Author's Note: We hope you all enjoy. :)
How the fuck could making pancakes be so gods damn difficult?!
Vernal was at a loss. She had been dating Nora for six months now - three months of properly living together - which meant it was around their six-month anniversary, and she wanted to do something special for her girlfriend. She had racked her brain for days over what could be done, so much so that it was driving her insane. It was not until one random afternoon when the pair walked passed one of those all-day-breakfast places that Vernal was reminded of Nora's love for pancakes.
And then it hit her.
She was going to make her a batch of pancakes with chocolate chips - her girlfriend's favourite - all by herself.
Unfortunately, she never realized how difficult that process was when doing it on her own. After all, she was not exactly the best cook. But she was determined. Nora was fast asleep in their bedroom, partially thanks to her being on the receiving end of a fairly rough night, which itself was mostly for the purpose of having her sleep in, so Vernal had time... probably. There had been a number of times where she had gone plenty hard in bed, and yet the redhead was somehow up way before her. So, all she could do was hope that the prior night kept her asleep until the pancakes were done.
Well, it turned out that Vernal definitely needed every bit of that time, because even though she and Nora cooked together all the time, her girlfriend was always the head chef, so to speak. In fact, after spending a solid hour, possibly more, failing and agonizing over everything, she eventually broke down... and called Weiss for help, getting her on video chat via her scroll, so that she could be helped while she cooked. Her friend offered to just come over on her scooter and physically help, but Vernal told her that she wanted to actually do the cooking herself. This was the very first time she was trying to make something nice completely on her own, and she wanted it to be a surprise.
Sadly, today was just not her day, because just as she was starting to get those damn pancakes right, a pair of arms wrapped suddenly around her waist, pulling her close as a certain someone planted a prolonged kiss on her cheek.
"Morning, my little pumpkin spice!" Nora happily beamed, earning an annoyed blush. Vernal hated that the redhead teased her so much about that particular interest of hers. "Mmm, everything smells delicious! Including you!" She praised, pecking her girlfriend's cheek again. "Hi Weiss!" She added to the propped-up scroll without skipping a beat, receiving a smile and wave in return.
Vernal only managed to hang her head, looking over at the incomplete meal. She had managed to finish a few semi-decent-looking pancakes and put them into the toaster oven to keep warm, but she wanted to get everything done before Nora woke up. And now that was not possible. She had not even gotten out plates or syrup yet. "Sorry, hon. I wanted this to be a surprise, y'know, for our six-month anniversary... but as you can see from the mess, I've been strugglin', even with Weiss' help."
Nora giggled, peppering her girlfriend's cheek with a few more kisses. "Aw, I don't care about that! I'm just thrilled you're tryin', and we're all here and happy!" She defended, tightening her hug.
"Well, happy milestone to you two then." Weiss commented, raising a coffee mug in a sort of toast.
As expected, Nora just giggled again. "Thanks, Weiss! We've gotten so domestic, don't ya think? Look! She's wearin' the apron I got her!" The redhead burst, reaching over to grab her partner's scroll off of the countertop, in order to show off her attire, which did include a white apron covered in black flowers. It elicited a soft chuckle from their friend. "'Course she's wearin' a shirt and panties underneath, even though I like when it's just the apron, if you know what I'm sayin'." Nora teased, earning another chuckle from Weiss, and a deeper blush from her girlfriend.
"She's been cleaning more, keepin' things tidy, which I'm super proud of!" The redhead continued. "I even found her dusting cobwebs the other day! Without any prompting!" She added, resulting in a somewhat shocked look from Weiss, much to the embarrassment of Vernal, who she was not releasing. "I've been lookin' around for a good place to get a maid outfit for her, maybe somethin' light blue to match these beautiful eyes. She'd look so cute! Plus, it could be used for sexy reasons!"
Okay, that was definitely enough. Reaching back, Vernal swiftly brought a firm hand down on her girlfriend's soft, pyjama clad rear. "You can shut your trap now, hon."
Nora just gasped at the unexpected spanking, rather overdramatically. "Right in front of Weissy? Her poor innocent eyes!"
Meanwhile, Weiss merely chuckled at the exchange. "I for one would like to hear more about your relationship."
"You're supposed to be helping me." Vernal grumbled.
"I have named my price." Weiss declared.
Vernal let out a groan, turning to her girlfriend, who still had her arms wrapped around her torso. "Okay, okay, you can gush about one thing, but make it quick."
"Aw, but there's so many things to gush about!" Nora complained with an adorable pout, tightening her hug once more. "But fine. I'll just talk about how I get to dress you up!" She happily accepted. Gods damnit. "As I'm sure you know, Weiss, Vernal's got a pretty small wardrobe, so a little while after we moved in together, we went shopping to expand it! We got her stuff other than band shirts and those pre-ripped jeans she loves, including a couple floofy skirts!"
That last one certainly shocked Weiss, given her raised eyebrows. "I even got her to try on a suit! And holy moly! It was easily the hottest thing I've ever seen!" Nora continued, causing her girlfriend to blush again. "So I used some of the money Cindy gave me to buy it, even though someone said it was too much to spend on her." She added, nudging the woman in question. "Gods, I wish she could wear that suit every damn day, but it was expensive, and we don't wanna risk messin' it up."
"Well, I look forward to hopefully seeing it one day." Weiss noted with a smile, before her expression shifted to one of... curiosity. "Hm, perhaps I should look into getting an expensive suit for Yang... She would look amazing in one too..."
Vernal let out a heavy sigh at the suggestion. "Please don't coordinate our outfits."
"But you two would look so hot!" Nora defended, shaking her girlfriend a bit.
"We barely even get along." Vernal grumbled, which was still kind of true. Sure, things between her and Yang had smoothed out months ago, but they were not quite... real friends yet.
"Think of it as bonding!" Nora beamed.
"We could always go out on a double date sometime." Weiss proposed. "Well, possibly a double date plus Neo. She likes to be included."
At the mention of her friend's roommate, or... shared side piece, she did not really understand that whole situation, Vernal only managed a skeptical look. "That midget looks at me like a piece of meat." She commented, recalling that woman's hungry gaze the last time they saw each other.
"Apologies." Weiss sighed. "I would say she's pent up, but that hasn't really been true for months. So I suppose the only excuse is she likes attractive women, and doesn't seem to learn that it's rude to stare at those she's not involved with." She explained, just before the woman in question poked her head out in the background of Weiss' camera view, a curious expression on her face. But she did not get her roommate's attention, simply ducking out a few moments later.
Nora just giggled. "I don't blame her, wait 'till she see's you in that suit of yours. Mph!"
"So this is what feelin' objectified is like." Vernal commented.
"I dunno about her, but I do it out of love." Nora promised, tightening her long-lasting hug from behind, and planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "You're my beautiful, tough-ass girl."
Vernal only sighed at the compliment. "Love you too."
Nora was dead silent for a moment, before squealing in delight, tightening her hug even further as she peppered her girlfriend's face with kisses, which caused her to go speechless, a deep blush tinting her cheeks at the realization of what she just said. Not only was she the one to bring out the L word for the first time between them, but she did it without even thinking.
Meanwhile, Weiss was quiet, simply looking between the two on the other side of her screen. "I'll give you two some privacy." She gently informed. "Do call back if you need any more assistance."
Once Weiss was gone, Nora's demeaner completely changed. Her excitement dropped, being replaced by a far more quiet, calmer one. With her arms still wrapped around Vernal from behind, Nora held her close, gently swaying from side to side, almost as if they were slow-dancing. "I love you a whole lot, Vernal, and I'm so, so proud of you for how far you've come with me, and for how much you've done for me..." Nora softly proclaimed. "You don't have to really say it back if you're not ready. I just want you to know that I love you so much, and I'm happy."
Surprisingly, Vernal did not need that much time to think about it. The answer was already in her mind. "I love you..." She managed, voice barely a whisper. "I love you..." She whispered again, slightly louder. Then, Vernal fully turned around to look her girlfriend in the eyes. "I love you." She finally professed, not looking away for a second. "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love y-" Vernal repeated, over and over, until Nora reached up to gently cup her face, before leaning into meet her in a soft, loving kiss. It was comforting.
For the first time in her life, Vernal came to terms with the fact that she was finally able to say she loved someone without being rejected.
The past four months had been... wild. There was no other way to describe it.
After last year's Harvest party, Yang and Weiss gained an... occasional third, so to speak. And that third was their roommate. Following that drunken fling, Neo had begun to join the couple in the bedroom every so often, and it was... an interesting situation. Experiencing a threesome had been on Yang's bucket list for a long time now - hell, Weiss' too - but to have a trusted friend that could just join them at any time they wanted was an exceptionally strange feeling, but in the best way imaginable.
Of course while having Neo join them in bed was incredibly hot, fun, and so on, their situation even extended outside just having sex with her. For instance, if Yang or Weiss were to tell her to do something, she would do it almost every time, as she knew there would be some kind of reward. It was almost like having a maid sometimes, which was rather ironic given what the mute attempted when she first began staying with them. But, now that they were sort of involved, Neo absolutely loved roleplay - by no surprise - specifically as the couple's secret mistress, who was covertly having affairs with each of them. Sure, it was a little overdone sometimes, but never nearly enough for either of them to say no.
And it did not stop there.
When Solstice time came, and a couple early presents were being exchanged, Neo, in her infinite, gremlin wisdom, got the hilariously-genius idea of putting her bare breasts in a box with a hole in it as a joke gift for Weiss. Yang laughed her ass off when the mute showed her beforehand, and again at her girlfriend's reaction, but said girlfriend loved her present, and it was thoroughly enjoyed. Then when Solstice morning arrived, Neo decided to walk around the apartment, wearing nothing but ribbon bows tied around herself. It was fun unwrapping her.
Although, it was not all bells and whistles, so to speak. There was one time just over a month ago when Neo prank-texted Winter as Weiss, talking about wanting to switch blondes for a night. It was a funny idea, but when Weiss found out what happened, she brought the mute to the couch, bent over across her lap, and spanked her bare backside until it was red, even making her keep count on a notepad while she did it. After the younger woman was finished, she made Neo watch her have her way with Yang, twice, then be ravished by the blonde, before she was allowed to be included. It was not until the next morning that Weiss admitted that she made it all up as she went along, but it honestly ended up being one of their most memorable nights.
After that day, Neo made a point to do more stuff like that, hoping that it would end the same way, like the devious little gremlin she was. Although that did not mean she was always a bottom. She and Yang usually switched back and forth, depending on their moods, and the mute did top Weiss every once in a while, on days she just wanted to be taken care of, and boy did Neo take care of her on those days.
Winter also came back to Vale for a couple visits, and during the first one, Weiss helped her propose to Robyn. Unsurprisingly, she said yes, and the trio joined the newly-engaged couple for a celebratory dinner at a fancy Mistrali restaurant. Overall, it was a fantastic afternoon, and a very pleasant evening. And... as honestly rocky as Yang's relationship with Winter began, she could not be happier for her and Robyn. She looked forward to having such amazing sister-in-laws. But now that she was thinking about them, those two were strangely like older versions of her and Weiss.
Another thing that happened fairly recently was Yang and Neo getting matching tattoos, as a sort of gesture that the mute was part of the family, and a permanent friendship bracelet. It took some discussion, but soon enough they decided on a pair of ice cream cones. A yellow-and-lilac mixed one-scoop on Neo, and a neopolitan one-scoop on Yang. Though in terms of where they wanted them... that took a little longer. Neo suggested getting them on their rears, but Yang was not too sure about that. When she originally got that snowflake on her backside, Weiss took the ass-claiming seriously, so that territory belonged to her. As expected, Neo pouted at the answer, then suggested tattooing their breasts, which was immediately declined, since that would hurt like a bitch. Eventually, Yang brought up the idea of their inner wrists, so whenever they held hands the cones would meet up.
Neo just blushed, and told her that would work.
Of course, as fun as it was to have their friend join them in the bedroom, Yang and Weiss were not the only ones she slept with. A little while ago, Neo also began to see that one guy she used to bang when she and the blonde were originally "together", Yatsuhashi. The couple got the chance to meet him beforehand, which was nice. He was extremely polite, understanding of their situation, and got along well with them. Of course things between him and Neo were pretty casual, but she was actually letting herself feel this time. It was more than what they had before, but less than dating. Though since Neo was their roommate, Yang or Weiss would occasionally come home to hear them banging in her room, or Neo would bring him home with her, and they would retire to her bedroom. But even so, the pair was happy that they enjoyed each other's company.
As for Yang and Weiss as a couple... there honestly had not been much change between them in months. Everything felt calm for once in their lives, things were settled, even if the present held a chaotic, at-times insatiable little gremlin, and the future held a nerve-wracking change. They had each sent in their school applications months ago, after a fun morning with Neo. So now all they had to do was wait to either get accepted or rejected... and that sucked. At least for Yang. Weiss was definitely going to be accepted into her program, there was no doubt about it, but the blonde was nervous, even though her girlfriend and roommate expressed their confidence in her abilities, time and time again.
After their applications had been submitted, the couple went on to tell the family, most notably Raven, Summer and Tai, which were all met with high praise. In particular, Raven offered to entirely waive their apartment bills for the duration of Yang's schooling if she gets in. Meanwhile, Summer offered to let the blonde job-shadow her for a few days a week, to get a feel for being in a professional kitchen, which sounded amazing. Yang practically grew up being her mother's assistant in the kitchen anyway, so using that to help her transition into a job setting was a great idea. Unfortunately, it meant that she was working less shifts at the bar. but Cinder and Qrow picked up the slack for her, both of them happy for her new pursuit.
For Weiss, Raven offered to pay her to come in and help with paperwork once a week, to get her used to being part of a small business. Cinder stressed that being part of a big company was easy, everything was structured, clean, so to speak, and there was always someone to go to when there was an issue. Being part of or owning a small business was difficult, for a multitude of reasons. So, Weiss gladly accepted the challenge.
Suddenly, the sound of the apartment's front door loudly closing drew Yang from her thoughts. Glancing over from her spot on the couch, where she was currently watching some TV before getting started on breakfast, she found Neo, still clad in her light-pink robe, clutching a pile of mail as she slipped off her shoes, nose and cheeks red from the cold winter weather outside. The blonde would have gotten the mail herself... but she felt too lazy.
"How'd the mail run go?" Yang wondered as her roommate walked over, trying to warm herself up. They all wished that the mail would just get delivered to the apartment, but since it and the bar were the same property, it went to the bar. Though on the bright side, rather than having to go down several flights of stairs to a cluster mailbox, it was just down one set of stairs to go collect their stuff from Raven.
Chilly, but good. Neo answered using her text-to-speech, before cracking a smile. Except I might've flashed your mom a little before I left. The robe's a bit breezy today.
Yang could not help but smirk a bit, looking down at the mute's robe, which was not exactly tied up very tightly. "Oh, and I guess you're gonna blame me for that?" She questioned, having a decent idea of what the answer was going to be, given the prior night's activities.
Well, my nips have got big bruises again because of you, so yeah. Neo informed with a smirk.
"You say that like you don't love it." Yang defended with a smirk of her own. "Plus, pretty sure Weiss' responsible for those. You should know by now that those are her favourite spots." After all, her girlfriend was a hardcore chest gal.
You both inflict your fair share. Neo shot.
"I could always stop if you want." Yang offered, smirk growing slier. She knew just how much some of the things she did drove the mute insane.
DON'T YOU DARE. Neo threatened, levelling a pout at her roommate.
Yang only laughed, seeing that the text on her friend's scroll was actually in all caps. "That's what I thought, pipsqueak." She grinned. "Now come bring me the mail. I don't not pay you for nothin'."
Silently giggling, Neo did exactly that, walking over with the pile of mail in her hands. Though rather than simply handing it to her roommate, or sitting down next to her, she decided to plop down on the blonde's lap, earning a slight grunt. But that did not bother Yang, since having a hot woman in her lap was always a good thing. She just went through the mail once it was handed to her. In the pile there was the usual bunch of junk mail that will go straight into the recycling, a relatively small box addressed to Neo...
"And what might this be?" Yang inquired, holding out the box to her lap-occupant. "Did you order another weird sex toy?"
Of course not. Neo quickly denied. Those are coming next week. That's just a shark-themed onesie.
Yang furrowed her brow at the answer. "A shark onesie?"
From this virtual youtuber I watch while I work sometimes. Neo clarified. Wanna see?
That was an easy question. "Absolutely I do." Yang nodded with a bright smile. The mute looked so cute in stuff like that, which definitely made the fact that she was thirty-five more amusing. "Go throw it on while I sort through the rest of this." She requested, only for Neo to grin, jump up, and undo and drop her robe on the spot, exposing her entire naked body, partially full of various marks as usual. It was always a wonderful sight to behold, even if it was not exactly an uncommon one. "Or you can change right here. That works too." Yang shrugged, tossing her friend the box to open. "Now I get to sort with a show."
Just as Neo began to rip open the small box like an animal, the apartment's front door opened, and Weiss walked in from her morning jog, clad in her winter running gear. Upon closing the door, she immediately raised a brow at the mildly-strange sight before her. Although, it certainly was not the weirdest thing she had walked in on before.
"Oh hey, Weiss. Good jog?" Yang wondered, while Neo waved with a grin, which in turn jiggled her bare chest.
"It was." Weiss nodded, taking off her jacket and hat before crouching down to remove her running shoes. "The cold winter air is always a good motivator to keep moving." She explained, walking through the living room, all while Neo was just standing there, still naked. "Anything interesting in the mail?"
Yang almost forgot she was sorting through it. "Let's see... the usual bunch of junk mail, Neo's onesie package, and..." Then she paused, eyes widening a bit at the last two envelopes. "Letters from the schools we applied to..."
Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and chugging half of it, Weiss returned to the living room and sat down next to her girlfriend. Realizing the now-serious mood, Neo redonned her robe and sat on the other side of the blonde. Yang then handed Weiss her letter, watching intently as she opened it with a smile, but... that smile soon faded into a concerned frown.
"We are genuinely sorry to inform you that we will not be able to offer you a place in the course in the coming year." Weiss read aloud, shoulders slumping as she lowered the letter.
Yang... was at a loss. "Shit, Weiss, I'm so sorry..." She could not have heard that right. How could her girlfriend not have gotten in...?
Before Weiss could answer, Neo got up off of the couch, knelt before her, and took hold of her hands, trying to give her a comforting sight. An adorable woman in a fluffy pink robe, with the knowledge of her being bare underneath. Comforting was definitely one way to put it. In response, Weiss reached down to gently caress the mute's cheek. "Well, perhaps they were full. I'll try and find out more later." She assured, earning a smile from Neo, who quickly jumped back onto to the couch, wrapping her arms around her friend.
Next was Yang's letter, which she was now terrified about. If her partner did not get into her program... how could she even have a chance? She was nowhere near as brilliant, or as capable... Sure, she cooked well, but was that enough for the school she applied to? Taking a deep breath, Yang decided to just fuck it. The letter was already in her hands, so she might as well open it and get the rejection over with. Taking a deep breath, she opened up the envelope, unfolded the letter, and began to read. Then her eyes widened at what was written on the page.
"We are happy to inform you that... Holy fuckin' shit, I can't believe it! I got in!" Yang burst, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"Congratulations, Yang. I'm so proud of you." Weiss smiled, leaning over to wrap her girlfriend in a hug, before pulling back a bit to meet her in a loving kiss.
Once they separated, smiling at one another at the good news, their moment was interrupted by a certain gremlin, who fully tackled Yang into the couch, attacking her face and neck with kisses. A few moments of that later, she met the blonde in a brief, yet surprisingly-deep kiss. Wow, someone's excited. Yang could not help but laugh internally. If she were to tell herself from last year that the mute would be so... affectionate, she would have called her current self insane. Once Neo was done her onslaught of kisses, settling with cuddling into her chest, Yang made a realization that... she was really committing to this. She was actually going to culinary school...
Meanwhile, Weiss just chuckled at the admittedly sweet display in front of her. "I realize that it's not even noon yet, but shall I fetch the champagne?" She wondered, prompting the other two to look over at her with curious expressions. "I believe we should celebrate somehow."
Before Yang could even open her mouth, Neo quickly sat up to straddle her, and just ripped open her fluffy robe with a huge grin, exposing her entire naked body once more. Well, if it was not clear that she was up for a little late-morning fun, it certainly was now.
Somewhat surprisingly, Weiss only chuckled at the silent offer. "That is also an option."
Yang laughed, shaking her head. As much as part of her wanted to indulge in her more... primal urges, and just take her partner and roommate right there on the living room couch, the majority of her wanted something far more... simple. So, sitting up, she closed and retied Neo's robe, much to her disappointment, which was shown through a cute, childish pout, and opened her arms out wide.
"Just get over here, both of ya."
It was a strange feeling to have things settled for an entire year, especially with all the craziness that came before. Coco had to get used to that.
Honestly, it was almost hard to believe how far she, Ruby and Pyrrha had come during that time, both as a trio, and as individuals. For instance, Coco's online following had grown a hell of a lot over the past year, with her total follower count across the various social media platforms she used passing one million recently, and her paid backer counter getting close to ten thousand. She was doing what she loved every day, and it paid more than a full-time job, which was a nice perk. The latter meant that she could buy nice things for her friends, family, and amazing partners.
Meanwhile, Pyrrha was promoted to Head Personal Trainer at the gym she worked at, as well as assumed partial ownership of the business itself, both of which happened a few months ago. Somehow, Coco always found herself forgetting that even though the redhead spent a lot of time exercising and working out, she still worked at a gym. Or rather, now she worked at a gym she partially owned. Although, Pyrrha was not sure when she initially received the offer of ownership, so she consulted Weiss about it, and by no surprise, she was encouraged to accept it.
As for Ruby, her boss boss, Salem, promoted her earlier in the year to Lead IT Consultant. A position that not only paid a bunch more, but gave her far more flexible working hours, at least for the most part. To put it simply, Big Red was now Salem's personal tech support, and was no longer dealing with the nitty gritty. Whenever the CEO needed something done that involved tech, Ruby was the one she contacted. It was less work overall, but much more important work, which definitely scared the hell out of her for the first couple weeks.
Actually, before Ruby got the promotion, she half-though that she was going to be fired upon being called to Salem's office, because it had been a rough week of issues in the IT department. The leadership had suffered a departure and a sickness, leaving her with a lot more work than she was used to. Salem had expected more downtime because of the smaller staff, but things went surprisingly smooth, so she looked into why. While doing so, she saw that even though Ruby was prone to stress, worked very well under pressure. Which then gave her the idea to give her a huge promotion.
After that, Coco started joking about how Ruby was the one with the pants in the house, just because she sometimes handled business from home, complete with the stereotypical pacing around with an earpiece in her ear. The brunette absolutely loved topping her younger partner - she was so gods damn adorable in her grasp - but seeing her be a professional businesswoman at home was sexy as hell. It made her want Ruby to turn the tables and just have her way with her.
And that gave Pyrrha an idea.
A couple months ago, the redhead brought up wanting to watch Ruby dominate Coco. The latter was immediately up for it, since she had watched her be professional at home for months, but the former was not as sure, responding with something that the other two sort of expected. But... I'm smol. Ruby had told them, confused by the idea. They were so used to Pyrrha controlling the show, or even Coco taking care of Ruby, that the latter had no idea what to do with the reigns if she were to be given them. Their older partner explained that their relationship needed to be able to work naturally, no matter the pair. Plus, Coco had a submissive streak that Ruby was perfect for exploring every so often.
But gods, once Big Red was over the nervousness of being in control, she was surprisingly good at it, and Coco loved every second.
Finally, just under a month ago, the trio went to Vale's courthouse to get a marriage certificate for the three of them. The person helping them was a little confused at first, given how the Reds were already married, and they received some curious, as well as a few skeptical looks, but actually getting the certificate was as straightforward as expected. Yang accompanied them as their witness, as she had for Pyrrha and Ruby years before, and was so incredibly happy to truly welcome Coco to the family. Even more than when she was accepted into their relationship in the first place.
The following weekend, they had a little party with the family at The Perch, or rather, the family spot. Coco did originally want to host it at their own apartment, but after some discussion, the trio agreed that the bar was far better suited for a family get-together. Plus, with everyone attending, it might have gotten a little cramped at their place, even though it was not exactly small. But overall, everyone had a wonderful time. Summer made a small-scale wedding cake for them, with buttercream frosting instead of fondant icing, and Ruby ended up eating more of it than anyone, second only to Neo, who loved sweets, and had never experienced Summer's baking before.
Although, as fun as the party was, nothing could top Yang's greeting when she showed up.
Ah, well if it isn't my former lover. Hello, sister.
Coco was lucky that she was not drinking anything at the time, or else it would have been coming out of her nose. Of course, she absolutely got her back later when they were all talking about and congratulating the newlyweds. And Coco did so by saying to her new sister-in-law, in front of their entire family, And to think, this all started from us goin' to town on each other's sexy parts! Which caused not only Yang, but Summer to nearly spit out their drinks, and Raven to laugh her ass off. Though the blonde did remind her that they never fully had sex, so that statement was not quite accurate. Either way, it was a great afternoon.
But the current day was pretty good too.
It began fairly normal. Ruby was at work, Pyrrha was doing various errands, and Coco was at her fancy desk - which the redhead had bought and set up for her birthday last year - working away on her crazy-long list of commissions. Unfortunately, a side effect of really getting into her work was slouching in her office chair, which had led to some back and neck problems. Upon noticing, Pyrrha took it upon herself to... remedy those pains, with hot-oil massages. On this particular day, her wife... which still felt crazy to say, had persuaded her to take a break... using her body. How could she say no?
A couple hours later, Coco had woken up naked in the worship room, to find an equally-nude Pyrrha toweling her down and getting out the oil. She was offered a cold bottle of water before they began, which she quickly accepted, before being gently rolled into a comfortable position on her stomach. After that, Pyrrha climbed atop her bare thighs, and began the massage. How that woman was not a professional masseuse was beyond her. A little while into the heavenly massage, the sound of the apartment's front door opening was heard, followed by that of their wife's voice calling for them.
"In the worship room, sweetheart." Pyrrha called back, not stopping her ministrations for a second.
They heard Ruby make a B-line through the apartment, clearly interested to see what was going on. Though when she arrived, she pouted. It was adorable. "Aw, no fair! I didn't know getting a naked massage was an option!"
Pyrrha only chuckled at the complaint. "This is for our dear Coco's troublesome posture." She clarified. "But of course I am more than happy to give you a massage after we're done talking."
Meanwhile, Coco was in heaven under the redhead's strong touch, as usual. So she just looked over at her younger wife through lidded gaze. "C'mere'll massage your puss." She managed, not exactly coherently.
Amusingly enough, Ruby merely stood there for a moment, as if processing the request, but it did not take long for her to be reaching down to undo and drop her dress pants and underwear, then hurrying over. Though before she could get on the bed in front of the brunette, she was halted by her first wife.
"Before you get too ahead of yourselves, isn't there something you wanted to bring up with Coco, darling?" Pyrrha softly inquired, as she continued to work on her lower back.
"Oh, yeah!" Ruby burst, quickly dropping down to her knees in front of Coco, in order to look her in the eyes. "So... Pyr's family owns a cabin in the mountains of Mistral, and we were wonderin'... if you'd wanna spend some time out there. Y'know... like a little honeymoon for the three of us." She explained with a blushing smile. "It's near a village, so there's plenty of hiking trails and stuff, but it's still private enough that we'd have the surrounding area all to ourselves. We could get up to whatever we want for the whole time we're there."
"Mmm... Sounds heavenly..." Coco mumbled.
Pyrrha then bent down, body partially pressing into the brunette's as she leaned in close to her ear. "And no one will hear either of you scream when you're in my hands." She purred, right as she cracked Coco's back, causing her to let out a noise that was a mix between a sigh and a moan.
Ruby laughed at the reaction. "I'll take that as a yes."
Leaning back up, Pyrrha resumed her massaging. "Hm, then how does a month away sound?"
"Month, two... I don't mind how long we're out there..." Coco murmured, simply enjoying the feeling of her older wife kneading all of the stress out of her muscles, while being able to lovingly stare at her younger one. Gods, she loved these women so much. But mostly unseen by the brunette, Pyrrha and Ruby shared a relatively quick look, and both smiled.
"Well, guess I'll have to talk to Salem about it then."
Two years after receiving that fateful proposal, Cinder was married.
Dipped low in embrace, she stared up at her incredible, beautiful partner, her wife, grinning brightly down at her, joyful laughter barely piercing the cheers surrounding them. It was surreal. She could hardly believe it, after months and months of extensive planning. It was perfect, every last moment. Partly thanks to Weiss, who had taken the pressure off the couple in planning the wedding. Despite being granted a blank cheque, the former punk had been quite conservative with her spending. Even their attire had been sourced from lesser-known, but high-quality tailors, eager to have their services advertised by a Schnee associate.
Raven was clad in a fully-black, Mistrali-made suit - which made Cinder weak at the knees to behold - and Yang, as her best woman matched, with a dark orange dress shirt to contrast. Then, Vernal and Glynda, her groomswomen, had similar black suits, with deep-red and dark-green dress shirts respectively. Meanwhile, Cinder was clad in an elegant crimson dress - with no scar or burn coverings other than her mask - and Nora, as her maid of honour, and the one who walked her down the isle, was in a black dress with pink accents. Finally, Weiss and Salem were her bridesmaids, wearing similar black dresses with blue and lilac accents respectively. All in all, they were a force to be reckoned with to their partners, as well as anyone else who found them attractive.
Equally-amazing was their wedding venue. They were holding the ceremony and subsequent party in the fall, at an old Atlesian-style mansion, surrounded by so much forest that it was practically out in the wilderness, yet still not too far away from civilization. It was perfect. Neither Cinder nor Raven really had any idea where they wanted to get married, so Weiss put together a series of possible venues that she thought they would like, and the mansion was the fourth one they saw. A place that was not a stuffy church, nor at some other cheesily-romantic place, and it was out of the city? Now that was an instant-pick for them.
Although, as helpful as Weiss was with the wedding planning, when it came to the bachelorette parties, those was more Nora and Yang territory. Because what kind of wedding would it be without those? Or so that pair put it. For Raven's, organized by Yang, and attended by Vernal, Summer and Ruby, they went for a nice lunch, then spent the afternoon at a spa. Definitely not something that anyone would think Raven would be into, but she actually loved it. As for Cinder's party, organized by Nora, and attended by Coco, Salem... and Pyrrha, they went out for a barbeque-style dinner, then spent the rest of the evening around a bonfire. It was wonderful, even with a certain redhead. But Nora did say she wanted them to have fun together, to be a family, and surprisingly, they did.
"Well, guess it's official now. Your ass is stuck with me." Suddenly came Raven's quiet voice, pulling the younger woman from her thoughts. Cinder realized that they were still on the altar, standing before their family and friends, arms wrapped around each other, and her wife was still holding her low, having not lifted her back up onto her feet yet. Honestly, she had no sly remark to shoot back with, because what the older woman said was true. She was Raven's, and she could not be happier.
Cinder Branwen.
Upon being lifted back up to stand, the newly-married couple were showered with cheers and applause from their family and friends. They took a few moments to simply enjoy it, before moving on to go sign their marriage certificate, with Yang and Weiss as their witnesses. After that was done, Raven made a couple announcements about what was going to follow the ceremony, and then told everyone to move into the next room, because it was time to have some fun.
About twenty minutes later, the party was in full swing.
Cinder and Raven had briefly retired to their pre-marriage rooms to change the former fully changing into a simpler, knee-length dress, and the latter ditching her jacket and tie, and rolling up her sleeves. The younger woman especially would have gotten quite uncomfortable spending the entire night in her wedding dress. Once the pair returned to the main room, hand in hand, they were happy to see everyone already mingling amongst each other. Through the small crowd, they could see Pyrrha and Coco speaking with Vernal and Nora, Summer and Salem sharing a drink - which was certainly an odd sight - Qrow, Tai and Neo already eating cake, Ruby and Weiss dancing away, and strangest of all, Yang entertaining the Ozpin children. Well, the act itself was not strange, as the blonde always seemed like she would be great with children, rather who's children it was.
Of course, it did not take long for the newlyweds to be swarmed by their guests, all offering their congratulations... practically at the same time. Honestly, it quickly got overwhelming. So much so that Raven had to tell everyone to chill the hell out for a while. They had all night to talk, chat, and so on, so just go have fun. Thankfully, that worked, and eventually the crowd dispersed, with their family and friends all returning to the party. The only person who remained... was Glynda, who smiled warmly upon approaching the pair.
"Congratulations, you two." Glynda hummed, stepping forward to wrap the couple in a hug, which was quickly reciprocated as she softly kissed them both on the cheek. "I didn't get the chance to say it before, but you both look absolutely beautiful."
"Hey, you're not so bad yourself, Glyn." Raven smirked after the trio separated, glancing down at their friend. "You rock that suit so damn hard."
Glynda just chuckled, glancing down as well. "Not as hard as you, Rae."
Cinder smiled, rolling her eye at the incredibly-obvious flirty exchange. "Please, you're both knockouts. Though I am worried about the top buttons of your dress shirts, because from what I can see, they're looking a little stressed." She teased, causing the other two to laugh. It was fun to know that after certain events, this was the new normal. Although even now, it was hard to believe that such events actually happened, multiple times. The prospect was surprising at first, given how back when Raven and Glynda first went out on a date, the former described it as two friends trying to be romantic, but in reality, it was because she was in love with Cinder, which still made her feel all warm and fuzzy, years later. But now, that was no issue, so the trio... gave it a shot.
The first time, last year, the couple had taken their friend out to an upscale restaurant for dinner, then once they were all certain that they truly wanted it, they retired to Cinder and Raven's condo for some late-night activities. However, before they began, Glynda confessed that she had not been with a woman since she was in college, and even then it was only once going all the way, so it might take some time for her to learn the ropes again. That was no problem at all. They went slow, gave plenty of time for adjusting, figuring that there was no rush, and took good care of Glynda.
It was definitely strange the morning after, realizing that she and Raven had sex with her therapist, but one thing was for certain. Cinder could absolutely handle her.
The pair had gotten together with their friend a number of times since then, most coming with a little less formality, which essentially meant that they would meet up at either the couple's condo, or the blonde's home, spend a little time together, then get down to business. They even roleplayed a few times, which was just... It was heaven. Unfortunately, Cinder and Raven had been so focused on the wedding for the past while, that they had not gotten any good chances to spend proper time with Glynda. Well, they had not gotten to spend that kind of time with her. They still hung out.
"My my, I hadn't realized you were staring." Glynda teased right back, smirking at the younger woman. "Just how much should I be looking forward to getting together after your honeymoon?"
Cinder opened her mouth to shoot back with a sly remark, Raven seemed to have other ideas. "I dunno, Glyn. I'm not sure if we can keep doin' this after we're married and stuff." She commented, much to her wife's shock.
Glynda's shoulders slumped upon hearing that, gaze falling a bit as she clearly became dejected. "Oh, yes, of course... I understand."
"I'm kiddin'." Raven quickly assured with a smirk, causing her friend to blink in surprise. "We can't wait to see you in our bed when we get back, 'cause I'm sure we'll both be cravin' you by then."
After a few moments, Glynda seemed to understand. "Well, it's nice to be desired." She chuckled, before her smile faded, leading the couple to wonder what was wrong. "But that aside... May I speak with you two about something more serious?" She wondered, to which the other two to simple nod. A brief silence followed, and the therapist took a deep breath. "I have been stuck in my life ever since James died, with the only thing even close to joy I had was knowing I was helping people through my job. But after that first, wonderful night I spent with you two, getting to experience real intimacy again... I realized there can be more to life again than just work." Glynda explained, smiling at the memory.
"Then speaking with Yang, I thought about how much I would want a daughter just like her, or like Weiss." The therapist continued. "Over the years, I've gotten to see and hear first-hand how close you and Yang have become, Rae, and... I'm envious. I can feel something missing from my own life. So... I know I have spoken to you before about how I've been making plans to adopt, but... when that happens, I want you two to be the child's godparents."
Both Cinder and Raven merely blinked at the request, not expecting something so... heavy. Though the former did not even have to open her mouth, as her wife had them covered. "We'd be honoured, Glyn." Raven assured with a smile. Cinder smiled and nodded as well.
Saying nothing, Glynda stepped forward and wrapped the couple in a tighter hug, leaning in to plant soft, prolonged kisses on their cheeks, then again on the jaws. The latter made the other two both chuckle a bit before reciprocating, pecking their friend on each cheek. "I love you both so much." Glynda proclaimed, tightening her hug around the pair.
"We love you too, Glyn." Raven and Cinder practically said in unison, pulling the blonde close.
After a brief time of the trio simply enjoying their hug, the couple noticed that their friend was not letting go. So Raven pulled back slightly to look at the therapist with a quirked brow. "Awfully clingy there, aren't you, Glyn? You hopin' to join us in the honeymoon suite later?"
Surprisingly, Glynda just chuckled at the question, finally releasing the pair from the hug. "While I appreciate the offer, I couldn't possibly think of intruding. This is your day."
Cinder and Raven shared a look. "This day is meant to be shared, Glyn, so why not the night too?" The former wondered, unable to stop her lips from curling into a slight smirk.
For a moment, Glynda only glanced between the couple in front of her, perhaps considering the generous offer. Even without speaking a single word, the other two could tell that she wanted to accept, but something stopped her. "I'll think about it." Glynda finally decided with a small grin. "In the meantime, I think I'll mingle for a while, give you some time to chat with some of your other guests." She added, gaze lingering on the pair for another moment before she turned and walked into the crowd, leaving the newlyweds free for the next person.
"Hello, dear." Suddenly came Salem's voice from beside them, prompting the couple to turn and face her. "Congratulations on your big day."
Before Cinder could even open her mouth, Raven beat her to it. "Thanks, Boss Lady, and thanks for comin'."
"It was my pleasure." Salem smiled, stepping closer to her ex-employee, looking her straight in the eye. "Look at how far you have come." She praised, then doing something... extremely unexpected. She opened her arms for a hug. The younger woman merely stood there for a moment, confused, before hesitantly stepping forward to meet her previous boss in a gentle hug. "I'm proud of you, Cinder." Salem added, tightening the hug a bit.
"Thank you, Salem." Cinder managed after a few moments of silence, actually enjoying the embrace. She was glad that they were close now, having started talking more after she had accepted the severance money. Cinder introduced her to Raven, and over time, the two became close enough for her to ask Salem to be one of her bridesmaids. Hell, the older woman was almost in a sort of maternal role to her, which was definitely new, but not unwelcome. She was the kind of authority figure that Cinder needed.
Upon releasing her friend, Salem smiled at the pair. "In addition to the wedding gifts, I would like to do something for you." She explained, turning to the older of the couple. "Have you ever considered letting people invest in your business, Raven? It would allow you to easily expand, perhaps with another location in the city."
Raven just shrugged. "Honestly, never really thought about it."
"Well, if you ever want to start thinking about it, I have been looking to diversify my portfolio for quite some time, and would love to invest." Salem encouraged with a warm smile, before turning to the younger woman. "But speaking of work, have you thought any more about my job offer, Cinder? It's yours if you want it."
Cinder nodded. "I have, but unfortunately I haven't come to a decision yet, as we've been so focused on the wedding as of late." She admitted. "Once we return from our honeymoon, we can speak more about it."
"That sounds perfect, but don't trouble yourself by thinking about it during your trip. Take as much time as you need." Salem assured, smile not fading. "Now if you will excuse me, I must visit the ladies room." She added, turning on a heel and heading towards the washrooms. For a brief moment, the couple thought that they would get a small break, and a chance to get a snack, but it was not long before a certain, short woman practically slammed into Raven, throwing her arms around her to wrap her in a crushing hug. She was followed by Taiyang and Qrow, the latter carrying a plate of half-eaten cake.
"Ohhh, I can't believe you're married! Congratulations!" Summer gushed, almost shaking her friend back and forth in her hug, before leaning up to pepper her faces with a barrage of kisses. It was rather amusing for Cinder to see her wife struggle. At least it's not me.
"Thanks, Sum." Raven managed, smiling as she tried her best to keep her balance.
Surprisingly, it did not take long for Summer to release her friend, but not completely. She kept a firm hold on Raven's shoulders, staring her right in the eyes. "How are you doing? Are you comfortable? Have you had enough water today? Are you hungry? Is the music volume alright?" Summer inquired, only to be interrupted mid-questioning.
"Hey, I'm all good, promise." Raven assured, reaching up to ruffle the shorter woman's hair, like a child, which earned an adorable pout. "Stop bein' a mom for five minutes and enjoy yourself."
After a moment, Summer let out a huff. "Fine, fine, but you're coming to me if anything's wrong, got it?"
Raven just chuckled at the request. "Sure, Sum." She agreed, which thankfully seemed to work. Unfortunately, that meant Summer then set her sights on the younger of the pair, wasting no time before wrapping her in an equally-crushing hug, and happily welcoming her to the family.
Next was Taiyang, who thankfully kept his excitement in check, giving Raven and Cinder much gentler hugs. "Congrats on the big day." He smiled upon releasing the former. "And I can't believe it took twenty years for me to realize you look so much better in a suit than I do." He added, earning a chuckle from Raven, and a smirk from Cinder. You're damn right she does.
"Come now, Tai, you look amazing!" Summer encouraged, wrapping an arm around her husband's shoulders and leaning up to peck him on the cheek.
"Debatable." Qrow added with a smirk, much to the annoyance of Taiyang. "But man, never expected to see you gettin' hitched before me, big sis."
Raven just quirked a brow at her brother. "Do you even have a girlfriend?"
"I've got stuff in the works." Qrow tried to defend, through a mouth full of cake.
"I will take that as a no." Cinder commented, unable to stop herself from smirking.
"At least I've never shacked up with one of my employees." Qrow shot, earning an eyeroll from his sister, and an amused chuckle from Cinder. Oh how they had done plenty of shacking up as boss and employee. They were quite fortunate that the older woman's office had a lock, and was relatively well-insulated.
"Oh shut your trap and go eat some more cake." Raven grumbled, just as her brother finished his current plate of cake.
After a little more conversation and joking around, Summer, Taiyang and Qrow moved on, which gave Cinder and Raven a change to grab a snack, because they were hungry. They never realized just how much energy the preparation and ceremony had taken out of them. So they heated over to main snack table, filled up a couple plates, and headed over to a free table for a little downtime before they were approached again. Though of course, it did not take long for them to be joined by a certain married trio, the youngest of which wrapped her step-mother in a hug from behind.
"Congrats, you two!" Ruby beamed. "Told ya you could still be the old lesbians when you're hitched!"
Quirking a brow, Raven turned around to face her step-daughter. "You callin' us old?"
"'Course not!" Ruby defended, releasing Raven from her hug. "I'm just happy you're married!" She claimed, moving over to Cinder, before wrapping her in a Summer-level-of-tightness hug from behind. It was a good thing she put her food down first. "'Cause now I've got another step-mom! Welcome to the family, Aunt Cinder!"
While she did enjoy the hug, as well as being called aunt, Cinder had to wait until her new step-daughter to release her before responding. "Thank you, Ruby." She smiled, just as the younger woman plopped down in the seat next to her with a plate full of desserts that her second wife handed her upon sitting down as well
As for her first wife, Pyrrha, after hugging Raven, simply extended a hand to Cinder. "Congratulations, Cinder."
Cinder could not help but smirk, glad to know that the redhead had finally accepted her place as a frenemy, for lack of a better way to put it. "Thank you, Pyrrha." She smiled, accepting the hand and shaking it.
"So, now that you're married to a mother, are you prepared to take responsibility as a mother yourself?" Pyrrha teased. Gods damnit. "Because I for one believe it's time for you to assume your matriarchal role in the family."
Rather than shooting back with a sly remark, Cinder raised her brow, actually wondering something. "And what of you? I'm surprised you don't have children yet."
Pyrrha merely smiled. "Don't we?"
Cinder furrowed her brow, legitimately curious. "Do you?"
"Wait and see." Pyrrha shrugged, walking around the table to sit next to her second wife, who was munching away on snacks with Ruby.
"Are you tellin' me I'm gonna be a grandma?" Raven questioned, brow raised.
"In due time." Pyrrha informed with a gentle smile. "I would like to carry if possible, but if that doesn't work out, adoption is also an option."
While Cinder was interested to hear that the redhead was truly interested in carrying her own child, Raven only groaned. "Ugh, like I didn't have enough shit that makes me feel old." The latter grumbled.
"You stopped aging like, ten years ago!" Ruby claimed through a mouth full of desserts.
"And what a great place to stop." Coco added with a smirk.
Cinder wholeheartedly agreed there. "You're damn right."
"Wish my joints could say the same, Squirt." Raven commented, reaching behind herself to rub her back.
"Y'know, Pyr's got a killer massage that'll help with that." Coco noted.
"Yeah, I've heard how those end. Not interested." Raven quickly decided, causing Cinder to crack a smile, trying not to laugh. She had heard about those infamous massages from Yang, who had of course heard about them from Coco, and they were not exactly something that should be shared with family members.
"Don't be silly, Aunt Raven. The happy endings are reserved for us!" Ruby defended.
"Don't be weird, Ruby." Cinder commented, rolling her eye.
"I'll remember that next time you need tech support, Aunt Cinder." Ruby threatened, grinning.
"And I'll remember that next time you want a Strawberry Sunrise." Cinder shot right back with a grin of her own.
After a moment, Ruby just laughed. "I always knew you'd make a good part of the family."
"Seconded." Coco added with a pair of finger guns, earning some laughter from the others.
A little while later, once the newlyweds were finished chatting with the married trio, they found themselves almost bouncing between guests, receiving more congratulations from some, and simply chatting with others. It was not until Cinder spotted Vernal and Nora, the latter leading the former by the hand as she raided the dessert table, that she felt a desire to go talk to specific people. So, grabbing Raven, she headed across the main room toward the pair. It was nice to see Vernal so... comfortable out in public, as ever since she opened up emotionally to them, Cinder felt an almost... motherly sense toward her. Honestly, it was difficult not to think of her as a daughter, because she practically was for Raven, but if Vernal ever desired to make it a little more official, the papers hidden in the older woman's office would truly set it in stone. Although, that was a topic that the couple would bring up after they returned from their honeymoon.
"Enjoying the desserts, are we?" Cinder wondered as she and her wife approached their friends.
The moment she heard her voice, Nora's head snapped toward her friend. "You bet I am!" She beamed, mouth full of what appeared to be tart. Though that did not stop her from squealing and almost running around the dessert table to wrap Cinder in a crushing hug. "But look at you! You're married! Cindy Branwen!"
Cinder could not help but chuckle at the redhead's gushing. "Yes, Nora, I'm married." She echoed, realizing that the younger woman was going to get a lot of mileage out of how she took her wife's last name. But she might as well just enjoy the attention, because it was probably going to take a while for her friend to wear herself out. That was certainly the case in the bedroom.
Meanwhile, out of the corner of her eye, Cinder watched as Raven wrapped Vernal in a far-gentler, motherly hug, which was gladly reciprocated. "Thanks for bein' part of my wedding party, sweetheart." She quietly hummed. "How're you doing?"
"I'm good, but... feels kinda weird to be at a wedding for real." Vernal admitted, resting her head against the older woman's chest. "Feels like things are gonna change, but I dunno how..."
Raven merely smiled, gently rubbing her employee's back. "'Course things are gonna change, hon. I'm married now, which... isn't something I thought I'd actually say, but y'know, here we are." She explained with a slight chuckle. "But things aren't changin' between us, promise."
Vernal was quiet for a brief time, before eventually nodding. "Okay... I love you, Rae..."
Raven leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of the younger woman's head. "Love you too, kiddo."
Once Nora was finally done with gushing about her friend's newly-married status, she excitedly brought her over to her girlfriend to do exactly what was expected, and gush about her suit. Honestly, Cinder had not noticed it before, since she was in Raven's half of the wedding party, but Vernal's suit appeared to be a surprisingly-expensive one, and she truly looked incredible.
"I used some of the money you gave me to buy it!" Nora beamed, wrapping her arms around the woman in question from behind, adorably nuzzling into her neck, which caused a blush to tint her cheeks. "Doesn't she look so hot?!"
Cinder let out a chuckle at the pair in front of her and Raven. "She does indeed." She agreed, stepping forward and reaching up to straighten the younger woman's tie. "You wear it quite well, Vernal." Cinder smiled, before reaching up farther to fix her hair a little, as it was a bit out of place, probably thanks to a certain redhead. "Would you like me to touch up your lipstick? It seems that someone devoured half of it."
Vernal just looked away out of embarrassment. "Y-Yeah, sure." She timidly agreed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a tube of lipstick, causing the older woman to quirk her brow, wondering why she had it so readily available. "I had a feeling it'd be screwed up at some point."
And Cinder was sure that it would be screwed up again before the end of the night, but she still reapplied it anyway.
After a little while longer of chatting with the couple, which did primarily consist of Nora gushing about her girlfriend, they moved onto the next couple. Or rather, the next couple that happened to come with an ex-parasite as a package deal. Well, ex-ex-parasite. She and Cinder were at least on decent terms, especially after hearing about how she had started joining Yang and Weiss in the bedroom almost a year and a half ago, and somehow did not fuck everything up. In fact, they were doing quite well for themselves. Yang had begun working at a local family restaurant as Summer's apprentice, which was great, but also unfortunate since they did not see her as much; Weiss was partway through business school, and happily no longer working at Two Scoops of Vale; and Neo... Well. she was still working her two jobs, but making more money due to a further growth in popularity.
"Congrats mom. You married your employee." Yang grinned, wrapping her mother in a tight hug, which was quickly reciprocated. Oh, so now I'm just an employee.
"Oh shut up and be happy for me." Raven grumbled, yet still with a grin of her own.
"Congratulations to the both of you." Weiss offered, meeting the younger of the pair for a gentler hug.
"You did a great fuckin' job on the wedding, Weiss." Raven praised as she received a hug from her almost-daughter-in-law. "Glad you're part of the family."
"Thank you, Raven. So am I." Weiss smiled, a slight blush tinting her cheeks as she stepped back, allowing Neo to get a hug from the older woman.
"Hey, twerp, lookin' good." Raven smirked, wrapping the mute in a tight hug. "How's the porn business?"
Booming. Your daughters make great nude concept models. Neo informed, looking up to grin at Raven, who only laughed, reaching up to ruffle her multicoloured hair, earning a silent giggle.
While the pair continued their hug, Cinder merely looked over at Yang, incredibly skeptically. In response, the blonde just shrugged. "Hey, she pays well. And it's not like it's anything she hasn't seen before."
Finally, after Raven released her, Neo stepped forward to face Cinder. Congratulations, and thank you for inviting me. Her text-to-voice expressed, while she smiled, before timidly opening her arms for a hug. Cinder was hesitant, since the two were still not exactly friends, nor even really friendly, but eventually, she figured that she would give her this one. It is my wedding after all. Letting out a sigh, she reluctantly accepted the mute's hug, somewhat-awkwardly patting her on the back a couple times before they separated.
"Welcome to the family, Cin. Glad to have ya." Yang brightly smiled, hooking an arm around her new step-mother's shoulders, and pulling her close.
"Thank you, daughter dearest." Cinder grinned, patting the blonde's toned abs a few times.
As expected, Yang groaned. "And, moment ruined." She grumbled, almost-immediately releasing the older woman, which earned a chuckle as the blonde started to walk away. It was so easy to tease this girl.
"To think, not even three years ago, you had your tongue in my mouth." Cinder commented as she followed her step-daughter towards the snack tables.
"We're at your wedding." Yang reminded, trying to get away, but failing.
"Doesn't mean I can't reminisce with my step-daughter." Cinder defended, wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulders, halting her escape.
"This entire family is fucked." Yang sighed.
"Just like what you wanted to do to me that night." Cinder noted with a grin.
"I'm going back to my girlfriend." Yang attempted to inform, only to be stopped by the older woman. "And you were the one who offered!"
"True." Cinder shrugged, not letting go. "But I could see the temptation in your eyes. It was fiery."
Yang just rolled her eyes. "Hilarious." She deadpanned. "Aren't you supposed to be like, acting like a mom to me now?"
Upon hearing that question, a great idea immediately popped into Cinder's head, which made her grin even stronger. "Oh, perhaps I should. Do you need help with boys? Or getting makeup? Maybe a training bra?"
Yang only glared, incredibly unamused at her new step-mother. "Ha ha."
"Do we need to have the talk?" Cinder inquired.
"Oh I would love to see you try." Yang challenged, smirking.
Cinder was hoping for an answer like that. "Well, my darling sunshine, when a mommy and a mama love each other very much-"
"They become unbearably annoying?" Yang interrupted, brow raised.
"Aw, you've been paying attention! I'm so proud of you." Cinder cooed, reaching up to playfully pinch the blonde's cheek with her free hand.
Yang let out a heavy sigh after her face was released. "I take back my welcome."
"Too late. You gave your blessing, and signed the papers." Cinder grinned.
"Damnit." Yang groaned, before managing a smile. "Guess I'm stuck with you now... mom." She hummed, before almost-immediately cringing, seemingly regretting using that last word. "Ugh, that felt weird."
Cinder just chuckled at the reaction, finally releasing her step-daughter. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm sure you'll get used to it. I've always wanted to be a mom." She encouraged. Although, she was never that crazy about the idea of carrying a baby around for nine months. So perhaps it was fitting that she was getting the chance to be a mother without the pain of pregnancy.
Yang was quiet for a few moments, glancing over at their family and friends, some of whom were dancing away to the music. Then she looked back at the older woman with a warm smiles spread across her face. "Then how 'bout you be a mom right now and come dance with me." She suggested, to which Cinder only grinned.
"It would be my pleasure."
"Was I drunk, or did Qrow really wear a kilt last night?" Glynda wondered.
"Oh you were definitely drunk, Glyn, seein' as how you almost took your pants off in the middle of the party, but honestly, I have no fuckin' idea." Raven informed through laughter, causing a rather adorable blush to tint her friend's cheeks.
"Lucky for you all, I was already not wearin' pants!" Nora added with a huge grin, earning some laughter from the others.
"At least your underwear was tasteful." Cinder commented, leaning back against her wife, even putting her feet up on the bar's booth they were sitting in, and smiling at the memory of the prior night. While she had expected things to get a little crazy, given who was in their family, it was not exactly a surprise when the craziness surpassed her expectations. Honestly, Cinder was more shocked that no one had attempted to have discrete sex at some point. Well, at least she had not seen anyone trying to sneak off and bang. There was probably at least one couple... or trio.
But as fun as their wedding was, the night was over, and the group had decided to meet up at The Perch the following afternoon for a sort of... post-wedding hangout. Somewhere where they could just chill for a few hours before Cinder and Raven began packing for their honeymoon. Plus, it was probably the last time that they would all be able to hang out together for a while, and they wanted to enjoy it. Cinder was resting against Raven in one of the booths; Glynda was sitting across the table from them; Ruby, Pyrrha and Coco were sitting on stools, leaning against the bar counter; Vernal and Nora were sitting in stools next to them; and Yang, Weiss and Neo were cuddling in the booth next to the newlyweds. While they all got plenty of sleep, thanks to their amazing partners, the amount of fun they had the prior night meant that they were all a little hungover.
"And at least she was wearin' underwear the whole night, unlike someone." Yang noted, glancing at the mute, who was currently sitting sideways in her lap, arms wrapped around her neck, head resting on her shoulder.
Never heard you complain before. Neo's text-to-speech defended, while the woman herself grinned, leaning up to peck the blonde on the neck.
"Guess it's hard to complain with a ball gag." Vernal commented with a smirk, prompting a few raised brows, as the others wondered how exactly she knew something like that.
Yang had to do a double take, probably making sure she heard that right. "Wha- I told you that in confidence, Nora!" She burst, glaring at the redhead in question, who just giggled, while Weiss curiously raised a brow.
"You confidently told me!" Nora defended with a grin.
"And it was supposed to be kept a secret!" Yang stressed, a blush quickly tinting her cheeks.
"Like how you still wanna go to Ozland, even though you're not a child?" Vernal wondered, smirk not fading one bit.
"Nora!" Yang exclaimed, earning a set of laughter from the others as she pouted. "I never got to go as a kid..."
Weiss patted her girlfriend on the shoulder from her spot leaning against her. "Don't worry, Yang, I'm sure Neo would love to go with you." She assured, to which the mute perked up and nodded furiously, peppering the blonde's cheek with a few kisses, before pecking her on the lips. Gods, it was still incredibly weird for Cinder to see that woman be so... openly affectionate. "Though speaking of the future, what's next for you two?" Weiss inquired to the newlyweds in the booth next to theirs. "You still haven't told anyone where you're going for your honeymoon."
"I was told." Glynda shrugged, her lips spreading into the slightest hint of a grin.
"Well excuse me for not sleeping my way into getting that information." Weiss joked, earning laughs from the others.
"We're going to a resort in Vacuo for our honeymoon, which will be followed by a cruise." Cinder informed, refocusing on what Weiss was asking.
"Yep. We're lookin' forward to cruisin' around in the middle of the ocean where none of life's bullshit can bother us, gettin' massages, goin' to those private spas, and just overall enjoyin' some time well-deserved off from everything." Raven happily added, before turning to her employee. "And, we're leavin' you in charge while we're gone, Vernal. Not just 'cause Yang's got a fancy new job with Summer, but 'cause I know you can handle it. With Weiss stopping in to help with the paperwork if needed."
Vernal just blinked, clearly not expecting such a responsibility. The couple had told Weiss in advance, since she was still in school and had other responsibilities, but they wanted to keep it a surprise for the other woman. "But aren't... you gonna put Qrow in charge?"
Raven just laughed at the question. "Qrow's gotta get his shit together before I put him in charge of this place."
Vernal was silent for a time, likely processing the information. After all, it was almost always Yang being put in charge when the boss was away. "Are... Are you sure?" She hesitantly wondered.
"I've doubted myself over a lotta shit in my life, but leavin' you in charge? There's no doubt in my mind for that." Raven encouraged with a warm smile.
"Thanks, Rae... I won't let you down." Vernal promised.
"I know you won't, kiddo." Raven assured. "Now how 'bout with you and Nora? What d'you got goin' on?"
"What hasn't been goin' on with us!" Nora beamed, another huge spreading across her face. "I've been getting super involved with the charity that Summer's a part of, even more than her! 'Course that's mostly 'cause she's got a job as an awesome chef, while I'm only doin' charity. But I'm livin' a dream come true! Helping people less fortunate than me, then going home to take care of my girl!" She happily continued, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend and peppering her face with kisses, making her blush.
Once she was released, Vernal cleared her throat. "And I've takin' a couple courses to get properly qualified as a bartender, y'know, actually learning the business and stuff." She explained. "Partially 'cause I wanted to, and... partially 'cause Weiss realized that since I was self-taught, I legally shouldn't have be workin' here..."
"And I'm so proud of you!" Nora burst, wrapping her partner in a tight hug and peppering her with even more kisses.
"Yeah, well, you've been a huge help when it comes to that sorta stuff." Vernal admitted, partially looking away out of embarrassment. Then she turned to the trio next to them, probably to change the subject away from herself. "But what about you three? Got anything interesting in the works?"
"You bet we do!" Ruby grinned, excitedly looking over at her first wife, probably wanting her to continue.
"Well, over the past few weeks, we have been taking note of orphanages, so that we can eventually adopt children." Pyrrha informed, earning a set of shocked looks from the others. "Yang's friend, Blake in particular has worked with a couple in Menagerie that we looked into, as it's difficult for Faunus children to be adopted in most other places."
"Wow, congratulations on moving towards such a big step." Weiss praised, smiling warmly at the trio, before a few of the others offered similar expressions.
"Yeah, as if I didn't need another reason to feel old." Raven groaned, eliciting a number of chuckles, and a reassuring shoulder-pat from her wife.
"Do you even have enough room in your apartment for a kid? Especially with that sex room I've heard so much about." Cinder inquired, her lips curling into a slight smirk.
Pyrrha merely laughed at the question. "Not to worry, Cinder, prior to moving forward with any adoptions, we're going to have a house built." She explained. "We want to establish a home for our family before expanding it any further."
"And it's gonna be so awesome! We've got so many cool plans!" Ruby burst, a huge grin spreading across her face. "We're gonna put in a home theatre in the basement, a fancy hot tub in the backyard, a gaming room, maybe an indoor slide, and even secret passages!"
"Don't forget a secret entrance to your worship room so your future kid doesn't find it and get traumatized." Yang added with a smirk, causing her sister's eyes to widen. Not out of embarrassment or shock, but of... realization of some kind.
"Sounds irritating." Cinder commented, having a difficult time imagining having to go through some kind of secret entrance every time she wanted to use a room meant for more freaky or kinky lovemaking.
"Sounds... titillating." Glynda smirked, slyly glancing over at the newlyweds.
"Sounds exhausting." Raven noted.
"Sounds fun!" Nora burst.
"Sounds expensive." Vernal mentioned.
"Sounds like a great idea!" Ruby excitedly beamed, looking over at her wives, probably hoping that they would agree.
"Damn right. We could have a secret passcode and everything. Or a spinning bookshelf door. Or both." Coco suggested, much to the thrill of her younger partner.
Then Ruby giggled, leaning over to whisper in the brunette's ear. "A secret entrance so you can get to my secret entrance." She joked - unintentionally loud enough for everyone else to hear - before she and Coco burst out laughing. It still earned a few chuckles from the others.
"Title of your sex tape!" Yang exclaimed, so-very-clearly proud of herself. As usual, such a dumb joke only brought out a set of groans and rolled eyes.
Surprisingly, Pyrrha merely hummed, looking over at her sister-in-law with a sly smirk. "Mm, perhaps eventually."
Yang was dead-silent for a few moments. "You're not supposed to agree with me, Pyr."
Pyrrha just smirked at the blonde. "I'm aware, Yang."
Yang almost-desperately looked around, likely hoping to find a way to change the subject. "S-So uh, Neo, tell everyone what you've been up to." She awkwardly requested, prompting the mute to life her head from her shoulder.
Well, I'm working on a super duper secret, hush hush, NDA-protected project that I can't talk about yet. Neo explained via the text-to-speech on her scroll.
"Very informative." Cinder noted.
I'm having a lot of fun coming up with more ways to not describe it. Neo grinned, prompting the older woman to just roll her eye.
"Oh yeah, she's been a real shit about it at home." Yang commented.
"And yet Yang keeps giving her attention for it." Weiss mentioned, smirking a bit at her partner.
Especially when I tempt her with potential info on my project. Neo added, a huge grin spreading across her face.
"It's not my fault I'm curious!" Yang defended, pouting as the mute started poking her cheek.
"And easily aroused." Cinder added as well, flashing a far slier smirk at her step-daughter.
Surprisingly, Yang just scoffed. "You're one to talk."
Cinder only shrugged. "I exercise restraint."
"I've caught you and my mom banging in her office several times!" Yang challenged, causing her mother to snort.
"And it would have been more if I lacked control." Cinder countered, smirking a bit. Or if we didn't start locking the door before having any fun in there. Then she turned to her probably-future-step-daughter. "But Weiss, I meant to ask last night, but it slipped my mind in all the excitement. How are your classes going?"
"Very well, now that I am properly enrolled in the program." Weiss informed, prompting the older woman to furrow her brow, wondering what exactly that meant. "It turns out that my jackass father sabotaged my attempts to get into the University of Vale, threatening them if they let me in. I only learned this when my sister made the connection last year, then thankfully helped to solve the issue." She explained. "At the time, Winter had been planning to come out and go public with her relationship with Robyn, and with our mother's support, they were able to use her marriage contract with our father to oust him from the SDC, which allowed my sister to take his place. She later married Robyn, who moved up to Atlas to be with her. So, now that I'm finally in the business program, I'm doing well."
"Oh come on, doin' well is a big understatement." Yang interjected, turning to face the others. "Even though she hasn't been in school in years, Weissy's at the top of all her classes, which is insane, and she's already caught the eye of several of her classmates, and maybe even one of her teachers."
Weiss only let out a chuckle at the praise. "Yes, well, it feels good to really excel at something again. Working at that damn ice cream parlour for so long... I missed being truly challenged, overcoming tasks that aren't dealing with whiny brats, and surpassing peers that actually give a shit about what they're doing."
Yang just laughed at the explanation. "Surpassin' her peers by a hell of a lot."
"I am not privy to the exact details." Weiss admitted. Though the grin on her face that she was trying to suppress said that her statement was not quite accurate.
She's being modest. She knows she's kicking their asses. Neo chimed in, grinning, eliciting laughter from the others.
"So then what comes after you get through that business program with flyin' colours?" Raven wondered, wrapping an arm around her wife, pulling her closer.
"Uncertain. I'm... considering options." Weiss informed, prompting Cinder to quirk her brow.
I know what the options are. Neo mentioned, silently giggling.
"And if you desire to eat tonight, you will keep your digital trap shut." Weiss threatened, turning to glare at the mute, who just grinned.
"Oooh, spill the beans!" Nora excitedly requested, a huge grin on her face.
"Mm, and who's sleeping their way into getting information now?" Glynda inquired, her lips curling into a sly smirk. In response, Neo just raised her hand, grin remaining strong, while Yang tried not to burst out into laughter.
"Among other things." Weiss commented, rolling her eyes.
"I'm totally being used for my cooking." Yang declared, stifling a laugh.
"As opposed to your stunning personality?" Cinder wondered, brow raised.
"This one's a total food-digger." Yang informed, reaching up to lightly tap the Neo on the cheek a few times. The mute only beamed at the accusation.
"Sometimes I wonder how neither of us are fat." Weiss noted, letting out a soft chuckle.
"We work out a lot, and walk whenever we can." Yang reminded, causing her girlfriend to nod
"Oh yeah, we work out a lot too, and also go to the gym." Coco added, a sly smirk spreading across her face. The blonde just laughed, reaching out so that she and her best bud could air-fist bump, since they were across the room from each other.
Meanwhile, Cinder rolled her eye. "You two are ridiculous."
"We're just a lot to take in." Coco grinned.
"That's what she said!" Yang burst, proud of herself once again, earning yet another set of groans.
"Yes I did, last night!" Coco just-as-proudly confirmed, causing Ruby to blush.
"Hey, me too!" Yang agreed, before reaching out to 'meet' the brunette in an air-high five. The exchange led to Neo bursting out into silent laughter, while Ruby and Weiss both facepalmed, and the reactions of the others were split between chuckles and sighs.
Meanwhile, Cinder merely sat there, smiling warmly as she gazed around at the others as they continued chatting. She had gotten to know each one of these people over the past few years, spending an astoundingly large amount of time with them, learning practically everything about them - sometimes a little too much in some cases - and... she could not be prouder to call them her family. Even Neo and Pyrrha. Cinder had so much to thank them all for. Glynda, her wonderful therapist, and... occasional second bedroom partner; Yang, one of her best friends, and now step-daughter; Raven, her amazing wife; and Nora... her saviour, the one who gave her a life again.
Honestly, even when Emerald was alive, and they were happy together, Cinder never thought she would have a real family. It would have just been her and Emerald, and that was okay. Emerald was family enough for her. With her loss it seemed she would never find happiness again. But now Cinder had both. A strange, wonderful, crazy family, and marriage to a beautiful, incredible woman who she got to call her wife, and with whom she could not wait to spend the rest of her days with.
Cinder... was truly happy.
"Good evening, Cinder. It's wonderful to hear from you. How was your honeymoon?"
"It was... incredibly peaceful. Part of me wished that we never had to return to Vale, that we could have stayed out on that ship in the middle of the ocean, but the rest of me is glad to be home, where we have responsibilities. Going on a month-long vacation was amazing, but I don't think I would have been able to remain idle for much longer than that."
"I'm glad to hear you had a pleasant time. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"
"Right, yes. I have spent a long time thinking about the job offer you gave me, I've talked about it at length with Raven, and... I believe I'm ready to accept it. However, I have stipulations."
"I expected as much. Shall we discuss them over dinner?"
"Of course. I assume you will handle the booking?"
"Naturally. I will text you the details. Welcome back, Cinder, you've been sorely missed."
Final author's Note:
Well, there you have it. One Last Chance is finally, officially complete.
Part of me can't believe it's actually done. We began this story in October of 2018, over 3 years ago, and I've worked on it practically every single day since then, which is nuts. OLC has been such a constant that it's crazy to think it's really over, but I'm also glad we saw it through to the end. Writing it (as well as the other stories we've done) has been quite the enjoyable, yet still challenging learning experience, and I'd like to think my skills have improved greatly over the past few years. Though before I continue, here's a message from Terminal.
"I've been exhausted from writing my own works for years, so I yell at Lizard whenever he does something I don't like and threaten to destroy his Tim Hortons if that doesn't work. I can't promise when I'll get back to writing my own works, but in the meantime I can promise I'll keep yelling at Lizard to make sure things don't get too horny."
- RealTerminal
As I told him yesterday, there is no stopping the horny. XD
But in all seriousness, writing One Last Chance has been an absolute joy, and I'm so happy we did it, even through all the tough times. I don't know what I'll do after this, if I continue writing fics, but I can say there are plenty of great fanfics out there (both here and on Ao3), including those written by my friends, RealTerminal and jws381 (Their stuff is how I got into writing this stuff in the first place).
So, thank you so much to everyone that read, enjoyed, commented, reviewed, shared, and all that good stuff. It was a great ride. :)
