"Come on, ice princess! It'll be fun!"
"I don't want to get wet, blonde brute."
"You won't, I swear. You just sit back and relax and let me do aaaall the work."
From Yang's suggestive tone, Weiss wheezed a sigh and watched the river flow in front of them. Pink sakura blossoms danced in the breeze to settle on the waters below. The sun beamed down, causing the grass to gleam greener.
Briefly, Weiss wondered how she ended up at a place so dazzlingly beautiful. Last night, she stayed over at her neighbors' place since she was sick. Now that she was feeling much better and it was the weekend, Yang insisted on visiting the park to get some fresh air.
"Fine, I'll go," Weiss gave in. "But don't expect me to do nothing."
"I better see you do nothing with that bruised leg," Yang replied, her voice even.
"For the millionth time, it's fine," Weiss insisted and pulled up the stocking that hid the injury. "If it wasn't, I wouldn't be walking around the park with you."
Yang shook her head as they approached the dock. "I told you I'd show you around town," she said, referring to when they first met. "I come here to jog all the time. It's one of my favorite places."
"What's your favorite place, then?" Weiss asked, curious.
Like she was waiting to be asked, Yang smirked. "I'll tell you one day, ice princess."
I highly doubt she'll be able to guess it, Yang thought smugly.
"You better."
With ease, Yang grabbed a pedal boat that rested on the water by the designated dock. She held onto the mini boat to prevent it from swaying and presented it proudly to her companion.
"After you, m'lady."
From how radiant she smiled, Weiss grinned. The happiness was almost contagious. If peddling a sorry excuse for a boat made Yang happy, then so be it.
"Much appreciated," Weiss said and took a seat.
Yang plopped down next to her.
I can't believe I got her to come to the park with me, much less sit on a pedal boat, Yang thought. I must've gotten through to her last night. She seems more at ease.
When Weiss gave her a smile, Yang felt at peace. She felt elated like the river was a cloud.
I need to see more of that, Yang thought. Mission accepted.
Happily, Yang began to pedal with her feet to drift to the center of the river. Other pedal boats adorned bird designs and scattered on the water with many joyous couples. When Weiss tried to help them along by pedaling, Yang gave her a stare. That earned a microscopic scowl.
"What?" Weiss asked, keeping her feet on the pedals.
"I better see you stop pedaling," Yang warned lightheartedly. "I promised Rubes and Blake that there would be no strenuous activity today."
From her mischievous and suggestive tone, Weiss sighed. "Again with the innuendos."
Although she acted annoyed, Yang spotted a red glow on her cheeks.
She can act annoyed all she wants, Yang thought, amused. She knows she loves me.
At last, Weiss moved her feet off the pedals.
Glad she listened, Yang continued to pedal on the calm water. "You were sick yesterday and have a bruised leg. I get to do this today. Maybe next time you can."
Playfully pouting, Weiss crossed her arms and stared up at the bridge above. "If I do, would that make you stop being a blonde brute?"
Yang looked over her shoulder smugly. "Maybe just the brute part."
Like that was the winning answer, Weiss said. "Deal."
Floating on the river caused a sense of tranquility to wash over them. Mini waves swayed against the boat as the sakura blossoms floated around them. For a bit, they watched some couples on other boats.
D-does it look like we're a couple like them? Yang thought. Do people think that?
"Yang," Weiss called, snapping her out of it. "Can you tell me more about your relationship with Ruby?"
That question almost came out of the blue, but then Yang remembered their earlier conversations about each other's siblings. Since Weiss mentioned the topic, it was clearly a safe subject to ask about as well. The last thing Yang wanted to do was accidentally push her away.
"Of course!" Yang beamed, happy she wanted to know more about her. "I guess I should say that we're half-sisters. We have different moms. Although, I've never met my biological mom. So me and Ruby pretty much grew up like any other siblings."
"I see…" Weiss trailed off, deep in thought. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your biological mom?"
"Ask anything you want, I don't mind," Yang reassured. "My mom died giving birth to me, so it's not like I knew her. I've heard lots about her, though," she giggled from the thought. "I kinda look like her and her personality sounds nothing like me."
"How so?" Weiss asked, intrigued.
"Imagine this," Yang gestured to her wild blonde hair. "But black."
"I can't," Weiss admitted, fond of the blonde tresses.
"And these…" Yang gestured to her lilac eyes. "But red."
To see her eyes, Weiss leaned over and lowered the sunglasses on her face. From the close contact, Yang blushed fiercely. Azure eyes bore into her own and studied that shining lilac gaze.
She's so close!
"Sorry," Weiss apologized and leaned back in her seat. "I can't take you seriously with those sunglasses on."
Yang smirked with a plan in mind. "I have the perfect solution."
Casually, the blonde removed her sunglasses and slid them onto her companion's face. At first, Weiss tried to fight it but she ultimately accepted her fate.
"How do I look?" Weiss asked.
From the sight, Yang burst out laughing. The black sunglasses were far too large for her face.
Weiss crossed her arms. "They can't be that bad."
"You look like a little bug!" Yang breathed between giggles. When Weiss pouted, she said. "A very cute bug."
After chuckling, Weiss handed her back the sunglasses. "There's no such thing as a cute bug."
Yang put the sunglasses back on her face. "Maybe you didn't hear me, but I just saw the cutest bug in existence. You can have these anytime you want. I'd love to see bug Weiss again."
"You will not be seeing any more of bug Weiss," Weiss tried to suppress a giggle.
I need to hear more of her laughter, Yang thought. She's too cute.
"It seems we have polarizing opinions on the sunglasses," Yang said, proud of her pun.
Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "You did not just do that."
"I did."
"How could you?" Weiss asked, ashamed. "I had faith in you."
"Your faith was misplaced," Yang grinned.
Several more chuckles.
I haven't laughed like this in a while, and it's all thanks to her, Yang thought. Almost makes me forget about everything.
Yang thought of a question she would love answered. Half of Yang was expecting a vague answer, but it didn't hurt to try asking.
"Can you tell me more about Winter?"
The question seemed to catch Weiss off-guard, but she smiled in the end.
"As you know, she's my older sister," Weiss explained fondly. "Around others, she was stoic and professional. There was a strict demeanor around her. Almost at all times. But when it was just the two of us, we were nothing but a pair of goofballs."
"Sounds like me and Rubes," Yang added.
Weiss nodded in agreement. "Growing up, Winter was always busy, so we didn't spend as much time together as I liked. But when we did, we had a lot of fun, forgot all our worries, we were just…" she stopped, trailing off, and shook her head. "I look back and still think those were some of the better days of my life. When she was alive."
At last, Yang got a deeper look into her personal life. Now she knew what Weiss sometimes thinks about. This probably shaped her as a person.
Yang listened and said. "You can't say that and then not tell me about one of those days."
The hope was to make her remember something great. Maybe then Weiss would smile and laugh even more.
"One time, we made brownies," Weiss started. "That's why I appreciated your gift when I first moved in. They remind me of her. It was like a sign that it was okay for me to move and that she approved."
"Oh," Yang mumbled. "Wow, I had no idea."
Weiss only nodded and continued the story. "Winter and I were children at the time, so we shouldn't have had access to the oven."
"I might know where this is going," Yang said mischievously.
Weiss leaned back, fondly thinking of the memory. "We spent an hour trying to solve the enigma that was the oven. And then another hour trying to find the proper ingredients…"
She spoke with such enthusiasm that Yang knew every detail was a treasure to her.
"... finally we put the mix in the oven, but you know what we forgot to do?"
"What?" Yang asked in suspense.
"Check the temperature," Weiss revealed. "We almost burned the house down."
Yang was utterly confused by that smug smile when there was almost a disaster.
"Why do you have that little grin on your face?" Yang asked, amused.
"We had fun, despite a little mishap," Weiss said fondly like she relived it. "No one got hurt. The only casualty was the charred brownies. They were like bricks. Your brownies were much better," she finished with a giggle.
Yang laughed at the image of Weiss attempting to eat those brownies. "What did your parents say about that?"
"Let's just say they weren't pleased."
Together, they laughed.
I'm glad I finally got to know more about her, Yang thought. This is the best day I've had in a long time.
As Yang gazed at her, the sun shined down on the pair. Completely relaxed, Weiss leaned back in her seat and enjoyed the sound of the water rocking the boat.
I wonder if she considers this a date? Be cool. Cool.
Suddenly, Yang was feeling nervous. She'd been at ease with her the whole day. And now anxiety crept into her from the upcoming question. She had to figure this out in her own way. Casually, Yang leaned back and put her hands behind her head.
"How would you rate this date so far?" Yang asked lightheartedly. "Twenty out of ten, I'm sure."
If I phrase it like this, that puts less pressure on her and it's a joke, Yang thought, proud of herself.
"You need to be far more realistic," Weiss replied, voice even. "A twenty out of ten means I won the lottery."
"You did," the blonde sent her a wink.
A blush.
She didn't deny it! That means… it must be.
"Hey, Weiss?"
"Yes?"
"I'm really glad you came out here with me today."
"Me too."
For what felt like the millionth time that day, they smiled.
These two needed a chill day.
Lyrics from My Dearest: "Hey, in this world I can find so much beauty." "Hey, I've never laughed like this in my life. Forgetting all of the bitter strife."
Stay dandy,
~Toto