"You told her you don't like gay people?" Sun Wukong, monkey tail taut behind him, announced as loudly as he could, ignoring the curious looks the passersby were giving him, "What in all of blessed Remnant were you thinking?"
Blake did not want to spend her Saturday being reprimanded by Sun. Of course, she would tell him all about her little walk with the blonde with "tits for days", and of course, he would only register the fact that Blake had accidentally kind of told her that she did not like gay people.
"You told me you were gay a few days ago." Sun draped his arm over her shoulder, knowing that she would immediately push it aside.
"I said maybe." she hissed, quickening her pace to avoid discussing this further, "And I told her that I didn't know."
Sunny, Saturdays in the city of Vale were always crowded, with humans and Faunus alike rushing to get their weekends well underway, whatever their plans were. Sun and Blake had promised to spend their afternoon with Velvet, Neon and whoever they were going to bring along at the usual pizza place: Leelu's Pizza Dome.
That's why when Sun had knocked on the door of the Belladonna residence at noon, Blake quickly changed into something warm and dragged him out of the house before he could eat all of their lunch and the entire week's groceries.
She had been moping all week, unable to return the yellow scarf that Yang had let her borrow the other day and unable to apologize for the way her father reacted towards her. Blake had tried to find Ruby, but the young girl was nowhere to be seen and knowing absolutely nothing about Yang's social circle crushed Blake's resolve.
"That's like saying you would never like her." Sun said, his hands on his head and his tail inches away from Blake's shoulder, "And you told me you liked her. You are confusing me."
Welcome to the club.
"I do like her," she whispered, her ears flat on her head, her amber eyes focused on her steps, "but that doesn't mean I'm gay!"
Does it?
"Dust, this again. Alright, I'm gonna go ahead and declare a new sexual orientation called Yang-sexual, population: you." he laughed as he pressed the tip of his tail against Blake's cheek, which she promptly swatted away.
"Hey, you said she was so damn hot." she tried her best to imitate Sun's speech pattern, "Besides, she thinks you're hot too."
Sun stood in front of her, keeping her from walking any further, blue eyes staring straight into the amber windows of her soul, "She does?"
"Yes, she does." Blake glared at him for a second before casting her eyes on the pavement in between their feet, but snapped them back to his face when he roughly put his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm flattered," he said softly, giving Blake a slight shake to let his words sink in, "but you and me are best friends and I will do everything I can to get you two together."
"Funny," she smirked, pushing him aside to continue their walk. Sun followed her, matching her stride for stride. "she said the same thing about you and me."
"Don't worry, Blake." Sun beamed at her, "I have a plan."
"Of course, you do." she rolled her eyes.
"All you gotta do is woo her, make her swoon, make the gods cry, bend the universe and whatever."
Blake couldn't help but laugh, "Wooher? What have you been reading?"
"Just trust me. You need to up the ante, you know, grab the bull by the horns. What happens in your romance novels, huh? I mean, what do you even read them for? They're bound to have some sort of wisdom about how to seduce a woman!"
Blake blushed. Her romance novels were pure smut. Porn with plot. Although the plot was strong, but sixteen pages of pure smut was the best thing about them. Never mind the loopholes and the unbelievably beautiful cast and the hundreds of grammatical errors, she read them for the glorious smut and the jackpot of a few golden sentences here and there.
If you don't jump, you fall.
"Sun, she just broke up with her boyfriend!" she argued.
"Who is a total ass, by the way."
"Who could forget?" she rolled her eyes, "But it's only been a few days and she thinks I'm anti-gay―"
"Your fault."
She ignored his remark, "Let's just give it some time, okay? I swear I'll come running to you for advice on how to make the gods cry when I think it's the right time."
"Alright, Blake." he said, "But we better come up with something pretty soon. Girls like her don't stay single for long."
Blake did not doubt that. Anyone can see just how stunning Yang Xiao Long was; long blonde locks, smooth olive skin, pink lips, majestic lilac eyes and a voice that could melt butter, no, ice glaciers in a matter of minutes. Still, the woman's not heartless. She must need some space, a mourning period, but how long exactly would that take for someone like her? All Blake was sure of was that four days was not enough time.
The two friends walked into the stifling pizza joint known as Leelu's Pizza Dome, home of the cheesiest pizza at reasonable prices; the perfect watering hole for both humans and Faunus. They looked around, searching for familiar faces in the packed establishment, but what caught their eyes was the fluffy pair of rabbit ears that could only belong to one Velvet Scarlatina.
They squeezed their way past families, friends and a table of rowdy kids a couple of years younger than they were to get to the two tables their own companions had pushed together. Neon Katt and Sage were sitting close to each other across an orange-haired woman and the man Blake recognized as Ren. Velvet was seated to the far left, next to a pretty human woman all dolled up in a beret and designer shades. Blake thought she was blind until the woman had turned to look at her and Sun.
"Are these the friends you mentioned?" she said, tilting her shades down to reveal a pair of chocolate colored eyes the same shade as her short hair.
"Blake, Sun, you made it!" Velvet greeted them with a wide smile, cheeks tinted red.
"I had to pick up the little kitty here," Sun snuck a sideways glance at Blake then straightened his back when he saw her death glare, nervously adding, "like any good friend would do."
Blake sat down opposite of Velvet while Sun took the seat next to her and the orange-haired woman whom Velvet introduced as Nora Valkyrie, Ren's girlfriend and the stylish one next to the rabbit Faunus was Coco Adel. Blake could feel that Velvet was holding something back, but decided not to pry. She instead gave a small wave to Neon and Sage who simply nodded at her and Sun.
"You're the girl who got Cardin kicked out, right?" Coco propped an elbow on the table and rested her chin on her knuckle, "Ballsy, ain't 'cha?"
"Umm..." Blake was caught unawares by how forward this woman was. Velvet must have told her all about the run-in with Cardin last Tuesday, "No, actually, it was someone else."
"Yang reported him." Velvet interjected, placing a hand softly on the woman's arm. Blake's eyes widened at the gesture. Velvet was not a touchy person. She could feel the sparse wind in the room sting her eyes when Coco had moved her head really close to Velvet's face.
"I knew that guy was bad news. It's really suspicious how he never wanted to meet his girlfriend's friends. She should've dumped him when I told her to."
"If I ever see his face again," Nora started, her hands slammed onto the table and shook their drinks, "I swear I'm gonna break his legs."
"His dad sent him to Mistral." Ren said coolly, pulling Nora's hands off of the table, "Mr. Xiao Long and Professor Branwen insisted on filing a lawsuit against him, but the Winchesters offered to ship him out of the country instead. Plea bargain and all that."
Mistral was far away and had far less Faunus there, but Blake couldn't help but wonder if he was going to do it again, find new Faunus to torment and hurt. For now, she was just glad that she would never have to see him again.
And Yang was single.
"That means Yang's single." Sage said, his light brown eyes trained on Sun, but Blake looked at him as well, "Didn't you say she was hot?"
Blake did her best not to skin the monkey Faunus next to her with how sharp her glare was. She could see beads of sweat forming around his temples and neck and heard him gasp. She held her breath as she waited for his reply.
"No, thanks." Sun said nervously, afraid to look at Blake, "I'm not really into blondes. I'm more into redheads."
Nora and Neon grabbed a few strands of their hair at the same time, probably making sure they didn't fit into Sun's hair preference. Neon's pink hair looked almost red and Nora was a ginger, but was sometimes classified as a redhead.
"Well, Pyrrha's a redhead." Velvet offered to break the awkward silence.
"But she's with Jaune." Nora teased, a condescending note in the way she had said the name.
"Jaune's an okay guy." Ren argued.
Blake had no idea who this Jaune fellow was and was not in the least bit interested to listen to Nora and Ren arguing about him. She studied all of the people in this group and realized that they all seemed to be very familiar with each other while she had just met half of them. She felt bad for missing out on all of their bonding at parties and get-togethers while she stayed home, reading Ninjas of Love 4: Treasured Love, and brooded over a certain blonde woman.
She found her thoughts drifting back to the memory of Wednesday's conversation, the half-smiles, Yang's olive skin and the scent of apples that still clung to the fabric of the yellow scarf sitting on Blake's desk at home.
The sound of Coco's Scroll ringing and two plates of pizza being lowered onto their tables interrupted Blake's thoughts. She wasn't really in the mood to have some pizza. She had just had lunch with her parents, but it felt awkward to just sit and watch while everyone else ate. One slice wouldn't hurt.
"Yeah, what's up?" Coco said into the device, "The gang's all here with some new friends... You're rarely out of the shithole you call an apartment and you'd rather not see me?... Yeah, Velvet's here... She'll be fine. We won't eat her... Yeah, yeah, yeah, see you."
"Who was that?" Neon asked after Coco put her Scroll away.
"Yang." Coco announced.
Blake felt her heart stop. That was Yang, the person she had been trying to find in the past three days. She regretted not bringing the scarf along with her, but she immediately thought it would be weird to carry it around every day. Yang would probably think she was being creepy.
"Pyrrha, Amber, Yang and her sister are stopping by." Coco continued, "Can you believe it? Yang hangs out with Pyrrha and Amber, but not me?"
"You were pretty mean to her about Cardin the other day." Ren added, giving Nora a napkin to wipe the sauce off her chin, which she ignored.
"Well, how would you feel if you found out her asshole boyfriend picked on your girlfriend?" Coco huffed, arms crossed.
"I said I was sorry." Velvet whispered to Coco, placing both her delicate hands on the other woman's shoulders.
Blake Belladonna had finally pieced two and two together. It has been staring her in the face all this time. What Velvet failed to mention earlier was that this woman next to her known as Coco Adel was also her girlfriend. A human and a Faunus in a relationship and they were both women.
"As if I'd let that piece of shit near me." Nora chimed, already halfway through her third slice of pizza.
The wall that divided Blake's logical thinking and imagination had been torn down. Velvet and Coco looked to be complete opposites of each other. Velvet was soft-spoken and sweet and Coco seemed brash and loud. She couldn't help but imagine herself and Yang in their place. A human and a Faunus. Women. Together.
That vision had a chance of coming true after all.
Twenty minutes later and another couple of plates of pizza ― one exclusively for Nora and Sun ― the door to Leelu's Pizza Dome opened and in came a group of laughing young women.
Pyrrha Nikos, star of Beacon University's volleyball team, was wearing a white turtleneck sweater underneath her green cardigan, a mini skirt as red as her hair with black knee-high heeled boots. Blake noticed Nora nudging Sun who sheepishly grinned at her.
Next to Pyrrha was a woman Blake could only assume was Amber, short brown hair, red flannel shirt underneath a denim jacket that went so well with her light brown complexion, white jeans and black boots. She and Pyrrha looked as if they had just walked out of a fashion magazine.
Behind them was Yang and Ruby. The blonde had a plain gray jacket over her black shirt, her arm resting over her sister's shoulders. The wound on her lip was almost fully healed now. Ruby looked smaller in an oversized brown coat, zipped all the way up to her neck, her cheeks as red as the tips of her hair.
"Glad you could make it." Coco announced to the newcomers, "What took you so long?"
"Sorry," Pyrrha said, taking a seat next to Velvet. Her voice sounded motherly, caring, like a lullaby, "I saw this cute shirt that I thought would look good on Jaune."
"Where is Jauney Boy?" Nora grinned deviously.
Sun quickly stood up when Yang and Ruby had approached them, presenting his seat to Yang before he took the spot next to Sage, far away from Blake. Ultimate wingman. Yang, instead offered the vacant seat to Ruby, who had happily plopped down next to the disappointed cat Faunus. Ren and Nora moved a seat to make way for Yang to sit next to her sister.
"He's out with one of his sisters." Pyrrha said dejectedly, her hand folded over her Scroll on the table, ready to respond if it beeped.
Blake barely noticed Amber sitting next to her, courteously smiling when the other woman had flashed her a wide toothy smile, emphasizing the beauty mark under her left eye. She could only think of one thing. Why did Yang not want to sit next to her?
"Blake," Velvet snapped her out of her thoughts, "this is Pyrrha Nikos and Amber Fall. I don't believe you guys have met. Amber, Pyrrha, this is Blake Belladonna, my friend from Menagerie."
"Hello!" Pyrrha beamed at her.
"Nice to meet you." Amber held out her hand to Blake who softly squeezed it, her voice was husky, almost similar to Blake's signature bored monotone, but more seductive. It sounded like lust. All her attention focused on her now, Blake could feel her heart racing and the wind getting knocked out of her lungs. Amber Fall was absolutely stunning.
In just a few minutes, the entire group had fallen into their usual chattering. Pyrrha and Amber were talking about Jaune. Sometimes, Amber would talk to Velvet, Coco and Yang. Neon and Sage were pretty much in their own little world while Sun, Nora and Ren ― by default ― seemed to be organizing a party. Blake finally remembered Yang's forgotten scarf and how she had been trying to get a hold of Ruby in the last few days.
"Yang," Blake said softly, a little surprised by how it sounded in her lips, "Your scarf is at my house. I'm sorry I forgot to give it back."
The whole world seemed to crawl, slowing down as Yang turned to look at her, lilac eyes sparkling with the magic that made up the entire universe. Blake swallowed the lump in her throat as silently as she could, forcing herself not to stare too long.
"Yeah..." Yang drawled, her rosy cheeks turning bright red, an awkward smile on her face "I was kinda terrified of your dad."
Ruby laughed at her sister, "What did you do?"
"Nothing!" Yang glared at her.
"I'm really sorry about my dad." Blake held back a smile, "He wanted me to apologize to you for him and introduce you next time."
Yang smiled nervously, her gaze trailing off into the unknown while Ruby continued laughing, taking a huge bite of her pizza. Blake understood how Yang felt. The first time she introduced Sun to her father, the monkey Faunus was just as terrified of him as Yang must have been that day and Ghira Belladonna was mad when she saw him.
Blake stole a look at Velvet and Coco whose faces were now inches away from each other, the rabbit Faunus' cheeks were red, smiling at whatever Coco must have said to her. Her mind automatically pictured her and a certain blonde, faces inches apart. A blush crept across Blake's own face and she immediately turned away, turned to catch Yang looking away from her.
Dust, she must definitely think I'm a homophobe now.
"Excuse me," Amber announced to the whole group, "I'm gonna go to the ladies' room."
Yang quickly stood up, surprising Ruby with her sudden movement, "I'll come with you."
Amber simply shrugged and waited for Yang to fall into step by her side. Everyone on their table hadn't noticed the way Amber's fingers found their way on Yang's bicep, pulling the blonde woman closer to her as they walked away. Everyone except Blake, who had watched the entire thing unfold in front of her eyes.
She turned back to her empty plate, her hands tight in a fist underneath the table. She stole a look at Sun, hoping to see a comforting smile on his face, but he was happily conversing with Sage and Neon.
The chattering continued uninterrupted for a while. Blake kept looking at her Scroll, checking the time. It had now been twenty minutes since Amber and Yang had left to go to the restroom. What was taking them so long? What were they even doing? Should she go investigate? She can't be the only one who noticed the pair's prolonged absence.
"Do those two have bladder problems or something?" Coco sounded irritated, pulling her shades down to look at Ruby who was happily sipping her soda, "Ruby, can you go see if they're okay?"
"No prob, Bob!" the smaller girl announced, gingerly pushing her seat back to make her way to the restrooms.
"I swear she and Yang talk so much like each other." Coco pinched the bridge of her nose.
"They are sisters." Pyrrha giggled, "What did you expect?"
"You think they're getting it on in there?" Nora teased, mischief in her voice.
Everyone had now looked at Nora. Sun flashed Blake a worried look and the reassuring smile she wanted to see minutes ago. Coco and Pyrrha only laughed at the insinuation while Ren shook his head. There was something that everyone knew that Blake didn't and all she could do was sit and wait for a response from anybody.
"Yang is impatient, isn't she?" Coco flashed a grin at Pyrrha.
Five more agonizing minutes later, Ruby was groaning when she returned to her seat next to Blake, followed by Amber who had a pleased look on her pretty face and finally, Yang Xiao Long, golden hair twice as messy and face as red as Pyrrha's hair. Everyone was silent as Yang slid back into her seat, trying desperately to tame her hair, their eyes looking everywhere else, but her.
"We should really get you a comb, Yang." Amber said, still smiling as she gracefully sat back down next to Blake.
"She'll just break it." Ruby added with a snicker.
"Shut it, you two." Yang huffed, lilac eyes punching holes into her empty plate.
"Well, this is awkward." Coco declared, breaking the silence and giving everyone an excuse to finally look at each other, "Shall we get the check and leave before anything else happens?"
After settling their bill, Yang hastily bid everyone goodbye as she grabbed Ruby's arm and dragged her sister out of the establishment. Nora and Ren ran after them, Nora laughing her head off and Ren trying to keep her quiet.
Blake stood still, her eyes trained on the exit, barely acknowledging the goodbyes the rest of the group had been giving her. When Amber placed a hand on her shoulder, Blake felt her skin crawl as she turned to look into the other woman's brown eyes, a warm smile on her lips.
"It was really nice meeting you, Blake." Amber said softly, her voice the embodiment of lust and desire.
"Bye." Blake whispered, forced herself to say actually.
"What was up with Yang?" Coco asked Amber, five feet away from Blake.
"I have no idea." Amber giggled. Blake knew she was lying.
"Blake." Blake hadn't realized that Sun was standing beside her or that his hand was now on her shoulder, "You okay?"
"Yeah." she nodded, "Let's go."
Minutes later, Sun and Blake had found themselves in a familiar situation: silently walking to Blake's house, processing everything that had just happened. They may not be in Menagerie anymore and they may definitely be a little bit older, maybe a little wiser, but some things never really change.
Was Amber taunting her? Does she know that she liked Yang? Did Sun tell anyone? Does everyone know she liked Yang? Does Yang know she liked Yang? Did she take too long? It had only been four days. What was she supposed to do now? Cardin had just gotten out of her way and now somebody else was worming into the picture, ruining Blake's chances with the blonde.
Girls like her don't stay single for long. That's for damn sure.
"So..." Sun finally broke the silence, walking beside her without even looking at her.
"What?" Blake hissed, unable to control the irritation seeping into her bones when Sun didn't finish his sentence.
"Woo her, swooning, crying gods and universe bending?" he sounded a lot more chipper than Blake wanted him to be about the situation, a plan already at the top of his head.
Blake sighed. Sun was her only hope now. "Definitely."
