Author's Note: Another one that took a little longer than planned, but hope you enjoy!


The handle seemed to slip from her fingers today. Perhaps it had rained, or maybe her hands had not truly awoken yet.

It took several attempts to grasp the door and push it open, and the rush of warm air to wash over her. Raven was in her office, as usual, jet black hair wild and wavy. She wanted to run her hands through it, but they could not seem to stop shaking. Her entire being felt alive with energy, a vague numbness thrumming beneath her skin. Light reflected off every surface, pinpricks of starlight blinding her in snippets. Raven glanced her way with a tired smile, a greeting falling upon her deafened ears as she looked back down to her paperwork.

Such a lovely smile, it made her homesick, for a time in distant memory.

Raven was looking at her again, there was no smile this time, instead her eyes were wide, mouth echoing the syllables of her name. She seemed to panic, jumping to her feat and running around the desk, almost hitting herself on the heavy wood. She felt herself smile as her boss made it to her, reaching out to grasp her shoulders. Such a lovely woman, Emerald would have loved her. Maybe even literally. If there was someone Cinder was willing to invite into their bed, it was her.

Her touch was warm and gentle, guiding her to a seat. She could not look away, even as her hand was taken, fingers dark with red ink... Funny, she could not remember using ink that day.

Raven was on her knees now, shouting over her shoulder, wiping her own ink stained hands on her dress shirt before cupping both her cheeks, more words passing by her awareness. Her voice was normally so tender, yet rough, but today it sounded so tired, so confused.

When had she ever used ink?


"Qrow get your fucking ass out of the bathroom and call 9-1-1!"

Looking back to the dazed, injured woman before her, Raven examined the cut running across her neck. The long, red gash was crusted with semi-dried blood, but movement had prevented proper coagulation, allowing fresh, crimson red to ooze from within. The substance had long since covered her pale skin, and soaked the entire collar of her shirt. Taking a moment to steady herself, she silently thanked the Maidens it did not appear to be a life threatening wound, but that did not mean it was not serious, she needed to do something to staunch the bleeding.

Suddenly, Qrow burst through the main-area door, eyes widening as he realized not only his coworker, but his sister were covered in blood. "What the fuck happened?!"

"I don't know, Qrow, she just came in like this!" Raven yelled back. "Now quit staring and call a fucking ambulance!" To which her brother merely nodded before taking out his scroll and heading into the front area to do just that. Meanwhile Raven retrieved a clean towel off of the nearby shelf, and with shaking hands, did her best to wipe away the excess blood from Cinder's neck and collar. Next, she grabbed the first-aid kit off the wall and put it onto the table. Opening the box up, Raven took out a packet of antiseptic wipes, and after failing to open it with her blood-covered hands, she ripped it open with her mouth, spitting the piece out and carefully removing the wipe from within. Though the moment she made contact with the edge of Cinder's wound, she stiffened, eye growing wild, and a hand suddenly shot up and struck her directly in the face, as if the sting had sent her into a fight or flight mode. Raven stumbled back, her cheek stinging from a sudden slap, almost biting her tongue as she yelped, watching as Cinder fell from her chair onto the floor, scrambling backward into the closest corner available, eye wide with with manic fear as she clutched a hand to her bleeding throat.

Raven was... at a loss. Seeing not only her employee, but her friend... cowering in fear... seriously made her reevaluate her course of action. By the way she currently shook in the corner of the room, Cinder was clearly traumatized, so if Raven was going to get anywhere with her, she was going to have to take a much more... gentle approach. Unfortunately, that made her extremely nervous, as her ability to be gentle was more than a bit lacking. It always had been.

So, almost hesitantly standing from her chair, Raven slowly made her way toward the younger woman, kneeling down before her. Once down on the ground, she took a deep breath, wanting to reach out, but ultimately deciding against it. "Hey uh, Cinder... Cin, you're safe... here, and you know I care about you and stuff..." To which Cinder let out a shuddery breath, peeking at her through her squinted eye. "I just wanna help, so I'm not gonna let anything anything happen or do anything without your say so..." Raven then slowly offered her hand, just close enough so that her friend could reach. "So come on, let's get that wound clean."

After a few moments of silence, Cinder eventually let go of her wound, and looked up to stare at the hand before her. She then took a few more shaky breaths, and quickly reached out to take the older woman's hand, but as she was pulled to her feet, her legs began to shake, and Raven found herself supporting their combined weight as Cinder broke down anew. Raven froze, only for a moment, before wrapping her arms around Cinder's back in a tight embrace. She felt so small, wrapped up so close to her. So thin, so delicate. She threaded her fingers into Cinder's hair, cupping the back of her head as she shook... and felt tears of her own sting at her own eyes.

Why would someone do this?


Normally, Yang would have been perfectly happy building large, phallic shapes with her wonderful girlfriend, but on this particular early afternoon... she found herself... distracted.

It had been a few days since her and Cinder's... exciting girls night, and for the most part, everything had gone back to normal. Well, aside from two things. The first, which was actually a pleasant surprise, was that the two had been texting much more outside of work. It was... quite nice, if Yang was being honest, having someone to talk to, no matter the time of day or night. Of course neither of them attempted to deny what happened between them during their girls night, even if it might have been a good idea, but it also never made things awkward between them, which the blonde herself was eternally thankful for, and she guessed that Cinder was too. If anything, the... incident, so to speak, and proceeding conversation - the whole girls night, really - brought them closer together as friends. Even though under normal circumstances - and with normal women - something like that would have never happened.

Now, the second thing, which was... a tad less pleasant, came from Yang and Cinder's conversation that occurred just before the older woman left. More specifically, it came from their talk... about Blake. Ever since that morning, she had not been able to stop thinking about a specific exchange that she had with Cinder.

I just... want everything to go back to normal.

Then take the necessary steps to get things back to normal.

I've spent the last five years making a complete dick of myself.

Then get off your lovely ass and make up for it.

Over and over again those words had played in her mind, as if on a loop. Yang wanted to badly to just... follow her friend's advice call her ex-friend, but... every time managed to pick up her scroll and navigate to her contact, she chickened out. It was pathetic, not even being able to make a damn scroll call, and now that she had been called out for it, the thought of her failure had been... distracting her during her day-to-day life. Which meant both at home, and at work. Though luckily for her, it would not go unnoticed today.

"What's wrong, babe? Buildin' dicks not perkin' you up today?" Suddenly came Coco's voice from next to her on the couch, snapping the blonde out of her idle staring at the video game before them.

Though it sounded like an at least somewhat serious question, Yang could not help but smirk a bit, immediately thinking of a not-so-serious response. Was it inappropriate? Probably, but that pretty much defined their entire relationship anyway. "Oh yeah, I could sure use a hand."

Coco just chuckled, quickly catching on as she ceased her building of the giant phallic-shaped sword that she was working on. "Well why didn't ya say so? Don't you know I'm great at handies?"

Oh yeah, says the gay woman. "What a coincidence, I haven't gotten one in ages."

Putting her controller down onto her lap, Coco smirked over at her girlfriend. "Hell, maybe I'll even use two." She added, raising both her uninjured and injured arms, and wiggling her fingers for emphasis.

Yang merely smirked right back. While of course she knew this whole exchange was a joke, she was starting to kind of wish there actually was something down there. "I am just burstin' out of my pants already."

Coco raised a brow at the response. "Oh yeah? I got somethin' you can burst into."

Yang only furrowed her own brow, slightly confused by her girlfriend's answer. "Pretty sure you've got several, but please, go on."

Coco snickered a bit, appearing to be containing her laughter. "I gotta warn you, I'm not on the pill, and I ain't ready for children."

"But I wanna make babies!" Yang simpered, doing her best not to laugh herself. "I already had names picked out..."

"And we agreed we weren't gonna start tryin' 'till we got married!" Coco faux-argued.

"But young adult drama!" Yang defended.

"Well I can't have Big Red yellin' at me 'cause I let you knock me up!" Coco objected, nearly breaking.

The two then proceeded to stare at each other for several seconds before they both burst into laughter, unable to contain it any longer. They eventually calmed down, but not without a several relapses into giggling at their ridiculous exchange. "That lasted longer than I thought." Yang admitted once the pair were able to speak again.

"But seriously, what's up?" Coco sincerely inquired. "You're going all blank on me, and you haven't even finished that dick tank you started like, over an hour ago."

Yang attempted to keep a smile, but ended up sighing, idly staring at the screen in front of them. "I dunno, I'm just not really feelin it today."

Pausing the game and putting the controller aside, Coco brought her pyjama-clad legs up onto the couch to cross them, allowing her to fully face her girlfriend with a concerned expression on her face. "Everything okay? You've been kinda out of it all morning, and even last night. Did somethin' happen?"

Putting her own controller down, Yang remained silent for a moment. "I uh, I've just been thinkin' a lot about what Cin said to me about Blake."

"How you should call her and stuff?" Coco wondered, to which the blonde merely nodded. "And I'm guessin' you haven't done that yet?"

Yang shamefully shook her head, gaze falling to the floor. "Not even close."

Coco then brought her uninjured hand up to her chin, seemingly in thought, before looking to the coffee table in front of the couch. "Well, your scroll's right there on the table."

Shifting her gaze to the device in question, Yang looked back to her girlfriend, as she attempted to think of an excuse. Unfortunately, no ideas came. "I can't just call her like it's nothing."

"Why not?"

Yang opened her mouth to respond, but no such response came. "Because I'm a giant pussy, why else?"

Coco just frowned. "You're not a pussy for being a little scared, Yang."

Yang only shrugged a bit. "I'm kind of a pussy."

Coco let out a slightly frustrated sigh. "Fine, just a smidge, whatever, but let's say you do call her, what're you gonna say?"

"I've got no clue, I don't even know if I'll be able to call her." Yang admitted, hanging her head in shame, shame that she could not even make a gods damn scroll call.

"Alright, then what if I called her right now and stuck you on speaker?" Coco wondered, reaching forward to pick up the blonde's scroll and hold it out in front of her. "You've got nowhere to run, the phone's picked up and I'm holding it out of your reach. What do you do?"

Yang was silent for a moment, honestly unsure of what she would do. "Knowing me I'd probably just stay silent."

"Then I kick you in the shin." Coco added.

Yang actually managed a slight chuckle at her girlfriend's threat. "'Course you would... But... I dunno what I could say... Like, what do you even say after practically hiding from someone for this long?"

"Hey bestie, I missed your dumb ass." Coco answered, doing her best to imitate the blonde's voice. Rather amusing, but not enough to bring a smile out.

"Pretty sure she stopped being my bestie after the shit I pulled..." Yang sighed.

"Bullshit." Coco shot. "Friendships don't end, they just get put on hold because people are stupid and do dumb things."

"So then... how do I get it off hold?" Yang asked, almost desperate to know. "'Cause I dunno if one apology would do it."

Coco just shrugged. "I don't think the apology is what matters, it's more of a formality at this point. No shit you're sorry, she'll be sorry too, it's what started everything that needs to be talked about and understood, 'cause that's the sticking point holding you back."

"And what if... she doesn't wanna talk to me?" Yang hesitantly wondered, a bit scared to hear an answer.

Coco offered a smile, placing her uninjured hand onto her girlfriend's shoulder. "Hon, she came into the bar you work at, not exactly the actions of someone who isn't open to a dialogue."

Yang only managed to shrug, not even looking over at the brunette. "I guess, but somethin' tells me that was Rubes' doing more than hers..."

"Well, I promised not to pry on that end, shit's kinda tense in the Nikos household, but I can't imagine she's there for a social call." Coco attempted to assure.

"I dunno, it was probably just Rubes tryin' to force us into a situation where we have to talk..." Yang guessed. "'Cept she forgot the bar has a back door."

"So we gotta lock you in a room together, got it."

"And if one of us climbs out the window?" Yang wondered, raising a brow at her girlfriend.

"Lock the windows, got it." Coco answered.

"What if... it doesn't work?" Yang almost did not ask. "What if you lock us up and we just end up sitting there?" Then her gaze fell. "Or she... says she's not gonna forgive me?"

"She doesn't have to, not right away, and for that matter neither do you." Coco pointed out, moving closer to the blonde. "It's not fair to have those expectations right away, you hurt each other, that hurt's gonna take time to heal."

"It's been over five years, Coco..." Yang mumbled after a moment of silence.

Coco just shrugged. "So what? You wanna wait even longer to get over yourselves and make up?"

Yang let out a quiet sigh. "No..."

Coco then offered another smile, moving closer once again until the two were shoulder-to shoulder, wrapping her uninjured arm around her girlfriend's shoulders and pulling her close. "Good girl, I'm proud of you, this is a big breakthrough."

Yang actually managed a smile this time, looking over at the brunette. "Thanks, Coco... You're the best."

"My genius shines through sometimes." Coco grinned.

Yang chuckled a bit at the response, leaning into the embrace. "Girl, your genius shines through all the time."

"Right from between my ass cheeks." Coco added with a smirk, leaning forward a bit and lifting her arm from the blonde's shoulders, allowing her to lightly tap her own rear a few times.

While her girlfriend proceeded to essentially spank herself, Yang took the opportunity to lean back and take a long peek at her beautiful behind. Not as large or toned as her own, but still a sight to behold. "And what a lovely ass it is." She smirked right back, picturing what it might look like under... different circumstances. Sure, she had the pleasure of seeing it in fancy lingerie when Coco accidentally spilled beer on her pants a few days ago - before being offered a pair of the blonde's pyjama shorts - but that was still one layer of fabric in the way.

"It'll be yours if you make me lunch." Coco offered, with a wink for emphasis. "Though we could use it to make Blake jealous, worst case scenario."

Yang just scoffed. "Hah, yeah, make Blake jealous, when she's gonna marry a fucking surf lifesaver. Have you seen the dude's abs? You can grate cheese on them!"

"And have you seen my ass?" Coco defended, leaning over a bit, attempting to display said rear, though not doing a very good job of it, considering that they were sitting right next to each other. "You could uh... what do you do with a nice ass?"

Yang only grinned, gaze wandering down to the body part in question. "I can think of like, five or six different things." And that's only off the top of my head.

"Then there ya go! You can do five or six different things with my ass." Coco assured, partially laughing as she spoke. "Four or five more than his lame, overrated abs."

Yang immediately raised a brow at her girlfriend. "You sayin' my abs are overrated?"

Coco let out a chuckle. "Of course not, you know I'd eat whipped cream off your abs any day."

Yang giggled at the compliment. "Thanks, Coco..."

"Y'know, I'm pretty sure you still have some whipped cream from those sundaes we made the other day..." Coco mentioned, partially turning around to look back over the half-wall partition at the kitchen behind them.

Yang's eyebrows shot upward upon realizing what her girlfriend just said. "You sayin' you're actually gonna eat whipped cream off me?"

"I'm sayin' I'm gettin' a little hungry." Coco clarified with a slight smirk.

Yang then raised a brow. "Does the Coco want lunch lunch?"

Coco immediately nodded. "Coco would love love lunch lunch."

Letting out a chuckle, Yang grinned. "Comin' right up!" She agreed. Though before she got up from the couch, she found herself staring at the brunette for a moment. Then, as if taking some sort of leap of faith, she leaned forward to gently yet quickly peck her girlfriend on the cheek as she raised from her seat, offering a warm smile as she did.

"Well damn, didn't know we were movin' that fast." Coco joked. "I mean you might have well just stuck your hand down my pants right there." To which the blonde just chuckled, rolling her eyes as she turned to head into the kitchen. "Hey, didn't say you could leave, get back here." Coco instructed, curling her finger to gesture for Yang to come back. When the blonde approached, she reached up, grabbed her by the collar and pulled her down until their faces were a few inches apart. She then leaned forward and pressed her lips against her girlfriend's cheek, before proceeding to blow a relatively loud raspberry on her face.

It had been quite a long time since someone had done that to Yang, be she decided that she was not going to stand for it. "Raspberry!? I hate raspberry!" Yang declared, reaching up to thread her fingers through Coco's hair as she wrapped her other arm around her neck to put her in a light headlock. "No one gives me the raspberry!" She cried, rapidly frizzing the dark brown strands, eliciting a series of giggles until her girlfriend was downright cackling from the sensations. "Say uncle!"

"Never!" Coco burst as she squirmed.

"Say uncle or I swear I'll frizzle frazzle your pubes!" Yang threatened.

Coco merely laughed. "Jokes on you, I waxed yesterday!"

Pausing her frizzing for a moment, Yang quirked a brow. "You sly fox."

Coco only continued to giggle as her girlfriend continued. "I can go all day long!"

Too easy. "That's what she said!"

"Yes I have!" Coco confirmed with a stupid grin.

Rolling her eyes, Yang finally ceased her torturing, though as she stood up, she unintentionally pulled the brunette off the couch, causing her to land on the floor with a dull thump. Whoops.

"Ow, my butt." Coco near-deadpanned after

"It's made of cushion." Yang defended. Plus, not like you fell on concrete or anything.

"Not as much as yours!" Coco shot, reaching up to fully spank the blonde's shapely rear just as she was turning around to head into the kitchen, eliciting a high-pitched yelp and a slight jump.

"You love it, bitch!" Yang countered, a heavy blush quickly tinting her cheeks as she made her way into the kitchen. While it was certainly not unwanted contact, having her behind slapped in such a way was a tad shocking to say the least, especially given the fact that it had not been touched like that since... since Neo.

"Damn right." Coco near-purred, likely staring directly at the other woman's rear as she began taking things out for lunch. "Is that on the menu today?"

Yang just chuckled a bit, ceasing her preparation for a moment to almost skeptically look at the brunette. "Asks my girlfriend."

Coco then proceeded to slyly lick her grinning lips, which, if the blonde was being honest, might have turned her on just a bit. "I'll take that as a yes."

After a moment of staring, Yang managed to roll her eyes before turning back to the task at hand. "Pfft, perv."

Coco let out a chuckle from the living area. "I mean, can you blame me?"

Before Yang could even open her mouth to respond, she heard the sound of her scroll rattling against the wooden surface of her coffee table, combined with her ringtone song: Armed and Ready, which caused her to furrow her brow. Who would be calling her at one in the afternoon? She did not have work until much later, both Ruby were at work, and she only really texted with Cinder, so... why was her scroll ringing? "Hey, you mind grabbing that?" Yang inquired, since she was currently otherwise occupied.

"Sure thing." Coco agreed, lifting herself up off the floor, picking up the device and accepting the call. It was certainly appreciated, though that appreciation somewhat... wavered with how exactly she answered it. "You've reached the Xiao Long household, this is her dominatrix speaking." Wait, what? "Yang is currently bound and gagged beneath my feet as a human chair, may I take a message?"

If Yang had been drinking anything, she would have immediately spit it out upon hearing what Coco just said. Unfortunately, that surprise also caused her response to be a tad lacking. "I am not!" She burst, turning around to glare at her girlfriend.

Coco merely grinned, like the sly bitch she was, even winking for emphasis. "Silence, chair."

Okay, that was definitely enough of that. Putting down the bread that she was currently holding, Yang marched out of the kitchen and over to the brunette. "Alright, gimmie the scroll, ya bum." She grumbled, to which her girlfriend giggled a bit before handing the device over. "Hello?"

"Yang?" Came... Qrow's voice from the other side.

"What's up, uncle Qrow?" Yang wondered, curious to know why exactly he of all people was calling her.

"Hey firecracker... I uh..." Qrow began, before letting out a heavy sigh. "Something happened with Cinder, before she came into work, I dunno what, but your mom's at the hospital with her now. She wants you to join her there as soon as you can."

Upon hearing what her uncle just said, Yang found herself feeling... numb. So much so that she almost stumbled back onto the couch behind her. Immediately sensing something was off, Coco quickly sat down next to her, putting her uninjured arm around her shoulders. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the brunette say something, but it did not register.

Cin's... in the hospital?


Raven ran her hands through the black tangles of annoyance she called hair. She had forgotten to wash it again, and it was becoming a nuisance. Though at the very least it distracted her from the unconscious, bandaged individual laying in the hospital bed by her side. A quiet, pained whimper sent pangs through her heart, and she had to restrain herself from clutching Cinder's hand tighter, lest she risk waking her. She looked so... peaceful, free of the fatigue that normally plagued her features and attempts to keep her composure, schooling her expression and remaining as stoic as possible. It was... beautiful. Not that the younger woman was not beautiful all the time of course, rather... something was different about it in her current position.

Cinder had been out of the ER for a little while now, and was currently sound asleep, though Raven could easily tell that it was not exactly pleasant sleep, judging from the occasional twitching. Thankfully she was able to remain awake long enough to be interviewed by the police, but... barely, and nothing of what she said was anything close to good news. Cinder was... mugged on the way to work, all while just... minding her own business, going through her morning routine. Some lowlife scum decided to drag her into a nearby alley and hold her at knife-point, even going as far as bashing her head against a wall and... slicing her throat. Raven clenched her free hand into a fist at the thought. All of that shit happened... because some guy wanted money. Nothing else. No big motivation, not a person holding a grudge... Cinder was just... a random target at the wrong place. It was infuriating.

Why... would someone mug Cinder? Did she not look like she had suffered enough? She almost died because some random asshole wanted a couple bucks, and... Raven almost lost one of her only friends, damnit. Unintentionally tightening her gentle grip on her friend's hand a bit, she felt her lip quiver slightly. I... I can't lose Cin... I'm not gonna lose Cin...

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening drew Raven's attention away from her unconscious friend. Turning to face the noise, she found Yang, along with a brunette woman with a cast on her right arm, entering the dimly lit hospital room, worried expressions on both of their faces. That must be the girl she's been seein' recently... Coco.

"Oh my gods... What happened?" Yang quietly inquired, making her way to the other side of the bed with her girlfriend close behind, hesitantly reaching out to the older woman like she was afraid to harm her, but ultimately deciding against it.

"Cinder was... mugged, on the way to work, just... pulled into an alley and mugged." Raven scowled, beginning to feel the anger of knowing what happened boil up inside her again. "She was in such a shock she just kept walking... I mean fuck, she didn't understand what was going on at all!" She hissed, barely able to contain her rage enough to keep her voice low.

Yang appeared to be visibly shocked by the information. "Well, can we do anything?" She asked, looking between her unconscious friend and her mother. "I mean we gotta be able to help... right?"

Raven just let out a tired sigh, her gaze falling. "I dunno, Yang... Cin's stubborn, I dunno how she's gonna act when she wakes up... She might not even accept our help..."

"So we're just gonna let her be a dumbass then?" Yang questioned, expression full of concern.

Raven merely shrugged, unable to take her eyes off of her friend. "Can't exactly force her to listen to us..."

"Why not?" Yang wondered. "We're her friends and coworkers, being annoying and pushy is basically our job."

"Yeah, but..." Raven began, before sighing again. "I dunno... Wish it was that easy..."

Yang gave her mother a skeptical look. "Mom, she's in the bed right next to us, she's not going anywhere, we gotta... do an intervention or something."

Raven just kept staring at Cinder. "Yeah, sure..."

Yang let out a quiet sigh of her own. "You're not even listening, are you?"

If Raven was being honest, she was not. The only thing she could manage to focus on was the unconscious woman before her, as she kept her gaze locked on their connected hands. "Sorry, I just... wanna make sure she's okay..." Then from the corner of her eye, she saw Yang furrow her brow.

"You look tired, mom, did you get any sleep last night?"

Without even looking up at her daughter, Raven shook her head slightly. "Not really, but what else is new..."

Yang put her hands on her hips, motioning toward the door with her head. "Alright, come on, up, we're getting you coffee."

Once again, Raven did not even look up. "You two go ahead, I think I'll just stay here..."

Yang exchanged a concerned look with her girlfriend. "Mom, Coco can stay, but you need to get up and walk for a while."

"I'm fine where I am, Yang." Raven informed, not wanting to leave her friend's side, or even let go of her hand for that matter.

"You look like shit and you're not thinking straight, you need coffee and exercise." Yang stressed.

"I'm like this every day, just bring me back a cup." Raven attempted to defend.

Yang just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the walking zombie look is great on you. Come on, you've still got blood on you, we can stop by a bathroom, get you cleaned up, get coffee and talk like adults about this."

"We can talk just fine here." Raven half-grumbled.

Yang narrowed her eyes a bit. "Mom, I'll call Summer."

Raven was silent for a few moments, before sighing. The absolute last thing that she wanted was for her daughter to call... that woman. Anyone but her. "Fine, fuck, let's just... get this over with..."

Yang then turned to her girlfriend with a slight smile. "You good with keeping Cin company for a bit?"

Coco nodded. "Of course, hon, take as much time as you need."

Yang's smile grew at the answer. "Your the best, babe." She mentioned, leaning up to peck the brunette on the forehead.

"Tell me something I don't know." Coco smirked, winking at her girlfriend for emphasis.

Walking around the hospital bed to stand before her mother, Yang waited as Raven took one last moment to gaze at her sleeping friend, and for the first time since the younger woman arrived from the ER, she hesitantly let go of her hand. Though before the two walked out of the dimly lit room, Raven reached out to gently grab Coco's shoulder. "Thank you..." She mumbled, voice barely above a whisper, as she began to follow Yang out.

"Anytime, mama bird." Coco smiled, taking the older woman's place at Cinder's bedside.

While her daughter had planned for them to grab some coffee, as well as get her cleaned up - given how her shirt was still covered in... Cinder's blood - Raven only made it partway down the empty hall before having to sit down in one of the available chairs. She needed to catch her breath. Not due to any kind of fatigue - no, she was quite used to that feeling - but because she did not want to stray any farther from her friend's hospital room. Yang attempted to get her moving again, but she would not budge, so they remained in the empty hallway for the time being.

"So... what actually happened?" Yang inquired after a brief, awkward silence of the two sitting in the stiff chairs, idly staring at the floor. "You never said how Cin ended up here."

Raven took a deep breath, hunching over while rubbing her temples. "She got mugged."

Unseen to the older woman, Yang furrowed her brow a bit. "You said that, mom, but what did the mugger do to get her here?" Then she swallowed. "Did... they stab her or something? I-Is she gonna be okay?"

Raven just sighed. "She's... she's fine, just... He just bashed her head against a wall and cut her throat."

Yang looked to her mother with a near-horrified expression on her face. "Oh my gods... and she... actually made it to work like that?"

"It wasn't a serious cut... I mean it was but not... not life threatening, it was just... long and bleeding and..." Raven attempted to explain, before trailing off, her fingers threading through her messy black hair, tugging at the roots.

"Well, I'm just thanking the Maidens you were there to help her..." Yang mentioned. "I can't imagine what would've happened if she wasn't heading to work..."

Raven hissed out a breath, suddenly shooting up from her seat. "That's the point." She bit. "Some jackass mugged her and by sheer dumb fucking luck she got out alive. What if she didn't come to the bar? What if she didn't go anywhere? What if... if..." Raven clenched her fists, trembling with emotion, focusing her wavering glare at the wall in front of her, wishing so badly she could just punch it, but settling on leaning her head against the cool concrete, hiding her face as she braced against the surface with her forearm. She could not breathe. Wanting nothing more than to just break down and cry, she felt her lip quiver, as tears began to pool in her eyes. Then, out of nowhere, she felt Yang wrap her arms around her waist, but... she was unable to turn to face her daughter.

"I could've lost my friend..."

"I know, mom."

"And... I dunno what I'd do if I did..."

"I know, mom."


It had been one day since Cinder was admitted to Vale Memorial Hospital. Upon returning from her talk with Yang, Raven had not left her friend's side. Sleeping proved too difficult in the uncomfortable chair, and soon enough the night had passed like a bleary dream. Cinder had awoken in time for her discharge, and by the time they had returned to the bar-top apartment, she was yawning still, allowing Raven to guide her back to the familiar guest bedroom. Yang had taken a trip to Cinder's apartment the prior day with Qrow to pick up a change of clothes and pyjamas. She would have gone herself, but... she could not stand to leave the younger woman alone again. Her nerves were far too frayed. She had nearly lost her friend. The reality was still sinking in.

Raven thanked the Maidens that Yang's trip was uneventful... Well, for the most part. When Nora found them heading into Cinder's apartment, she asked what was going on, and the blonde had to reluctantly tell her that she had been taken to the hospital after being mugged earlier that day. Of course the redhead was exceptionally worried at first, bombarding Yang with questions about her friend's condition, but eventually calming down enough to help them gather clothes before they all made their way back to the hospital. Nora ended up staying the night as well, but actually remained quiet for most of the time, and unlike the older woman, she managed to fall asleep in the other hospital chair.

Now, Cinder sat unsteady on the spare bed, rubbing her eye blearily, her free hand playing at the neatly folded pyjamas beside her. Raven needed to get her to go to sleep, so that she could prepare for the incoming family meeting that Yang had suggested the prior day. Something that she was not at all excited for, but... it needed to happen, so she had to figure out how the fuck she was going to handle it. Though before any of that could happen, Raven had to get out of the spare room to allow for her friend to rest, as well as for her to mentally prepare.

"Alright, I'll uh... Just call me if you need anything, 'kay?" Raven awkwardly managed after a brief silence, to which her friend offered no response, merely staring at the folded pyjamas next to her. Though, just as she went to leave Cinder alone to allow her to change, the younger woman reached out to grab her hand.

"I'm... sorry... f-for worrying you..." Cinder mumbled, voice barely above a whisper, gaze locked onto the floor.

Raven just sighed. "Alright, I'm gonna stop you right there, Cin." She declared, sitting on the bed next to her friend, adjusting her hand so that she could properly hold Cinder's own, intertwining their fingers on instinct. "Whether you like it or not, you're part of our family, so that means we're gonna take care of your ass no matter what, even if it's insufferable."

Cinder remained quiet for several moments, merely sitting there, still staring at the floor in front of them. "I've... never had a family before... I'm... not used to it..."

"Well, you do now." Raven informed, offering a tired smile, though unfortunately it went unseen. "And when you wake up, we'll have a big, family-sized pizza and a shit-ton of beer, like every other family that doesn't know how to cook for themselves."

Suddenly, Cinder leaned over against the older woman, letting out a quiet chuckle. "I'd like that."

There was a brief time after that where the two women merely sat silence, until Raven decided it was probably time to go. After all, the family meeting was planned to occur soon, or at least whenever Vernal decided to show up. There was one part of her that wanted to remain there with Cinder, but... she also knew there was somewhere else she needed to be. "Well uh, I'd better get back to the bar, y'know, to make sure Qrow hasn't burned the place down yet." Raven mentioned, hoping that it would be a good enough excuse leave, allowing the younger woman to rest.

"Can you... stay... for a while?" Cinder timidly asked, seemingly unable to look her friend in the eyes.

While Raven felt hesitant to agree to Cinder's request - given what was happening soon downstairs - on the other hand... she was unable to deny that she did not want to stay. "Maybe... until you fall asleep... I'm a busy woman you know."

Actually looking up at Raven, Cinder smiled, even if it was small. "Deal."

And so, Raven stayed. After giving her friend a moment to change into her pyjamas, she rejoined her, and they took their positions, so to speak, with Cinder laying down in the guest bed, and Raven sitting against the headboard next to her. It was there that two remained for several minutes, which normally would have been rather peaceful, if not for the slight panic that was currently going through the older woman's mind. Even though Raven had been at Cinder's side while she slept - several times now - this time... felt different. To be physically in the same bed, rather than at its side, or unintentionally used as a lap pillow, was... a strange feeling to say the least. One that was alien, yet... still familiar, as if it was something that she had not experienced in... quite a long time...

"Raven?" Suddenly came Cinder's voice, pulling the other woman from her odd train of thought. "Do... you think I'm beautiful?"

Raven just stared down at her friend for a moment, almost confused from the question, considering the answer was obvious. At least... it should be. "Of course you are, Cin, that's a dumb question"

The moment she heard the answer, Cinder's eye immediately widened a bit, as if surprised by it. She then proceeded to turn away, as Raven caught the slight hint of a blush tinting her cheeks as she smiled to herself. "Thank you..." She mumbled. As Raven observed the admittedly cute sight, she herself was unable to prevent her own cheeks from heating up.

Oh... great... Not again...


It was finally time. Great.

After Cinder had fallen asleep, Raven quietly made her way out of the room, extremely careful not to risk waking her. Unfortunately, even getting out of the bed proved to be fairly difficult, given how by the time the younger woman was unconscious, she had partially cuddled up to her body, which certainly did not do anything to lessen her desire to stay and just... fall asleep with her... No, stop that. She's your employee and friend, dumbass. Eventually Raven was able to convince herself to carefully get up, but that did not stop her from lingering at the guest bedroom door, merely... staring at her sleeping friend for a few moments, admiring how... peaceful she looked, especially when compared to the previous afternoon.

After Raven was actually able to completely leave the guest bedroom, she headed down to the bar's back room to meet up with everyone. Though, by the time she got there, Yang, Nora, Qrow and even Vernal were already waiting for her, sitting in a sort of circle of chairs around the sole table. Upon sitting down, Raven could not help but let out a sigh, as it meant they were ready to start their little meeting, which was more likely going to come out as an intervention planning. Each one of them had stable living situations, and they took Cinder's word when she said that she was safe, especially Raven, but now that fact had been proven null and void, so something needed to be done about it. Practically every single person there could spare the room to take her in, at least for a while, but actually convincing her to move in with one of them? That was likely going to be a challenge.

With everyone sort of looking to Raven, probably waiting for her to start the meeting, she took a deep breath. "Alright, we all know why we're here for: we need to find a way to get Cinder out of that shithole she calls a neighbourhood. So, anyone volunteer to take her in?"

Vernal immediately raised a brow at the question. "Thought you were gonna do it, Rae."

Raven was almost taken aback by that. "What?"

"Yeah, I mean, you wouldn't even leave her side to change out of that bloody shirt." Yang commented.

"Or even sleep!" Nora burst, prompting the others to look at her, confused expressions on their faces. "I was there! I watched you! Although, I kinda fell asleep after a while, but you hadn't moved when I woke up, so... yeah."

"Alright, so who better to take her in than you, mom?" Yang wondered, though it was more of a declaration, given her mind seemed to already be made up.

Raven just shrugged. "I dunno, Nora?"

Nora shook her head, looking a bit dejected. "I'd love that, but we live down the hall from each other."

"What about you, Yang?" Raven asked, hoping that she would receive a different answer. "I remember you told me how much you enjoyed your little girls night."

Unfortunately, Yang only shook her head as well. "I live farther away, she'd have to commute anytime we didn't share a shift."

"You could always lend her your bike." Raven suggested, though she doubted it would stick.

"She doesn't have a motorcycle license, mom." Yang reminded. "Come on, she's already sleeping in your place, what are you afraid of?"

Raven immediately opened her mouth to voice a concern of the possibility of having Cinder move in with her, but... nothing came to mind. At least not at first. "I... I'm her boss, Yang... I don't wanna risk crossing any lines..." While it was a bit of a hollow excuse, she was still worried that something could happen.

Yang merely let out a sigh. "Mom... You're fine, you're both fine, you're going to be fine. You care for Cinder, it's okay to show that."

"Yeah, and what if I fuck that up?" Raven questioned, since she had been known for doing the same thing to other relationships and friendships. "What if I do some stupid shit that destroys the trust we have? Or worse, drives her away?"

Vernal just scoffed. "Oh fuck off, come on, look at me."

"Jury's out on that one." Qrow mentioned with a slight smirk.

Vernal rolled her eyes, flipping the bird at her coworker. "Eat a dick, Qrow."

Qrow only smirked. "You first."

Raven let out an aggravated sigh, honestly a tad pissed off that her employees could bicker at a time like this. "Alright, both of you shut up." She demanded, before looking around at everyone around her. Then she took a quick breath to calm herself down. "You really think I'm the best person she should be movin' in with?

Offering a warm smile, Yang nodded. "You're not getting out of this."

Raven heavily sighed at the answer, having a feeling that that was accurate. "Fine, fine, but how am I actually gonna get her to agree to that? Not exactly a light offer."

A brief silence followed, with most of the others merely looking around at each other, until Nora spoke up. "She'll listen to me."

Raven looked toward the redhead. "You sure?"

Nora quickly nodded. "Yep! She can't resist this face." She assured, offering a bright smile for emphasis.

Raven huffed a chuckle at the answer, running a hand through her hair. "I hope so... Fuck, I need a shower."

"And a nap." Nora added.

"And a change of clothes." Vernal commented, looking down at the bloody shirt from the prior day that the older woman had still not changed out of.

"Yeah yeah, I get it, I'm shit at existing." Raven groaned, slowly standing up from her chair. "Qrow, order everyone pizza while I'm gone."

"You got it, boss."

"And Yang, make sure we've got enough beer." Raven continued.

"Will do."

"I'll be back in... at some point." Raven informed, not entirely sure how long of a shower and nap she would end up taking. Judging by the fact that she had done neither in over a day, they were probably going to be a little on the longer side. Though before she could even reach the back door to head up to her apartment, Vernal spoke up.

"What about me?"

Pausing for a moment, Raven actually managed a small smirk as she looked back at her employee. "Try not to ditch them to go fuck Weiss." Because we all know you'd do that in a heartbeat.

"She didn't even come today." Vernal attempted to defend.

"That's a first." Qrow mentioned with a smirk of his own.

As she watched her brother and other employee start to bicker, of course over the fact that the latter had sex with her girlfriend in the back room's closet on nearly every one of her shifts, as well as seeing Yang and Nora begin to chat, Raven could not help but smile. While they were certainly a tad dysfunctional - Okay, perhaps fairly dysfunctional - they were family.

I love this bunch of idiots.


Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!

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