{Here we go again; I kinda wanna be more than friends}
Blake had just finished brewing her pot of coffee when she heard the buzz of her doorbell, indicating she had a visitor. The notion was peculiar; she certainly hadn't been expecting anyone this morning…
Nonetheless she exited her kitchen, her black cat, Shroud, rubbing his sleek fur against her ankles which made traversing to the door about as easy as trudging through quicksand. She cursed the cat, grumbling and muttering to herself about how he was affectionate at all the wrong times before bending down to pick him up and continue to the door. Now cradled in her arms the cat rested his chin on her shoulder, purring contently. Blake rolled her eyes.
"Big baby."
Now able to get to her door without the fear of crushing her pet, Blake crossed the living room quickly, unlocking the deadbolt and opening the door. Standing there with their finger poised to press the buzzer again was a woman with a mane of blonde curls hanging down the length of her back. She wore a pair of plain black sweat shorts (and calling them shorts was a severe understatement) and a ruffled loose-fitting camisole. Blake could only guess that she had just gotten out of bed herself.
When she had opened the door the woman snapped her hand back to her side, offering a sheepish grin. Adjusting Shroud, Blake cleared her throat.
"Can I….help you?"
The woman grinned again, this one more confident and genuine before outstretching one of her hands. "I'm Yang! I live in the apartment next to yours!"
Blake nodded, she knew that already. She had seen Yang around the apartment complex before. The most common being at their mailboxes where she would be wearing ridiculously bright headphones, dancing to the loud music without a care as to who was watching. And Blake always was. Especially when she had just returned from her morning jogs, covered in a thin sheen of sweat that soaked into her sports bra, the article of clothing not helping to conceal her bust as much as the girl had probably hoped.
Blake cleared her throat again, her hand darting forward to push those thoughts from her mind.
Yes she remembered Yang. Maybe a little too well.
"Blake," she said simply.
Lilac eyes dropped to the black cat in her arms. "And who's this?" she exclaimed, leaning forward as she tried to catch Shroud's attention. She wasn't successful; he was too busy being spoiled by Blake.
"This is Shroud. And he's being very needy right now." That last sentence was directed more towards him but he didn't even bat an eye.
Yang laughed, standing up to her full height again. "Yeah I know the feeling. Ember gets like that all the time, too." Now she directed her attention back to Blake, her intense stare making her shiver. "Which is actually what brings me over here."
Blake quirked an eyebrow. "Your cat?"
Yang nodded but leaned forward with a smile. "But first….I smell coffee. Mind if I come in?"
Blake internally groaned. She was being rude, making the woman stand out in the apartment hallway while addressing her from inside her apartment. With a nod and sidestep, she gestured for Yang to enter the apartment who did so without an ounce of hesitation. Putting Shroud down, she then escorted Yang to the kitchen where her pot of coffee still sat steaming. Walking over to her cupboard she brought down two mugs, pouring the coffee into both.
"How do you like yours?"
"Got any creamer?"
Opening the fridge Blake began checking off the list of all the creamers she had. When she was done she looked back, watching the woman take a seat on her table, crossing her legs and stick her tongue out in thought. The dark-haired woman had half the mind to reprimand her on basic etiquette in a stranger's home, but given what she had seen of this woman so far figured it would be lost on her. Plus she didn't really mind, not when it gave her a great view of those toned legs and -
"Hazelnut, pretty please!"
Snapping out of her daze, Blake turned back to the fridge with a blush. Although the hazelnut creamer was right up front she rummaged around a bit, letting the cool air fix the burning of her cheeks before grabbing what she wanted, handing it to Yang with diverted eyes. She took it from her with a grace that Blake now lacked, pouring it heavily until her coffee brimmed the edge of the mug. And then, without even stirring it or blowing on it to cool it down, Yang brought the mug carefully to her (pretty pink) lips taking a drink.
Blake watched all of this in astonishment, admiring how, even this early in the morning in nothing but her pajamas and sitting on a stranger's kitchen table, this woman could be so bubbly and confident in every movement she made. There were times where Blake was uncomfortable alone in her own home.
As well as Blake congratulated herself for being able to analyze people quickly and accurately, this one stumped her.
When Yang hummed in content, a blissful smile set on her face, Blake hurriedly took a sip of her own coffee, scalding her tongue in her haste to drink. Her nose scrunched up at the bitter taste. She had forgotten her sugar and creamer as well.
"This is great! Then again, I normally get mine from some gas station when I'm out on my runs so I think anything would be better." Only a second had passed before Yang seemed to realize her mistake and her eyes snapped open. "Not that I'm saying it's bad! It's really, really good! Like, the best! I'd drink this for the rest of my life!"
Again, Yang seemed to have noticed that she had said something wrong, but instead of backtracking to fix it she pressed her lips together, ducking her head down to avoid Blake's gaze.
"I mean, uh….thanks for the coffee."
Suddenly feeling more comfortable around this girl, Blake chuckled, walking over to where Yang sat and taking the creamer that still sat by her side before pouring some into her own mug. Now realizing that this girl could get as flustered as anyone else made her a little more approachable. Although, now that she was actually in such a close proximity to her, Blake noticed how much heat the girl gave off as if she were the Sun and she was one of the planets orbiting it. It engulfed her as soon as she stepped into her bubble, the warmth seeping deep in Blake's very bones. Just from standing close to her! At first she questioned how one person could have a body temperature that emanated from them so intensely, and then if this girl was even human. But after a few seconds in her presence Blake also found herself not wanting to leave.
Sugar be damned.
She took a seat next to Yang, who jumped a little at the sudden bold move that the brunette had just pulled, but relaxing immediately with an easy-going grin. They sat in a mutual silence, taking the occasional sip of their coffee, both lost in their own thoughts. It was strange, to have a near stranger in her kitchen, drinking her coffee, sitting next to her on her table. This certainly wasn't how Blake had expected to start her morning off, but now that she was here she didn't see anything wrong with it. In fact, she'd even be daring enough to say that she preferred this to another routine morning she stressed over deadlines and calls from her editor. It was simple. It was nice.
"Oh!" The woman next to her exclaimed, smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand. The sudden sound startled Blake, almost sending her toppling forward to her floor before she balanced herself. Shooting Yang a curious glance she saw the blonde setting down her mug, still smacking her head as a sort of self-reprimanding.
"I almost forgot why I came here!"
Embarrassingly, Blake realized that she had as well. She watched the blonde slide off the table, the heat leaving her in the cold of her kitchen, making Blake shiver violently. She pulled her sweater tighter over her person, secretly hoping that Yang would return and share her warmth. Then, after considering exactly what she was wishing for, Blake mentally shook those thoughts from her mind, assuring herself that she had accidentally forgotten to turn the A/C off last night and didn't realize until she had shared someone's body heat.
The idea was stupid, even to her, but was one she accepted to make sure her thoughts no longer strayed to that territory.
A loud clap directed her attention back to the bubbly blonde, bouncing in place like a child who had consumed too much sugar and a sparkle in her vibrant eyes. Before she could guess what had caused the sudden change of mood in the girl she had spoken.
"You're going to be a grandma!"
One second passed. Two. Five. Ten. Half a minute.
"Excuse me?"
Her deadpan voice did nothing to faze the blonde however. In fact, it seemed to spur her enthusiasm even further.
"Ember's going to have itty bitty kitties!"
Blake blinked.
"And Shroud is the baby daddy!"
She blinked again.
Noticing that she wasn't getting much of a reaction out of the girl, Yang sighed. "Okay so about a week or so ago I came home and found your cat on the fire escape with mine and they were totally getting down and dirty." She paused, coughing once into her hand as she let that settle in. When the steady blush crossed Blake's cheeks she knew that she was finally getting through. "And now Ember's pregnant. So….your cat knocked up mine."
At that moment, as if aware he was being talked about, Shroud stalked into the kitchen, tail swishing back and forth as he made his way over to his food bowl, intent on starting his own breakfast. The two women watched him, Yang with a sense of familiarity and Blake with one of betrayal. He was normally so well-behaved too…
Blake turned back to Yang, sighing as she set her mug down. "So what? Have you come here to ask me to fix my cat?"
Lilac eyes bugged out in shock. "What? No! No, not at all!" She took a step back and leaned against the counter, drumming out a soft beat on her thighs. "I was just letting you know, since it's technically Shroud's babies too. The father deserves to know after all." She turned her head to Shroud. "Isn't that right?" she cooed.
Blake ruffled a hand through her matted hair, wincing when her fingers caught on a few tangles. "So what are you going to do with the kittens once they're born?"
Her question received a look of incredulity, Yang's lips formed into a firm pout and hands now placed stubbornly on her hips. "I'm going to help Ember raise them of course! Then maybe once they're all grown up I'll put out a notice for adoption." She smirked now, stepping closer to Blake. The heat from before engulfed her again and instead of taking a step back to regain her personal space, she found herself leaning forward to absorb as much of it as she could.
"Unless...you want to help me, of course."
Blake sputtered. "Help you?"
Yang bounced again, her assets moving with her in a tempting way that drew Blake's eyes down for just a split second before she caught herself. "Duh! Like I said, they're Shroud's babies too! He deserves partial custody, right?" She winked and leaned back, cocking her hip to rest on the counter and crossing her arms. "And so does his cute mama."
She had originally opened her mouth to retort back that even between the two of them they wouldn't be able to handle an entire litter of kittens, but that response died as soon as the compliment had registered in her brain. "C-cute?"
Yang hid her giggle behind her hand. "Sooo...you in or out? Ember has another appointment with the vet tomorrow and I bet Shroud would love to be there to care and support her." As said cat walked back, Yang crouched down to pick him off the floor, ignoring his quiet "meow" of protest. "Is mommy gonna let big boy take care of his precious sweetheart, pregnant with his children?" She said this to Shroud, but a flicker of lilac eyes glanced her way at the end of the sentence, indicating that the question was really intended for Blake.
Shroud meowed, looking up at her as well.
Blake sighed. "What time?"
Yang squealed, the loud piercing sound startling Shroud from her grasp and causing Blake to wince. Now back on the ground, Shroud darted from the room, running somewhere else while Blake was trapped in a hug from the blonde, her soft, warm body confining hers. She resisted to the contact at first, but in all truth she didn't mind it at all. In fact, she welcomed it, but she didn't want Yang to know that so she did her best to remain indifferent to it.
When the blonde pulled away and held her out arm's length, Blake couldn't help thinking that now she would have an excuse to talk to this woman more often, even if it was just because of their cats.
After they had exchanged information and Yang had left to go back to her apartment, Blake sat down on her couch, clutching the piece of paper with Yang's number on it, tracing over each stroke of the pen over and over with her eyes, committing the numbers to memory. At her feet, Shroud rolled around on her rug, pawing her ankles and nuzzling his head across the top of her feet. Rolling her eyes, she bent over and picked him up, resting him on her stomach.
Then she kissed the top of his head, fingers scratching the place right behind his ear that she knew he loved particularly.
"Thank you for picking the cat who happens to have a very pretty owner and not Old Sucksby's cat."
A/N: This is part of a prompt challenge I took on with a couple of friends (KrisWithHerKay and OtakuLeader). Basically we all decide on a prompt to write (from a very long list of AU's compiled in this huge ass document) and set a deadline to have it written by. We all collectively decide on the prompt and then each decide on a different pairing to write for it.
As you can see, I chose Bumblebee. Kris has Chariots of Fire (Pyrrha & Yang) and Marie did Freezerburn. So make sure to go and check theirs out!
The prompt this time was "We're neighbours who don't really talk but I think your cat might've gotten mine pregnant? We must raise this little kitty family together" AU. Except they cheated. They both have cats and know more about them. I do not. In fact I'm allergic to them. (Cheaters!)
I don't know when our next challenge will be, but be sure to look out for it soon!