Volume 2 Chapter 18: Four-Letter Words
AN: Consider this a tentative announcement that we are (hopefully) back on once-a-week uploads, every Friday. Though I guess I missed the 7PM CST time.
Also, I'm on the verge of being finished with V1C2's rework. I'll give you all three guesses as to where the easter egg regarding that rework is in this chapter.
Anyway, I think you all know what's coming up next. You wanted it, I wanted it; hell, Chilltexan's been bugging me for this since V1C31. You know what's coming.
(Perspective: Kassidy)
Kassidy liked to think she had a high tolerance for the unexpected, and that no matter what life threw at her, she could roll with the punches. But this? She was completely and utterly lost.
She didn't know how to handle the White Fang. It was a fact that she'd known from the beginning, but hadn't truly appreciated until her stint with Councilman Winchester. So far, she'd monitored what communications she could, and whenever news of activity came up, she made sure to be there to disrupt whatever they happened to be planning. But that was reactionary. It didn't address what the White Fang had already done. And she still didn't know their endgame. For all she knew, they could be ramping up to attack Beacon itself this very night, and she'd have no idea until the bullets and bombs started flying.
She also didn't know why she was here, at Beacon, with the greatest examples of the next generation (and Team CRDL) training to basically be super-soldiers. Sure, Ozpin said that he wanted her unique skills and experience on his side, but what even were those? She wasn't the only person in his school with a less than perfect childhood. He said that he feared that a war was coming, but what did that have to do with her? She was a survivor, not a soldier. And what the hell was his side, anyway? No matter the answer, Ozpin had plenty at his beck and call, from childhood prodigies, to actual warriors, to people who have trained almost literally their whole lives at this. She was just a girl too stupid to know how to die. Kassidy couldn't find how she belonged here any more than a Beowolf belonged in a pet store.
For that matter, she didn't know why they were having this dance. Terrorists were growing more bold by the hour, and a mind-numbingly vast horde of monsters (Bob's more conservative estimates put the Grimm's numbers in the tens of billions) scrabbled at the walls to the Kingdoms and were all but poised to render humanity and Faunuskind extinct. Surely there were better uses for the Lien and resources that went into tonight than such an arrogant display of opulence and excess? Of course, it didn't help on that front that barely eight months ago Kassidy was on the run, alone, and was quite literally one of the most hated people alive.
But it didn't matter if Kassidy didn't know. It would be okay, she told herself, even if she didn't understand. She wasn't on the run anymore. She wasn't the most hated person alive anymore. She wasn't alone anymore. She'd found friends, and a place to call home. She'd found a new calling, a way to put her few talents and unique biology to good use, to help and protect others. And most of all, she'd found Her. Yang Xiao Long, her golden dragon. The girl that had chased away her night, had been there no matter what, and had given her the sun.
It was perfectly alright if she didn't understand the way things were going. With her friends – and especially with Yang – at her side, Kassidy knew that she could stand firm against anything that came their way.
However, unless things went catastrophically wrong, the biggest problem that Kassidy would need to solve tonight falls along the line of 'how am I going to dance without breaking an ankle?' Truth be told, that was a decently large problem, all things considered. The support of Yang's arm as they took the final bit of the walk to Beacon's ballroom was the only reason she hadn't taken a minimum of three dives. Her shoes made her wobble with each step, the tights made her legs itch something fierce, the dress was awkward as all hell and exposed what felt like her entire back (though Kassidy wasn't convinced that was a bad thing, since Yang's arm would occasionally reach up to rub it in the most amazing way that only Yang could), and her hair kept bouncing around awkwardly behind her. Still, from the way Yang had stared at her whenever they'd met up at the lounge, she obviously liked it. Maybe it was worth it after a-
"Welcome to the dance. Glad to see you two could – Kassidy, did you manage to mess up your hair already?!" Weiss' screeching brought Kassidy out of her thoughts, while simultaneously alerting her to the fact that they'd made it to the ballroom and damn if Weiss and Yang hadn't gone all-out to liven the place up. Getting back to the matter at hand, however, Kassidy sighed, resigned to the fact that she was absolutely powerless to stop Weiss from doing anything as long as she was teetering on these stilted shoes. Fortunately, after a few seconds the tugging on her hair's new curls ceased, and Weiss returned to behind her podium looking slightly more composed. "Well," their Ice Queen said, "run along, you two. Have fun."
"Ugh," Kassidy sighed as she allowed Yang to guide her through the room. "So… what do we do now?"
"Why, have fun, silly!" Yang laughed, booping her on the nose and making Kassidy turn away with a blush and a small smirk. "You feel comfortable dancing yet, or do you want to wait for a bit?"
Kassidy thought about it for a bit. On the one hand, between Weiss and Bob… she never wanted to hear the word 'dance' again from all the studying they'd forced on her. On the other, she learned how to dance formally for a reason. Besides, maybe the time would let her get her thoughts in some semblance of order. Of course, as it turned out, nearly stumbling over Yang more times than she could count – and believe me, I can count pretty dang high – combined with the fact that Yang's simple radiance captured the entirety of her attention meant that Kassidy made no headway on the front of all the feelings in her head. Before she knew it, a good fifteen minutes had passed and Yang had agreed to lead her over to the punch bowl. She spied Ruby giggling over something Sun just said, and was about to mention something when Weiss wandered over to them.
"Well, Weiss, looks like we did it," Yang said, enthusiasm and relief making themselves equally evident.
Weiss apparently agreed with Yang's sentiment. "Mission accomplished."
"Great job on the planning, guys," Kassidy said. "Everything looks great so far."
"And hopefully only getting better," Yang muttered. Kassidy didn't miss how she tensed up suddenly, but wasn't given a chance to comment on it before Yang made some excuse about needing fresh air before taking off. Weiss similarly ghosted away from her, and Kassidy was left hovering by the punch bowl, not having the slightest idea of what to do.
"Not enjoying yourself?" a voice asked to the side of her. Kassidy turned to find Headmaster Ozpin striding up to meet her, Glynda close behind him, and she couldn't help but notice that neither of their attire had changed in the slightest. Then again, none of the professors seemed like they could be bothered to get into more formal wear. Oh how jealous she was.
"It's not that," Kassidy countered. Almost as soon as she said it, though, doubt began to creep back in. "Or maybe? I don't know. I'm just… completely lost, I guess. Not exactly a connoisseur of formal dances." Having said her piece, Kassidy looked back out among everyone so obviously enjoying themselves, and having no idea how to join them without her friends helping her along. She couldn't help from muttering, "Doesn't help I'm feeling pretty lost with everything else, too."
"Well, you can't spend your entire life on the battlefield," Ozpin argued. "Even if you may want to."
"I don't want to spend my entire life on the battlefield," Kassidy defended. "I guess I'm not so sure on how to do… well, anything else, really."
"If you think about it," Ozpin offered, "fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners, interlocked. Although, one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot."
"Or a twisted ankle," Kassidy seethed. "Still not sure how I've managed to avoid that so far."
It was at this moment that Ozpin decided to give her one of his rare nuggets of wisdom that left everyone arguing over exactly how wise it was. "It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget."
"I might not be an expert on these types of things," Kassidy hedged, "but somehow, I've got this feeling that it's more the people than the places."
"That would not be incorrect," Ozpin replied. At this point, Glynda had something she wanted to say, but they had to pause their conversation when General Ironwood came up and offered his hand to Glynda for a dance. With a roll of her eyes that didn't seem entirely vehement, she took to the dance floor, leaving Kassidy and Ozpin alone. Picking up where he left off, Ozpin continued, "It's a precious and valuable thing that you have found with your partner, Miss Smith. Something to be cherished, nurtured, and protected."
"Well, what can I say?" Kassidy asked, blushing and turning away from Ozpin. Seriously, what else were you supposed to do or say when the headmaster of your school asks you about your budding relationship with your combat partner? "I try my best."
"And that is all anyone can ask," Ozpin finished. Glancing around the room and apparently finding something that caught his attention, he stiffened up. "I'm afraid that this is where we must part ways for the moment. Have a good evening, Kassidy."
"Headmaster," she responded. After deciding that she couldn't hide out around the punch bowl all night, no matter how much the idea appealed to her, she aimed to wander around the room for a short while and try and find what kind of trouble she could get herself into. And so, over the next hour, she found herself sharing a dance each with Ruby, Sun, and even Jaune of all people (and who would've guessed the goof was such a good dancer?). She took breaks along the way, sometimes conversing with classmates about this or that, sometimes hiding out at a table or corner, but the whole hour was spent thinking about the woman who had only been appearing intermittently throughout the night.
Yang seemed to have a supernatural ability to tell whenever Kassidy was in danger of truly being out of her element, as she just so happened to show up to dance, or sit with a cup of punch, or just stand around and talk about nonsense for a few minutes, whenever Kassidy began to be overwhelmed with the night. But the team's other blonde was clearly worried about something. Three separate times, Yang had started to say something, get her tongue twisted a word or two in, then excuse herself to get some fresh air.
Kassidy was completely unsure of what was going on, or even what she was feeling. Yang's mere presence was enough to make her stomach feel ten pounds lighter. Kassidy could feel her pulse pick up, her breath hasten, and even a bead of cold sweat or two form just being near her girlfriend. Of course, the physical sensations were nothing compared to the emotional ones. Kassidy honestly, truly felt at peace by her Yang's side. Yang would never become judgmental, never grow impatient. If Kassidy had a problem, Yang would be there to calmly listen. Almost paradoxically, it was Yang that had to be the cooler head and keep Kassidy from rushing off and doing something rash and foolish if the problem was aggravating her so (Kassidy returned the favor whenever she could, of course, such as keeping Yang from strangling Sun halfway through tonight).
To her, Yang was the bastion to hold against any problem that would come their way. She was the strength to survive any harm that would befall them. She was the reason to push herself as hard as she possibly could. Qrow had told Kassidy, over the course of summer break, to find a reason to fight. Here, in her team, Kassidy had found her reason. In Ruby, in Weiss, and especially in Yang. Here, she was safe. She was accepted. She was welcome. As far as Kassidy was concerned, she was home.
And Kassidy let no threat, no problem, however minor, threaten her home. Which is why, the next time Yang feigned an excuse for fresh air, Kassidy made her decision to follow her up and help her. Yang had been oh, so willing to help her no matter what the problem was, no matter what the help entailed. How could Kassidy do any less for her? So she took the stairs up as well, only returning a nod to first Neptune, then Jaune on her way up, before coming up to the balcony and stopping short, her breath suddenly catching. Yang's near-luminescence hadn't faded in the slightest, in her eyes, over the course of the night. Now? Standing in front of a cloudless night sky, with the moon and the CCT tower in the background? Kassidy couldn't find the words to describe how beautiful she looked, nor could she find the ability to breathe for a few moments.
It took a second or two, but Yang turned around at the sound of someone coming up to the balcony, before her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Kassidy. "You alright, K? Something wrong?"
The question was all the extra push she needed. Her lungs finally deciding to cooperate again, Kassidy took a quick breath before nodding. "A couple things, actually."
Yang instantly strode up and took Kassidy's hands in her own. "How can I help?"
Kassidy all but gushed on the inside at Yang's words, at her complete lack of hesitation. But the tension that remained in her girlfriend's posture was the reminder that she didn't need that she was here to help her. Leading Yang back to the edge of the balcony – only to stumble once more, catching herself on the railing – she decided that an indirect approach might work best. "Firstly," Kassidy began, "We have a startling lack of pictures of just the two of us."
"Speak for yourself," Yang giggled. Kassidy lifted an eyebrow, prompting Yang to open up her Scroll to show that Ruby had sent her a couple dozen pictures of the two of them over the course of the past semester.
Kassidy rolled her eyes, "That doesn't fix my startling lack of pictures of just the two of us. Not to mention that we have as about a perfect background as we're going to get. So get to snapping." Handing her Scroll over to her girlfriend, Kassidy sidled right up to Yang's side and wrapped an arm around her back. Yang was more than happy to giggle the whole time she was taking selfies of the two of them.
Eventually, however, even alternating between both Scrolls wasn't enough to keep Yang distracted for long. After both devices had about a dozen new pictures each – Kassidy wasn't sure how Yang managed to take twelve pictures from hitting the button seven times – they turned around, leaned against the balcony, and looked out over the campus. Kassidy could feel Yang tense up beside her, but was beaten to the punch of asking about it. "You said there were a couple problems?" Yang asked. "What else?"
The way that Yang's voice sounded low and terse, combined with the continued care and selflessness her girlfriend exuded, was enough to make Kassidy's feelings return full force. Kassidy turned to face her, determined to act on her protective instincts. "You are," Kassidy began. Before Yang could get a word in, she continued, "Well, not you. It's just… you've been really tense and nervous all night long. I thought you'd be really enjoying yourself tonight, after how long you and Weiss have been planning it. Everything's gone great, you've done a good job. Is it – is there some other part that you're worried about? Is there something else about school? Ruby and Sun?" Tossing her hair over shoulder, an act that was far too foreign to the point that Kassidy was convinced that she did more harm than good, Kassidy lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Yang. She rubbed small circles on Yang's shoulder blade, and asked, "Don't ask me; let me ask you. What's the problem, and how can I help? Doesn't matter who, doesn't matter what. If I can help, I will.
"K…" Yang breathed out, her breath hitching.
Worry bubbling up, Kassidy asked, "It's not me, is it? Have I done something wrong? Come on, Firecracker, talk to me. You know you can tell me anything, right?"
Kassidy felt pressure on her shoulders, and she let herself be pushed out a bit to stare into Yang's face. Yang's quivering, lightly tear-stained face. Kassidy could feel her heart break for a few moments, before Yang spoke. "It's not you, K. Trust me, you've done nothing wrong. It's just… Dust, I don't know how to say it. You're just so, so…" Yang tried and failed to start explaining herself a couple times, before eventually cursing and shaking her head. "Y'know what? Screw it, I'm just gonna say it."
"What is it?" Kassidy asked. At this point, her brain was nearly frying itself. Between hormones, instincts, feelings, and emotions, the poor girl was getting quickly overwhelmed herself. There were so many things buzzing through her head. It would be so much simpler if there was a way to condense it all. Just a word or two to explain how –
"Kassidy," Yang said, thankfully interrupting her from her rapidly accelerating internal monologue. Closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and opening back up wide and shining lilac orbs, Yang steeled herself before announcing softly, "I love you."
Kassidy's brains – both of them – screeched to a halt, even as all her feelings and points condensed to those three words. How Kassidy was feeling, why she acted around Yang the way she did, the explanation for her actions; it was all put far more succinctly punctuated with three words. Eight letters. Not being able to even attempt to come up with any other answer, Kassidy whispered the only words her lips were capable of forming at the moment: "You… love me?"
Yang nodded fervently, as if the mere idea that she didn't was a grave offense. "Absolutely."
Kassidy was about to give her an actual response, truly, but her legs chose that moment to give out on her, and Kassidy went crashing into Yang's arms. Her girlfriend struggled a bit, but somehow managed to support both their weights. Kassidy leaned into the impromptu embrace, then looked up. Just as Yang's face began to fall, Kassidy answered, "I'm… pretty sure I love you too. I mean, it's been a while since I've heard those words with me in, you know, any kind of context. But… yeah. Yes. I love you too, Yang Xiao Long."
She must have lost track of the last few moments, for next she knew, her eyes were sliding closed and her and Yang's faces were getting very close to each other. Not really able to control herself, but simultaneously not really sure that she cared all that much, Kassidy felt her eyes close completely and a soft, tender hand guide her face until something soft and wet met with her lips. She could practically feel her hormones exploding, and her emotions go off for a road trip, and her heart beat at was probably a quite dangerous pace, but Kassidy let everything happen. She trusted Yang completely, utterly, and let her guide how things went. Kassidy felt a hand on the back of her waist and head tug her slightly closer, and was aware of her own arms tightening on Yang's shoulders. Kassidy had nearly completely lost herself in the moment when…
"Awwwww!" a voice cooed from her left. Kassidy was halfway convinced both herself and Yang broke the sound barrier as the pulled apart, both girls blushing from the roots of their hair all the way down. They both turned to glare at whomever dared interrupt them, before their eyes fell upon one Ruby Rose, complete with a Scroll taking pictures and a hand over her mouth. "Uh, oops?" the girl said, before nervously giggling, scratching the back of her head, and muttering, "Never mind me. Carry on."
Yang rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath. Kassidy huffed and crossed her arms. She felt Yang's arms around her tighten and pull her closer, and she made exactly zero attempts to fight it. Almost as if they hadn't just been caught by her baby sister and team leader, Yang broke out her near-trademark grin and asked, "So, what's up, sis?"
"Um," Rubby stammered, "Weiss was getting a little worried as to where you two were. But if you were busy or anything…"
"Actually," Kassidy interrupted before Yang could get a word in edge-wise, "I was hoping to head back in. Getting a bit cool out, and… maybe I wanted another dance?"
Yang let loose a soft chuckle. "Well, who am I to deny such a beautiful woman? To the inside, it is!" The three girls giggled, and headed inside. Despite the unspoken promise of another dance, the three of them instead decided to hang around the second floor, leaning against a balcony that overlooked the ballroom. Whenever they got comfortable, Yang blurted out, "You know, I think we really needed this."
Kassidy looked out across the hall, happening to spy not only Nora dragging poor Ren across the dance floor, but also Penny doing… alright, is that the mother-fucking robot?! Goddamnit. Can't tell whether to blame Bob or Atlas for that kind of humor. She was interrupted from her observations, however, whenever Ruby answered, "Yeah! And you did a great job planning, it, too!"
"Capital work there, partner," Kassidy affirmed.
"Aww, thanks, guys!" Yang took this opportunity to engage in a sneak attack, grabbing both Ruby and Kassidy in a headlock. The two younger girls flailed around, doing their best not to lose their balance and send them all tumbling over the railing, while Yang expounded, "It wasn't all me, though. Weiss did a lot, too."
Kassidy halted her flailing, having regained her balance. Ruby, too, decided to cease her windmill impersonation, and pointed out a finger that the two blondes followed over to a view of Neptune and Weiss hitting it off.
Yang sighed, before adding, "Well, tomorrow, it's back to work."
"Well," Ruby replied, "I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us."
The increasing sound of laughter caught Kassidy's attention. Leaning over to try and find the source… she couldn't help but ask, "Uh, how about that?" The three girls watched Jaune wander up to Pyrrha, and as they began to talk Kassidy couldn't help but mutter, "Is it just me, or does he wear a dress better than I do?"
"Not a chance," Yang denied. Kassidy couldn't help but feel suspicious at Yang's hum, however, and her suspicions were confirmed when her girlfriend added, "He does have nice arms, though."
"Does he, now?" Kassidy couldn't help but giggle at how Yang stammered and tried to backtrack, before waving off the whole deal. She was going to say something else, but she was interrupted by the entirety of Team Juniper taking the dance floor for a synchronized dance.
"What," Ruby said.
"The," Yang continued.
"Hell," Kassidy finished. Getting an idea, she turned to her girlfriend with a glint in her eye. Yang smirked as soon as she saw her face, and Kassidy confirmed her thoughts when she said, "Between you helping organize this whole thing, and what we just had up at the balcony outside… I can't help but feel that this is supposed to be our night. I'm not being selfish, am I?"
"Shellfish?" Yang asked, and Kassidy could only roll her eyes at the added 'h'. "The only crabs around here are in the sea. At least, I hope," Yang added quickly.
Kassidy raised an eyebrow but didn't question that. Instead, she pressed on. "What do you say to me having Bob take over the DJ? I don't know about you, but I, for one, refuse to get upstaged. I need to prove to Jaune that I'm the superior goofy, dress-wearing blonde."
Both Yang and Ruby giggled, then laughed, then gave up and had to lean against the railing to support their weights. Kassidy let a chuckle or two out also, and busied herself with watching Juniper's dance. She wasn't sure how she was going to beat it… but she was determined, damnit. No way she was gonna be upstaged by Jaune Arc, of all people.
Still, the time came where the synchronized dance had finished, Juniper had cleared the floor, Bob had received his instructions, and the two blondes descended the stairs, confident and sure in what they would do. The hall stilled from its applause as Kassidy and Yang strode confidently to the middle of the room. They took their places, Yang gave her shoulder a small squeeze and shot off a wink of encouragement, and Kassidy gave Bob his signal to start the music.
The song Kassidy picked was chosen with intent and forethought. She wanted it to be something special. Something that Yang had offered her, and that she was more than willing to offer Yang, if somehow the circumstance came up. It was a song of home. They stepped; they danced; they twirled; they dipped and bowed and glided across the floor with grace that Kassidy wasn't entirely sure was hers. As opposed to the uproarious applause that Juniper had received, the ballroom now was all but silent. Nobody dared interrupt or distract, and the only sounds were the music over the speakers, and the clacking of Kassidy and Yang's heels. Kassidy was quite proud of herself: over the course of five minutes, she hadn't once stumbled or tripped.
Of course, she wasn't happy yet. As the song moved on to the bridge (as Bob had so helpfully informed her of earlier), Kassidy couldn't help but ask Yang, "How about leaving a real impression? Something that'll leave them talking?"
The glint in Yang's eye was mischievous, but the smile was genuine and breathtaking. "Getting raunchy, eh? What've you got?"
"Well," Kassidy muttered. "I can't help but notice that I've got the hottest girl in the school as my girlfriend. Forgive me for wanting to show off a bit. And let her know exactly how much I care about her."
Yang's smile widened even as her eyes glinted again. After a beat, she said, "I'll follow your lead."
It was at this point that the song picked up in its final lines. Kassidy was no singer, but she was dead serious about wanted to show Yang how much she cared for her. So as the song slowed, and the voice picked up, Kassidy slowed them as well, and poured herself into her voice. Looking deep into Yang's eyes, she sang, "Yes, I know that when I'm with you, I'm at home." She could see Yang's breath hitch, could see her opportunity, and jumped on it. Letting up the pressure she had on her back, she beckoned Yang into one last dip. And then she followed her down.
The applause, and the whistles, and everything else burst to life as Kassidy found her second kiss. She nearly missed the look on Yang's face, and was more than glad that she didn't. She was also more than glad that she managed to regain her balance and avoid the two of them tumbling to the floor as she slipped. When they both came back up, they took their bows, and found their way off the dance floor for the moment.
There wasn't a face there that didn't seek to talk to them in some form. JNPR, SSSN… even Penny and the two soldiers with her. Kassidy couldn't help but beam when their professors came up and congratulated them (though she was happier when Glynda managed to stop Professor Port from telling a story before he began). And so, Yang and Kassidy enjoyed the rest of their night. They talked, they danced, and they cared not. Neither of them noticed a person dash across the roof of the dormitories, or how Ruby chased off after it.
AN 2: Holy crap, that took a while to get just right. And to be fair, I'm absolutely not convinced that this is just right. Wouldn't be surprised if this gets another pass tomorrow or something as I reread it after sleeping.
Well, how about it, guys? Everything you hoped for?
Coming up next: Mountain Glenn time!
AgentDraakis: Don't worry, plot is most definitely coming next chapter. This chapter, though? This chapter is definitely about the fluff. However, let me stress this point right here: there will be no lemons in RWKY. Sorry, but as I've said before, homie don't play that, and not just because I more than likely wouldn't be able to write good lemon.
Captain marvel 36: Judging from the RWBY ship chart, looks like the "official" ship names for Ruby x Sun are Sunset, Red Sun, Suns and Roses, or Strawbana. No, I didn't know that either before looking it up. I guess consider it Sunset for the purposes of this fic. (Also, Sunflower is Ren x Yang).
FloriteFlower: Yes, you have said it before. It took a week and a half to get here, so hopefully it's everything you hoped for.