A creak of the door, a light gasp lingers in the air. Silent footsteps thump lightly onto the hardwood floor, and Weiss glances down at the sleeping girl outside their room.

She'd completely forgotten that her mother was supposed to leave this morning, and even more so did she forget that she was in the company of nearly everyone she was close with. After she'd retreated back to the room to have some time for herself, she had accidentally fallen asleep and wasn't woken up until the early streaks of first light hit her face.

It was about seven in the morning, and Weiss figured that everyone else in the cabin would still be sound asleep, so she wanted to take this opportunity and make herself some coffee. Alone, as she usually liked. However, she was stopped in her tracks by our dear Blake, propped up against the frame of the door, her cheek atop forearms and wearing the cutest sleeping face Weiss had ever had the pleasure of seeing. On top of that, Zwei had curled up next to Blake in the night, apparently, a little mass of dark fur rising and falling as he snored lightly.

It very well might have been the sight that killed Weiss once and for all, really.

'What is Blake doing down here…? Did she fall asleep like this last night? Was she trying to come and get me? Oh. Oh god. Did she hear my singing again? This girl is so problematic sometimes, I freaking swear!' Weiss brought a knuckle to her lip, wondering what to do about the girl. 'Do I wake her up? Ooooh, but Zwei is so CUTE. Why must I be tested this way?'

Weiss checked the hallway suspiciously, wary of any sort of pranks that Sun, Yang or Coco might have been trying to pull. Those three were the triage of the "Horribly Embarrass Weiss Schnee" squad, so she could never be too sure. After she confirmed the coast was clear, she knelt down next to Blake, using the rare opportunity to study her enticing visage.

She had but one chance before to absorb Blake's features in full, and only that one time, because every time she did try, she was either caught, or was interrupted by someone or something else.

'The last time I saw her like this was during Winter's wedding. She was breathtaking during the ceremony, I must say.'

First she noticed her legs. They looked strong, the slight bulge of muscle on her thighs, and perfectly formed calves made up for some rather appealing limbs. Weiss' gaze roamed up to her shoulders, probably toned by the convex jut of the shirt she was wearing.

Weiss momentarily thought about how much strength it would take to hold her down.

She noticed the morning glow on her skin, an inviting color that Weiss has seen on her before, but only during that night of the wedding. Perhaps it wasn't a morning thing? Maybe something else… But she took note of the subtle smudge of her winged eyeliner, still very much intact, even after sleeping an entire night. Her cheeks were flush, but not uncomfortably so. Weiss would wager that Blake must have been dreaming about something either really good, or… Or really bad, depending on who you were. The contour of her nose, down to the alluring curve of her lips.. 'Jeez, her lips are so gorgeous and full. And.. pink..' Weiss caught her bottom lip in her teeth at the thought, 'I wonder if she'd notice if I—'

Weiss cut the thought straight in half. Was she insane? Kissing a girl in her sleep was practically deplorable! She would certainly not subject herself or Blake to that sort of scandalous behavior.

. . .

Then again.

'Scandalous'? Did she really believe her feelings, whatever they might have been, were wrong? Inconceivable? And did she really believe that Blake wasn't the least bit interested in her as well? Why she couldn't put these emotions in order, Weiss didn't know the answer quite yet. And it was frustrating to no end.

Weiss hung her head, sighing into her arms. She tapped her own arm slowly, looking at nothing in particular. She was absolutely dejected about the entire situation. Why was there a tension? Why can we not be in the same room together, alone? Though, her tangible concerns voiced themselves. "Why are we making this so difficult…?"

She picks her head up again, seemingly with new resolve. Sternly, she narrows her eyes at Blake's face—or, rather, Blake's lips, and sets her knees on the floor, balancing herself forward with her fingertips.

Once again, Weiss really can't combat her own desires, despite what her thoughts are telling her. 'Ughh, if I'm going to do it, I might as well just do it now, call myself a perv and be done with it. I can scold myself later!'

Weiss inched closer to the sleeping beauty, eager to feel the lips she was denied earlier due to.. Okay, she couldn't actually be mad at Zwei, but still! Can't he read the atmosphere?!

Her eyes flit back and forth, still checking her surroundings for intruders, while she poked her tongue out quickly to dampen her own lips.

Honestly? She was expecting Zwei to wake up and bark, effectively both scaring Blake and ruining the moment yet again.

Honestly? Weiss almost mentally chuckled. She expected her friends to come up from downstairs, or open their doors and catch her about to plant a kiss on Blake.

And.. Quite honestly? She definitely wasn't expecting that none of those cliché distractions ever came.

And soon enough, she was able to set two, shaky, feather-like kisses on Blake's sleeping form. She was able to feel the gentle rhythmic breaths let out by the woman, and able to feel the curve of her lip turned into cheek. She was able to open her eyes and find that there was little distance between the two, and any space found there, she could quickly rectify by closing in once more.

She was able to feel what Blake's lips felt like, sure.. But this was certainly far from being able to kiss Blake without the encouraging aid of alcohol.

Somehow, Weiss' nervous elation was lined with melancholy at the thought.

She withdrew herself quickly, biting her inner lip, covering her mouth with her hand. She couldn't help by smile at her actions, running that hand over her face and subsequently through her hair, eventually settling on the hardwood beside her. She shook her head in tiny movements. "She's amazing.."

But, of course, the blissful moment couldn't last long.

"WEISS!"

Weiss nearly had a heart attack from the sharp voice. 'H-Holy f—!'

"What'cha doin on the floor, little sister?!" Shouted Winter from her bedroom door across the way. She'd cracked it open so she could peer outside at Weiss.

Our heiress nearly fell backward, but caught herself and retaliated, "I-I'm just sitting! Why?! Stop shouting so early in the morning!"

Zwei woke up due to the noise. He didn't move from his cozy spot, but he yipped twice.

"You're the one that's shouting! Be quiet, nerd! Everyone's still trying to sleep! But we're going hiking with Mom this morning, so make sure your asses are up! Oh, and pack heavy! We're staying on top of the mountain tonight. Mom wanted to."

Weiss shook her head, trying to process all the information being thrown at her. "Winter, what the hell?! You're literally the loudest person on the face of the planet right now!"

"No, you are!"

A pillow hit Winter on the back of the head, causing her to stumble, "OW! Sugarbear, what the hell?!"

Weiss could hear Cinder from within their room scolding the loud Schnees, "I'm going to hurt both of you later if you don't shut the fuck up already!"

Weiss was nearly about to continue their shouting match, but she caught a subtle glint of movement out the corner of her eye.

It looked like Blake was awake. Rather, it looked like Blake was awake for at least the length of time she spent arguing with Winter. Her eyes were half-lidded, but also straight-browed and even a little bit annoyed. She'd pressed her mouth to her crossed forearms, waiting for the two sisters to shut the hell up already. Oops.

Weiss scrambled to apologize, mentally making a note to give her sister crap for making her do that later on. "I'm so sorry Blake, oh my god. Did we wake you up?" 'Stupid, STUPID question.' "Right, sorry. Of course we did. But now that you're awake anyway… Looks like we're going hiking? Ehehe…" Weiss tried to chuckle the atmosphere off, knowing that Blake must've been upset. She'd seen the girl annoyed before—plenty of times when they had first met, and even more times after that—but seeing her after being so rudely awoken? Now this was something Weiss would have to be wary of for the future.

. . .

For the.. Future?

'Am I seriously thinking that Blake could be a part of my future?'

Her serious line of thought was noted as Blake raised an eyebrow from her staring... Though Blake's serious line of thought was interrupted as she noticed that Zwei was lying next to her. She jumped from her spot and all but clung onto Weiss' shoulders, a low squeak coming from her form as she tried to escape contact with the dog.

'Wow, the odds were totally in my favor.' Weiss absolutely wanted to kiss Zwei right now. Well, she wanted to kiss Blake too, but that can wait. Blake shift her gaze up to Weiss and upon noticing their proximity, she quickly released the girl and returned to her earlier position, though now away from both Zwei and Weiss.

Weiss chuckled lightly and stood up from the floor, extending a hand to Blake. "Here, just stand up already. I don't know what it was you were doing out here, but let's get ready to go. Apparently my mother hasn't left yet, which isn't what she told us last night, but I'm not complaining."

Blake blinked a few times at the heiress before yawning into her forearm and taking Weiss' hand, pulling herself off the ground. She began to stretch her biceps, "Hiking should be nice. A lot nicer than how I was woken up, that's for sure."

A string of annoyance was tugged in Weiss at Blake's tone, "I apologized already! Hmph!" Weiss left the hallway promptly, swiftly entered the room and slammed the door behind her.

Blake halted her stretches and looked at the door, then back at Winter with a worried look on her face. She shrugged, "Did I sound that bad…?"

Winter flashed a giant grin, "Guess your sleepy voice can come off as a little mean. Go fix it! We'll be leaving soon." With that, Winter finally retreated back into her room and shut the door.

Before Blake had the chance to do the same, she could see various doors creak open, certain people poking their head out to see what all the commotion was. Most duly noted was an angry-looking Coco, and both Sun and Neptune probably hoping for some sort of catfight. Yang and Ruby had poked their heads out of their room.

Yang beckoned Zwei to her room, "Zwei, c'mere! Stay away from the loud gays!"

Sun quipped in as usual, "It's not safe over there, little buddy!"

Zwei yipped and trotted over to Yang and Ruby's room, plopping down right on the floor beside it.

Yang flashed a grin and a thumbs up, eliciting a chuckle from the other girl.

Feeling that she should probably start getting ready, she turned around and pushed the door open.

.. But she probably should have knocked first.

In the middle of the room, Weiss stood, clad in not much more than her underwear. For good measure, she was in the middle of slipping on some khaki shorts, but there was no mistaking the enticing material that hugged her chest and back—it was lacey, almost in the design of a snowflake. Her hair was down, and so most of it covered up her body pretty well, but the fact was, Weiss was half-naked, and Blake couldn't look away, even with the bright red glow of her cheeks. It was a little too early in the morning for Blake to be overcome with desire so quickly.

It wasn't like Weiss was unaware. She'd ceased her dressing and stared at Blake, red streaks across her own face, and for some inexplicable reason, she didn't rush to cover herself up. Instead, a flash of a thought ran through Weiss' mind.

'.. I want..'

Before she could finish the incriminating thought, logic and reason once again took over. She calmly covered her chest, and she nearly caught the shorts that slipped from her grasp and said in a stern voice, "Blake, either close your eyes, or go into the bathroom and change. Please." She was really trying not to yell for once.

A shiver ran up Blake's spine and she obeyed the girl without question. Well, there was actually one question she thought about while hurrying to the bathroom to get dressed.

'Did Weiss always wear black underwear?'


The squad was all ready to go downstairs, having packed a few necessities for an overnight stay on the mountain top. The Schnee cabin, of course, was outfitted with many comfortable sleeping bags and tents, and they were distributed amongst those who had wanted either of them. The entire group pretty much opted for the tents, wanting at least some form of cover in the night, while Coco insisted on having both the sleeping bag and the tent. Whether or not she'd actually use both, remains to be seen.

Blake threw on a pair of jean shorts and a black v-neck shirt, not really sure of the weather changes in Atlas, but she had tied a jacket around her waist just in case. Weiss had on khaki shorts, some hiking boots, and a white v-neck, funny enough. Their slight matching had gone unplanned, and Weiss was annoyed at this for some reason. They'd packed their books along with their essentials, with Blake insisting on carrying the tent for now. Weiss made her promise she'd let her carry it half way up, though.

Winter announced from her place behind the island in the kitchen, "Alright kiddos, Mother wants to look at Atlas' famous night sky without the interruption of lights, so we're going hiking. Around this time of year, there may be a few critters crawling around, but you guys should be fine. You all seem sturdy. I mean, totally let me know if you get bit by a snake, but even then you should be good. Shall we get going?"

Yang chose this moment to chip in, "If you get bit by a snake, just bite it back! That'll teach it who's boss."

Velvet answered her before anyone else could, "No, don't try 'n do that, Yang. Just don't."

Sun quipped, "You sure? I think that's actually a good idea. I had a friend who did that. Dude's crazy."

Coco crossed her arms. "And how did that work out for him?"

"… Ah, well, o-okay so he did kinda get sent to the hospital, but damn if he didn't look freaking cool doing it!"

Neptune laid a hand on Sun's shoulder, "Babe. Just don't bite a snake. 'Kay?"

The trailhead started near the cabin, so the group didn't have to walk too far for now. The hike up the entire mountain itself wasn't daunting, but it was very long, and it would probably take the majority of the day if they stopped along the way for rests and sightseeing. Considering that they began around 10 AM, they had plenty of time to get up there before evening hit anyway.

The mountainous terrain was lush with greenery, and there was wildlife at nearly every corner you turned. Tons of birds, squirrels, rabbits, foxes and the occasional deer fill the scenery with fauna that was so much unlike what they had in Vale, it was a nice change of pace for most. Winds were calm and the air was crisp, and nowhere in the world seemed cleaner than this place right now.

Our favorite pairing was surrounded by joyous chatter from the rest of the group, though they themselves were immersed in an uncomfortable silence for a majority of the time.

The trail was narrow at times, and what sort of hike would it be if they didn't bump hands a few times and shy away? Not a very good one, let me tell you.

Beginning to believe the silence between them was unbearable, Weiss had dearly wanted to break the ice first.

'Does she.. Does she have anything to say?! Does she even care that she nearly saw me naked?! Why isn't she talking to me? I should probably say something to her, but that would seem like I'm admitting that I'm uncomfortable like this. Even though I am, it doesn't mean that I should be the one to show it! Oooh, that Belladonna.'

Even after the incident from the morning, she was still willing to act like nothing happened. Pretending to fix her shirt, she turned her head to look at Blake, who seemed rather focused on the trail. She seemed lost in thought as she absorbed the surroundings. Weiss recalled that Blake mentioned she liked the outdoors.

She bit her lip and spoke. "Have you read any further into the book?"

Blake withdrew her eyes from the scenery to give Weiss her attention with a small smile. "Actually, I have. It's getting interesting, to say the least. You?"

Weiss beamed, growing increasingly excited over the prospect of being at the same spot in the book as Blake, "A little! I sort of want to wait for you to catch up, though. I want us to finish at around the same time so it retains a better impact when we discuss what happened. You sure you're going to win our wager, Miss Blake?"

Blake chuckled as she looked ahead on the trail. Ruby and Velvet could be seen in the distance, holding hands and chatting away while maneuvering the terrain, while Yang and Coco had fallen back, enjoying the view. Of the mountains. And, you know, trees. Of course. She looked back to Weiss, feeling cheery that they were able to speak on normal terms again.

"Hmm.. Considering what's been happening? I'm a little doubtful now, but you know what? We won't know until the end, now will we? So yeah, I think I'm going to win our wager, Miss Weiss."

"Hah! Of course you will. You will soon be answering to me, and.. Oh, we never established terms, did we? About what happens when I win?"

Blake scoffed, "When you win, huh? That's funny."

Weiss pushed Blake's shoulder, and Blake playfully push Weiss' shoulder as retaliation. "Yes, when I win. What should we do?"

Blake looked down at the trail, carefully dodging large rocks and unexpected ditches. "I don't know. Loser does whatever the winner wants?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "What are we, children? But I suppose that will do for now. I'll have to think of something adequate for you to do for me when the time comes."

"Keep dreaming, Schnee."

Good-natured and finally getting along, Weiss and Blake continued the trek together on the trail. Weiss looked over her shoulder to make sure the stragglers were okay, and the sight she saw was unanticipated, to say the least.

Ren and Nora were right behind them, joined hand in hand while Nora munched on an apple. She insisted on pointing out each and every little thing she found interesting, but it was clear that Ren didn't mind much. He simply smirked and answered her with few words. Sun and Neptune brought up the rear, their hands also intertwined. Well, it was more so that their fingers were locked together, but Sun's constant pulling forced their palms apart. Neptune kept up, though, but he probably wished his boyfriend would settle down a little. They still had a lot of mountain to get through.

Brow furrowed and head slightly tilted, Weiss started to think she was imagining things. Things like, everybody was freaking holding hands or something. She looked to the front.

Ruby and Velvet still holding hands—no surprise there, these two were always really close. Yang and Coco were Yang and Coco, probably still just enjoying nature's grand presence. No way they'd hold hands, but considering their others were occupied, they simply stayed in close proximity. Jaune did have Pyrrha's hand, though Pyrrha was also latched onto Argent's digits as well. Or, it was the other way around, another admittedly strange sight. Looks like Pyrrha couldn't stay away from the Schnee women after all. Winter and Cinder were most certainly linked, swinging their arms as they walked. Zwei hobbled up the trail, looking back at Weiss with a goofy smile, tongue hanging out.

Weiss' gaze dropped to her own hand. It hung lamely to her side, ready to seek out warmth. She cast her eyes to Blake—her cheeks were tinged red.

. . .

If not now, then when? Right?

Unsure of herself, Weiss gingerly reached out to Blake's hand, taking hold of two fingers at first. Blake twitched, but she eased up and laced their hands together completely, running her thumb over Weiss' index finger as they walked.

Neither knew for sure, but they were both aware of the smile they wore, for that lighthearted time up the mountain.


Winter looked over her shoulder at the group, making sure no one had gotten lost already. She didn't really want to use the rescue helicopter, and there really was no guarantee she would, even if someone had gotten lost. Everyone was accounted for—Ah, her little sister was having some trouble getting Blake to talk with her.

She nudged her wife as they walked along the trail. "Booboo, let's help my sis out."

Cinder peered over at her and raised an eyebrow, eating some almonds out of a plastic bag. "What are you talking about?"

Winter slid out her phone from her pocket and started a message. "I'm texting Yang and Sun real quick. We're gonna hold hands. Like, we're all gonna hold hands. Make my idiot sister take the freaking hint. If her and Blake aren't fucking by tonight, then clearly I haven't done my job correctly!"

Cinder rolled her eyes with a smirk. "You're certainly something."


a/n: Sometimes I forget where I'm going with this but I'm pretty sure I'm doing an okay job of holding it together.

As usual, please let me know how you all like it!