Author's Note: Here we go.
Weiss watched as the blonde took her spot, greeting both Blake and Pyrrha with hugs and a quiet little quip that made the former smile and the second give a surprised laugh. It brought a smile to her face, watching them interact like good friends who'd been together years rather than effective strangers a mere four months ago. Meals throughout the past week had the same air of familiarity hanging about them, all four trading jokes or raving about the food- Yang and Pyrrha had a knack for cooking, surprisingly, and they were more than willing to teach Blake and Weiss- and it had quickly turned into perhaps the best week the movie star had ever experienced. Aside from one-on-one segments and the aside interviews, the four spent the majority of their time together, watching movies or sporting events or reading.
Well, not reading together; Blake, Pyrrha, and herself would each be engrossed in their chosen literature while Yang idly picked at her guitar, pulling a melody from thin air to fill the room. Every now and then, Weiss would join in with humming, weaving a counter melody between the notes, and once or twice the Faunus had chimed in with a soft poem. The redhead sometimes joined in as well, tapping a beat with her fingers, but more often than not preferred to remain silent and simply bask in the impromptu accompaniment to their quiet time spent together.
The prospect that those lazy afternoons were now a thing of the past made her heart ache in her chest. Once she made her decision and Remnant confirmed it, they would depart the manor permanently, except for Weiss who would be called back to host the next season; she wasn't sure if Coco volunteered for the position or if the producers made that decision in the end but, she supposed, it didn't matter. Her return to the show was part of her contract, so she would be there again regardless. The manor wouldn't be the same without Blake sitting in a corner somewhere, Pyrrha on the couch engrossed in her shows, Yang running down the hallway laughing maniacally after pranking someone- without any of them, it would feel even more empty regardless of how many people physically inhabited the space. It hadn't felt empty until the four were separated for the last aside just before the finale aired, when she had only the camera crew for company while the others were taken for fittings and rehearsals; in regular episodes, they would take the entire week's footage and chop it up, but a live finale meant they only had one try for everyone to hit their marks and follow the scripted flow. Then, once she'd recorded her final thoughts, it was a rush from one thing to another, preparing for them to go live- fittings, rehearsals of her own, a last minute check with the producers. To some extent, these long, drawn out portions where she was given entirely too much time inside her own head were fraying her nerves, but she managed to hide it well enough that lilac eyes didn't fill with concern when they fell upon her briefly, though the blonde's smile pulled a little wider.
"Alright, Yang," Coco said, patting the rock star on the shoulder. "I'm sure I'm going to regret this but- any final thoughts on your experience the past sixteen weeks?"
"Well, it wasn't a world tour, but I definitely feel like I've gone around the globe a time or two," Yang replied, spreading her hands. "I mean, some of these beautiful ladies are out of this world! It was a total trip to get on their level."
The host shook her head amid laughter from the audience and contestants alike, a few people joining her in reluctant sighs. "That's about what I expected."
"Hey, don't say that!" She frowned, pushing a few errant locks of spun gold out of her face. "People might start thinking I'm predictable! That's not good for my wild image, you know."
No more ironic statement could be made as she stood there, in a pressed suit and with her hair tied back, obviously putting forth the effort to appear like she was taking the situation seriously. Weiss had no doubts to that; even if she'd shown up wearing her beat up leather jacket and aviators, it wouldn't diminish her sincerity.
"Right." Coco laughed, turning her attention to the camera. "Well, on that note, we're going to take a look at the final thoughts of our remaining contestants and the woman whose heart they're trying to win. And after that, a quick commercial break. So stay tuned, Remnant, as our three finalists make their last, heartfelt plea to our charming romantic lead, and have those devices on stand by for the live voting coming up so you can be… a Celebrity Matchmaker!"
The crowd cheered while they were counted out, the green light signalling them off air as crew members began setting up the nearby gazebo for the last portion before the big reveal. Weiss could feel her stomach attempting to tie itself in knots but shoved it aside; she'd spent enough years working in front of a camera, pushing through illness and injury, to not be bothered by something as mundane as anxiety.
Even if it was nigh overpowering.
"Weiss?" She blinked, turning to notice concerned amber eyes turned her way, the Faunus flanked by her two co-finalists while Coco and the eliminated contestants were gathered in the center of the stage, trading last minute pleasantries and keeping just about everyone else from noticing the slight bend in the rules. Technically, they weren't supposed to interact at all until the commercial break ended and they were live for the final pleas, but she supposed a little leeway wasn't entirely unwarranted. "Are you alright?"
"I suppose there's no use in lying, now is there?" She offered the trio a rueful grin. "Just a tad nervous."
"You needn't be." The redhead smiled, eyes sparkling like the emerald gems dangling from her ears. "Whatever decision you make, we'll support you."
"Yeah, Princess, lil Miss Amazon over here's right." Yang gave her that megawatt smile, the one that could brighten even the darkest room. "We've got your back. And, uh, ya know, this isn't goodbye." She coughed into her hand, trying valiantly to hide the slight flush creeping into her cheeks while fiddling with her hair. She never did like having it tied back, for any reason. "I mean, we can still hang out after this. No one's stopping us from staying friends."
"It'll be difficult," she said, having had far too much time alone not to contemplate what the end of the show's run would bring. Every scenario, every outcome playing in her head at light speed in an infinite loop, but she pushed those thoughts away for the time being. "We all have very demanding schedules. Coordinating time to simply 'hang out' may come few and far between; we'll need to exchange e-mail addresses and scroll numbers, and-"
"Then we'll do it." The blonde offered simply, stymieing the flood of considerations and measures that had begun to pile up in the back of her mind. "You ain't getting rid of us that easy, Babe." The moment the word left her lips, Yang's expression faltered, her gaze drifting off to the side. "Guess I gotta kick that habit. If I'm not the one, I mean-"
Quick as lightning, a lump formed in her throat, preventing her from offering a response immediately. Blake stepped up, though, speaking where the movie star couldn't and saving her from whatever mess might tumble from her mouth otherwise.
"Let's not get into that right now." The Faunus gently nudged the woman beside her with her shoulder. "Wherever things go from here, regardless of the outcome, we can still all be friends."
"Absolutely." Pyrrha nodded, clasping her hands in front of her. "It's been truly delightful getting to know the three of you; I think it'd be rather silly to disregard that."
Lilac eyes darted to her for a moment. "So… no hard feelings, no matter what?"
Blake and Pyrrha nodded, all three looking towards the movie star for final approval. To be frank, it was something of a relief to hear that agreement, the idea that her choice wouldn't negate the wonderful moments she'd shared with each of the three before her something of a soothing balm. Although she might've started the show with a cynical point of view, her opinion had changed drastically, and the very thought of turning her back on the ones she'd chosen to be with her here at the end… no matter what any tabloid might claim, not even she could pretend to be so heartless.
But that would also be more difficult in some ways, wouldn't it? Would it hurt worse? Having them with her, but not like when they were in the manor; having them as friends and nothing more. It seemed like a cruel twist of fate, and she silently wished she'd been able to keep herself at arms' length if only to spare herself the torment.
Because right here, right now, she didn't have a clear choice, no obvious answer shoving its way to the forefront of her mind. She admired each of them, their strengths and faults, and she'd fallen in love with all three. She loved Blake's quiet laugh, the way she tried to keep a cool head but acted with her heart more often than not, her clear passion and quiet murmurs. She loved Pyrrha's firm and steady hands, her unwavering dedication, her sweet encouragement, and even her humble disdain for the way others portrayed her. She loved Yang's smiling eyes, her brash demeanor, her gentle manner of caring, and even her ridiculous, stupid, groan worthy jokes and puns- some part of her couldn't believe it. All three held a piece of her heart.
And she could have but one in return.
"No matter what," she said, smiling at them and willing the storm in her mind and heart to calm for just long enough to get through the rest of the night. No matter how little she could sort through at the moment- or over the past week, or three, or however long since she'd rather suddenly found herself hopelessly infatuated with the three all at once- time marched on regardless and the commercial break would be over far too soon. She couldn't even tell if she wanted it to be over and done with or some cataclysmic event to stop the proceedings dead in their tracks, because she didn't want to confront the niggling sensation that, no matter which choice she made, it would be the wrong decision.
But the three beaming smiles she got in response- all different sizes, unique to the one who wore the expression but conveying the same emotion regardless- calmed her somewhat, steadying the twisting in her gut long enough to be surprised when Yang reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her forward. Before she could process it, she was in Blake's arms, the Faunus giving her a firm hug while the other two women joined in from either side, surrounding her completely.
"Group hugs are awesome." The blonde chuckled, pulling affirmative hums from the other two.
"You dolt, you'll ruin the moment." Her halfhearted scolding carried no weight, though it did bring a sting of tears to her eyes.
How could she possibly choose between them when every embrace felt so right?
"Hey, you four, knock that off!" A raised whispered pulled them from the moment abruptly, all turning to see Coco throwing a glance around. "Geez, we're twenty minutes from the big moment, and you guys choose now to start the PDA-fest?"
"It's not our fault she's so huggable!" Yang offered in response, reluctantly pulling away.
"That's not really a word." Blake lightly admonished, though she followed the rock star's lead.
"Though apt regardless." Pyrrha did the same, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "I suppose it's time to take our spots?"
"Yeah. Yang's first up; we're going in reverse order for the last stands." The fashion-designer-turned-host adjusted the ascot around her neck, lips curling into a small grin at her little joke. "We'd better hurry up. Less than a minute until we're live again."
While Pyrrha and Blake went to wait a little ways away, in a little sound proof booth so they couldn't improve on a previous contestant's material, Weiss followed Yang over to the gazebo, which was decked out in the most cliched of romantic trappings- rose petals on the ground, ivy and baby's breath strung throughout the latticework, candles lit to provide ambient light. Were it not for the inherent artificiality of it, she might find the effects charming.
"Hey." The blonde quickly stepped close to her, lowering her voice as they walked towards their spots. "Don't get lost in your head, okay? Listen to your heart." She winked. "You've got a good one, I know it. It'll steer you true. And you'll have all of us, no matter what."
She couldn't help but let a chuckle slip past her lips. "Thanks for the pep talk, Firecracker."
Although Weiss was loathe to do so, she continued on into the gazebo while Yang hung back, waiting for her cue to approach. Her heartbeat spiked as she stood there, the anticipation of what was to come making it all the harder for her to keep herself in check. But, she'd handled countless award ceremonies before this one, and she'd managed each with the grace and dignity befitting her lineage. If there was one thing a Schnee could accomplish, remaining poised under the scrutiny of Remnant certainly topped the list.
That didn't mean it was easy or that she could think of at least ten places she'd rather be at that moment, though. But she also didn't have much of a choice.
