Ok, couple things. One, this chapter is the longest I've ever posted. Seriously, I could have split it into 3 chapters comfortably. But that leads me to - two, this is such an adorable chapter and I love it and I hope that you all love it too!
THANK YOU to all of the people who have followed/favorited/reviewed/etc. If you wonder how a story becomes 140,000 words...well, you certainly help!
And, don't fret yet, there will be an official epilogue next week (which is also pretty cute!) :)
Cracking her eyes open to find the first rays of sunshine filtering in through the bedroom window, Blake let a long yawn. She would have stretched her arms up above her head as well, but she was still being held firmly within the sleeping Yang's grasp. A comfortable sigh escaped her lips as she enjoyed the all-encompassing warmth she was currently cocooned within.
She was warm – so amazingly, wonderfully warm. But she was always warm these days, ever since the battles had ended. Yang had become such a constant presence by her side that she had nearly forgotten what it had ever felt like to be cold.
A now familiar rumble began reverberating in her chest as a purr started up once again, breaking the silence in the room. She tried to quiet the sound, afraid it would wake Yang up – she wasn't ready for this peaceful moment to end just yet – but found that the more she thought about not waking Yang up, the louder the sound became. After a few more fruitless seconds, she gave up completely and freely allowed the loud vibrations to roll out of her in waves.
It was past time for them to get up, anyway.
As she had suspected, Yang began stirring in her sleep, unconsciously tugging Blake closer to her. Blake felt herself growing even warmer due to her new proximity to her partner – the increased heat creating a thick blanket that lay over her like a comfortable fog. Her eyes began drooping as sleep threatened to claim her once again.
She let out a tiny shriek when she found herself suddenly lying flat on her back, staring up into vibrant lilac eyes as a veil of blonde hair cascaded around her.
"Nuh uh uh. You can't go back to sleep now that you've woken me up with all that adorable purring!" Yang teased. The blonde smirked down at her, already wide awake.
Blake sighed in fake exasperation, trying to slow her rapidly fluttering heart without cluing Yang in to how flustered she already was.
"You were the one who seemed adamant on missing your own sister's wedding," she remarked playfully, eyes never leaving Yang's face while waiting for a pout to appear.
"Aww…you know I would never be late on a day like today!" Yang whined pitifully, just as Blake had expected.
She grinned, satisfied with having successfully predicted Yang's reaction. Digging her elbows back into the covers, she raised herself high enough to meet Yang's lips with her own – kissing the sulk away.
Falling gently back to the bed, she giggled at the stunned expression on Yang's face. Glancing quickly to her side, she read the time from the clock sitting on the nightstand beside the still flourishing lily.
"We should probably get up now…" she commented softly, giving Yang a regretful look. She felt her heart speed up when she recognized the hungry look in Yang's eyes, realizing that the blonde effectively had her trapped in this position.
"Why?" Yang whispered quietly, lowering her lips to ghost lightly against Blake's ear when she continued speaking, "Why can't we stay right here?"
Blake swallowed, suddenly drawing a complete blank on the reason why they had to get up this morning while Yang peppered her neck with light kisses.
Something about…some sort of event…maybe…like a party or…
"T-the wedding!" she finally sputtered – eliciting a loud groan from Yang, who halted her actions to raise her head and look back down at a now very flustered Blake.
"I disowned Ruby a week ago, so can't we skip the wedding?" she asked, expression somewhat serious.
"You can't disown your sister; you love her," Blake chastised lightly, pushing Yang gently in the shoulder. When Yang collapsed sideways on the bed with another groan, Blake quickly scrambled to her feet and went to get a change of clothes.
"You'd better get up. Weiss has every single minute of this day planned - and we're already 3 minutes late."
She left the disappointed blonde on the bed in favor of getting herself ready as quickly as possible. She had no doubt that Yang would already be dressed as soon as she returned to the room though – the blonde seemed to have inherited just a small fraction of Ruby's speed, after all.
When she returned to the room, Yang was already waiting patiently by the door for her, ready to go.
"Ready?" Blake asked, moving to push open the door only to be stopped when Yang held up one arm to block her path.
"If you want to leave the room, you're gonna have to pay the toll!" the blonde remarked with a huge grin.
Blake rolled her eyes, but decided against trying to argue with the girl. They were already going to be late – and she couldn't exactly say that she didn't want to do what it was Yang wanted.
Leaning forward, she stood slightly on her tiptoes in order to prop herself up to Yang's height before crashing their lips together.
Yang let out a muffled noise in surprise at the intensity of the kiss while Blake forcefully pushed the blonde backwards until her back was pressed against the door she had just been guarding. She involuntarily shivered when she felt Yang's hands running down her sides while their lips clashed together in a struggle for dominance. All the while, Blake was stretching out her own hand behind Yang, feeling her away along the wood of the door as she searched for the doorknob behind the girl's back.
Finally finding the handle, she grinned against Yang's lips as she turned it and shoved Yang backwards at the same time – sending the blonde stumbling out into the hall with a loud yelp of surprise.
Rushing into the hallway after the girl, Blake cringed when she saw Weiss already waiting at the bottom of the staircase for them, arms crossed over her chest and foot tapping the ground impatiently.
"Nice of you two to finally get up," Weiss said by way of greeting them good morning. "I hope you had a lovely morning."
"Could have been a little longer," Yang replied with small jab into Blake's side that made her flush even deeper in embarrassment.
Weiss glowered at both of them, clearly noticing the flushed expressions and shortness of breath both of them were currently experiencing.
"Come on, Weiss, lighten up! Today is supposed to be a happy day. You're getting married, remember? To a certain team leader who just so happens to have an astonishingly beautiful older sister?" Yang chuckled at her own joke, which had very little effect on improving Weiss' mood.
"I would 'lighten up' if you two would just follow the schedule so that I knew you would actually make it to the wedding on time," Weiss replied crossly.
"Ok, Weiss," Blake responded quickly, cutting Yang off before the blonde could reply and make things worse. "We're up and ready to help – what do you need us to do this morning?"
A heavy sigh escaped the heiress' lips, as she looked both relieved and absolutely exhausted.
"I just need you to go pick up your dresses, then meet me at the house so we can make sure everything is set up correctly."
"Jeez, we had to get up early for that?" Yang whined before Blake landed a sharp elbow in the blonde's side.
"Dresses, got it," she responded to Weiss as she began pulling Yang towards the front door.
"Oh, and Yang?" Weiss said, causing both of them to pause their movement to turn back to the now smirking heiress. "This time, I actually will be the one paying for your dresses."
Blake felt one of her ears flick in confusion, turning to look at Yang quizzically.
"What…" she began to ask, but Yang had already grabbed ahold of her hand and practically dragged her through the front door.
"Got it, Weiss!" the blonde yelled back to Weiss with a wave over her head as she powered forward towards the street.
"So, how about we take Bumblebee?" Yang asked hastily, not giving Blake a moment to respond before tossing a helmet to her and hopping onto the motorcycle parked in front of their home. Blake narrowed her eyes at her partner's obvious avoidance of the question, but decided it wasn't worth pursuing right now. Pulling her own helmet onto her head, which Yang had so sweetly had emblazoned with Blake's name on the back, she got onto the vehicle behind her partner.
Wrapping her arms tightly around Yang's waist, she tucked her chin across Yang's shoulder while the blonde fired up the motorcycle and tore away from the house, leaving fresh tire treads in their wake.
"I hope Weiss can actually relax and enjoy herself today," Blake yelled over the roar of the wind rushing past them.
She felt Yang shake her head in response.
"She won't be able to relax without Ruby around!" the blonde shouted back to her as they slid quickly around a street corner, legs nearly scrapping the ground from the severity of the angle. "This is all because they listened to Nora and Jaune and agreed to stay apart the night before – you saw how tired she looked; she can't sleep without Ruby anymore."
"What do we do?" Blake asked, feeling horrible that Weiss might be miserable for the better portion of the day until she could finally see Ruby again. It certainly didn't seem like a very fitting way to spend what should be one of the best days of her life.
"We pick up our dresses…then we commence Operation Free Ruby," Yang replied confidently, pushing Bumblebee to even higher speeds as they raced towards their first destination.
They arrived several minutes later at the store - which Blake recognized as soon as she saw the front door. It was the same shop they had gone shopping at all that time ago when Blake had needed a dress for Weiss' event – in what now seemed to be an entirely different lifetime. It's where Yang had gotten her to try on so many different gowns and where…
"Oh! Good morning!"
They both turned towards the voice greeting them as soon as they had entered the store. Blake internally groaned when she recognized the attractive redhead standing there staring at them – well, staring at Yang - in hardly concealed delight.
"U-uh…good morning," Yang replied, sending a small, sheepish smile in Blake's direction. "We're here to pick up some dresses?"
"Of course! For the wedding!" Taryn remarked gleefully, practically skipping behind the counter to pull two bagged gowns from a rack. Blake frowned while they followed her over to the counter, wondering if the girl had just been waiting for Yang to show up.
"I really hope it's not your wedding," the girl teased while she checked the tags on the two gowns to make sure she had grabbed the right ones.
Blake felt a spike of protectiveness flair up while Yang laughed uncomfortably at the comment.
"O-oh, no, it's actually my little sister's," the blonde replied, the fingers on her right hand tapping out a nervous tune against the countertop while they waited for Taryn to finish meticulously folding their dresses and placing them in a bag.
"Oh good!" Taryn replied happily, looking up at Yang with a broad smile.
Blake felt a small sneer curl her lip when she saw the look the redhead was giving her girlfriend. Before she realized what she was doing, she slammed her left hand down on top of Yang's tapping fingers, silencing the noise while clasping Yang's hand tightly within her own. She forced a smile onto her face, ignoring the stunned expression Yang was now giving her as she faced down the store clerk.
"Yes, it really is great," Blake commented, her voice dripping in a sickening amount of sweet behind her unwavering smile. "Now if you could just get us our dresses. We really don't want to be late."
The clerk's mouth hung slightly ajar in shock, her eyes rapidly flitting back and forth between Blake, Yang, and their joined hands.
Finally coming out of her own stunned stupor, Yang pulled her hand away. Blake looked at the blonde, hurt that she had just done such a thing. But Yang just smiled back at her before throwing her arm around Blake's shoulders and pulling her close, pressing a quick kiss to her temple.
"My amazing girlfriend couldn't be more correct – we don't want to be late. Are these the right dresses? Are they ready to go?"
Blake tried to fight it, but she couldn't help a triumphant grin from growing now that Taryn's jaw was hanging completely open. The dazed girl managed to nod her head slightly while pushing the bag across the counter to them.
"Perfect," Yang replied, reaching forward to pick up the bag while never releasing her grip on Blake's shoulders.
"It was great to see you again, Taryn," she called out happily as she steered Blake out of the store, bag in hand.
Once outside, Yang tugged Blake close and placed another kiss on her cheek.
"I could really get used to jealous Blake," the blonde whispered in her ear, causing Blake to scoff and push herself out of Yang's grasp when they reached Bumblebee.
"You wish I was jealous," she replied proudly, stopping stubbornly in front of the bike with her arms crossed over her chest. "I was just trying to save you from another collecting another fan girl, is all."
Yang laughed at her obvious lie, holding the bag out for Blake to hold while she drove.
But instead of getting onto the bike, Yang bite her lip thoughtfully, picking up Blake's helmet and holding up one finger for Blake to wait a second. She watched curiously as the girl fished her keys out of her pocket and then took the tip of one to the back of the helmet, digging the metal into the pristine paint.
Seconds later, Yang spun the item around in her hands and held it up for Blake to see.
Where the helmet had once read 'Blake' on the back, Yang had scratched an 's into the paint.
It now read: "Blake's."
Beaming at her speechlessness, Yang casually flipped the helmet back around and tugged it on. After jumping onto Bumblebee, Yang politely handed Blake her old helmet before coaxing the vehicle to life.
Blake put the helmet on and climbed behind Yang without uttering a word, completely floored by the seemingly simple gesture Yang had just made. Wrapping her arms around Yang's waist, she gripped the girl tightly – this time hugging her far more than simply steadying herself.
Every few seconds, she leaned back slightly to reread the letters now adorning the back of Yang's helmet.
Blake's.
She was really glad Yang couldn't see the stupid smile that refused to leave her face the entire drive to Team JNPR's house.
Ten minutes later, Yang pulled Bumblebee over to the curb on a quiet neighborhood street in front of a large, friendly-looking two story home. Blake could only assume that this was where Team JNPR had been staying for the past few years, but she had never been there before today. Although the building wasn't massive on the scale of Schnee Manor, it was still a very expensive home for a team of huntsmen to be living in. Of course, Pyrrha Nikos wasn't exactly poor, so Blake was fairly certain that the redhead had played some role in supplying the accommodations for her team.
Disembarking the motorcycle, Blake set the bag she had been holding down on the sidewalk by Bumblebee's side. They were seriously going to have to steam those dresses before the wedding – the wrinkles would probably be unbearable by now.
"Do you have Gambol Shroud with you?" Yang asked, balancing her new helmet on one of the handlebars before quickly fixing her hair.
"What?" Blake asked, confused about why Yang would even ask such a question. "Of course not. Why would I need Gambol Shroud?"
"Because they aren't just going to release Ruby that easily," Yang responded seriously, making Blake laugh at the ridiculousness of the comment.
"Why wouldn't they let her go? We just have to tell them that we've come to get her because Weiss needs to see her – they aren't going to hold her hostage."
Raising an eyebrow, Yang gave her a doubtful look.
"Ok…we'll try it your way first," she conceded as if allowing Blake to win some huge argument, before they turned and walked up the pathway to the front door.
Blake gave the door three quick raps with her knuckles and then backed up to stand beside Yang.
"I wonder who they left behind to guard Ruby…" Yang mused to herself while they waited for the door to open. "I really hope it wasn't…"
"Hey guys!" Nora greeted them enthusiastically as she yanked the door open. Yang let out a small groan before shooting Nora a big smile.
"Hi Nora," she responded politely before turning towards Blake, nodding her head in Nora's direction as a signal for her to take the lead on the conversation.
"Good morning, Nora," Blake replied only after rolling her eyes at Yang's unwillingness to ask for her own sister.
"What are you two doing here? Aren't we supposed to be meeting at Weiss' place in a couple hours?" Nora asked curiously.
"Yeah, that was the plan…but actually, we came to get Ruby early," she replied, immediately noticing how Nora's pupils dilated and her muscles tensed at the disclosure. "Weiss is just really stressed and needs to see Ruby, otherwise her entire day might be awful."
"Sorry, Blake – can't help ya!" Nora responded curtly, even going so far as to step through the door and pull it shut behind her, as if they were going to try to sneak past her.
Blake stared at her, looked at Yang, then back again to Nora – completely flabbergasted.
"W-what? Why not?" she asked in complete disbelief.
"Because I took an oath to keep those two lovebirds separated until they're ready to say 'I do,'" Nora responded proudly, positively beaming at the huge responsibility she had been given.
"But Nora, who cares if they're separated if they're miserable? This is supposed to be their special day – their day to be happy!" Blake argued, only succeeding in making Nora cross her arms over her chest; Blake could feel her own indignation beginning to mount at Nora's thick-headedness.
"Nora, you can't possibly think –"
"Oook, thank you, Nora!" Yang cut in suddenly, grabbing Blake's arm, spinning her around and pulling her away from the house.
"Yang, what are you doing? We need to get Ruby!" Blake hissed through gritted teeth at the blonde as her helmet and the bag with the dresses were forced back into her hands.
"I know," Yang responded quietly while pulling on her own helmet. "But we'll never get anywhere if we try to reason with her."
"So we're just going to leave?" Blake asked incredulously, but obediently climbed back onto Bumblebee behind Yang, who turned and gave a friendly wave to the huntress still standing guard by the front door.
With a loud roar of the engine, they tore off down the block. Yang made what seemed like several random turns before she pulled to a stop in front of another house.
"Where are we?" Blake asked as she got back off the vehicle, now thoroughly confused as to what they were doing.
"We're just parking here – we had to drive away so Nora would think we left," Yang explained to her. "Now, it's time for Plan B."
"And what exactly might that be?" Blake crossed her own arms while regarding her partner dubiously.
"We break Ruby out, of course," Yang responded with a goofy grin.
Blake shook her head, but smiled anyway.
It had seemed like such an easy task – drive to Team JNPR's house, ask for Ruby, take Ruby to Weiss. Why things had come to this, she would not know. But she was positive they weren't leaving until they had successfully freed their team leader.
Yang motioned for Blake to fall in step behind her, leading the way through a trail of small pathways cutting in between the houses in the neighborhood. Blake sincerely hoped that none of the other homeowners were currently looking out their windows, because they likely wouldn't take too kindly to two strangers traipsing through their yards. But Yang held up her hand for Blake to stop seconds later.
Peering out from behind the blonde, she found that they were now at the edge of the large, green backyard of Team JNPR's home. Yang pointed towards a window accompanied by a balcony on the second story, towards the left of the house.
"Think you can get up there?" she whispered, even though there was hardly any chance Nora could hear them from out here.
"Of course," Blake responded, slightly offended that Yang would even ask whether she was capable of sneaking into a second story window. She could sneak into a window on the twentieth story if she needed to! The second story was child's play.
They quickly raced across the lawn and jumped easily up to the small balcony. Blake moved to unlock the window with a small pin she always kept on her for such instances, but rolled her eyes when she discovered that it was already unlocked.
Pushing it carefully open, she dropped noiselessly inside, every sense on high alert as she scanned the…abandoned storage room…they had just broken into. A random assortment of odd and ends seemed to have collected in the location, with little rhyme nor reason to their storage.
As Yang jumped into the room behind her, Blake moved to the hallway door. Pressing her ear against it, she could make out voices, but not directly outside. Slowly twisting the handle and pulling the door open, she couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh when she saw that plush carpet lining the hallway in front of her.
This would surely go down as the easiest break-in in the entire history of break-ins…
Creeping into the carpeted hallway with Yang right on her heels, they made no sound at all while they moved towards the partially open door at the end of the hall, tracking the voices to their source.
Making it to the end of the hall, Blake peeked into the room, which she immediately pegged as Nora's bedroom from all of the pink and clutter. Both Nora and Ruby were sitting atop Nora's bright pink and white bed, happily playing a game of cards.
She turned around to Yang, who was crouched behind her and assessing the new situation they had found themselves in.
"What do we do now?" Blake mouthed to her partner. She had expected to break in and get Ruby stealthily, which would now be impossible with the two girls in the same room together.
"Plan C," Yang mouthed back to her.
The blonde didn't even give Blake an opportunity to respond before she burst through the bedroom door, launching herself directly at Nora and tackling the girl right off the bed – crashing into the opposite wall as playing cards flew everywhere.
Blake rushed into the room behind the girl, figuring that Plan C was…well…this. Whatever this was. She stared at the two huntresses wrestling on the ground in shock.
"Yang?" Ruby shouted as she bolted off the bed. "What are you doing?!"
"Ruby!" Yang managed to yell out as she temporarily pinned Nora to the ground underneath her – before one of Nora's hands grabbed a fistful of blonde hair in an attempt to make Yang to release her. Yang let out a growl that transformed into a loud grunt when Nora managed to break free, smashing Yang harshly into the bedroom wall.
"She can't leave!" Nora panted out before the two were locked in another round of fighting.
"Blake! Find something to tie her up – handcuffs, anything!" Yang yelled before Nora slammed her into the wall a second time.
"Handcuffs? Why would I find handcuffs?" Blake asked incredulously, ducking as Nora tossed Yang unceremoniously across the room and into the opposite wall.
"I don't know; it's Nora!" the blonde got out before Nora barreled across the room towards her.
Blake ran to the desk and dressers lining the other side of the room, trying to keep one eye on Yang and Nora while the other was searching for something to use to restrain the huntress. Finding a large coil of rope laying on top of a chest of drawers, she reached out and grabbed it, prepared to rush over to her partner's aid.
That was, until she felt the rope begin moving within her grasp – wriggling as if it were…
Her scream instantly froze Yang and Nora in their tracks as she flung the object across the room and jumped as far away from it as possible.
"WHY DO YOU HAVE A SNAKE IN HERE?!" she shrieked – heart caught in her throat in fright.
Nora's eyes widened before she ran towards where Blake had just thrown the creature.
"Oh no, not Stan! Come here, Stan!" the girl called out, voice filled with worry as she got down on her hands and knees in search of the animal. Breathing a sigh of relief a few seconds later, she stretched underneath her desk and pulled out not one, but two snakes.
Blake took another step backwards, finding her back now pressed into the bedroom wall in her attempt to put as much distance between her and Nora as possible.
"Why aren't they in a cage?" Yang asked in a high pitched voice as she also took a couple steps away from Nora.
"Oh no, now you sound just like Jaune…" Nora muttered before cooing towards her pets, "He wants to put you in a cage all the time, doesn't he? Oh yes he does."
"Uh, guys?"
The three of them looked over, suddenly remembering that Ruby was still there with them.
"Anyone want to explain what's going on?" the brunette asked.
"Yes!" Blake shouted, before Nora sent a glare her way, advancing on her menacingly with snakes still in hand.
"No - you were just stopping by to say hello, weren't you?" Nora replied forcefully.
Blake looked at Yang, then back to Nora. With the expression on Yang's face right now, there was no way the blonde was going anywhere near Nora as long as the snakes were still in play. But there had to be some way to convince Nora to let Ruby go…
Suddenly, Blake remembered something.
"Hey, Nora…" she began slowly, "aren't those the snakes you gave to me when I was in the hospital?"
Nora froze, eyes growing wide at the realization.
"Uh…no I don't think so…" she answered cagily, now backing away from Blake while clutching the creatures closer to her chest. When Blake leveled her with a disbelieving stare, Nora bit her lip in thought.
"Actually…I think that maybe…just one of them was..."
Blake recoiled when Nora thrust one of the snakes towards her. She crossed her arms firmly over her chest in order to avoid accepting the offer.
"No…I distinctly remember two snakes in that box," Blake replied with a sly grin, forcing herself to take a baby step closer to Nora once the girl had withdrawn her offering. "You were going to look out for them until I got better, remember? Well, I think that I'd be able to take care of them now if…"
Nora looked up at her, eyes already growing misty at the thought of being separated from the creatures in her arms. Blake managed to hold back the chuckle she felt bubbling up in her chest – Ren had been completely right about the girl's willingness to give them up.
"Stan and Sue?" the girl whined, lower lip sticking out in a pout.
"I guess…that maybe you could keep them a little while longer…" Blake replied slowly, grinning at the huge smile that lit up Nora's face. "In exchange for letting us leave with Ruby, of course."
Nora bit her lip, glancing between Ruby and the snakes several times before finally nodding her head in agreement.
"Deal!" she answered excitedly, switching both snakes to one arm and extending the other hand to shake Blake's.
"Guys, seriously!"
The three of them winced before turning their attention back to Ruby, finding the girl standing with her hands on her hips in a very Schnee-like display of annoyance.
"Is anyone ever going to tell me what's going on?"
Yang chuckled, running one hand through her hair.
"Sorry, Ruby!" she apologized sincerely. "Weiss needs to see you – she's super stressed and not having a good day at all."
"Why didn't you just say that to begin with?" Ruby squealed before racing out of the room and down the stairs, leaving the three of them in a flurry of rose petals.
"Wait!" Yang yelled as they chased Ruby out of the room. "Ruby, you can't run there! Weiss will be furious if you're all sweaty when you arrive!"
When they finally made it downstairs, they found Ruby bouncing up and down impatiently by the door.
"Well then hurry up!"
"Wait, Yang – we brought Bumblebee. How are three of us going to fit on Bumblebee?" Blake asked, realizing the logistical failure in their immediate future.
"I can drive you guys," Nora suggested, grabbing her keys off of the hook by the front door. "I'll just head over early."
They shrugged their shoulders in silent agreement and followed Nora to Team JNPR's garage, where Nora's massive pink and white monster truck was currently parked.
"You have to take us by Bumblebee to get our dresses first though," Yang instructed the girl while pulling herself up into the front seat.
"Got it!"
Nora revved the engine loudly before tearing out of the garage and onto the street, taking out Team JNPR's mailbox in the process. As splinters of wood scattered across the road, Blake suddenly wondered if riding with Nora had been the best of ideas.
After stopping by the house a few blocks away to pick up their dresses and Bumblebee, Nora sped them towards the Schnee mansion that would be hosting the wedding.
When they arrived several minutes later, Blake pushed open the door and fell to the ground, dropping to her knees as she internally praised the solid ground beneath her feet. She heard Yang and Ruby drop down beside her moments later.
"Ugh…I think I'm going to hurl…" Yang moaned pitifully, holding one hand over her mouth.
"That was so not better than running here," Ruby added miserably.
Blake would have added something, but was too afraid of opening her mouth at that moment.
"Come on guys - it's party time!" Nora quipped cheerfully, striding forward on the long marble walkway after tossing her keys to the valet standing, jaw dropped, on the edge of the circular drive.
When the world had finally stopped spinning, Blake was able to peel herself back off the ground, grab the bag with their (now immeasurably wrinkled) dresses still in it, and follow Yang and Ruby towards the front door on slightly wobbly legs. Only then was she able to take in the beautiful sight of the house – transformed and decorated in celebration of the two huntress' wedding.
The entire walkway was lined by hundreds, maybe thousands, of white roses. Blake had heard Weiss and Ruby discussing their choices of flowers just a few days ago and already knew why they had decided upon white roses. White since it was Weiss' favorite color, and a rose because that was Ruby's symbol (as well as her name). It had apparently been an excellent choice, since the walkway looked absolutely breathtaking with the way the flowers had been arranged.
After being bowed through the front entrance by two nearly identical butlers, Blake found that the ballroom from the previous event had been redone to house the wedding's reception later this evening. Sterling place settings were being meticulously arranged on each of the round tables dotting the edge of the room. More white roses were everywhere, covering the entire room with their slightly intoxicating, but not too overpowering aroma. Wait staff were rushing back and forth in every direction as they tried to finish their assigned tasks in time.
And, standing right inside the front door, currently barking at a poor waiter that the wine glasses were not clean enough, stood the organizer herself.
"Hey, Weiss!" Yang called out cheerfully while they approached the girl.
"You're late," came the snappy reply – without even so much as a glance behind her to see them.
"I know, butttt…we brought you something extra special," Yang replied, sending a wink towards Ruby.
Weiss huffed loudly, but turned around regardless. The scowl set on her face said that she was prepared to let them have it for showing up horribly late, but the expression instantly lifted when she saw Ruby standing there beside them.
"Ruby?" she asked in astonishment, prompting the brunette to fly forward and wrap Weiss in a big hug.
"W-what are you doing here?" Weiss asked after Ruby stepped backward to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "You're supposed to be with Nora…we're not supposed to see each other until the ceremony!"
"Aww…you're not happy to see me?" Ruby pouted playfully, instantly causing Weiss to sputter.
"N-no! Of course I'm happy to see you!" she responded hastily. "I'm just…surprised. When Pyrrha told me that they had left Nora in charge of watching you, I knew there was no way I would see you any earlier than we had planned. How did you…?"
"Psh…I know how to handle Nora," Yang proclaimed boastfully when Weiss looked towards them with questioning eyes.
Blake raised an eyebrow and turned towards the blonde.
"Really. You handled Nora?" she asked teasingly, causing Yang to give her a sheepish smile in return.
"Ok, ok, Blake was the one who convinced Nora to let Ruby go," she clarified for the still speechless heiress.
"You shouldn't be all stressed and alone today, Weiss. It's our wedding day!" Ruby cut in, tugging on Weiss' hands in order to regain the girl's attention.
The heiress regarded the brunette adoringly for several seconds, her smile growing brighter and brighter while Ruby shifted side to side in barely tempered excitement. Blake could visibly see the tension begin to lift off of Weiss' shoulders as the girl finally felt able to relax.
"You're right, you're right. Of course you're right!" Weiss replied, glancing over to give Blake and Yang a genuine smile of gratitude.
"Not that you had anything to be stressed about, Weiss. This place looks amazing," Yang commented honestly. "Seriously, I don't know how you organized all of this on such short notice."
"Because she's a Schnee, of course," a woman's voice responded from behind them.
Blake turned in surprise to see Weiss' mother glide past her and Yang and over to her daughter, placing one hand lightly upon Weiss' shoulder in congratulations.
"And a Schnee could move a mountain in a day if they needed to," Isabella Schnee concluded with a glowing smile. "Or maybe…a satellite even."
Weiss blushed slightly at her mother's boast, but turned towards Ruby once more with a big smile. The heiress seemed unwilling to release Ruby's hand now that the brunette was back by her side.
"Everything does look splendid though," Weiss' mother remarked sincerely. "But why don't you four girls go get some rest and then start getting dressed? It looks like you could use it."
When Weiss opened her mouth to protest, her mother silenced her with a raised hand.
"I will oversee the rest of the setup down here," she replied calmly. "I believe I'm more than capable of orchestrating my own daughter's wedding. And I'll take care of those."
Blake obligingly handed over the bag holding their dresses when Mrs. Schnee reached out for them, thankful that someone else would take care of getting them back into pristine condition.
Weiss shut her mouth and gave her mom a small smile and nod, her exhaustion from not sleeping the night before seeming to have destroyed her will to argue.
"Yes, thank you…" she replied before gesturing for the three of them to follow her up the left side of the double staircase and into another large room where Weiss was supposed to change into her dress later. There were several comfortable chairs and a small sofa placed around the large gathering area, allowing Weiss and Ruby to curl up together on the sofa while Yang and Blake each took one of the chairs.
Within only a few minutes, Weiss had fallen blissfully asleep in Ruby's arms, with the brunette soon to follow. Blake watched intently as Yang gazed happily towards the two girls, a small smile frozen on her face. It was easy to see that the blissfulness of the two girls in front of her made her happy, as well.
When the blonde turned towards Blake with a big smile, Blake blushed and looked quickly away – embarrassed that she had just been caught staring.
A soft whistle called her attention back to Yang, who waved Blake over to her.
She decided to indulge the girl, walking over to Yang's chair and positioning herself comfortably in Yang's lap, just how they always sat when Blake was reading in the library. Yang's warm arms wrapped around her, quickly making Blake feel just as drowsy as the girls sleeping across from them. A familiar rumble began to pour from her chest as she settled into Yang's grasp.
"They're pretty cute together, huh," Yang whispered as one hand began playing with the ends of Blake's hair.
"Mhmm…" she responded sleepily, thoroughly enjoying the small twists and curls Yang was running through her hair while purrs continued to rattle through her chest in appreciation.
"Not as cute as us though, right?" Yang asked quietly. Blake didn't have to look up to know there was a huge grin on the blonde's face right now.
"Of course not," she responded, looking up towards that grin and the lilac eyes twinkling with mischief. "Ruby may be cute, but she's no you."
Yang laughed before leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to Blake's lips.
"And now I know that you think my sister's cute," the blonde replied teasingly. "I knew it – I just knew it. If I weren't around, you would totally have the hots for Ruby."
"I would not!" she instantly refuted – a tad too loudly, earning a small shushing gesture from Yang and a meaningful point towards the sleeping couple. She felt her face light up in embarrassment, not even knowing what else to say in order to try to save herself.
Instead, she decided to hide her face in Yang's shoulder as she tried to escape the blonde's judgment.
"If you weren't around, I would be out there looking for you…" she whispered into Yang's shirt.
Yang squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before pressing another kiss right between Blake's ears.
She couldn't have stopped her purring even if she had tried while she and Yang sat there in comfortable silence. No words needed to be said – they were just content to be there with each other for the time being.
Yang was the only one she had ever felt this relaxed around – so at ease and peace, even when they were doing nothing at all. With anyone else, the silence would have been unnerving; it would have made her restless. But she was happy to just sit here with her partner, on the very edge of sleep, while they recouped their energy in preparation for the rest of the day.
It must have been twenty minutes later that Blake noticed Weiss stirring within Ruby's arms. The moment the heiress' eyes cracked open, she shot to her feet in a panic – the movement startling Ruby back to consciousness at the same time.
"What time is it?" she demanded of Blake and Yang before pulling out her scroll to find out the answer herself. She sighed loudly in relief, but then turned to frown at Blake and Yang.
"Were you just going to let us sleep forever?" she asked tersely. "We could have been late to our own wedding!"
"Uh…" Yang stalled, looking down quizzically at Blake, still in shock that their peaceful moment had been shattered so swiftly and they were now the culprits in some crime they hadn't known they were committing.
"Weiss, we can't be late for our own wedding," Ruby remarked cheerfully as she stood and reassuringly touched the heiress' shoulder. "If we didn't show up on time, they would just have to wait for us!"
"But the guests…" Weiss began, only to be silenced by a single thin finger being placed to her lips.
"As long as the minister is here, we can get married. I don't care if anyone else witnesses it," Ruby replied with a loving smile.
"Hey!" Yang yelled in offense at the comment.
"Not even Yang," Ruby added playfully, turning and sticking her tongue out at her sister.
"Well there goes her gift…" Yang muttered so only Blake could hear. She giggled and swatted Yang's knee lightly in disapproval of the retribution.
"We should still get ready now – we don't have very long until we're supposed to be upstairs," Weiss insisted.
The three of them knew better than to try to argue with the girl today. Yang and Blake obediently got to their feet while Ruby gave Weiss a quick kiss on the cheek before preparing to leave the room with Yang.
As per another wedding tradition, Weiss and Ruby were going to change in their own separate rooms so that neither of them would see each other's wedding dresses until the ceremony had begun.
"See you in a bit!" the brunette said cheerfully before disappearing from the doorway in a cloud of rose petals. Yang winked at Blake before following her sister out at a normal pace.
Blake turned towards Weiss, who was gazing fondly at the rose petals as they slowly drifted towards the ground, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Uh…Should we get dressed now?" Blake finally asked in an attempt to pull Weiss out of her revere, pointing towards the large white bags hanging on a hook on the back of the bathroom door. Her own dress had been dropped off by one of the staff while Weiss and Ruby had been sleeping – newly steamed and completely wrinkle free.
Weiss gave a small start and refused to look directly at Blake when she realized that she had been caught staring for a little too long. Blake didn't fail to notice the small blush lighting up Weiss' cheeks as the heiress merely nodded in response, prompting the two of them to pull down the bags and step into the changing area.
Ruby and Weiss had both decided to wear white dresses, while Yang and Blake would be wearing scarlet red. The actual ceremony was going to be quite small, so only Blake and Yang were going to be bridesmaids for their respective brides.
Blake's own dress was quite simple – a pure red floor length gown that clung to every inch of skin it covered. There were no frills, lace, or ribbons - just smooth, satiny material that felt every bit as expensive as it looked. And, thankfully, it was nowhere near as revealing as some of the dresses Yang had tried to get Ruby to agree to.
Once she had changed, she walked carefully back out into the main room and waited for Weiss to appear. Honestly, she had been shocked when Weiss had requested that Blake be her maid of honor. She had thought for sure that there would have been a battle between Weiss and Ruby for Yang, but apparently the heiress had finally forgiven her for everything that had happened.
Or, as Weiss had put it – "Without you, there wouldn't even be a wedding – so stop complaining and agree to be my maid of honor!"
The sound of a door opening drew her attention out of her thoughts and to the beautiful girl now standing in front of her.
"Wow…Weiss, you look…wow," Blake stammered when she saw the girl.
"Do you think?" Weiss asked unsurely, spinning around in a circle as she looked at her own reflection in the mirror.
The dress was pure white and strapless. It clung to Weiss' more petite frame perfectly before falling into a long train flowing out behind her. There were three small bustles running around the middle of the gown, with the bodice covered in intricate crystals delicately placed to look like snowflakes. Several more snowflake patterns ran down the side of the dress and onto the train.
"It's just…perfect on you," Blake assured her honestly, genuinely taken aback by how amazing the heiress looked. "Ruby is going to flip when she sees you in that."
"Thank you," Weiss responded with a smile before carefully taking a seat in front of the mirror and pulling out a brush to run through her long white tresses. "I can't wait to see the dress she picked out either…"
Blake walked over and sat down on the edge of one of the chairs beside Weiss, watching the heiress gently brush her hair. She could tell Weiss was nervous by the way the girl's hand shook ever so slightly in between strokes of the brush. That and Weiss' hair already looked perfect – it didn't need to be brushed anymore.
"I'm sure you'll love it," she replied confidently, hoping to alleviate some of Weiss' nerves. "As Yang told me, it will 'knock your million lien panties right off.'"
Weiss scoffed at the comment and rolled her eyes.
"Eloquent, as always," she replied, making Blake laugh. "And that's not even the right phrase!"
"Well…she got the point across, at least," Blake commented, strangely fond of her partner's sometimes more brusque manner of speaking.
Weiss set the brush back down on the counter and turned fully towards Blake.
"How do I look?" she asked, standing up and adding a slow twirl so that Blake could take in her full appearance.
"Absolutely stunning," Blake replied positively, standing as well. "So…are you ready to get married?"
Weiss bit her lip lightly while her fingers tapped quickly against her palm. She was still a little nervous, Blake could tell, but after one deep breath, Weiss looked at her with clear eyes and a true smile before she answered.
"Yes."
The ceremony was taking place on the rooftop of the mansion, with only their closest friends and family members being invited to the main event. Weiss and Ruby had only wanted those dearest to them to be present for this part of the wedding.
Blake stood patiently in another waiting area near the doorway that would exit onto the roof, actively listening for the cue of music which would tell her that it was her time to walk down the aisle. She really hoped that Yang and Ruby would show up soon – since it would probably be pretty bad for Ruby to be late when Weiss was already…
"Sorry, sorry we're late!"
Blake turned towards Yang's voice, finding the blonde panting a bit as she came to a halt in front of her. Ruby was right on her heels, holding up the long train of her dress so as not to scuff it too much against the floor while she ran behind her sister.
"What took you two so long?" Blake asked curiously, sparing a few moments to thoroughly check out her partner in her own matching red dress.
In a competition of 'who wore it better,' Yang would win, hands down. It looked as if the dress had been designed with her specifically in mind, making the blonde's curves look incredibly tempting in the fabric. Blake found it becoming more and more difficult to tear her eyes away from the girl the longer she stared.
Of course, when Yang cleared her throat loudly, she immediately looked away with a blush, trying and failing to avoid seeing the satisfied smirk Yang was now wearing.
"We found all the food! There's so much good food…we had to try some of it," Ruby explained happily, eyes glazing over while she ruminated upon the small feast she had just had - completely oblivious to the looks Yang and Blake were giving each other.
Finally tearing her eyes away from Yang, Blake finally had the opportunity to see the dress Yang had been raving about for the past two days.
Ruby's dress was also strapless, but was lacking in any crystals or decorations on the front. Instead, a wide, red band wrapped around the very top of the gown, which connected to a long red strip that ran down the back length of the dress. The train was a beautiful layering of pure white on top of red, giving the gown a spectacularly vibrant appearance without the use of lace or sequins.
"Ruby, you look so…" she began, mouth hanging open as she took in the girl's magnificent dress.
"Cute?" Ruby asked with a wink, instantly setting Blake's cheeks on fire with a furious blush. She punched Yang 'lightly' in the shoulder - the blonde now nearly rolling on the ground in laughter.
A few familiar notes of music drifted through the doorway at that moment, signaling that it was now Blake's time to make her appearance. Straightening out her dress and giving Yang one last glare, she turned and faced the doorway in preparation. Seconds later, she heard her cue.
Pushing open the door, she found herself on the rooftop in the afternoon sun. They could not have wished for a more perfect day. Not too warm, but not too cold - the air was crystal clear as the sun made its descent towards the horizon. A gentle breeze blew the smell of roses across the roof, laying a comfortable fragrance over the area.
Blake had never been up to the rooftop before, but she now knew why Weiss and Ruby had decided to have their small wedding here. The view was absolutely breathtaking – with the expansive forest to the left extending as far as the eye could see. On the right, some of Vale's most prominent buildings could be seen in the distance, Schnee Tower amongst them.
A narrow white satin walkway was laid on the ground before her, leading directly to where Weiss was standing patiently with Professor Ozpin under a white trellis covered in vibrant green ivy.
When the sound of the door opening reached the guests, everyone turned in their chairs to look in her direction. She was pleased to find she knew all of the guests – Weiss' parents, Yang and Ruby's father and uncle, Glynda, Team JNPR, Team CFVY, Sun, Neptune, and, of course, little Zwei – wearing an adorable little tuxedo while he sat at the front by Weiss' feet.
She began her slow walk down the aisle, knowing that Yang would be following closely behind her. Making it to Weiss, she stood by the girl's side after giving her a warm smile of encouragement. When she turned around, she found that Yang was nearly to her own designated space – on the other side of the aisle from her and Weiss.
And as soon as Yang was standing across from them, the string quartet began the wedding march - prompting everyone to stand from their seats and look back to see Ruby finally appear on the rooftop. Blake heard Weiss audibly suck in her breath when she saw the girl. Glancing over to Yang, Blake received a wink from the blonde, who mouthed the words 'told ya so' to her before directing her attention back towards her sister.
When Ruby had finally reached the front, she turned towards Weiss, who immediately took both of the brunette's hands in her own. Blake noticed Yang try to discreetly wipe a tear away from one eye and made a quick mental note to tease the girl about it afterward.
As the guests retook their seats, Professor Ozpin began speaking.
"Dear friends and family…We are gathered here today to join these two fine huntresses in matrimony. Ms. Schnee – do you have any words for Ms. Rose?"
Weiss took a deep breath before she began speaking, holding onto Ruby's hands tightly.
"Ruby…first, you look absolutely gorgeous," Weiss began, causing Ruby to blush at the unexpected compliment before Weiss continued.
"I know that I haven't always been the easiest person to be partners with – I'm sure I gave you far more grief than you ever deserved. But even with all of the effort I put into trying not to become close to you, you always managed to wiggle your way closer to my heart. You're so unflinchingly positive and cheerful, you bring out the best in everyone who meets you…including me. And, if you'll let me, I'll try to be the very best wife you could ever ask for. I'll love you more than anyone else in the world – even when you're stealing cookies from my secret stash, leaving rose petals everywhere, or telling your sister my most embarrassing secrets."
Everyone laughed lightly when Weiss finished her vows. Ruby waited until Professor Ozpin gave her a slight nod before she began to speak.
"Weiss, you are the most beautiful, intelligent, poised, kindhearted person I have ever met. And every day I wake up, I can't believe that I can actually call you my girlfriend – and soon, my wife! I'll be the happiest person in the entire world if you agree to marry me. And I'll spend every day for the rest of my life trying my hardest to make you happy!"
As everyone 'aww'd' at Ruby's heartfelt speech, Blake glanced towards Yang, spotting more tears threatening to spill from the girl's eyes. She could feel tears stinging at her own eyes as she watched Weiss and Ruby gaze so lovingly at each other. It was clear to everyone how much the two adored each other…and after everything they had been through, it was nice that they finally got their happy ending.
Professor Ozpin smiled proudly down at the two girls before continuing his role.
"Ms. Schnee," he began, even though Weiss and Ruby refused to look away from each other for a single second as he spoke. "Do you take Ms. Rose to be your wife – to love her, honor her, comfort her, in sickness and in health – so long as you both may live?"
"I do," Weiss replied after hardly a millisecond of a pause.
"And do you, Ms. Rose, take Ms. Schnee to be your wife – to love, honor, and comfort, in sickness and in health – so long as you both may live?"
"I do!" Ruby exclaimed with a huge smile.
Professor Ozpin chuckled at Ruby's jubilation.
"Now the rings," he called, making Blake to fumble in her pocket for the ring Weiss had entrusted her with earlier that day. Handing the small band to Weiss, the heiress turned and slid the ring delicately onto Ruby's ring finger. She then lifted Ruby's hand up to her lips and kissed the newly placed band softly before releasing the brunette's hand, earning herself a small giggle for the gesture.
Ruby then turned excitedly back to Yang, who dutifully handed over the ring she had been holding for her sister. After the stunning silver band had been placed on Weiss' finger, the heiress drew her hand up to eye level in order to examine the craftsmanship more closely.
"Ohh don't touch that button!" Ruby suddenly shouted, instantly freezing Weiss' right hand as it was reaching over to touch the ring on her left. "That will…uh…release a small amount of tear gas designed to incapacitate anyone within a ten foot radius – of course, not you because you now know to close your eyes and hold your breath while you get away."
Blake stared at the ring with wide eyes as Weiss dropped her hand to her side and held her hand out in front of her as if it were a bomb.
"Anything else I should know?" Weiss asked calmly as everyone else continued to gaze at the ring in alarm.
"Uh…don't say the phrases 'Rubik's cube' or 'duck dollar' unless you want to use the Taser or poison darts," Ruby continued, much to everyone's surprise. "And! Don't get really nervous because it will pick up your increased pulse and temperature and…and…w-why don't I just take that back for now and give it to you later?"
Weiss laughed while pulling the ring off of her finger and handing it back to the brunette, who in turn gave it back to Yang. Yang handled the item much more carefully - delicately placing it back within its box.
Once the ring had been safely removed, Weiss pulled Ruby in for a big hug, still laughing in amusement from the ring her very own (soon to be) wife had made just for her. Mid-hug, only Blake could hear Weiss whisper into Ruby's ear, "And there's a tracking device in yours, so don't ever take it off..."
Blake chuckled while Ruby grinned and nodded at Weiss.
"Then…I now pronounce you wife and wife," Professor Ozpin finished happily.
Weiss didn't even bother to wait for the man to finish his speech as she pulled Ruby in for a long kiss. All those present, Blake and Yang included, applauded loudly when the two newlyweds finally separated and Weiss pulled Ruby back down the aisle towards the door they had just used to enter.
Blake felt a comforting wave of heat wash over her as Yang sidled over to her side, flashing her a bright smile while she casually tossed the small ring box up in the air.
"Ready for the after party?" she asked cheerfully.
"That depends…" Blake responded with a smile of her own. "Think you can hold it together without bursting into tears again?"
"I was not -! I wasn't crying," Yang denied - until she saw the look of disbelief Blake was giving her.
"Ok, ok, maybe I was crying a little, but come on, my little sister just got married!"
She laughed while taking one of Yang's hands in her own.
"Come on, let's go have some of that great food you and Ruby already helped yourselves to."
By the time they had made it downstairs to the main room of the mansion, they were shocked to find a huge party already underway. In the time they had been on the rooftop, a multitude of guests had apparently shown up for the reception.
"Uh, Weiss? Who are all these people?" Yang asked curiously, staring around at the strange faces in bemusement.
Weiss sighed at the question.
"They're 'friends' and acquaintances of my parents…" she explained forlornly. "The deal was that I could have the ceremony with only who I wanted, but the reception would be whoever they wanted."
"Ah, I see…" Yang commented slowly, glancing quickly around one more time at all of the expensively dressed guests surrounding them.
"I think it's great!" Ruby piped up from Weiss' side, drawing all attention towards her. "I mean, because everyone got what they wanted! We wanted to have a small wedding – and your parents wanted to have a huge party celebrating your marriage. And the more people to celebrate, the better!"
Weiss smiled at Ruby – until her eyes lighted upon someone standing behind the brunette.
"What are you two doing?" she asked in bewilderment. "We invited you this time – why are you still wearing the waiters' uniforms?"
Blake followed Weiss' gaze to find Sun and Neptune frozen in their tracks – dressed head to toe in the same outfits the waiters were wearing. The two boys grinned at them guiltily before Sun spoke up.
"We wanted to try to sneak into the kitchen…" he admitted. "We were told that you can ask the chef to make you anything in the world and he'll do it."
"Ohh…did you make it? Is it true?" Ruby asked eagerly, eyes growing wide at the first mention of food.
Weiss rolled her eyes and cut in before Sun or Neptune could answer.
"Come on you three – follow me," she ordered before striding purposefully in the direction of the kitchen doors. Ruby hastily followed Weiss – with Sun and Neptune not far behind, sharing a high five with each other as they walked away.
"I'm pretty sure Ruby was looking forward to the food today above anything else," Yang observed with a chuckle. "Oh! There's Pyrrha – I'll be right back. I have to go show her my scar!"
Yang pointed towards her ear, where the nearly-healed wound was already beginning to disappear. The brawler would be lucky if any scar at all was left behind once her aura had finished its job.
"Make sure you tell her how it's increased your hotness by a factor of ten," she called after the blonde teasingly, receiving a wink and 'oh I will' in response.
Now alone, she scanned the room more carefully, taking in all of the well-dressed guests who had shown up. Just like the Schnee fundraiser they had gone to before, wealth and affluence seemed to be the general theme. Thankfully though, the atmosphere seemed to be much more jovial and less business-like than the fundraiser had been.
In Ruby's words, this was a celebration, after all.
Searching amongst the crowd, her eyes suddenly lighted upon a familiar little girl wearing a royal purple dress with a wide white belt wrapping around her stomach and tied in a beautiful bow at her back. Her blonde hair was no longer in pigtails, instead flowing in expertly pressed waves down her back.
But it was unmistakably the same little girl.
Violet looked directly at Blake not two seconds later. And while Blake had expected that the little girl would not recognize her, the huge smile lighting up Violet's face immediately proved otherwise. The next moment, Violet was running across the ballroom floor, pushing past other guests before skidding to a stop directly in front of her.
She looked down at the young girl with a smile, feeling her uncovered ears flick faintly in anticipation of what the little girl had to say to her.
Without a word, Violet gestured for Blake to come closer, as if she had something to whisper in Blake's ear. She compliantly knelt down to the ground, leaning forward as she waited for Violet to tell her what she wanted to say.
The next second, her back stiffened when she felt a small hand unexpectedly petting her ears. She looked at Violet with wide eyes, finding the little girl focused intently upon Blake's ears while she moved her hand back and forth. After the initial shock of the sensation had worn off, Blake was able to relax her muscles and actually enjoy the feeling of Violet's tiny fingers poking at her ears.
She was shocked when a tiny rumble suddenly made it out of her chest, causing Violet to giggle gleefully – having the time of her life.
After several more seconds, Violet pulled her hand away and grinned up at her.
"You're my new favorite huntress!" the little girl whispered excitedly, cupping one hand on the side of her mouth as if telling Blake an enormous secret.
"Violet!"
Before Blake could even respond, Violet turned and ran back to her mom, bouncing in delight the entire way. Blake stood up, feeling a content smile on her face while she watched the girl run away.
"How do you know Violet Carlyle?"
Turning around in surprise, she found that Weiss had come up behind her – undoubtedly witnessing the entire interaction.
"Oh…I met her when I went dress shopping with Yang that one day," she replied casually. "Why is she here though? And how do you know her?"
"Her father owns Carlyle Transportation; Schnee Dust uses them exclusively for all of our overseas shipping. Surely you've heard of them - they're the largest shipping conglomerate in Remnant…" Weiss explained, giving Blake a strange look before continuing, "She's going to be a very, very powerful person one day."
Blake stared at Weiss in surprise before turning back towards the little girl – only to find that Yang had just stumbled into her, as well. Violet actually raced into Yang's arms and let the blonde pick her up and swing her in the air – both girls laughing as they twirled around in a circle.
Yang's words came storming back to her while she fondly watched the interaction.
Sometimes, it's the smallest of things…that can make a difference.
Once Yang had returned Violet to the ground and gave her one last hug, the blonde strode towards them with a huge smile on her face.
"I just heard that someone got to pet Blake Belladonna's ears, and it wasn't me," she said as soon as she within speaking distance. "I'm more than a little jealous."
"Oh please," Blake immediately replied with a laugh, but cut it short when she noticed the somber expression Yang was giving her.
"I'm serious," Yang replied in a grave tone, before leaning forward to whisper in Blake's ear, "So, do I get to pet your ears later to make up for it?"
Blushing, she shoved Yang's shoulder in order to move the blonde away from her – glancing quickly in Weiss' direction just in time to catch a patented Schnee Eye Roll ™.
The question might have seemed innocent, but the husky tone it had been asked in while Yang's lips lightly brushed against her ear suggested something else entirely.
"Only if you're lucky," she mumbled quietly, too embarrassed to say anything else while Weiss was standing right there.
"Oh, this reminds me…" Weiss finally spoke up, just as Ruby reappeared grasping a plate carrying what looked like a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. "I have a present for you two."
"What do you mean?" Yang asked in surprise. "I don't think you get how weddings work, Weiss. We're supposed to be the ones giving you presents – not the other way around."
"Yes, but if you accept this present, I would consider it a gift," Weiss continued, lifting up the small box she had been holding in one of her hands and extending it towards Yang, who looked at it curiously before taking it.
Pulling off the lid, the blonde looked even more confused when she held up a single key for everyone to see.
"Uh…thank you?" she replied, clearly unsure of what else she was expected to say.
"That's the key to your own home – well, yours and Blake's," Weiss explained, nodding in Blake's direction.
After a few seconds of confusion, Blake felt the light bulbs click on in her own mind when she realized what Weiss was trying to say. Unfortunately, Yang didn't seem to have gotten it as quickly.
"You're kicking us out?" she asked in dismay.
"Well…no…" Weiss replied calmly, a small flush growing on her cheeks. "It's just…now that Ruby and I are married, it would be nice to have our own home and a little more…privacy."
Yang just looked at her, jaw fully unhinged in shock.
"It's really close too, Yang!" Ruby offered once her food had been entirely demolished. "Only like five minutes – we can still see each other every day!"
"It's very nice – I think you'll both love it," Weiss added with a smile.
Blake nodded at Weiss in understanding, before laughing at the still flabbergasted Yang. She reached over and gently tapped the bottom of Yang's jaw until the blonde snapped it shut and placed the key carefully back in its box.
"Uh…well thank you, Weiss," Yang replied thoughtfully. "Although, I can't imagine what you and Ruby might need privacy for, since you two wouldn't be doing anything like that."
Blake couldn't help but giggle while Weiss and Ruby both avoided eye contact, cheeks flushed profusely red. Yang glared at Weiss, fully prepared to play the part of protective big sister right now.
"We can move while you two are on your honeymoon," Blake commented, deciding to try to help the two flustered newlyweds out of their current predicament.
"Oh, you don't have to move by any particular date," Weiss replied with a wave of her hand. "Plus, you two are already going to be super busy while we're away."
"Uh…what do you mean?" Yang asked, looking just as confused as Blake currently felt.
"You'll be getting the Human Faunus Relationship Council off the ground, of course," Weiss stated, narrowing her eyes at the mirrored images of surprise in front of her. "The one you two will be running? That we happened to have just raised an enormous sum of money for?"
"I…I thought you were just joking about me being in charge of that!" Yang sputtered in surprise, causing Weiss and Ruby to both laugh.
"Nope, it was your idea – you're in charge," Weiss replied with a smirk. "Maybe next time you should think about things before you do them in an effort to attract Blake's attention."
"That's not the only reason I suggested it…" the blonde mumbled quietly, a small blush dusting her cheeks.
Blake grinned at her partner, reaching out to squeeze one of Yang's hands reassuringly. She knew that Yang wouldn't have suggested something like that solely to get her attention. Yang actually did care about the livelihoods of the Faunus – probably just as much as Blake, herself, did.
"Weiss!"
The four of them turned to find Pyrrha waving Weiss towards her.
"Your mother says it's time for you to throw the bouquet!" the redhead called towards them, pointing towards the double staircase towering above the ballroom.
With a sigh, Weiss dutifully followed Pyrrha, but paused when Yang suddenly raced after them and pulled Weiss to a stop. The blonde leaned close and whispered something into the heiress' ear – speaking so quietly even Blake couldn't pick up the words from this distance.
However, Weiss seemed to have understood what Yang said, giving the brawler a short nod before continuing her ascension of the staircase. Yang ran back to Blake with a smile and dragged her over to the ballroom floor where Weiss would presumably be throwing the bouquet towards.
"Come on, let's try to catch this bad boy!" Yang remarked eagerly, planting Blake below the staircase landing and standing by her side.
If Blake didn't know any better, she would almost have guessed that Yang was standing guard over her…
The rest of the guests swiftly became aware of what was about to happen when they witnessed Weiss standing at the top of the landing – still clad in her white dress with a small bouquet of white and red roses held in her hands. Several more ladies joined them on the floor, chattering happily as they excitedly waited for Weiss to throw the bouquet.
Blake felt Yang heat up beside her, causing her to look at the blonde in concern.
"I just really want to catch it," Yang whispered by means of answering Blake's unasked question.
Weiss then turned away from them and Blake could practically hear all of Yang's muscles tense in anticipation. The heiress turned to look over her shoulder one more time before turning forward and tossing the bouquet over her head.
Watching the flowers arc through the air, Blake was shocked to find that they were headed precisely in her direction. She didn't even have to move as they fell into her hands just a moment later.
The guests around her all politely applauded her apparent 'victory' while she blushed at the attention she was currently gathering.
Turning towards Yang, she found the blonde grinning at her. Behind Yang, a very upset looking Nora Valkyrie was being forcefully dragged away by Ren.
"Looks like you're gonna be the next one getting married!" the blonde commented cheekily.
Blake looked down at the flowers held in her hands, marveling at how pristine the roses looked from this distance.
"If only I had someone suitable to be with," she responded playfully, tugging softly at one of the rose petals in mock distress.
"I might know a few people!" Yang instantly replied, not hurt in the least by the comment. "Let's see…there's Neptune…"
Blake followed Yang's nod towards the trident wielder, just in time to watch him spit what looked like an oyster out into his hand. The boy looked around quickly to see if anyone was watching, before inconspicuously putting the discarded oyster back in its shell, setting it on the table, and walking hastily away.
She crinkled her nose in disgust and shook her head at Yang's first suggestion.
"Ok, not a fan of the disgusting eater…got it…well then there's Sun, of course," Yang suggested as they turned their attention towards the Faunus boy who was chatting animatedly with Ren and an already reanimated Nora.
Blake was about to comment that Sun at least had some manners, until they both watched Sun laugh at something funny Nora had just said, shooting water out his nose as he did so. Nora tried to help by patting Sun 'lightly' on the back while he coughed, succeeding instead in throwing the boy flat on his face on the ballroom floor.
Both of them burst out laughing while they watched Sun scramble back to his feet in embarrassment.
"No, I don't think he's the one for me!" Blake responded with another chuckle at her friend.
"Ok, well I know Ruby would have been your first choice, but she's kinda taken…oh! Fortunately for you, there's still another, high quality option," Yang continued, drawing Blake's eyes her way. "M-maybe…me?"
Blake found that the blonde was suddenly uncharacteristically nervous and maybe even a little…bashful? She felt her own heart begin pounding at the question, knowing that all jokes were now being placed aside – she needed to answer this right.
Sucking in one deep breath, she smiled when she realized how adorable nervous, timid Yang was.
"You don't even have to ask me, Yang, because my answer will be yes. I will marry you, whenever you're ready," she replied in one breath, feeling her heart soar with the words, knowing that they were coming straight from her heart.
Blake couldn't really say what reaction she thought she would receive, but it certainly wasn't Yang blushing like a fire hydrant.
"W-well I should still ask, anyway…polite, you know…" Yang mumbled quietly, running one hand nervously through her hair while glancing anywhere but at Blake in embarrassment.
A giggle escaped her lips, finally drawing Yang's gorgeous lilac eyes back to her.
"Did you really use your 'once every five years' favor with Weiss just to have her throw me the bouquet?" she asked, holding the flowers up in front of her as evidence.
Yang's sheepish grin was all the answer Blake needed. She reached out and forcibly tugged Yang to her in order to give the blonde a loving kiss – trying to express just how much she loved the girl in that one, single action.
When they pulled apart, Yang gave her a radiant smile – now completely back to her normal self.
"Yes I did – and it was totally worth it."