Alright, everyone, this was originally intended as a one-shot, just Yang unburdening some uncertainty on her sister and getting some advice, but then the inspiration fairy came-a-calling. So here… we… go!
Yang paused, her hand not even half an inch from the doorknob. Was she sure about this? Was this really what she wanted to do? No, she wasn't sure, but they at least had to talk about this. Yang owed the woman who had unexpectedly become her friend at least that much.
Yang opened the door to the music room and stepped inside, gently shutting the door behind her so she wouldn't disturb the person playing. A grand piano occupied in the center of the room, framed by the late-afternoon sun streaming through the windows. It was an almost magical moment, made more so by the sight of the young woman playing the piano.
Weiss sat on the piano's bench, her long, delicate fingers flying over the keys with speed and precision. Yang had never heard Weiss play piano, didn't even know she could, so she stood by the door, her ears drinking in the glorious sound, not wanting to disturb the white-haired girl. Weiss finished the piece and picked up her scroll, glancing at the time and starting to tap out a message. Yang opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out, Weiss noticed her, head snapping to face Yang, mouth opening to say something sharp before she realized who was there. "I was beginning to wonder if you were coming after all."
"Sorry, I got stopped by Professor Port, he wanted to know why I wasn't in class this morning, and when I got here, you were playing, and it was so good, and I didn't want to disturb you, and I didn't know you played piano, and..." Yang trailed off, knowing she was babbling, but not knowing where to start. 'Begin at the beginning,' her dad always said. Okay, here we go. "Listen, Weiss, about this morning-"
"There's nothing more that needs to be said. You made your rejection of my interest quite clear. Please keep this between the two of us." Weiss started to walk past Yang, but her teammate laid a hand on her arm to stop her before she could leave.
"Give me a second, Weiss, okay? I'm, I'm having trouble saying what I want to say the right way." Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This needed to be right, no it needed to be perfect, or as close as she could manage. "Weiss, when you asked me out this morning, I wasn't rejecting you when I said I had to go, I just wasn't sure how to answer you, for a couple of reasons.
"First, the thing is, I never, you know, thought about dating a girl before. I've been on dates with a few guys, but girls never really seemed like an option before. So I… got some advice from someone I trust."
"Yang Xiao Long, if you told anyone-" Weiss snapped, and Yang could feel the tension in her teammate's arm
"Don't worry, I didn't name names, I just said a girl that I knew had asked me out, and I wasn't sure what to say, which I wasn't. But we talked, and I thought about it a bit, and you know what, I think I'm okay with dating a girl, if it's the right girl, just like it's got to be the right guy. See, I like something nice to look at as much as anybody else, but for me to go on a date with somebody, I gotta know them a bit, be friends with them first. And that brings me to you, Weiss.
"You surprised me, you know? At first, I thought you were just this stuck-up rich bitch, but then some of your sharp edges started to wear down, and I got to know you better. You're not stuck-up, you're just driven to be better than everyone else. But one person can't be the best at everything, and since you started learning that, really learning it in your heart, you've been a lot more relaxed and not as stressed out. Which we all like, by the way. Keep it up."
"Is this going somewhere?" Weiss asked, her voice an anguished whisper, and Yang knew she had to find the right words to wrap this up quick.
"Yeah, it is. I'm, I'm not sure if I'm into girls totally, or if it's just you, but I'd love to go on a date with you. Let's see what happens."
Yang grinned down at her petite teammate, and Weiss lifted her head to meet Yang's eyes, a slight frown on her face. "I could wish for a more ringing endorsement, but given what you've said, I understand. I will try to be… considerate of your uncertainties. So, would this Saturday evening be acceptable for our date? There is a concert I in Vale I was planning on attending, and it so happens that I have a second ticket. First, a meal, somewhere not too fancy, then the concert, and probably a snack and a cup of coffee afterward, assuming all goes well. How does that sound?"
"That, that sounds good. A lot better than most of my other dates, actually. You don't want to know what some of the guys I've dated have tried to drag me to. So, Saturday, then?" Yang scratched the back of her head, not sure what to do or say next.
"Indeed. We should probably leave the campus around noon, to give us plenty of time."
"Uh, what's the dress code for this concert? I mean, how fancy is it?"
"Not fancy at all. I wouldn't wear your school uniform, but anything else should be fine. Leave your weapons at home, however. We wouldn't be able to get them past security at the concert."
Time was a paradox the rest of the week. Sometimes it seemed like Yang would blink and a day had passed, and yet it seemed to crawl along toward the weekend. "Ugh, I am so glad this week is over," Ruby moaned, slumped on their table in the cafeteria. "I think I want to sleep till Monday."
"Well, I'll be gone most of Saturday, so feel free to snore away till I get back," Yang mumbled around a mouthful of beef stew.
"Oh? Whatcha doing?" Ruby perked up, her attention suddenly laser-focused on her sister.
"Going clubbing. I haven't been in, like, forever, so I feel the need to cut loose." Yang didn't like lying to her sister, but there was no way was she going to tell Ruby what she was really going to be doing and who she was doing it with.
"I will be gone as well. There's a concert I will be attending, and the tickets were not cheap or easy to obtain," Weiss added, neatly putting a forkful of baked salmon in her mouth.
Yang gave Weiss a glance. Now that she was aware of the heiress's 'interest' in her, to use Weiss's own word, she'd noticed that Weiss had been paying her a lot more attention over the past few weeks. Sitting next to her in shared classes, picking Yang as her preferred sparring partner, deferring to Yang when it came time to use the shower in their room, being Yang's study partner, that kind of thing. She supposed it had been Weiss's way of 'testing the waters' before making her move. "Got it. Well, you enjoy your concert, Weiss."
"I certainly hope to."
Yang's heel drummed a staccato beat on the tarmac at Beacon's airship port as she waited for Weiss. Calm down, Yang, it's just a date, she told herself firmly as she wiped the nervous sweat from her hands for the third time. Weiss had been kinda secretive about their date, other than she was taking Yang to a concert, and that Yang didn't need to dress fancy.
Yang had started to wear just her normal combat outfit but then thought better of it. She'd settled on black jeans and a low-cut shirt, with a cream vest over the top.
"Ready to go?" The soft question nearly made Yang jump out of her skin, and Weiss laughed as the blonde turned to face her. "My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you."
Yang laughed nervously as she took in her teammate's decidedly different outfit. Weiss was wearing a black t-shirt, a jean skirt, and what Yang would have called 'shit-kicker boots.' "Wow, you, um you look nice," Yang stammered, trying to make out what was on Weiss's shirt. It looked like a woman in a black dress sitting on some sort of ornate throne, two Beowolves at her feet. "'Quoth the Nevermore'?" What's that?"
"The name of the band we'll be seeing tonight. What did you expect, opera?" Weiss answered with an impish twinkle in her eye."
The blonde laughed. "Well, kinda. I mean, that just seemed more your style, is all."
Weiss tilted her head in consideration for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose that could be true. And you're right, overall I do prefer orchestral or classical music. But my tastes do extend beyond that, as you'll see tonight." The airship to Vale arrived and the two of them found seats near the back. It was a bit crowded, and by unspoken agreement, neither of them was ready for anyone to see them 'together' just yet.
Yang's foot was tapping again as the airship took off, and Weiss gave her a concerned look. "Nervous, Yang? If you're not sure about this, we can call it off anytime you want."
"No! I mean, yeah, I'm nervous, but I want this. I mean, I want to go on a date with you." Yang sighed. "This is just, this is just the most nervous I've ever been on a date. Even, even when Karl Jaeger asked me out, the guy every girl was drooling over at Signal, I wasn't this nervous."
"Mm. And how did that go, out of curiosity?"
"Dinner at a crappy burger place and a scary movie. He tried to put his arm around me ten minutes in. I left. Next day he's saying I kissed him, so I pummeled him." Yang sank back in her seat, arms folded, scowling.
Weiss winced. "I'm sorry I asked. And don't worry, I'm not the sort to 'kiss and tell.' I promise to be perfectly well-behaved this evening."
Yang nodded, grateful for Weiss's words, but somewhere in the back of her mind, the thought occurred that maybe she might not mind Weiss misbehaving a little. Just a little
