Asking her step-daughter's wife for advice about a new relationship was easily one of the most awkward experiences Raven had ever gone through.
It had been a long damn time since she had dated... anyone, or even been in something that was more than just a fling or a single date, so the idea of being in a proper, serious relationship again after so many years was... downright terrifying. Who knew how she was able to get through their first date in the first place without being a total nervous wreck, but... gods, she was so happy that she did, because actually being with Cinder was just... such an indescribable feeling. Of course, even now, Raven was so... out of practice with every single aspect that went into dating that... well, she needed more than a bit of help, and who better to go to about being a better lover than Pyrrha Nikos.
But good gods was it uncomfortable as fuck.
Raven had called her to come visit the bar during a shift that Cinder was not working, ensuring that they would have time to talk alone, without the risk of her girlfriend finding out. She was... incredibly hesitant on bringing up the topic when Pyrrha first walked into her office, as well as... not exactly sure how to ask for help, but... eventually she was able to figure it out. Raven was in a newfound relationship, and she wanted to know how to be a better lover for Cinder. That one sentence alone was painful, given their... familial status, but... she got through it... somehow. Gods, she really wished that she had someone else other than the redhead... or Summer... to talk about this with.
And yet, she actually received some fairly good advice.
There's no simple way of learning how to best pleasure your partner. Pyrrha had explained. Only a slow and careful exploration of the options at hand, until you both garner an appreciation for certain acts and methods.
Naturally, Raven took that in her own... unique, probably wrong way. What did that mean exactly? Well, try a bit of everything and see how things felt, which meant that she took a little trip to the local sex shop, and... kind of applied the shotgun method, and ended up leaving with two bags full of various... products. It was unbearably awkward to have to look the cashier in the eye when paying for it all, but thankfully, Raven made it out. Of course, that did not compare to how she imagined Cinder was going to react when she walked in. Hey, Cin, I bought a bunch of sex toys on impulse that I wanna try fuckin' you with. Yeah, that was sure to go over just great.
Well, it was a bit too late to reconsider, seeing as Raven was walking up the stairs toward their apartment. Managing to pull out her key, while still holding the shopping bags, she opened up the door and entered the living area, where she was met by her girlfriend, idly watching TV from her position lying on the couch. Upon turning to see the older woman taking off her shoes, she smiled.
"Hey, Rave. Welcome home." Cinder happily greeted. Never gonna get tired of hearing that one. Though, she soon furrowed her brow at the opaque bags in her hand, as the variety of coloured items within no doubt partially showed through. "What... exactly do you have there?"
Glancing down at the bags, Raven let out a nervous chuckle. "Would you believe me if I said candy?"
Cinder merely quirked her brow at her girlfriend. "Considering you asked, I'll go with... no."
Damnit. Well, Raven was going to have to tell her sooner of later. "What if I uh... said these are both full of... toys..."
Cinder's brow immediately raised upon hearing that, eye widening as she looked down at the bags in the older woman's hands. "As in... sex toys?"
Raven only nodded after a few moments. "Yup."
Cinder was briefly quiet. "Two bags?"
Raven just nodded again. "Two bags..."
Cinder continued to stare at the bags, as if trying to figure out what exactly was in there. "Are they... particularly large toys?"
Raven opened her mouth to answer, before realizing that... she was not actually sure... She bought so many that she... might have lost track. "Well uh... They're... They kinda vary... a lot..." In several ways...
"I see..." Cinder noted. "Shall we take a look?"
Raven glanced down at the plastic bags one more time. "Yeah... Yeah. Just... don't freak out." She requested, making her way over to the couch.
Cinder merely rolled her eye, raising into a sitting position. "I've seen toys before, Rave."
Given what she bought, Raven had to disagree there. "Not like this you haven't..."
As her girlfriend sat down next to her, placing the bags in between them, Cinder leaned forward to begin looking through one of them. Gods... Raven did not realize just how much stuff she bought. Collars, ball gags, various kinds of vibrators, dildos of... varying shapes and sizes, blindfolds, paddles, anal beads, horse whips, nipple clamps, fuzzy handcuffs, butt plugs, and a few strap-ons. Fuckin' hell, I went so overboard...
"Oh my gods, did you buy out the whole store?" Cinder questioned, eye wide at the sheer number of toys contained within the two plastic bags.
"I uh... kinda panicked and... got a whole bunch of random shit." Raven admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit. Gods damnit. In her defense, there was a sale going on, and with so many bright, special labels around the store, she got antsy.
As she continued to look through one of the bags, Cinder pulled out one of the various dildos that the older woman had purchased. "What's this?"
Raven examined the L-shaped blue toy for a moment, trying to remember what the hell it was called. "It's a uh... feeldoe... I think." Yeah, that sounds right.
Cinder turned it in her hand, observing the odd shape. "Okay... Why is it shaped like an L?"
If Raven was thinking correctly... "It's like a... strapless strap-on. Goes inside us both." She explained. "Short end in the giver, long end in the receiver."
Cinder took a second before putting the toy aside. "Huh..."
Raven furrowed her brow at the response. "Did uh, you not use toys?"
Cinder shook her head. "Emmy... was very into body worship... Sort of made me forget toys existed."
Raven was quiet for a few moments, as a realization began to set in. "It feels kinda weird, tryin' to live up to the dead."
Cinder merely smiled, leaning over and planting a soft kiss on her girlfriend's cheek. "You're not short or dark enough to live up to her." She assured, before continuing to look through the plastic bags, and held up a line of black balls, all connected by a string.
Raven's eyes widened at the sight. "Shit, didn't realize I got anal beads." To which the younger woman just rattled them around, a smirk spreading across her face. So she reached into the bag to search for something more ridiculous. Luckily, it did not take long, as she soon pulled out an admittedly huge, purple, double-ended dildo, then started to flop it around with a stupid grin. Gods, I bought some weird shit. This thing looks like it could split her in half.
"You're such a dork." Cinder laughed. "I should go get my scroll from our room so I can take a picture. I bet Nora and Yang would love to see what you bought." She added, putting the beads aside. It actually made Raven smile, though not for the reason that would be expected. The master bedroom of the apartment was finally their room, since they had purchased another dresser for all of Cinder's clothes. Of course, as her girlfriend stood up from her seat, Raven decided to seize the opportunity, leaning forward to firmly smack her rear with the dildo, eliciting a high-pitched yelp and a slight jump.
"If that's your incentive for me to not embarrass you to your daughter... It may or may not be working..." Cinder admitted, rubbing her backside as a slight, adorable blush tinting her cheeks.
Raven only grinned at the reaction. "Well then, why don't you get back here so I can give you some more?" She wondered, gesturing with the stupidly large dildo. Her girlfriend just matched that grin with one of her own, returned to the couch, and straddled the older woman, wrapping her arms around her shoulders, and meeting her in a passionate, yet brief kiss, which was accentuated with another firm slap on the rear, this time with a bare hand, earning a muffled yelp. Upon separating, the two only continued to grin at each other, before Raven glanced over at the two bags full of sex toys. "So many options... You wanna just try 'em one by one and see how they feel?"
Cinder let out a chuckle at the offer. "I'm not a test subject for sex toys, Rave."
Raven merely shrugged. "True, but it also means we get to fuck." She reminded. It had only been a couple weeks since their first time, but they had slept together... at least half of the nights and... several mornings since then. Man, they could really not keep their hands off of each other now that they were properly dating. How they made it so long before getting together in the first place, or even having some drunken fling was... beyond Raven.
Cinder was silent for a moment. "I... suppose we could give some of them a shot."
And so they did, relocating everything into the bedroom, before beginning to strip each other down and starting with some foreplay. Not exactly the most conventional way to have sex, but hey, it had been a weird day. Of course there were a few that they did not even bother with, such as the beads and the plugs - given how neither of them really liked the idea of sticking anything in the back door - but the pair did end up trying most of them, which... took a while with how many Raven bought. Though the huge dildo was too funny to take seriously, so they left that out too. Perhaps it could be re-gifted as one of those joke presents that Yang used to describe exchanging with her friends. The two also kept positions fairly simple, as this was about seeing how all the toys felt. Raven promised that they would save the other stuff for those they decided to actually keep.
Then came... the accident.
"Uh, Rave? I think you left something inside of me." Cinder commented from her place on the bed, just as the older woman lifted herself up off of her, following another orgasm. It was spoken through heavy breathing, but still contained a hint of laughter.
Furrowing her brow, Raven glanced down between them. What did she mea- Oh. It seemed the feeldoe that they were just using was no longer inside of them both, as it should have been, rather... It was now protruding from between her girlfriend's legs... Whoops. The two shared a look, in complete silence for a moment, before they both burst into laughter at the utter ridiculousness of the current situation. Once the pair calmed down a little, Raven carefully removed the toy from between the younger woman's lower lips, earning a whimper. "It's just never been the same since Tai and Yang."
Cinder immediately quirked her brow at the defense, seemingly trying to contain her laughter. "Certainly a strange thing to mention right after sex."
Raven only smirked down at her girlfriend. "I mean, we've still got a bunch of toys left to try, so I'd say it's still during."
Cinder let out a chuckle. "Well, I suppose we should continue then." She grinned, reaching up to wrap her arms around the older woman's neck, in order to pull her down into another heated embrace. So, it seemed that the feeldoe would be a no go, as... Raven kind of expected. After all, she was not as tight as she used to be, unlike Cinder. The strap-ons however, those worked a hell of a lot better, given how they allowed Raven to go as hard as her lover requested, without worrying about the damn thing slipping out.
Eventually, once the pair were finally done their... experimenting, they had a much smaller list of toys that they were actually planning on keeping. As for the other ones... they would likely end up selling them, or... something. That would be figured out later. Gods damn, Raven really did not realize just how much she had spent on all this shit. Obviously the backdoor-related things were a no, the nipple clamps hurt like a bitch, the collars and blindfolds were a bit too kinky for them, most of the lone dildos were either too weird or just plain funny, and the vibrators... honestly just felt weird to use in a non-solo situation.
As for the ones that the couple decided to keep... The fuzzy handcuffs, horsewhip, and paddle were probably the kinkiest that they would get, and even then, those would likely not be used that often, outside of... future role-play situations... Though, the couple were not exactly there yet. The ball gag... would be nice to have if they ever had to be discrete while banging... and of course they kept a couple strap-ons - one regular, and one double-ended - since... those would definitely see a fair amount of use.
After the pair had finished playing with the more ridiculous toys, and testing the rest, they were now simply cuddling, enjoying the warmth that their naked bodies offered. Well, mostly naked. When they were initially undressing, the long-shirt that Cinder was wearing might have gotten... aggressively ripped off in the heat of the moment, so once things settled down, she had gone to the older woman's closet to borrow a random one, and was now clad in what turned out to be one of Yang's old T-shirts. It mostly fit, aside from the bust, but... gods fucking damn did she look cute. Plus, Raven was still wearing one of the strap-ons... mostly out of laziness.
"So, you wanna go again?" She wondered, loosening her embrace around her girlfriend, in order to smirk down at her, which only earned a raised brow, probably because they had already been having sex for... a while now, in order to test out all of those toys. Of course, Raven was still getting used to actually having a sex life again, so... it was possible that her libido was higher than usual. "Maybe I could use this new strap-on of ours and pin you up against a wall."
After a couple moments, Cinder merely grinned, glancing over at her girlfriend's bare breasts, trailing a hand along her stomach, and taking gentle hold of one. "So long as I get to lavish these in attention afterward." Then she looked down at her partial attire. "Is it... odd if I do that in your daughter's shirt?"
Raven followed the younger woman's gaze, thinking about it for a short time. "Yeah, but it also sounds kinda sexy... so I don't give a shit if it's weird." She admitted, before a sly smirk spread across her face. "You wanna call me mommy too?"
Cinder just smirked in return, her gaze lidded. "Mommy, I've been a bad girl, won't someone punish me?"
Raven's eyes immediately widened upon hearing that, and she audibly swallowed, never thinking that the word mommy could ever get her going like that. It took several seconds for her to even think of a coherent response. "Take... the shirt off." She eventually demanded, feeling an unfamiliar, yet very intense heat burn in her core.
Cinder looked up at her girlfriend with a faux-innocent expression. Fuck, she's adorable. "Why? Does mommy want me naked?"
Raven only growled, flipping them with a buck of her hips, looming over her lover. "You're being a naughty little bitch, now take it off before I tear it apart." She hissed with a glare.
Cinder giggled shakily, hands grasping the garment's hem. "Mommy." She whimpered, lifting the fabric until it passed her breasts. She looked so small, so vulnerable, bare but for her scars. They were beautiful... All of her was beautiful. "Make me scream." She begged, raising the shirt above her head, legs spread wide, the toy resting above her quivering heat.
So, Raven obliged, with all the intensity that she could muster.
Taking her sister out for a nice afternoon in Vale seemed like a great idea to Weiss. At least... that was the plan.
Winter had been in Vale for a few days now, and it caused the younger sibling to realize something. Even back when she was... with Vernal, she never really took the time to properly show her around Vale, so... as far as she knew, her sister had never seen that much of the city, aside from her hotel room, her girlfriend's apartment - now Yang's apartment and The Perch - and a few cafés. Of course, that was not much of a problem a year and a half ago, but now... after having lived there for that long... Things needed to change. Vale was Weiss' home, and she needed to take some time to show Winter around.
Thus, a surprise visit to her hotel to invite her out.
Now, Weiss and Yang were in the elevator, waiting patiently for it to reach the correct floor. Initially, they wanted Neo to join them, partially... due to what happened a couple days ago when she did not go to The Perch with them, as well as wanting her to spend more time with Winter, yet... she elected to stay home. Of course that worried the pair, given how poorly that went last time, but she assured that everything would be okay. Though, that did not stop Weiss from making her swear that she would contact them if anything was wrong, because while spending time with her sister was important, making sure Neo felt safe was infinitely more so. Thankfully, the mute agreed, but that did not stop either of them from having a bit of worry in the backs of their minds.
Then Yang snickered, pulling Weiss from her thoughts.
Glancing over, she noticed that the blonde was on her scroll, looking down at what appeared to be a text chain. "What has you so amused, Yang?" She wondered, leaning a little closer it to see the screen clearly.
"Oh, Cinder finally got back to me about that pic I sent her earlier." Yang informed through a bit of laughter, holding out her scroll so her friend could read. Accepting the device, Weiss took a look at the series of messages that followed the gorgeous picture that Yang had sent the older woman when the pair had woken up, depicting the blonde in her pyjamas, flashing a peace sign and sticking her tongue out at the camera. It seemed that she was just now replying, at eleven AM.
Cinder: What is this?
Yang: Just making sure you start your day off with a Yang!
Cinder: ...
Cinder: Very funny.
Yang: :D
Cinder: That was sarcasm.
Yang: You sound like Weissy
Cinder: Get some better jokes.
Yang: Never! You can't make me!
Yang: You should learn to wake up earlier!
Weiss could not help but chuckle at the exchange. Gods, Yang was such an adorable dork. Though, just as she went to hand the scroll back to its owner, it buzzed, and a new text popped up on screen under the others.
Cinder: Apologies. Your mother kept me up late last night.
Weiss had to resist the urge not to laugh as she finally returned the blonde's scroll to her. The pair had a feeling those two had begun a proper relationship, but judging from that text, they might be a little past a second date. Oh, this will be good.
Accepting the device, Yang looked down and read what her friend had sent, and just as was expected, her eyes widened, but only briefly. Then, surprisingly, she let out a nervous chuckle. "Man, those two have gotta start goin' to bed earlier. Surprised Cinder hasn't been late to any early shifts yet."
Weiss tried her absolute hardest to keep her expression at least semi-neutral, as she was not sure going to bed was the issue over there. Though, it was easy to see her friend did not want to think about her mother in that context, so she decided to remain quiet and not say anything about it. Instead, the pair merely waited for the elevator to reach the floor that Winter was staying on, and soon enough, it arrived at its destination with a bing, and they stepped out into the hallway. Weiss had asked the front receptionist where her sister's room was, so they knew just where to go, and luckily, it was not that far.
Reaching the door labelled 705, Weiss took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. What followed was a brief silence, then... a series of... unexpected noises... First, came whispering... something about... pizza? Then... what Weiss knew for an absolute fact was a firm spank, and a yelp... in a voice that was certainly not Winter's, yet... was still familiar somehow... Finally... there was giggling... with one of them coming closer...
"Well just give me a second, and it'll be right back in your hands. No need to pout, Snowflake." Came a muffled voice from within the hotel room, before the door swung open, revealing... Robyn... clad in nothing but a light-blue bathrobe, hair messy, what appeared to be hickies on her neck... "Hey, so how much do I owe... Oh..."
Weiss' mouth only hung open at the sight, unable to come up with any kind of coherent response, or even really process what she was seeing. "Robyn..?" She eventually managed. What was... her friend doing there? Why was she not wearing proper clothes? Was she dating her sister? Was she... intimate with her sister? There were too many questions...
Robyn seemed just as dumbfounded to be seeing the younger woman, given how it sounded like they were expecting pizza. "Hey, Weiss... I uh... ah shit."
The trio just stood there in silence for a short, but unbearably uncomfortable time. "Well, this is awkward." Yang finally commented.
Eventually, Weiss was able to compose herself, and let our a huff. "Winter?" She called into the hotel room. "I know you're there."
A few moments later, Winter came around the corner, tightening her identical light-blue robe... her hair... fully down... Gods... It had been a long time since the younger sibling had seen it like that... Even yesterday when she came over for breakfast, dressed in casual-wear, it was up and professional-looking, like she always had it... Just... how close were those two...? "Weiss." Winter stood at attention, rendered a bit ineffective by the fluffy robe and... slightly disheveled appearance, which caused Yang's eyes to widen. "I was... not expecting you."
Weiss could not help but narrow her eyes at the pair in front of her. "Yes, that was the idea."
Another silence followed, as the sisters stared each other down, until Yang made eye contact with Robyn. "Uh, hey... I'm Yang." She held her hand out with a smile, cutting through the awkwardness. The older woman smiled equally, taking it for a shake.
"Robyn, well met."
Nothing but silence for another brief time. "So, you two wanna come in? We have pizza coming." Roby eventually offered, probably hoping that would help.
"Robyn-" Winter attempted to begin.
"Hey, I always order extra, because you never know when you need more." Robyn countered, smiling a bit at her girlfriend... "Plus, we gotta... you know, diffuse this situation."
Weiss did not take her eyes off of her sister. "Situation is certainly a descriptor."
Winter only narrowed her eyes. "There is no situation."
Weiss could feel anger beginning to build up inside of her. "Then what would you call this, Winter?"
"An interruption." Winter simply declared.
"A real awkward one." Yang offhandedly mentioned.
"You're telling me." Robyn agreed.
"And when exactly were you going to inform me of this?" Weiss questioned, trying to hold herself back from spitting the words. Her sister had felt almost entitled to know what was going on with not only her and Vernal, but now her and Yang, and yet... she was shrugging off this... secret relationship like it was nothing, and none of her business? Most would understand why that might anger Weiss.
"Define this." Winter requested, clearly aware of exactly what her younger sibling was talking about. So, Weiss merely pointed at the woman next to her in the identical bathrobe, both of them likely containing nothing underneath.
"Hey, this has a name you know." Robyn commented, probably trying to lighten the mood.
"A cute name too." Yang added, smiling.
Robyn let out a chuckle. "Thanks, you too."
"How long as it been going on? Or for that matter, how long have you even been into women?" Weiss continued, trying to keep herself calm.
"Less than a year, and... I don't know." Winter clarified.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Weiss simply asked after a moment.
"Because it wasn't your business." Winter informed.
Weiss just scoffed at the response. "Well that's rich considering your recent actions."
Winter narrowed her eyes once more. "I apologized for that." She countered.
"Okay, maybe let's not air the dirty laundry in the hallway, yeah? You guys want drinks? Come on in, we'll have some drinks." Robyn proposed, sliding her arm around Yang's shoulders, directing her, and by extension Weiss into the hotel room. "It's really nice to meet you by the way. Winter won't stop talking about you."
"Robyn." Winter attempted to chastise.
"Don't tell her I said this but she kinda likes 'em blonde!" Robyn stage-whispered as Yang giggled.
"Robyn!" Winter shot, only causing her girlfriend to grin at her as the four women relocated into the hotel room's living area, where they all sat on the two couches that were there. Weiss and Yang on one, and Winter and Robyn on the other, partially across from them. After the latter retrieved some water for each of them, they then spent a brief time in complete, awkward silence.
"So if we hadn't come today, would you have ever told me?" Weiss finally questioned, curious to know if her sister would have just continued to keep it secret otherwise.
"When the time was right, yes." Winter nodded.
"And when would have that been?" Weiss continued, unable to stop herself from clenching her fists. "You've been together for months and you never felt like you could tell me? I thought we told each other everything, Winter." She shot. "What else have you been hiding? Are you even really so busy that you can never visit me? Or do you only do that for her?"
Winter was quiet for a moment. "I gave you the space you needed, Weiss. You didn't need me babying and doting on you while you explored yourself, and I was not ready to speak of my own experiences... not when I still didn't entirely understand them."
"You're right, I didn't need babying, but going months on end without seeing my own sister... and now finding out you have had the time to come down to visit... I just... don't know what I'm supposed to think..." Weiss admitted, some of her anger turning to... disappointment.
"I thought I would have more opportunities to visit, I promise you. I was going to visit for your birthday, but... your father was growing suspicious of my dalliance." Winter explained, her own expression softening.
There was one question that still needed to be asked, but... part of Weiss did not want to know the answer, out of fear of what it might be. "When was the last time you really visited?"
Winter was silent for several moments, expression... uncertain, and sharing a look with her girlfriend. "Four months ago."
The response sent a pang through Weiss' heart. She was in Vale... four months ago? That was... not long before her birthday... But... her sister said that she was too busy to visit earlier... That meant... she lied to her... Did that mean... How many other times had Weiss been lied to when asking for her to come down to Vale? How many times had Winter been there without her knowledge just so she could... shack up with someone that the younger sibling thought was her friend...? Well... Weiss knew one thing for sure. "Yang, I think I would like to go home now."
Yang only looked between the siblings, clearly not sure what to think of the current situation. After all, they had come to take the older one out for a nice afternoon on the town, but now... they were suddenly learning about secret relationship of unknown length and seriousness. "I uh, think we should stay for pizza..."
Weiss looked over to glare at her friend, who stiffened in her seat a bit. "Yang, take me back home. I don't wish to be here any longer."
Yang appeared like she had no idea what to do, merely looking between the three women, likely hoping one of them would say something, until Robyn sadly smiled back at her. "I believe... we could all use a little time to think things over." The taller blonde suggested.
Weiss just stood up, causing Yang to awkwardly follow suit, and glared at her sister. "Call me when you're ready to tell the truth."
Winter was silent, jaw set in a grimace, as Robyn reached over to take her hand, which was quickly reciprocated. "I was afraid, of disappointing you..." She eventually admitted. "If I couldn't handle things with Robyn, it would set a poor example... You... you and Robyn are the only things that matter to me, and I am terrified of losing you both.
Weiss only let out a sigh. "You have never once disappointed me, Winter, but... I do not appreciate you lying to me, especially now, after everything that has happened." She informed. "You're not going to lose me, but I think you need some time to evaluate your priorities."
Yang looked between the two once more. "Weiss..." She mumbled, seemingly barely getting it out.
Weiss shifted her glare at the blonde again. "What?"
"I think... we should stay..." Yang attempted to admit.
Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Unless she's going to tell me the whole truth, I want to go home. Now." She commanded, causing her friend to actually flinch.
"Ask, Weiss, and I will answer, I promise you. Just please... don't leave like this." Winter pled.
Weiss remained quiet for a moment, simply looking down at her sister. Part of her wanted to stay and ask more question, but... honestly, she did not want to find out just how much she had been lied to about. "I need some time to think." She decided, turning around to make her way towards the hotel room's entrance.
"Weiss..." Winter murmured, no doubt watching her sister walking away.
"Why don't... we go out for coffee later?" Robyn offered, causing Weiss to stop, but only briefly. "It would give everyone a little breathing room, and... you know, also a chance for us to put on some proper clothes."
Yang looked at her friend, then back at the couple in front of her. "Well we were... planning on asking Winter out anyway so I guess it kinda works."
After a moment, Winter nodded. "That... seems acceptable..." She mumbled, gripping her girlfriend's hand.
"What about that gourmet donut place a couple blocks away, Linguanas?" Robyn suggested with a smile.
Weiss paused for a second, before letting out a small huff. "Very well." She reluctantly agreed, continuing to head towards the door.
"Great... It was uh, nice meeting you, Robyn." Yang managed after a bit of awkward silence. "Wish it was a better time but hey, shit happens."
Robyn offered a smile in return. "It was nice meeting you too, Yang. I look forward to this afternoon."
Managing a smile, Yang turned back to Weiss, only to see her leaving through the opened door. "See you two later then..." She mumbled, but managing a small smile. "Love the matching robes by the way. Super cute." She complimented, shooting finger guns at the pair before swiftly following her friend out of the hotel room and down the hall, of course shutting the door on her way out. Upon catching up, the two walked in more awkward silence, until Yang spoke up. "Hey... you okay?"
Weiss just stopped, staring down at the floor in front of her for a brief time, before turning around and practically throwing her arms around the blonde's midsection, pulling herself as close as she could manage, face buried in her chest, not saying a single word. Yang was a bit surprised, but quickly reciprocated the embrace, wrapping her arms around the shorter woman's shoulders, holding her tight. The couple just... stood there for a while, merely savouring the warmth that the hug provided. Weiss loved to be in Yang's arms, to be held by her... It always made her feel like everything was okay... Unfortunately this time, there was a little too much on her mind.
"Why can't things just be simple for once..."
Upon arriving back at their own apartment, the only thing Weiss wanted to do was to drag Yang into her room, close the door, turn off the lights, and fall asleep in her arms. Unfortunately, they would be going out again to meet Winter and Robyn for coffee in a few hours, so simply cuddling was going to have to do.
At least Neo was doing alright when they returned. She did admit that she had a bit of a difficult time when they first left, but thanks to their encouragement and kind words the prior day, there was no panic attack. Of course the mute would have been more comfortable if they had been around, but she made the best of it, trying her best to just focus on her drawing, which were honestly incredible. How that woman managed to draw so well with a broken wrist was beyond the other two. It made Weiss wonder just how good her art was before... she was injured. Although, aside from saying hello and giving hugs to Neo as they were welcomed home, the pair did not spend long in the living area before retreating to the bedroom, promising to explain Weiss'... rather foul mood later.
Unfortunately, no amount of cuddling was able to make her feel any better, even... snuggling up to Yang's perfect body. She was too... distracted. The only thing on her mind was wanting to know the truth, and soon enough, it was time to go learn it.
Reluctantly lifting themselves up from their downright heavenly position, the couple emerged from the bedroom in order to get ready once more, hugged and bid farewell to Neo again, and headed out... as much as Weiss just wanted to stay home. It was a fairly short trip to the gourmet donut place that Robyn had suggested earlier, was not entirely a good thing, since... she was still kind of dreading this meeting. Sadly, there was not much that could be done about it. Yang had already parked her motorcycle, and they were taking off their helmets. Though, Weiss could not help but smile at the one in her hands. Light-blue, open-faced. It was simple, cute, but the best part... It was hers, not just a guest's. Yang had bought it for her after they began dating, and she just... loved to be reminded of that fact.
"You ready?" The blonde inquired, attempting to offer a smile.
Weiss did not answer at first, instead merely staring at the establishment that they were about to enter, before trying something that the couple had not done as of yet. She reached out, and took her friend's hand, intertwining their fingers, and as if by instinct, the action was quickly reciprocated. A moment passed, with Weiss simply focusing on the warmth of their connected hands, before looking over with a warm smile. "I am now."
And so, with a deep breath, the shorter woman led Yang by the hand into the café, soon spotting Winter and Robyn patiently waiting at a nearby table. Alright, here we go. Another deep breath, and the pair approached her sister and girlfriend, the latter awkwardly smiling and waving as they did.
"Hey, glad you both made it." Robyn warmly greeted, gesturing to the other two chairs. "Come, sit down." Nodding, Weiss took the seat across from her older sibling, while the blonde did the same to her right, across from Robyn. "So uh, Yang, you wanna help me grab some coffee for everyone?"
Yang just blinked at first, clearly not expecting the question, before looking to her friend, as if seeking approval. "Uh, yeah, sure." She agreed, hesitantly getting up from her seat. "Milk and two sugars, Weiss?"
"Yes please, thank you." Weiss accepted, not taking her eyes off of her sister.
"You know what I prefer, Robyn." Winter added, doing the same.
"Sure do!" Robyn smiled, before leading Yang toward the front counter, leaving the two siblings alone.
They merely sat in silence for a brief time, staring one another down, neither saying a word. Weiss wanted her sister to go first, since she was the one who had the things to share, but the longer that they remained quiet, the more she realized that she was probably going to have to start. So, she let out a sigh. "So, are you ready to tell me the truth now?" Weiss questioned.
Winter was quiet for a few moments, her gaze falling to her hands, which were currently folded on the table in front of her, until she looked back up at her sibling. "I am."
If only that were the case in the first place. "Okay. I want to know the story... between you two." Weiss firmly requested, gesturing to the woman standing in line next to her friend. "The whole story."
Winter remained quiet again for several moments, still appearing... conflicted, before sighing. "Very well. Robyn and I... went to school together... in Atlas."
Weiss just blinked. "You... what? Then how come I never heard anything about her until now?" Just that much more she's been hiding from me...
"I apologize, Weiss. Much like my romantic life now, I kept my school life very separate from my home life. Although, I did not... truly consider Robyn a friend until after we had both graduated and were still keeping in contact..." Winter admitted. "I joined the SDC, and she ended up moving to Vale to manage her friend's café, yet... we still spoke. A few years passed by, and I was finally given the opportunity to travel, if still for work, but it gave me the chance to visit Robyn to properly catch up." She explained, smiling at the memory. "Yet... something was different. At the time I was not certain why, but I started to become so... distracted by her. Images of her face would not leave my mind, even after I would go home to Atlas, I could barely focus on work at times... I only really began to make sense of it all when I actually sat down and thought about it..."
Then Winter took a breath. "I was... not entirely sure about my own sexuality back then, as I never had the time to date anyway, but... Robyn was the first woman that I had ever found myself... interested in." She continued. "Like you, I was never really that interested in men, even while... you know. Though perhaps that was only due to never finding the right one, since I have heard that can make all the difference." Then she let out a small chuckle. "Maybe if I was not currently in a relationship, I could have given Yang's uncle Qrow a chance, seeing as he is the complete opposite of the men I have previously found myself involved with, if one could even call it that with my work schedule."
Winter's expression returned to a neutral one. "Of course, I also did not know I was attracted to women because of the lack of time I had to dedicate to having any kind of social life." Then she shook her head slightly. "Anyways, during the time of one of my visits about two years ago, I was under quite a lot of stress from work, and... Robyn could see it, and she offered to spend a nice, quiet evening at my hotel room in an attempt to ease my stress. We ordered some pizza, watched a couple movies, but... I was still distracted by work. So... she tried something different, and... kissed me..." Winter hesitantly explained. "I was shocked, but... I kissed back, as by then I was sure that I was attracted to her, but... then things progressed, and Robyn ended up... staying the night..."
After that, Winter went quiet for a brief time, until she took another breath. "I was... conflicted about what happened for a long time, unsure how to proceed from there, and... unsure of what that made us. I had never been with a woman before, and was... extremely nervous when things got that far... even with how slow and careful everything was..." Then she let out a sigh. "It took me a long time to accept the situation, and to finally admit proper feelings for Robyn, but even then, it took her confessing first, as well as over a week until I had the courage to tell her over a scroll call... After that...she asked me to be with her... I was... reluctant to say the least, thinking I wouldn't be a good partner, that I was neglectful and distant, as well as emotionally and sexually immature. Yet... I desperately wanted to say yes, because it felt good to be wanted for my personality, rather than just the money I had... to be missed when I wasn't around... Robyn truly cared for me... So eventually... I said yes, and we moved into a long-distance relationship that we kept secret from everyone... including you, Weiss... I'm sorry..."
That was... a lot of information to unpack, but... Weiss was beginning to understand now. Of course, that did not make it much better, since she also learned that her older sibling had been hiding much of it for years... She perfectly understood the desire for privacy, but... they were sisters... "Winter... I've always wanted to have a real, normal family life, and when I moved here... I felt like it was possible, and I want you to be a part of that life, but... that can't happen if you continue to let our father control you... It's not fair to any of us." Weiss insisted. "For the past year and a half, I've been surrounded by people that I can be myself with, who be themselves with me, to share their love... and here you are... ruled by paranoia..."
Weiss only sighed once the words left her mouth, almost ashamed that she even had to say them. "I feel like I barely know you, my own sister... I mean, for gods sake, you kept your whole life secret from me, while I've told you everything about my own... because that's what a family should do. They trust each other... Honestly, it... really feels like we're not even family now..."
Winter was quiet for a time, merely staring down at her folded hands on the table, expression... one of shame... "You're right... I should have never hid any of this from you, but please understand that I did not do it because I wanted to... I... have a good routine, a life that functions. I get to know that not only are you safe, but Robyn isn't on our father's radar..." She admitted, before sighing. "If I were to quit, to break free... I could end up losing everything that I worked so hard for, and have to start from scratch..." Then she shook her head. "But I shouldn't have to, neither of us should. The SDC is our family's company, built from our blood. I... I want to outlast our father, and someday take back the company that should have been ours to begin with... because only then can I mend its reputation and provide a better future for everyone there, including us."
"So then... why didn't you tell me any of that? You know I would have understood." Weiss assured.
"I suppose... I was just so used to keeping everything a secret in Atlas... that I forgot you have always been there for me, that I could trust you with anything I was going through..." Winter admitted. "It was just... easier... Everything was working fine, I felt like there was no need to disturb the balance... Honestly... I didn't know any better. It took years before Robyn was able to get me to open up... But... I realize now that I shouldn't be treating you like those in Atlas. I'm supposed to be your sister, and it is about time I start behaving like one again. So... I apologize again for lying to you, and it will never happen again."
Well, I guess that's a start. "Thank you, Winter. I'm glad you're finally being more open with me." Weiss replied, smiling at her sister for the first time since the prior day. "But... it is going to take some time before I can properly forgive you."
After a few moments, Winter smiled back. "That's all I could ask for, dear sister."
Suddenly, the younger sibling felt a hand on her shoulder. "So, are we all friends again now?" Came Robyn's voice from behind her.
"What took so long?" Winter inquired as her girlfriend and Yang took their seats, handing out the drinks. Coffee with milk and two sugars for Weiss, black for Winter, a mocha for Robyn, and a hot chocolate for Yang.
"We figured you two needed a little more time to talk alone, so we lingered in line a bit." Robyn answered with a slight grin. "Everything okay now?"
Taking a sip from her coffee, Weiss looked skeptically at the older blonde. "Not quite." She informed. "I'm not done with you yet."
Robyn just blinked at the answer, but quickly regained her composure. "Fair enough, ask away, I'm an open book."
Putting her coffee aside, Weiss folded her hands on the table, leaning forward to stare her sibling's partner directly in the eyes with a stern gaze. "Have you truly enjoyed spending time with me at the ice cream parlour, or were you just acting as a spy for my sister?" She questioned. Because until today, I thought you were just a sociable regular that likes rocky road ice cream.
"Oh, I uh..." Robyn hesitantly began, glancing over at Winter, seemingly for support. "Well, at first I dropped by because I was asked to check on you every now and then, but after the first couple times, I really did like spending time with you at what I could tell was kind of a terrible job. Plus, the ice cream's always damn good, even if it goes straight to my thighs when I eat too much." Then she flashed a smirk over at her girlfriend. "Of course, that's not exactly a bad thing."
Winter just rolled her eyes. "Do you have to be such an annoyance while we're in public?" To which Robyn just laughed.
Weiss was not sure why, but at that moment, upon hearing that word... annoyance... It triggered a memory from the previous year... back when... her sister had met Vernal... She used the exact same word when someone had interrupted their conversation with a text... Wait a minute... Looking over at the older blonde, a realization hit Weiss like a truck. "It was you."
Taking a sip from her mocha, Robyn furrowed her brow, clearly confused by the sudden accusation. "Huh?"
Weiss was sure of it. "That day, last year, when Winter met Vernal, you texted her, and she left to call you!"
Robyn only blinked. "Oh... yeah."
I knew it. Weiss looked to her sister with a shocked look. "You've been dating a woman longer than I have!"
Robyn let out a chuckle at the outburst. "I mean, we weren't really dating at the t-ow, hey!" She yelped.
"Robyn and I were... testing the waters." Winter clarified, taking a sip from her own coffee. Did she just kick her from underneath the table?
"You mean you were testing my waters- ow!" Robyn yelped again, seemingly from getting kicked a second time.
"Ah, committal issues." Yang commented, smirking over at the older women before sipping on her hot chocolate.
"I was perfectly capable of commitment, Xiao Long." Winter shot, glaring at the blonde.
Yang just shrugged, her smirk remaining strong. "Your awesome girlfriend says otherwise."
Weiss was enjoying this back-and-forth. After everything that had happened today, having the opportunity to tease her sibling was a nice change of pace. "It's good to know I was more put together than you."
Winter immediately glared at her sister. "You moved in with your one-night stand!"
"And we worked." Weiss proudly reminded, before realizing something. "At least... until love came into the picture..."
"The trick is to rub it in her face until she feels uncomfortable not admitting it." Robyn smirked, much to the un-amusement of her girlfriend.
"Soooo, when's the wedding?" Yang slyly wondered.
"I'm thinking... in the winter." Robyn grinned.
"I hate you." Winter sighed, going back to her coffee.
Weiss was not sure at first, mostly because of all the lying that went along with it, but now, she had to admit, she was starting to... warm up to the idea of the couple. Of course, that was not going to stop her from taking the chance to get back at her sister. "I like her, will you be adopting?"
Robyn seemed like she was trying not to laugh. "Three at minimum. Four if I'm lucky."
Winter only groaned at her girlfriend's answer. "I despise children."
Weiss could not help but chuckle. "You were always quite good at Whitley-wrangling when we were younger."
Winter just rolled her eyes. "Hence my ire."
"So, have you broken out the L word yet?" Weiss asked with a smirk, hoping to embarrass her sister.
Yang quirked a brow at the question. "Lesbian?"
Weiss let out a small sigh, but the smirk remained spread across her face. "No, Yang, the other L word." To which her friend merely sat there for several moments, seemingly trying to think of another possible word that started with the letter L. It was not like the L word usually referred to something very specific that had to do with two people dating. Nothing like that.
"Lesbians?"
Of course.
"So uh, you and my mom, huh?"
"And what of it, Yang?"
"Nothin', just... Guess you don't need that offer from our girls night anymore. Y'know, the one about... dating you and Coco..."
"I'm sure your mother wouldn't mind sharing me with you."
"So you do have a thing going on!"
"Or perhaps you would like Weiss to share you with me."
"Oh I dunno, Weissy seems like the possessive type."
"Well, would you care to find out?"
"I can't tell if you're serious or not."
"You know what they say. Only one way to know for sure."
"I'm... gonna go back to work now."
"Suit yourself. Just know my door's always open."
"Gods, I shouldn't have even brought it up."
Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think!
Because as always, your feedback fuels us!