uh, just break it in half,” she muttered to herself, and did exactly that before passing one half to Blake.  Popping the other half into her mouth, she watched Weiss write something down rather than look at Blake and confirm that the string of events was as awkward as it felt.  She should have just taken a bite like usual.  Blake expected her to, and seemed fine with it, so why did she make it weird instead?

“Alright.”  Weiss finally lowered the paper and nodded.  “I have my answers.”

“Awesome!  Now...let’s have Yang read the questions, and I’ll guess.”

Ruby took the cards from Weiss and passed them to Yang before bouncing in her seat.  Welcoming the distraction from whatever was going on between her and Blake, Yang chuckled at Ruby’s zeal and turned the cards around.

“Ok, here we go,” she said once she had the first one ready.  “Question one - what’s the best birthday gift Weiss has ever received?”

“Best or most memorable?” Ruby immediately asked.

“It just says ‘best.’”

“Hmm...well, obviously both apply to whatever I’m getting you this year!”  When Weiss smiled at that answer, Ruby put on a playfully serious expression.  “But let’s see...it had to be the unicorn.”

“It was a white horse with pink and blue ribbons in its hair and a plastic horn on its forehead,” Weiss explained before Yang or Blake asked.  “And you’re right.”

Once Weiss revealed what she wrote - a simple ‘horse/unicorn’ - Ruby clapped her hands.

“That’s one point for us!” she celebrated, giving Weiss a high five while Blake and Yang chuckled.

“Good job,” Yang told them before reading the second card and laughing.  “Well, this has ‘trap’ written all over it.  What’s one thing Weiss would change about herself?”

“That is a trap question,” Blake agreed before she and Yang waited for Ruby’s answer.  For her part, Ruby looked miffed - either at their reaction or at what she was supposed to say.  Eventually, she turned that shell-shocked expression upon Weiss.

“But...you’re perfect the way you are,” she said, snuggling into Weiss’ side and kissing her cheek as if the mere thought of change was upsetting.  “I don’t want anything about you to change.”

“And that was the perfect answer…” Blake whispered to Yang, who nodded while Weiss looked at a loss for words.  Her blush proved how much she loved Ruby’s answer, as if anyone could resist those silver puppy dog eyes and adorable cuddle.

“Is that your answer?” Yang asked, but Ruby looked at Weiss and sighed.

“No...because she would pick something.”  At Weiss’ shrug, which was as good as a ‘yes,’ Ruby puffed out her cheeks.  “I don’t know...maybe that she’d want more friends?  Or to be more social?”

“Close,” Weiss replied before showing Ruby her answer.  “I wish I was more approachable.”

“You are though,” Ruby protested.  “You’re just so pretty that people get intimidated!”

“Then maybe I should wish I wasn’t so pretty.”

“Ok, I wouldn’t go that far…”

When Ruby giggled and leaned into Weiss’ side, Weiss responded with an adoring smile.  If anyone needed proof that the two of them were head-over-heels in love, that look proved it.  Just seeing them together made Yang practically giddy by proxy, something she clearly felt as she shared a smile with Blake.

“I think that counts as a half point,” Blake said, reading Yang’s thoughts and voicing them out loud.

“Definitely!  More approachable and more friends kind of come hand-in-hand.”

Noting their happiness with the half point, Yang turned over the last card in her hand.  “Ready for the last one?” she asked Ruby, who dutifully nodded.  “Ok - what’s Weiss’ dream job?”

After dropping the last card on the table, Yang took a sip of wine and watched Ruby narrow her eyes at Weiss.

“A...princess.”

“A princess?” Weiss repeated, both disbelieving and amused by the suggestion.  “That’s actually what you think?”

“Well...maybe that’s not what you want to be, but that’s how I want to treat you.”

Yang’s brow shot up at the smooth answer, which was far and away better than anything she could have come up with on such short notice.  Ruby’s whole-hearted sincerity only made it that much better, as any argument for points or half points disappeared.

Instead of saying anything, Weiss smiled at Ruby for the longest time before setting her answer on the table and kissing Ruby’s cheek.  While she did that, Yang and Blake leaned forward to read what she wrote.

“‘Running a nonprofit?’” Blake said out loud before giving Weiss a curious look.

“I’ve always wanted to give away my family’s money.”  After intertwining her fingers with Ruby’s, Weiss shrugged off the unexpected response and casually swirled the wine in her glass.  “I’d like to see it do some good in the world.”

“What kind of nonprofit work would you do?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I’d love to work with children.  Ones who don’t have great families or...just need mentorship or support they can’t get at home.”

“Wow, that’s...really nice.”

Blake sounded genuinely impressed by Weiss’ ‘dream job,’ which had taken Yang equally by surprise.  Now, they were probably thinking the same thing - they already liked Weiss, but that was a great reason to like her even more.  Not only did she make Ruby ridiculously happy, but she was generous, sweet, and down-to-earth.  Even better, she was willing to step out of her comfort zone.  Making nachos, playing board games...those were the things guaranteed to make Ruby fall in love.

“So...who’s next?” Weiss finally asked, regaining her composure enough to continue the game but still keeping a hold of Ruby’s hand.  When Blake glanced at Yang, and Yang shrugged, they silently came to an agreement.

“I’ll answer.”

“And I’ll guess,” Yang concluded while Blake drew three cards from the stack on the table.  “I hope they’re really hard.”

“I hope they are, too,” Blake teased before reading her three questions and smiling.  Having no idea whether that smile was a good sign or not, Yang watched with growing anticipation as Blake tapped the pen on the paper before writing something down.

“I bet Yang gets all of these right.”

“We’re competing against them,” Weiss pointed out while Ruby grabbed a stack of cookies and took a big bite.

“I know!  But I still think she gets them all right.”

“No pressure or anything,” Yang added with a chuckle, though Blake’s small smile made her feel less than calm and reassured.  After Ruby did so well answering Weiss’ first round of questions, Yang wanted to prove that she and Blake didn’t have to be dating to know each other well.  Besides, they’d known each other for longer, and everyone expected her to answer correctly...including Blake.

“Ok.”  Finished with her responses, Blake set the pen aside and held up the questions.  “Who wants to read?”

Seeing as how Ruby was preoccupied with eating, Weiss took the cards and leaned back to read them.

“I’m so ready,” Yang told Blake while waiting for the first question.

“I hope so,” Blake replied with a wink that made Yang’s heart jump and a joyful little laugh slip through her lips.

“First question,” Weiss said moments later, unintentionally interrupting that moment.  “What’s Blake’s favorite time of day?”

“Seriously?”  When Weiss nodded, Yang laughed and smiled at Blake.  “That’s easy - the evening, after dinner and chores, when she gets to curl up in her chair with a good book.”

Smiling, Blake held up the paper to show her much less detailed answer of ‘evening.’

“That was too easy,” Ruby complained while Weiss flipped to the second card.  “There’s only like three options for that one.  Dream job has infinite choices!”

“Luck of the draw?” Yang teased, but Ruby slumped into Weiss’ side muttering, “I guess…”

“This one’s harder,” Weiss assured her before looking at Yang.  “What’s Blake’s favorite childhood memory?”

Weiss was right - that question was harder.  To answer it, Yang squinted at Blake, trying to ply Blake for hints.  Of course, Blake had one of the best poker faces of anyone Yang knew...except maybe Weiss.  There were no clues in Blake’s neutral-yet-slightly-amused expression, leaving Yang to scour her memory instead.

Blake had told her some great stories over the years.  The biggest problem was that there were a lot of them.  Which one stood out the most?

Stumbling across the answer, Yang grinned.

“The time she went fishing with her dad.”

As soon as Blake’s brow rose, Yang pumped her fist.

“How did you remember that?” Blake asked while uncovering the answer on the paper.

“Because when you told me about it, you were laughing so hard you could hardly breathe,” Yang explained before mimicking Blake’s breathless voice.  “‘He - he fell into - the bait pool, Yang!’”

“I did not sound like that.”

“Yeah huh you did.  ‘There were s-shrimp in his hair!’”

The slightly shrill tone wasn’t at all how Blake sounded, but she still laughed and leaned into Yang’s side.  “There were shrimp in his hair,” she argued, playfully shoving Yang’s arm while Yang’s heart skipped at their proximity.

“I believe you.  Doesn’t change how cute you were telling the story.”

The truthful response prompted Blake to meet Yang’s eyes, and Yang’s heart skipped yet again.  Noticing the looks Weiss and Ruby were giving them, however, she cleared her throat and tried not to blush.  Blake quickly sensed the change in atmosphere, as she also glanced across the room before shifting further away from Yang.

“These aren’t so bad,” Yang said before the situation got awkward.  “What’s the last one?”

Prodded away from whatever observations they were making, Weiss looked at the last card while Ruby read over her shoulder.

“What’s Blake’s proudest accomplishment?”

Mouth falling open, Yang looked at Blake and struggled to find an answer.  She could think of many things Blake should be proud of, but this wasn’t her answer.  And this question required Blake to boast, which wasn’t in her DNA.  Even if someone forced her to choose something, she would find a way to be humble about it.  So, what was the humblest response someone could give to a question like that?

“She hasn’t accomplished it yet,” Yang said, feeling that it was right even before Blake revealed what she wrote.  Being right was one thing, but now Yang wanted to know what Blake hoped to accomplish.  Did she have a specific goal in mind, or did she just know that she hadn’t reached high enough?

“See?  Told you she’d get all three.”

Smiling at Ruby’s response, and at her success, Yang picked up a glass from the table and had it nearly to her lips before she realized it wasn’t hers.

“Oh, sorry -” she apologized, but Blake shook her head.

“It’s ok.  I don’t mind.”

“But I don’t want to drink all of yours,” Yang reasoned before setting the glass down and pushing herself to her feet.  “I’ll get another,” she said, grabbing her empty glass.  “Anyone else want more?”

“I do!” Ruby said, but popped to her feet rather than hand over her glass.  “I’ll come with you.”

With the game put on a brief pause, Yang followed Ruby into the kitchen to refill their glasses.  She hadn’t realized she finished her first one so quickly, but she must have been distracted while having fun with the game.

Usually, she thought nothing of sharing Blake’s drink once hers was done - that way they could both get a new one at the same time - but today that felt a little...weird.  Almost as if she was concerned about what Weiss and Ruby would think about them sharing glasses, and food, and answering these personal questions about one another.

Pushing those thoughts away, she refilled her glass before handing the bottle to Ruby.  While Ruby poured more wine into her glass, Yang took a sip from hers and sighed.  Being with Blake used to be so easy, but now all these feelings and worries were involved...

“What’s going on?”

Ruby’s quiet question drew Yang’s gaze, but she played off her distraction with a smile and another sip of wine.

“What do you mean?  Just getting a drink.”

Yang raised her glass, but Ruby put her hands on her hips and shook her head.

“You realize I’m not ten, right?  I can tell when something’s up with you, and something’s up with you.”

Caught off guard by the straightforward response, Yang opened her mouth but quickly closed it and glanced into the living room.  Blake and Weiss were talking about something, but Blake somehow sensed Yang’s gaze, looked over, and smiled.

Yang’s heart stuttered in response, but she had no idea how to put those feelings into words.  Even if she could, now probably wasn’t the best time to dive into that quagmire.  But Ruby already knew something was wrong - the least Yang could do was explain what led them to this situation.

“My...uh, my mom showed up at my apartment yesterday.”  When Ruby’s eyes widened, Yang nodded.  “I got home and she’s just standing there waiting for me.”

“Wow.  That’s...unexpected.”

“Yup.  Pretty much.”

“What’d you do?”

“What do you think?  Told her to leave, and she did.”

Yang shook her head at the memory before taking another drink, but Ruby frowned.

“Sorry...that sucks.”

“It is what it is.  Maybe one day she’ll pick up the phone and call instead of dropping in whenever it’s convenient, but I won’t hold my breath.”

“You’ve already done more than enough waiting for her.”

The words were surprisingly curt, but Ruby quickly melted back into a caring, understanding smile.

“It’s not your job to be there when she wants you to be,” she continued in a gentler tone.  “That was her job, and she didn’t do it.  That’s not your fault.”

For the second time in as many days, hearing that it wasn’t her fault felt nice.  She might not fully believe it yet, but...she respected Blake and Ruby so much that she wanted them to be right.

“Thanks, Ruby,” she said, feeling a little lighter than before.

“Anytime.  And...you know you can always talk to me, right?  About Raven or Mom or...anything, really.  I know you always tried to be the strong one, but I’m pretty strong, too.”

When Ruby held up her arms and flexed, Yang teasingly squeezed Ruby’s biceps.

“When’d you get all these muscles, huh?  Bet Weiss likes them, doesn’t she?”

A wink put the prior conversation behind them, as Ruby blushed and motioned for Yang to be quiet.  Yang laughed instead and wrapped an arm around Ruby’s shoulders while they headed back to the living room.

“My turn!” Ruby announced soon afterward.  Ducking out from underneath Yang’s arm, she grabbed several cards and rejoined Weiss on the loveseat.  While Ruby read the prompts, Yang shared a quick smile with Blake and retook her seat.

“No peeking,” Ruby teased Weiss while holding the pad of paper out of her line of sight.  Playfully rolling her eyes, Weiss turned in the opposite direction and lifted her glass to her lips.  Yang did the same but hesitated when she caught Blake’s gaze.  Where the eye contact would usually prompt conversation, however, they remained silent and took matching drinks instead.

Yang knew exactly what she wanted to say and do.  The problem was that they were all things she shouldn’t say or do.  She wanted to cuddle with Blake like Ruby and Weiss were.  She wanted to hold Blake in her arms and whisper all the compliments and flattery that flowed so easily whenever Blake was around.  And, maybe it was just the wine talking, but she really, really wanted another kiss.

When Blake glanced over and caught Yang staring - at her mouth, specifically - she arched her brow and mouthed a silent, curious, ‘What?’  Yang quickly shook her head and played it off as nothing.  Fortunately, Ruby saved the day by tossing her pen on the table.

“Done!  Who wants these?”

Ruby held up the cards, and Blake wasted no time reaching for them.

“Should I be nervous?” Weiss asked.

“You can get them all wrong and I’ll still love you.”

Ruby punctuated that reassurance with a kiss that erased Weiss’ reticence in a heartbeat.  Once Ruby pulled away, beaming all the while, Weiss sat a little taller and motioned that she was ready.

“First question,” Blake began.  “Who’s Ruby’s role model?”

Just like that, Weiss relaxed even further and smiled while patting Ruby’s knee.

“Her mom.”

“Good choice,” Yang said as Ruby held up the notepad for everyone to see.

“That’s one you share,” Blake commented before glancing at the second card in her hands, missing the little grin Yang sent her way.  “Next question - what’s Ruby’s dream date?”

“I almost didn’t answer this one,” Ruby joked while Weiss looked at her thoughtfully.

“I have no idea,” Weiss admitted not long after.  “But it’s probably free or extremely cheap.”

When Ruby beamed and nodded, Weiss pursed her lips but eventually shook her head.

“I don’t know...going to a museum, maybe getting some ice cream?”

That sounded like a good guess to Yang, but Ruby shook her head and showed Weiss the answer.  Weiss stared at the page for several seconds, her cheeks reddening all the while, before finally turning lovestruck eyes on Ruby and pulling her in for a kiss.

“How does she do that…?” Yang whispered to Blake, who shook her head while they waited for the moment to pass.

“She’s related to you, after all.”

“I wish I could make a girl melt like that…”  Yang sighed, though her cheeks caught fire the moment Blake turned a clear, adoring gaze upon her.  “I mean - what’s the answer, Ruby?” she called out when Ruby and Weiss finally separated, though they could hardly take their eyes off one another.

“Any date with Weiss,” Ruby replied with a big grin.

After blinking at the pure genius of that response, Yang glanced at Blake and chuckled.

“See?  I wouldn’t have thought of that.”

“I’m sure you would have,” Blake replied, her eyes lingering on Yang for an extra second before moving to the third card.  “Last question...what did Ruby want to be when she grew up?”

Weiss didn’t know the answer off the top of her head, but she narrowed her eyes at Ruby while searching for clues.  Yang, meanwhile, couldn’t tear her gaze from Blake as she set the last card on the coffee table and picked up her glass of wine.  If they were alone, Yang would ask how Blake always had so much confidence.  And she would ask what that adoring look meant.  And, if she fueled herself with enough liquid courage, she would ask if Blake was still thinking about that kiss, too.

“She probably wanted to be...a video game character.”

While Ruby giggled at the response, Yang finally tore her gaze away from Blake.

“Close!” Ruby said before showing her answer to Weiss.  “I wanted to be a robot.”

“A robot.”

Most people would be miffed by the nontraditional answer, but Weiss just looked abundantly amused.

“She made us call her ‘Robo-Ruby’ for months,” Yang explained while subconsciously leaning into Blake’s side.  As soon as she felt that blissful warmth and realized what she was doing, however, she leaned away.  “Mom even helped her make a costume.  Aluminum foil wrapped around pieces of cardboard.”

“Which was awesome.  But then I realized that robots could look like humans, too.”

“I hope there are pictures of this,” Weiss said, her eyes sparkling at the thought.

“There are somewhere.  I’ll find them for you!”

“Please do.”

After sharing a smile with Weiss, Ruby looked around the table.

“That’s worth a half-point, right?  Because video game characters are robots in a way.”  Ruby seemed prepared to argue her case, but Blake and Yang knew better than to protest.  They nodded instead, and Ruby beamed.

“Awesome!  That’s one and a half more points for us.”  After writing the number down, Ruby nodded to Yang.  “You’re next.”

“Saved the best for last,” Yang joked before setting her glass down and pulling three cards off the pile.  Turning them so that Blake couldn’t see, she read the questions and grinned.

“These are hard,” she teased Blake.  “I hope you know me really well today.”

“I know you really well every day,” Blake joked in return, making Yang chuckle while turning her attention to the pad of paper in her hands.

The first two questions were actually pretty easy, and Blake would probably get them right.  Yang paused at the last one though.  There was an obvious right answer, but she didn’t know if she wanted to use it in this situation.  Did Blake know her well enough to know that though?  Making a guess, Yang wrote down a response and dropped the pen on the table.

“Done.”  After passing her question cards to Ruby, she smiled at Blake.  “Show me what you’ve got, Belladonna.”

Her heart did a full cartwheel when she saw Blake’s confident smirk, and her anticipation grew as they both turned to Ruby.

“Ok,” Ruby said before holding up the first card and reading it aloud.  “What’s Yang’s most embarrassing memory?”

When Blake laughed, Yang knew she knew the answer.

“She threw up in front of her crush in high school.”

“Did you really?” Weiss asked.

Playfully groaning at the memory that made her blush to this day, Yang held up the paper to prove that she’d written exactly that.  “In my defense,” she added while setting the paper down.  “I’d just eaten like three ice cream sundaes and ran a mile ‘for charity.’  Pretty sure anyone would throw up after that.”

“I didn’t,” Ruby pointed out with a proud smile.

“Ok, anyone but Ruby would throw up after that,” Yang corrected.  “But it wasn’t all bad!  She offered to walk me home, but I was too mortified to even look at her.  Ruby took care of me instead.”

“You mean I listened to you wallow about how embarrassed you were.”

Weiss and Blake had a good laugh at that, and even Yang joined in with a chuckle.

“Yeah, basically,” she agreed before waving a hand Ruby’s way.  “But let’s talk about better things!”

“Such as…”  Looking at the next card, Ruby scoffed.  “What’s your best quality - really?”

“I didn’t choose the cards, the cards chose me.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, but Yang turned to Blake to await her guess.  This time, just like the last, she didn’t need long to reach a conclusion.

“Well, she’ll say it’s that she’s a human directory of Vale’s bars, clubs, and restaurants.”  Yang grinned and nodded at the correct response, but Blake sent her an affectionate look and added, “But it’s actually that she’s incredibly thoughtful.  You always know she’s thinking about you or going out of the way to make you feel special.”

The compliment, and the loving smile that accompanied it, brought an immediate blush to Yang’s cheeks.  Ruby’s soft “awe…” only added fuel to that fire, and she once again found herself at a loss for words.  She liked to think of herself as thoughtful, and she liked to make people feel special.  Coming from Blake though...those words meant a lot.

“Thanks…” she muttered, ducking Blake’s gaze while her blush rushed down her neck and all the way up to her ears.  Thankfully, Ruby sensed that Yang needed a lifeline and decided to throw her one rather than leave her out to sea.

“Two for two!” Ruby remarked, drawing Blake’s attention away.  “The last question is...what’s Yang’s greatest fear?”

The question brought Blake’s gaze right back to Yang.  This time, however, Blake stared at her for a long time, searching her posture and expression for clues.  Blake knew Yang’s greatest fear - Yang was certain of that.  The real question was if she knew whether Yang took the serious or lighthearted route with her response.

“Getting stuck in an elevator with a clown,” Blake eventually said, and Ruby snorted with laughter.

“No way that’s her greatest fear!”

Yang fought back a smile, especially when she saw the sparkle in Blake’s eyes, and held up what she wrote down.  Blake glanced at it and smiled, but Ruby’s jaw dropped.

“You literally wrote that?  How?  And how did you know??”

When Ruby stared at Blake as if she just worked some sort of miracle, Blake shrugged and hid a smile.

“I just knew.”

“You ‘just knew?’” Ruby repeated in disbelief.  “Yang’s never mentioned anything about clowns before - like ever.”

Ruby was right, but Ruby hadn’t watched the movie Blake and Yang did a few weeks ago.  Or participated in the hilarious discussion that followed.

“Are you cheating?” Ruby asked while narrowing her eyes at them.

“How can we cheat when you’re right there?”

Ruby leaned into Weiss’ side and shrugged at the valid argument.  Weiss, on the other hand, looked between Yang and Blake as if searching for a way they could be cheating.  Finding nothing, she shook her head.

“They can practically read each other’s minds.  There’s no way we can beat them.”

Hearing the resignation in that statement, Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss’ waist, pulled her close, and nuzzled into her long, white hair.  “Isn’t that great though?” Ruby cooed.  “We still have so much to learn about each other, and one day we’ll be reading each other’s minds, too.”

In front of Yang’s eyes, Weiss melted into a hopeless, love-stricken puddle.

“You’re right,” she agreed with a smile meant only for Ruby.  She then kissed Ruby’s cheek before reaching for the box of the game.  “What’s this called again…?”

“Weiss is going to make you answer every question,” Yang teased Ruby.

“I don’t mind.  We could go through a couple every day, then we’ll know everything about each other in no time!”

“Everything?” Weiss repeated, and Ruby giggled.

“Well, you know -”  That sentence abruptly ended as Ruby unraveled herself from Weiss and hopped up.  “I have an idea.”  Ruby hurried over to the closet without further explanation.  After rustling around for several seconds, she found what she was searching for and returned to the table.  “This should level the playing field!”

Yang recognized the box as an expansion to their current game.  As soon as she saw the triple X’s on top, however, her eyes widened.

“Ruby...why do you even have this??”

“You gave it to me,” Ruby reminded her.  Yang frowned at the response, then sighed when she remembered giving it to Ruby as a gag gift years ago.  “If we play with these, it’ll be more fair!”

“How’s that fair when Blake and I have never - you know…”

Blushing at the thought of it, Yang zipped her lips and wished she hadn’t said anything.

“Really?” Weiss asked anyway.  “The two of you have never…?”

When Weiss motioned her glass between Blake and Yang, they shared a look but quickly averted their gazes.

“No...” Yang admitted while Blake shook her head.

“Oh, sorry.  It just seems like...you’re really close, and - those things happen?”

The insinuation deepened Yang’s blush and made it that much harder to look at Blake, who was equally avoiding her gaze.  Weiss couldn’t know about the kiss yesterday, but that was all Yang could think about now.  That, and imagining if the circumstances had been different - like if they’d been somewhere private or where those feelings could have played out a little longer - would that passion have gotten the best of them?

“Well, I’m willing to play,” Weiss eventually added, leaning back in her seat.

“What do you think?” Yang asked Blake, whose shrug didn’t distract from the red on her cheeks.

“I’m fine with it if you are...”

With the decision in her hands, Yang grabbed one of the cards, read the question, and laughed.

“I’m going to need another drink,” she said, passing the card to Blake before draining her glass and standing up.

“Bring the bottle,” Blake added, making Yang chuckle some more as she headed to the kitchen.

They hadn’t even started playing and her embarrassment was near an all-time high.  If she hoped to survive this, she needed the help of some external influences.  Apparently, Blake felt the same.  Along with that embarrassment, however, lurked anticipation and excitement.

Where was the strangest place she’d ever hooked up?  Admitting hers was bound to earn a reaction from Blake...but what was Blake’s answer?  They didn’t usually share such intimate details about each other’s...private lives...but now she wanted to know.

At the same time, she prayed to god Blake didn’t draw that question.  If the answer was a cemetery, she would have a new most embarrassing memory that she would never live down.

Comments

NeurovascularEntrapta

Just when I thought the tension between them couldn’t get any worse… it’s agonizing but compelling and I’m so here for it

Amara Wolfe

Well we'll have to see what Blake's answer is I suppose