{Now if we're talking body; You've got a perfect one so put it on me}
It was a lazy kind of Friday, the sweltering heat from outside making the students roaming the campus sluggish and relaxed, looking forward to an exciting night out. A buzz filled the air, drugging any who inhaled with the euphoria of a promised chill weekend whilst pointedly ignoring the impending doom of Sunday when it came time to cram for classes that would resume the next day. The few students who did still have classes in the upcoming weekend were clocked out as well, brains turned to mush by the heat wave that had hit Beacon University. Even the professors were affected by the hot weather, opting to give lazy tasks disguised as homework, and pushing back grading papers until they could push past the sluggish heat that plagued them all.
In their dorm room, Ruby and Blake had their oscillating fan turned to full blast, cooling the room the best they could with the busted A/C. In truth it was mostly just rotating the hot air already in the room, but it was cooler than the hall outside their door which remained firmly shut to keep the heat virus out. Books lay open on their floor, sentences highlighted and pages marked with post-it notes with scrawled words on them. Blake laid sprawled on her stomach, bare feet propped in the air with three textbooks laying in front of her and a fourth propped against her headboard. On the floor sat Ruby alternating between taking glances at her own textbook, her notebook, and a handheld game.
Both girls had agreed to let the radio behind them play softly in the background, set to the local hot music station. In just the past two hours they had listened to the same top five songs of the previous weeks at least twice each, but neither girl minded, their minds on other things besides the music that was really only serving as background noise. Their afternoon passed rather peacefully like this, the heat sending the campus into a silence because everyone was too hot to be loud. The world outside was still, the lack of breeze even silencing nature, small critters and creatures seeking refuge in shadows.
Blake straightened up and lifted her gaze. "Hey, turn that up."
Ruby frowned and lifted her handheld. "My game?"
"No! The radio!"
The redhead "ohh"'d before turning in her spot and fiddled with the knob on their radio, increasing the volume and filling their room with a slow pop song with a sexy beat. The singer was singing lowly, her voice sensual and inviting. Ruby turned back to find that Blake had stopped her studying to focus her attention on the song, nodding her head along with a small smile, even lip syncing every now and again. The young girl quirked an eyebrow.
"You like this song?"
Caught in the act Blake immediately stopped, shrinking into herself with a deep blush painted across her cheeks. Her teeth worried her bottom lip as she tucked her long, black hair behind her ear. "Yeah. I like a lot of her songs actually." She turned her gaze back to her textbook, shoulders hunched as her blush deepened. "And I'd be lying if I said she wasn't...ya know...sort of attractive."
Ruby smirked. "Could it be that you have a total celebrity crush on her?"
Blake rolled her eyes. "Oh don't tell me you never have."
The only response she received was a simple shrug before the sophomore returned to her game, pressing a few buttons before glancing over to her textbook, taking a highlighter and highlighting a couple sentences, and then going back to her game. Taking that as a cue to the conversation's end, Blake returned to her own textbooks, nodding her head to the beat of the music again.
The metro car lumbered down the tracks through dark, underground tunnels, the people inside swaying from side to side. It didn't seem to bother any of them though. In fact, it seemed to be rocking some of them into a relaxed sleep, the heat from outside and the earliness of the morning sapping the little energy they harbored.
Among them were Ruby and Blake, the latter of the two opting to stand to keep awake, having stayed up last night completing an online assignment. A cup of coffee was held loosely in her hand, only brought up for a sip when she remembered it was there. Her hair had been pulled back into a messy bun, strands hanging down her face where she had been too lazy to tuck them away. She also wore a loose tank and pair of shorts to combat the heat outside, not even noticing that she had put on her shirt inside out until she was nearly out the door with Ruby shouting after her.
Opposite of her was Ruby, smile on her face as she hummed to some tune, occasionally drumming out a beat on the wall, the pole, her legs, wherever her hands could reach. Her lively attitude was a stark contrast to Blake's own sluggish one, her eyes bright and shining where Blake's were dull and hazed with sleep.
She rose the cup to her mouth and took a large gulp of her coffee, feeling the warmth slide down her throat and prayed the caffeine would do its magic. "So where are we off to so early?"
Ruby only sent her a wink. "Places!"
"I could be in bed right now."
"But you're not!"
"I'm quite aware."
Ruby didn't respond and resumed her humming, watching the lights in the tunnel pass by in lines outside the window. Her head nodded to some beat inside her head and her hips jerked from side to side. The spectacle attracted attention from some of the other passengers, all of them glaring at the young girl as Blake was, wondering where she got so much energy from on a day like this. And Ruby didn't even drink coffee.
The ride was short after that. People came and went, some falling asleep and some staring at the dancing girl in front of them, wondering the same as most who had ridden the metro that morning. Eventually their stop came and Ruby snatched Blake's wrist into her grasp, pulling her out of the car onto the platform. Zombies dressed in business suits shouted and grumbled as the two college students pushed past them, their anger disappearing as quickly as it came when interrupted by a yawn.
The two girls ran up the steps (or rather, Ruby ran. Blake just stumbled.) into the bright light of day, the heat overtaking them as soon as they made it to the top. The already exhausted college student groaned when she felt the heat began to stick to her skin and clothes and grew even more sluggish as Ruby pulled them both down the sidewalk. Her coffee cup was nearly empty at this point, something she mentioned in annoyance to Ruby who only shrugged and told her she'd get her another.
There were only a few people on the sidewalk, most people of sane mind opting to stay inside on such a gruesomely hot day where the magics of A/C and insulation existed to keep them cool. The only people roaming about were those on their way to work or the very few who lived for hot days such as these.
Because of this they had no trouble walking down the sidewalk,no crowds to navigate or people to squeeze past. Most kept to their own lane to avoid brushing against anyone or being too close to absorb someone else's body heat. Grateful for that much, Blake allowed herself to continue being pulled by Ruby around corners and across streets, leading them to a place that had for the past hour been undisclosed to her.
The longer they walked, the fewer people they ran into, the fewer businesses they passed, the fewer cars were found on the street. Normally such a thing would be peculiar in their bustling city, but Blake figured it was just the heat that kept people at bay, tucked away inside their homes where it couldn't reach them.
Just ahead of them were a cluster of rather bland looking buildings, tan in color and as large as warehouses. It seemed that they were headed straight towards them and that Ruby was quite eager to get there if indicated by her increased pace and how she frantically kept checking her wrist watch. As they got closer Blake noticed large black numbers painted on the sides, starting with 1 and going in chronological order the further down the street you went.
And right in front of these buildings was a toll booth of sorts, guards in position inside the little huts.
"Ruby...what is this place?"
"You'll see!"
And with that Ruby began jogging towards the toll booth, pulling a confused Blake along with her. The guard took notice to them and stepped out of the little building, looking intimidating in his gear (which honestly looked like it would give him heatstroke) and his sunglasses. Blake forced down a shiver as he stared them down, his eyes hidden behind the tinted lenses, his face passive and guarded.
At this point Blake had figured that this was a place only certain people could get into, particularly people who had actual business here or some sort of VIP status. She wasn't sure how Ruby expected them both to just waltz right in without any sort of identification that would allow them to pass on through. Hopefully the girl wasn't about to do anything illegal. She had a test on Tuesday that she could not miss and she wasn't sure that being in jail would be a proper excuse as to why she missed it.
But as they got closer the guard offered a smile to which Ruby waved. He reached into his hut and the little gate that prevented them entry rose and they passed right on through without any sort of fuss.
Blake let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding.
At this time Ruby finally decided to turn around to address her. "Okay! We're looking for Lot 4! Should be right...down...there!" Pointing in the direction they were to head to, Ruby began walking toward the building with the large black "4" on it, Blake on her heels. The two girls headed toward the lot with Blake pestering Ruby with questions and Ruby blatantly ignoring them. They had just reached the lot when Blake had talked herself out of strangling the girl.
Two guards stood on either side of the door, their arms crossed and eyes scanning the premises behind sunglasses. However this time, neither were as friendly when they approached and Ruby did not wave. Instead she reached into her back pocket where she kept her wallet and pulled out a card. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed it to be some sort of ID, but not one she had seen before. This one had a company name in cursive across the top with Ruby's smiling photo underneath and her name printed in black, bold letters underneath that. It was a rather simple ID, the only thing that really stood out was the golden star printed in the bottom right corner.
One of the guards took it from Ruby and examined it, taking a small flashlight and shining it over the star before handing it back to her. She signaled for the other guard to open the door, locked by a keypad on the side with a slot to slide a card. The guard did just that, taking a card strapped to his belt and sliding it through the light turning green and the device beeping in confirmation. Thanking the guards Ruby opened the door and Blake went to follow before the female guard put a hand on her shoulder, hand extended for Blake's ID. Before Blake could stutter out that she didn't have one, Ruby turned around and waved her away.
"She's with me."
The guard hesitated and looked across the way at the other guard, communicating with him through a single look. After a couple seconds, Blake sweating profusely due to both the heat and stress, the guard removed her hand from her shoulder, giving her clearance to pass through. Not wanting to waste her good graces, Blake jogged to catch up with Ruby, both girls now headed down the hallway as the door swung shut behind them, the guards returning to their positions.
Inside was much cooler and Blake sighed in utter relief as the coolness pricked her skin, chilling the sweat that had pooled on her brow. Yet as much of a relief it was, Blake still couldn't say that the trip had been worth it because they could've just as well have stayed in their dorm that day and not gone outside in the brain melting heat. But she had to admit, she was thankful for the A/C, something they didn't even have in their dorm room right now, so she couldn't complain too much.
Silence filled the building, the carpeted floor absorbing the sounds of their footsteps and the offices surrounding them empty and desolate. The only source of light was the hallway they currently traversed and Blake, for the millionth time, wondered where Ruby had taken them.
Eventually they came to a door with a sign taped up warning them to remain silent and careful upon passing through it as well as stating that only those with authorization had permission to go into the next room. Blake squirmed in place upon reading the sign, reminding herself of the rather intimidating guards standing outside.
She didn't have much time to dwell on it however because Ruby rushed over to the door and threw back a smirk. "Check this out."
And she pushed open the door.
Initially there was only darkness, but when Ruby pushed her forward into the room she saw that the room was just seemed darker than the hallway because most of the light was concentrated on one spot. It was a large room, the ceiling reaching up to the height of the building and the rest of the room stretching out to places she couldn't see past the lights and camera equipment and the people manning them.
Groups of people with headphones wrapped around their necks were rushing around, adjusting something on their camera or going over to talk to someone else with headphones around their neck, hands animated and heads nodding and shaking as they discussed something in hushed tones. To her left was a large boxed in set, lights overhead shining down through filters that colored it red. People in party appropriate clothes stood around the set, chatting with each other casually, seemingly oblivious to the rest of what was going on around them or maybe just choosing not to pay attention.
They had walked onto a film set.
Ruby came up behind her with a huge grin. "Sooooooooo….what do you think?"
It was….amazing.
Blake had said nothing but she knew that Ruby already figured it out from her awestruck expression and stood up straighter, obviously satisfied. Then she began to look around the people, frowning deeply when she didn't see what she was looking for. Too busy taking in the sights of being on an actual professional set, Blake didn't bother asking her what was wrong. Instead she walked forward, careful to not trip over any of the cords taped on the floor, and continued to observe the scene before her. From the glimpses of dancing she had caught off to the side and the snippets of conversation between the workers, she came to the conclusion that they were filming a music video for someone, but for what song or artist she never heard.
No one seemed to notice her wandering around, too busy in their own tasks to even ask if she was supposed to be there. She was glad for that, not wanting to repeat the incident from outside all over again, especially since she had left Ruby behind and would be on her own if that came to happen.
Suddenly there was a commotion from behind her, shouts from one of the workers complaining about a schedule and someone with a higher pitched voice, one she had not recognized in the chatter of the room before, apologizing profusely about a "wardrobe malfunction". Blake turned around as the people around her rushed off to the set, getting into their places as the one who had complained about a schedule - the director she presumed - shouted for everyone to get ready to film.
In a matter of seconds everyone was where they were meant to be. The camera technicians had their equipment strapped to them, off to the side of the set where the sound technicians holding their boom mics. The people wearing the party clothes, extras in the video, had gathered into their places as well, doing last minute fixes to their hair and straightening their skirts or rolling their shoulder to loosen muscles. The light technicians suspended above them straightened the spotlights and adjusted the filters, making sure they were on right.
Next to her Ruby had appeared, chewing on a doughnut she had snatched from the snack table shoved off to the far side of the room and handed her a cup of coffee. She thanked her before taking a sip, watching as everyone settled into their places and the flurry of motion die down as the director called for quiet on the set.
The high pitched voice came again, with words of encouragement and positivity (and one last apology to the director) and while Blake contemplated where she had heard that voice before the owner stepped onto the set, running her fingers through her thick, golden hair as she walked to her own place.
It took all her willpower to maintain her grip on her coffee.
Swiveling to Ruby she prodded her harshly in the side, hissing under her breath. "This is what you wanted to show me?"
The girl shrugged and swallowed her mouthful of sweet dough. "Well, you said you liked her music yesterday, so I figured I'd take you to see her in action."
"How do you know Yang Xiao Long?!"
Music started up off to the side and the director motioned for the cameramen to start filming. Ruby motioned for Blake to keep quiet before turning to watch the music video unfold before them. Mildly annoyed with the lack of answers but afraid of disrupting the video, Blake stewed quietly in her frustration and took a quick swig of her coffee, ignoring how it scalded her tongue.
And then Yang started singing.
Blake had been to concerts before and knew how artists sounded different from how they were on the radio or their CD's. They weren't worse (or at least, not in all cases) but she could pick out which parts of their voice had been cleaned up for the mass release.
With Yang she couldn't.
It wasn't that she was perfect, or at least that's what the sophomore told herself, but this was one case where she sounded just as she did on any other medium. The only difference was now her voice was more...personable. Being so close to her and hearing her without the interference of static in the radio waves or vibrations in her earphones she could hear Yang's voice for how it truly was and she had to say that she was not disappointed. If anything, she was a little surprised at how genuine it was, something so rare these days.
They filmed for a few minutes, stopping takes while the director discussed with the blonde what to try differently for the next shot before starting up again. In the meantime Ruby made multiple trips to the snack table, stuffing her face with doughnuts while Blake sipped on her coffee, content with just standing and watching. It was all very repetitive as they shot different takes, getting as much footage now to play with later, but Blake couldn't say that she tired of watching Yang strut across the set, the camera following her movements as she sang the same lines over and over again. Her hair was wild and flowed down her back in a golden waterfall that swayed as she walked, the bright gold shining in the red light shining down on the set. Her legs were smooth and toned, framed by the boots she donned and the shorts that hugged her hips and Blake found her gaze straying down to them more than once.
She had always known that the singer was attractive from previous music videos she had watched and pictures she had seen of her on different websites, but seeing her this real and this close was...heart-stopping.
Suddenly insecure about her own appearance, something she had paid no mind to all this morning because she was too focused on his distaste for the heat wave, Blake pulled on her shirt and leaned closer to Ruby, about to suggest they leave.
But then the director called for silence and she held her breath, straightening back up. She'd mention it later.
The music started up again, the same beat they had listened to a dozen times already and Yang walked across the set, singing just as she had before, hips swishing as she walked, plump lips curling around the words she projected. And Blake momentarily forgot her self-consciousness, focused intently on Yang as she performed the same number again flawlessly.
And then it happened.
For the first time since they started filming, Yang looked past the camera, straight to the spot where she and Ruby stood. She smiled without missing a beat.
Lilac eyes connected with hers behind the camera and in that very moment she felt herself combust.
When Yang didn't look away, Blake dropped her gaze to her feet, face blazing as hot as the weather outside. She tried to assure herself that Yang hadn't been looking at her, maybe the camera or Ruby who was right next to her, but there was that one part of her that hung on to the fact that Yang Xiao Long had made direct eye contact with her. The thought made her swoon again, beads of sweat gathering on her forehead as she began to overheat.
The take ended and the director called for a short break for everyone to relax while the crew made adjustments and the post-production staff looked over the footage shot. Ruby took this chance to run back over to the snack table, going to grab a few more doughnuts while Blake stood in her spot, too flustered to move. Her mind still reeled with the previous incident, face red as a fire hot stove, coffee trembling in her clutch.
People around her moved without paying her much mind, something she was internally grateful for. She wasn't even sure she could lift her head and form a proper sentence anymore and bided her time impatiently until Ruby returned with her doughnuts so they could leave.
A pair of shoes, black boots to be exact, stopped before hers and Blake knew her luck had run out. She was probably about to be questioned and would cause a scene since she didn't have any official authorization to be there other than the claim that she was the friend of someone who somehow knew the artist.
That story would sound totally plausible, especially through her stutters.
But the person before her didn't begin to hound her with questions. Instead they reached forward and took her hand that was clutching the edge of her shirt, prying her fingers away and taking hold of them. Before Blake could look up in alarm, the person leaned close whispering into her ear.
"Hey, follow me."
Her heart stopped when she recognized it as Yang's, mind going into a frenzy as she registered that she was touching her. Her feet followed when she felt herself being pulled, the blonde leading her away from the large room and through a door off to the right, into a hallway similar to the one she had entered through. Except this one seemed way more wobbly.
She felt a tug at her hand again and found herself being pulled down the hallway, noting faintly in the back of her mind how much she had been physically led around today. Eventually they arrived in front of a plain white door, decorated only by the golden plate with " G" printed in bold letters. Yang opened the door, bringing them both inside before shutting the door behind her.
And that was how Blake found herself standing in her idol's dressing room.
"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."
And that was when Blake realized that she was in a room alone with her.
If her face had been red earlier, she couldn't even imagine what color it was turning now.
When she noticed that the brunette hadn't taken a seat yet, Yang pulled out the chair in front of her make up table and pulled it to the middle of the room, guiding her to sit down. The silent college student said nothing; she was too stunned to. It was endearing in its own way, but it did make conversation more difficult. So she decided to take it slow and took a seat across from her, offering her a friendly smile.
"So, my sister tells me you're a big fan."
This snapped Blake out of her blank state, blinking rapidly as she took note of her surroundings with a more clear head. "Your...your sister?"
Yang nodded and brushed her hair behind her with her hand. "Yeah. Ruby. Your roommate?" Realization dawned on her and Yang as she noticed Blake connecting the pieces in her head. "Yeah that's my little sis!"
Blake frowned and clutched her coffee cup tightly with both hands. Of all secrets to keep, Ruby kept that one from her? She felt a bit of resentment towards the young girl, but that fire died as quickly as it sparked. She supposed it made sense. It was quite the secret and she could understand Ruby not wanting it out there for everyone to know. She was a rather shy girl who liked to form a few close relationships with those she was comfortable around. If it got out to the other students that she was related to a famous singer she'd be bombarded with attention from those who only thought of her as a middleman to be noticed by Yang. Not only was that an awful experience for anyone to handle, but for Ruby especially. She probably would crack under the attention.
So Blake only nodded and took a sip of her coffee, avoiding Yang's eyes. "That makes sense."
"And you know," Yang piped up again, leaning back on her hands and crossing her legs. "She's told me a lot about you, actually."
Blake paused in the middle of bringing her cup to her mouth. "What?"
Yang nodded, a bemused smile forming on her lips. "Yeah! Somethin' about her super smart, super cute roommate?" She waved her hand dismissively. "I dunno. Somethin' along those lines."
The trembling started again and she lowered her cup back to her lap, tucking her chin to her chest to hide her heated face. "Oh."
"And I gotta say, she was wrong."
Blake winced and bit down on her lip. The jab hurt and she felt the sting of tears come to her eyes. "Oh."
Her coffee cup was plucked from her hands and set down on the floor. She didn't look up, too ashamed and embarrassed to face Yang anymore. She only wished Ruby was here to whisk her away and take her back to their dorm. This was getting worse by the second and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep herself from crying.
Her hands were nudged off her lap and she felt a sudden weight as Yang sat down. Blake jumped and found herself looking at Yang's legs straddling her own, her shorts riding up higher on her thighs. Firm arms rested on her shoulders, fingers interlocking behind her neck as Yang pulled herself closer, cutting off Blake's view of her legs and replacing it with a view of her - oh god.
She could almost hear her neck snap as she jerked her head up, skin melting off her face. She tried to regain control of her breathing and to stop the pounding of her heart against her chest, something that she was sure Yang could feel with her own chest pressed against hers and - oh dear lord okay.
Inches from her face, Yang looked down at her through her long eyelashes, painted black with mascara. Blake forgot how to breathe in that very moment and the room began to spin, the edges of her vision blackening as she felt herself losing grip on reality. All of this was too insane. For this to be happening to her of all people...she wasn't sure how to react anymore at this point, her body failing her in every necessary function.
She barely heard Yang's next words through her haze, but she did. And it was her undoing.
"I'd say you're more gorgeous than cute."
Previously Blake had thought that those words were her undoing.
Oh, how wrong she was.
For the next thing she knew, warm lips had molded over hers as slim fingers threaded themselves through her curls, pulling at the hair at the base of her neck. Something inside Blake exploded and she began to shake violently stiffening under the kiss. Her lips tasted like lipstick, the waxy substance smearing. She lifted her trembling hands when prompted, resting them delicately on Yang's hips which drove her to - oh sweet JesusMaryandJoseph.
She had just become comfortable (or rather just a bit settled down) when the door burst off its hinges, a frantic Ruby behind it.
"YANG I CAN'T FIND - oh." Silver eyes blinked at them both, a steady pink breaking out from catching them in the act. Blake looked up at the ceiling, anything to avoid Ruby's gaze, not wanting to see what she thought of her sister straddling her or the lipstick smeared across her lips. Silence filled the room for a few seconds, the only sound the pounding in Blake's ears and the rush of her breath before Yang spoke above her.
"I got her."
Ruby sighed. "I can see that."
Yang only giggled and removed one of her hands from Blake's neck, making a shooing motion towards her sister. Ruby only rolled her eyes in response and gripped the door handle, swinging it closed.
"Jeez, sis. You have no chill."
Once she had gone, her footsteps echoing down the hall and away from the room, Yang turned her attention back to her, smirk present on her plump lips, the dark pink lipstick fainter in color.
"Ready to go again?"
The heat outside couldn't make her melt any faster than the way those words did.
Blake sighed as she picked through her key ring, eventually placing the one she was looking for and pushing the other ones aside. Her eyes drooped heavily as she slid the key into the keyhole, twisting and unlocking the door to her dorm room and twisting the doorknob. She had just come back from a date with Yang where she had taken her to a private spot where the paparazzi couldn't bother them. Blake was still a little uncomfortable with the idea of getting attention from the press, something Yang understood absolutely and took into careful consideration whenever planning one of their dates.
It was thoughtful of the rather forward blonde and something Blake greatly appreciated.
However, to ensure that she stay safe from the flash of cameras, Blake normally didn't get back to her room until late, normally when Ruby was already asleep. Keeping this in mind she quietly opened the door and tiptoed into the room, going to shut it quietly when she heard a giggle in the room. Figuring Ruby was awake after all she shut the door normally, letting it click shut.
The sound startled Ruby, who Blake now saw had set up a blanket tent and was doing something underneath, probably watching a movie from the glow underneath. The young girl gasped and whispered something, sounding an awful lot like a curse. Then there was movement underneath the tent, a curious sound because it sounded like more than one person….
Blake flicked the switch to their room, illuminating it. The movement halted and she could hear Ruby wait with bated breath as she walked over to the blanket, lifting it up to reveal Ruby leaning against her bed, laptop at her crossed feet, playing some sort of comedic film.
Next to her sat a girl with long white hair and a faint pink scar over her eye. She bit her lip nervously, hands fiddling in her lap at being caught by Ruby's roommate but other than that she didn't move, deciding to sit there and face whatever consequences there were.
Blake blinked. It was the girl who she found helping at the campus library often. She had talked to her a few times, their topics ranging from heated debates over the latest politics to more light-hearted conversations about their favorite authors and story genres.
"Weiss?"
The girl nodded but said nothing to which Ruby stepped up.
"Hey, Blake! You're, uh….you're back early."
She didn't respond, instead shaking her head and dropping the blanket from her hands, letting it cover the couple once more. She headed towards the door, flicking the light switch off once more.
"Ya know, Ruby, if you want the room to yourself sometimes, you can just ask."
A/N: Haha. I recently watched Tove Lo's video for "Talking Body" and got addicted to the song. Then I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that if Yang was a famous singer that it would be a song she would totally sing.
Thus, this was born.
I actually had a lot of fun with this idea. xD I've been on a serious bumbleby streak lately it seems.