Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

Edited by ToxicExotic


Chapter 75 - A Moment to Celebrate

The last few days had been chaotic to say the least, though Weiss had hardly expected then to be anything but. Though Jacques had yet to reveal his plan, or even discuss what had happened, the two days since they had finally shown the truth to the world had been pretty chaotic. In fact, there had not been a single moment away from the house where she had not been swarmed by the press. Every corner she took, every time she stepped out of her car, every time she exited the office, they were there waiting for her with blinding flashes and incessant questions. And she knew Yang was receiving the same treatment.

Just as she had predicted, it had taken the press almost no time whatsoever to uncover Yang's identity. That very night, Weiss had received a message from her girlfriend with a picture of four vans parked outside her house. By morning, the front page of every paparazzi magazine, and even a few legitimate ones, were emblazoned with a picture of them kissing next to the infernal hell machine that was Yang's bike, lovingly named Bumblebee, as well as a few shots of them relaxing at Blake's coffee shop.

Pages two and three though had been talking about what little they had dug up about her, such as Ruby, Summer, and Tai; though thankfully the White Fang detail had not yet been discovered. Weiss also knew that Yang had been followed for the last few days, but the woman didn't seem to care. And, as callous as it would probably sound to many, neither did Weiss.

Even as the press continued to take pictures through the coffee shop window causing pretty much every eye of every patron to throw them interested looks, Weiss was struggling to care. She was too busy being publically happily cuddled up against her girlfriend for the third day in a row while reading a book and contributing to the small conversation that was happening between Yang, Ren, and Juane.

"There really wasn't much time." Yang grimaced to the other blonde. "We were only there for like, three days. Right, Weiss?"

"Mhm." Weiss hummed, giving the boy a nod. "Our first days there really wasn't the best, and the other two were actually rather busy."

"I get that." Jaune groaned and took a bite of his muffin. "But you guys aren't the ones who have to listen to her on the phone." His voice turned high pitched. "Why didn't you tell me she was in Argus? Or that she was dating someone? We could have had dinner. You never tell me things anymore!"

"He isn't lying." Ren said dully and sipped his tea. "She was on loud speaker. It really was quite annoying."

"Sorry," Yang frowned. "Promise her I'll stop by next time we're in town."

"Thank you." The boy groaned in relief, slumping back in his chair. "So what're you two doing later?"

"I don't actually think we have a lot planned for today." Weiss replied. Realising she wasn't really paying much attention to it, she put it aside and slipped the previously occupied hand into Yang's with a smile. "Maybe just relaxing at home."

"Home?" Yang asked questioningly, a grin on her face.

"Well you've been living there for a month, and you are moving back in tonight until you and Tai see Dr Darq."

"Hmm, that is true." Yang hummed. "A night in with you sounds good. But, I bought us spots at this restaurant that's opening in about an hour."

"What?" Weiss asked in surprise.

"Well, technically you bought them. But I figured it would be a great first date. It's out by Viridian Court."

"I love that place."

"I know." The blonde grinned.

Weiss reached up and pressed a kiss against her lips, and Yang happily responded. Though it had been something they were doing at every available moment, the feeling was not lessening for Weiss. The fact that she could now kiss her girlfriend whenever she wanted without having to check they were alone was exhilarating. Every time they did it, it sent waves of happiness rushing through her and she couldn't help but extend it for just a few moments longer.

"Alright, alright." Jaune cough. "We get it, you're in love."

"Awww." Yang cooed as they broke apart. "Someone's jealous."

"Jealous? Me?" Jaune scoffed. "Have you seen my girlfriend?"

"I have." Yang grinned, picking up her hot chocolate. "She's too good for you."

"I know." The boy deflated as Weiss lightly tapped her girlfriend on the arm. "I still have no idea why she chose me."

"Because you're a great guy." Ren assured him.

"Yeah." Yang smiled and took a sip from her drink. "I'm just busting your balls. You two are great together."

"I guess so." Jaune sighed.

"Stop being mean to him." Weiss scolded her girlfriend, knowing Jaune was definitely someone with a lot of confidence issues. "So what are you two doing today?"

"Boys night with Nep and Sun."

"Book club with Blake."

Their replies came at the same time, and Weiss saw them exchange a surprised look with each other.

"Uhh, I guess I will be late to boys night, then." Ren said quickly.

"Th-That's cool." Jaune said awkwardly. "We'll save you some pizza then."

While Jaune being awkward was nothing new, the fact that Ren actually looked frazzled made Weiss raise her eyebrow. In all the times she had met the boy, he was rather stoic and very difficult to get to emote. In fact, unless it was aimed at Nora, the boy approached everything with an almost impervious, stone-wall expression.

"We should go actually." Ren said, standing up and finishing his tea. "We still need to pick a movie. Right, Jaune?"

"Oh, uhh… Yeah." The blonde coughed. "Later guys."

"Later weirdos." Yang chuckled at the pair as they walked off with a wave, having been watching them with amusement.

"Were they acting odd to you too?" She asked.

"They're always odd." The woman shrugged, twisting around on the couch and pulling Weiss into a cuddle. "Speaking of odd though, has he still not talked to you?"

"Nope." Weiss replied and sunk into the cuddle while resting a leg over Yang's knee as the woman's hand began to soothingly stroke her shin. "Not that I expected him to. Probably still thinking about the best way to destroy your life so that his talk can include a threat."

"Hmm, well he can't buy my dad's house." Yang shrugged. "Everything is paid off."

"We both know that isn't what he will use." She said with a sad sigh.

"Yeah, well except for a few friends that are still in it, I've had nothing to do with the White Fang in years. There's nothing he can stick on me."

"I doubt he cares about that, Yang."

"You're not having second thoughts about this, are you?"

"Of course not." Weiss replied immediately, catching her girlfriend's eyes and reaching out to touch her cheek. "Only a fool would regret being with you. I just don't want you to get overconfident."

"I'm not overconfident." Yang said, her tone turning slightly more serious. "I'm just being optimistic. I know he's going to try something bad, but we'll be ready for him when he does."

Gazing into her girlfriend's eyes for a second, Weiss leaned in and pressed their lips together again. While she loved the blonde's optimism, she really did hope that it was not overconfidence because even though Weiss knew most of Jacques' tricks, that didn't mean she could predict his every move. The man was more of a snake than the marble statue he had procured for their garden.

"I hope we are." Weiss smiled as she pulled away. "But I'm not letting him take you away from me an-"

"You two done with those?"

Looking up at the new arrival, she saw Ilia standing next to the chair and motioning towards the empty plates. The two of them hadn't talked since the day she had revealed what had happened to the girl's parents, but Weiss certainly understood why. After all, she had made it so that one of the girl's most painful moments was constantly in her face everywhere she went. And the reason for doing it had not even worked as she intended. Her father had slithered his way out of it once again, and all the news had done was sent Atlas into chaos.

But it was a situation she was determined to fix. The girl was an important part of Yang's life, and she didn't want to cause friction between Yang and her friends.

"Yup." Yang beamed up at her friend. "Thanks, Rainbow."

"It's my job."

"Sucks for you." The woman grinned and stuck out her tongue.

"Well at least I still have a job." Ilia replied smugly, wiping the smile from Yang's face.

"Yeah… well… Just fetch me another hot chocolate, will ya?"

"Actually, Yang," Weiss cut in as the faunus rolled her eyes and turned to walk away with the plates. "Would you mind taking that back and getting the drinks?"

Moving her legs from Yang's knee, she watched as Ilia stopped and the blonde gazed between them. She seemed a little confused for a second, but after giving her a silently pleading look, the brawler nodded and gave a groan as she stood up.

"Sure," She agreed, plucking the tray from Ilia's hand. "I can check on Rubes as well. Make sure there's been no inappropriate behavior in the workplace."

Ilia's freckles turned a bright pink as Yang winked and walked away. However, the moment the girl was gone, the freckles returned back to normal and her brow furrowed slightly. Almost immediately, Weiss recognised that there was hesitation in the girl from the way she was standing with her arms folded, and tried to ease it with a small smile.

"Can we talk?" She asked carefully, ready to accept it if Ilia said no.

"Did she put you up to this?" The faunus questioned skeptically.

"No." Weiss shook her head. "I just have something I'd like to say."

The hesitation continued for a second and Ilia's freckles tinted blue, but she finally sat down in the seat Jaune had previously occupied. "Fine. But I'm working so make it quick."

"Of course." Weiss nodded.

Thankfully, having seen the girl repeatedly over the past few days during her visits to the coffee shop, she had been working on what she would say when she finally had the chance.

"I just wanted to say that I am really sorry for what I did to you. In my attempt to ruin my father's reputation and get him out of the company, I callously disregarded how you and others would feel about that information in favour of myself; and in doing so I caused you to relive a moment from your life that is more painful then I could even comprehend. I should have been more considerate to your feelings, and I really hope that I can make up for what I've done eventually."

Though Ilia's freckles remained blue as she listened, Weiss did notice that her eyes slowly turned back to their original grey. The girl shifted in her seat a little, her grey orbs moving a little as she remained silent and thought through her answer. Weiss knew there was a chance that the girl might not forgive her, and would accept it if that was her choice, but she really did hope that wasn't the case. Eventually though, after almost a minute, the faunus' eye cleared and she gave her a pointed look.

"There's an officer upstairs right now giving Blake her registration interview." The girl said firmly. "Would you support me if I talked to him afterwards and tried to file charges against your dad for what he did?"

"I…" Weiss paused.

She had meant what she said. She really wanted to make things right with Ilia, but if she stood by the girl in such an action then she would absolutely be kissing her position at the STC goodbye for charges that in all likelihood would not stick. And even though she was still unsure whether that was even what she wanted for her future anymore, it was still something important to her. But had that not been what had caused the predicament in the first place? Had her inability to put what was right above what she wanted not been the very thing that had caused Ilia so much pain? That had ignited everything in Atlas?

Winter was right. That was selfish. A selfish desire that was ingrained in her from her father's influence over her upbringing. But she was no longer a child, she didn't have to adhere to his lessons; and most importantly, she didn't want to. She wanted to help the world, she wanted the Schnee name to be respectable and just, and that couldn't happen if she herself wasn't acting in such a selfish way. So, taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and gave the girl a small nod.

"If that is what you want to do," Weiss said slowly and opened her eyes, locking onto Ilia's so that she knew she was serious. "Then I shall support you in any way that I can."

"You'd testify and say you found the evidence?"

"I would." Weiss said firmly.

Again Ilia fell silent as she thought, but it didn't last as long as last time. After only a few seconds, the girl gave a small nod and stood up. While her freckles were still blue, she let out a low sigh.

"Okay then." She said quietly. "Apology accepted."

"Thank you." Weiss smiled gratefully. "And if you ever need anything, then please just tell me. My family owes you a lot for everything we have done to you."

"The only thing you owed me was an apology." Ilia countered, causing Weiss' eyebrow to raise a little. "It's your dad who ruined my childhood."

"I suppose so." Weiss hummed, seeing Yang making her way back over out the corner of her eye. "But I should let you get back to work."

"Right." The girl agreed. "Well, I'll see you around, I guess."

Trading an insult with Yang as she walked away, Weiss watched the girl go with a smile. Though she was certain there would still be a little discomfort between them, she hoped it would naturally dissipate after a while.

"Everything all good over here?" The blonde asked curiously and picked up her jacket.

"Mhm." She replied., standing up and accepting the fresh coffee. "Just making up for a mistake I made."

"You did what you thought was right."

"It was still a mistake." Weiss shook her head and slung her bag over her shoulder. "One that I will learn from."

"Fair enough." Yang shrugged, clearly disagreeing but choosing not to press the point. "So you ready to go? Ribbon cutting is in forty minutes."

"I'm ready." Weiss grinned and took the blonde's hand as she saw the reporters outside the store begin to rush to the door. "Just cover any exposed flesh. The vultures are getting hungry."


Weiss was a little sad as the car turned a corner and Founders' Towers came into sight. The afternoon that Yang had prepared for them had been a pretty amazing one, and the fact that it was coming to an end was quite disappointing.

It all started at Viridian Court, a group of buildings in the east side of Vale that overlooked the vast untouched area beyond the kingdom's walls. Trees stretched out for miles and miles, the vibrant green leaves of the Emerald Forest eventually giving way to the crimson red leaves of Forever Fall. Past the forest were the mountains, great peaks that reached into the sky and blocked off the ocean that laid on the other side.

The buildings themselves were amazing too. Mainly consisting of offices for the council and its workers, the topmost floors were all connected by walkways and filled with various restaurants and stores. Due to its location however, only the wealthy were really able to afford anything from those places, but a portion of every Lien spent at the establishments there went directly into the council's funds to help preserve the city's infrastructure. And while it was not a huge amount, there had been a few improvements done since it's development.

The opening ceremony they had attended though had been for an Atlesian sushi place that had turned out to be incredible. All the fish had been freshly brought in from Atlas waters and every chef had practised at a world renowned, Atlesian culinary institute. Having not been to her home city in some time and Vale having rather different ways to prepare their fish, it was good to finally have some food that reminded her of the restaurants her grandmother had taken her to as a child.

After the meal though, the two had gone to a small piano contest that was being held nearby. And even though Yang had practically fallen asleep, it had been fun to relax with her girlfriend and what new promising talent gave it their all in the hope of winning a chance to play alongside an orchestra that was performing next month. Once it had ended however and the winner had been decided, it had finally been time for the date to end.

It was bittersweet. As much as she had enjoyed the afternoon, she really wished it had lasted longer. The feeling of being out, of walking around the city hand in hand with Yang, sitting across from a table, cuddled up on a chair; every moment of it was intoxication. And it was very hard to ever want it to end.

But it had. And they had finally made their way back to the car and began the journey home. Thankfully though, while she was sad that the date was over, she was still more than happy to spend the rest of the day with Yang at the apartment. So even as she stepped out of the car and spotted reporters pulling up behind them, she still had a smile on her face.

"Weiss!" One woman called, practically falling out of her van and rushing over. "Would you like to answer some questions for our reade-"

"Weiss, our readers would like-"

Another man cut across her as four more approached with cameras and their voices began to merge together into a cacophony of random noise. Deciding it was finally time to give them something, she stopped in front of the building doors and held up her hand. They all fell silent immediately, their eyes narrowing and their heads leaning forward like vultures ready to pounce on their meal.

"You." Weiss pointed to the first woman who had approached them. "You were at least polite in your asking. You have two questions."

"Better make them good." Yang grinned, leaning against the wall.

"Thank you, Miss Schnee." The woman said gratefully, all of them pointing their microphone in a little closer. "Garnet Smithers from Celebrity Choice. I guess the first question our readers would like to know how new this is? You were seen together in Mistral so did you meet there?"

"No." Weiss said simply with a practised smile. "Yang was simply accompanying me on a business trip. We began dating seven months ago."

"Seven months." She said with an interested look. "That's a long time. Why exactly was it kept a secret for so long? And why reveal it now? And how long have you known you were homosexual?"

"Pretty sure that's more than two questions." Yang chuckled amusedly. "And none for me?"

Casting her a fond look, Weiss shook her head and turned back to the reporter.

"I've known since I was a child." She said clearly. "And our relationship wasn't a secret, it was simply nobody's business but mine and Yang's. As for why reveal it to the public now? The simple answer is that we are happy and certain that this is something we are both serious about. Now was the right time. But that will be all."

Not bothering to waste any more time in front of them, especially since all of them quickly began to ask more questions, Weiss took Yang's hand and entered the building. As she expected, almost all of them proceeded to follow them, but Yatsu was quick to press the security button the second they entered they walked past the desk, causing the security gate to slam shut behind them. That didn't stop the questions though, but their voices were quickly drowned out once they stepped into the elevator and began to make their way up to their apartment.

"They really are vultures." Yang breathed. "You even answered more questions than you said you would."

"I could answer a hundred questions and they would still have more." Weiss groaned. "At least we don't have to deal with them for the rest of the night though."

"Mhm." Yang hummed as she wrapped an arm around Weiss shoulder. "Just me, you, the pool, and our swimsuits… if I can be bothered to wear one."

"Well you won't find me complaining regardless of your decision." Weiss purred and reached up to press a loving kiss against the woman's lips. "Especially after the effort you went through for this date."

"Eh," Yang shrugged with a confident smirk. "I had to make it special."

"That you did." Weiss grinned as the elevator came to a stop and she began to walk out. "But every day with y-"

"SURPRISE!"

"AHH!"

The sudden eruption of noise and the mass of people in the rooms caused Weiss' heart to race as her mind flashed back to the debris filled room of the Schnee tower for the briefest of seconds, and in an instant Yang was standing protectively in front of her. The flashback was only brief however, and before the smell of dirt and fire could even fall on her, she returned to her senses and placed a hand on her chest as she looked at the crowd to see nothing but familiar faces.

Closest to the centre of the room were Blake, Sun, Jaune, and Nora, each with a drink in their hands and a smile on everyone but Blake's face. Neptune, Ilia, Ruby, Ren, and Pyrrha were all slightly behind them, clearly having just stood up from the couch where they had been talking. Standing by the wall was Tai, Ghira, Kali, and sitting alone to the side by the large window was Whitley.

Adorning the walls were banners and streamers reading congratulations, and a rainbow disco ball hung from the ceiling and cast the room in a myriad of colours. Before she could even take it all in however, Nora grabbed a remote from behind her back and pressed a button causing loud, upbeat music to pour from the speaker system. Without hesitation, Blake snatched the remote from the girl's hands and gave her boyfriend a light smack on the head with it.

"I told you to make sure nobody shouts, idiot!" She growled at him.

"Ow! I'm sorry." He said quickly, rubbing his head despite obviously not being hurt.

"Dumbasses." Yang said with a shake of her head and turned around with concern in her eyes. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Weiss breathed, feeling her heart rate slow back down and shaking the remnants of the image from her head. "I swear."

"Alright." She smiled and turned back to the crowd. "So what's the party for?"

"Isn't it obvious!" Nora cried happily, snatching the control back from Blake and turning the music up a bit more. "It's Weiss' coming out party."

"My what?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ignore her." Blake grumbled and stepped away from the crowd. "Well, not entirely. It's more to celebrate you and Yang finally telling your dad, but I guess that means you came out too so it works for both."

Feeling Blake pull her into a small hug, Weiss happily returned it while looking at the guests who had already begun to continue their conversations. The fact that so many people would turn up to celebrate her being happy was something that Weiss had never expected to happen to her. Even her brother, who rarely showed an interest, was there, even if he was sitting away from everyone and looking bored. So feeling a well of gratitude well in her chest, she tightened the hug a little.

"Thank you for this." She said quietly, only to be surprised as Blake shook her head and pulled away.

"Not my idea." Blake said loudly over the music and crooked a finger to an awkward looking Ruby. "Thank her. She organized everything and got everyone here."

"Do you like it?" The girl asked nervously as she approached. "Was it too much?"

"Not at all." Weiss chuckled, giving the smaller girl a hug too. "I could have done without the shouting, but the rest is lovely."

"Oh." Ruby replied. "Good because I was worried that you wouldn't like it or that we shouldn't be in your home without your permission but Yang said I could come over whenever I wanted and I wanted to do something special for you and Yang telling your dad and I've always like parties so-"

"Rubes." Yang said, placing a hand on her sister's head and ruffling her hair. "You did good. No need to talk till you pass out, okay?"

The girl took a deep breath and gave a nod, a proud smile pulling at her lips.

"How did you get my brother to come though?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Oh, Oscar did that for me. He's helping his aunt out though so he's gunna be late."

"Then I will make sure to thank him when he gets here." Weiss smiled.

"Raven's here too, by the way." Blake chimed in with a sour look, earning a scowl from Yang. "She's in the kitchen avoiding Tai."

"Then I should go and say hi." Yang hummed, taking her hand off Ruby and giving the girl a smile. "You want to come and meet Raven? You don't have to-"

"I want to." Ruby smiled with an eager nod, straightening out her hair.

"Okay." Yang replied. "I'll have to ask her first as well, so wait by the wall, okay?"

Ruby quickly gave another nod, and Yang poked her in the forehead before turning back around.

"I won't be too long, babe."

"Take your time." Weiss replied, pressing a brief kiss into her girlfriend's lips. "I'm going to mingle and talk to my brother anyway."

"Alright." Yang grinned happily. "Love you."

"Love you too."

With another short kiss, the woman walked away and Weiss turned back to see Blake frowning. Despite Raven keeping to her words and sticking around, Weiss knew the faunus didn't like the woman and still didn't trust her.

"I think you have to start accepting this is a permanent thing." Weiss said with a slight shrug.

A low sigh escaped the raven-haired woman as she shook her head. "Doesn't mean I like it." She groaned and turned away from the kitchen Yang had just disappeared into. "And sorry about the shouting. Sun has the memory of a goldfish."

"It's fine." Weiss shook her head again. "I should go and say hello to everyone though, since I guess this is my party."

With a nod of understanding, Blake walked back over to Sun and Nora, Weiss in tow. It certainly hadn't been how she expected her afternoon to go, but hanging out with friends who were happy for her was definitely not something she was against.


"Okay." Yang said, stopping just before the entryway to place a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You sure you want to meet her?"

Yang was happy that an opportunity had finally presented itself. Ever since the meeting with Raven had turned out better than expected, she had been wondering how she would introduce the two. She wasn't stupid enough to believe the two would be close, as Raven had already made it clear she wasn't interested in mixing with that part of her life, but she did at least want the two to meet. And what better way than at a party they were both attending.

"Yup." The girl replied without hesitation, a wide smile on her face.

"Right." Yang hummed. "Well it's probably just going to be a quick hi and bye, but just remember she can be a little… difficult. So don't take anything she says personally. Okay?"

"Got it." The redhead nodded.

"Good." She grinned, ruffling the girl's hair again. "Just wait here a sec."

As the girl straightened her hair, Yang gave the girl a proud smile and walked around the corner into the kitchen. Just as Blake had said, the woman was sitting alone at the food filled island slowly sipping from a cup of tea. As usual, she was glad in red and black clothing, and her red eyes glinted dimly in the light as she looked up. Yang wasn't sure if it was a feeling that was ever going to go away, but there was still a hint of relief at seeing the smile on the woman's face.

"You look tired." Yang smiled and made her way over to the opposite side of the island. "Sleeping properly?"

"The same as usual." Raven said with a stifled yawn. "Just got off of my second mandatory overtime this week. Idiot boss screwed up the scheduling and now we have to make up for it."

"Damn." Yang grunted. Even though she knew Raven loved her bike, being forced to ride it back and forth all day would no doubt be tiring. "You thought about looking for somewhere else?"

A dry chuckle escaped the woman's lips as she shook her head. "I'm an ex-convict that is still on parole, Yang. Not exactly many options for me out there."

"I guess." She acknowledged as Raven let out another yawn, making a mental note to see if Weiss knew of anyone who would hire the woman. "You know you didn't have to come if you're tired. I wouldn't hav-"

"I said I'd be here for the important things." Raven cut her off with a firm shake of her head. "And I know how important this moment is for you."

Looking the woman in the eye, she saw determination there. It felt good to know that the relationship between them was strong enough that Raven was willing to risk exhaustion just just keep her word.

"Then thanks for coming." She smiled. "Especially since my dad is here too."

"Mhm." The biker grunted and sipped her tea. "I hate that he still looks like he did in school."

"I don't." Yang grinned, hoping to cheer the woman up a little. "I've got your looks and his youthfulness, so I'm gunna stay young and beautiful forever."

It worked, and the chuckle that came from the older Branwen twin was enough to make Yang laugh too. "Well I'm glad everything worked out in the end then."

Giving the woman a happy smile, Yang happily accepted the drink and took a sip herself. As she expected, it tasted exactly like the ones she would usually show up with when they met, and she had quickly come to believe the woman kept a few teabags with her at all times. She could hardly blame her though since it was really good.

"Seriously though." She said and handed the tea back. "Thank you for coming. It means a lot. But I do have something to ask?"

"Life has taught me that is generally a lead into an uncomfortable conversation, but go ahead."

"Sort of." Yang scratched the back of her head. "So I know you don't really want to mingle with my dad, and I totally get that and won't ask you to. But Ruby is someone I share every part of my life with, and she's waiting just outside and I would really like her to meet you. If you don't want to then that's fine, but I just wanted to ask."

Raven didn't reply immediately. Instead she simply sat there drinking her tea while thinking. Yang knew it was a big ask of Raven, since Ruby was the daughter of two people that betrayed her, but she really hoped she would say yes. Thankfully, after a minute of thought, the woman gave a nod and crossed her arms, her guard immediately back up.

"Fine." She said. "I'll meet her. But if you're exp-"

"I'm not expecting anything." Yang clarified, already prepared for that. "I just want her to know who you are so she doesn't feel like I'm keeping something from her."

"Very well." The woman sighed and leaned forward. "Whenever you're ready then."

"Alright." Yang smiled gratefully and leaned backwards to see Ruby's head discreetly poking into the room. "You can come in, Rubes."

The small girl slowly walked out from behind the wall, clearly nervous by the way she was wringing her hands. With small steps, she made her way over while looking at the woman with curious silver eyes, until she finally sat beside Yang at the island. After a second of watching the girl fiddle with her fingers, Yang reached out and put a hand over them.

Of course she had expected Ruby's confidence to fade the second it came to actually sitting in front of Raven, it almost always did when the girl met new people. However, it had been some time since she had seen the girl get this nervous. Usually she was just a little quiet, or would hang back a little, but she would always at least try to look at them instead of staring intently at her hands.

"Ruby." Yang said, keeping her voice level since it always made the girl feel more comfortable. "This is Raven."

"H-Hello, Miss Branwen." Ruby's voice was so quiet that it could barely be heard over the music. "It's nice to meet you."

Looking up from her sister, Yang saw Raven looking at the girl with a little confusion, as if what was sitting in front of her was something she didn't expect.

"It's good to meet you too."

It wasn't much, but Yang knew it was better than nothing.

"So is there anything you want to ask her? Or me? Or both of us?" Yang asked. "I'm not keeping any of this from you, so ask away."

"Oh… Ummm." The redhead fiddled with her fingers and little but took a visible breath and looked up at Raven. "Just one. I-If you don't mind?"

Curiosity entered the raven-haired woman's eyes, but she didn't reply. Instead she simply gave a wave of her hand and leaned back into her chair a little as she waited for the question. With permission granted, it didn't take long for Ruby to gather her confidence.

"Are you… Are you staying in Vale?" Raven's eyes widened a little in surprise, and Yang knew hers did the same. "It's just that Yang seems really happy that you're here, and I don't want that to change for her."

A tired look entered Raven's eyes, different from the general fatigue she had been feeling before. It was a little more irritated, and Yang could understand why. Despite everything she had done to prove she was staying, the relationship between them meant something to her, pretty much everyone in Yang's life still doubted her. Her dad, Blake, Ilia, Ghira; and now Ruby was another.

"I understand your skepticism, Rose." Raven said, clearly trying to be kind, but not doing a very good job of hiding the slight edge to her voice. "But I very much intend to stay here for the foreseeable future. Once my parole is over, I may start looking for jobs elsewhere," She paused for a second and glanced at Yang. "But no matter where I am, I do not intend to hurt Yang anymore than I have."

The two locked eyes and stared each other down for a few seconds, and Yang stayed quiet. It was unusual for the girl to willingly make eye contact, especially with people she didn't know, but Yang supposed she could understand why the question had been asked and why Ruby was taking it so seriously. After all, Yang would be exactly the same if the roles were reversed. So knowing that it was something Ruby needed to figure out for herself, she chose not to interfere.

It wasn't long before Ruby looked away though. Even under the best of circumstances she wouldn't last long, but regardless of her mood Raven's eyes always held a certain intensity. Fortunately, Ruby seemed to get what she needed as a smile spread across her face and she gave a small nod.

"Good." The girl grinned and held out her hand. Despite looking at it, Raven didn't take it and Ruby quickly pulled it away. "Then I'm happy you're part of Yang's life."

"So am I." Raven said with a sidelong look.

"Me too." Yang echoed, giving Ruby a side hug. "Anything else?"

"Umm…" Ruby gave a nervous look between them and looked down at her hands. "I'm..." Her voice fell a little before continuing. "I'm really sorry for what my mom did to you."

That one did catch Yang by surprise. As far as she was aware, nobody had told Ruby a single thing about what had happened between Tai, Summer and Raven; so the fact the girl even knew about it was concerning. Though she had never believed Summer to be an angel, she had made damn sure that Ruby had all the best memories that she could give her. More concerning was that Ruby felt she needed to apologise for it, which was something she was definitely going to rectify.

"She isn't here to say it, but I know she would sa-"

"Stop." Yang cut her off abruptly. With worried eyes, the redhead looked up at her. "How do you even know about that?"

"I heard you and dad talking."

Yang swore internally. "Well what mom and dad did is on them. It's them that should be apologising."

"But mom can't apologise."

"That doesn't matter." Yang said, giving the girl a firm look. "It's not your responsibility to make up for what our parents did. Okay?"

The smaller girl hesitated for a second, her posture slacking a bit as her eyes filled without doubt. Thankfully though, she didn't fight back and only gave an accepting nod.

"Good." She breathed and let her go. "But you should go back to the other room."

"Are you mad at-"

"No." Yang cut her off again with a gentle smile. "I just need to talk to Raven about some things. Now go, Ilia could probably use the company before Nep hits on her or something."

"Ugh, he's the worst." Ruby said jokingly and pushed herself away from the table. "Bye, Miss Branwen."

"Bye." Raven said dully.

The moment Ruby left the room, Yang turned to Raven and saw that the tiredness in her eyes had increased. She knew that the past was something the woman didn't like bringing up unless necessary, and that her mood usually soured when it was brought up.

"I see she is more than just a spitting image of Summer." Raven said with a little bitterness in her voice.

"Hey!" Yang scowled at the woman. "She was just doing what she thought was right. Don't take your issues with Summer out on her."

She definitely wasn't going to let anyone badmouth Ruby. Not even Raven.

"I didn't mean it like that." The woman sighed and ran a hand over her face. "Look, I'm tired alright. It would probably be better if we just don't talk about it anymore."

"Fine." Yang agreed and stood up. "But unless you want to spend the entire night here alone then you should probably come in the front room. It's large enough to avoid dad still, trust me."

"I've been here three time now." Raven breathed, but didn't move. "I know how large it is. But I'm fine being alone. Better than inevitable causing a scene."

"Your choice, I guess." She hummed and picked up a few small cakes from the table, passing one to the grumpy woman. "But the invites open and I would like you to come out and maybe meet some of my friends. Quite a few are from Mistral so you have some things in common."

"I'll think about it." Raven hummed and bit into the cake. "Just let my headache go away first."

"Okay." Yang said. "You can stay here tonight too. If you're as tired as you say, then I don't want you driving."

"I can drive ju-" Yang cut her off with a firm look, and the woman gave a shake of her head. "If you insist, then sure."

"Good."

A little upset at how abruptly that had taken a turn and wondering if that really had been the best time to introduce Ruby to Raven, Yang let out a small sigh and walked out of the room. She would definitely not be asking them to talk to each other again.


"I don't like your friends." Whitley scowled, straightening out his jacket as Nora bounced back over to Ren and threw her arms around him. "Too clingy."

For the past ten minutes, Nora and Sun had been hanging around and fawning over the boy. And while Sun had been relatively reserved compared to how he usually was with Neptune and Jaune, Nora had shown no such consideration. Almost the second she arrived at the table she'd hugged him from behind and quickly taken to calling him Cute Boy Weiss.

"That's just Nora." Weiss chuckled. "She's sweet when you get to know her."

"I'd rather not." The boy groaned, straightening his tie. "If he was going to be late, then why even invite me to this thing?"

"Relax, I'm sure he'll be here soon." He simply gave a disgruntled hum in response. "I like that you have a friend though. It's been good to see you more relaxed."

"Yes, well I suppose the peace I have enjoyed is about to come to an end. As soon as Father figures out a plan."

"I'm sorry you'll be caught in this." Weiss said sadly, reaching out to take her brother's hand. "But you can stay here whenever you want if you need a break from him."

"I'm more likely to need a break from the Willow than him." He mumbled. "Her attempts to bond are irritating."

Though Weiss wanted to comment and tell him that their mother was simply trying to bond with him, she didn't. It had become increasingly clear to her from how Whitley was constantly fighting back that the way she had fixed the relationship with her brother would not work for her mother. They needed to find their own way, so instead of correcting him, she simply gave him a smile.

"If that is what you need it for, then feel free. It has plenty of spare rooms."

"Yes. Our sister did go rather overboard with this."

"Winter tends to go overboard with a lot of things." Weiss grinned, looking around the massive room at all the guests having fun. "But it's definitely nice for moments like this."

Though it was still rather reserved, the party had become a little more upbeat in the last hour. With much alcohol having been consumed, Jaune, Neptune, and Pyrrha were all a little bit louder as they told jokes and caught up on their week. Meanwhile Ruby, Yang, and Blake were all on the couch, the redhead cuddled happily into the blonde. While she would have loved to have joined them, Yang had told her what had happened with Raven in the kitchen and knew the three of them could use some sisterly time together.

Nora, Sun, and Ren on the other hand were standing talking to Tai and Ghira, the two boys talking to the adults about some kind of sport while Nora draped herself over Ren's shoulders without a care in the world. Though she could definitely be a bit much at times, Nora's carefree approach to life was one she was definitely a little jealous of. Raven had finally left the kitchen too, though not by much. She was still leaning against the entry to it, but she seemed to at least be enjoying a conversation with Kali; though it was always hard to tell with her.

The one that stuck out to Weiss though was Ilia, who seemed to have caught her looking around the room and peeled herself away from The talk about Neptune's deal to make her way over to them. For the first time in weeks, there was no blue to be seen on her.

"Not another one."

"Be nice." Weiss hissed at the boy.

"Hey, Weiss." Ilia said, a hint of a smile on her face. "Mind if I join you two for a bit?"

"Me?" Weiss asked in surprise. "You must be really tired of Neptune talking about his abs?"

"His deal's with a swimwear company. He won't shut up about how he can't get them." The girl groaned, sitting down in the spare chair and setting her plate of food down. "Like, what's even so good about the damn things?"

"Yang's are pre…" She blushed and stopped talking as both Ilia and Whitley raised an eyebrow at her. Her fascination with Yang's muscular form was definitely not for them to hear about. "I mean… I don't know. This is my brother by the way, Whitley."

Taking a sip of her coffee and hoping neither would press her on what was said, she watched the two exchange a brief nod of acknowledgement.

"Hi." She said cautiously, though it was clear that isn't wasn't an invite for them to talk. Not that Whitley cared, only giving a hum in response and continuing to eat the burger Yang had made for him earlier.

"But I actually wanted to talk about what we discussed earlier too." Ilia said with a sigh. "I decided not to do it."

"Oh?"

"You were right before." The girl said with a sad tone. "It wouldn't work. All I would do is cause problems for you and Yang."

"It's your right to cause them." Weiss clarified quickly. "But I understand, I guess. I will promise you that he will pay for what he did though. I will be seeing to that personally."

"Please do." The girl said, standing up and giving her a genuine smile. "And congrats on coming out to your dad. I know it probably wasn't easy, but at least you can be open about yourself now."

"Thanks." Weiss smiled. It might not have been much, but at least there was one thing the two of them could connect on.

Thankfully the cautious smile on Ilia's face turned into a real one, the girl's freckles and eyes turning a pleasant shade of lilac that matched Yang's exactly. With a slight wave goodbye, the girl turned and walked away, dodging Yang as she left. While Weiss was sure that the problems between them were definitely not forgotten, it was good to know that the two of them could still have pleasant conversations.

"Purple?" The blonde said with interest in her voice, taking the Ilia had previously occupied. "Haven't seen that one in a while."

"I don't know what that colour means to her."

"Means she's happy." Yang explained and scooted over to throw an arm around her. "Was totally influenced by me, not that she'll ever admit that."

"Probably because you'll never let her live it down." Weiss chuckled.

"You know me so well." The boxer grinned, placing a brief kiss on her lips before turning to Whitley. "So how's the burger, runt."

"Acceptable." Whitley shrugged, thoroughly uninterested in their public displays of affection.

"From him, that is a glowing review." Weiss clarified.

"Well I'd have ordered that RemBurger you apparently like, but their delivery is trash. You'd starve to death before it arrives."

"I wouldn't know. My assistant picks them up for me."

"You have an assistant?"

"Of course." Whitley said, leaning back and peeling a piece of the meat away from the bun as a smirk pulled at his lips. "You don't?"

"Whitley."

"He's fine, Babe." Yang laughed. "I like his snark."

"My what?"

"I have no idea either." Weiss shocked her head as Yang chuckled to herself. "So how is Ruby?"

"She's good." Yang shrugged, looking over to the younger girl who had been joined by Ilia, the two of them happily conversing together. "Probably better now."

Weiss, too, had noticed just how close the two girl's had become lately. Having spent a lot of time in the coffee store in the last few days, there had been multiple times a day where she would look over from their spot on the couch and see the two laughing away behind the counter. Even from across the room, and even now, the bright pink of Ilia's freckles had always been obvious, so Weiss was fairly certain that Ilia was interested in Ruby; but she wasn't sure if the feeling was mutual. Though, given how extremely obvious Ilia was, Ruby almost certainly knew and wasn't seemingly doing anything to dissuade her.

"What is happening with those two anyway?" She asked curiously.

"Honestly, I doubt even they know." The woman grinned. "Fun to watch though."

"You're such a good sister."

"I know." Yang stuck out her tongue.

"ALRIGHT, BOYS AND GIRLS!"

The sudden loud noise cut across the music and caused Weiss to jump a little. Looking to her side, she saw Nora once again pointing the remote at the television to turn the music down while Pyrrha held an embarrassed hand over her face. Every head in the room was turned to her, and she was holding out two glasses of what looked to be champagne.

"Speech time!"

The excitable girl bounced up and down eagerly, and Jaune quickly reached out and took the drinks from her and brought them to their table. Thanking the boy, Weiss gave a sidelong look to Yang, who simply shrugged with a smile and motioned for her to stand up. Given that she had not even known she would be attending a party, she had no idea what she was going to say as she stood up and watched every eye in the room turn to look at her expectedly.

"Hello, everyone." She said with a smile, her nerves non-existent due to all the meetings she'd led. "I'll try not to keep you from your drinks and conversations for too long."

"Beer's right here so take your time." Sun called, Blake poking him in the stomach with a smile.

"Well there is quite a lot I could say… but I won't. Instead I will simply thank you all for coming here tonight. Given how complicated my life is, I was never really sure that a moment like this would come for me, and I certainly wasn't expecting there to be so many people here to support me when it did; but meeting Yang has changed so much in my life."

She reached back and took Yang's hand, the woman standing up and giving her a wide grin.

"And though I know the things I feared are still coming for us, there isn't a single moment of being with you that I would take back." She turned to look at the blonde and gave her a soft smile. "I love you, Yang Xiao Long."

"Awww," Yang cooed, gazing lovingly down at her. "You're such a sap."

"Yang!" Ruby, Nora and Blake shouted at her, causing both Weiss and Yang to laugh.

"Relax." She replied, an arm coming out and slipping around her waist to pull her close. "I love you too, Weiss Schnee."

Feeling a grin spread from ear to ear, she pushed herself up onto her toes and pressed her lips against Yang's. As awws came from their friends, a feeling of warmth rushed through her body and she let herself melt into the woman's arms for the few seconds that the kiss lasted. She really had never expected to be able to do something so openly, but she could honestly say that the feeling of relief was something she wished she could have felt sooner. Eventually though, they pulled apart and Weiss was left gazing happily up at her beautiful girlfriend.

"Alright, you pervs." Yang called out to the crowd, a wide smile on her face. "Back to your business. Let's kick this party up a notch, shall we?"

"I'll definitely drink to that." Neptune agreed and held up his beer. "To finding love… and using it as an excuse to have a great party."

The crowd laughed and Weiss rolled her eyes and joined in the toast, taking a small sip of the champagne as the music was turned back up. Pressing her head lightly against Yang's chest, she breathed in the intoxicating smell and let the sounds of everyone having fun envelope them as a single wish came to her mind.

If only this could last forever.


A/N

Hello everyone. We are back :D I hope all of your's holidays was fun despite everything that is happening, and that your 2021 is starting off well.

So the first chapter back was probably a little slower than you expected xD I mostly wanted to ease back into it and show Weiss and Yang being happy now that they are out. However, as I've promised before, do not expect things to stay quiet for long :P

Anyway, that's honestly all I really have to say this chapter. A lot of chapters for this arc are actually going to be a little longer than previously due to having a lot to cover. Not too much longer, but around the 7k chapters. So I hope you all enjoyed this and are looking forward to what is to come.

Chapter 76 - Invitation will be up on the 21st of January.

Reviews

timrocks99, Zoro50, Broshark, jm4reader, and SoyBrain; thank you all for reading and leaving such wonderful comments.