A/N: For reasons that I cannot explain, this was my most successful piece on Tumblr. Well, I can explain it since it is the most popular ship there as well as some rather notable members of the community reblogged it. Honestly, I don't feel this is my strongest work (that one I'll upload last) but it isn't awful. Just a bit short and... I don't know, not my usual basket of humour.
Blake sat on the bench and shivered. The colder months really got to her, as she raised her hands to massage her exposed ears. Wearing the ribbon offered practically no protection from the evening winds and the fabric getting between the ears and her fingers was uncomfortable and inefficient. So here she was, sitting alone on a bench late at night, gently rubbing her furry marks of heritage.
"You might not want to scowl so much in this weather," a voice chimed in behind the Faunus. "You keep it up and it will freeze like that."
Spinning around, Blake's eyes met that of her partner's. Bright and filled with energy, those lilac eyes always seemed to smile when around Blake. Well, they usually were anyways, but there was an extra layer of eagerness to it.
"And what made you think I was scowling?" Blake asked, scowling.
"You get to be a bit of a grumpy cat when your ears are cold, partner," the blonde chuckled, hopping the back of the bench to be sitting next to her friend and teammate.
The two sat next to each other, the only sound being that of the howling wind. Or it was until Yang broke the silence.
"So why are you sitting out here, anyways? The room is nice and warm."
Blake looked up at the gleaming disc in the sky, fragments of it floating around it. Honestly, she wasn't sure why. Some part of her just needed to leave the small room with all the warm smiles and kind friends. The cold and dark freedom of the open air made her feel infinitely more comfortable. Not that it was without its downsides.
Yang watched as Blake went back to massaging her ears. Her feline companion hadn't answered the question but if that vacant gaze towards the moon was any indication, Yang felt it was safe to assume her partner just couldn't explain it. And while the blonde was used to feeling that herself, it seemed odd that her bookish friend would fall to the same problem.
"Are they that sensitive to the cold?"
Blake sighed, slowing down her rubbing. "Yes, Yang. But still…"
"Then come back to the room!" She beamed, laughing. "When I say the room is warm, I mean our favourite princess is practically melting. Good thing she never read fairy tales or she would've figured out what Rubble and I were quoting at her."
"I sure hope you didn't tell her she represented the lollipop guild."
Yang tried to respond but her laughter made forming words more than a little difficult. "I need to remember that one for next time…" she chuckled, wiping a tear from her smiling eyes. "Better yet, you should tell her yourself!"
"Yang." The blonde stopped and looked into her partner's amber eyes. They were serious and almost a little angry. "I'm not going back. Not for a little while anyways. I just… I just need my space, at least for tonight."
The blonde watched as the Faunus girl rose to her feet and began to walk away. "Look, if that is really what you want—"
"It is!" Blake felt immediate guilt for the aggressive outburst. "For now. I just can't be there with everyone."
"Then how about just me?"
Yang moved quickly and surprisingly quietly. Before Blake could protest, the brawler had moved up behind her and draped her muscular arms around her partner's shoulders. It was sudden and immediate. But most of all, it was warm.
"Sounds like you like it, kitty-cat?"
Blake flinched. She hadn't heard it but she knew. She knew what dustforsaken noise she made. "I… I'm sorry…"
"Don't be!" Yang smiled, raising her hands to Blake's furry ears. "Maybe you just need a bit of warmth without all the extra bodies."
Blake had no idea how long they stood there with Yang massaging the ears and speaking softly in the background. However long it was, it felt like an eternity but she wanted it to last an eternity more. When the massage finally stopped, Blake turned to look up into her partner's lilac eyes.
"Th-Thank you," she mumbled.
"Not a problem!" grinned Yang, moving to grab Blake's hands. "That's what partners are fo—Dust-fucking-dammit your hands are freezing!"
Blake couldn't help but laugh at the crass remark. "Well of course they are, it's winter. Not all of us are walking furnaces."
"Jeez, you're starting to sound like the princess."
"That makes you the scarecrow, doesn't it?"
"Are you callin' me dumb?!" Yang grabbed Blake by the waist and hoisted her up. "That seals it! I'm spending the night out here and I'm gonna prove that I've got a brain! Just because I'm incredibly attractive and funny doesn't make me dumb as a rock!"
Blake was too busy giggling and fidgeting and trying to break the taller girl's hold on her to really be paying attention to her rant. "Fine. But tonight it is just us, okay?"
"Okay Blake," smiled Yang, as she laid down on the bench and pulled her partner in close. Even on the cold winter night, she was still so warm. Blake could see herself getting used to this…