A/N: Alas, the chapter we've all been waiting for! I had a smile on my face the entire time I was writing this :) Enjoy!
Knock knock knock.
Peering in the mirror, Blake took one last nervous glance at the mirror. She was clad in a long white jacket, purple crop top, white belt, black leggings, and black heeled boots. Satisfied with how she looked, Blake took a breath to compose herself and opened the door.
What a sight she was greeted with. Yang's yellow top accentuated the blonde's curves, and her black pants hugged her legs perfectly. Blake had to consciously avert her eyes from the blonde's ample cleavage, instead focusing on her cool lavender eyes.
"H-hey Yang!" Blake croaked out, her voice almost getting caught in her throat. That was so pathetic! Blake cringed internally.
She shouldn't have worried however, because Yang hadn't even heard that stutter. She was too captivated by how Blake looked, especially the way her purple eyeshadow was understated but brought out the warm amber in her eyes.
A little amused at Yang's silence, Blake cleared her throat before attempting to speak again. "Yang, is everything alright?"
"Oh, sorry! I just, um, kind of got lost in your eyes..." Yang confessed and smiled shyly. A rosy tint highlighted Blake's cheeks as she giggled softly. Despite the cheesy comment, Blake felt her feelings for Yang grow. She could tell that Yang did mean what she said and she appreciated the sincerity. She was a romantic after all, especially since she spent years poring over trashy romance novels.
"Well that makes two of us," Blake smiled warmly, "So, do you have any place in mind for dinner?"
"Actually, I was thinking of going to The Lazy Lizard, if you are alright with that? They make amaaaazing steaks, and don't worry, I didn't forget about you. They also make a mean tuna club sandwich, paired with a side of negitoro! Basically an East-West fusion! I mean, of course, you don't have to order that, I don't want to assume anything… We can totally go somewhere else too if you had another place in mind!"
Blake found Yang's rambling endearing and was touched that she remembered her favourite food and even bothered to research the cafe's menu. "Yang, that sounds lovely. Thank you for remembering my favourite food, that's really considerate of you. I appreciate it."
Upon hearing that, Yang's face lit up with a goofy grin. Holding out her arm to Blake, Yang's heart skipped a beat as she felt Blake's hand gently wrapping around her upper arm, the warmth of her hand serving as a comforting presence to the blonde. They made their way towards the cafe, which was a 15 minutes walk away.
As the bumblebee pair strolled along rows of houses, they chatted about their time at Beacon University and shared their embarrassing stories, notably the one where Yang chased after her professor to beg for a deadline extension, only to realise that the person in question was not Winter, but one Weiss Schnee. That encounter ended up in the Ice Queen berating Yang for a good 20 minutes about handing her work in on time and "not to expect any free passes just because you have ample… assets!" Blake laughed so hard till tears rolled down her face and her cheeks hurt. She made a mental note to ask Weiss about that and also catch up with her dear friend. It had been too long since they'd last hung out properly.
Despite her calm demeanour, Blake had a few embarrassing stories of her own to share too. On her 8th birthday, her parents took her fishing at a nearby jetty. Young Blake was so excited that she ended up fainting out of exhilaration and had to spend her birthday in the hospital instead. The silver lining was that the jetty operators heard about what happened and gifted the excitable faunus a basket of the finest tunas, which Blake happily indulged in the next few days. "All in all, it didn't turn out to be too bad a birthday after all!" Blake chuckled. Upon hearing this, Yang burst into laughter, "Blake, how could you faint from excitement?! I thought that only happened in movies!" Yang teased jokingly, earning a playful swat from the blushing raven-haired girl. Even though she was outwardly teasing Blake, Yang's heart swelled at the thought of the young excitable Blake jumping up and down. Blake must have been so precious as a child, Yang thought.
The pair reached the cafe and were able to get a table immediately as Yang had made a reservation earlier. Blake predictably ordered the tuna dish while Yang ordered a sirloin steak. Even though the cafe was packed, the atmosphere was delightful and relaxed, and there was a comfortable amount of chatter interspersed with smatterings of laughter.
The date went swimmingly well and conversation flowed as easily as Yang's draft beer from the tap. Blake was surprised that someone as popular as Yang could be so easy to talk to and she realised once more that she really ought not to allow social stereotypes to codify her impressions of people. Similarly, Yang felt that this was the first time in ages that she could truly be herself around someone, especially since she normally felt the need to keep up a cheerful disposition when talking with her peers.
All too soon, it was closing time and the pair had to leave. Not wanting the date to end, Blake and Yang decided to head to the garden for a stroll. This time though, it was Yang who hooked her arm around Blake's as they meandered through the lush greenery.
Enjoying the peace that came with being in each other's company without needing to fill the silence with words, Yang started humming Nightshade's song absentmindedly.
In a relaxed state, Blake decided to join in and soon enough, the pair were singing "My Own Place" together, at times harmonising with each other. As they neared the end of the song, they looked at each other and smiled, feeling content that they could truly be themselves, with no fear of judgement from the other.
Feeling emboldened, Blake decided to sit Yang down and confess, "Yang, um, this might come as a shock, but I need to tell you… I'm Nightshade."
"Oh Blake… Thank you for telling me. Actually, I kind of guessed that you were." Yang scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
"Oh?" Blake asked, genuinely surprised, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Well… I figured this is probably something you hold very closely to your heart, and I wanted you to feel comfortable to tell me on your own terms." Gently, Yang reached out for Blake's hand and ran her thumb softly over Blake's palm, "And I'm glad you did. Thank you for trusting me with it," Yang beamed, elated that Blake trusted her with this piece of intimate information.
Touched, Blake squeezed Yang's hand appreciatively, "Yang.. You are amazing. You're so… genuine, sweet and considerate," Blake said, nervous and surprised at herself that she was being so forthcoming, "And your smile is beautiful."
Hearing this, Yang's smile grew even wider and blushed at Blake's compliment. The air shifted as the pair locked gazes with each other, their eyes illuminated by the pale glow of the moonlight and by the feelings they shared. Blake's heart was thumping so loudly that she was almost certain the blonde could hear it. Glancing down at Yang's lips, Blake realised that Yang was imperceptibly leaning closer to her slowly.
Screw it, Blake thought, as she pressed her lips to Yang's. Yang took in a sharp intake of breath as she kissed Blake back, moving in tandem with the raven-haired girl's lips. Blake tasted lavender mixed with pale ale, while breathing in the intoxicating floral scent of Yang's hair. The pair poured their hearts into the kiss, letting out months of suppressed emotions and stolen glances. Blake placed her hand on the back of Yang's neck and pulled her face closer, eliciting a soft moan from the blonde brawler. Finally, the pair had to come up for air, and reluctantly pulled away from each other. Gazing into each others' eyes, faces flushed and pupils dilated, Yang let out a soft whisper, "Wow, that was... something."
"Cat got your tongue?" Blake teased, surprising Yang with a cat pun.
"W-what, you…" Yang sputtered, then started laughing, "There's actually some truth in that, Blake. Although you haven't tasted my tongue yet," Yang commented playfully and winked.
It was now Blake's turn to be caught off guard, slack-jawed at Yang's comeback.
"You're so cute when you're embarrassed," Yang chuckled, planting a soft kiss on Blake's cheek, her lips feeling the heat radiating off Blake's face. The faunus let out a shy smile, her heart melting from Yang's gentle kiss.
Yang glanced at her watch and was surprised that it was past midnight, "As much as I'd gladly stay out all night, it's getting late and I'd hate to screw up our sleep schedules. We should get some rest. Let's head back, but would you like to have breakfast together tomorrow?"
"Definitely," Blake got up and offered her hand to Yang, who accepted it gratefully.
The pair walked back hand in hand, the warmth of the other's hand sending a small thrill up each of their spines.
As they reached Blake's room, they stopped outside her door as the raven-haired girl turned to face her date, bashful, "I really enjoyed myself tonight, Yang."
"Me too, Blake. This was 100% the best date I've ever been on." Yang grinned.
Elated, Blake admitted, "Same for me."
There was a pregnant pause as the pair stared at each other, not wanting the date to end.
After a few moments, Blake pressed her lips to Yang's cheek, "Goodnight Yang."
"Goodnight Blakey," Yang said, secretly over the moon at the soft kiss from Blake, before turning to walk towards her room. Blake's heart skipped a beat at the nickname and entered her room, already knowing that the night's events would be on replay in her head over the next few days.