First Stepps
Why was this harder than it was supposed to be?
Yang was trying to knock on door to a dorm room she was familiar with but for some reason, something was getting in the way. It wasn't anything tangible. It was something inside of her but that couldn't be true. Yang never got nervous! Was she nervous? I didn't feel like it. So what was keeping her from just knocking on the door?
She took a deep breath and calmed herself. Nothing would come out if she just stayed there. She looked at the door and lifted her hand to throw a couple knocks on it. Yet a heavy slam stopped her from doing so. A low utterance of discomfort could be heard from the other end of the door and a couple of voices threw angry sounding comments at the door's way.
Yang could almost imagine exactly what they were saying and who they were saying it too. While she normally didn't approve of teammates browbeating one of their own, she felt as though there was probably a good reason for this, as there almost always was with him.
"Geez, I get it! I get it." Said the voice she was coming to see, "I bet you guys feel so good about this and stuff." The door opened to reveal the voices owner.
"You bet were gonna feel happy when you actual do it!" Said Rono, another male in the dorm.
"Oh, Yang's here." Yolda said as she managed to peak over, through the door, "Hello, Yang. What brings you around here?"
"If it's for this idiot, I will tell you right now that he is being punished!" Clair said. She had a lot more fire in her voice than should have been necessary for saying it but it looked as though she was saying it for the whole team.
"What did Stults do this time?" Yang asked, slipping back into her normal personality. When people were around, things were easier.
"He got us a piss poor excuse for a mission is what he did!" Clair said with angry gusto.
"Seriously! What kind of mission is 'caravan escort' supposed to be?" Rono said with a sort of disbelief.
"Fine! Fine! I heard you the first time!" Stutls said, the team leader. He made an annoyed look as he rubbed the back of his head tenderly. Yang was here for him but she would never say that out loud. To anyone. Even herself.
"Come back when you got a good mission worthy of our steel! Seriously! We're third years, we don't do escort missions!" Clair said.
"You might as well help me pick one since you came." Stults said with sigh. His eyes, darted to the right of him and he ducked. Narrowly dodging a textbook being thrown at his head. His response was to turn and stick his tongue out at his teammate before closing the door on them before anyone else could throw something at him.
They began to walk towards the mission board that was posted in the main hall of the school. Yang couldn't help but feel a little bit helpless. The people who she was drawing courage from or grounding herself with had just disappeared and she was alone with Stults. She defiantly didn't know how to approach this subject now.
She gave a small, inaudible sigh as she remembered what had gotten her hooked on this idiot in the first place.
They're first encounter was one of complete accident.
Yang had just been asked out by one of her fellow classmates. He was cute but she knew that he wasn't asking for an actual want to get closer. This was just one of those school flings that she was labelled as loving. No, she had to turn him down. At least he wasn't destroyed by it, and took it with some dignity.
Although Yang was flirty, love to make sexual innuendos, couldn't not make a pun to save her life and was just an all-around bubbly personality; she wasn't looking for the 'quick fix' sort of relationships. She wouldn't put in exactly the same manner, nor admit it; just like most girls, she was just looking for a good guy for her to have a nice relationship with. Nothing to serious, but just enough to make you feel good.
After turning down the guy's request, they decided to stay friends and go get some smoothies. Before they could move out of the small, secluded area they were in, a crash forced them to look up. A young man had just been blow out of the third story window and was falling out backwards. His hand swimming in the air to help find something to grab onto. He didn't find any and hit the ground hard.
"Are you alright?!" Yang asked, bending down to help him. The young man smiled a bit but his demeanor changed almost a second later and pushed Yang away from him. Yang wondered why had done that when a strange looking rope wrapped around his neck and pulled him back up into the third story window.
That was, technically, their first meeting. Actually pretty tame when you consider the general population of Beacon was bordering crazy. Yang had wondered what they hell that was all about but the event eventually drifted into the back of her mind.
Eventually they had a more proper meeting that gave them a better connection. This was one day when Yang was out in the town and was at a music shop trying to spend her money wisely on a new vinyl album. It was a choice between 'Bastille', 'The new Pornographers' or 'Passion Pit'. While Yang loved all three bands, vinyls were expensive and she could really only buy one or two every couple of months.
"Get Bastille." A voice said from somewhere to her side. She turned to see the young man that seemed familiar but her she couldn't remember where she had seen him from. She forwent the process to attempt to remember him and asked, "Why Bastille? I like those boys fine but The New Pornographers have been making some nice hits lately."
"Yeah, but Bastille is having a concert in the city in about a week." He said as he pulled out his scroll with the web page open at their website, confirming what he was saying, "In about three or four days from now, the prices for the record is going to go up by a couple lien. After the concert, the guy owning this place will jack up their prices by about 15 to 20 lien. You would want to get them now before he decides to be an ass about the prices."
"That was a pretty informative description. You must come here often." Yang said with a sly smile.
"Have too." The guy said as the flipped through more vinyls, "This is the only place in Vale that sells vinyl for all bands that sell vinyls at decent price. There's another place in Vale's lower district that has older albums from classic bands but one vinyl costs about 75 lien."
"That's a robbery!" Yang agreed. The guy laughed hard as he took two vinyls from the large box they were through. Yang saw that he picked up 'fun.' and 'Capital City' vinyls as he was headed towards the counter in the front.
"Hey, don't leave just yet~ I was having a good time~" Yang complained falsely. She was putting on her usual, flirty bravado as she halfheartedly chased the guy. He turned, giving a smile as he called, "Sorry, can't stay around for too long. Enjoy the album." He paid for his albums and left, leaving Yang to have to decide whether to buy the Bastille album or wait for the concert ticket.
Their second meeting, technically their third, was longer and formed more of a connection. Yang had just gotten out of an extra remedial class and she was tired. She stumbled out into the hallway and started to walk towards the cafeteria. She needed some coffee or something to get the engines running and normal again. Luckily there wasn't many people in the cafeteria so she had a nice free time with her, coffee and small TV that was in the cafeteria that usually played the news.
"You seem to be having a long day." A familiar voice said from behind her. She turned a bit too see the guy from the vinyl store.
"Hey there! Haven't seen you in a while." Yang said, her normal flirty way of speaking taking over.
"Yeah, I was being punished by my team again." He replied with a smile, "They don't like it when I get them expensive gifts or when I forget when my tests are."
"You teams punishes you for getting them gifts?" Yang asked a bit perplexed. That seem like backwards logic.
"Yes and no. They're punishing me because I forgot I had a test that day. Sure I got them gifts but not really enough to let them forget that their team leader was off forgetting a test."
"You're their team leader, and their giving you punishment?" Yang asked, now thoroughly perplexed. What kind of team leader gets punished by his team?
"Yeah, they tend to do that. Anyway, what did end up buying that time? Hope you took my advice." He asked.
"I got the Bastille vinyl. Good advice but now I don't have enough money to go the concert. Which sucks 'cause they said they would play one of their new songs at the concert." Yang said, somehow managing to drop the flirty and bubbly facade. The guy nodded and got up with a determined look and said, "Follow me for a bit. Maybe I can get you into it."
"Into what?" Yang asked a bit curious.
"The concert, obviously." The guy said. Yang was surprised and it must have showed as the guy chuckled as he said, "Hey, something good can come out of any bad. Let's just see if I can get it out."
She followed him down a couple hallways and stairways before eventually reaching a room. Yang was getting a little suspicious now. No one just invited a pretty girl to their room without expecting something, and Yang didn't consider herself pretty. She was sexy, or at least extremely hot. This wasn't boding well for her. He turned to her and gave a hopeful smile and this definitely made Yang mentally prepare for a small scuffle.
However, she soon saw that the smile wasn't meant for her so much as it was for his own well-being. He opened the door and said, "Hey guys, I need favor," and she saw what he was hopeful for. Or maybe against.
"NO!" Three sets of voices yelled in a response and three very large textbooks flew and hit the guy in various places.
Yang's previous suspicion of bad intentions gone, she couldn't help laughing a little bit as she helped the guy up as she asked "You ok?"
"I can't say 'yes' because they still have textbooks in grabbing range." He whispered and almost as if to clarify this point, another textbook hit him in the head.
"AUGH! DAMMIT!" He cried out as he grabbed his eyes, "Clair! That got me in the eye!"
"Maybe that teach you to forget about your tests." She said with a fierce grin, then she seemed to see Yang and asked "So who this?"
"She's the favor." He said then stopped, "Maybe that's not the best way to put it."
"I'll say." Yang and Clair said at the same time with almost the same amount of sass.
"Just explain and maybe something good will happen." The other guy in the room said. He was sitting on his chair with his legged crossed.
"Ok, so remember my gift that I gave you guys-"
"That you can't join because your being punished" the other girl in the group interjected.
"Yeah, that one. Well I was hoping you could give it to…" He turned Yang and motioned to her to speak.
"Yang Xiao Long." She said with a big smile and pose.
"Yeah. She wanted to go the concert but doesn't have the money. I am pretty sure you guys didn't actually get rid of my ticket so… Why not give it to her?" He said with a pleading smile.
The other members of his team looked at him with scrutiny. Yang was worried that they would just throw their textbooks at him again.
"What year are you in?" asked the girl named Clair.
"First year." Yang replied.
"Really? You don't look like it." Said the other guy in the chair, "Much too-" another textbook flew through the air and hit him in the back of the head.
"Manners, Rono." Said the other girl.
"Hey, I don't mind. It's good to know somebody's taking notice of my good traits." Yang said as her bubbly, flirtatious side flaring up.
"Ok, I'm all for it!" Rono said, laughing a bit at the girl's reaction (the one that wasn't Clair).
"Fine. As long you know your punishment." The same girl said looking at the guy next to Yang. He was still nursing his eye.
"Alright Yang, hope you enjoy hanging with some third years!" Clair said, grinning from ear to ear.
Since that incident, Yang had taken a lot of time to go hang around her new third year friends. As Yang spent time with them, she learned their names, their quirks and such. The teams was called Team SYCR (Synchro) and the members were Stults, the leader, Rono, who was the brains of the team, Clair, who was the fire and muscle, and finally Yolda who was sort of the Jack of all Trades. The team was a very loose one. Evidence by the fact they routinely punish their leader and get punished in return.
Yang always had fun with them but she was always hanging out with them just to spend time with Stults. She enjoyed just spending time with him talking about music and hobbies. He was an enigma to Yang.
He wasn't very strong, nor did he look like the underwear models nor was he very smart. In fact was rather deceiving when it came to his looks. Although he didn't look strong, he could lift a good sixth of a tone pretty if he put everything he had into it. He looked pretty scrappy but was extremely fast and precise. In fact he had one of the highest scores in the target practice rings.
What was troubling Yang was that he wasn't big. Not big as in size but it presence and grandeur. Yang's taste in men have always been with those of big stature. Those guys with the big muscles and grand performance. Sure she wanted a nice relationship and fun time but she was normally attracted to those big figures. Stutls wasn't a hero, in fact he was far from it. He was a baker. His father was pastry baker and his mother was a chef and very high-quality restaurant and he picked up things from both. He could cook a mean skillet or bake a creamy cake. It perplexed Yang why she was attracted to this idiot.
But she couldn't stop herself. He was just so much fun to hang out with and Yang couldn't help but enjoy the time spent together. Yang had decided to finally ask him out and she was going to do it through a concert but she was having trouble just inviting him. How was she nervous? She was Yang Xiao Long! She didn't get nervous! She made other's nervous!
"Damn, how can you keep doing it Jaune?" she asked the air.
"You say something Yang?" Stutls asked.
"Nope. Nothing." Yang said quickly. She mentally berated herself. Maybe it was because he was an upperclassmen that was fraying her nerves.
"So what made you come around? I am pretty sure you have classes all day right?"
"Not today. That was yesterday. Today, I'm basically done with classes. I just figured I would hang out with you guys for a bit." Yang replied with her customary smile.
"Well, you kinda picked the wrong day to hang out with us eh?"
"You can say that again."
"Well, you kinda picked the wrong day to hang out with us eh?" Stults repeated and grinned at her. She laughed and gave him a lit slap in the arm.
The finally managed to get to the mission board and Stutls entered in his idea and canceled the mission he had previously been assigned for. He then began to scroll through the other missions available. Yang read them along-side him just seeing the possibilities that third years got to take. There weren't just recon mission but also escort, extermination, bodyguard, bounty and even small town guard duty.
"I'm thinking of taking this one." Stults pointed. It was a small town guard duty mission and it briefing said that they would be heading to a remote location high in the mountains. She turned to see and evil looking grin on his face as he continued, "Both Rono and Clair hate cold weather. I could get back at them with this."
"While I do love the idea, I think they would decide to warm up by beating you up!" Yang said laughing at his half-way thought out plan. He grimaced again and began to scroll through more.
"How about that one?" Yang said as she pointed to one. It was an extermination mission of a dust mine. The reason Yang choose this one was because it was fairly simple, it said that there would be no teacher supervision, and more importantly; it fit into the time before the concert.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure the team won't beat me up over that." He said as he signed up for it, "I should just ask you to pick my team mission from now on."
"Is that really such a good idea?"
"If it means hanging out some more and less textbooks thrown at me then yeah, sign me up." Stults said with a grin. Yang felt the ticket in her pockets grow so much heavier than they normally were. When he finished the sign up procedure and looked at the email in the scroll, he whistled a little tune and pointed to the way the to cafeteria asking, "Wanna get a bit?"
"Eh. I'm good. I got to hang with the team soon anyway." Yang said as she looked at time on the board.
"Suit yourself. You didn't get to hang out with us much so are you ok?" Stults asked.
Yang was about to say yes and leave but she had to at least asked. She needed to get this out now before it burned a hole into her pockets. Yang she took a deep breath and let it out before asking, "You wanna go to a 'Mumford and Sons' concert when you get back? Just you and me?"
Stutls looked a bit surprised but said, "Sure. I mean, Imma have to get a ticket but-"
"Don't worry about that I got them pretty cheap." She said with a smile, pulling them out of her pocket, "I got good seats too!"
"Sweet! Looks like I got something to look forward too." He cheered. Yang this time couldn't help a blush from popping up on a face. He was starting to turn away before he stopped and turned around to looked at her, a serious look on his face as he said, "Don't tell my team about this. Ok?"
"Why? I mean, should they care? Isn't Clair going out with that senior? Flarems? Faris?"
"Yeah she is, but that's not what I am afraid of. I'm afraid of them decided to take my punishments out on you too."
Yang was about to protest but then she thought about all of the punishments Team SYCR had told her about that was instigated on their leader. Clair had pictures about forcing Stutls in a cage every time he was done was with classes, making him do all their homework, forcing him to be the punching bag when training was needed and she began to think that his fear was somewhat justify.
"See what I mean." Stults said, as he saw the understanding dawn on her, "I don't want you to get punished too. That's just unfair."
"Alright fine." Yang agreed, "You better keep your end of the bargain then buckoo."
"No need to tell me. I've seen you in the arena." Stutls said as he headed for the cafeteria.
He waved and Yang returned the wave as she headed towards her dorm. It was getting near her teams meeting time anyway. She got to her dorm too see Blake on her bed reading her usual book and Ruby tinkering with her weapon. Yang proceeded to her bed and jumped into it with a gusto and pulled out her scroll as she plugged in her Bluetooth headphones.
"You seem a happier." Blake said, not really asking why. Just stating something she had perceived.
"Yup! I guess I am!" Yang replied before she put the headphones on and started listening to her music, waiting for Weiss to arrive for the meeting. She was happy. This would be her first relationship in long time. And she hoped that it would be fun and a good one.
So yeah... I don't know why I wrote this. Its a one-shot and I really don't do them a lot, (although I blame r/WritingPrompts, really fun try it out). I kind of like the idea of Yang having a slow relationship. If you read some of the YangX(Insert Name of Either Character or OC Here) fanfics, they tend to be either being more bubbly than Yang and basically being more her then she can or its just the case of Opposites syndrome. I guess I just kinda want more normal or different idea for the Yang relationship.
I didn't want the guy Yang fell for to be a huge guy. Not the bigger hero, not the silent ancient evil. Just being a guy who shares the same interests, taste and can just laugh at the same thing is usually enough for relationship to bloom so that's what I did. I made Stutls to be an idiot just to be more kind to his character (yes it makes sense). Making him in anyway better then Yang would be somewhat of an uneven relationship. Better to have him something of an anomaly of strange bits that make up a whole character. He's the team leader but he doesn't lead his team, his responsible but not very organized. Just enough of a bizarre enough character to make him more real but not enough to make it look strange. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the small bit and please do point to other good Yang stories. Don't forget to post you comments and criticisms