"Keep looking, kid. It's bound to be here somewhere," Olivia spoke smugly, currently sitting on top of the bookshelf. She was using her body to block line of sight, preventing the younger girl from finding the book she so desperately desired. Ruby was busy flitting about the room instead, searching through each of their desks, under beds, mattresses, and pillows alike.

Two of Olivia's appendages were currently out, devoted to propping up Blake's bunk for safety's sake. Ruby had pulled many of the books used to support it out, leaving the bunk in a precarious position. With an unstable foundation and the small gusts whipped up by Ruby's semblance, Olivia was certain it would have fallen if not for her added support.

Weiss sat on her own bed, nervously protecting it from Ruby while also flashing the occasional, appreciative smile in Olivia's direction. She knew well enough that the faunus had chosen to save them further embarrassment, the earlier teasing more than enough to satiate her playful desires.

Olivia smiled in return, then diverted her eyes back towards the door when she felt Blake approaching. "Ding ding ding! Looks like you're out of time, Ruby."

Blake opened the door and immediately stopped, eyes widening when they fell on the state of their bedroom. Books had been lumped on the floor or stacked precariously on Olivia's bunk, desk drawers were emptied, and every bit of Blake's own bed had been unmade during Ruby's search.

"Ruby. Rose," Blake spoke sharply. Ruby herself froze in the middle of pulling out another book from between the bedposts, spinning slowly to stare in apprehension while Blake glared in return. Olivia smirked, waiting for the tongue lashing that was sure to come.

It never did, though. Blake, who was typically so protective of her books, stared into Ruby's eyes for a few moments before darting them down to the floor instead. Olivia frowned, seeing a glimmer of something in Blake's eyes. It was immediately blinked away, causing her to question whether or not it had even been there to begin with.

Ruby seemed to notice something was off as well, judging by the timid hand that momentarily raised in Blake's direction. She recovered though, and raised that hand to the back of her neck to rub it like Olivia so often did. Ruby adopted an apologetic smile, and spoke after gazing across the destruction she'd caused.

"Sorry… I got a little ahead of myself. I'll put it back how it was, I promise!"

Blake gave herself a little shake. Her eyes raised, and she nodded towards Ruby in return, "It doesn't look like you actually damaged them." She hesitated, eyebrows drawing together in mild confusion, "You usually treat my books so carefully though. Is something wrong? Why do you want to read this one so badly? You don't even know what it's about."

Ruby's hand paused, eyes flickering to each of her teammates in turn. Her shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly, and she gave a small shrug a few moments later. Her voice came out faintly, "I… I don't know, it just sounded fun? I… I like ninjas I guess…"

'Hmmm,' Olivia hummed quietly. She crossed her arms, foot idly tapping against the bookshelf. She and Weiss shared a glance, both silently communicating that neither of them bought Ruby's half-baked fib.

"You're not a very good liar, kid."

"That can't be it," Blake added.

"You can tell us if something's wrong, Ruby," Weiss finished off gently.

Ruby's eyes raised to Weiss, studying her for a moment. Her gaze trailed over each of her other teammates as well, seeing a mutual adoration reflected back. Shoulders firming slightly, Ruby bit her lip while considering what she was going to say. After a few moments, she finally spoke in a voice so quiet, even Blake seemed to have some trouble hearing her.

"I'm not a kid…"

Olivia's leg stilled against the bookshelf, hearing the sudden sadness revealed in Ruby's voice. It was paired with a hint of contempt, though that was merely an undercurrent to the more dominant emotion being put on display.

Weiss spoke up first, shifting awkwardly on her mattress, "Well… of course you're not, Ruby… You're a huntress in training, just like the rest of us. You're our leader."

Ruby scowled at the ground, "Am I? We've been at school for a month now, but… I've never really felt like the leader…" Her eyes raised, speaking to Olivia and Weiss more directly, "All of you are always helping me with my schoolwork. Weiss, you keep better track of the schedule and when homework is due... Olivia is always teaching me new things when it comes to fighting, and…"

Ruby's head turned in Blake's direction, eyes dropping to the floor while incapable of meeting her gaze. "You still treat me like a child. When we're in danger, you don't look at me like an equal. You don't care that I'm another huntress... It's always, 'How do we keep Ruby safe?'... I-…" She blinked to stem the wetness that had appeared in her eyes, "I don't want to be the one who runs away and leaves her teammates behind..."

Ruby sniffed, giving herself a small shake and dragging a sleeve across her face to keep herself together. She shrugged minutely, "So… I guess... When there was another thing that all of you could share, and I was the only one being left out, because I was too young…" She trailed off, incapable of finishing the thought, though her reasoning was clear enough to those present.

The room was still for a few moments, each of them considering what Ruby had said. Olivia grimaced slightly, upset that she had hurt Ruby in any way, but also knowing it would be impossible for her to change the way she saw the younger girl. Ruby was precious, like the surrogate little sister that Olivia never had. She would be damned if she was going to lower her guard, only for Ruby to suffer when Olivia could have prevented it.

'Should Yang and I have let her look in the club? Should we have let her see the horrors inside, just so she could have the satisfaction of feeling included?'

No. That was ridiculous. Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but paused when Blake beat her to the punch.

"I'm sorry, Ruby," Blake spoke softly, the ears beneath her bow drooping down against her head in shame. "I know it must have been hard, leaving me behind like that. Even if it's what I wanted… I would feel terrible as well, if I had to do the same. I didn't mean to force you into making that choice…"

Weiss nodded agreement, "You really are our leader, Ruby. I apologize if we've been making you feel any less than what you deserve… You're not a child anymore, either…" her face reddened, and she glanced in Olivia's direction before returning her attention to their leader, "If it really means that much to you… I wouldn't mind letting you read the book."

Weiss's eyes darted to Blake the next moment, stammering to correct herself, "I-If Blake doesn't mind either, anyway. It's not mine to hand out. I shouldn't offer it up without hearing your thoughts on the matter."

Blake's cheeks colored, and she gave Ruby's suddenly hope-filled eyes a considering stare before finally relenting. She huffed, and gestured in Olivia's direction, "You can read it… but don't tell Yang. Gods know what that girl would do to us if she found out."

All eyes turned to Olivia expectantly, and she could only stare in return. She didn't care about whether or not Ruby read the book, that made no difference to her. She just wanted Ruby to be happy, leader or not. At the same time… If that happiness came at a cost? If allowing Ruby to fulfill her dreams wound up getting her hurt in the process…?

Olivia wasn't willing to pay that price.

For now though, she'd go with the flow. There was a simple solution to their minor dilemma anyway.

"Why don't you head down into Vale and buy a different copy instead?" Olivia reached a hand down between the bookshelf and the wall, withdrawing the precious smut held within. She hefted the medium sized tome in her hands and idly thumbed through the pages. "I actually wanted to give it a read myself too, since Weiss mentioned it. We won't need to take turns if there's two copies. Your sister can't get mad at us either since you bought it for yourself. Everyone wins~"

Ruby paused, lowering her hand and frowning in thought while staring at the book, "I guess that makes sense. Will a bookshop let me buy one like that, though? What if they say I'm too young?"

"Blake can go with you just in case. With her to vouch for you and your Beacon ID on hand, I doubt they'll look too closely into it. Besides," Olivia shrugged nonchalantly, "It's not like you can't find stuff a thousand times more graphic on the CCT. And all you need for that is your scroll."

Three sets of eyes stared widely at her.

Olivia's words died in her throat as she realized what she'd said. Her cheeks heated slightly, and she darted her eyes away from the judging looks her team were sending her, "N-Not that I would know. I've always been able to have fun whenever I wanted. Nope, no three month long dry spells for this faunus…"

They continued to stare.

Blake eventually broke the extended silence, coughing into a fist before nodding once Ruby turned her way. "I'd be happy to take you down into Vale. There's a little bookshop that I like going to, and the owner there really won't care if you look a little young. I've, uh… been going there myself for a few years, so…" She shrugged awkwardly.

Ruby smiled, "Sounds like a plan!"

"While we're on the topic of Olivia's promiscuity, though," Blake continued after, glancing to her fellow faunus and Weiss in turn. "We were going to discuss what's acceptable in the dorm, right?"

Weiss's cheeks burned anew, and she couldn't quite keep her eyes from drifting to the floor. Her hands fretted with her clothing, "That, um… That might be for the best. I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has any..."

Olivia smirked, shifting on the bookshelf to better face everyone else. She'd at least spent some time thinking about it during Ruby's frenzied tossing of their room.

"Team Lion decided amongst themselves that Ren and Nora weren't going to fool around in their dorm, but… I don't think we should hold ourselves to the same constraint. The night at the club was the first time they'd gotten any real action for a month, and if it ever comes down to it," she flashed Weiss an apologetic smile, "I really don't want to have to go down into Vale. Passion is usually a spur of the moment kind of thing, you know? Having to wait that long, take a Bullhead, walk through all those people, just to rent a room in some unfamiliar, seedy place? Not very romantic."

Blake hummed in consideration, "That's fair. I wouldn't want to do that either, really… So, I guess we'll need some rules, and a system for when you two want to… have fun?"

Olivia smirked, "Weiss and I can keep most stuff to a minimum when either of you are around. Hugs, brief kisses… Nothing that'll make you too uncomfortable..." She tapped a finger to her chin, "A sock on the door is what I've heard people do in movies, too. Maybe we could just try that?"

"Gods, no," Weiss whispered, catching their attention. She raised her eyes, glancing between them anxiously. "We shouldn't use anything someone else might recognize. I do not want Team Lion knowing what's happening on the other side of our door. Just you two knowing is already embarrassing enough as it is."

Seeing how flustered Weiss was becoming, Olivia decided to hop off the bookshelf and move to her side instead. She sat next to her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her, hoping it would help to comfort the heiress. Weiss's body was already tense, her more sheltered upbringing coming out in full force when faced with something she'd been raised to see as improper.

Olivia smiled reassuringly, looking into Weiss's eyes while the other girl nervously avoided her's. Olivia's other hand moved to rest on top of the ones in Weiss's lap, grasping both with her own and stilling their nervous fretting. She spoke softly, trying to keep her... girlfriend, relaxed. That thought alone sent a flutter of joy through Olivia's heart. She wanted more than anything for her new partner to feel the same sense of peace.

"Just so we're clear, Weiss… You are in charge here. I'll never be ready until you're ready. The last thing I want is to pressure you into anything you might regret. All we're discussing now is what precautions we should take if it happens. It could be today, or it could be in four years, on the last day we're even at Beacon. All that matters to me is that you're happy."

Olivia hugged her more tightly, feeling Weiss beginning to soften at her touch, "I want to be with you. Because you're the best person I've ever met. Sex or no, that won't change how I feel."

After a few moments of silence, an unsteady smile worked its way onto Weiss's lips. Her head turned so that she was staring at Olivia. The hands in her lap reciprocated, finally taking a hold of the faunus's own.

"Do you really mean that? Even if I was never ready, and you were stuck…" Weiss laughed briefly, a hint of red in her cheeks, "Even if you were stuck with just the CCT and Ninjas of Love to get you by?"

Olivia laughed with her, but spoke sincerely, "I'd go through a whole library of smut before I tried to force you to do anything you didn't want to~"

Weiss smiled widely, fingers tightening around Olivia's hand. Her eyes glanced down to the faunus's lips and her breath hitched, body shifting imperceptibly closer as Olivia caught on to how she wanted to respond.

Blake and Ruby both averted their gaze as Weiss leaned forward. Their lips connected, sharing in a long, intimate kiss. Olivia hummed in delight, glad she'd managed to raise her girlfriend's spirits. Weiss smiled in return and kept at it with renewed vigor. After a few moments, a wet tongue slipped free, Weiss being the one to take the initiative this time around. Olivia surprised herself with the moan of pure bliss that escaped her lips. The sound was filled with happiness, and endless satisfaction for the heiress's efforts.

When it had gone on too long, and both girls had lost themselves in each other's embrace? Blake cleared her throat to remind them there were two other people in the room.

Weiss waited a few seconds longer before pulling away with a forlorn sigh, nodding to show her acceptance. She breathed deeply, fighting for a moment to catch her breath. Olivia took that opportunity to lean forward with a secretive grin, and lowered her voice to whisper seductively into Weiss's ear.

"Please don't wait four years. If you think kissing feels good...? You have no idea what else you're missing~"

Weiss cheeks flared red, though her eyes remained locked with Olivia's when the faunus pulled away. She opened her mouth, voice coming out in a breathless stutter, "I-In that case..." the heiress tore her eyes away to look at the other members of their team, "How about we get a doormat?"

"A doormat?" Blake echoed, frowning while considering the idea.

"I-It wouldn't look out of place in front of our door, and we could spin it around to show whether or not it was safe to enter the room. Maybe… if you try to read it and the words are facing towards you, it's safe. If they're upside down, don't come in?"

Olivia shared a glance with the other two. It wasn't a bad idea by any means. It would even be a clear warning from a distance, visible from far enough away that even Blake could avoid hearing anything going on within the room.

"I like it," Ruby chipped in. "And we'll have something we can wipe our shoes on before coming in! Win win!"

"Sounds perfect," Olivia agreed, sharing a small smile with the heiress. She bit her lip a moment later, eyes glancing to Weiss's lips again.

'Gods that was nice…' As always, her new girlfriend was a quick study.

Weiss noticed and did the same, the two's breath faltering as their previous excitement had yet to truly dwindle.

Blake noticed the continued glances that Weiss and Olivia were sharing. Her hand fell down on Ruby's shoulder, and she started to steer her towards the door. "We'll go ahead and buy a doormat while we're out, then. I'm sure we can find somewhere that sells them near the bookstore."

Ruby beamed, "Ooh! Let's try and get one that has rainbow colors on it, to match our team name!"

"They make them like that?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ruby shrugged, "I'm pretty sure I've seen them before, along with like, flags and stuff." She quickly pulled on her boots and opened the door, now the one to pull Blake along instead. "If not, we'll just go with red!"

Blake slowed long enough to give a polite wave back to the two of them, "Have fun~"

Olivia smirked, "You too."

Blake nodded as the door closed, shutting them off from sight. They could both hear Ruby's excited chatter for a few moments longer, the two fading off into the distance until all that was left was the two of them.

Weiss sighed in relief. She raised her eyes back to Olivia's, appreciation clear to see, "I couldn't really say it while they were here, but… Last night was a lot to take in, so I'm really glad you're willing to take things slowly… Thank you for being so understanding, Olivia."

She waved a hand dismissively, "Forget about it. Take all the time you need, Princess. I'll still be here when you're ready. You've got me wrapped around your finger, anyway… figuratively speaking, of course~"

Weiss laughed happily, a beautiful melody that made Olivia's heart flutter once more. The heiress stared into Olivia's eyes, cheeks slowly heating while working up the courage to speak.

"You know, it's not as if I've never thought about... it…" Her hands fidgeted in her lap, "I mean... sex… with you… I've… well, I've had my eye on you for a couple weeks now…"

"I can't really blame you. I'm kind of irresistible~" She laughed lightly, glad when Weiss shyly nodded agreement. "That does make me curious, though... When was the first time you started thinking we could be more than just friends?"

Weiss thought about her answer for a few moments. Eventually, a hint of sorrow sparked in her eyes, "It wasn't exactly the most romantic moment, but… When we went to Ruby's home, and I found you outside on the swing…?" She shrugged weakly, "Before then, I thought I had a good idea about who you were. You seemed… unapproachable… A girl that was too stubborn, with a lot of pride, and more than enough strength to back it up. When I saw how lonely you were out there, though… How sad you were, with your shoulders sagging and your hands barely holding the ropes… It was the first time I saw you as someone like me. Someone lonely, that wanted to feel loved like everyone else…"

Olivia nodded her agreement. While she never would have admitted it at the time, Weiss's assessment had certainly been on point. "I'm glad you were faster on the uptake than me."

Weiss's eyebrow rose, interested piqued. "When did you finally think of me that way?"

Olivia frowned, "Well, I always thought you were good looking. Before our first spar, when I tried to make you uncomfortable by glancing over while you changed? Let's just say that wasn't the only reason I did it, despite telling myself otherwise. Even so… it wasn't until the night that I found you alone in the arena that I finally stopped caring that you were a Schnee." She smiled, looking down at her hand and flexing her fingers softly, "We were walking back to the dorm... and I realized your hand was still in mine... Even though I pulled away, that was the first time I was really honest with myself about how I felt."

Weiss smiled sadly, "Our time together was the only thing good to come out of that night. Getting the chance to be alone with you while you tried so hard to comfort me… Getting to hug you for as long as I wanted, until I didn't feel quite as awful anymore…?" She shook her head sadly, breath faltering, "You really are a better person than you give yourself credit for, Olivia… I guess if you find it hard to accept that… I'll just have to keep reminding you…~"

Slowly, Weiss leaned forward. They started the same as before, lips softly pressing together while they both sighed with delight. The fire between them rekindled much more quickly however, returning to the passionate kiss they had been caught in the throes of previously. With no Ruby or Blake to stop them, it continued on instead of stopping prematurely.

Olivia was happy to hear Weiss's verdict, moved by her efforts to fight against the faunus's own self-doubt. She pressed back fiercely into Weiss, wanting to show her how much her words truly meant. Their tongues danced eagerly, both communicating through touch and moans alone that in that moment, neither of them could have been happier. Neither of them would have rather been with anyone else.

Olivia allowed her hands to roam while their lips embraced. One lowered delicately along Weiss's side, coming to a gentle stop on her hip. Her other raised, gliding in a similar fashion until it rested just beneath a supple breast. Olivia was so used to using her hands, she had to remind herself not to pursue anything further. Weiss likely wasn't ready for this, not for the next step.

Weiss groaned in appreciation all the same. Her body leaned further forward, and Olivia could feel the heiress's hands against her own body, timidly replicating what she herself had just done.

Weakly, Olivia pulled away from Weiss, breaking only the contact of their kiss. They both panted heavily, Weiss confused by the sudden parting of lips. Staring into her eyes, Olivia removed her hand from Weiss's hip and raised it instead. She gently placed it over the hand beneath her own breast, and watched Weiss's reaction carefully while guiding it higher.

Weiss's breath caught once her hand was properly placed atop Olivia's fleshy mound. The faunus arched her back into the contact, strengthening the hand's pressure while providing better access. She continued to guide Weiss's hand, rubbing it back and forth while encouraging her to take the initiative. Olivia let out a small squeak of delight when Weiss finally squeezed, though the heiress's grasp was still far too timid. She continued to play with it, growing a little more emboldened as time went on.

After a minute, Olivia let out a quiet, satisfied sigh. She leaned forward to share another kiss, then retreated a few moments later. "I just wanted you to know, Weiss… There's no hesitation on my end. As soon as you're ready… Don't be afraid of progressing things further, not on my account."

Weiss raised her eyes to Olivia's own and nodded weakly. Despite the desires Weiss must have been feeling, Olivia could still see the uncertainty held there. The heiress was still struggling with all of her thoughts, the confusing mess of emotions in regards to the girl offering herself to her so freely. Whether or not Olivia was prepared, Weiss needed time to cope with the revelations of the previous night.

Olivia smiled dotingly, and helped Weiss with her decision by pulling the other girl's hand away. Olivia held it in her own instead, and leaned forward to wrap Weiss in an affectionate hug. "For now… How about breakfast? If you wanted to, we could have our first proper date. Wherever you want to go?"

Weiss hugged her in return, burying her face against Olivia's shoulder. She let out a deep breath a few moments later, relaxing against Olivia to let the faunus support her weight, "Actually… Can we stay at Beacon? I know it's not a traditional date, but… I'm still tired from everything we did yesterday. It was a long day, and we stayed up late last night… I was a bit too excited to get much sleep, either... Do you want to get some food from the cafeteria, lie in bed and… maybe watch a movie on my scroll instead?"

Olivia smiled and turned slightly to kiss Weiss affectionately on the cheek.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sorry that it's a day late and a little short. I fully planned on writing like crazy on Sunday, riiight up until the day rolled around. I was a bit too depressed to concentrate, knowing that my vacation was about to end and I needed to be at work at 4am the next morning. My week off was nice though. Didn't do much other than relax, just the way I like it~

Anyway, I'm planning on the next stretch of chapters being mostly fluff. Weiss and Olivia need to grow more comfortable in their new relationship, while Ruby and Blake have some investigating to do. It can't all be terrorist attacks and heavy, interpersonal drama. Need a few light moments to balance it all out, and remember what it is that Olivia's fighting for.

For those that weren't aware, I started another fic to flesh out an idea I've had rattling around in my head. This one is going to be much shorter than BL. If you could check it out, or consider giving it a follow, I'd greatly appreciate it.

The summary for those interested...

"A young girl's happy life is stripped away in a flash. Saved from certain death and adopted into a loving family, she must come to terms with her newfound disability. Over the years, she grows close to her savior's only son. When Jaune runs away to join Beacon, Neo follows in his wake. She must repay her debt by protecting him. Falling in love was just the cherry on top."

There's two short chapters of setup so far. The next few at least will involve Neo's early years growing up in the Arc family and growing closer to Jaune. Once it gets to Beacon though, it'll be mostly shipping fuel between Neo and Pyrrha while the show's plot continues in the background.

Regardless, I hope this chapter was a nice way to cap off your day.

Thanks for reading,

~ Sybaen