Author's Note: As is standard in my little corner of the RWBY-verse, the drinking age in Vale is 18. Also on a not-at-all-unrelated note, Yang is 18 in this story. I'm sure you can guess why from the story summary.

This story was written during the interim between Volumes 4 and 5, although it takes place some unspecific time during Volume 1.

From all outward appearances it was a typical night in Team RWBY's dorm room. Ruby was lying on top of her bunk, distracted by some bright and colorful game on her scroll. Weiss was sitting at the room's small writing desk, putting the finishing touches on her history assignment. And Blake was reclining on her bed, reading a book. The only thing out of the ordinary was the conspicuous absence of Yang.

Blake peeked out from behind her book and glanced over at the closed door for what felt like the thousandth time tonight. She'd really hoped that Yang would have been back by now, and her concern was deepening with each passing minute. Maybe she wouldn't be so worried if she knew where on Remnant Yang was.

From the moment the day had begun, things hadn't been quite right. Yang was an early riser, and by her logic, if she was awake everyone else should be too. She always started her mornings by hopping out of bed and cheerfully shouting, "Wakey-wakey, Blakey-Blakey!" or something else equally inane. Blake had learned the hard way that ignoring Yang would only make things worse. It didn't matter if it was a school day or the weekend, Yang was there to make sure Blake was the second member of Team RWBY to get out of bed.

Today however, Blake had woken up on her own. She'd been confused at first, and that confusion had turned to alarm when she'd found a lethargic Yang still in bed. Yang had said that she was sick. Blake hadn't thought that Yang had looked sick, but she had definitely sounded grumpy, which for Yang was just as worrisome. However, it had been clear that Yang hadn't wanted to be disturbed, so Blake had let things go at that.

When Blake had gotten back from class that afternoon, the situation had gotten worse. Yang had vanished, and when Blake had tried to call Yang's scroll, she'd gotten no response. Strangely, Ruby hadn't been surprised by Yang's sudden disappearance. Blake had asked for an explanation, but all she'd gotten was a cryptic reassurance that everything was fine.

Blake had supposed that if Ruby wasn't worried then she shouldn't be worried either. After all, Ruby knew her sister better than anyone. Unfortunately, Blake just couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

Whatever was going on, all Blake knew was that Yang wasn't here and staring at the door wasn't going to fix the situation. She looked back down at her book and halfheartedly tried to read it yet again, but her eyes skimmed over the words without really seeing them.

Blake had only known Yang a few short months, hardly any time at all really. But there was no denying the attraction she felt toward her. Already Blake's feelings had grown into something dangerously close to what she'd call love, and that terrified her.

Blake had known for a while now that she was more than a little gay, but even so, she'd been taken by surprise at just how easily Yang had found a place in her heart. Blake had done her best to suppress her infatuation with Yang, but today had shown just how strong it had become. Unfortunately, a relationship with Yang simply wasn't something that could work, no matter how badly Blake might want it to. She was a faunus—a faunus in disguise at that—and Yang was a human. Even if by some miracle Yang was attracted to women and willing to date a faunus, Blake would still have to reveal her secret to Yang. She trusted Yang, but it was better for the both of them that Yang continue to believe Blake was human.

Under her bow, Blake's ears twitched suddenly from the sound of Ruby sitting up on her bunk. Blake glanced up and saw Ruby close her scroll and look at the door, not unlike Blake had been doing moments ago. Ruby hummed to herself. It was a quiet little noise, but Blake could hear the worry it conveyed.

Blake decided she'd had enough. Something was unquestionably wrong, and she was going to find out what. She set her book down and sat up on the side of her bed. "Ruby," she said. "It's getting late. Shouldn't Yang be back by now?"

"Well…yeah," Ruby said. "But I'm sure she's okay."

Blake wasn't convinced. She was about to say as much when Weiss looked up from her homework and interjected, "So you keep saying, Ruby. But are you sure you know what your sister is up to?"

"I've got a pretty good idea," Ruby mumbled.

Blake asked, "It's nothing dangerous, is it?"

Ruby said, "No, it's…I don't think Yang would want me to tell you."

Weiss said, "I respect your sister's right to privacy. But her safety should come first."

"Weiss is right," Blake said, which was a sentence she'd never thought she'd utter. "If you can't tell us what Yang's doing, at least tell us where she is."

Ruby looked away from Blake and Weiss. Then she said, "Yang is…she's probably at a bar getting drunk."

Blake frowned. That didn't sound like Yang at all. Blake might believe that Yang had gone to a bar to pick a fight, but Yang had never shown any interest in drinking. At least not the kind that involved being gone for hours.

Weiss asked, "Why would Yang do that?! It's a school night!"

Ruby sighed. She quietly said, "Because this is the day our mom died."

The revelation took Blake by surprise. Neither of the sisters had ever spoken about their mother. Blake hadn't even known that she was dead.

Weiss asked, "And that's why your sister is off getting drunk?"

"Yeah," Ruby said. "At least that's what she usually does."

"But…" Weiss said. "Yang wasn't old enough to drink until this year!"

"Sure she was. Just not, you know, legally," Ruby said, "Back on Patch she used to, uh, 'borrow' some booze and camp out overnight by herself out in the woods. But we're not on Patch anymore and she's eighteen now, so I figure she's gone to a bar."

Blake didn't need to hear any more. She stood and said, "I'm going to go look for her."

Weiss said, "We should all go. We'll be able to cover more ground that way."

Ruby said. "I'm sure Yang'll show up on her own sooner or later. How much trouble could she get into anyway?"

Both Blake and Weiss looked at Ruby.

"Okay, yeah. You're right," Ruby said. "Let's go find her."

An hour passed, and Blake found herself on the seedy side of downtown Vale. The streets around her were a dark reflection of the city that ordinary, respectable citizens inhabited. It was a world that Blake knew all too well. She'd never believed that she'd truly escaped this shadowy underworld when she enrolled at Beacon—she and it had too much history for it to let her go so easily—but even so, she hadn't thought she'd return to it again so soon.

Blake had volunteered to search this part of Vale, partially because she didn't want to expose Ruby or Weiss to its dangers and partially because she had a terrible feeling that this was exactly where they'd find Yang. Blake hoped her hunch was wrong. Yang was an unflappable, unwavering source of cheer. She had never let anything get her down, and she had always laughed in the face of adversity. She simply didn't belong on these bleak, depressing streets.

Yang's relentlessly positive outlook on life had annoyed Blake when they'd first met, but Blake had quickly grown accustomed to it. More than that, she'd begun to depend on it. Yang had been the emotional anchor that Blake had unknowingly, desperately needed. Blake wondered if Yang had any idea how much she'd done for her just by being her friend. Blake suspected Yang didn't. It was just as well.

Blake kept on walking. She tried to convince herself that she was making a bigger deal out of the situation than she needed to. Yang was more than capable of taking care of herself. She may be a bit reckless, but she wasn't foolish. However, despite what Yang might believe, she also wasn't invincible, and Blake knew all too well what kind of evils were lurking out there. Not every monster was as honest in its intentions as the grimm.

Another bar loomed ahead of Blake. She'd lost count of how many she'd been too already. This particular bar didn't look like much from the outside, but until Yang was found, Blake would check Vale's every last nook and cranny.

As Blake walked up to the bar's entrance, she took note of the bouncer's sour expression and the fresh bruise on his cheek. She wanted to take them as signs that Yang was here, but this was a rough part of town. Yang couldn't be the only person around who had a predisposition for getting into fights.

The bouncer glared at Blake. He asked, "What do you want?"

"I'm looking for someone," Blake said.

"Good for you," the bouncer said. "Get lost."

Undeterred, Blake pulled her scroll out of her pocket and called up a picture of Yang. She showed it to the bouncer and asked, "Have you seen this woman tonight?"

The bouncer's eyes widened. His hand flew into his jacket where it no doubt came to rest on a concealed weapon. "Why do you want to know?" he asked warily.

"I want to get her home," Blake said.

"Why didn't you say so!?" The bouncer withdrew his hand from his jacket and opened the door for Blake. "She's inside. Get her out of here quick if you know what's good for the both of you!"

Blake kept her expression neutral, but a rush of relief and worry filled her. Yang was here, right where Blake hoped she wouldn't be.

Blake nodded to the bouncer and walked through the door. The interior of the bar was the exact opposite of the exterior. It was large, grandiose, and tastelessly extravagant. A suspicious amount of money had been invested here, despite the less than desirable location. Blake had seen enough establishments like this to know that this place had to be connected to some kind of organized crime. The distinct lack of faunus ruled out the White Fang, but there were plenty of other criminal organizations operating in Vale.

Blake was not impressed with the bar's ambiance. The pulsating, multicolored lights were giving her a headache, and the pounding music was painfully loud. Underneath her bow, Blake pressed her cat ears flat against her head, for all the good it would do.

It didn't take Blake long to find Yang. She was slumped over at the bar with a nearly empty bottle clutched in her hand. Her hair was actually glowing faintly. Blake didn't fully understand the subtleties of Yang's semblance yet, but she assumed either that meant Yang had been in a fight recently or she was very, very drunk. If Blake had to guess, it was probably both.

Seeing Yang in such a pathetic state made Blake feel sick, but she pushed the feeling down. She'd found Yang; that was all that mattered. Now she needed to get her home safe.

Blake still had her scroll in her hand. She typed out a quick message to Ruby and Weiss, telling them that she'd found Yang. Then she put her scroll away and briskly walked over to the bar. She couldn't tell if Yang had actually passed out or not. Either way, she needed to get Yang out of this awful place.

"Yang!? Are you alright?" Blake asked when she reached the bar.

Yang mumbled something incoherent. It seemed that she was awake, if only just, but that did little to alleviate Blake's concern.

Behind the bar a sharply-dressed man turned to face Blake. "You know Blondie here?" he asked.

"She's my friend," Blake said. "Are you the bartender?

"My name's Junior, and I happen to own this place!" the man said indignantly.

"How could you let her get this drunk?" Blake demanded. "If you're the owner you should know better!"

"Every time I tried to stop serving her, she threatened to castrate me!" Junior said.

"Hey!" Yang said suddenly. Her head popped up and her fist slammed down on the bar. "I told you to call me Sir!"

Yang's speech was so badly slurred that Blake could barely understand what she was saying, but Junior had apparently gotten the message. He straightened up and said, "Sorry! Sir!"

"That's better," Yang said. She brought the bottle she was holding to her lips and started draining what was left of it.

Blake scowled. She turned to Junior and said, "I'm getting her out of here. What does she owe you?"

"It's on the house if she's gone in the next five minutes," Junior said. "And make sure she knows not to come back!"

Blake suspected that neither she nor Junior had the power to keep Yang out of this bar, but she didn't argue with him.

Yang slammed her now empty bottle down. "Yeah! That's how you do it!" she said. Then she slumped back over the bar.

Blake grabbed Yang's bottle by the neck and tried to pull it out of Yang's hand, but even in her barely conscious state, Yang's grip on it was rock solid.

"Yang," Blake said in a firm voice. "It's time to go."

"You're not my mom. You can't tell me what to do," Yang slurred. Then she muttered under her breath. "My mom's dead."

Yang's words hadn't been particularly biting, but Blake felt them nonetheless. This was all wrong. Yang was supposed to be proud and confident, not a drunken mess. Blake had a strong urge to hug Yang right then and there and tell her that everything would be alright, but that would have to wait for later.

"Yang, look at me," Blake said.

Yang lazily raised her head. She squinted, trying to make her eyes focus, but Blake doubted Yang could see much of anything at the moment except for an indistinct blur.

"Let go of the bottle," Blake said.

"Okay," Yang said, finally relaxing her grip. "It's all empty anyway. Junior! Gimmie some more!"

"No. No more," Blake said. "We're going back to Beacon."

"Oh yeah?" Yang said, getting unsteadily to her feet. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Yang threw a sloppy punch. Fortunately, Blake saw the blow coming a mile away and easily sidestepped it. Yang hit nothing but air. Her fist's momentum carried her around until she tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground.

Blake sighed heavily. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Yang pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Ugh," she said. "I, uh, think it's going home time."

Blake offered Yang her hand. "Come on. I'll take you back to the dorm."

"Yeah," Yang said, clasping Blake's arm. "That'd be good."

Blake pulled Yang up. She guided Yang's arm over her shoulders and hooked her own arm around Yang's waist. "This way," she said as she started guiding Yang to the exit.

"Thanks," Yang said, leaning heavily into Blake.

Blake had never been this physically close to Yang before, at least, not outside of a sparring match. Despite Blake's best intentions, she'd occasionally fantasized about doing something like this. Unfortunately, reality was not living up to her expectations. Yang positively reeked of alcohol, and the pungent odor stung Blake's sensitive nose. If only she could find an excuse to do this when Yang was sober.

Blake shook her head and silently scolded herself. This was not the time to be entertaining idle dreams.

Blake and Yang made their way out of the bar. The bouncer eyed Yang evilly as they passed by him. Blake could tell he was thinking about extracting some revenge, and she didn't have the time or the patience to deal with that right now. She shot him a death glare that would have impressed even Weiss. The bouncer wisely decided that whatever he'd been planning to do wasn't worth it.

Blake said to Yang, "The air ferry stops close to here. We'll have you home soon."

"Don't need no ferry," Yang slurred. "I gotta bike."

"We'll come back for it tomorrow," Blake said. "You're too drunk to ride a motorcycle."

"Yeah!" Yang said. "Drunk with…with, uh, something that sounds funny."

It was as sure a sign as any how inebriated Yang was if she couldn't come up with a joke.

Blake and Yang trudged on, but it was slow going. Blake wondered if Yang had intended to get as drunk as she was. If she had, Blake had no idea how Yang had planned on getting home safely. Maybe she hadn't thought that far ahead.

Blake glanced at Yang to make sure that she was still awake. She was surprised to find Yang staring right back at her with a fascinated look on her face.

"W-what is it?" Blake asked.

"You're kind of cute, you know it?" Yang said.

Blake grimaced. Part of her wished that Yang's compliment was more than the alcohol talking. "Thanks," she said sardonically.

"You're not as cute as my partner though," Yang said.

Blake stopped in her tracks. "What did you just say?" she asked.

"Yeah. My partner. Blake," Yang said. "She's so…mmm…she's so hot."

Blake's jaw just about hit the ground and her cheeks flushed. Was Yang really saying what Blake thought she was saying?

"Shouldn't we be moving or something?" Yang asked.

"Yes! We…we should!" Blake stammered. She quickly resumed walking.

Yang didn't say anything more. Blake supposed that she should leave things at that, but she had to know more. "When you say that I'm…that Blake's hot, what do you mean by that?"

"I mean she's hot!" Yang said. "She's got these eyes that are…wow. And her hair. And that…that booty! I just want to squeeze it."

If Blake thought she'd been blushing before, her cheeks were burning red now. She'd wanted some clarity, and she'd certainly gotten it. There wasn't much ambiguity in what Yang was saying. True, she was being rather crude, and she might only have been talking about physical desire, but that was already more than Blake could have hoped for. Maybe if the circumstances had been different, she and Yang could have had a chance at a real relationship. Somehow, that made Blake feel worse.

Suddenly, Yang started giggling.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"She's also got these cute little…shh! Shh! It's a secret," Yang said. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "They're under her bow."

Blake stopped again, and this time, she involuntarily let go of Yang.

"Ow!" Yang said as she hit the ground. "Did I just trip or something?"

"You know I'm a—!?" Blake exclaimed, cutting herself off before she divulged her secret to anyone who might have been listening. She glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby. Then she leaned down and whispered to Yang, "You know Blake's a faunus?"

"Duh," Yang said.

"How?" Blake asked.

"The ears," Yang said. She brought her hands up to the top of her head and held them roughly in the shape of cat ears.

"But…how could you possibly have figured that out?" Blake asked.

"Sometimes Blake's bow twitches," Yang said. "And sometimes it comes a little loose in the night and I get to see them."

Panic shot through Blake. Yang wasn't wrong. She'd often had to adjust her bow when she'd woken up in the morning, but she'd thought she'd been careful about it. "Do Ruby or Weiss know?" she asked.

"Naw," Yang said. "That's why I wake Blake up first. So she can cover up. Sometimes I sneak a peek first though. They're so cute."

Blake didn't quite know how to feel. She supposed she should be grateful to Yang for being so uncharacteristically discreet. It was sweet of Yang to keep her secret, but it was also infuriating that she'd found out. Then again, sweet and infuriating was a good way to describe Yang in general.

Blake bent down and pulled Yang back to her feet. "Let's…just keep going," she said.

"Okay," Yang said.

Blake and Yang started moving forward again. Yang wasn't saying anything more, and Blake was grateful for the pause in the conversation. Emotions were tumbling around inside of her, and she needed some time to mull them over.

Yang, however, was not one to keep silent for long. Without any prompting, she said, "It's not just that Blake's hot, you know."

Blake's eyes slid over to Yang. "Do tell," she said.

"She's smart. And she's good in a fight. And she's nice even though she doesn't always want to be. And…" Yang trailed off.

"And what?" Blake asked.

"And I think she's been hurt," Yang said. "She doesn't talk about it, but I just want to hug her sometimes and make her feel all better."

Blake felt a flutter in her chest. She wanted to tell Yang that she could hug her anytime she liked, but she stayed silent.

Yang giggle. She added, "And I want to kiss her. A lot."

Blake blushed again and turned away. Yang was making it very difficult to remember why starting a relationship with her was a bad idea. Although, now that Blake knew that Yang knew her secret, she was left to question if it actually was such a bad idea.

Blake cautiously asked Yang, "Have you ever thought about telling Blake how you feel?"

"Lotsa times," Yang said. "But she's not into girls. I don't think she's into anyone."

"Why do you think that?" Blake asked, genuinely surprised.

"Cause she never stares at my boobs!" Yang said. "Everyone stares at my boobs! I was worried I'd, I dunno, turned them off somehow."

Before Blake could think better of it, her eyes wandered down to Yang's ample cleavage, if only for a second. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Yang was too drunk to notice.

"Maybe you should be honest about your feelings," Blake said, well aware that she could stand to listen to her own advice.

"I guess," Yang said. "Blake's, like, my best friend though. I don't wanna make things awkward or anything."

"She's your best friend?" Blake asked, shocked. Surely someone as social as Yang had better friends than her.

"Yeah. She is," Yang said.

Blake looked at Yang for a long moment. Then she said, "You wouldn't be making things awkward by being honest with Blake."

"You think so?" Yang asked.

"I know so," Blake said.

"Thanks," Yang said. "You're pretty smart, you know it? Not as smart as Blake though."

"You might be surprised," Blake said. "I know a few things that Blake never would have figured out."

The next morning, Yang was very rudely awakened when someone pulled open the shades in Team RWBY's dorm room. She moaned in pain as her hangover hit her like a truck. She grabbed her pillow and threw it over her head in a vain effort to keep the burning sunlight at bay. She wasn't sure what had happened last night, but the throbbing in her head made it very clear that an excessive quantity of alcohol had been involved.

"Good morning, Yang," Blake said. "It's time to 'wakey-wakey'."

Blake wasn't speaking all that loudly, but Yang still winced at the sound. "Mercy," she whispered.

"If I show you mercy, you won't learn your lesson," Blake said.

"I've learned it. I've learned it," Yang said.

"But what about next year?" Blake asked.

"Next year?" Yang asked.

"Ruby explained everything to us," Blake said.

Yang didn't say anything. She wasn't surprised that Ruby had spilled the beans, but all the same, Yang wished she hadn't. The anniversary of the worst day of her life had passed, and she'd planned on spending the rest of the year not thinking about it.

"Yang," Blake said softly. "You don't have to talk to me about it, but please don't ignore me. I was so worried about you."

Yang stayed silent.

"I have some water here for you," Blake said. "It'll help with your hangover."

Yang slowly lowered her pillow. She saw Blake standing over her. There was so much care and concern on Blake's face that it made Yang feel guilty. She knew she should've told Blake about what was really going on yesterday. Maybe she would have too, but she hadn't wanted Blake to think less of her.

Yang sat up in bed. She took the glass of water Blake was holding out for her and started sipping at it. "Thanks, Blake," Yang said. "But I'm fine."

"We're all here for you, you know," Blake said.

"I know," Yang said. "But I'm fine. Really."

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, I am," Yang said. She sighed. Blake deserved an explanation, but that didn't make it any easier to give her one.

Yang set her glass of water down on the floor. "When…when Mom died, Dad didn't handle it very well, and Ruby was too young to really understand what was happening. I was so busy trying to take care of everyone that I didn't really have time to mourn. Once a year I let myself really feel what happened. I need it, you know?"

"I think I understand," Blake said. "But at least let me go with you next year."

"You want to go with?" Yang asked. "It's not going to be any fun."

"I just want to know you're safe," Blake said.

Yang looked at Blake. Then she said, "Alright, Partner. You got a deal."

Blake smiled at Yang. It made Yang's spirits lift. She didn't get to see Blake's smile very often. It was a rare gift that Yang like to pretend was just for her.

Yang glanced around the room. "Hey, where are Ruby and Weiss?" she asked.

"They've gone to breakfast already," Blake said. "I told them I needed some time alone with you."

"You did? What for?" Yang asked.

Blake's smile turned into a smirk. Yang didn't quite know what that meant, but it made her nervous.

Suddenly, Yang realized that something was amiss. Her bed was on the top bunk, yet Blake was standing over her. There was only one explanation, and it made Yang even more nervous.

"Uh, Blake? Why am I in your bed?" Yang asked.

"How much do you remember about last night?" Blake asked.

Yang tried to keep her cool, but all that came out of her mouth was a slightly panicked, "Uh…." She'd been nursing a huge crush on Blake for a while now. She knew that Blake didn't feel the same way, so she'd kept her mouth shut. Had she tried something last night? She hoped not. She'd be extremely upset if she'd put the moves on Blake and couldn't remember it. Especially if she'd somehow been successful.

"You can relax," Blake said. "You'd practically passed out by the time we got back here last night. It would've been too much effort to get you into your bed. So I gave you mine, and I took yours."

"Oh. Okay. Great," Yang said, surprised that she was actually a bit disappointed.

"You didn't answer my question," Blake said. "What do you remember about last night?"

"Uh, well…" Yang said. She tried to sift through her hazy memories. She recalled going to Junior's bar, threatening him, and beating up some of his goons for good measure. She remembered drinking way too much, and after that everything was a blur. There was something else, though.

"I think I met some stranger last night. I might have, uh, come on to her a little," Yang said. "Was she the one who got me home?"

"Yes, but she wasn't a stranger," Blake said.

"She wasn't? But…" Yang said.

"Tell me again about my eyes," Blake said.

Yang's mouth opened in shock. She didn't understand what Blake was saying, or rather, she didn't want to understand. She tried to clear up her memories and put a face, preferably not Blake's, to that stranger who had helped her home, but all she could remember was a beautiful and familiar pair of amber-colored eyes.

"Oh no," Yang said. She slumped back down into bed with a groan and threw the covers over her head. There was no way to explain away even half the things she remembered saying last night. Maybe if she pretended Blake wasn't there long enough, everything would fix itself somehow.

"Yang?" Blake asked, sounding far too amused.

"Just go away," Yang moaned.

"Yang…" Blake said. "You didn't need to hide your feelings from me. And I shouldn't have hid mine from you."

Yang peeked out from under the covers. "What?" she asked, confused.

"It's silly, isn't it," Blake said. "We both wanted the same thing, and we were both too afraid to say it."

It took Yang a moment to figure out what Blake was trying to tell her. Her head was still hurting from her hangover, but suddenly, everything became crystal clear.

"Oh. Oh!" Yang said. "Uh…really?"

"Yes, really," Blake said.

"So, uh, do you want to go out on a date sometime?" Yang asked.

"I would love to," Blake said with a big smile.

Author's Note: Yang has a habit of getting drunk and waking up in other people's beds in my stories. I'm not sure what that says about me. I guess that'll be another one to talk to my therapist about.

It's been a while since I've posted anything. This story was a nice warm-up to get me back into the swing of things.

As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.