A Little Too Cuddly

Yang wasn't normally one to turn down a good thing, especially when it involved Blake. So when the other girl practically kicked down the door, jumped onto her lap, and started cuddling and nuzzling her, she wasn't about to say no. Okay, maybe she was about to say no – Blake suddenly realising that her lap really was the most comfortable place in the universe was just a tiny bit strange – but only after a few seconds. Scratch that, Yang thought as Blake licked her cheek, make that a few minutes. After all, she was only human, and Blake fit perfectly curled up against her.

But being the super awesome friend – and maybe something more – that she was, Yang eventually did the right thing. She wedged one arm between herself and Blake and pried the dark-haired girl off.

"I know I'm hot and all, but this isn't like you." Yang's eyes widened as Blake strained against her. She knew Blake was strong, but she'd never been this strong before. But strangely enough, Blake wasn't looking at her face or even her generous chest. Instead, Blake seemed much more interested in something else. Blake's hands had curled her hands into cute, little claws and… was that her hair that Blake was after? "Okay…" Yang tried to pull her hair out of Blake's hands. "Now I'm worried."

Yang got even more worried when Blake's only response was to let out an irritated meow before making another grab for her hair. Yep, something was definitely going on. Yang's hair was pretty awesome, but Blake had never been the kind to simply grab at it. Still, Blake was kind of cute this way, pawing at Yang's hair and making the most adorable purrs when Yang finally gave up and let Blake settle down on her lap and rub her face against her hair.

"Hmmm. We've been in class all day, so I doubt you ran into anything weird. Then again this is Beacon. Weird is sort of par for the course." Yang winced as Blake put a lock of blonde hair in her mouth. "Hey! Bad Blake! No eating my hair." Blake gave her an apologetic look and went back to petting her hair.

Whatever it was that had reduced Blake to a cat-like state, Yang couldn't risk leaving her alone. While it would definitely be hilarious, Blake would never forgive her if Yang let her wander around the school acting like a cat. Still, Yang giggled and patted Blake's ears, this was definitely better than doing homework.

With no better ideas in mind – and not minding all that much since who wouldn't want to snuggle up to the bookworm if they had the chance to do so without getting stabbed – Yang stayed right where she was. On the upside, Ruby and Weiss were out again. Part of her wondered if the heiress and her sister were arguing again – probably – or if they were doing that weird love/hate thing they had going on – quite likely – and whether the day would ever come when she'd get the chance to walk in on them doing something embarrassing. If that happened, she would be sure to impress upon Weiss the importance of treating Ruby right, but only after embarrassing both of them so much they passed out from all the blood rushing to their cheeks.

Yang spent the next several minutes scratching Blake behind the ears. All the purring had to be a good sign. Then Blake went still – very, very still.

"Oh, what's the problem?" Yang laughed. "Does the kitty not like being scratched behind the ears anymore? Maybe you need a rub on the back instead."

"What am I doing?" Blake sat up so fast that she almost broke Yang's nose. "And why am I on your lap." She looked back and forth. "And where is my book?"

"Well…" Yang waggled her eyebrows. "It's like this…"

A rosy blush bloomed on Blake's cheeks as she realised that not only was she sitting on Yang's lap but Yang also had one hand on the small of her back. That hand was rubbing her back in lazy circles. "Did… did I do something weird?"

"You could say that." Yang leaned in, smirking evilly as Blake tried to creep away. Well, she couldn't have that. "You might have kicked the door open and commandeered my lap. Plus, you went after my hair like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Then again, my hair is quite awesome."

"Oh." Blake looked around frantically. This was not good. And the teasing light in Yang's eyes meant nothing but trouble. With an amazing burst of speed and strength, she wrestled her way out of Yang's arms. "Could we, uh, never talk about this again?" She desperately wanted something to hide behind, but her book was nowhere to be found.

Yang tilted her head to one side. "I guess. Although I am curious to know why you were acting like that. Care to share, Blake?"

"Um… not really." Blake settled for grabbing the nearest book she could find. It was one of Ruby's textbooks, so it was far from the perfect size and weight. At least it was big enough to cover her face.

"Don't worry, I won't say a word of this to anyone." Yang's grin was big and cat-like. "After all, what are friends for? And if you ever need my lap again, just ask." She gestured at the lap in question. "You're always welcome to cuddle up."

Blake blushed even harder and made a beeline for the door. Yang watched her go, chuckling as Blake first fumbled with the doorknob then ran for the safety of the corridor. How interesting. She needed to know what had happened.

Yang got her answer the very next day.

She was passing by team JNPR's room when she heard Nora squeal.

"Isn't he the cutest thing in the world?" Nora cried. "Can we keep him, please? Please, please, please, please?"

"I'm not sure we can," Jaune said. "Do they even let us keep pets in the dorms?"

Yang leaned her head in through the open door to find all four of members of team JNPR fussing over a cat in the middle of their room. It was a shabby looking thing, white with a few black patches and scrawny to boot. But it was cute, especially with its big, round eyes that just made Yang want to hug it and –

The next thing Yang knew, she was settling down on the floor next to Nora patting the cat as the other girl chatted away.

"We can call him Patches. We can buy him a nice, little bed to sleep in and give him cat food. He won't have to sleep out on the streets anymore, never knowing when another Ursa might come to steal his food and kick him out of the alley he's been sleeping in."

Ren raised one eyebrow. "I don't think there are any Ursa wandering around taking alleys and food from stray cats." He sighed as the cat licked Nora's hand. "And I'm fairly sure that school regulations don't allow for the keeping of pets."

Nora looked utterly aghast and swept Patches into her arms. "But look at him Ren! Are you really going to send him back onto the streets to die a horrible, horrible death? Look at his eyes! He's probably lived a life of untold horror and misery. He's a hero, Ren. We can't send him away now."

Confronted with the craziness that was Nora, Ren looked to his other teammates for a bit of sanity. He didn't get any. Both Pyrrha and Jaune were nodding.

"It would be kind of mean to kick him out now." Jaune scratched the back of his head. "And it might be nice to have a cat around."

"He should be rewarded for his bravery." Pyrrha nodded firmly and held the cat up. "He might not look like much, but it must have taken a lot of courage to sneak onto school grounds and into our room."

"Are you serious?" Ren asked.

"Plus, I've already bought all this stuff for him!" Seemingly out of nowhere, Nora produced a cat bed, cat food, and a host of other supplies. Ren went down under the pile as the cat settled onto its new bed – atop Ren's chest.

Yang decided to put in her two cents. "Well, I'm sure the others wouldn't mind helping you guys take care of him. And considering all the weird stuff that goes on around here, I doubt anyone will even notice you have a cat." Her eyes zeroed in on the supplies that Nora had bought. "What is that?"

"Oh this?" Nora held up a bunch of leaves. "It's catnip. Patches was freaking out earlier about being around so many new people, so I bought some." She giggled. "Now, he's friendly."

"Really?" A grin formed on Yang's face. "When did you get it?"

"I got it today." Nora pursed her lips, deep in thought. "I wasn't sure how to use it. I tried eating some but that didn't do anything, and it didn't taste very nice either. But then Blake came by, and she said Patches would sniff it if he liked it, so then I shoved some in her face and made her sniff it to check if it was working, and then she ran next door." Nora shrugged.

That explained a few things. Yang gave Patches one last pat on the head. "Thanks." She stood. "And keep the cat. I know Ruby would love him."

X X X

Blake trudged back to her room. She'd made such an idiot out of herself. She'd practically thrown herself at Yang – heck, if Yang was right, then she had thrown herself at Yang. She just wished she could remember more. But all she could remember were impressions: the warmth of Yang's lap, how nice it felt to be scratched behind the ears, and the softness of Yang's hair.

Stupid catnip. Nora hadn't meant any harm, but Blake had never tried catnip before. Apparently, she was still highly susceptible even if she was a faunus and not an actual cat. But she couldn't avoid going back to her room any longer. She'd run into Weiss and Ruby, and the pair was on their way back to the room. There was homework due in tomorrow, and Ruby had called another "team meeting" to make sure it got done – or, more accurately, to make sure that they helped her get hers done. Blake didn't mind helping, but she hoped Yang would hold up her end of their agreement. No one need ever know what had happened.

Of course, she wasn't that lucky.

Yang opened the door with a bunch of familiar leaves in her hand.

"Yo." Yang took a deep breath of the catnip and then waved it at Blake. "Want a sniff?"

It took Ruby and Weiss ten minutes to drag Blake off Yang and another five minutes to untie Gambol Shroud from the blonde's neck. Ruby was even forced to make an official team leader announcement expressly forbidding the horrible murder of her sister. At least Yang had the decency not to tell the others what was going on, but they weren't stupid. They'd figure it out eventually. As they finally – finally – settled down to do their homework, Yang gave Blake a teasing grin and whispered in her ear.

"Relax, I'm just kidding. The next time I've got you in my lap, I want you to know exactly what you're doing." Yang's throaty chuckle made Blake shiver. "Though you are cute when you purr. I'd like to make you purr more often."

That particular comment prompted another round of scuffling. Sighing as Blake chased her sister around the room, Ruby shook her head. At this rate, she'd never get her homework done.

X X X

Author's Notes

I do not own RWBY, and I'm not making any money off of this story either.

I watched the whole of Volume 1 the other day in a single sitting, and I couldn't resist having a stab at some fan fiction. The whole time I was kind of hoping that Blake would be a cat-girl (since they dropped a few hints along the way), so it was kind of cool to find out that she actually is one. Once I knew that, I knew I had to do something involving Blake, Yang, and some catnip. Nothing like a cuddly Blake to spice up your day!

Rather than leaving this as a one-shot, I thought I'd put up a series of stories, slice-of-life style, covering the good, the bad, and the strange when it comes to life at Beacon. I plan on focusing on team RWBY, but I'll be writing about team JNPR as well. There is a lot of room, I think, for humour, romance, and good, old-fashioned friendship.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.