A/N: My sincere apologies for not posting in a while, thanks for sticking around, I appreciate the patience!
Thank you to the 2 latest reviewers, comments like these do help to spur me on :D
billythekid256: Thank you! Glad you liked it and felt it was cute. Heh, you called it, this next chapter does feature Weiss ;)
Wessy: Thank you so much! I'm happy to hear that the story made you smile :)
Blake and Yang have not seen each other over the next few days after their "is-this-a-date date" in the garden as they were busy studying for finals. It seemed there had been an unspoken consensus that seeing each other during this crucial period would be far too distracting and was not a good idea. That said, the pair found themselves having to constantly fend off thoughts which persistently wandered towards the other, replays of the walk in the garden and whether it was in fact a date. For Yang, it was particularly infuriating how studying about land prices could transit into hypotheses on how much gardens could cost and inevitably lead into unbidden daydreams about the is-this-a-date date. Little did she know that Blake was facing the exact same troubles, albeit having a different starting point for her daydreams.
On a separate note, there were also no more chance meetings in the bathroom as Yang decided to skip her gym sessions for a while, which led to her showering later around midnight (instead of the usual 6pm that Blake goes in at). This caused Blake quite some anxiety that she no longer saw Yang around, and she would find herself lingering in the bathroom for a while longer after her shower, hopeful for a glimpse of the blonde beauty. However, luck was not on her side.
Not all hope was lost, however, as the pair made it a point to send each other a "how was studying?" text each night just to check on the other's well being. Besides that, both chose to bury themselves in their textbooks and went through the entire finals period without seeing the other in person.
-1 week later-
Blake had a lunch meeting with Weiss, whom she had not seen throughout the entire finals period. Now that finals were over, they finally had some breathing space and time to catch up with each other. The monochrome pair decided to meet at the cafeteria in the Faculty of Business, where the Real Estate department was located. Blake spotted the girl with her trademark off-center white ponytail sitting at a table in front of her. She briskly walked over with her bowl of tuna salad and tapped her shoulder.
"Weiss! So good to see you after all this time. How have you been?" Blake uncharacteristically greeted Weiss with enthusiasm.
"Blake! I've missed seeing your brooding face," Weiss teased, "I'm good, since the papers are over and we can finally relax. How are you?" Weiss was also unusually excited. It seemed that the end of the finals was sending all students into an exuberant mood.
"I'm good too. I'm looking forward to just reading my books without worrying about assignments." Blake replied.
"Ha. You and your books. Ninjas of Love, I suppose?" Weiss teased yet again, not wanting to pass this easy opportunity up.
"Weiss! I read it for the storyline!" Blake blushed furiously.
"Mmmhmm, sure," Weiss smirked. Blake sighed, knowing that Weiss would never let go of that one time she caught Blake in her room so engrossed in the novel, breathing heavily, that she didn't notice Weiss tiptoeing behind her to give her a scare. The faunus shrieked and Weiss laughed till tears rolled down her face.
The monochrome pair settled into comfortable silence as they ate. Blake had tuna salad, while Weiss had fish and chips.
Clearing her throat, Blake piped up, "I uh… actually have something to confess," Blake cautiously watched Weiss' face as she confessed, "During finals week, I'm not sure if Yang and I went on a date or if it was just a casual stroll…"
"You WHAT?!" the students in the neighbouring tables turned their heads to look at the source of the offending noise, only to notice a red-faced white-haired petite girl screeching like a banshee. Upon noticing the attention her uncharacteristic outburst had generated, Weiss lowered her volume before continuing, "Are you kidding me? Why were you even hanging out with that airhead?"
"Weiss, calm down. Yang and I merely grabbed dinner together at the dining hall, and then I asked if she wanted to walk with me in the nearby garden. That's all we did!" Blake exclaimed, internally chiding herself for not easing Weiss in with a less shocking piece of news.
"And why were you even having dinner together?" Weiss narrowed her eyes, "I warned you about that blonde buffoon!"
"Well… Remember how I told you about how I was singing in the shower and she heard me? It happened again and she eventually put two and two together and realised that I was the singer, and she invited me to have dinner with her. I agreed since it was a spur of the moment thing. And it was a casual meeting! We just went to the dining hall," Blake explained, flustered but trying to maintain her composure under Weiss' intense gaze.
Weiss sighed, "Blake, I still don't know why you bother hanging out with her. Or what about her interests you. I can't see a single redeeming quality about that narcissistic bimbo."
"Actually, I think she's a sensitive person," upon hearing Weiss' snort, Blake clarified, "I know, I know. It seems hard to believe since she has this popular party girl persona, but once you get to know her and talk to her, she's actually a really nice person with a big heart. She just doesn't show it on her Instagram profile. Besides, I don't understand why you dislike her so much. Has she done anything specifically to harm you?"
"W-well, not specifically… I just can't stand how she managed to snag so many sales by merely flashing her… ample assets at potential clients. It's disgusting! And she's an arrogant know-it-all! She loves asking difficult, complicated questions in lectures and Winter seems to have taken a liking towards her," Weiss huffed, clearly miffed at being called out by Blake.
Blake started giggling under her breath, "Weiss, are you... jealous of Yang?" Blake's lips quirked into a half-smile, amused.
"W-what?! No! The nerve!" Weiss' face was red and you could practically see the smoke coming out of her ears, "I've never heard a more ridiculous thing in my life!" Weiss angrily chewed on her fries and swallowed hard before continuing, "Simply preposterous!"
"Weiss, calm down. You are still topping the class in Real Estate, be confident in your abilities! And I'm sure Winter does not want to bring attention to you in class since she would be accused of showing outright favouritism to her sister. Besides, I believe that if you had a chance to work together with Yang, you will see that she is a hard worker and will pull her weight," Blake tried to convince Weiss.
"Work with her? Ha! I'd rather bow to Father than work together with the blonde brat," Weiss muttered, "Can we stop talking about her? This was supposed to be a nice catch up for the both of us!"
Blake's heart sank a little as she wanted her friends to get along, "Alright Weiss, I just wanted to let you know how things were going with Yang. You don't mind if I see her again, right?"
"Yeah sure, do what you want… Just... don't tell me about it," she sighed, "I want to be supportive, Blake, and rationally I will acknowledge that I might be letting my own bias dictate my stand on the matter, but I'm not sure I'm ready to do so yet." Weiss paused, softening her tone upon seeing Blake's downcast eyes, "But... I suppose I could hear about your lover's conundrum for today at least… Dinner and a walk in the park? You two are acting like a couple newly in love," Weiss rolled her eyes.
Blake's cheeks reddened and she felt her skin warm, "Wait, so you do think that was a date? Oh…" Blake blushed even harder, wondering if Yang felt the same way… Maybe I should invite her to the garden again, and share a kiss under the canopy of flowers in the moonlight, that'll be so romantic...
"... Blake! Were you even listening to me?" Weiss' shrill voice pierced through Blake's fantasy.
"Huh?" Blake shook herself out of her reverie, "Oh, um, sorry Weiss. What were you saying?"
"I'm saying that you've got it bad for Xiao Long," Weiss smirked.
Blake rolled her eyes but smiled at the same time. Yep, I'm screwed.