Chapter 6

BLAKE

As winter began to roll in, so too did loneliness.

Everything was business as usual, but as time passed, she wanted to spend less and less time with Sun and more time with Yang – who'd been avoiding her without being absent. The Yang she'd met a few months before, who was blunt and loud with her opinions, had become quiet and second-guessing of everything she had to say. Sometimes, Yang wouldn't be in class, leaving the school to go wherever – her excuses spanning from home, to work, to just needing to get out. The separation hurt more than she could've anticipated, and Blake often lays awake at night thinking of the blond.

Coming face to face with the fact that she was definitely attracted to the girl had been a difficult process for her. After that study date, she had come to realize that she hadn't asked Sun to be her boyfriend out of a lack of interest in dating, but out of a powerful interest towards Yang. In a quick time, Yang had simultaneously become her closest friend as well as her muse – the boxer's influence was in everything that she drew now.

Thinking of the blond, she reaches for her phone on the nightstand. Before she can really consider it, she dials Yang's number. It rings once, twice, and Blake wonders if she's avoiding her phone.

And then she picks up, and Blake wants to sing.

"Blake?" Yang's voice buzzes through, groggy and hoarse. "You okay?"

"I… I'm fine," the dark-haired girl murmurs, holding the phone to her human ear. Her faunus ears twitch. "I just needed to hear your voice."

There's a little rustling on the other end before Yang says, "I'm here, Blake. Can't sleep?"

"Yeah," she affirms, looking down at her lap. "I feel lonely."

A pause.

Blake's afraid she said something or went too far, but then Yang tells her, "Okay. I'm coming over."

Blake immediately perks, smiling at the thought. "Really?"

"Yeah," the blond replies, "We can watch Netflix. I'll see you soon."

"See you," Blake agrees, and Yang hangs up. She holds the phone close to her chest, brushing her thumb along the side of the device, before a creak catches her attention.

Blake's ears snap forward and she grabs her ribbon, tying a bow around her ears to hide them. She slips out of bed, listening intently for movement, wondering if it was just her imagination or just house noises. She steps carefully, toes inching along the hardwood floor, her footsteps silent as she moves towards her door. Her heartbeat roars in her ears. Her hands start to quiver.

The softest, faintest creak catches her attention. It came from downstairs. Her heart leaps into her throat and she places herself against the door, swallowing as she fingers the door knob, carefully twisting. The hair on the back of her neck stands on end. Is it cold in here?

Blake inches the door open ever so slightly to let more noise in. She slides herself forward so her ear is near the crack. After a few moments, nothing, and she opens the door. The upstairs consists of a full bathroom and two bedrooms – the master bedroom and her own, as well as a window which was cracked open as wide as it could go. Wide golden eyes stare at the closed shades swaying forward, lightly tapping the wood and creaking ever so slightly.

Is that what I was hearing?

Goosebumps ignite across her flesh as the chill of the night reaches her. She wonders why she would've left it open on such a cold night, and moves towards it. Cranking the window shut, she leans against the window frame with a big, calming sigh.

Yang'll be here soon, she tells herself, her mind shifting towards a shower. Blake pushes herself from the window and heads into the bathroom, flicking the light on.

Ozpin had a particularly modern style, preferring to have the shower and tub separate. The tub was set inside dark grey tiles, while the shower just adjacent to it was surrounded in clear glass and had two towel racks hanging from its side. The toilet was a few meters away from the tub-shower, towards the back of the rather large room, and was set directly behind a large, dark fixture for the sink.

Shedding her clothes and her ribbon, Blake wastes no time in hopping into the shower. The tile floor is always chilly at first, but warms almost immediately as soon as she turns the water on. She tries not to linger too long on one thing, managing to soap up and get halfway through washing her hair when she hears footsteps downstairs again.

"Blake?" Yang's voice yells from the main floor.

With the speed of electricity, she rinses the remaining shampoo from her hair and ends her shower. Hastily, she manages to wrap her bow around her ears once more and slips her towel on.

"I'm upstairs!" she yells back, opening the door a little. "I was just having a shower!"

"Alright," Yang replies, sounding uneasy.

"What's wrong?" the dark-haired girl questions, walking to the stair way. The rail is enough to hide that she's just in a towel, shy even though nothing's exposed. She peeks around to see Yang staring at the door way. "How did you get in, by the way?"

Yang throws her a dark, concerned look. "You didn't leave it open?"

"No, I-" Blake trails off, her eyes widening at the implications. Instantly, her heart starts pounding and it roars in her ears as she feels herself go faint. She wobbles, and Yang is instantly rushing up the stairs towards her, managing to stabilize her before she hits the floor.

"It's okay," Yang assures her, one arm around Blake's bare shoulders. Her touch brings with it warmth and comfort. "I'm here now. You're safe."

"Call the police," Blake croaks, pointing towards the phone at the foot of the stairs. "Please."

"Yeah," the blond agrees, disentangling herself from the faunus to go and do just that.


In the hours to pass after the cops come, Yang is by her side. Blake had gone to curl up on the porch, waiting for the cops to conduct their investigation, and Yang had found her not too long after she'd decided to hide. She sits in the middle of the three-seater swing, her side pressing lightly against Blake's, her arm along the back of the wooden chair. Given the circumstances, Blake thought she'd be a lot more afraid, but Yang's presence was enough to keep the fear at bay.

Blake shifts so she can lean into the blond's side, resting her head on the woman's collar. Yang's arm drops to her shoulder, welcoming her closer. She doesn't talk, but that's okay. What would they say, anyway?

In a short time, Yang had become the most important friend Blake's ever had. And maybe…more than that. Yang might have thought it some stroke of coincidence, but Blake had been drawn to their spot under the willow tree not out of chance, rather the scent of the place had drawn her there. It smelt of dew and ocean water, and Yang – though she hadn't known that at the time. All the rest – meeting at school, having much of the same classes – those were pieces falling together after years of nothing making sense in life.

Yang made sense. She was the answer to all of Blake's questions. She was anything Blake had needed – a partner for school, a support beam, a confidant, an irreplaceable friend. She was Blake's foil; the passion to her calm, the fire that challenged her cold, the light in her world of darkness. There wasn't a question in Blake's mind anymore – if there was one person she could be honest with, it was Yang.

Blake nuzzles the nape of the blond's neck.

"Yang…" she whispers, her arm sliding out and around the blond's waist. Yang's head dips a little, her chin touching Blake's bow, showing she was paying attention. "Thank you. For everything."

Yang chuckles, and it's the most beautiful thing Blake could've heard in that moment. "Don't be dumb. Anyone would do the same."

"Hmm…" Blake disagrees but doesn't argue, preferring to enjoy the cuddling. Maybe one day in the future, when everything had calmed down, she could prove to Yang just how special of a person she really was. But first…

"Don't you dare play this distance game with me again," she growls.

Yang's skin flares with warmth when she blushes. She takes in a little breath and murmurs, "Okay."

"Promise me," Blake breathes, her fingers curling into Yang's shirt.

The blond shifts a little, and Blake looks up to see her lilac gaze staring down at her. Blake's heart melts underneath the heat of her gaze, and she lets out a soft noise as the boxer's fingers brush through her hair slowly. With a little nod, Yang says, "I promise."

YANG

In the days to come, the Xiao Long family moved Blake into their home for the time being until Ozpin returned from his trip. There wasn't a whole lot of space in the house, so as Yang and Taiyang worked on making the basement into a bedroom, Blake used Yang's bed. The first couple of nights, Blake hadn't wanted to sleep alone, so in the middle of the night she'd come down the stairs to curl up with Yang on the couch. The blond would wake up with the noirette's weight against her and shift over so that she could fit snugly between the couch and her side.

Yang learned that Blake was a fan of cuddling, though only on her terms. When she wasn't particularly feeling cuddly and Yang bothered her, it had resulted in some amusing whining, so it was a win either way.

Ruby was excited every day to wake up with a new person in the house, quickly establishing a close friendship with Blake in the days to follow. Blake would join Ruby on her morning runs, much to the red-head's joy, who hadn't ever had a partner to run with before.

So when Ruby's first game of the season started, of course Blake went with them.

"Ugh, Yang, get off me!"

"No," Yang purrs, resting her full weight on her sister. She stretches across the back seat of the SUV, throwing a wink towards Blake when she flops her legs into the dark-haired girl's lap.

"Oof," Blake gasps, not really expecting the weight of her legs. She glares at the lilac-eyed amazon, muttering, "You're unbearable."

"Yang, give them some space!" Taiyang snaps from the front, a little tick in his forehead.

"But I'm so comfy," she murmurs, looking up at her sister with a grin.

Ruby's glare fades after a second and she grumbles, "Fine. If I can braid your hair."

"You drive a hard bargain, sis," the blond replies, turning over a little so the young athlete had access to her wavy hair. She wasn't particularly fond of people touching her hair, not that she would freak out over it, but it was seldom an enjoyable experience. On the other hand, Ruby knew how to avoid the tangles and never pulled too hard, her fingers adept at twisting her blond locks into a loose French braid. "Just make sure you don't make me look too girly."

"Huh," Ruby scoffs, eyebrow arching at that. "If you didn't have boobs for days that would almost be feasible."

Yang frowns. "My boobs aren't that big. Are they?"

"Girls," Taiyang groans in exasperation.

In the passenger seat, Qrow reaches for the radio and turns the volume of the music up in the front. After the police had come that night a week ago, Qrow was the next person on the scene. Apparently, he'd been investigating a case relating to a person that had been seen around Patch and Vale the last couple of years, and was trying to share leads with the cops. Though Yang had brought it up, it was his suggestion to custody services that allowed Blake to move in with them.

"They're enormous! Right Blake?"

Blake is suddenly very devoted to her book, playing off the redhead like she didn't hear her. Her blushing cheeks tell a different story.

"If you were into dudes, you'd never have trouble finding love," Ruby continues with a shrug, looking down at her work. "Actually, I've heard some locker room talk about you, too. Someone on my team is crushing on you."

"Oh?" Yang chirps, only mildly interested. "Does she have a good butt?"

"Yang!" the two men at the front exclaim.

The blond grins practically ear to ear.

"I think so," her sister responds.

"Maybe, then."

"Oh, please," Blake mutters, catching the attention of the sisters. She glances towards Yang, who doesn't understand the look in her amber eyes in that moment. "Your criteria for a girlfriend has to extend passed having a good butt."

Ruby clicks her tongue. "Maybe they'll give you Doritos."

"Oh, I'm a slut for those," Yang practically moans.

Blake rolls her eyes and returns her attention to the book, though her brow is knitted together. Yang's never seen her look so uneasy since she'd been with them, and wonders why the conversation would make her feel that way. Deciding to spare the dark-haired girl any more discomfort, she lets the topic die with Ruby's gentle laughter.

When they get to Patch's only stadium, they pile out of the car together. Ruby rushes to the back, not bothering to let Yang sit up before escaping out from beneath her, so the blond's head smacks lightly against the cushion.

"Serves you right," Blake comments, lifting Yang's legs.

"Hey." Yang pulls her legs away and sits up quickly, leaning towards the dark-haired girl. "What's wrong?"

Jaw dropping, Blake doesn't seem quite sure where to stare before she confides, "I just don't like it when you degrade yourself."

Yang grins and winks. "It's not degrading to be a horny teenager."

Blake narrows her eyes into a cold glare.

"What?"

"Nothing," she grumbles, opening the door on her side.

Yang follows after her, tempted to continue the conversation despite the shut down, but doesn't when she sees Junior striding over towards them.

"Tai!" the mechanic yells, and the blond man turns to see him. The look on her dad's face changes from worry to happiness at the sight of his old friend, and the two men shake hands before pulling one another into the manliest one-armed hug Yang has ever seen.

"Junior," Qrow acknowledges, slinging a cooler over his shoulder. "Nice to see you again."

"P.I. Branwen," Junior returns with a small grin. He throws Yang a look and nods to her. "Truent."

Yang shrugs when Qrow and Taiyang shoot a look her way, busying herself by grabbing her own bag from the back of the SUV.

When a pale hand reaches past her, she snatches up another bag, shooting Blake a little insistent smile as she pulls the strap over her shoulder. Yang's eyebrows rise in the middle a little, her lavender gaze flicking between Blake's eyes, silently asking forgiveness. Smoldering amber eyes soften in response.

"I'm not mad at you," Blake murmurs, only loud enough for Yang to hear. Her hand moves over Yang's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Their moment is interrupted by Junior loudly shouting, "So! You ready, Ruby?"

Yang shuts the trunk of the SUV, and her dad presses the button to lock the vehicle.

"I'm nervous," the redhead replies as they fall into step with one another, Taiyang throwing an arm around his youngest. Ruby lets out a big sigh. "I've trained, made most of the practices, but I'm still not the best at dribbling the ball."

"I saw you at practice a few times," Junior argues, shaking his head. "You're the fastest kid I've seen. You'll be great."

"I hope so."

"You will," Qrow adds, ruffling the girl's hair.

"Ruby?"

The new voice makes all of them turn, watching the Schnee heiress herself half-jog across the parking lot towards them. Her icy blue eyes move over all of them in concern, her disposition nervous though she's trying desperately to hide that. She comes to a halt in front of them, her eyes fixing on Ruby's.

"You made it," Ruby breathes, sounding relieved and glad, like she's having a good dream.

Yang and Blake share a look of surprise.

"Well…we had a deal," Weiss replies, her white blouse and light blue slacks severely out of place among the sports shirts and ripped jeans of the crowd pooling towards the stadium. She tosses her off-kilter ponytail over her shoulder, straightening a little. "A Schnee never goes back on a deal."

"Sure," Ruby says, a big grin on her face. "I'm just glad you're here."

Yang's lips form a little 'o' when she sees the blush on Weiss Schnee's face. She stares at the heiress, wondering how it was that Weiss Schnee would grow a crush towards her sister without ever noticing. They'd been hanging out a lot, sure, but she'd only ever seen Weiss act with reluctant agreeableness to her sister – and that was rarer than the times she was icy cold.

Blake lightly smacks her side, whispering under her breath, "Don't stare."

Snapping her mouth shut, Yang gives the dark-haired girl a look that practically screams 'what is going on?'

A shrug is her answer.

Nonetheless, Weiss accompanies them to the game. Navigating the questions of the adults, she proves to be an easy addition to their party, as a source of minor teasing and amusement. Despite her status, she doesn't seem to mind the low-brow humor or the puns from the Xiao Longs of the group, smiling and laughing quietly alongside them. After a while, her cold demeanor seems to vanish, replaced with a relaxation that Yang's never seen in the heiress. Yang imagines Weiss had gotten so used to being uptight and having to impress people all the time that she's never had the chance to just be.

When they sit down in the rafters, Yang throws an arm around Weiss's shoulder and leans close to her. Weiss gives her a wide-eyed look, but doesn't say anything when she sees the ferocity of Yang's look.

"You have a crush on my sister."

It wasn't a question, and Weiss has the grace to come clean. "Yes."

"Yang," Blake sighs, shaking her head.

"She's really young," Yang points out.

Weiss winces. "Yeah, I know."

"If you hurt her, I'll punch your throat so hard you won't be able to sing again," Yang continues, their eyes locked. It was more than a threat – it was acceptance. The girls had known each other since well before high school, having been in the same classes all through elementary and middle school. They knew one another – maybe not as friends, not yet, but there was a certain intimacy that came with knowing someone a long time nonetheless.

The heiress's lips twitch up into a smile, and she replies, "Thanks, Yang. I'll…be careful."

"You better," Yang huffs, pulling away from the blanchette.

"Has she always been this protective?" Weiss asks Blake, who munches quietly on some popcorn.

Swallowing, the dark-haired girl nods. "Since I've known her, I think. But it gets better when she's on your side."

"I'm right here," Yang deadpans.

"Guess I just need find my 'in'," Weiss says.

Blake nods again. "She's a teddy bear. It's easy."

Yang pouts. "Hey."

"I've never imagined Yang to be a teddy bear."

"You'll see."

"Guys…"

Weiss puckers her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Actually, it would explain a lot. In middle school, she was a sucker for this one girl's – Pyrrha's – puppy dog face."

"Really?" Blake snorts, trying to hold back a laugh. "That's amazing."

Yang snatches the popcorn out from Blake's hands, earning a cry of protest that she responds to with a glare. Weiss and Blake laugh, finding enjoyment at her expense.

The men of their group return with food for the girls and themselves, complimenting Yang for her choice in seats. The game starts shortly after their return.

The pitch is marked on all four sides with white boundaries, a one hundred yard field wherein twenty two players take their places. The referee calls the coaches of both teams to the center of the field, and he seems to toss a coin as the players watch on, waiting. He points towards Coach Marie, who in turn yells something to her team. Ruby, dressed in the blazing oranges of their Patch team, goes to the center along with Pyrrha. The two redheads take their positions, Ruby with her foot on the ball and Pyrrha standing just in front of her. The referee blows a whistle, Ruby passes the ball to Pyrrha, who kicks the ball back towards their offense.

Yang immediately lets out a whooping scream, her father doing the same, the two on the edge of their seats despite that the game had just started.

RUBY

After the halfway point, Ruby is a little surprised that Marie hadn't pulled many of their initial team to be replaced. Really, she's just surprised that she's still playing. Ten minutes until the supposed end of the game, Ruby scales the field, running alongside Pyrrha and Neo. Neo has the ball, and she dances around two of the Mistral team as they charge at her, managing to dribble the ball between their feet and pass it in Pyrrha's direction.

Pyrrha stops it instantly, pulling it back with her foot just as one of the defense slides passed her, foot just inches away from the ball. She hooks it up into the air, over the body that skids past, and slams her foot to the side of the ball. It flies high in Ruby's direction. The redhead sprints at it, using all of the power of her legs to make one giant leap in the air, thrusting her forehead into the ball to fling it in the direction of the Mistral goal.

The goalie runs in to stop it, blocking it with her chest and sending it flying back out. Neo sweeps in in an instant, the short girl kicking it vicious back to the goal, and it flies against the net forcefully.

"Yes!" Ruby cries out, going to congratulate the girl.

Neo shoots her a look, and though she smiles, she hesitates to approach any further.

On her other side, Pyrrha whoops and slaps Ruby on the shoulder.

"Great headbutt," the older girl says, grinning at her. "And don't take her too seriously. She's always been quiet."

"Thanks, Pyrrha," Ruby replies, smiling as she jogs with the other redhead back to their starting position.

The score was an even 3-3 now, and they were probably going to run a little bit over time. She follows the other players of her team back to their side to defend.

"Good job, Ruby," Nora shouts at her as she comes to stand away from the center circle, closer to the net. The ginger-headed girl, though she was a little rough around the edges, had come to be one of Ruby's greatest supporters in the team. "Don't get shy yet!"

Ruby grins at the taunt.

Pyrrha jogs towards her when the referee calls a pause. "Ruby?"

"Yeah," the shorter girl replies, straightening a little.

"If I set it up, do you think you can do one of those shots from practice you did?"

Ruby's jaw drops. She's never pulled a shot like that off in practice games among the team, but that was because she hadn't had the time to set one up herself and shoot at the same time. She gives a thoughtful frown.

"She can do it," Nora supplies for her. "Of course she can."

"I – I'm not sure," Ruby says.

Pyrrha gives her a gentle look, shaking her head. "Just believe in yourself. Stick with me. I'll do the set up, you do what you do best."

Swallowing, Ruby nods. "I'll try."

The kick off starts, and the ball eventually comes flying towards them. Nora jumps in its path, kicking it out with enough force that Ruby can practically see a shockwave from the impact. Ruby sprints after the ball along with Pyrrha, who shoots her a look. Ruby gives her a thumbs-up, and they rush in after the ball.

One of the offense catches the ball before they can get to it, but Neo slides in, slipping across the ground to kick the ball out and consequently trip the other player. The ball flies off towards a Mistral player, who passes it back to a player close to their own goal. Pyrrha stands back and Ruby sticks with her, watching as Neo disentangles herself fast enough to block the ball's path back towards their side with her shoulder. The force is enough to spin her off her feet.

"Crap," Pyrrha yells, running after the Mistral offense that picked up the ball.

Ruby goes in for the assist, fast enough to block the path of the player while Pyrrha sweeps in behind her, catching the ball and kicking it back into the offense's side. The two dribble the ball between each other, evading a couple of Mistral teammates while the rest begin to converge on them. Ruby smacks the ball towards Pyrrha, who toes it up into the air. She bounces it off her knees a couple of times as Ruby winds up.

"Go!" Ruby yells, sprinting at Pyrrha.

The taller girl knees the ball up high and drops instantly after as Ruby jumps towards her. She twists her body midair, letting out a sharp yell with the effort of propelling herself forward and altering the force into her leg as she spins, her shin slamming powerfully into the ball. It flies so fast it's a blur, and the Mistral goalkeeper isn't fast enough to block it, diving into nothing but air as the ball whistles past, scoring home into the net.

One of the Mistral team knocks her out of the air, too late to stop her, and they both tumble to the ground. She manages to catch herself, whooping triumphantly as the referee calls game.

"YES RUBY!" the chorus of her family's voices rise up from the crowds, trumped only by the screams of her team as they sprint towards her. Pyrrha and Nora are among the first people to lift her up into the air, bouncing her up on their shoulders as her team comes to stand around them.

Ruby shrieks, throwing her arms up, caught in a high she's never felt before. She looks towards the rafters, seeing Weiss standing with her family, clapping for her and her team, and she's never felt more victorious. She beams towards the blanchette girl, waving back at her dramatically and yelling out her name. She hears her, blushing hard in response, eliciting a little punch in the arm from her sister.


A/N: Oh my gosh, so many Guest reviewers! Thanks!

Night Flare: It loves you too. Rawr.

Guest: Thanks! Your review made me smile.

Sifki: Aww, I hope I can keep making your heart flutter! Thanks for the review.

SakraDevanamWR: I posted this today just for you, bae.

This will be the last of the chapters where everyone's ungodly young. Timeskip in the next chapter! Don't worry, there's a plan.