Author's Note: Took longer than expected, but it's finally here! And ho boy it's a long one! (Longest since 28 in fact!)


Neo... was bored.

Ever since Yang and Weiss left to go on their spontaneous date, she had been spending her time alone drawing, which, as always proved to be a tad difficult due to her broken wrist, but at least she was able to draw. Though unfortunately, Neo had previously figured out that she was unable to do either of her jobs, because the quality of her art was not nearly up to her standards of being happy with it, much less acceptable to submit to her employer or post online to Backermore. That meant Neo had no other choice but to inform her workplace and supporters that she would be unable to work for a while due to a wrist injury.

The former granted her paid leave until she was able to return, in recognition of her past performance, and the latter expressed much sadness over her absence, but also flooded her page's comment section with sympathetic messages, which... made her smile when she first saw them. It was nice to know that those who followed her were not the obsessive, rude and impatient type that got pissy anytime she took 'too long' on a piece. So, Neo decided that she would use the time she had to create a sort of backlog of concepts and rough drawings that she could use when her wrist was healed.

Fast forward to today, and her hand was getting sore, as Yang and Weiss had been out for several hours now. Thankfully there had been no... incidents since the couple took that gorgeous woman the latter called a sister to the former's workplace, but that did not mean there was no feeling of discomfort when she was alone at the apartment - and not just because it was not her own. It certainly helped to have more of her clothes, as well as her pillow and favourite blanket, which all made Neo feel... a little more at home, for lack of a better way to put it, but she was still nervous that it might happen again... at a time where she would be stuck alone for a lot longer... with no one there to help...

Quickly shaking those frightening thoughts from her head, Neo decided that she would take a break from drawing for a bit on account of her sore hand and wrist. Putting her sketchbook aside, she unwrapped the blanket from around her shoulders, paused the anime OSTs she had been listening to on her scroll and stood up to stretch, for the first time since the other two left. Having nothing else to really do on her own, Neo decided to just... take a look around, as during the several weeks she had been at this apartment, she had never focused on anything other than the couch she slept on, the bathroom, and the kitchen table. Kind of pathetic.

First, since it was closest, Neo wandered into the kitchen. Of course, there was not really much to actually look at, but as she gazed around, she recalled all the incredible meals that Yang - and sometimes Weiss - made for them on a daily basis. The mute had never been that great of a cook herself, having never needed to make anything fancy, so... perhaps she could ask the blonde to teach her a thing or two. It would certainly be useful once Neo was eventually able to live on her own again... If that ever happened... because... as much as she almost hated to admit it, part of her did not want to leave... She liked staying with Yang and Weiss...

I don't want to go back to being alone again...

Unfortunately, the longer that Neo remained in the kitchen, the more... old fantasies of the blonde began to creep into her mind. Fantasies... that originally caused her to have to break up with her in the first place... Those of... domesticity... Being able to really live together, making each other happy... making love... dressing up and going out as a true couple... Neo had to shake those thoughts from her head, since... well, there was no chance of anything like that ever happening, for... various reasons...

Eventually making her way out of the kitchen, Neo strangely ended up in front of the television, staring down at the black cabinet that it sat on, which had been organized by Weiss... a few times. Magazines, blu rays and DVDs of a variety of movies and cartoons, a couple of actual, likely-unread books, and finally, a big, black game console, complete with a pair of controllers. Neo had never really been that interested in gaming, but after half-watching Yang play with her friend, Coco, a few times while the two hung out - as she was supposed to be drawing - she... kind of wanted to try it out. Perhaps she could ask them the next time that the brunette was over.

Honestly, Neo had no idea how Yang and Coco ever broke up with how well those two functioned together. Though, that was possibly because she did not understand the whole not feeling right about fucking a best friend issue that the two had shared, because that sure as hell would not stop her from getting a piece of either of those fine women, since... she never really experienced actual friendship before. The closest thing that Neo had ever had was what she shared now with Yang and Weiss, if one could even call them friends. Her relationship with the latter was especially weird. Weiss showed her care and understanding, yet... the mute knew that she should not like or care for her at all. She should hate her for how she treated Yang in the past.

Maybe... I should talk to her at some point... See if... I need to leave...

Letting out a sigh, Neo walked away from the television, unintentionally wandering over to the couple's bedroom. The door was open, as it was most of the time, but she stopped. Of course, they had never told her that she could not go in or anything, and they also saw her room a few days ago, so... It should be okay to enter... right? Neo herself has always had strict rules about visitors staying out of her bedroom unless specifically invited, but... Yang and Weiss seemed open with most things...

Eventually, she just decided to fuck it and walk in, convincing herself that the pair would be okay with it so long as she did not snoop. The first thing that Neo did upon entering was sit on the queen-sized bed, which... she immediately regretted because of how comfortable it was. The couch that she currently slept on might be fairly nice, but the bed was heavenly. Neo could just sit there all day. Though she should not do that, lest she make the couch feel less comfortable later.

After finally getting up, Neo spotted a bunch of picture frames on the first dresser across the room. So... she went to take a look. There was one of a much younger Yang, with someone the mute believed was her sister, and two people who must be their parents, one of Yang and who she recognized was her uncle at what appeared to be a motorcycle show, a rather awkward one of Yang and her birth mother, and... one of Yang and Weiss... with the blonde's arm around her shoulders, pulling her close... Almost by instinct, Neo reached up to pick up the framed photograph, and just... stared at it. She had... never owned any pictures of people she cared about... No family, no friends... like Yang and Weiss...

She wished that she could one day...

Suddenly, the sound of a certain anime girl's Yahallo!, which was her scroll's text-tone, pulled Neo from her unpleasant thoughts, drawing her attention towards the living area. Furrowing her brow, wondering who exactly was texting her, she put down the framed picture, glancing at it once last time, before making her way out of the bedroom and back to her couch, where her scroll currently sat. She then sat down and picked up the device, finding that she had a text... from Weiss. Isn't she supposed to be in the middle of her date?

Weiss: We're on our way home! And we have presents!

Neo only furrowed her brow again at the text. Presents? What did she mean by that? Wait... Did they... buy her something from the amusement park? Why... would they do that? No one had ever bought anything for her before... Not for her birthday - which she had never celebrated anyway - nor either Solstice, nor any other holiday or special occasion... Actually, she had never had any friends to exchange gifts with in the first place. So... Neo did not know how to respond to the idea that someone... well, got her something... Unfortunately, she did not have that long to overthink it, as soon enough, Yang and Weiss walked through the front door, hand-in-hand, bright smiles spread across their faces, and a bag in the latter's free hand.

"Hey, Neo!" Yang beamed, closing the door behind them, taking off her shoes and hanging up their helmets, of course letting go of her girlfriend's hand first. The mute simply waved in response, awkwardly smiling a bit.

"Care to see what we got you?" Weiss inquired, raising the rather-filled plastic bag and shaking it for emphasis, while Yang headed across the living area to visit the bathroom.

Neo merely stared at the bag for a few moments, unable to believe that they actually purchased a gift for her... especially seeing as how she had been nothing but a burden to them for the past several weeks. What did she ever do to deserve anything so nice? Of course that was not counting all the other nice things that the pair had done for her.

Weiss just let out a chuckle at the lack of a response. "I will take that as a yes." She added, walking over to kitchen table to put down the bag. "Now, we did get a few things for ourselves, so you'll have to get me a second to unpack everything." She informed, reaching into the bag to begin searching. First came Yang's items: a purple baseball cap - branded with the Vale's Wonderland name and logo - a black tumbler water bottle, and one of those giant lollipops that seemed like it would be delicious, but also extremely impractical. Next were Weiss': a Vale's Wonderland-branded coffee mug, a similarly-branded T-shirt to wear around the house, and what appeared to be a stuffed boar. It was cute, but it was no Hush.

Finally, Weiss grinned down into the bag, just as her girlfriend was coming out of the bathroom. "And now, we have your gifts." She continued, glancing over at the mute. Wait a minute, gifts? With an s? Then Weiss pulled out and showed off a blue Vale's Wonderland hoodie with a smile, which seemed to be the same size as the one Yang gave her, the one she was currently wearing. "We thought that you might appreciate an extra big sweater, so that you're not stuck wearing the same one everyday." She explained, walking over to hold out the garment for the other woman. "We hope you like it."

Hesitantly accepting the new piece of clothing, Neo only stared down at it for a brief time, unable to really believe that they bought it.. for her... Eventually, she could not help but smile, grabbing her scroll to type out a message. Thank you, Weiss. She simply acknowledged, wanting to add that no one had ever given her a present before, but unable to gather the courage to type it out. She would tell them another day.

"Oh, I wanna do the others!" Yang suddenly chimed in, quickly making her way across the living area, past her girlfriend and to the kitchen table. "Alright, close your eyes and hold out your hands." She requested, to which Neo furrowed her brow, wondering what exactly was in store for her. "It's nothing weird, I promise." Still suspicious, Neo obeyed, slowly closing her eyes and timidly holding out her hands, awaiting... whatever the blonde was about to give her. A few moments passed by, then she felt something light, and... oddly-shaped be placed on her hands. "Okay, open 'em!"

What awaited Neo upon opening her eyes was... nothing she would have ever expected: A red, plastic trumpet. What the hell... Immediately looking up at the woman before her, she quirked a brow, wondering what possible reason there could have been for something like this to be purchased.

Weiss let out a slight chuckle at the reaction. "We thought it would be helpful in case you need us while we're in a different room. You can make noise instead of having to come to us, if you're unable to."

So... they got me a panic noisemaker... A bit of an odd purchase, but Neo could see that it might have use.

"Of course you can also use it to just fuck around if you want." Yang added. "Y'know if... I dunno, you're tryin' to draw, and Coco and I are bein' too rowdy while gaming, or Weiss' and I are too loud while doin' somethin' else, you can use that to tell us to shut up."

Neo was unable to stop herself from smirking a bit at the blonde's reasoning, knowing exactly what she meant by the latter example. It was good to know that she had a way to let them know that they were fucking too loudly.

"Alright, next!" Yang beamed, heading back over to the kitchen table to retrieve yet another gift. Just how much did they buy me? Quickly pulling something out and hiding it behind her back, she excitedly walked back over to the mute and smile. "Okay, close your eyes again." To which Neo did, a bit faster, feeling a little better about doing so again. Though as she put the toy trumpet aside and held out her hands, it seemed that it would not be necessary. "You don't need to do that this time, this gift goes on your face. But don't be scared! It's not gonna stick to you or hurt or anything!" She promised.

Neo furrowed her brow, but remained still, and lowered her hands, until something came into contact with her temples, causing her to flinch. Whatever just touched her immediately stopped for a moment, before continuing, slowly sliding across the sides of her head, before somewhat-comfortably resting on her ears and the bridge of her nose. Did they get me sunglasses?

"You're good to open your eyes now!" Yang happily informed.

Hesitantly doing so, Neo found that a portion of her vision had indeed been darkened, as she half-expected, but... something was off. Normally, the types of sunglasses that she wore only did that to about half of her field of view, but the ones that currently sat on her face were darkening far more, indicating the the lenses were larger... Which caused Neo to furrow her brow again. What the fuck am I wearing?

"Ta da!" Yang grinned, which only confused the mute more.

Reaching up to take hold of the oddly thick arms of the sunglasses, Neo took them off and held them in front of her. To put it simply, the couple did in fact buy her sunglasses, but... they were not quite... normal. Instead, she had just been given a pair of bright-pink, giant novelty sunglasses. At that moment, the only question that ran through her mind was... why? A question that was fairly clear in the confused facial expression that Neo gave the blonde upon looking up at her.

Yang just chuckled at the look that she received. "I mean come on, I couldn't not get you a joke gift."

"It's true. In fact, she searched through seven different stores trying to find you a pair of those, and wouldn't stop until she did." Weiss added from the kitchen, earning an embarrassed pout from her girlfriend.

Glancing down at the pair of ridiculous sunglasses in her hands, Neo could not help but smile a bit again, though she still rolled her eyes before grabbing her scroll to type out a message. Thank you for the gifts, even as... odd as the latter two are.

Yang only grinned again. "Glad you like 'em!"

Neo then looked between the pair, and another question came to mind. So, how was your hot date?

Yang blinked at the message, clearly not expecting their afternoon out to be described quite like that. "Oh, well uh, it was great! We rode tons of rides, ate some good food- including my favourite: frozen lemonade, and then as you can see, picked up some fun souvenirs!"

Well, it was good to hear that they had a nice time. Although, there was something else that Neo wondered about. Did you find some time for a little hanky panky behind the bleachers? She teasingly wondered, managing a small grin.

Yang's eyes immediately widened upon seeing that, only causing the mute's grin to grow. "Of course we didn't!" She quickly denied, a blush tinting her cheeks.

"What exactly did we not do?" Weiss inquired as she washed her new coffee mug.

"Someone's asking if we fooled around while out on her date, in public." Yang clarified.

Surprisingly, Weiss let out a chuckle. "Sorry to disappoint, but we kept things PG-13. Though we did talk quite a bit about you, Neo." To which the mute furrowed her brow, confused as to why they would be discussing such a topic while on their date. Weiss was then quiet for a moment, which was a bit concerning. "Actually, we wanted to discuss something rather important with you, if that's alright."

Neo just nodded a bit, unsure of what it could be.

Putting her new mug down, Weiss walked around into the living area, and with Yang, took a seat next to their guest, one on either side. While Neo was well aware that it was supposed to be a comforting gesture, it only made her worried over what they wanted to talk about. "Now, please understand that we will never force you to do anything, you will always have a choice, but that said, we want you to consider a couple things."

Neo merely looked between the couple, having a very bad feeling that she knew what that meant. They... want me to leave... don't they...

"We... want you to file a police report for what happened before you came to stay here, and... consider going to therapy..." Weiss hesitantly continued, before reaching over to take one of the mute's hands in her own. "If you don't want to, that's okay, we will take care of you no matter what, but... these things need to happen if you're going to recover properly."

While Neo was glad to hear the couple did not want her to leave, the options that the pair were giving her did not sound a whole lot better. She could not even leave the apartment on her own, so how was she supposed to manage filing a police report? Much less go to therapy where she would have to talk about all of her trauma and issues? Looking down at her scroll, Neo timidly typed out an answer.

I'm scared to do either. She shamefully admitted. I don't want anyone to know how I live or feel. I don't want to open up to anyone. I just want to be left alone where I can be safe. Of course that was likely what turned her into an introverted hermit in the first place.

"I understand that very well, Neo, but if you don't do these things, you'll never be able to move forward." Weiss reminded.

"She's right, y'know." Yang added, prompting the mute to turn and face her. "If I hadn't gone to therapy to get a handle on my drinking problem, I would've kept using it as an escape, and I'd probably be an alcoholic right now, goin' through AA with Coco."

Neo only blinked at the admission, unsure what to really think of it. She... had no idea that the blonde had an issue with alcohol, but... it was at least good to hear that she received help. Of course... did that mean she should do the same? Could therapy... really help her? What if... What if it did not? What if it just made things worse? What if-

Suddenly, Neo felt Yang wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her from her less-than-pleasant overthinking. Feeling the contact from both her and Weiss, she took a deep breath before typing out a message.

Will someone come with me to each? Because... I can't do it alone.

"Of course, we're with you all the way." Yang assured with a warm smile. "We promise."

Even though she was unable to actually speak, Neo felt a lump in her throat, but also a wave of... relief, knowing that she would not have to deal with things on her own. Though with that feeling came... an idea. One related to something she was looking at earlier in the couple's bedroom. Taking another deep breath, she typed out a message. May I ask a favour of you two?

Yang and Weiss shared a look, before the former shrugged. "Shoot."

Neo was nervous to continue, not knowing what the pair might say, but this was something that she wanted. While you were out at the amusement park, I... looked around the apartment, and... I saw all the pictures on your dresser, Yang. I've... never had any pictures with friends before... So... could we perhaps take a picture together?

For a moment, Yang and Weiss only shared another look, clearly a bit puzzled by the request, but it was not long before they both smiled warmly, and nodded. "That sounds wonderful." The latter happily answered, before the trio got into position. Since she had the longest arms, Yang chose to hold Neo's scroll for the picture, as she and Weiss each wrapped an around around the mute's shoulders, sliding as close as they could, and pressing their sides up against her. The blonde then held up the scroll, ready to go.

"Hey, you wanna wear your new sunglasses?" Yang wondered with a slight grin, to which Neo just shook her head. Maybe next time. She thought to herself, since her scroll was currently occupied.

Once they were all ready, Yang and Weiss both smiled brightly, and Neo... actually joined them, genuinely smiling for the first time in... quite a while, just as the former snapped the picture. The blonde then handed the device back to the mute, and upon opening up the photo that was just taken... she felt her lip quiver. Seeing the three of them, including herself, appear so happy together... It made Neo want to break down cry. Her very first picture... with friends... Something that... she never thought would ever happen...

And Neo definitely would have fully broken down if not for the sudden knock on the front door, causing not only her to flinch and stiffen, but the other two to share a confused look, clearly, neither of them expecting it.

"Yang, are you... expecting someone?"


Man, did Coco feel really fucking good to finally have that gods damn cast off of her arm.

It had been about a week since Pyrrha took her for that fateful visit to the hospital, and not long after, her right arm was finally, finally free... Best feeling in the fuckin' world. Of course Coco had not really done much during the few months of wearing the cast, but even having it in the first place was an annoyance. Even doing most everyday tasks was just... harder.

Gods, not to mention trying to have almost-sex with the thing. Now that was such a pain in the ass. She was just lucky that Yang did not give a shit about her injured arm, or else that would have been even more of an awkward night. Although, that was behind them. They were back to being what they should have been in the first place: best buds, who... occasionally honked each other's tits to make the other laugh. A perfectly normal friendship... Coco did miss the type of near-constant intimacy that came with being in a technically-romantic relationship though...

Well, at least the Reds had been doing their absolute best to be there for the brunette. Little Red for instance had begun taking Coco on morning jogs, which started out as walks because of the cast. Apparently, fitness- or lack-thereof, was a contribution to depression, and while at first it was mostly an excuse to get her out of the apartment more, it soon became more... soothing, as Coco began to enjoy their morning time together... At least until the cast came off, and those walks became jogs.

The first morning that Pyrrha took her out after her arm was free was especially difficult, for... a couple reasons. After the pair walked across the street to the local park, the redhead began her stretches, and... Coco was unable to stop herself from... examining her figure, her muscles... the curves of her rear... Gods damn... Then Pyrrha noticed.

You know... Ruby never really sees me like this, you should feel honoured. She had said, leveling her signature smirk at the brunette, the one that could make anyone's knees weak.

I bet she feels a couple other things too. Coco attempted to comment, only for Pyrrha to be ready for it.

Very little, once I'm finished with her.

Coco had never felt more envious due to a single sentence in her entire life. To say Ruby was a lucky woman was the understatement of the century. Though to be fair, Pyrrha was just as exceptionally lucky to be married to a gal as cute as Big Red. Unfortunately, as adorable as they were together, it also... made the brunette feel a little lonelier, knowing that she could have had something special with Yang... Though she did not really have time to think about that, or... anything else, as she had to focus on trying to keep up with Pyrrha, which, thanks to her lack of exercising during the past year, was rather difficult. Even with the redhead making sure to slow herself down in order to not tire her out too quickly. Of course Coco was still fairly exhausted by the time they stopped for a break, but she was still assured that she did well. So... that was something.

Other than that, Coco had been spending most of her time being creative, as Ruby would put it, drawing in the sketchbook the younger woman gave her, which thankfully was not affected by her injury, since she was a lefty. She also hung out a lot with Big Red - as well as Yang every so often - helped with the housework, cooked meals with Pyrrha, slept in their bed a few times... because it helped with nightmares, and had fun teasing and joking around with the former using her drawings. Her friend had obviously not posed nude for her, but that did not mean the brunette could not draw her face from memory, and put it on a naked body with over-exaggerated proportions, just to mess with her. That was always fun.

Although... even when Coco was not trying to draw Ruby, or Pyrrha for that matter, a lot of her human drawings ended up resembling one of them. Of course, that was probably because they were practically the only people she ever saw anymore, aside from Yang, her ex... or friend, Neo... which was a weird situation to hear about, and Weiss, the former's new girlfriend. That thought alone made Coco smile, proud to see that her bed bud finally found someone amazing. She remembered the first thing she said to them when they told her...

It's about time, Xiao Long.

Her reaction at first was... tender, for lack of a better term, as Coco was just glad that Yang had found happiness of her own volition, but of course, she quickly got, as the couple described, all Coco about it.

I get why you're an ass gal now.

While that comment certainly earned laughs from both of them, and the brunette still loved to hang out with Yang - as well as Weiss - she honestly felt... a little down that her friend had found another woman so quickly after they broke up... It really made Coco think... If she and Yang had been a little more patient with their relationship, and taken the romantic part a little slower, instead of... trying to fuck after their very first real date... Maybe things could have worked out between them... Instead of what actually happened... Yang had a new, beautiful, incredible girlfriend, and Coco... was alone, being taken care of by two of her friends. How pathetic.

Coco just let out a heavy sigh, trying to refocus on her current task: setting up a social media page to post her art, as recommended by Ruby. Ever since the younger woman gave her the sketchbook, she had been quickly filling it up with a variety of drawings, so... she figured it was about time to take her advice. Unfortunately, it was not going very well, as she had been stuck on the first web page of account creation for over an hour, unable to even think of a damn username.

Suddenly, the apartment's front door clicked and swung open, and Ruby herself half-tiredly walked in, quickly noticing the brunette lying on the couch with her laptop, causing her to smile brightly. "Hey, Coco!" She beamed, immediately slipping off her flats and putting her bag aside before rushing over to the couch. "What'cha doin'?"

"Just tryin' to set up my first social media page, since you've been botherin' me about it for weeks." Coco informed with a small smirk. Though as she spoke, she was idly wiggling her right hand and fingers, as even after a week, it still felt really weird to not have that arms stuck in a cast.

Unsurprisingly, Ruby noticed said wiggling. "So how's your arm feeling, now that it's finally out of that cast?"

Coco just shrugged. "Oh y'know, naked."

Ruby let out a chuckle at the answer. "I bet." She acknowledged, walking around the couch to get a peek at the brunette's laptop. "Account creation going okay? Doesn't seem like you have much there yet..."

Reaching up, Coco awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, I uh... I've had some trouble with it. Been a little distracted today."

Ruby merely hummed. "Well then, I'll give you a hand!" She grinned, taking the laptop from her friend before plopping down on her pelvis and putting the laptop on her own lap, the second of which half-took the breath out of the older woman.

"Ooph! You need a beeper for this dump-truck of an ass, Big Red." Coco groaned, adjusting herself a bit to get more comfortable, and emphasizing her comment with a couple light taps on the rear.

"I do not!" Ruby immediately burst, adorably pouting like a child. "It's small and tight! You are Pyr are the ones with the big butts!"

Coco just quirked a brow. "Oh yeah? Has someone been looking at my big butt?"

Ruby only kept pouting. "It's not hard when you lie on your stomach so often." She grumbled. "And prance around in those sweatpants that show off your big butt."

Coco could not help but laugh at the idea that her friend had been looking. "Well I could always prance around without 'em if you'd prefer."

Surprisingly, Ruby chuckled, rather than expected continuation of pouting. "I mean if you wanna get spanked by Pyr for not wearin' pants, go right ahead."

As if that's really a punishment. "Alright, alright. So you gonna help me with makin' this account or what?" Coco wondered, even though she was tempted to accept her friend's offer. Ever since her date with Yang, where she had been spanked several times by the blonde, she kind of... remembered how much she missed the feeling of a firm hand on her backside. Other than that night, it had been a long time...

"Abso-positively!" Ruby excitedly agreed. "And I've got the perfect username for you!" She added, typing something in before turning the laptop to show the brunette.

Chocolatte

Well, it was definitely an... interesting choice, but given how Coco had previously stared at a blank text-box for an hour and a half, it was far better than nothing. And with that, the pair began going through the steps of creating and setting up an art social media account for Coco. Though, it was mostly Ruby who did everything, as the older woman was a bit too... distracted to really contribute.

"You okay?" Ruby suddenly asked. "You seem a little out of it."

Coco wanted to nod, but she ended up shrugging, not wanting to lie to her friend. "I uh, I've just been thinking about Yang today, and it's... kinda got me a little down."

Ruby was quiet for a moment, before leaning forward to gently place the laptop onto the coffee table. "You wanna talk about it?" She wondered, offering a smile.

Part of Coco wanted to say no, but she knew for an absolute fact that the woman sitting atop her pelvis would not allow that. "I guess." She mumbled after a brief silence. "I just... Yang's happy, and I'm happy that she's happy, but... I'm envious of what she found with Weiss. Makes me feel... lonely again..." Coco hesitantly explained. "My best bud's in good relationship, and... all I can feel is guilt 'cause I'm envious... I should just be happy for them, but... I want what they have..." Then she let out a sigh. "I know it's not actually selfish, but... I just feel so alone sometimes, and it hurts, 'cause all I can think about it how much I wish Velvs was here... to make me feel strong again... But she's gone, and I dunno if I'll ever be able to feel strong again without her..."

As the brunette spoke, tears began to pool in her eyes. "Yang and I... we could've taken more time to get to the romantic stuff, instead of... tryin' to fuck after our first date... We could've been perfect together, just like you said, but we rushed things and fucked that up... and now..." Her lip quivered, as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I've ruined the best chance I had of I had of being happy again..."

Ruby was silent, not saying a word, merely adjusting her position to lean down, lie atop, and snuggle into the brunette's arms, who instinctively pulled her close. One thing that was well known was that Coco loved to hold people, as well as be held. During the time that she had been at their apartment, it happened quite often while they were around each other, but now more than ever, she needed it.

"I dunno if I've got the strength to go on, Ruby..." Coco continued. "I'm low, weak... Damnit, I'm fallin' apart... If it wasn't for you and Pyr, I'd have already spiraled and chewed myself up..."

Moving up until her face was above her friend's, Ruby offered a warm smile, and reached up to gently caress her cheek. "You don't have to be strong with me, Coco, you can just be you. We'll love you all the same, I promise."

The pair just remained there for a time, staring at one another, with Coco only able to note how beautiful Ruby was, so close to her... "Thanks, Big Red." She finally responded, managing a slight smile. "You always know what to say to a gal... and I love you too." Ruby merely grinned, before leaning back down to nuzzle into the crook of the brunette's neck, before... planting a quick kiss on it. "I'm... not sure Little Red would be happy about that."

Ruby only shrugged. "You know Pyr would do the same as me. Probably more." She defended, pecking her friend's neck again, causing Coco to tear up again, clutching the younger woman tighter, not wanting to let go. It was a nice, warm feeling to have Ruby atop her like this, but... it also led to her coming to an unfortunate realization...

She would be completely lost without them.


Having just took a selfie with Weiss and Neo, Yang shared a confused look with the former. Someone was at their door.

"Yang, are you... expecting someone?" Weiss hesitantly inquired, unwrapping her arm from around the mute's shoulders to look over at the apartment's front door. "Or has Ruby come for another one of her surprise sister visits?"

Yang just shrugged. She was definitely not expecting someone, given how the couple was out on a date not long ago, so there was actually a chance it was her sister. After all, ever since Weiss began staying with her - then subsequently moved in - the frequency of Ruby's visits had grown quite a bit, even rivaling when the two siblings first split up into their own apartments, with the younger of which moving in with her then-fiancé. Although, as over half of the current visits were for hanging out with Weiss... they probably did not count. Plus, there were a couple that were specifically for properly meeting and getting to know Neo, which meant those were kind of out too. Of course, Yang still got to see her sister each time she decided to drop by, unannounced, so... that was always nice. They never got to see each other enough.

My bet is on the latter. Neo commented as the blonde removed her arm from around her shoulders.

"Well I suppose I will just have to go and find out." Weiss decided, standing up from the couch and making her way over to the front door.

While the trio figured that it was either Ruby, or someone knocking on the wrong door, none of them could have ever expected who was actually out there, because upon opening the door, all three pairs of eyes widened at the individual who timidly stood before them. Both Neo and Weiss looked as if they were seeing a goddess of some sort, and Yang... had a different reaction. Her eyes also widened, nearly shooting out of her head, mouth hanging open, but that was due to being unable to believe who was at their door. It was... Blake... Blake was there... at their apartment... She actually came up to Vale... just like she said...

I'm... not ready for this yet...

Suddenly, Neo tapped the blonde on the shoulder, and showed off her scroll. Who gave this angel your address?

"Blake! Hi!" Weiss nervously greeted, eyes still wide, body stiff as a board, much like the first time she had met the Faunus. "What are you doing here?"

Blake offered a timid smile. "Hey, Weiss... I um... sort of had some time off, so... I thought I'd... you know, come visit..."

Weiss only blinked, likely not expecting such a simple reason. "Well it's great to see you! Please, come in!" She awkwardly burst, gesturing for the Faunus to enter the apartment.

"Thank you." Blake timidly accepted, stepping inside as Weiss closed the door behind her. Then she looked over towards the couch, and... for the first time in years, since high school... she and Yang made eye contact, which... just caused the two to freeze up, bodies stiffening up like boards. The moments that followed passed so slowly... it was as if time stood still. Lilac eyes nervously stared into piercing golden, which only nervously stared back, both women just... in shock that they were truly seeing each other in the flesh. Not just that, but... Blake was in her apartment... Then attempted to smile, raising her hand to awkwardly wave a bit.

It took a moment for Yang to realize what was happening, but... once she did... a realization hit her like a train, and her heart began to race.

I... can't do this...

Hesitantly raising from the couch, Yang looked between Blake and Weiss, her mouth hanging open, until... a slight squeak escaped her lips, before, in a moment of sheer panic, she turned on a heel and quickly headed through the apartment, into the bathroom. Once inside, she closed the door, nearly locking it by instinct, sat down on the closed toilet, and tried her best to steady her breathing. In... and out... In... and out... Yang could not believe it. Not only was her ex-friend in Vale again, but she had come to her home... and... she had only become more beautiful since high school... Of course... Yang technically already knew that with all the social media stalking from over the years...

This was not a dream... was it?

Of course... Blake being there was not entirely a bad thing... After all, the pair had very briefly discussed the idea of her coming back to visit, but... it was all way too sudden. Yang was not ready yet... Though it was a little late to avoid confrontation now. The Faunus was already inside their apartment, probably talking to Weiss, with Neo just... ogling her, all while the blonde was sitting on the toilet, having a mini panic attack over suddenly needing to deal with this situation. And now she looked like a complete idiot for running away the moment she saw Blake, not just once, but now twice in a row.

Suddenly, a knock upon the bathroom door pulled Yang from her less-than-pleasant thoughts.

"Yang, may I come in?" Came Weiss' soft voice from the other side.

Taking a deep breath, checking to make sure she was not crying, Yang straightened herself out. "Yeah... sure." She simply responded.

A moment later, the door slowly opened, and Weiss stepped inside, gently closing it behind her. Though, rather than saying anything, she merely approached and straddled her girlfriend, wrapped her arms around her shoulders, and hugged herself close. The blonde was a bit shocked, but quickly reciprocated the embrace, resting her head on Weiss' shoulder, relishing the warmth, and almost in an instant, she began to feel a little better. Yang could not help but smile, as she thought about how the wonderful woman currently sitting on her lap was able to make her day brighter with such ease. The couple might not be ready for the L word just yet, but moments like this... made Yang want to use it.

Upon separating, Weiss offered a warm smile, leaning forward to catch her girlfriend's lips in a brief, soft kiss. "Don't worry, Blake is gone now. She only stopped by to say hello on her way to somewhere else." She assured, which helped ease the blonde's nerves, if only slightly. Of course the shock that came with the Faunus being at their apartment was still very prominent in her mind. "I can take you to see her when you're ready. Okay?"

Yang was quiet for a moment, rather surprised that Blake had left so quickly after running to hide in the bathroom upon seeing her, but still nodded. "Yeah... Yeah. Okay."

Weiss just offered a warm smile. "Now, shall we head back to our room? We could... discuss how we're going to handle things, while in each other's arms."

Yang could not help but smile in return, so appreciative that her girlfriend's first instinct was to provide exactly what she needed: more time, and some nice, casual intimacy. Sure, Weiss might not have a ton of meat on her bones, but being able to cuddle with her, to be her big spoon, hell, just to finally have the smaller woman in her arms... It was the best feeling in the fucking world. "That sounds good. Thanks, Weiss."

Releasing and dismounting the blonde, Weiss offered a hand, which was quickly accepted, before helping Yang up, and leading her out of the bathroom. The pair briefly spotted Neo, who smiled and waved from her usual spot on the couch, as they cross the small hallway, and Weiss opened up the door to their bedroom. Though upon walking in to the pitch-black, she let go of Yang's hand, quickly maneuvered around her, and switched on the light, revealing... Blake, sitting on the bed?

Wait a minute-

Suddenly, Yang was lightly pushed forward into the bedroom, and when she turned around, her girlfriend was already in the hallway... closing the door. "Weiss?" She barely managed as she helplessly watched, not knowing how to react.

"I apologize for lying, but you helped me, so now I'm helping you." Weiss promised, not stopping.

"Weiss, please-" Yang attempted to beg, trying to think of some way to get out of this. Unfortunately, her mind was too occupied with processing what was currently happening. I can't do this...

"Yang, you have done more for me than you could ever imagine, but now it's my turn. Good luck." Weiss declared, offering one last smile before closing the door, sealing the pair of women inside... Yang could not believe it. Not only had her girlfriend lied to her, but... now she was stuck in a locked room with her ex-friend, who was awkwardly sitting on her bed.

"Hi..." Blake timidly greeted after several moments of uncomfortable silence, waving a bit. "Weiss told me to just... sit here and wait."

Now Yang was beginning to understand. "Oh... yeah... She can be like that."

Another brief silence, before Blake decided to speak again. "You want to... sit down?"

I guess we're doin' this. "Uh, sure." Yang simply agreed, hesitantly approaching her bed to take a seat, only to realize her cat pyjamas were still there. Son of a bitch. It seemed that she left those there when she had gotten changed for her date with Weiss, and now... the Faunus was staring right at them. Fuck me. Quickly snatching them up off the bed, Yang looked around for somewhere to throw them, but sadly, found no such place. So she just... threw them under the bed. "S-Sorry about that, I uh... we went out earlier, and... guess I forgot to put 'em away..."

Unfortunately, Blake seemed to recognize the nightwear. "You... still wear those?" She wondered, staring at her ex-friend in awe. Of course she was aware of their existence, since Ruby originally bought them for the blonde in high school, as a joke involving her, but... the fact that she was seeing that she still owned and used them...

Gods, Yang just wanted to die of embarrassment. Although, there was no sense in trying to lie about it. "Yeah... They... remind me of you..." She admitted, slowly taking a seat on the edge of the bed, and... really wanting to change the subject. "So uh... what... brings you all the way to Vale?"

Blake was quiet for a moment. "Well, I... had some time off, and... w-we did talk about me coming back to visit..." She explained, seemingly unable to make eye contact. "But... I-I'm sorry for not telling you about my plan... I figured it would've... psyched us both out if I had... which then would have... risked this not happening at all..."

Yeah... Yeah, that sounds about right. "And if Weiss hadn't locked us in here, we probably would've gone another visit without speaking..." Yang added.

Blake just nodded. "Most likely..." She agreed. "But... I-I'm glad she did, because we've been avoiding each other for far too long."

Yang let out an amused huff, seeing as how not five minutes ago she was doing just that... "Got that right." Then she managed a slight smile. "That gal really knows how to get my ass in gear when something needs done." Even when I don't want to...

"She definitely appears to be a strong person." Blake mentioned, before a brief pause. "I um... heard that you two are... dating now?" She wondered, to which the blonde nodded a bit. "It's good to see that you found someone... I'm really happy for you, Yang."

Looking over at the Faunus, Yang felt her mouth drop open slightly. Those words... I'm happy for you... They felt so... weird to hear, given the pair's history. Though even still... it was nice, so much so that she managed a smile. "Thanks, Blake..."

The woman in question smiled back, but it did not last, as her gaze quickly fell to the floor. "I'm... sorry that I could never say the same back when you were... w-with Sage..." She continued with a sigh. "I was... jealous of what you had, and at the time I didn't even know why... A-At least... until I really thought about it, which brought me to the realization that I was... you know, bi." Blake explained. "Of course, after you... r-rejected me... I tried to let things go on as normal... but I couldn't, because at the time... I-I didn't want to be your friend... I wanted... to be yours..."

"But by the time I was single, you were already with Sun... so then I got jealous..." Yang awkwardly completed. "Then... you know the rest..." The distance that resulted from the first rejection only increased once the Faunus was in a relationship, and that... eventually led to the blonde's last ditch effort to confess her own feelings... in the most idiotic way possible.

"Yeah..." Blake acknowledged, before another stretch of silence. Then she looked over at her ex-friend, and... shuffled closer, staring into her eyes. "Yang, that night... w-when you kissed me... I'm sorry I panicked so badly. I was shocked, and... hurt, but... that doesn't excuse the way I scared you by demanding to know why you didn't tell me about your feelings sooner..." Blake clenched one of her fists. "But you have to understand, before that, you made me feel like I was pushed to the side for Sage, and... you didn't seem to care about how much I felt for you... I thought that... you might not like me anymore because of my sexuality, and that confused and... scared me..." Then she took a deep breath. "Yet, it was Sun who was there for me through everything... and then you expected me to react positively to drunkenly kissing me? When we were close to moving away together?"

Blake just let out a sigh, as Yang's shoulders slumped, as the whole story... only made her feel worse. "I couldn't handle everything I was feeling at the time, let alone confront you about it. So... I just left without saying goodbye, which I immediately regretted, but... I couldn't bring myself to reach out to apologize."

She wanted to contact me... so soon? "Seems like... we both handled things poorly." Yang commented, trying to smile, but... not exactly succeeding. "And... y'know, anxiety got in the way of either of us contacting the other..." She added, before pausing, finally meeting her ex-friend's gaze. "I uh... I've always blamed myself for everything that happened between us, but... now that we're actually talking... I don't think I care anymore. I just want my friend back. Hell, that's all I've ever wanted, but always been too much of a pussy to reach out, unless I was drunk off my ass." Then, just as she finished that sentence, a realization hit Yang. Blake was there, she was talking to her, and... the blonde could reach out and hug her again...

"Hey... Blake?"

The Faunus looked over with a curious gaze. "Yes?"

"I uh, I know this is probably too soon, but... can I... c-can I hug you?" Yang nervously inquired, unable to maintain proper eye contact.

Blake was silent for several moments, merely staring at her ex-friend, her expression... one of shock, until... she nodded slowly, even... smiling... "Yeah... I-I'd like that..."

And so, Yang awkwardly shifted along the edge of the bed, slowly getting closer to the Faunus, and eventually... they were side-by-side, lilac eyes staring into gold, and those gold staring right back... for the first time in years. Then, the blonde reached out... and hesitantly wrapped her arms around the other woman's shoulders, which was reciprocated after a few moments as a pair of arms snaked around her waist. Her hair smelled like lavender... just like it used to...

The embrace... started out gentle, and cautious, as the two had not laid a finger on one another since high school, but at every passing second, it grew tighter, and soon enough, it was as if they were each clutching the other like a lifeline. Yang could not stop tears from pooling in her eyes, and subsequently streaming down her cheeks, and judging from the sounds coming from Blake, she was beginning to cry too.

"I missed you so much..." Yang whimpered, hugging her... her friend, as tight as she could.

"I missed you too..." Blake sniffled, burying her head in the blonde's shoulder as she sobbed.

Suddenly, a soft knock rung upon the bedroom door, interrupting and drawing the pair's attention, and causing them to separate, both of them wiping tears from their faces, smiling at one another.

"Yeah?" Yang called, straightening herself out.

A moment later, the door slowly opened, and Weiss walked in, holding a tray that... her girlfriend was not aware that they even owned, filled with snacks. There was a whole bag of barbeque chips, a full bag of marshmallows, and even two glasses of water for them. What a gods damn sweetheart. "Just in case you're hungry or thirsty." Weiss commented, smiling at the pair as she placed the tray onto the closest nightstand. Though just after turning to leave, she glanced back towards the Faunus. "Oh, and I will apologize in advance for when you two come out, as Neo will likely be staring at you some more."

Blake only furrowed her brow at the information. "More?"

Weiss was quiet for a second. "Well, she was staring at you quite intently as I led you here, or... more specifically, your backside." She informed. "In fact, she won't stop talking about it."

Yang actually let out a chuckle, for the first time since her friend arrived. "Ah yes, the Bellabooty. Can't blame her. That thing's irresistible." To which Blake immediately glared, wide-eyed at her, grabbed a marshmallow out of the open bag and throwing it at the blonde, only for it to be snatched out the air by its target and popped into her mouth with a grin.

"Anyways, I'll leave you to it." Weiss acknowledged, turning back and quietly exiting the bedroom, softly closing the door behind her.

And with that, the pair was left in a slightly awkward silence, given how Yang made an admittedly inappropriate comment about her not only still-engaged, but newly-regained friend's ass. It was incredible, to be fair, but still! Gods, I am such a moron. She mentally face-palmed. Quick, switch topic, switch topic, switch topic! "So uh... what've you been up to since... y'know, high school?"

Blake appeared a little taken aback by the question, freezing for a moment as she picked up one of the glasses of water. "Oh, um, w-well... I got a job as a writer for the local newspaper a few years ago, which has been great... and I'm also working on that book I always told you about in school... but of course work comes first, so progress has been slow..." She explained, taking a second to drink some of her water. "I also... g-got engaged last year..." She nervously added, fiddling with the golden ring on her finger.

Yang only smiled, knowing that what could have been between them, was in the past. They were going to move forward, as friends. "Congratulations, Blake."

The Faunus awkwardly smiled back. "Thank you, Yang... I-It was after Sun made me a makeshift drive-in theatre, and... we camped under the stars..."

"Okay okay, no need to make me envious again." Yang joked, reaching over to grab another marshmallow, and actually earning a slight chuckle from her friend, which was at least a good sign. "How are the folks?" She asked, popping the fluffy snack into her mouth.

"They're great, honestly." Blake informed. "Dad's governor now, which... unfortunately means he's always pretty busy, but it makes him happy, so that's what counts. And mom went back to teaching after Sun and I found our own place."

That was right. Yang almost forgot that Kali used to be a teacher before her friend was born. She remembered wishing that several of her old elementary school teachers... and a few of her high school ones, could have been replaced by the older Faunus. Now that would have made her schooling experience a hell of a lot better. "Man, I still wish I'd had Miss Kali as teacher. Is she still givin' out those homemade gummies?"

Blake nodded. "A bit too often sometimes." She admitted. "I heard that a few parents complained about how much sugar she was giving their kids, so she had to start making sugar-free ones."

Typical, some parents always tried to ruin all the fun. After all, Kali's sweets were the absolute best, even compared to Summer's. "Honestly, those parents are dicks." After all, what could go wrong with giving kids a bunch of sugar during school? Actually... probably a lot.

"That's what Sun said." Blake added after a chuckle. "Is your dad still teaching?"

Yang nodded. "Yup, loves it just as much as he did when you lived here." Though apparently not enough to avoid fooling around with Summer in his office. Gods, that was the worst part of playing never have I ever at Weiss' birthday party a few months ago.

"Well... what have you been up to since then?" Blake inquired. "I-I'll admit that... Ruby has told me things here and there, but... I'm not sure how accurate some of it is..."

Oh... right. Yang had almost forgotten that her sister stayed in contact with the Faunus over the years. That made things a little difficult. "I uh..." She began, trying to think of somewhere to start. "Oh, I got a job workin' at my mom's bar when I could- like, Raven, not uh, not Summer. It was great for a while. Paid the bills, met lots of fun people, as well as some... not so great people, but overall, I like it." Then she realized something. "But... I'll be honest, other than a steady job... I... haven't been doing too well since high school..." Yang admitted, looking away. "I lost touch with all my friends, pretty much stopped going out for anything other than work or shopping, and... practically became an introvert... Then I met Weiss."

Yang could not help but smile. "Moved here all the way from Atlas, and she practically spent the entire time we've known each other dating my coworker, but even then... she was my best friend, being the brightest point in my life... helping me be better..." She near-gushed, smiling at all the memories she shared with her now-girlfriend. "Which is part of what made me fall so hard for her, even when I knew she was with someone else. "'Course I tried gettin' back into the dating game, I went on a few dates, had a... one-night stand every so often, even had a girlfriend for a little while, who uh, I heard you met back when you were visited last time..." Boy, that must have been awkward. "But uh, we didn't work out obviously, decided to be friends instead."

Blake was quiet for a few moments. "I'm sorry to hear that, Yang. From what I saw, Coco seemed like she'd be the perfect match for you."

Yang let out a chuckle at the compliment. "Thanks, we thought so too, 'cept in the best buds kinda way."

Blake took another sip of her water. "So how did... you and Weiss end up getting together?"

That was... a bit of a difficult question. "Well, Weiss went on a break with her then-girlfriend, and she came and stayed with me... Coco and I tried a real date and it... didn't work out, so we broke up. Then Weiss and Vernal broke up, and we were really comfortable how things were, so we just decided to chill together, but then her sister came by and got really pushy over us, and well... I guess Weiss was ready for more." Yang smiled, thinking back to the loving kiss the couple shared in the middle of an airport waiting area. "After that... we've just been happier together. Honestly, it doesn't feel too different than being friends, just... more... if that makes any sense. The biggest difference is we get to make out, which is, y'know, pretty nice." She admitted, a small blush tinting her cheeks.

Blake only smiled. "I'm really glad you two are happy, Yang. Weiss is a wonderful woman." She complimented, before her smile faded. "But... I'm sorry that... even if things wouldn't have worked out between us, we didn't get the opportunity to try..."

Yang's own smile faded a bit, but it quickly returned. "It's okay, Blake. Maybe we just... weren't meant to be." She comforted. Unfortunately, the moment she said it, a horrible idea popped into her head, and in true Yang fashion, she could not stop herself from opening her big stupid mouth. "But I mean hey, you could always bring Sun down to Vale next time so we could all make it up."

Fucking hell. Why did I just say that?

The Faunus just quirked her brow, giving her friend a puzzled look, which caused Yang to let out a nervous chuckle. "I uh, read it in a fanfic a few years back. Though in that case it was five people, and, and... I'll just shut up now."

Surprisingly, Blake chuckled in return. "You and I both know Sun's too much of a boy scout for anything like that."

Yang managed a full laugh at the defense, thanking the Maidens that her friend was not too put off by her dumb joke. "You and I both know he'd jump off a bridge if you told him." She countered. "But uh... that terrible joke aisde, it's nice to have you back in my life again... B Swizzle."

Blake's eyes widened upon hearing the last sentence, clearly not expecting the return of that old nickname. "Did you just... call me B Swizzle?"

Yang nodded a bit. "Is... that okay?"

Blake was quiet for a moment, until eventually smiling. "Yeah, I just... You haven't called me that since early high school, before... you know, our friendship started to get rocky..."

Man, rocky was an understatement. "Well, I'd say it's about time we fix that." Yang smiled back.

"I couldn't agree more." Blake nodded, before her smile faded a bit, seemingly coming to a realization. "But um... there was something that I wanted to speak with you about... I-It's about my wedding..."

Yang furrowed her brow. "What's up?" She wants to talk to me... about her wedding?

Blake was briefly quiet, then took a deep breath. "Now... I know this might be way too soon to ask, due to... our current situation, but... Sun and I discussed the idea of you... b-being a bridesmaid..." She nervously explained. "O-Of course you don't have to! I just... I liked the idea, and Sun liked it so much that he even suggested for you to be my... Maid of Honour... since I haven't really... had a best friend since you... A-And I know it's too early for asking for you to do either of those, but... Sun made me promise to at least try..."

Yang was... at a loss for words. Blake... wanted her to be a bridesmaid? Even... her Maid of Honour? Back during the couple years after high school, an offer like that would have been the worst punch in the gut imaginable, but now that the blonde only wanted her friend back... it was honestly the opposite. Although, at the same time... she was not sure that the pair was ready for something that... huge yet. After all, it would be a massive change, going from barely being able to stay in the same room together, to being Maid of Honour-level of close.

"That's uh, that's a pretty big step, Blake, and I dunno if we're quite there yet." Yang admitted. "But... I'll think about it. Promise." She added, to which Blake only smiled again.

"That's all I could ask for."


As she stood in front of her own apartment's front door, Ruby took a deep breath. You can do this. Don't let her distract you this time.

It had been over two weeks since she last attempted to talk to her wife about their... well, communication issues, and every time she tried since then... it always ended the same way: Pyrrha steering her off topic with sex. Of course she never forced Ruby into anything, but... to say she was incredibly persuasive was quite an understatement. Although, it did not help that her wife knew where and how to use practically every one of her weak spots. That... certainly did not help when the redhead had... other things on her mind when she wanted to talk.

But not today.

Ruby thought to hell with a plan. All she wanted to do was talk, to solve their problems, and she was not letting it get interrupted again, as... much as she might want to, with how Pyrrha usually did said interrupting. And tonight was the perfect time to do it. After spending a few days focusing on her new social media page, which was already starting to gain some traction, Coco was at Yang's for the evening, or... possibly the night... even though she and Weiss already had a guest in their home. She was just... so happy that their breakup had not stopped them from being such good friends.

You can do this.

Taking one more deep breath, Ruby unlocked the door, and stepped into the apartment, where she was greeted by a fairly... unexpected sight. Every light in the apartment that she could see was either dimmed or completely off, and Pyrrha... was nowhere to be found... Oh... damnit. Suddenly, the front door closed behind Ruby, causing her to spin around on instinct, revealing... something that caused her jaw to drop.

Pyrrha was standing behind the door, completely naked, fully shaven, hair down, and holding a glass of wine... which she then fully downed, and gently placed on the small table next to the entrance... all without breaking eye contact for a single moment. "Good evening, darling." The redhead grinned. "It seems our home is empty tonight..." She informed, slowly taking a few steps closer to her wife. "And I've been thinking of you... All. Day..."

It was times like these that really hammered home why Ruby was so easily swept away by Pyrrha. Mere words could get her nether region warm, and seeing her tall, naked, Mistrali goddess of a wife looking down at her like she's a fresh-cooked meal... Yeah, that definitely did not help in a situation such as this one, where Ruby was aiming to have a real conversation... But now... with the redhead already looming over her... She had no idea if that was even going to be possible anymore...

A moment later, Pyrrha leaned down, and wrapped her strong arms around the younger woman's midsection, sliding down her body before firmly grasping her rear, causing Ruby to let out a squeak upon being lifted into the air, instinctively wrapping her legs around her bare waist. One grin after that, her wife was attacking her lips with her own, and... unfortunately she was unable to stop, as it was quickly riling her up. Ruby was then carried across the living area, and... laid down on the couch, all without the embrace being broken.

It was not until Pyrrha broke the kiss that her wife was given a chance to breathe... though not for long, because the redhead's next target was her neck, almost immediately moving down to begin kissing, licking, and even biting on occasion. Ruby tried her absolute hardest to not get lost in the pleasure, feeling her dress shirt starting to get unbuttoned, but it was really not working. If she was going to stop what was currently happening, she had to do it now, or else it was going to end up exactly how it did all the other times: with her wife ravishing her to the point of extreme exhaustion.

But not this time.

"Pyr- Pyrrha, Pyrrha, stop!" Ruby burst, using all of her strength to grab her wife's shoulders, and physically push her up off of her, eliciting a surprised gasp as she was stopped.

"Ruby?" Pyrrha managed after a few seconds, clearly confused over why her ministrations were suddenly stopped so abruptly.

Taking a brief moment to catch her breath, as her mind cleared up from having to resist the urge to give into the redhead, Ruby stared into her emerald-green eyes. You can do this. "I just... I need to say some things, and you need to listen."

Pyrrha merely stared at her wife, before letting out a weak chuckle. "Can't it wait, my darling?" She wondered, trying to lean back down to continue where she left off, only to be stopped once again.

"No." Ruby declared, as firmly as she could manage. "I... These things need to be said now." She insisted, slowly making her way out from under her partner, who also moved back to kneel. Once completely out, Ruby stood up from the couch, and quickly made her way to their bedroom, where she opened up the closet, grabbed Pyrrha's favourite red robe, and returned to the living area, handing the garment to her wife, who hesitantly accepted and donned it. After that, she sat back down, and took a deep breath. "Pyrrha, I've wanted to talk, like, really talk, for a while now, but... every time I try, you ignore me for sex, then leave me too tired to be able to talk afterward..." Ruby explained. "I love you, so much, and I love the way you make me feel, but... right now it feels like I can't express myself properly..."

Pyrrha was quiet for a time, gaze wandering away from her partner, landing down at the floor as she seemed to sit there in thought. Eventually, she looked back at Ruby, expression... one of concern. "I apologize, sweetheart, sometimes I just need to make you happy to cheer myself up." She admitted, managing a slight smile. "Being your wife, taking care of Coco, watching over Yang... It all makes me happy. It's my duty to take care of my family, and nothing in the world gives me greater joy."

"Then why don't you tell me when you're feeling down?" Ruby questioned, leaning closer to the redhead. Honestly, it... it hurt to know that her own wife was hiding pain from her, whether it be great or small. They were married, they were supposed to tell each other everything...

"I only wished to not worry you." Pyrrha defended.

Ruby just shook her head, reaching over to take one of her wife's hands in her own. "You know doing things like this is only gonna make me worry more."

Pyrrha looked down at the pair's connected hands for a second, before letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Ruby." She managed.

"I don't want you to be sorry, Pyr, I want you to tell me when you're feeling sad, so I can do whatever I can to help." Ruby countered, giving the redhead's hand a reassuring squeeze. In response, Pyrrha was quiet for several moments, staring down at their hands, until eventually looking back up at her wife, and smiling warmly as she nodded.

"I will, I promise."


Nothing beat coming home to a full apartment, especially after a long day at work.

It almost felt like living with Ruby again... something that Yang missed. How quiet it could be, despite there being two of them in their old place, how neat it was to be together again, how much more at ease she felt having good company, and almost most of all, not feeling like she was intruding on her sister's life... Not counting when she accidentally interrupted her and Pyrrha during their casual intimacy on occasion. Well, at least she never had the displeasure of catching them having sex... especially with the types of things that she heard they got up to. Of course, other than that, it was great living with Ruby. The blonde only wished it could have lasted longer.

Now, when Yang returned home from work, instead of her sister playing videos games, or working on a school project, Neo was snuggled up on the same couch, drawing, and Weiss... was waiting for her, bright-eyed and joyful. Honestly, it was so... quiet, and peaceful... and ever since her now-girlfriend moved in, clean, without a Ruby-level mess in sight... excluding when Coco was over. Sometimes they got a little messy with their snacks. Though even so, Yang's standard of clean did not even compare to now. Everything that could shined, and everything else smelled of lavender. Weiss was similar to Ruby in that way, being idle for too long caused her to become a little jittery, needing things to do, except with the former, she cleaned. So much so that Neo even joked about giving her the maid costume that she herself originally brought. Unfortunately, as hot as that would be, the younger woman was not super keen on the idea, saying how the outfit would not fit her without several push-up bras.

Finally walking through the front door of her apartment, Yang hung up her helmet and jacket, took off and stored her shoes, and headed into the living area, where she found Neo on the couch, as usual, drawing, and listening to music through the headphones that they had picked up from her apartment not long ago. Though, there was no Weiss. Was she not home from work yet? The blonde could have sworn her girlfriend's shift ended earlier than her own today...

"Hey, Neo, Weiss not home yet?" Yang wondered, to which the mute looked up from her sketchpad, smiled, and pointed back towards the bedroom with her thumb. "Ah, thanks." She acknowledged, making her way across the room. "You two have somethin' to eat while I was gone?" Neo just gave a thumbs up. That was at least good to know, as there had been a few times where the other two waited until Yang returned to eat, even when she was late, which of course... made her feel kind of horrible. So, the trio made an agreement that if she was not home by a certain time, they were free to eat without her, as long as they saved her something for when she did return. Though in this case, she already had a bite to eat at work.

Approaching her bedroom, Yang quietly peeked through the doorway - just in case Weiss was napping - and found her girlfriend lying on their bed, on her stomach, staring intently at something on her scroll, not even noticing the other woman... which gave her an idea. Time for a little payback for the other day. Yang thought to herself, grinning as she slowly crept into the bedroom, ready to give Weiss a little scare, much like what had happened a few days ago, except with the roles reversed. Although sadly, it seemed that the blonde would not get the chance for revenge, as when she made it closer to the bed, she... saw what her girlfriend was looking at.

Weiss was on a website... looking at... breast implants...

"Weiss?" Yang managed after a few moments, causing her partner to immediately stiffen before shoving her scroll under her pillow. "Why are you... looking at stuff like that?" She's not... that unhappy with her body... is she?

Weiss only attempted to smile as she turned over. "I was... um... I-I only..." She stammered, before letting out a sigh. "It's just something I've thought about for a long time, sometimes more often than others... It's the one part of my body I've wished I could change the most..."

Yang furrowed her brow at the answer, knowing for a fact that there was something she was not being told. "Weiss." She repeated, voice more stern.

Weiss was quiet for a moment, her gaze falling to the bed between them. "I'm not sure if I'm truly considering the idea, as... this is the first time I've done more than think about it since Winter left, just that... It's there, and I was looking."

Since Winter left...? Wait a minute. Was this... because of Yang's teasing with her sister? If she had known that, she never would have... Yang just sat down on the bed, expression turning soft. "Weiss... You don't need bigger boobs to be more attractive... I for one love your body just the way it is." Then she managed a slight grin. "'Specially that tight butt of yours."

Rather than verbally responding, Weiss pulled herself up into a sitting position, and moved forward until the couple was face to face. "Then why haven't you tried to fuck me yet?"

Yang only blinked at the extremely unexpected, and blunt question. Did... Did she hear that right? "I uh... I was... honestly waitin' for you to make the first move." She admitted, reaching up to awkwardly rub the back of her head. "Since you said you liked me first, I followed your lead, 'cause so far, I'm comfortable with what you're comfortable with."

Weiss' mouth hung open for a moment. "But... I didn't want to force anything, or pressure you..." She pressed. "So I waited, and simply... dealt with my urges in private when I felt the need... Which, I admit, has become much more difficult since Neo began staying with us, since there's always someone else in the house now..."

Yang had... never experienced anyone being so patient with her before, especially when it came to sex. No one she was previously involved with ever waited this long... "Why didn't you try initiating, or even hinting anything? Unless it was like, night one, I probably wouldn't have refused." Especially considering how admittedly long she had been crushing on her now-girlfriend.

Weiss merely stared at the blonde for a few moments, before standing up in a huff, staying turned away from the other woman as she softly closed the bedroom door. "I just... You're incredibly gorgeous, Yang, and... I know it's irrational, but I'm afraid that... I would take my clothes off, and my... disappointing, boyish figure would be a turnoff... that you'd reconsider being with me, that... I wouldn't be good enough... compared to Coco..." Then she turned back to face her partner. "This relationship has been perfect, but I'm terrified that I'll ruin it somehow... This... stupid body is my biggest flaw, because it's the only thing about myself that I can't control, especially these... these..." Weiss continued, looking down at her chest in anger, clenching her hands in front of it. "These bug bites I have to call tits!" She snapped, grabbing her pyjama shirt and practically ripping it off her torso before throwing it aside in frustration. Next came her bra, but she did not discard it. Instead, she glared down at the white undergarment. "I mean for fuck sake, I barely even need a damn bra!" She fumed, throwing it aside a second later.

While Yang did feel for her girlfriend's situation, she could not but stare at her now-completely bare torso in... admiration. Every bit was... gorgeous, just like the rest of her. Plus, bug bites was definitely a bit harsh, as they looked like a B-cup at 'worst'. So, she merely offered a smile. "Come on over here." Yang requested, gesturing with her head, and tapping her thighs, to which Weiss appeared confused for a moment, before slowly approaching the bed, and straddling the blonde, hands settling behind her neck. Wrapping one arm around her waist, she reached up to gently caress her cheek. "Weiss, you are beautiful." Yang praised, pulling her partner into a gentle, brief kiss. "Your body is beautiful." She continued, planting kisses across her cheek, down her neck, and down towards the middle of her chest, earning a few heavy breaths. "I love it because it's so different from mine... And you... You carry yourself so well... You're elegant, delicate... yet you can flip a switch and act like you own the damn room... like you own me..."

Then Yang smiled up at her girlfriend. "Sure, your boobs might be on the smaller side, but they're still just as beautiful- just as perfect, as every other little part of you. And hey, size won't ever stop me." She purred, licking her lips as she gazed back down at the two perky breasts in front of her eyes, ready to get to work. First, Yang gave the left one a kiss on its side, then another on the other side, and another underneath. Then she turned her attention to the nipple, slowly dragging her tongue across the nub, before circling it in an erotic kiss, coaxing gasps and moans from her girlfriend as she suckled and nibbled on it, all while gently squeezing the other with her hand. After a brief time, Yang moved to its twin, treating it with the same love, feeling a surge of excitement when she felt hands running through her wild blonde locks.

Once she was done with her breasts, hoping her point had been proven, she was pulled into a heated kiss, as Weiss actually began to grind against her pelvis, the growing heat of her core driving Yang crazy, which only caused the pair to go further. While her girlfriend chose to move one of her hands to excitedly fondle the blonde's clothed chest, she slid her own hands beneath both Weiss' pyjama pants and underwear, and started to firmly squeeze her rear, driving her movement to go faster. Each of them let out muffled moans as their actions grew in intensity.

After a little while, much to Yang's surprise, Weiss broke the kiss, leaving them both panting, flushed, and staring into each other's eyes, unable to believe they were really doing this, with Neo in the other room no less! Of course, their minds were a little too occupied with one another to worry about anything else. Weiss then moved her hands to cup her girlfriend's face. "Shirt. Bra. Off." She commanded. "I want to see what's mine."

Those words alone made Yang shiver in excitement. It had been a while since she had been ordered to do anything, and even then, Neo could not actually talk, so back when they were 'together', there was never that... dominating tone that her current girlfriend just used. So, managing a nod, Yang let Weiss lean back a bit, allowing her to unbutton her work shirt, pull it off and toss it aside, revealing her plain black bra. Gods she was not prepared for this. Next, she reached behind her back, unclasped the undergarment with one hand, removed and tossing it onto the floor, freeing her large bust.

As... sort of expected, Weiss just sat there, staring wide-eyed at her sizable, bare breasts in complete awe. Though surprisingly, that did not last long, as she soon placed a hand in the middle of her chest, and, while looking her right in the eyes, pushed the blonde down onto her back, upper body now on full display for her to leer at. Weiss then slowly leaned down, met her girlfriend in a brief kiss, before peppering kisses along her skin as she slid down her body, until finally reaching her ample breasts.

"You have such a different body compared to what I was used to..." Weiss purred, planting a few kisses on the right mound, while gently beginning to touch the other. "It's so beautiful..." Then she looked up to grin at the blonde. "Just like you." She added, before completely latching onto her admittedly sensitive nipple, drawing out a series of gasps and moans at every kiss, lick, and gentle bite, as well as the fondling and pinching that her other breast was receiving. "Gods, you have no fucking idea how long I've wanted to suck on these tits..." Weiss confessed, ministrations only growing more passionate, causing Yang to reach up to run her hands though her girlfriend's wavy, now-completely ivory locks, pulling her head even closer. To say the smaller woman went to town on her chest was an understatement.

Eventually, with one last pull on one of the blonde's nipples with her teeth, coaxing a shudder, Weiss leaned up, sitting back upon her pelvis, leaving them both panting and flushed again. She then merely stared down at the result of her work, Yang splayed out beneath her, vulnerable and flustered, her large breasts glistening and marked from all her attention. It was the most beautiful thing Weiss had ever seen. "I love seeing you like this." She proclaimed, leaning back down a bit in order to caress her girlfriend's cheek. "But I want to see all of you.

Yang managed a chuckle at the request, having a feeling it was going in that direction. "You got it, but uh, kinda forgot to shave today, since I wasn't expecting... y'know, this."

Weiss only grinned. "You say that like it's a problem." She purred, fully leaning down to capture Yang's lips in another heated kiss. A pair of strong hands soon slipped beneath her pyjama pants to take firm hold of her rear, prompting her to begin grinding against her girlfriend's pelvis once more.

They were in for an exceptionally fun night.


Meanwhile, Neo was just simply drawing, happily listening to her anime OSTs through her noise-cancelling headphones.

In all honesty, she had been rather productive today, finishing several concept pieces for her growing backlog, spending some time with both Weiss and Yang, and overall... feeling alright. Although, Neo still needed to speak with the former about if she would rather her leave, as well as... go to file a police report, and... make a therapy appointment, but... she had to gather the courage any of that... Even though the ideas were initially brought up several days ago now. She... She needed more time to mentally prepare.

In the meantime, Neo should just... focus on drawing, focus on the music filling her ears.

Sekai o omoshiroku suru no wa... Wareware, wareware, wareware, wareware, wareware jishin da...

Man, she could just listen to that opening all night... Of course, she was not actually going to do that, lest she get tired of the song. Though given how much she enjoyed it, that was probably not going to happen anytime soon. Neo was not sure what it was, but she found that the more unique the anime, the more unique the opening, which was always nice to hear. There was nothing more boring than average, run of the mill music in anime...

Suddenly, a noise caught Neo's attention. One from outside her headphones. Ceasing her sketching for a moment, she looked up from her pad, and gazed around the living area, finding... nothing different from before. Yang and Weiss were still in their bedroom, possible asleep... Perhaps it was something from adjacent apartment. So Neo merely returned to her current task.

Then, another, similar noise caught her attention. She perked up again, looked around, found nothing to have changed, and just returned to drawing.

Then came a third noise, and Neo figured enough was enough. She was going to figure out what those noises were. So, putting her sketchpad and pencil aside, she paused the currently-playing song, and removed her headphones. Though sadly... that was her mistake, as the moment her ears were uncovered, what she heard became clear. It was moaning... coming from the bedroom...

Son of a bitch.

Those two are fucking.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Neo put her headphones on, resumed her music, and turned the volume up until she was unable to hear anything external anymore, hoping to gods that her body did not respond to what was going on only a single room away. Unfortunately... even only after hearing them briefly, the moans stuck in her head, and... Neo recognized them... They were Yang's... sounding just like when the mute herself first found her g-spot...

Sounds like Weiss is really giving it to her.

What was even worse was that the realization brought back memories. Yang was... her only female partner. Neo used her to satiate all the urges that she wished she could fulfill with a real partner, letting the blonde make love to her, then fucking her into the ground. Honestly... she wished that she let the younger woman do more to her, but... keeping herself in control helped with not getting too attached. If Neo had let Yang take more of a lead, she might have... gave into her, so to speak. Although... maybe if she stopped being so afraid of that... she would be the one in that bedroom, rather than Weiss...

Gods fucking damnit.

Now she was turned on, and felt the need to do something about it. Of course Neo was well aware of how weird that would be, given how there were others in the apartment... even though they were currently occupied, but she also could not ignore what she heard, and wanted to take care of it so that it did not linger and drive her insane. Especially given how she was used to being able to have her urges taken care of whenever needed.

Eventually, Neo just let out a huff.

I suppose I could always find a good hentai on my scroll.


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

Because as always, your feedback fuels us!

P.S.
In case anyone's wondering, those lyrics from the last scene are from Isekai Quartet.