Standard Disclaimer: All rights belong to those whose rights they belong to, primarily the glorious minds at Rooster Teeth, though quite namely not me. Don't own a thing.


Beacon Academy
Sunday Morning

"They back yet?" Yang asked lazily from where she cuddled on her bunk with her girlfriend. The pinkette was in an unusually somber mood over the weekend, much to her surprise, and she'd been working up the courage to ask about it. Right now, however, she was anticipating the upcoming opportunity for unrelenting teasing.

"Not yet," Ruby sighed from her perch at their window.

"Ruby, you've been staring out the window for half an hour now," Blake commented wryly. She closed her book and placed it next to her on the bed. "Why are you so anxious?"

"Because I wanna hear all about their weekend!" Ruby said, bouncing up and down on the desk.

"I'm sure they had fun," Nora sighed dejectedly.

The blonde bruiser looked down at the pinkette, brow furrowed in concern. She had just opened her mouth to finally ask what the matter was when the door to their room opened, and in walked the fourth member of their team.

"Hi, everyone- uff!"

Weiss' cheery greeting was cut off as Ruby tackled her in a flurry of rose petals.

"Weiss! I was looking for you, did you come in a different way? How was your weekend? Did it go well? Did you and Pyrrha kiss? Was it romantic?" Ruby paused as she sucked in a breath, allowing her laughing partner to finally get a word in edgewise.

"Down, Ruby!" the platinum-haired girl giggled, making everyone in the room look at her in surprise at the unusual sound. "Let's see… Yes, awesome, yes, yes, and most definitely." She grinned widely, pale blue eyes twinkling as she returned Ruby's hug.

"Yay!" Ruby cheered excitedly as she pulled back. "I'm so happy for you, Weiss!"

"Well, I have you all to thank, really. So much went wrong, but you were right in the end, what was important was spending the time there with Pyrrha." Her smile grew soft and reminiscent. "And it was a truly magical time."

"Was it, now?" Yang snarked. "And how were the accommodations?"

"They were… very nice." Weiss blushed slightly, before giving the blonde her customary scowl. "And nothing dirty happened, so stop implying as much."

"Did I say anything of the sort?" Yang protested.

"You didn't have to. I can see it in your eyes, you're just dying to give me a hard time about this."

"Not nearly as hard a time as I'm sure you gave her…"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Please, that was tame for you."

"Oh, you want me to up my game, then, Princess?" Yang grinned, sitting up and dangling her feet off the edge of her bunk. "You look like you got your ice melted a little. Did she get your core nice and warm?"

Weiss shook her head. "Is that all you can ever think about, sex?"

"Apparently, yeah," Nora grumbled as she bounced out of the bed and exited the room with an irritated huff.

Yang blinked her violet eyes uncertainly before looking around at the others. "Where'd that come from?" she asked.

"Um, I dunno Yang, she's seemed a little, you know, 'off' this weekend…" Ruby began hesitantly.

"Less than her usual bubbly self," Blake agreed.

Weiss crossed her arms and gave the blonde brawler a glare. "Well? Are you going to go after her?"

Shaking her blonde mane out, Yang slipped down onto the floor and opened the door, peering out into the hallway. She didn't see any sign of Nora, but could hear her well enough, even if she couldn't make out the words. Her shrill voice emanated from Team JNPR's room, at least she was assuming it was her girlfriend's voice as she'd never heard her so irate before.

"Um," she gulped, looking over her shoulder back into the room. "Sounds like she's talking to Pyrrha? Maybe about the weekend, yeah?"

Ruby poked her head around her sister. "That doesn't sound like she's having a fun conversation with Pyrrha," the diminutive redhead said slowly.

"Unless perhaps it's Nora's weekend they're discussing?" Blake chimed in from over Yang's shoulder.

"Oh, I imagine so," Weiss stated, peering around Yang's side opposite of Ruby. "What did you do, dolt?"

"I didn't do anything!" Yang protested, vainly trying to push her teammates back into the room. "Honest!"

The shrill voice cut off, and the team was shocked into stillness at the sound that replaced it.

Sobbing.

"What…?" Yang breathed, stunned by the sound. "I've never heard her cry before…"

"Well, congratulations, you managed to make her do so," Weiss scowled. "Are you sure you didn't do anything?"

The door to Team JNPR's room opened briefly to admit Pyrrha as she tall redhead somberly slipped out into the hallway.

"But… but I didn't do anything!" Yang protested weakly.

"I believe that may be part of the problem," Pyrrha sighed. Her face lit up as she saw the platinum-haired girl slide out from around Yang. "Hello, Weiss," she murmured warmly.

"Hello yourself, Pyrrha," Weiss grinned, sauntering up to look up into her girlfriend's emerald eyes.

They stood like that for a few heartbeats before Ruby gave a little squeal.

"Oh my Oum, you guys are sooo cute!"

The pair let out an embarrassed laugh, blushing lightly. Pyrrha made as if to step back, but Weiss grabbed her by the lapels of her tunic and pulled her down into a brief but loving kiss. The amazonian girl had a surprised smile on her face when she was released.

"Okay, yeah, I have to agree," Blake snickered. "Pretty adorable."

"Um, I hate to break up the mood," Yang interjected. "But what the heck is wrong with Nora?"

Pyrrha sighed, the pleased look on her face fading, though she slipped her hand into Weiss'. "Let's go into your room, please."

The five of them sat on their respective bunks, Ruby on Blake's as that was where she spent almost all of her time now anyway. "Yang," Pyrrha began softly, "I've never seen Nora this upset before."

"And I don't know what I did to make her this way!" Yang exclaimed heatedly. "I thought things were great!"

"I think, perhaps… she's feeling as if you're taking her a bit for granted."

Yang's jaw dropped. "She… what?" she finally squeaked out.

Pyrrha gave her friend a sad smile. "I'm going to be blunt, Yang. She feels like all you want her for is sex. You two haven't done anything fun in ages, and you just went an entire weekend without going on a date of any sort."

"But… But…" Yang stammered. "What about last week, we went out to dinner!"

"Which she initiated. In fact, according to her, she's initiated the last several outings."

"Oh," Yang sighed, suddenly deflated. "I… Yeah. Okay, I can see…"

Ruby shot to her feet, pointing a trembling finger at her sibling. "Yang, you are not allowed to let Nora get away!" she declared. "I am enacting little sister privilege here!"

"Ruby, there's no such thing-"

"Ah-pupupup!" the team leader stated, doing a remarkably accurate imitation of Weiss. "Details aren't important! What's important is, Nora is the best thing that has ever happened to you! True or false?"

"True," Yang sighed dejectedly. "But it-"

"Ah-pupupup!" Ruby repeated with a grin. "You, Yang Xiao Long, have got to pull out all the stops and woo your girlfriend back!"

Weiss nodded with a grin of her own. "Remind her of why she's special to you."

Blake popped up into Yang's vision, her amber eyes twinkling. "Be romantic. I know you can manage that."

Yang nodded decisively. "Alright. But… I don't know if I can do this alone."

"Yes!" cheered Ruby excitedly, her fist thrust into the air. "Operation Relationship Rescue is underway!"

Pyrrha laughed. "May I assist as well?"

Yang hopped back down from her bunk and strode over to kneel before the redheaded warrior, her face unusually solemn and pleading. "I… I know Nora is your teammate, Pyrrha, but if you would help… I would be really grateful."

Pyrrha placed the hand that wasn't ensconced within Weiss' onto the blonde's shoulder. "Yes, she is my teammate and my friend, and it is because of that I wish to help. You two are very good for each other." She smiled brilliantly at Yang. "Now, tell me what I may do."

"Okay," Yang declared, standing to pace the room. "I have some ideas… First off, Pyrrha, I'll need you to please keep Nora occupied and in her room until I give the word. The rest of you guys, if you're willing…"

Her teammates were all on the edges of their beds, looking at Yang with anticipatory smiles as their reply. Yang chuckled, feeling encouraged.

"Right, so here's what we need to do…"

Sunday Afternoon

"Pyrrha, are you sure we can't go get some lunch?" Nora whined from where she sprawled on her bed.

"Oh, come on Nora, when was the last time we got to do anything together?" Pyrrha smiled, pushing her piece across the gameboard. "Your move."

The orange-haired girl lurched to her feet, walked over to the desk, and pushed one of her pieces forward. She turned and flopped back onto her bed, this time on her face.

Pyrrha sighed, shaking her head. "What is taking so long…" she murmured under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing!" Pyrrha glanced at her scroll for what must have been the hundredth time since she'd returned to her room, allowing a wide smile to spread over her face at the picture she had displayed. It was one she'd taken of her and Weiss, curled up on the bed together at the resort from the weekend and snuggling. Both of them had such a relaxed and happy expression on their faces, the redhead couldn't help but sigh affectionately.

And then, finally, she received the long-awaited signal as Yang's text arrived.

"So, Nora!" she chirped excitedly. "Do you want your souvenir from the weekend?"

The orange-haired girl's head popped up in interest. "Really? You got something for me?"

"Yes, we did! Oh, but it's across the hall… Weiss must have put it in her luggage… Here, why don't you come with me!"

"Pass," Nora sighed, dropping her head to the pillow again.

"Come on, you can't get your present otherwise. Besides, you can thank Weiss as well."

"Fine, fine, I'll come," Nora grumped, slouching to her feet again. "Lead the way. I just… Don't make me talk to her, okay?"

"I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do," Pyrrha smiled, opening the door and then knocking on Team RWBY's.

Weiss answered with a pleased grin on her face. "Hello!" she said cheerfully.

Pyrrha smiled at her girlfriend. "Weiss, may we give Nora her gift?"

"Oh, of course!" Weiss said smoothly, stepping back so that the two girls might enter.

Nora glanced around curiously. "Where's everyone?" she asked.

"Out and about," Weiss replied breezily. "Now, let me see, where did I place it…"

Nora's turquoise eyes were drawn to a bright pink square of paper sitting on the edge of Yang's bunk, bearing the hammer-wielder's name. She looked over her shoulder, but both Weiss and Pyrrha were involved with digging through the luggage, so she tiptoed over and grabbed the card.

Inside was a rather odd statement.

"'What always goes to bed with its shoes on?'" Nora read out loud, her brow furrowed. "'Find the next clue there.'" She glanced back at the couple, still up to their elbows in baggage. "Find the clue…?"

A broad smile spread across her face as the realization of what Yang was doing dawned upon her. "It's a scavenger hunt for clues!" she said excitedly.

"What was that, Nora?" Pyrrha asked calmly.

"Oh, nothing, Pyrrha… um… listen, I gotta run for a minute, I'll get my gift from you later, okay?"

"Sure, sounds good!' Weiss replied with a smile. The couple watched as Nora stalked out of the room, her brow furrowed again in thought.

"Whew, I didn't know how much longer I could fake searching a bag!" Weiss sighed.

"Is everything else in position?" Pyrrha whispered excitedly.

Weiss nodded, and with shared grins the pair took off out of the room, hands entwined and giggles propelling them back into Team JNPR's dorm.

Nora had reached the main entrance to their building before she snapped her fingers excitedly. "Goes to bed with its shoes on!" she giggled. "A horse!" The pinkette took off across the campus and towards the gardens. Within a few minutes she made it to where the equine statue rested, the horse rearing up majestically. Sitting on the pedestal at the base was Blake, reading one of her ever-present books.

The orange-haired girl looked around curiously, but didn't see any sign of Yang. However, she did spy another bright pink card that was resting on the other side of the statue from where Blake sat.

"Um, hi Blake!" Nora said nonchalantly as she strolled, her hands behind her back, across the clearing.

"Oh, hello Nora," Blake replied absentmindedly before returning to her reading.

Nora casually sauntered around the statue, sitting next to the paper so that she might slip it into her hand. Then she hopped up, forgoing any sort of subtlety to race off around the corner of the hedge.

Blake laughed softly to herself as she marked her place and rose to her feet. She sent a quick text as she headed for her next station.

Meanwhile, Nora was peering at her next clue. "Let's see… 'What heavy seven-letter word can you take two letters from and be left with eight?' Oooh, that's a tough one…"

She paced the grass, tapping her forehead to try and kickstart her brain. "Heavy word… heavy word… Hammer? No, too obvious, and that doesn't work anyway… maybe I need to try from the other end, what can I add to eight… Oh!" She brought herself to a halt with a pleased laugh. "Weights!"

With a gleeful giggle she was off again, racing back across campus to the exercise rooms, a favorite hangout for both her and Yang.

Her usual bench was unoccupied, though there was a stack of schoolbooks resting on it. Ruby was on a workout mat nearby, whirling Crescent Rose about her as she went through her paces. She paused to give Nora a cheery wave, which she returned, before resuming her activity.

Nora approached the bench and immediately spotted the pink note resting in the middle. With an excited grin, she unfolded it and began to read.

"'What loses its head in the morning but gets it back at night?' Pfft, that's an easy one," Nora rolled her eyes. "A pillow! But which one?" She tapped her finger against her chin. "Maybe mine? I suppose it could be that simple…" She tucked the note into the pocket of her pink skirt to join the other ones as she raced off again, not noticing the smirk that graced the face of Team RWBY's leader.

Back at her room, she was surprised to see the rest of her team there, along with Weiss who sat with Pyrrha on the latter's bed. Ren was standing in nothing but his towel wrapped around his waist, seemingly unconcerned as always about modesty, while Jaune sat in the desk chair.

"Hi guys!" Nora said cheerfully, her earlier funk completely discarded by now. "How was the weekend?"

"Very manly," Jaune replied with a laugh. "Camping was fun."

"Though dirty," Ren complained.

"Oh, Ren, you gotta live a little!" she smirked, casually glancing over at her bed. She flopped onto her mattress, bringing her hands over her head to snatch the pink note she'd spied peeking out from under the pillow. "So, what's up?"

"Oh, we're just exchanging stories of our weekend," Pyrrha said with a warm smile. "Did you take care of your errand?"

"Oh, you know what? I got so distracted I forgot!" Nora exclaimed, jumping back up and racing out the door. "See ya!"

Weiss sighed as she leaned back into Pyrrha's embrace. "Has she always been this obvious?" she asked Ren.

The soft-spoken boy shook his head ruefully. "Subtlety has never been her strong point," he admitted.

Back out in the hallway, Nora was excitedly opening her next clue. "'What can you catch but not throw?' Hmm, nice one, lemme see… Aha! A cold!" She thrust her hand into the air. "To the infirmary!" she cheered, startling a pair of passing first-years.

Nora took off once again, bolting through the front doors of the dorm and across the courtyard until she reached the small but well-equipped medical building. She slowed herself, trying to contain her enthusiasm as she entered.

"Well hello there, Nora," the nurse greeted her with a smile.

"Oh, hello Miss Abigail! Um, is it alright if I take a quick peek around?"

"Are you looking for something?"

Nora grinned, shuffling her feet. "Well, yeah, it's kind of a trail of clues I'm following…"

"Then perhaps this might help," the nurse smiled, holding up a piece of bright pink paper. "I was asked to give this to you when you stopped by."

Nora snatched the paper out of her hands with a giggle. "Thanks Miss Abigail!" She darted outside through the front doors, unfolding the paper as she walked.

Blake emerged from around the corner with a small smile. "Thank you for your help, Miss Abigail."

"Oh, it was my pleasure, sweetie. Nice to see you kids having some fun instead of me having to patch you up."

Out in the courtyard, Nora was eagerly reading her next clue. "'What always murmurs but never talks, always runs but never walks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never speaks?' Wow, that's a tough one…" The pinkette sat on a bench as she pondered the riddle.

"Not a who, but a what… But what would murmur? Or run?"

"Hey Nora, what's up?"

The pinkette looked up to see Sun standing over her curiously.

"Oh, hey Sun! I'm trying to figure out a riddle, but this one has me stumped."

"Well, I always liked riddles growing up, maybe I can help."

Nora read the clue off to him, and by the time she'd finished he was grinning widely.

"Aw, c'mon, you can't get that one?" the blonde Faunus smirked. "It murmurs as it runs over its bed, and has a mouth…"

"Oh!" Nora shouted, jumping up from the bench. "Of course! A river!" She took off, yelling out over her shoulder. "Thanks, Sun!"

It took her a little while longer to reach the river than ran next to the campus. She had to pass the airship landing pad to do so, and noted that there was a ship there, idling as if waiting for someone, though she didn't see anyone nearby. She shrugged to herself as she headed through the sparse trees towards the spot where she and Yang had a picnic once.

Way back when we first started dating, she sighed to herself. Only a month ago, she was so attentive then, and she promised we'd always be friends…

Nora shook herself out of her dismal reverie as she reached the clearing. Tacked to a tree was another of the familiar bright pink notes, this one twice as large. She pulled it down and began to read the lengthy missive.

"'Who is brighter than the stars, more important than breathing, brightens any room just by their presence…' Geez, this is a really long clue… '...softer than a feather and harder than steel, more special than a birthday party, and means more than all of Remnant put together?'" Nora shook her head with a snort. "How am I supposed to guess this one?"

"It's you," a familiar voice called out. Nora's head whipped around as a figure with a wild mane of blonde hair stepped out from behind a nearby tree. Yang's violet eyes were shining with emotion as she slowly closed the distance, Nora rooted to the spot.

"You're all of those things to me and more. And I am so, so sorry that I forgot to show you how much you mean to me." The blonde bruiser stopped a pace away, looking down into her favorite pair of turquoise orbs. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"Well…" Nora grinned. "That was a pretty cool scavenger hunt."

"And it was only the start of our date," Yang said with a soft smile.

"Really?" Nora asked excitedly. "So… what's next then?"

"I have an airship standing by to take us skydiving."

"What?" Nora squealed as her jaw dropped. "Really? I… I always wanted to try that!"

"Yeah, I remembered," Yang said with a sheepish smile. She reached forward hesitantly, but the orange-haired girl was having none of that and enthusiastically leapt into her arms, tackling her in a tight hug.

"Okay," Nora giggled into the soft bosom of the girl she'd become so incredibly enamoured with. "I guess I can forgive you."

"Well, good, because we gotta get on that airship, the meter's running," Yang grinned, pulling her thrilled girlfriend along by the hand.

Sunday Evening

"That was so amazing," Nora murmured for perhaps the twentieth time since they'd been dropped off in Vale.

"I'm glad you liked it," Yang chuckled. "I think your instructor was about to pitch you out the door without your parachute, though."

"Can't help it if I'm enthusiastic about learning," Nora giggled, pulling on Yang's arm around her so that she could burrow closer into her shoulder as they strolled along.

Yang snickered. "Yep, you are at that."

Just then, Nora's stomach gave a very loud gurgle.

"Oops," the pinkette sniggered. "I think I forgot to eat lunch today."

"Well, then, good thing I'm taking you out to dinner."

"Oh, yeah?" Nora replied, her eyes shining as she bounced on her toes while they walked. "Where we going? The steak house? Oooh, or maybe that place with the seafood that Blake likes so much?"

"Nope," Yang smirked. "Someplace new. Just opened this weekend."

"Huh," Nora mused, her brow furrowed. "I didn't hear about anyplace new opening…"

"It's a new kind of place, they're trying it out but haven't had the budget to advertise," Yang related with a self-satisfied air. "But I have connections."

"Oh, you do?" Nora giggled. "So, where is it?"

"Right around the corner, and... here."

Nora stopped in her tracks as they rounded the bend, staring with open-mouthed wonder at the facade that stretched out in front of her.

The restaurant was painted a cheery light blue, and looked to be brightly-lit and inviting, but what had Nora riveted was the name of the place.

Remnant House of Pancakes.

"Oh. My. Oum." Nora finally managed to snap her mouth closed, turning to her pleased girlfriend with tears in her eyes. "I think I'm in heaven."

"You will be," Yang laughed. "They have sixteen different flavors and eight styles, as well as five different flavored syrups."

Nora had to physically restrain herself before she took the place by storm. She very much wanted to be invited back again, and her usual uninhibited exuberance might hinder that possibility.

Instead, she turned to face the blonde at her side.

"Yang, you are the best girlfriend ever," Nora said with a happy grin.

The girlfriend in question smiled softly as she cupped her face with both hands. "I love you, Nora Valkyrie. And don't ever let me take you for granted again, okay? You hit me upside the head or something to get my attention, because you are so, so very worth holding on to. I never want to lose you."

Nora snickered as she rose up on her toes to plant a tender kiss on the silky-soft lips so incongruent with her lover's calloused hands. "I love you too, Yang Xiao Long," she sighed happily. "And you already know the secret to my heart, and how to keep me around."

"Pancakes?" Yang smirked.

"Pancakes," Nora agreed. "Now let's see how much damage we can do to that menu…"


A/N: Relationships take a lot of work. It's not ever something you can take for granted. Fortunately, there's always pancakes to make things better.

I have a lot of fun with the pairings I'm working with here. Especially as a group dynamic, they're a lot of fun to write. So, the next one up will be another Ladybug, but then, thanks to the excellent suggestion from AntonSlavik020, I think we're going to have a triple date. Vale beware!

Many hugs for reading my stories so far! Here's the full listing of the Lemonade series, in order:

Pink Lemonade
Just A Little Ladybug
North Pole Weather
Snow Angel
Sweet, Sweet Lemonade
Ladybug Trails
Trifecta
Yuletide Lemonade
Eros
Lotus Song
Strawberry Lemonade
Ladybug Stitches
North Pole Mirror
Fallen Ladybug
Sugar Rush
North Pole Faith

Stay shiny!