Sorry for the delay with this one, lots of issues at my workplace and I had issues with this chapter but I hope it was worth the wait.
She set her pencil down and admired her handiwork; she thought she had done a good job, especially doing it all from memory. Her eyes looked right, her smile too, the only part that looked a little off was her scar, perhaps she had made it too long. She looked down from her bunk and over at Weiss, who was busy studying at her desk.
She climbed out of her bed, setting her sketchbook on the bookcase, and went to Weiss' desk, standing behind her, resting an arm on her chair.
"What are you studying?" she asked. Weiss looked up at her, her expression sheepish. Blake glanced down at the page she was on, and recognized the cow on the page; Krshi, God of Agriculture. She cocked her head to the side as she looked back at Weiss.
"I wanted to learn a bit more about your people's religion, and I didn't want to bother you with more questions." She said hesitantly. Blake smiled at her.
"You wouldn't have been bothering me, Weiss. What were you hoping to learn?" She looked back down at the book, flipping through the pages.
"Well, I was curious as to where the Faunus believe they came from. And where humans and Grimm come from." she paused as she looked at an illustration of Maut the Spider.
"In my faith, we believe that humanity was formed from Ice Dust, up in the tundra's and ice sheets of Atlas, before moving onto the other regions." She flipped a page, smiling slightly as she looked at Mother Devi. "And that your people were formed from Fire Dust in the deserts of Vacuo." She turned the page. "And since humans and Faunus were born from different Dust, that's why they can't get along. And the Grimm were formed without Dust, and that's why they want to destroy us and everything formed from the natural world." She stopped at a page with Bijalee the Hawk. She looked back up at Blake. "I was hoping to find something in one of the books in the library, but I'm not having the best of luck." Blake reached down, Weiss retracted her hand, and she closed the book. She gave Weiss a smile as she rested her hand on top of the book, Weiss' hand slipping on top of the book as well.
"My people believe that Mother Devi created the humans first. She was not entirely happy with the outcome; they were too uniform looking. Sure there were differences in skin and shape but nothing too unique about them otherwise. So she created the Grimm, and was vastly unsatisfied with them, and abandoned them, leaving them to do as they pleased on Remnant. Then she made my people. She found we were a good balance, every one of us unique in the eyes of the Gods." She traced her finger over the book cover. "And the humans grew to hate us, for we were loved by our Mother more than they were." She stopped her hand and looked into Weiss' eyes. She seemed engrossed with Blake's words, and didn't break away as she held the gaze. "Anything else you want to know?"
"Who's Adam?" She let go of the chair, her face draining of color, and took a step back. Weiss furrowed her brow in concern, turning in her chair to face her. "Blake? Are you okay?" She felt her hand raise up, caressing her cheek.
His hand as it smacked her.
His words after she threw him onto that train car.
His voice as he yelled at her before the mission.
Hi-
She blinked and saw Weiss in front of her, her free hand held in Weiss' hand, held in between them. Concern was in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Blake lowered her hand from her cheek, looking at her palm before shaking her head. Weiss tightened her grip on Blake's hand. "I'm sorry for asking you that. I heard you say that name in your sleep, and you looked like you were in pain then. I should have known better than to ask you that." Blake lowered her head, and slipped her hand out of Weiss'.
"It's fine Weiss. He… he was just someone from my past I don't want to think about anymore." She looked back up at Weiss, eyeing the long scar that trailed from her forehead, over her eye, and down her cheek. She cocked her head to the side, and Weiss frowned a little.
"What is it?" she asked. Blake hesitated, perhaps she shouldn't ask her this.
"Your scar?" she said. Weiss gave her a look.
"What about it?" she asked. Blake chewed her lip for a moment.
"May I ask how you got it?" Weiss looked away, and Blake noticed her start to rub her right wrist.
"I'd rather not talk about it." She mumbled, still rubbing her wrist. Blake watched her hand and realized that she had never seen Weiss' bare arms; even in the sweltering summer heat she always wore that jacket of hers. Her dresses had long sleeves, her nightgown had long sleeves, and she always kept her arm clutched against her chest whenever she went from the bathroom to the closet after a shower.
Weiss laughed and Blake looked back up at her face. Weiss shook her head, a faint smile on her lips.
"After all that we've been through, all the months we've been together on this team, and we can't even talk about our pasts with each other." Blake frowned and reached for Weiss' hand. Weiss let Blake slip her hand into hers.
"We're still getting to know each other. It took a while for Ruby to come out to us, I'm sure there are things we're all keeping from each other until we feel more comfortable talking about it." Blake offered her a smile. "Maybe we should go somewhere and relax a little."
"Did you have somewhere in mind?" Weiss asked. Blake shook her head.
"Not particularly. But I'm sure we can figure something out." Weiss mulled it over for a moment before giving Blake a grin.
"Lead the way."
She swung her arms in a carefree manor as she followed after Jaune and Pyrrha, Ren keeping pace alongside her.
"You'd think Pyrrha would know a better restaurant that serves all day breakfast," Nora said. Jaune looked back over his shoulder at them.
"We can't really afford anywhere else guys," Jaune said. Pyrrha looked back and beamed at them.
"I've never eaten at a Benny's before! I'm so excited!" she exclaimed. Jaune scratched the back of his head.
"It's not that great." Pyrrha clasped her hands together in excitement, the smile on her face not wavering.
"I know! But I've never had bad food like that before!" Nora giggled and glanced over at Ren to see him grinning.
"Well there's a first for everything!" Nora said.
They continued on to the restaurant. The skies were darkening and she could feel electricity in the air. There was a boom of thunder and Nora felt herself relax; thunder and lightning always made her feel at ease.
The outside of the restaurant was dingy looking; faded black brick and a bland shade of green painted over the roof and trim around the windows. A large 'Breakfast Served All Day' sign hung in the window. Jaune held the door open for them as they all entered. A bored looking alligator Faunus stood at the cash register, chewing on a piece of gum, her tail resting alongside her leg. Nora could see a couple other people in the restaurant; a cute Faunus couple around her age, some old geezers drinking coffee, and oh! Those pancakes looked delic-
"Party of four I assume?" The hostess asked, breaking her train of thought.
"Yes ma'am!" Pyrrha exclaimed. The hostess remained disinterred looking as she grabbed four menus and led them to a table. The rest of the restaurant was dimly lit, the lights covered by poorly cleaned lampshades. The walls were a dark blue, only accentuating the darkness of the room. She stopped at a booth and set the menus on the table.
"A server will be here to take your orders." She said before leaving, her tail swishing as she walked away.
They took their seats, Jaune and Nora on the inside of the booth, and Pyrrha and Ren taking the aisle seats. Nora didn't even bother opening the menu, she knew what she wanted; unlimited pancakes baby. She heard the rain start to pelt down on the roof, and a boom of thunder. She played with her fork absent mindedly, humming as she let a course of electricity flow from her hand and dance along the fork. Jaune set his menu down and drummed his hand on the table while Pyrrha and Ren browsed their menus. He cleared his throat.
"So, uhhh… how do these thing usually go?" Nora set the fork down on the table before holding up her hands.
"No idea! We thought you guys would know what to do. This double date was your idea after all."
"We were hoping you two would know what to do. Neither of us have done this before," Jaune said. Nora snorted.
"Really?" Jaune nodded as Pyrrha set her menu down.
"Well, how about we ask you two some questions?"
"Like what?" Ren asked, setting the menu down.
"Well, how long have you two been together?" Nora glanced over at Ren, whose face remained neutral.
"Define 'together'?" Nora said. Pyrrha made a motion with her hand.
"How long have you two known each other? When did you know that you were meant to be together?" Nora chewed her lip and glanced back over at Ren. He blinked but said nothing. Nora gave a laugh, holding her hands up.
"Well if you really must know, Ren and I have been friends since we were really little, we grew up in the same village in Mistral, and it just kinda went from there. We became inseparable after…" she paused, her eyes darting back to Ren. He rubbed his chest, his scar, and looked away. She looked back at Jaune and Pyrrha; Pyrrha looked engrossed by her words and Jaune cocked his head to the side as he looked from Nora to Ren. "After some stuff that happened and it just kinda went from there." She offered them a smile. Pyrrha smiled back, clasping her hands together.
"How cute!"
"You're from Mistral, right Pyrrha?" Ren asked, looking over at her. Pyrrha nodded.
"Born and raised, Mistral City to be exact."
"Did you have any family?"
"A mother and an aunt. They raised me on their own." Ren rubbed his chest again. Nora cleared her throat.
"So, Jaune, where are you from?"
"Hm? Vale. My family lived near the border so we vacationed in Mistral some times."
"Neat! So what have you and Pyrrha been doing when you two aren't in the dorm?" Jaune's eyes widened and Pyrrha looked taken back.
"You noticed?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well duh. Kinda hard not to notice you two missing till the wee hours of the night every week on the same days." She gave them a cheeky grin. "You're being safe at least right? We can let you borrow the dorm if you'd prefer." Jaune's face turned as red as Pyrrha's hair and Pyrrha face palmed. She felt Ren place his hand on her shoulder.
"Nora, I'd rather not discuss their sex life at dinner."
"We're not having sex!" Jaune said, flustered.
"You're not?"
The waiter appeared, a notebook in hand and a bored expression on his face.
"What are you getting?" He asked.
"Pancakes! Keep 'em coming till I pass out!" Nora exclaimed, slapping her hands on the table. Ren sighed.
"Just some tea for me. And let's start her off with twelve for now."
"A burger and soda for me," Jaune said.
"And a ham omelet and orange juice for me!" Pyrrha beamed at the waiter. The waiter scribbled down their orders and left. Nora returned her attention to her two blushing teammates.
"So, what are you two doing then?" Pyrrha opened and closed her mouth several times as she thought of a response. Jaune sighed and looked down at the table, his eyes closed.
"I've been having her train me." Nora cocked her head to the side.
"Why?" he shrugged.
"I'm not the best fighter, and how could I turn her down?" Jaune played with his hands before speaking again. "I've actually been thinking, would you want to put our names into consideration for the Vytal Tournament? I doubt we'd actually end up in it but it'd be pretty cool to get to fight in it. Seems like it would be fun." Nora grinned from ear to ear; a chance to wreck people on international television? Hell yes. She clenched her fist, wresting her elbow on the table.
"That would be amazing! Right Ren?" He nodded his head, a small smile present.
"It seems like it would be a fun team exercise." Jaune smiled and they all looked at Pyrrha. Nora's smile faltered as she saw Pyrrha force her own smile.
"Yes, sounds like it would be very fun." She forced a laugh. Before Nora could respond she noticed a woman their age walking over to the table, something behind her back. They all looked at her as she stood next to their table; she looked nervous.
"Sorry if I'm bothering you, but you're Pyrrha Nikos right?" Nora saw a flash of annoyance in Pyrrha's eyes before she smiled at the woman. Pyrrha opened her mouth-
"You would not believe how many times she gets that! She looks just like her doesn't she?" Nora blurted out. The woman looked mortified and stammered out an apology before quickly leaving. Pyrrha sighed in relief as the woman left.
"You're too nice for you own good, Pyrrha," Jaune said.
"It seems like it would be rude to turn fans down. I don't want to make them upset."
"But we're on a date, Pyrrha, you gotta think about yourself sometimes." Nora said. Pyrrha shrugged.
"I appreciate you doing that for me, Nora, but let me handle my fans my way, okay?" Nora frowned and leaned back into her seat.
"Fine," she grumbled. Jaune looked between the two of them.
"I got an idea guys. Why don't we talk about what we would spend the prize money on?" Ren rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "I would send the money back home, I'm sure my parents need the money." Jaune said.
"I'd buy a sloth!" Nora said. Pyrrha giggled and Jaune chucked at that.
"I'm sure you could buy more than one sloth." Pyrrha said.
"Well I can't just fill the dorm with sloths now can I?" Ren lowered his hand back down to the table.
"I would have no idea what to do with that much money." He said.
"I don't think I would know what to do with it either. Most of the money I made back in the tournaments went to my mother."
The server appeared then, putting the food and drinks down on the table before leaving, not saying a word.
Nora held back and watched as Pyrrha cut into her omelet with her fork. She brought the forkful of egg and pork to her mouth before biting down. She made a face as she started to chew.
"How is it?" Nora sked after she swallowed.
"It's terrible!" she said. They all started to laugh.
She opened the door to her dorm and was greeted with nothing. She frowned; she thought Weiss and Blake would be here. She looked over at her desk and noticed a sheet of paper on it. She dumped her book bag onto her desk and picked up the paper.
Went out to Vale. Be back later.
-Blake
She rolled her eyes as she read the next part, written in swirling cursive.
If I find cookie crumbs on my bed when we get back I'm going to freeze you, Ruby.
-Sincerely, Weiss.
She smiled and set the paper back down on her desk. Penny was out hanging out with Sun and Neptune, and Yang said she would be out training with SVDJ for the afternoon. She pulled Crescent Rose out and set it on her desk. She took her seat and pulled out her cleaning kit before she started to disassemble her weapon. She felt her shoulders start to go slack as her body began to relax; nothing like cleaning her baby after a long day of classes. She ran a brush through the barrel, humming a little as she cleaned her scythe rifle.
The door opened and Ruby looked up from the part she was cleaning; Yang walked into the room, her training bag slung over her shoulder, an annoyed look on her face. Ruby leaned back in her chair, setting the parts down on the desk.
"I thought you were hanging out with SVDJ today?" Ruby asked.
"So did I," Yang grumbled. She tossed her bag at the foot of her bed before flopping down onto her bed, her arms sprayed out. "I showed up at the gym only to get a text saying they couldn't make it, other stuff came up." Ruby cocked an eyebrow.
"Didn't they do that last week too?"
"Yep."
"Are you guys still friends?" Yang shrugged.
"I mean we still talk when we have class, well, I mostly talk with Sterling." She shrugged again, resting her hands behind her head. "They're all on a team together and I'm with you guys, so I guess we'd just get a bit more distant." She looked over at Ruby. "You talk with any of your Signal friends lately?"
"Not lately, no." Yang looked over at Weiss desk, and cocked an eyebrow.
"Didn't Weiss say she was gonna be studying today?" Ruby picked up the piece of paper, holding it out in front of her. "What's that?" Yang asked.
"A note. Weiss and Blake left to go somewhere and won't be back for a while." Yang sat up.
"Is it really a good idea to leave them unsupervised?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Ruby asked. Yang pointed at the replaced window.
"Or you know, when Weiss came in soaking wet and crying, talking about wanting to die."
"They spent the dance together though, and didn't have any problems." Yang shrugged.
"I guess. I just hope they're okay." Ruby laughed.
"You're such a mom." Yang laughed as well, rubbing the back of her head.
She stood up from her bed, and noticed something on the bookshelf. She picked it up from the shelf and sat back down on her bed, flipping through the pages, surprise on her face.
"What is it?" Ruby asked. Yang didn't look up as she answered.
"Just one of Blake's books. I wanted to see what they were like." She kept flipping through the book, lingering on some pages longer than others. Ruby watched her for a moment before returning to cleaning her scythe.
Ruby finished cleaning her weapon and reassembled it, giving it a hug before setting it on the ground, leaning against the desk. She stretched her back, pleasure shooting through her as her back made several satisfying pops. She stood up from her desk and went over to her bed; Yang was still absorbed in Blake's book, cocking her head as she went through the pages. She kicked her feet in the air as she watched Yang. She smiled as she watched her sister, remembering at how she would make a similar face while reviewing her homework when she was younger.
"Yang?" Her sister looked up at her, lowering the book.
"Yeah?" Ruby smiled at her.
"Thanks for always being there for me growing up." Yang sat the book on the bed. She gave her a sheepish smile and a thumbs up.
"No prob, Ruby," she said. Ruby looked away.
"The other night…. that was really hard for me to do." She kicked her feet in the air. "I don't think you realize how much it meant to me when I first came out to you, and how you accepted me no problem, and switched so fast to my new name." She swallowed. "I know how hard it was after mom died, and dad shut down. I didn't realize what you were doing back then, but I realized it as I got older." She looked back over at Yang; her sister's mouth hung open and she was staring at Ruby. Ruby swallowed. Yang's lip quivered as she asked
"H-how long have you known?"
"I figured it out after I came out. Dad was in between jobs, you weren't working, and yet we weren't out on the streets. You were tired a lot, and you were struggling in school, and yet you somehow had the money to pay for my blockers, estrogen, and new clothes." She rubbed her arm, nervous. "I came into your room one day after you got back from class and you were passed out on your bed; the jacket you always wore was off and your body was covered in bruises. And it made me remember how when I was really little I woke up one day and saw that you were missing a tooth, and you didn't remember losing it; it hadn't been loose or anything." Ruby offered her a smile. "I've never told you this before Yang, but thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I love you so much."
Yang sniffed, and wiped at her eyes, before smiling back at Ruby. Her voice was uneven as she spoke.
"T-thank you, Ruby. I… I love you too."
She followed Blake down the street, eyeing the dark clouds that hung in the air. Hopefully this… date? would go better than the last. They were in Vale's downtown, graffiti art marking the walls of buildings and sidewalks. Clubs, stores, and restaurants were crammed all next to one another, some less sleazy looking than others. People were hurrying around them, seeking shelter from the fast approaching rain.
Blake came to a stop and turned to her, they were standing in front of a set of stairs leading downwards towards a black painted door. Blake gave her a smile.
"I used to come to this place a lot before joining Beacon." Weiss looked down the staircase, eyeing the door wearily.
"I'm not going to wake up strapped to a table am I?" Blake laughed.
"No, it's, well, you'll see." They went down the steps and Blake held open the door for Weiss.
The room inside was dark and full of tables, a small stage with a light centered on it and a microphone in the center was against the wall across from the door. A bar took up the wall on the right. Most of the tables were full, and various conversations permeated the air. Some kind of alternative music was playing. It smelled of cigarettes and there was a haze in the air. Weiss coughed as she stepped into the room and some of the patrons looked back at her and their eyes widened in fear. Weiss realized they were Faunuses, they all were. She heard Blake come up behind her and the fear turned to confusion. Blake said something that Weiss didn't understand and they eyed the two of them warily before returning their attention to whatever they had been doing before.
Weiss gave her a look as Blake walked towards a small empty table on the left. Weiss took a seat, opposite of Blake's. She noticed that Blake had taken her bow off.
"I thought you said you didn't like clubs? And what did you say to them?"
"This isn't like a normal club. And I just told them you were with me." Weiss cocked her head to the side.
"It sounded different than that." Blake rubbed her arm sheepishly.
"I told them in my language." Weiss blinked in surprise. Her language?
"The Faunus have their own language?" Blake nodded.
"We usually only use it around other Faunus. During the Great War a lot of Faunus were targeted for using their own language and it almost died out." Weiss looked down.
"I see." Her people had done so much to the Faunus… She listened to the music playing for a moment; it was a song about police brutalizing Faunus and the singer not wanting to lose his family. She looking up at Blake. Blake smiled when she looked at her.
"Do you like this kind of music?" Blake listened to it for a moment before nodding.
"I'm really into alternative music, but I like some rock music too," she said.
"Like what Ruby listens to?" Blake laughed and shook her head.
"No, I want to keep my hearing by the time I'm thirty." Weiss giggled at that. Blake knitted her hands together, resting her chin on her hands as she continued to look at Weiss.
"What kind of music do you like?" Weiss thought about it for a moment.
"Mostly instrumental music and relaxing electronic music. I like a lot of female singers as well, and the songs from the musicals I watch." Weiss played with her hands as Blake looked at her. "Do you like musicals?" Blake shook her head, before making a face.
"I actually haven't seen very many movies."
"How come?"
"I grew up outside the kingdoms after I left Menagerie and you don't get a lot of recreational time out there. What little I had I spent reading."
"What kind of books do you like?"
"Romances mostly. But I like a couple of mystery series as well. Ninjas of Love is my favorite book series." Weiss snorted and Blake frowned.
"Isn't that a smut book?" Blake blushed.
"No! I mean, yes, there are sex scenes but it's so much more than that! It's so good; it's a perfect balance of romance and action, comedy and tragedy, and the writing is so good, the prose and descriptions are just magical. And it doesn't fetishize my people like other romance books do."
"Well that's good at least. I think I saw a movie version of it floating around, I'll give that a-"
"You can't!" Blake exclaimed, her hands untangling as she put them on the table, legitimate fear in her amber eyes.
"Why not?" Weiss asked.
"The movie is terrible! The book is so much better! You have to read it first!" Weiss laughed, and Blake started to laugh as well.
"Okay, if it's that much better, I'll read the book first." Weiss said once they stopped. Blake's ears perked up at that.
"Really?" Weiss nodded.
"On one condition. You have to watch my favorite movie with me."
"That sounds fine with me."
There was a tapping sound from the microphone and Weiss and Blake looked over at the stage. A leopard Faunus was on the stage.
"Thank you all for coming out tonight, we always appreciate your continued patronage. We have a couple new faces coming onto the stage tonight and some old favorites as well. Enjoy." The leopard walked off the stage and a spider Faunus took the stage. She seemed nervous and her voice was quiet as she began to speak into the mic.
"What's going on?" Weiss asked. Blake looked at her.
"This is a poetry club, it's a place for Faunus to come and relax and express themselves." Weiss looked over Blake's shoulder and back at the stage, the spider was struggling to get her poem out, stammering and pausing, swallowing as her eyes darted around the crowd. Weiss cupped her hand around her mouth and shouted
"You're doing great!" The spider looked over in Weiss direction and timidly smiled. She managed to finish the rest of her poem and crowd politely clapped for her as she left the stage.
A grim faced bat took the stage and started his poem. His words were harsh, his rhythm fast paced. He finished, and gave a nod as the crowd clapped for him. He walked off the stage and a cow took the stage. Blake looked back at her and motioned over to the bar with her head.
"I'm going to go get us some drinks. Anything specific you want?" she asked.
"Just some red wine." Blake flashed her a smile before getting up from her seat and walking over to the bar, standing behind a couple other people who were waiting to talk to the bartender. She returned her attention to the cow and listened to them finish their poem. The cow stepped down and a hawk took the stage. She listened to them with a smile when she felt someone shove her shoulder.
"Hey!" she said, as she turned towards the shover. A cat Faunus stood before her, his arms crossed, and a scowl on his whiskered face.
"What do you think you're doing here?"
"I'm here with my friend. What's your problem?" He snorted and glared at her.
"My problem is some rich human bitch thinks she can come into a Faunus space like it's no big deal. Like you're not the cause of my people's problems." Weiss glared back at him.
"I haven't done anything to you. I don't even know you."
"Really? You really want to say that, Schnee? Like your family doesn't do everything in its power to keep us down." Weiss didn't look away but found herself at a loss for words; her family had done a lot of horrible things to the Faunus.
She glanced away from the man for a second and saw Blake looking at them from her place at the bar. She sneered and started to march over to them. Weiss looked back at the man.
"Got nothing to say you white haired bitch?" He said. Weiss held her tongue, and swallowed, her throat dry.
"Leave. Her. Alone." Blake said, standing behind her seat, putting a hand on her shoulder protectively. The man laughed.
"Are you this 'friend' she talked about? What the hell is wrong with you? Bringing her kind here?"
"I don't see a sign saying humans can't come in."
"We shouldn't have to! They have their places and we have ours! We come here to relax and get away from dealing with them every day! They belittle us and treat us like shit and refuse us at almost every store! And you think you can just bring a human. No, not just a human. A fucking Schnee, in here, to our place!" Blake let go of Weiss' shoulder and stood in front of the man, Weiss saw from the corner of her eye that other patrons were staring at them, whispering and watching. The hawk had stopped his poem and was watching them.
"She has every right to be here you hypocrite! She's my friend and I'll take her here if I want to!"
"You fucking slavosá!" The man shouted in Blake's face, and she heard gasps in the room. Blake's face contorted with anger and she started to scream back at the man, the words foreign and alien sounding to Weiss. The man didn't back down and yelled back at her, trying to drown her out with his loud voice. Weiss looked away from the two, and saw the other patrons watching them, shaking their heads in disapproval as Blake and the cat screamed at each other.
Weiss stood up from her seat and grasped Blake's hand. Blake stopped mid-sentence and looked down at Weiss, concern on her face.
"Blake, let's just leave." Blake frowned and the cat snorted in pleasure.
"Weiss, you have every right to-" Weiss squeezed her hand.
"We're making a scene. We can relax back at home." Blake turned her head back to glare at the man before sighing and saying
"Fine." The man grinned victoriously as Weiss led Blake out of the building, keeping a firm grip on her hand.
"Enjoy your pet, Schnee," the man said as they opened the door. Weiss felt Blake try to break free of her grip. Weiss looked back at her, meeting her eyes. Blake was infuriated, a murderous look in her eyes. Weiss shook her head. Blake was still seething with anger but followed Weiss out the door.
It was raining out and the stairs leading up were slick with water. Weiss climbed them slowly, letting go of Blake's hand as they climbed the stairs. The rain pelted down on them as they stepped onto the sidewalk. They walked down the rainy street, their clothes sticking to their bodies as they got soaked. Water dripped down her face as she kept her head down while they walked.
"I'm sorry," Weiss said. She heard Blake stop and looked back at her. Blake stood beneath a streetlamp, the light illuminating her figure and the rain around her. Blake's face softened as Weiss looked at her but she still looked angry.
"You don't have to apologize," she said. Weiss shook her head, her ponytail sticking to her shoulders.
"I do. That man was upset with me, if I wasn't there that wouldn't have happened."
"Weiss…" Weiss looked away, holding up her hand before letting it fall to her side.
"That word he called you. What did it mean?" Blake rubbed her arm.
"It means, one who sleeps with the enemy. He was calling me a race traitor for being your… friend."
"Blake…" Weiss said quietly. Dust, could she just do something right with Blake just once. She looked back up at Blake, her eyes drifting to her still uncovered ears. She felt resentment build inside her as she thought of that man's words. She liked Blake's ears, she thought they made Blake look more beautiful, and she had more than once had thought of touching them. She remembered what Blake said back on the night of the dance; Faunus didn't like having them touched. That would be so degrading to Blake; a human playing with her ears, like she's just some animal for her amusement. She clenched her hand and looked away again.
"That man was right."
"Weiss, what are you talking about?"
"I… I've thought about playing with your ears Blake. I think that you look beautiful without your bow on and when I see you without out it I get an urge to rub them." She shook her head. "What kind of friend am I? Looking at my Faunus friend like she's just some kind of animal for me to pet." She looked up at Blake, expecting to see her looking even angrier, probably even disgusted. Instead Blake's cheeks were flushed and her ears were perked up.
"Weiss, do you remember what I told you about Faunus having their animalistic traits touched?" Weiss nodded.
"You don't like it." Blake shook her head.
"My people don't let people they don't trust touch them. For a long time humans would rip them off or hunt us for them. So having someone else touch them started to become an intimate sign of trust amongst my people."
"Really?" Weiss asked. Blake nodded. Blake closed the distance between them, slipping her hands into hers. She smiled as she ran her thumb over the back of Weiss' hand.
"That guy was a jerk, and just as bad as those people in that store we went to. You did nothing wrong, and neither did I." The blush returned to her face. "And… I would like it if you touched my ears." Weiss felt her heart jump into her throat and her cheeks grow warm.
"You're sure?" Blake nodded. Weiss swallowed and shakily untangled her hands from Blake's. She gingerly reached up to Blake's head, her left ear twitched, and Weiss looked into Blake's eyes. Blake met her gaze, adoration in her eyes and smiled at her. Weiss swallowed and gently put her hands on Blake's ears.
They were wet from the rain but the fur was soft and felt silky smooth to the touch. She ran her thumbs in a circular motion on the inside part of her ears. She smiled, they were as nice as she had imagined them to be. She let go of her ears and brought her hands back down, slipping one back into Blake's hand.
"Thank you, for letting me do that Blake." Weiss said. Blake smiled, slipping her other hand into Weiss' free hand.
"Thank you, mattä, that felt really nice." Weiss cocked her head to the side.
"Mattä? What does that mean?" Blake giggled.
"I'll tell you later." Blake let go of her hands and started to walk down the street again, pulling her bow from her pocket and wrapping it around her ears. "Let's go home, Weiss."
Yang watched rain run down the window as Ruby and Penny watched a movie together on their bed. It was getting late, hopefully they would be back soon. She looked away from the window and over at Ruby; she was smiling as Penny snuggled against her. She smiled.
She had planned on keeping that a secret from Ruby till the day she died but somehow, having Ruby know about what she did to provide for her felt like a huge burden was lifted; she felt lighter. She was so proud of her younger sister, she was so strong, and so brave. She could never know what it felt like to be born in the wrong body, but she knew how hard it was for people like her.
The door to the dorm opened and Yang looked over to see Weiss and Blake enter. They looked…. happy? They were both soaked but they were both smiling as they entered, Blake glancing back over to Weiss every few seconds.
"We're back." Weiss said. Ruby waved at them in greeting.
"I am back as well," Penny said. Yang sat up from her bed as Weiss went over to the bathroom door. Weiss looked back at Blake as she opened it.
"It okay if I shower first?" she asked. Blake nodded and said
"Yeah, go ahead." Yang reached over to the bookshelf and grabbed the sketchbook from its place. She stuffed it into her jacket as she stood up. She cleared her throat, catching Blake's attention.
"Blake, can I talk to you outside?" Blake eyed her warily, her eyes narrowed a bit, before giving a small nod. Yang left the room and Blake followed, shutting the door. Yang looked down both ends of the hallway before she leaned against the wall, Blake cocking an eyebrow as she watched her.
"Is something the matter, Yang?" she asked.
"I want to know what's going on between you and Weiss." Blake frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, when we all first met you and Weiss weren't exactly friendly. You dove out a window and hid in Vale for two days after she found out you were a Faunus because you were so afraid of her reaction. And you were so mean to her when you two were out a while ago that she came home crying and talking about killing herself." Blake's eyes widened and her bow twitched as she looked away.
"I… I didn't know I hurt her that badly."
"Which is why I'm asking; what's going on between you two?" Blake looked back over at her.
"I don't follow."
"She took you on a shopping date, you two spent the dance together, doing who knows wh-"
"We danced," Blake interrupted. Yang blinked in surprise.
"And now you're coming back from… what exactly?" Blake shifted her feet and rubbed her arm before answering
"I guess you would call it a date."
"What did you two do?"
"I took her out to a club I know in downtown." Yang raised her eyebrows in surprise; Blake and Weiss in a club? What the fuck? Blake noticed her expression and waved her hands as she said "Not that kind of club. It's a poetry club run by Faunus." Oh. That made more sense. She crossed her arms.
"And?"
"And some stuff happened, Weiss got harassed by some jerk and I stood up for her and then we left and walked home."
"Did you call her, mattä, during any of this?" Blake's face drained of color and her eyes widened.
"How did-?" Yang pulled out the sketchbook, flipping to the last few pages, the ones covered in drawings of Weiss and words written in alien looking letters. Blake glared at her. "What are you doing with that!" she tried to snatch the book away but Yang held it into the air, out of Blake's reach. "Give that back!" she said, trying to snatch the book back.
"I will, I just need to know something." Blake paused her attempts to swipe the book back, meeting Yang's eyes. "What does it mean? Why are you drawing her so much? Who was that man in the other drawings?" Blake rubbed her face and stepped back.
"I don't want to talk about him." Yang nodded, and lowered the book, still keeping it close to her person though.
"Okay, we won't then. But that doesn't answer my other questions." Blake exhaled through her nose and crossed her arms.
"Mattä is a word from my people's language." She started to blush and looked away, her gaze locked on the wall opposite of them. "It means, the beauty of moonlight." Her blush deepened. "I think Weiss is a good muse, and I like drawing her, so what?" Yang offered the book back to her. Blake snatched it back, clutching it to her chest.
"Did anything… else happen while you two were walking home?" Blake's lip twitched and her face remained red.
"I… I let her touch my ears." Yang cocked her head to the side.
"Is that an important thing for you guys?" Blake's face was a deep red.
"I told Weiss that it's considered a very special thing my people only do with people they absolutely trust but it's also a bit more…intimate than that." Blake looked down at her feet. "The closest thing I can compare it to for your people would be a…. a kiss." Yang's mouth fell open, her heart aching.
"You mean?" Blake didn't look up.
"Yeah." Yang took a step towards Blake, who continued to stare at her feet.
"When did you realize it?" Blake shook her head.
"I don't know," she said.
"Are you worried she won't like you back?" Blake shook her head.
"I'm worried if she does. I'm a Faunus, Yang. We both know what her family thinks about my people." Yang put a hand on Blake's shoulder.
"Do you think you would be able to change their minds like you did with Weiss?" Blake shook her head. Yang forced a comforting smile, hiding the pain.
"Well you know that Ruby and I will always have you and Weiss' back right?" Blake hesitated before nodding. "I think she likes you back Blake, and maybe she's just too afraid to act on it like you are. But I want you to promise me something." Blake looked up at her, meeting her gaze. She let the fake smile fall, a grim stare replacing it. "I don't want Weiss to ever come home like she did that night. I don't care what kind of fight you two get into, don't make her feel like that again. Okay?" Blake nodded, and Yang embraced her. Blake stiffened before returning the hug. "I love you two, and I want you two to be happy, okay? I know it's hard and I can't promise that everything will be okay if you end up together but you two clearly care about each other, and I will support you two no matter what."
"Thank you, Yang." Blake said. They broke the hug and Yang held the door open for Blake before following her in.
And that's it, let me know what you think. Just one more fluff chapter and then its on to my fave part of vol2: the Mt. Glenn Arc!