Author's Note: Wow, this one took a while, but it's finally here!
So I hope you all enjoy!
Cinder had never in her life been invited to a girls night before, and that was... both exciting and incredibly nerve-wracking at the same time.
What kind of night should she be expecting? Or better yet, what even happened at girls nights? Was she supposed to bring something? Well, aside from a set of pyjamas - which in her case was a pair of grey sweat pants and an old crimson tank top - as per Yang's instructions. Or dress a certain way? Now that she thought about it, she hoped a pair of jeans and a black zip-up sweater was alright. Or participate in certain activities? So many questions, and no past knowledge that she could properly rely on. This was not high school, Cinder was not a social queen anymore, and these were not teenagers... Even if a few of them certainly acted like it sometimes.
So there Cinder was, standing before the front door to Yang's apartment, an old gym bag slung over her shoulder... Emerald's gym bag... and wishing Nora could be there with her. Unfortunately, her friend was busy with... other, work-related arrangements. Though, what could she really expect? Yang did kind of plan this girls night rather last minute, seeing as not a few hours ago, Cinder was on her shift with Vernal, wondering what exactly she was going to have for dinner. Then she received a text from the blonde, reading Hey! I'm thinkin of havin a little get together with the girls tonight, you and Nora wanna come? And just like that, she had plans. How wonderful. Now all that needed to be done was to knock on the door.
So... what exactly was she waiting for? She already knew everyone who was to be in attendance - Yang, Coco, Weiss, Vernal, and Ruby - yet still, something kept her from moving. Perhaps it was due to Nora not being there by her side, to help her through this new experience. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that this was her first time at Yang's apartment. Or even because she was a tad late because of those first two reasons. In truth, it could be for a number of reasons, but one thing was for sure, merely standing there worrying was not going to do anything for her. So, taking a deep breath, she raised her arm and provided a few swift knocks on the door, and only a few moments later, it opened, revealing Yang - clad in an orange tank top and black booty shorts - who brightly smiled upon seeing the older woman.
"Hey! Glad you could make it!" Then the blonde's smile faltered a bit, as she looked around the older woman. "But uh, where's Nora?"
On her knees, I imagine. Cinder thought herself, thankfully without actually saying it. Or on her back, or perhaps even up against... I should stop thinking about this. Shaking away the less-than-appropriate thoughts from her mind, she attempted to offer a small smile in return. "Unfortunately she could not make it, as she has clients to deal with tonight."
Luckily Yang understood, since she was already aware of Nora's... unorthodox line of work. "Ah, well that's a bummer, but there's always next time. Come on in!" She beamed, gesturing for the other woman to enter, which she did, slowly walking into the relatively messy apartment. An assortment of random items cluttered what little shelving was available, as well as other surfaces such as tables. Comic books, bike manuals and magazines, cartoon DVD box sets, other knickknacks - not to mention all the posters and paintings that covered every available wall within eyesight - all gave a feeling of claustrophobia without actually causing anxiety, which was... odd to say the least. It was like... organized chaos. One thing Cinder did notice as Yang closed the door behind them was that... they were the only ones there, even though the older woman had arrived late.
"Am... I the first one here?"
Yang just let out a slight chuckle at the question. "Yeah, turns out tryin' to plan a girls night on the same afternoon was a bit too last-minute for most people. So uh, you were the only one who wasn't busy." She explained, making her way past Cinder into the apartment. "Weiss isn't feeling well, and figured Vernal didn't wanna come without her, which uh, yeah I get, and Ruby just got back to me since she was at work, sayin' she and Pyr and takin' Coco out for dinner to get her outta the apartment more, 'cause apparently hangin' around her with me doesn't count."
Wait a minute. If Weiss and Vernal are unable to make it, as well as Coco and Rose... "So that means..." Cinder began, before trailing off, causing the blonde to grin.
"You're stuck with me!" Yang burst, spreading her arms, as if presenting herself somehow.
The whole night, alone with her... "Oh dear."
Yang only laughed at the older woman's reaction. "Sorry about not tellin' you sooner, but I know you were kinda lookin' forward to tonight, and I didn't wanna cancel it so last minute. Plus, I had another idea for what we could do tonight. If you're up for it of course."
Cinder raised her brow, wondering what exactly the blonde had planned. "And what might that be?"
As expected, Yang merely grinned for a few moments, like she was attempting to build tension. "Remember last week when I offered to teach you how to cook?"
"I do." As well as the strange relationship that you and your new girlfriend, Coco, have.
"Well, since no one else could come, I was just wonderin', you wanna take a famous Xiao Long cooking lesson?" Yang offered, a warm smile adorning her face.
Cinder opened her mouth to respond, but paused for a moment to think. While she was a tad hesitant to accept such an offer, due to her... less-than-impressive skills in that particular area, as well as not wanting to ruin her friend's kitchen, at the same time... it was rather generous... and it would be nice to finally, properly learn... Especially when she considered that it would not cost her anything. "That depends."
Yang furrowed her brow at the answer. "On what?"
"How flammable is your kitchen?" Cinder wondered, a smirk quickly making its way onto her face. Of course she was not at all serious, but also knew that teasing the blonde was quite enjoyable, given her normal reactions.
"Uh... fairly?" Yang hesitantly answered.
"I'll watch my step." Cinder smirked.
That response clearly did not instill confidence in the blonde. "Alright, I'll uh, I'll keep the fire extinguisher nearly then."
It was highly unlikely that Cinder was actually going to set anything alight, it was fun to tease her friend. "A smart idea."
After a moment of silence, Yang cleared her throat, appearing not quite sure what to do with only Cinder there with her. In all honesty, she was probably the worst person to be alone with. Well, aside from Vernal, as everyone but Weiss would likely agree. "Anywho, since it's just us, you wanna take a tour or somethin'? Since it's a little soon to start cookin'."
Even though Cinder was able to see what was likely most of the apartment already - and she could guess what lied beyond the three room doors farther in - Cinder figured that it would be polite to accept the offer. "Lead the way." She agreed, placing her bag down next to her shoes.
And so the tour began. First was the living room, which of course was the easiest to start in, considering that they were currently standing in it. Consisting of the standard furniture - a couch, coffee table, flat-screen television, etcetera - it was... quaint, much like Cinder's own apartment- Well, it would be if hers was not a total shithole. Next was the kitchen, which honestly, did not exactly include much to see. It was a standard kitchen, with all the usual appliances. Nothing really special about it. Though it did give Yang the chance to offer Cinder a beer, which was both a nice offer and a good idea, as both of them were well aware that alcohol would do something to ease the slight awkwardness that stemmed from the current situation. After all, the only other time that the two had been alone together outside of work was when they got pizza the prior week, and that was for about twenty minutes before Coco had arrived. That did not mean she found it unpleasant to be alone with Yang - far from it in fact - rather... she was still a tad uncomfortable with being alone in her home for the first time. No matter, that was what alcohol was for. Liquid courage, as it were.
After Cinder had made her choice from the several brands of craft beer that the blonde had purchased for the original girls night plans, the tour continued. Much like the kitchen, apartment's one bathroom was not exactly much to see - Well, aside from the older woman attempting to catch a peek at what brand of shampoo her friend used, since her hair always smelled so strongly of oranges. It made her curious, but unfortunately she was unable to discretely spot it. So they moved onto Yang's bedroom, which was another point of curiosity, if only for the intimate nature of the location. Normally, apartment or house tours did not include showing off one's bedroom, so it was... interesting that Yang was choosing to include it in hers.
Upon stepping into blonde's room, Cinder took a moment to admire the space, at least when Yang turned on the light. It was certainly nicer than her own bedroom - which was technically just the main room of her apartment - with a variety of cartoon posters covering the dark-red walls, figurines and DVD box sets lining the dresser and single book shelf, which... surprisingly enough, included actual books, and the bed... Damn, that thing looked so comfortable, especially when compared to her own lumpy mass. Thick, deep-purple sheets covered a high mattress, and... Wow. Cinder would kill to have a bed that pleasant-looking again... It almost made her want to ask to... try it out for a while. She could use a nap. Thankfully she was able to hold back, as she had not consumed nearly enough alcohol for that as of yet, being only a few drinks into her first can. Although, it did not exactly stop her from speaking completely - not counting the standard what a lovely room comment.
"Hm, I see you put away all of your sex toys." Cinder teased, flashing a slight smirk over at her friend before taking another sip from her beer. Honestly, she had no idea if her friend even owned any toys, she just thought it would be amusing.
Though it seemed that Yang was prepared for a remark of that nature. "Only the one's I remembered, just say Code Yang if you spot one."
Cinder was unable to hold back a small chuckle. "Almost like a scavenger hunt, though a rather inappropriate one."
Yang joined her with a laugh as she turned off the bedroom light. "Idea for a party game: Sex toy scavenger hunt."
As the pair made their way back to the main room, Cinder let out another chuckle. "It's unfortunate the others were unable to attend, else we'd have made an event of it."
Yang merely waved away the suggestion, as she sipped on her own beer. "Yeah, as if. I'd need to buy a shit-ton more toys to actually make that work, seeing as I've only got one. Well, that and a bigger apartment."
Cinder just scoffed a bit. "Try not having any."
Yang legitimately gasped at the reveal. "Oh, you poor woman."
Cinder merely rolled her eye at her friend's reaction. "Only temporarily, my budget is a tad more generous now."
Yang then let out a sigh, as if... relieved that the older woman would soon be able to satisfy herself through the use of means other from her hand. Though in truth, with Nora around, she hardly ever felt for... self-satisfaction in that area. "Well that's good to hear. I can't imagine not havin' Ol' Reliable." She acknowledged, plopping down onto her couch and taking another drink from her beer. "So uh, it's still pretty early for dinner, you wanna just hang out for a bit?"
Cinder raised her brow. "Hang out? It seems you are mistaken. I was under the impression that tonight would be reserved for cooking lessons. I did not sign up for hanging out." She explained, doing her best to hold back a smirk as she finished her can. "Though if you can be a good girl and fetch me a fresh beer, perhaps then I'll hang out with you."
Rather than telling her to get it herself, or even requesting a please, Yang excitedly hopped up off the couch. "Yes ma'am!" She burst, hurrying into the kitchen to actually retrieve another beer for the older woman.
Cinder was legitimately surprised that that worked. For the second time in a row, her friend had listened to a somewhat ridiculous command. "So eager, one would be forgiven for thinking you enjoy being ordered around." She smirked, feeling a rush of familiarity of when she used to be Queen Bee back in high school. If she was being completely honest, part of her missed the ability to give out orders, but at the same time, she was also quite happy that she had moved on from that life. Plus, she was perfectly aware that she blonde was just being nice, and that she did not really enjoy taking orders like that... probably. She was not entirely sure about that last part.
Rather than responding, Yang just opened up the fridge and pulled out another can of the craft beer that her friend had chosen, before shutting it again and bringing it to the older woman, flashing a smirk at her."Only by attractive women."
Cinder only rolled her eye. "Flatterer." She scoffed at the compliment, accepting the beer, popping open the tab, and taking a sip. "Every day I feel the purity of youth slipping from what's left of my fingers."
Yang let out a chuckle. "Last time I checked, you were thirty-four, not eighty-four, Cinder." Then she plopped down onto the couch, reaching forward to grab what looked like a controller of some kind off of the coffee table. "But if you think you're so old, how 'bout we get some of that youth back with some good ol' fashion video games?"
Cinder immediately raised her brow at the suggestion. "Video games? What do you take me for, a child?"
"Hey!" Yang burst. "People play these for a living you know!"
"And you assume that they can be used to entertain an old bird like myself?" Cinder inquired, taking a larger sip from her drink.
"Yeah, why not?" Cinder shrugged. "There's somethin' for everyone."
Cinder thought it over for a few moments. While it was true that she had never been one for playing video games, as she never found any interest in them, Emerald used to play some. Perhaps now could be the time to finally give one a try. "Very well, I suppose I can humour you until it's time to prepare dinner."
Yang quickly grinned upon hearing the response. "Yay!" She beamed, as her friend sat down next to her.
Once seated, Cinder watched the blonde use the controller in her hands to turn on the game system that currently sat underneath the television across the room - as well as the TV itself. With a few more button presses on the controller, she navigated to a game... Cubecraft... What an interesting title. Cinder thought to herself, wondering what exactly it could be about. As the game loaded, Yang explained how it was a sort of survival building game, made completely of cube-shaped blocks. She navigated through the menus, and it lead them to a list of worlds, as she informed. Though, upon seeing the various titles - i build shit, Coco-op, doing it HARDCORE - one stood out, a bit like a sore thumb.
"What exactly is... Dick Land?"
Upon realizing what her friend was looking at, Yang let out a chuckle. "Coco and I were drunk."
Cinder could not help but crack at smile, as her mind began to fill with the many possibilities of what exactly Dick World could entail. "Fascinating. I would love a tour."
Appearing surprised that the older woman would want to see that specific world, Yang shrugged in response, tapping the A button on her controller to select the option. "Alright, well... strap in, or strap on." She instructed, passing a similar controller to the older woman.
While the world loaded, and the rectangular bar in the middle of the screen slowly filled up as the percentage under it grew, Cinder raised her brow. "Is that my cue to take mine out of my bag?" Of course that was an empty question, considering the only things in the gym bag that currently sat near the apartment's front door was a tank top and a pair of sweat pants. Even so, teasing her friend was amusing.
Turning to seemingly briefly gaze at said gym bag, Yang looked at Cinder with a curious expression on her face. "I was wondering why the bag was so big."
Cinder rolled her eye at the reaction. "Of course I am only kidding. I only brought my pyjamas, as per your texted instructions." Well, if one could even call what I wear to bed pyjamas. "As I mentioned earlier, I don't even own any toys of that nature."
"Oh, then what's with the big-ass gym bag?" Yang wondered.
"It was... all I had to use." Cinder admitted, somewhat ashamed that she did not even own a proper-sized bag. Thankfully, she would not have to dwell on that fact for very long, as the game world finally loaded, revealing a colourful collection of trees and hills, made completely of blocks. The first she noticed was a large wall, seemingly made of cubic bricks. Fumbling with the controls of the game, she managed to look around, and saw that a nearby bush formed a simple penis shape. Next, a nearby pond, also phallic. Then, as she backed away, the wall became a rather large tower, and two smaller turrets to the sides indicated that it too, was a penis.
"How wasted were you?" Cinder inquired, curious how such a world could come to be.
Yang paused for a moment, seemingly in thought, until she held her hands roughly a meter apart. "'Bout... yay wasted."
Upon being given the grand tour of the product of Yang and Coco's drunkenness, and being shown blocky recreations of every phallic object under the sun - most of which were terribly constructed, for obvious reasons - Cinder came to a realization. Those two are so... bizarre. While her own drunken escapades with partners... or Nora, mostly led to sex, their versions caused them to go into a video game and build a land of blocky, dick-shaped creations. or... erections, as the blonde would say, and likely did say on whatever night she and her girlfriend decided to do that.
After a little while of messing around in Dick Land, with Cinder even managing to build her own little phallic-shaped hut - which included an nice kitchen and a custom table, made from half-blocks, stairs, and carpet - it was finally time to prepare dinner. Switching off the game system, the two made their way into the kitchen. As Cinder watched her friend gather the ingredients for... whatever they were going to cook, she wondered something, continuing to drink her quickly emptying beer.
"Tell me, Yang, how exactly did Dick Land come to be?"
Pulling out a handful of vegetables from the fridge, Yang placed them onto the counter. Peppers, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots... What exactly does she have planned for us? "It all started when I told her she needed to get wood..."
Cinder had a feeling she knew where that was going. "Let me guess, Coco replied with that's what she said, or some other immature joke."
"Actually she said she wished she could get wood." Yang clarified. "'Cause bleedin' out every month is annoying."
"Tell me about it." Cinder mumbled under her breath, before turning back to her friend, who was currently taking a couple packages of raw chicken out of the fridge, as well as a package of noodles. "So then you proceed to build a land of dicks. Fascinating. Though I did spot an unfinished creation, did someone get a little distracted?"
Yang let out a chuckle. "That's when we started burping at each other."
Cinder only furrowed her brow. "I was referring to sex, but I suppose that would also be rather distracting."
"Beer breath isn't really great for romance, Cinder." Yang commented, as she brought out a large bottle of sauce from the fridge.
Cinder proceeded to raise her brow. "I would imagine that would not stop two drunks like yourselves."
"You'd be surprised." Yang mentioned, taking out a large pan, a pot, and a couple of cutting boards from a low cupboard, placing them onto the counter next to the ingredients. Pausing for a moment, she looked over everything she had taken out. "Alright, you ready to get cookin'?"
Cinder merely let out a small sigh, before raising the can in her hand to her lips and finishing her second drink. "As I'll ever be." And so the lesson began, but of course, not before Cinder was given another beer. She was using them as... confidence boosters, and so far, they were working. Even after only a couple tall cans, she was already feeling more... at ease, and less awkward.
It turned out that Yang's original plan for the girls night was to make a huge amount of stir fry for everyone - seeing as there was still boxes upon boxes of ingredients in her fridge - but since it was just the two of them, she was going to teach Cinder how to make it, as well as add something a little... extra to the mix. The blonde explained how they were the only ones who really liked spicy food, so since no one else was coming, they could turn the normal stir fry that she was originally planning to make into something that might burn their tongues off. Or so she said. The older woman took that as a challenge.
The process began with cutting up the vegetables and meat. Cinder was fairly confident in her knife-wielding abilities - as she expressed the prior week - so she chose to handle it herself, starting with the vegetables, then moving onto the meat. While she did that, Yang explained the list of relatively simple tasks: boil the noodles, fry the meat, fry the vegetables, then finally mix it all together. That sounded easy enough. Well, at least it should have been, if her friend had not insisted on watching the process from right over her shoulder.
"You're doin' a great job, Cin."
Ceasing her cutting for a moment, Cinder narrowed her eye, realizing that the only person who had called her that recently... was Raven. "Your mother told you that she calls me that, didn't she?"
Yang only hummed. "She might've let it slip."
Cinder just let out a sigh, knowing full well that her friend was not going to let that go. So she moved onto her next task of cutting up the chicken. "Very well."
"Does it bother you?" Yang asked.
Cinder shook her head a bit. "Not quite. It's merely... different is all." At least with you it doesn't fluster me.
"I think it's cute." Yang smiled, though it went unseen by the older woman.
"So does your mother." Cinder commented, without even thinking. Damnit!
Yang giggled at the accidental information. "Aw, great minds think alike."
"I suppose they do." Cinder agreed, unable to stop a smile from gracing her features. Must be the alcohol. "Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you moved your giant rear, so I don't cut myself."
Yang just laughed. "Please, everyone loves my giant rear." She insisted, turning around and lightly hip checking her friend, slightly jostling her forward.
"Hey, I have a knife-" Cinder began to scold, unintentionally lashing backward with her free hand, and striking something... soft, which immediately let out a high-pitched yelp. "In my hand..." And... I just spanked her. I just spanked not only my friend, but my boss' daughter... Fuck me.
After a moment of near-painful silence, Yang awkwardly cleared her throat. "J-Jeez, buy me dinner first, won't ya?"
Cinder merely resumed her cutting, attempting to focus on that and only that. "You say while I currently prepare stir fry for us."
"Under my expert direction!" Yang added.
Cinder just rolled her eye, though not without a slight smile, as she completed her second task. "And what wonderful direction it has been."
"Glad you think so!" Yang obviously grinned from behind her. "Now it's time to boil the noodles!"
"Yes ma'am." Cinder nodded a bit, setting aside the meat and vegetables to grab the pot that Yang had previously taken out. Filling that with water, she set it atop the stove and switched it on, causing the flame below to flicker alight. In order for things to go smoother, the blonde recommended that Cinder handle things one at a time, lest anything get screwed up, so for a few minutes, they simply waited around for the water to boil, in order for them to be able to cook the noodles. Though while they did, Cinder found herself thinking about her last shift at The Perch, and who exactly she saw while working.
"So, has everything been alright with Weiss lately?" Cinder inquired. "I have been noticing she has been getting much more drunk every time she visits."
Yang was silent for a moment, before letting out a tired sigh. "It's not really my place to talk, she's just... going through some stuff."
Cinder could sense something was wrong, given how visibly tense the younger woman suddenly looked, but it was not really any of her business. "Understandable." She responded. "That said, are you doing alright?"
Yang just shrugged. "As fine as I can I guess. Coco's been a big help."
"I can imagine." Cinder acknowledged. "While I have not seen much, you two seem perfect for each other."
Yang grinned at the compliment. "Oh, thanks, Cinder-"
"Just a couple of goofballs, as it were." Cinder added, flashing a smirk at the blonde next to her.
"Hey!"
"Hey, all things considered, you did a great job!"
Cinder could not help but smile, as she continued to eat the stir fry that she had somehow managed to put together. "I don't even taste the burned bits." She commented, which was thankfully inaccurate, as there were no part of the meal that was actually burned. In fact, it actually turned out rather well. So well in fact that both women had gone back for second servings. Though, of course that meant each of them needed several extra beers in order to keep their tongues from getting overwhelmed by the spiciness of the sauce they used. Cinder thought that she might have been drinking too much of Yang's favourite craft beer, but the blonde assured her that she had plenty of it.
"You sure that's not just the sauce?" Yang wondered, finishing the last of her second plate before taking a huge drink, letting out a satisfied breath upon swallowing.
Observing the collection of food on her fork, Cinder shrugged, taking the bite. "Probably."
After dinner had been finished, and the two had drank enough beer to negate the intense spiciness of the food - somehow neither of them thought to drink water or milk - Yang recommended for Cinder to get changed, so that she could would be ready for an awesome night of movies, popcorn and candy. While she was not exactly planning on staying the night, it certainly would be more comfortable to hang around in sweat pants than in skinny jeans, so she grabbed her gym bag and headed into the apartment's bathroom. The blonde did offer her bedroom to use, but Cinder would rather not be left alone in there, lest she let curiosity get the best of her and snoop around at all. That would not be polite. So, placing her gym bag onto the closed toilet - after using it of course, the beer was going right through her - Cinder retrieved her pyjamas from it, putting them next to the sink, and stripped off her clothes, at least down to her underwear. Before removing her bra, as she normally would when changing into her pyjamas, she paused. Was she really comfortable with going braless around Yang? They had not known each other for that long, and this was the first time she was in her apartment... Though, the amount of alcohol in her system was telling her not to care and just take it off, because she had already been wearing it for most of the day, and it was starting to become uncomfortable. Eventually, letting the alcohol get the better of her, she decided to just remove it, but keeping her sweater on, but unzipped, allowing her to both cover up her burned arm, as well as her chest if need be.
Once Cinder had successfully changed into her pyjamas, she exited the bathroom and returned to the main area of the apartment, finding a pile of DVDs on the coffee table, and Yang preparing what appeared to be microwave popcorn. It had been close to a year since she had partaken in such a treat, and it smelled delicious. After that was done - complete with melted butter - and the candy and more beer had been gathered, Yang sat them down on the living area couch to pick a movie. Thankfully it was not a long process, given their differing tastes in films, but dinner had gotten them both a bit too intoxicated to care, so they just chose a sappy romantic comedy to start. Something about two sisters that lived together and were in love with the same guy. If she was being honest, Cinder was not paying too much attention to it, due to both the alcohol, and how comfortable the couch was. It was... so nice...
All of a sudden, she both heard and felt a chuckle from... above her. Oh gods, what have I done now? "Gettin' awfully comfy there, aren't ya?"
Furrowing her brow, Cinder tilted her head up, wondering what exactly her friend meant by that, only to realize that she had just been unknowingly leaning against the blonde, who was lying back herself, arm draped over the back of the couch. Normally she would have stiffened like a board, freaked out, or both, but thanks to all that craft beer, she felt no such instinct. Instead, she merely turned back toward the movie. "As a matter of fact, I am." Cinder informed, bringing her feet up onto the couch and adjusting her position to properly lie against her friend's shoulder. "I suppose you'll just have to deal with it."
Yang just softly chuckled, picking up the popcorn bowl as the older woman moved, then placing it down to sit on both of them. "You kinda sound like Rubes when you say that."
Cinder raised her brow at the response, mid-beer sip. "Oh, do I now?"
"Yep." Yang confirmed, taking a handful of popcorn from the bowl. "Back when she used to live with me, we used to spend a lotta nights just like this. Well, at least when she wasn't busy with her schoolwork, or Pyr, or other friends, or uh, y'know, stuff like that."
For a brief moment, Cinder was a tad confused, but soon remembered how the two sisters lived together for a few years after moving out of their family home. "I still can't imagine how she managed to survive living with you for so long."
"Hey! We actually had a lotta fun together!" Yang insisted attempted to insist through a mouthful of popcorn. "Well, aside from the times when I had uh, guests over, like the ones you heard about at Weiss' party... But still! It was nice havin' her around. Gave me an excuse to cook a lot more, since Rubes didn't really like it when we ordered in too much, and it really made the apartment feel like a home, 'cause... there was always someone for me to come home to. Of course we didn't do everything together, we did have our own lives, as boring as mine was compared to hers, but it just... felt good care for someone again..."
Turning her head to look up at the blonde, Cinder flashed a smirk at her. "What a good big sister you are."
"Just like you seem to be with Nora." Yang added with a smirk of her own.
Cinder opened her mouth to offer a snarky response, but paused, instead taking a second and realizing just how accurate those words were. Good gods I am Nora's big sister... who she sleeps with sometimes... That's a gross thought. Yang must be rubbing off on me as well. "I suppose that's true."
After a moment of the two merely smirking at one another, Yang over-dramatically looked around the room... for some reason. "So tell me, have you two been smooshin' booties?"
Cinder narrowed her eye at the... strange question. "Have we been what now?"
Yang did a sort of double-take, seeming confused that the older woman was not getting... whatever she was attempting to ask. "Clam jammin'? Belly bumpin'?"
Cinder only sat there, silent for several seconds, trying extremely hard to understand. What the hell am I missing? Then a thought occurred. She was asking if anything had happened between us last week... "Are you... referring to sex?"
Yang shrugged. "Well, if you wanna be crude about it, I guess."
Cinder quirked a brow at the answer. "Says the one who's constantly making that's what she said jokes."
"Hey, if I don't say it someone else will, so neugh!" Yang insisted, poking out her tongue for childish emphasis.
Cinder kept her brow raised, looking down at the blonde's tongue with a curious gaze. "Hm, you should be careful about sticking out your tongue in front of me, Yang, lest something... happen to it." She warned, thinking back to the time when Emerald used to do something similar, sticking out her tongue when she got pouty, which would always lead to her girlfriend biting it. Gods, she was so adorable when she did that...
Yang merely grinned, sticking her tongue out again, farther this time. "Mnnnn-mng!"
"Are you completely sure you wish to take this route?" Cinder wondered, a smirk spreading across her face as an idea popped into her head. Was it a terrible idea? Probably, but was she still going to do it? Again, probably. She blamed the alcohol. As expected, her friend merely kept her tongue stuck out as far as she could manage. Cinder just continued to smirk. "You are playing with fire, Xiao Long, but very well." She shrugged, leaning up and actually lightly biting Yang's tongue with a sly grin, staring her right in the eyes as she did it. The blonde of course let out a half-yelp, given her current... predicament, but then what followed the initial shock was a moment, where the two just... found themselves staring into each other's eyes, as time felt like it slowed to a crawl, until an... unexpected response came, with Yang slowly leaning forward, her eyes closing as she pressed her lips against Cinder's own, causing her to not only release her tongue, but... instinctively return the kiss... as her own eye shut and she almost seemed to melt into the action. She was not entirely sure why she did it, rather... it just happened.
The two began their slow, tender embrace, with the younger woman bringing her hand to gently cup Cinder's uncovered cheek, and the other moving from the couch to rest across her shoulders. Cinder came to a realization, even with her mind being a haze. Kissing Yang was so unlike kissing Nora. The latter was always excited, heated, passionate, while this was... gentle, as if they were testing the waters of... whatever this might come to be. There was no tongue, no removal of clothing or aggressive fondling, instead only their lips slowly kneaded against one another as the pair lost themselves in the kiss.
And things definitely would have progressed further, if not for one action. While Cinder was trying to decide if she should put her hands anywhere - considering they were just on her lap - she felt the hand that had been on her cheek begin to move lower, slowly sliding past her neck, down her chest, and... into her tank top, where it then took hold of her bare breast. At first, Cinder's intoxicated, unfocused mind only allowed her to let out a soft, kiss-muffled moan at the gentle touch, but upon feeling that hand cease its fondling, and a thumb begin to ever-so-slightly rub her admittedly sensitive nipple, which sent a shock through her entire being, her eye snapped open as what exactly was happening registered in her brain. Immediately reaching up to grab Yang's wrist, she pulled away from the kiss, suddenly feeling a wave of... discomfort wash over her. What... What have I done?
On the other side of the couch, Yang was certainly not looking any better. With her wide-eyed gaze focused on her held wrist, her expression was that of... pure shame. While the older woman could not actually read her thoughts, she could easy tell that the only thing on her mind was what they had just done, and she looked downright horrified at her actions. Of course Cinder herself was fairly overwhelmed by the fact that she was just... touched in such a way, still feeling the lingering sensation upon her breast, but Yang... The realization that she had not only drunkenly made out with her fried, but fully cheated on her still relatively new girlfriend caused tears to pool in her eyes, as she opened her mouth a few times, attempting to form some kind of response.
"I-I..." Yang managed to whimper after several moments of unbearable silence, but soon trailed off, seemingly unable to continue as those tears began to stream down her face. "S... Sorry..." She eventually spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. Shakily standing from the couch, Yang backed up a few steps before practically rushing to her room, almost slamming it behind her. Leaving Cinder, sitting on the couch, still in a daze.
This was... an exceptionally strange night.
Yang sat on her bed, legs drawn close to her body, and face laid buried in her hands as she quietly sobbed. Out of all the stupid bullshit that she had done in her life, this had to easily take the cake. She had hung around with bikers, bar hopped with a fake ID, essentially forced her own sister to take care of her when she got drunk, but cheating on a partner? That was something else entirely. Even letting herself unintentionally do it while intoxicated was just... absolutely despicable. Yang let out a shaky breath, wiping more tears from her face, though only making room for more tears. At least Cinder stopped my dumb ass before I fucked up even further... And the blonde was extremely thankful that her friend did, or else... she might not have stopped...
Unfortunately that did not change the fact that she willingly kissed another woman while in a relationship, even... groping her... It was disgusting. Yang was disgusting. Just like... like Neo. An awful woman who cheated on who was probably the best girlfriend she had ever had, without a second thought. She was... a whore, and Coco deserved better, much better.
So, wiping more tears from her face, Yang un-curled herself, hesitantly took her scroll out of her short-shorts pocket, and navigated to her girlfriend's contact. If she was going to be a vile cheater, she would at the very least own up to it. Of course she would likely get herself dumped in doing so, but... that was okay. It was what she deserved for crossing that line.
After a few moments, Yang took a shaky breath, and pressed the Call button. Almost shaking out of fear, she listened to the ringing tone in her ear, once, twice... Then came a sort-of click, signifying that the call had been accepted.
"Hey, what's up, Xiao Long?" Came Coco's cheerful voice, accompanied by what was essentially the background noise of an upper-class restaurant. Dull murmuring punctuated by the clicking of cutlery, as well as a faint hint of soft piano. Certainly a contrast to the normal setting that the brunette found herself in - also known as her girlfriend's apartment. Or... probably soon-to-be ex girlfriend. "You havin' a fun night with the gals? Or did you miss my fine ass too much?"
"Is that Yang? Tell her I say hi!" Yang heard Ruby burst, which was quickly followed by some nearby hushing, most likely from Pyrrha. "And sorry again we couldn't make it!"
As the background noise of the restaurant started to become quieter, signalling that Coco was heading into a quieter area, she chuckled a bit. "And Big Red says hey."
Yang could only manage to sniffle, as she attempted to fight back tears. "C-Coco... I-I... um..."
Coco immediately realized something was wrong. "Shit, you okay? Did somethin' happen?"
"I-I... I fucked up." Yang mumbled, keeping her voice low, lest it break.
Coco likely raised a brow at the confession. "How so? Did ya beat someone too bad in a game? 'Cause I know how competitive you get when you're drunk..."
Yang merely swallowed, audibly, almost too horribly ashamed to admit what shameful act she had not only just participated in, but instigated. Betraying the trust that made up a relationship. She was pathetic. "I... u-um..." She took a shaky breath. "I-I... made out with Cinder."
Rather than questioning it, or yelling, or crying, asking why, or responding in any way that the blonde could have possibly expected, Coco just laughed. "How'd you manage that? Were you guys playin' truth or dare or somethin'? 'Cause if you were, please tell me one of you got that Vernal chick to embarrass herself, like uh, I dunno, daring her to lick someone's foot."
Normally, something like that would have made Yang laugh, or at the very least chuckle, but honestly... she could not believe what she was hearing. She just told her girlfriend that she cheated on her, like the scum she could once ridicule, and... nothing? "Y-You're not... mad?"
"I mean, should I be?" Coco wondered, genuinely. "'Cause we said we'd keep things light and breezy and stuff for a while, so if you wanna open things up a little and see other people as well, that's cool with me. Cinder is pretty hot after all."
Yang wiped more tears from her face. "I... I didn't really think you were serious, I mean..." She sniffled. "I-I'm not... really good with that, or anything..." She sniffled again, then let out a sigh. "It's all really confusing..."
There was a pause. "Man, you're really broken up about this, aren't you?"
Yang just sighed again, heavier this time. "I'm being stupid. I'm sorry."
"Maybe, but I'll tell you what, if you're feelin' that bad about it, maybe we could try goin' on a real date?" Coco offered, likely with a smile. "Y'know, gettin' all dressed up, fancy, candle-lit dinner and all that shit, rather than the usual gettin' wasted on your couch."
Yang was... at a loss for words. Not only did her girlfriend not react at all negatively to being told she was cheated on, but... she was asking her out on a date. Like... a proper date. Something that she had not experienced in... well, a long time. Years in fact. "I'd... I'd really like that, Coco."
"Same here, Yang." Coco agreed, and teased by using her first name, something that the two did not do very often. Honestly, she was not quite sure why they always used their last names, it was just... something they did. A relationship quirk, so to speak. "How 'bout next Friday then? It'd give the Reds some time to teach me how to function in an environment that I can't wear my PJs in. Or as you'd say, my jam jams."
Yang actually managed a slight chuckle, though it was a bit choked due to all the crying. "Sounds like a plan."
"See ya then, Xiao Long." Coco acknowledged, before pausing. "Oh, and uh, don't you go kissin' Cinder again. I don't care how hot she is." She added, likely with an adorable grin on her face. What a tease.
Though her girlfriend could not see it, Yang weakly brought a hand up to her forehead in a salute. "Yes ma'am."
A chuckle was heard over the scroll call. "You're weird." Coco mentioned, clear amusement in her voice. "Have a good one, Yang."
Yang managed a small smile. "You know what you signed up for, but you too. See ya."
Upon hanging up the call, Yang just... stared at her scroll for several moments, utterly dumbfounded at what just happened. Not only did she still have a girlfriend, but they were going on a real date next week. She still had absolute no idea how the brunette could take such... disgusting news so lightly, but at the same time... she was extremely relieved that she did. While she certainly deserved to be dumped for what she did, Yang could not take another breakup... not so soon... She was really happy with Coco... Unable to stop a stupid grin from spreading across her face, she let herself fall backwards onto her bed, closing her eyes and breathing a heavy sigh of relief.
Man, my girlfriend is pretty fuckin' awesome.
Of all the times Cinder had been left alone in someone's home, this was definitely among the most awkward. By a long shot.
Of course when she was younger it was less serious. More often than not the owner would be passed out, or getting high, or laid. She always had the option of joining them, though she was rarely interested in sleeping with others so easily. It was quite a contrast to the current situation. Yang was still locked in her room, but the muffled sobs had long faded, so Cinder was merely... waiting for her to come out. It was a tad boring due to the movie being paused, but she was a patient woman.
Although, now that Cinder was alone, it gave her a chance to think back upon what had happened before her friend ran off crying. If she was being honest, she could still not believe that they just made out. Reaching up with both hands, one lightly touch her lips, the other her breast, she could still feel... phantom sensations of the kiss, as well as the gentle groping. While she had been exceptionally shocked that Yang kissed her, and rather uncertain regarding her thoughts about what they did not long ago, now that her mind was clearing, there was also part of her that was now beginning to... regret stopping it, as she became rather curious as to what it could have become if they went all the way. Of course Cinder was perfectly aware that Yang currently had a girlfriend, but at the same time, she knew for a fact that the blonde would not have even considered making out with her - let alone fondling her breast - if everything was truly alright, even taking into account that she was a tad drunk. Yang was not that kind of person, meaning there had to be something else going on. Though if anything, it was probably neglect of intimacy.
Eventually, the sound of a door opening was heard, and Cinder turned to find Yang hesitantly coming out of her room. Her eyes were still red from all the sobbing, but she certainly looked better than when she left. Slowly making her way into the living room, she sat back down onto the couch, though noticeably farther from the older woman than before, and not even making eye contact, likely out of regret of what happened. After a few moments of silence, with Cinder simply waiting for her friend to be ready, Yang spoke, her voice low, eyes remaining stuck to the floor in front of them.
"I uh, I'm sorry for what I did... Didn't realize how much I drank and... I made a stupid decision." She mumbled, seemingly unable to look up at her friend. Then she chuckled a bit, though it was not exactly cheerful, rather... a sad chuckle. "Thought I didn't care about sex 'cause of my last... well, non-relationship, but uh, guess not."
That was just about all Cinder needed to hear. So it is neglect. Moving across the couch, she raised a leg up over Yang's, shifting her position until she was fully straddling the blonde, sitting atop her thighs.
"Wh-What are you doing?" Yang managed after a moment, appearing extremely confused as to why the older woman was currently on top of her, especially given that she was the one who broke their earlier embrace.
"I would like to know what it is you want." Cinder informed. "Because there is absolutely no shame in wanting these things if your current partner can't or won't provide them." In truth, having Yang cheat on her girlfriend was not exactly the ethical option, but Cinder knew what it felt like to be denied of her urges, by a certain little bitch that they both once called a partner. So perhaps this was something she needed. Cinder was able to see the hesitant temptation in Yang's gaze, the way her eyes kept wandering downward before snapping back up, hands threatening to move from their place at her sides. If she was being honest, part of her hoped that the blonde would make some sort of move, as the curiosity of what could happen between them was still very much present. Yang was an exceptionally attractive woman after all, and seeing as Cinder was a technically-single individual who was just kissed and fondled by her - and likely had little to no chance with the one she actually had a crush on - she could not help but be a little... well, turned on by the thought of continuing where they left off, so to speak. Part of her wanted to be kissed more, to be touched more...
After a few moments spent in silence, with the older woman wondering what exactly her friend was going to do about her offer, Yang merely began to lean in. Though, rather than doing so for a kiss on the lips, cheek or neck, she rested her head on Cinder's shoulder, arms raising to wrap around her back for a gentle hug. While certainly unexpected, Cinder brought her own arms up to reciprocate, one hand lightly patting the blonde's head. The hug was nice, but if she was being honest, the more selfish part of her - as well as the horny-Nora part - was rather disappointed that her offer was not being accepted. Once they separated, Yang offered a small smile. "Thanks for the offer, but I uh, I can't. I-I mean, you're really beautiful, and it's crazy to think you'd wanna... well, s-sleep with me, but things are good with Coco, and I don't wanna fuck that up." She explained, her gaze falling slightly. "I also appreciate you bein' straight with me-" Then she chuckled a bit. "Even if that doesn't describe either of us, and uh, y'know, not smacking me for kissin' you."
Out of everything that her friend just said, one thing stuck out like a sore thumb. So much so that she was legitimately taken aback by it. "You... think I'm beautiful?" Even saying that out loud sounded ridiculous. The only person that could ever find her beautiful, at least in her... current state, was Nora, but that was merely due to her unconditional love for everything. Well, either that or her incredibly low standards.
Yang merely looked up at the older woman, seemingly puzzled by the question. "Cin, you're fucking gorgeous! And the burns don't take away from that. Hell, the mask gives you this sexy mysterious vibe and it's doin' things for me."
"Things such as... persuading you to grab a nice handful of my bare breast?" Cinder wondered with a smirk. Which then caused me to become turned on at the idea of fucking you.
Yang just laughed. "Oh shut up. I'm lucky that Coco was so cool about all this, even offerin' to share me with you."
Cinder immediately raised her brow. Her girlfriend is allowing her to sleep with me... and she said no? "Hold on a moment. So you're telling me that you're passing up the opportunity to date two women? One of whom is currently straddling you, and willing to go all the way? I must ask, have you truly thought about this?"
Yang let out a chuckle, surely realizing her current situation. "I mean it sounds kinda crazy when you put it like that, but I dunno... Like, if we fucked right now, I'd feel like I was going behind Coco's back, even though she said it's fine... O-or if she came over another night and we banged, I'd feel like I was going behind yours, and I just... It'd make me feel like Neo..."
Cinder actually fully laughed at the admission. "Yang please, the idea of you being anything like that little bitch is fucking absurd. She's a misanthrope with sociopathic tendencies that stem from her inability to socially connect with others. She resented us, Yang, hated us even, because we can do what she cannot. So, she looked down upon us, projected an air of superiority, when in truth, shew was attempting to hide the fact that she was the inferior one." Cinder then reached up to gently cup the blonde's face, staring her down with her single, golden eye. "Do not insult yourself, Yang. You are nothing like her."
After a moment, Yang offered a warm, beautiful smile. "Thanks, Cin. You're too sweet."
I guess she's calling me Cin now. "I wasn't always. Believe it or not, I actually used to be like Neo, for my own reasons, and it took being with Neo to shine a light on my own self loathing, and ultimately prompt Emerald into pushing me that final step of realizing what I was." Cinder explained, her gaze falling a bit. "I hated Neo, I hated how she acted, hated how she treated people, hated that she did it all without a word spoken, and always with a fucking smile. And when I realized that I was looking at a mirror it almost destroyed me. The only reason I current sit before you- or I suppose atop you, is because, much like yourself, being with that sociopath led me to someone better."
Yang remained quiet for a moment. "Huh, I guess you're right." Then she chuckled. "You could say that we got fucked into better relationships."
Cinder could not help but chuckle as well. "I suppose you could." Figuratively and literally.
"We should totally toast to that." Yang added. "You want a water? Since uh, I think we've both had enough to drink tonight."
"I would like that, thank you." Cinder agreed. "But in a second, there is something I must do first." She informed, which seemed to visibly confuse her friend, only leading her to grin. Reaching up with both hands, she gripped the back of Yang's neck, held her for a moment, before leaning in and pulling her into a deep kiss, causing the blonde to let out a shocked, muffled squeak, not quite kissing back, but also not resisting. It was not her intention to initiate another make-out session, so she kept her lips closed for several seconds before slowly pulling away, the sound of their lips separating accentuated by the silence. Though, while their faces were still barely a couple inches apart, Cinder smirked. "I suppose that makes us even." She almost whispered, giving her cheek a couple light taps before completely pulling away, leaving her friend blushing like a tomato, and utterly speechless as she lowered her arms. Then her gaze briefly wandered down a bit, giving her another idea. Keeping her smirk at Yang, she reached up again to take hold of one of her exceptionally large breasts, and gave it a firm squeeze - similarly to how she had her own breast fondled not long ago - eliciting a squeak from her friend. After lowering her arm, she finally dismounted Yang and sat back in her original seat, once again leaving the blonde unable to form a response. "Now we're even." Well, almost. While Yang got the opportunity to touch her bare chest, there was a shirt in Cinder's way, though a single layer did not stop her from being able to feel the younger woman's nipple, which only made the grab more... exciting.
After a few moments, Yang finally seemed to regain her senses, though her blush was still quite strong. "R-Right, uh, so y-you want that water now?"
Cinder merely smirked at Yang's stammering. It was adorable, and honestly, it felt... good to be able to act like she once did. To be confident again, even if it was at the cost of embarrassing her friend. "I would."
"A-Alright, then uh, I-I'll get right on that." Yang nervously answered, getting up off the couch and slowly making her way into the kitchen. A couple minutes later, she returned with a couple glasses of water, handing one to the older woman as she sat down next to her, once again noticeably farther than before. Which was understandable. It was probably best for them to not be within cuddling distance for a little while.
Once her friend was settled, Cinder raised her glass, deciding it would be a better idea to get back onto their previous topic. "While we may have been fucked in several ways by that little bitch, said fucking led us into far superior, healthier relationships."
Yang smiled, holding out her glass of water. "To getting literally fucked into better relationships." And their glasses met with a clink, before the two took their respective sips. "So uh, what was yours like? I mean, w-with Emerald. I-If you don't mind me asking of course, 'cause I know that's a bit of a sensitive topic for you..."
While it was not exactly a topic she wanted to discuss, as she did not want to ruin their pleasant evening - even counting what happened with their accidental make-out session - Cinder shook her head. "It's quite alright, Yang. When... we first became a couple, things... changed for me. I was able to stop forcing myself into.. hostile extroversion, and just allowed Emerald to take the reigns for the most part. The lack of stress that stemmed from that rendered me... calmer, and Emerald showed herself perfectly capable of making important decisions for us. It was a bit odd at first, to just let someone else take control, but I quickly got used to it. Which then led us to moving into a small yet comfortable apartment, working nine till five jobs that we were good at. While Neo was... admittedly horrible, I must thank her, as her dumping me allowed me to find the woman I believed I could spend the rest of my life with..." Then Cinder's haze fell. "At least, so I thought..." She sniffled, feeling the sudden need to fight back tears. "After the trial, the savings I had didn't last as long as I thought... The legal fees were apparently paid for, but... the apartment we once shared was not cheap..." Then those years began to pool in her eye. "I... I had to give it up, the last thing I had ever shared with her... Now all that's left are photos I cannot bear to see, and a-a ring... a-and all it does is remind me... that s-she's gone..." Upon finishing that last word, the tears finally began to stream down her face as she broke down to softly cry, turning away from her friend so that she could hide her face. So much for not ruining our night...
There was a few moments of near-silence, with the only sounds being heard were those of the older woman's quiet sobs, until Cinder felt the blonde move closer to her. While she expected Yang to put an arm around her, or reassuringly grasp her hands, but instead, she was actually pulled into a tight hug, eliciting a slight gasp. Though, Cinder did not resist the hug at all, rather... she embraced it, nuzzling into the crook of her friend's neck, as if savouring the feeling. In truth, it was likely what she needed right now. No talking, or attempts at telling her everything was alright, just... a quiet hug between friends.
And so that is where the two remained for a time, merely sitting on the couch in silence, with Cinder laying against the younger woman, strong arms wrapped around her body, one of them gently rubbing her back as she slowly began to calm down. It was... nice, peaceful...
After a few quiet minutes, Yang decided she would be the first one to speak. "Hey... you wanna... stay the night?"
Without even looking up at her friend, Cinder quirked her brow, certainly curious to know what exactly brought this... change of heart, so to speak. "Having second thoughts about my offer, are we?" A good fuck could certainly help with the pain. It always does with Nora.
Yang only let out a chuckle, signifying that the older woman was incorrect in her guess. A shame, really. "Y'know we can sleep in the same apartment without uh, sleepin' together, right?"
Cinder merely smirked. "I do, but where's the fun in that?" Though it went unseen, her friend once again could not help but blush, as the question likely caused a few rather inappropriate thoughts to fill her mind. "Though, as generous as your offer is, I will have to decline, as there is a bit too much temptation to be found here." Seeing as how you did not kick me out after I kissed and groped you.
"I guess, but I don't want you walking home in your current state, especially with how late it already is." Yang countered. "So if I've gotta resist you all night, then so be it."
Cinder merely smiled from her position still lying against her friend. "Thank you for caring about me."
Yang chuckled a bit. "Well thanks for not leaving immediately after I kissed you, or y'know, groping your tit."
Cinder just tilted her head to smirk up at the younger woman. "It didn't mind." And neither did I.
Yang quirked a brow. "Oh yeah?" She wondered with a smirk of her own. "I definitely couldn't tell from the straddling, kissing, groping or offering to fuck me after the fact."
Cinder could not help but chuckle a bit. Perhaps she may have gone a bit overboard with that, but it felt remarkably good to be confident again. Plus it was admittedly a lot of fun teasing her friend. "Careful, your ego is inflating."
"I mean, can ya blame me?" Yang seemed to genuinely inquire. "A sexy older woman offered to sleep with me not too long ago. You try staying humble after somethin' like that!"
Cinder immediately furrowed her brow at the admission. "Ah, I see, I'm a cougar now." Well, certainly not the worst thing that I've been called.
Yang actually laughed in response, which the older woman certainly felt, considering her current position. "To be fair, you did offer to bang someone ten years younger than you." She defended. "But I will admit, if I wasn't already with Coco, we'd probably be goin' at it right now. So uh, I dunno, blame her for gettin' to me first."
Before tonight, Cinder would like have never agreed with something like that - at least after she grew out of her bitchy, narcissistic personality - but after what happened between the two... she was actually beginning to feel a bit... envious of the blonde's girlfriend. To be able to date such a beautiful, kind, admittedly funny and overall wonderful woman... "How dare she."
Yang let out another laugh at the reaction. "I'll tell you what, if I ever become alright with the idea of dating multiple people, Coco says it's okay, and you're still single by then, I'll give you a call."
Cinder knew the offer had to be at least partially a joke, considering the chances of something like that happening were next to none. Mostly for two reasons: those two seemed to be perfect for one another, and the likelihood of her friend suddenly being open to the idea of a polyamorous relationship was fairly low. Though even still, she could not help but smile.
"I will have to hold you to that, Yang."
Coco woke up screaming, afraid to even open her eyes.
It was a nightmare. It was always a fucking nightmare, and sadly this time was no different. Though she was beginning to become aware of the real sensations around her - the sound of her voice, the sweat on her skin, the loud thumping of her heartbeat, and the blankets tangled around her legs - she was still shaking... scared to death that if she opened her eyes... she would find herself back in her nightmare.
It began as most others did, with Coco finding herself in the lobby of the floor that Velvet worked on, waiting for her to clock out for the day. She was talking to... someone, she could not see their face clearly. All she saw was Velvet. Then a flicker caught her eye. Coco turned toward the source, and her heart started racing... as she saw flames appear on the other side of the glass, spreading rapidly. She attempted to get inside, but found that there was no door all of a sudden, just a window wall. So she tried to break it, but upon looking back, saw that the lobby was empty, with nothing to hit the glass with. Coco started beating on it with her bare fists, merely... watching as the flames reached Velvet, climbing her legs. In the end... she could only stand there, watching as the love of her life was engulfed in flames... Coco screamed her name, but... nothing came out.
Then she woke up, sweating, panting, shaking, and clutching her sheets harder than she ever had in recent memory. It's not real, it's not real, it's not real... Coco wished that she was at Yang's place. She never had any nightmares there, likely due to their drinking, but still. Dulled senses were a hell of a lot better than fearing going back to sleep.
A vague awareness of sounds and movement suddenly drew her attention, and upon hesitantly opening her eyes, found wide silver ones staring back at her, warm hands covering her own. It was Ruby.
"Coco, are you alright? You're shaking... Did you have another nightmare?"
Upon registering that is really was her friend, Coco immediately wrapped her arms around the younger woman, pulling her as close to her chest as she was physically able to with her trembling arms. It elicited a slight gasp from Ruby, but she thankfully returned the hug, arms reaching around her back. All Coco wanted was the warmth and comfort that the embrace offered, and after a minute or two, she began to slowly calm down. When she opened her eyes once more, Pyrrha was sitting beside them, hand gently atop her thigh.
"Would you like us to stay?"
Coco merely nodded a bit, unable to find the strength to speak.
Offering a small smile, Pyrrha slowly raised off of the bed and quietly made her way out of the room, leaving her wife and friend alone, but soon returning with two pillows. She then moved Ruby's head, carefully sliding the pillow under her head, and placed the other behind Coco. Grabbing the sheet that the was currently tangled around the other two, Pyrrha moved it to cover them properly, even tucking them in like the good mother she will likely eventually be. After she was certain they were comfortable - which Coco definitely was - Pyrrha climbed into the bed, positioning herself behind the brunette, and wished her friend goodnight.
And so the morning came, and unlike through the first half of the night, Coco slept like an absolute baby.
As she began to come to consciousness, and slowly regained the feeling of her body, she became aware of the pressure not only on her front-side, but on her backside as well. It took a moment to realize what those could be, but upon doing so, Coco found herself... rather confused. Are they... still here? Of course she did not think that they would just get up and leave in the middle of the night after she fell asleep, but... to be still there at what was likely a late hour of the morning, possibly even the early afternoon?
Almost hesitantly opening her eyes, Coco found that her friends were indeed still in her bed, and... much closer to her than she ever would have expected. Currently clinging to her was Ruby, arms wrapped around her torso, and face buried in her chest. It was... adorable, and the sound of her soft breathing only pushed the cuteness levels through the roof. What made it worse was Coco turning her head to see what was behind her, and finding Pyrrha... spooning her. Pyrrha was spooning her, strong arms pulling her close, and... sizable breasts pressing against her back... This was too much. Receiving affection from those two was a fairly common occurrence - especially from Big Red - but this... this was something else entirely. That was not to say that it was unpleasant in any way, rather... it was a lot to take in to find two married women cuddling her in such a way.
Then she felt Ruby stir, arms tightening around her a bit as she snuggled closer into her chest. Coco thought, and somewhat hoped that she was merely adjusting herself as she slept, but it turned out... not so much. After a few moments of blush-inducing chest-snuggling, Ruby moved upward, growing closer to Coco until her lips met the brunette's collar for a quick peck, before she moved back down for more cuddling.
"Mmmmm... Mornin' Pyr..."
It seemed Big Red thought that she was her wife. Normally, that would have made Coco laugh, or at the very least chuckle, seeing her friend so tired that she mistook her for Pyrrha, but this time made her feel... something else. She was not quite sure what it was, but what she did know was that she did not want to let go of this embrace. Not just not wanting to get up - which she did not - but... wanting to keep holding her friend, and keep getting held by her other friend, because being in their arms made her feel... safe. It was a bit similar to how falling asleep with Yang felt, yet... so very different, in a way that Coco was unable to explain.
Then came another voice, this time from behind her, and unfortunately, it only made things worse.
"Good morning, Coco." Pyrrha whispered, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss upon the back of her friend's neck. Once again, usually a peck like that would bring out a giggle due to the tickling sensation, but this time... it caused a different reaction.
Coco shivered.
Cinder awoke feeling... refreshed, and quite comfortable. Well, aside from the familiar weight that was currently pressing down on her body.
Why must that girl always end up sleeping on top of me? Cinder wondered to herself, letting out a sigh as she reached up to gently pet Nora's head, and... finding a lot thicker and longer hair than she expected. Though considering that she just woke up, a tad hungover, and was still getting her bearings, she did not think anything of it. Instead, without even opening her eye, she smirked. I apologize for this, but unfortunately for you, nature is calling.
So, with one swift motion, Cinder turned her body, pushed with one of her arms, and dumped the redhead onto the floor with a loud thump, eliciting a high-pitched yelp. Though... it did not at all sound like Nora's signature yelp... But then... Wait a minute... Hesitantly cracking open her eye, Cinder peeked down at the floor, where she found an extremely surprised, yet still dazed Yang, who was rubbing her hip... reminding her that she was not in fact at home, and the prior night with the blonde did indeed happen. Well, shit.
Upon looking up at the older woman who just pushed her still-asleep form off the couch, a freshly-awake Yang quirked a brow, before yawning. "Is uh, there a reason you pushed me off of you? I'm not that heavy, am I?"
Wiping the sleep from her eye, Cinder shook her head. "Thankfully no, I merely... mistook you for Nora. That's all." Unfortunately, the moment she finished speaking, she regretted it, considering what she might have just revealed.
Yang just furrowed her brow at the answer. "You... thought I was Nora? How did..." Then she trialed off, seemingly realizing something, and smirking. "Wait, why would you compare me to Nora if I was sleepin' on top of ya?"
And there it is. Thankfully, Cinder was somewhat prepared, even in her fairly tired state. "Because she's my trauma teddy, as she puts it. Now make me breakfast."
Slowly lifting herself up into a sitting position, Yang kept her smirk strong. "Oh yeah, is she also your pillow buddy?"
If she was being honest, Cinder was not entirely sure what that even meant, though given the context, she was sure that it had something to do with sex. It was likely a synonym for Nora's boop buddies phrase, though there was no way she was going to discuss that topic. Instead, Cinder merely audibly sniffed the air, looking to her friend with a curious gaze. "I cannot smell cooking."
"Just like we were almost pillow buddies." Yang teasingly added, raising her arms to stretch.
Cinder merely raised her brow as she herself raised into a sitting position. "I seem to remember you were the one who declined." Which even now, she could not believe. After all, not only did she offer to sleep with Yang on the first date - which their girls night would have been if they actually had fucked - but both she and Coco told her than they were alright with sharing her, so to speak. So why the blonde turned down the offer was beyond her.
"Not important." Yang attempted to insist. "Still doesn't change the fact that you wanted to sleep with me!" She teased.
Cinder could not help but grin slightly at her friend. "Sleeping with your boss' daughter is a power move, supposedly." Especially when the boss is the one you actually have a crush on.
"So is grabbing her tit, very aggressively I might add." Yang commented.
"I believe you started it." Cinder reminded, even now still being able to feel slight phantom sensations on the breast that her friend had fondled the prior night.
Yang just raised both hands in what appeared to be defeat at first. "I plead insanity."
Cinder only chuckled a bit, not quite expecting that defense. "Denied. I saw the genuine temptation in your eyes." And gods damn was it strong. The selfish part of her could only wish that the blonde would have acted upon that temptation and desire. Perhaps then it would be easier to accept that a certain other woman would likely never end up accepting her feelings. Oh well.
"Well, I saw sexiness in yours." Yang countered, a sly smirk spreading across her face.
Cinder just rolled her eye. "And yet you did nothing with that opportunity." Something that the she would likely never understand.
"Hey! I'm trying to be a responsible adult." Yang attempted to defend, though with not much luck.
"By not making your guest breakfast." Cinder added.
Yang was silent for a moment, merely staring up at her friend. "Touché." She finally accepted, picking herself up off the floor and walking around into the little kitchen, where she opened up the fridge and began taking various ingredients out. Eggs, bacon, milk, cheese... The older woman had heard many things about how delicious Yang's cooking was, so she could honestly not wait to see what she made.
Looking up over the back of the couch and wall partition that separated the living area and kitchen, Cinder grinned at the blonde, even though it went unseen, as she was currently beginning to prepare breakfast for them. "That's a good girl."
As she began whisking a bowl of raw eggs, Yang chuckled. "Now you're just exploiting my hospitality."
Cinder only kept grinning, hoping that her friend would look back, even for a second, to see her smug expression. "No, I'm exploiting your rather submissive nature."
Turning to face the older woman, Yang's lips drew tight, one finger raising as if to make a point, before retracting. "I'll just shut up now."
Cinder took that as a sign of victory. "Like the good girl you are." She teased, to which the younger woman merely grumbled a bit as she switched on the stove and poured the eggy mix into a pan. It appeared that the blonde was making scrambled eggs. Splendid. She liked scrambled eggs. Let's see if they can beat Nora's.
Once Cinder was finished teasing her friend, who was mostly occupied with cooking their breakfast, she decided it was time to visit the restroom to finally relieve herself. After that was done, she returned to the living area before heading into the kitchen. She asked Yang if she required her assistance with anything, but the blonde assured her that she had everything under control, and that the older woman should just relax while she cooked. So, that was what Cinder did. Plopping down onto the couch, she just... waited, and relaxed as she was told to, which ultimately boiled down to playing on her scroll. She considered texting Nora, but figured it was still a bit early to be contacting her. After all, whenever she had clients at night, it would quite often result in her having to be up until the early hours of the morning - sometimes even pulling all nighters. Which in that case, meant she was most likely still sleeping. In the end, Cinder just settled on idly scrolling through social media forum pages while she and Yang chatted.
And one absolutely incredible breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast later - one that even gave Nora's a run for her money - it was finally time for Cinder to head home. After heading to the bathroom to change into her clothes from the prior day, as there was no way she was going to go home in her pyjamas, she met Yang at the door so that her friend could see her off.
"Oddities and... unexpected decisions aside, I had a wonderful night, Yang. Thank you for inviting me." Cinder smiled, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the blonde's shoulders, pulling her into a brief hug, which Yang quickly reciprocated. When they separated, she leaned in once more to plant a gentle kiss upon her cheek. "Don't get too lonely without me." Cinder almost-whispered into Yang's ear, pulling back to smirk at her.
With a slight blush tinting her cheeks, Yang let out a chuckle. "You're not makin' it easy."
Cinder only smirked at her friend. "And I never will." To which Yang just pouted, quite adorably if she was being honest. Although, while she was unsure why, given how happy her friend had been since the prior day, but upon donning her shoes, she found herself reminded of the last week, when she had that encounter with Rose's friend from out of town. "May I... ask you a question?"
Yang just shrugged. "Sure, what's up?"
"That woman, Blake, something happened between you two, didn't it?" Cinder guessed as she stood up, hoping she was incorrect, but having the feeling she was not at all. Especially judging from how the blonde practically ran out of the bar the moment she laid eyes upon the Faunus.
Yang's relatively chipper expression immediately faltered upon hearing that. "Oh... yeah, kinda."
"How long ago?" Cinder wondered.
Yang let out a sigh. "Years... graduation- high school grad... didn't... didn't go to college..." She admitted, gaze falling to the floor. "I uh, kissed her while drunk instead of confessin' properly, and... then she moved away..."
"And then?"
"Then... I couldn't bring myself to contact her..." Yang continued, her voice low. "We haven't talked since..."
"What about last week?" Cinder inquired, starting to get the feeling that her friend had kept this issue to herself for a long time.
Yang merely shrugged a bit. "I mean, you saw me, ran out the second I saw her..."
"And if she comes again?" Cinder added, curious to know if the blonde would simply run away again.
Yang remained silent for a few seconds, likely wondering what she would do herself. "I dunno, I just... can't..."
"And if she were to be hit by a car tomorrow?"
Yang opened her mouth to respond, but end up just looking to the floor. "I... don't know..."
Cinder let out a sigh, knowing exactly how poorly running away from one's problems always went. "Just call her. For crying out loud, what if she actually died tomorrow? You want to live with the fact that you were too scared to talk to her, what will you say at her funeral? Will you even have the guts to go?"
"I don't know!" Yang burst, slightly startling the older woman. "I... I suck at this, Cinder, all this feelings crap, I've always sucked at it. I never know what to do, and then I do something stupid by accident, and it hurts."
Raising an arm, Cinder gently laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I understand that, Yang, I truly do, but what do you want? Because you won't get anywhere from just hiding from her."
Yang was silent for a moment again. "I just... want everything to go back to normal."
"Then take the necessary steps to get things back to normal." Cinder pressed, tightening her grip on the blonde's shoulder a bit.
Yang only sighed. "I've spent the last five years making a complete dick of myself."
"Then get off your lovely ass and make up for it." Cinder instructed. "Yang, do you know how much I wish I could be in your position? To be able to just... go back to normal with a simple scroll call?" The younger woman's mouth opened as she looked back up, before her eyes bulged, and it shut again, her expression chastised, gaze falling once more. "All you have to do is take that leap, and call her. I imagine the worst that could happen would be she doesn't want to talk to you, but then at least you'll know, and you can move on."
Yang struggled to make eye contact. "I... don't even know what to say."
"Think about it then. I'm sure you'll come up with something." Cinder assured, taking a step forward to wrap her friend in a gentle hug, one which the blonde almost hesitantly reciprocated. Once they separated, she smiled. "Thank you for the lovely evening, Yang. Even if it did get a tad... heated."
After a moment, Yang managed a smile in return. "Thanks for coming... Best ladies night ever?"
With that response, Cinder could not help but smirk, as a fun little idea popped into her head. "It could have been, but you had to be responsible and ruin my fun." She faux-scoffed, causing her friend's eyes to widen in legitimate surprise, only making her giggle. You are so easy to tease. "I'm kidding. It was... quite enjoyable."
"Maybe we can... do it again sometime?" Yang wondered, obvious hope creeping into her voice.
"I would like that, though perhaps we ensure the others can make it next time, lest they miss out on all the... fun we had again." Cinder agreed, a smirk spreading across her face, as she thought back again to how they almost slept together.
Yang let out a chuckle, bringing up a hand to rub the back of her head. "Maybe not that much fun..."
Cinder only kept smirking, thinking of the future possibilities. "I don't know, Yang, I for one would love to see you make out with Vernal, or grab a handful of what little breast Weiss has, or perhaps even let Nora have some fun with you."
Yang just pouted, once again rather adorably. She appeared to be... how did the kids say it? Done with Cinder's shit? Yeah, that sounded about right. "I hate you."
Cinder could not help but chuckle. "That doesn't sound like something a good girl would say."
"Weren't you supposed to be all silent and weird?" Yang questioned, very likely wishing the older woman was still like that in the current situation. It certainly would have saved her a lot of teasing.
"That was before I started to get comfortable with you." Cinder admitted as she opened up the apartment's front door.
Yang only smiled at the older woman. "Aw."
Turning to face her friend once more, Cinder offered a sly grin to the blonde. "Now be a good girl and say you love me before I go."
Yang just stared at the older woman for a moment, seemingly taken aback by the odd request. "Now you're just being evil."
Cinder then brought a hand up to her ear, simply waiting, her grin still strong. "I'm not hearing anything..."
Yang let out a heavy sigh in response, finally giving up. "Fine, I love you, now go give Nora a kiss."
Cinder's grin only grew as she leaned in closer. "Good girl. But if you want to kiss Nora, you will have to come do it yourself. She's quite affectionate you know." After standing back up straight, Yang pursed her lips, and proceeded to shut the door in her friend's face, which only caused her to fully laugh. "Love you too, Yang."
Cinder was going to get a lot of mileage out of that one.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!
Because as always, your feedback fuels us!
