Thanks for sticking around! Started grad school, so between doing that and full time work, its been a lot. I warned you from the beginning that updates would be sporadic.

A big thank you to the 46 followers and 32 people who have favorited this story! You keep me going.

Ruby woke up spontaneously the next morning. Which was weird, because usually it was Weiss who inadvertently woke her up as she set about her morning routine. Oh no! Had Weiss been kidnapped?

Ruby scrambled over to the edge of the bed, looked down, and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. No kidnapped Weiss. But wait, what's that little black thing next to her—

Ninja! Ruby had almost forgotten! They were planning to stop by the pet store today to pick up food and other things for their new pe-roommate! Roommate, Ruby reminded herself. A cute adorable fluffy little roommate who was not a pet because she wasn't staying here forever, just long enough to get better.

And speaking of getting better…Ruby looked at the time. 10:00?! Weiss was supposed to set an alarm for 8:30 so that they could eat breakfast, get ready, and be at the store when it opened. The other three (Ruby included) had put up a fuss at first about waking up so early on their day off, but Weiss's reasoning that there would be fewer people early in the morning to ask questions had won out.

I mean, I guess it worked out then? But I still better wake up everyone. Ruby rosed down from the bunk, intending to wake up her partner first, but the rush of air and petals had Blake stirring instead. She shifted in bed and mumbled, "Mmm, what time is it?"

"Morning Blake! It's 10am."

"But wasn't...I thought Weiss—"

"Yeah, I don't know what happened. She's out like a light." Ruby gave a tentative poke, then jumped back quickly in case the heiress decided to pull a Yang. Nothing happened. Ruby tried a second poke, then a third, then a jab at her ribcage. Weiss stirred for a moment, only to settle back into sleep. Weird. Ruby turned to Blake, a questioning look on her face.

Instead, she found Blake already falling back asleep. "Psst, Blake!" Ruby semi-whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Weiss isn't waking up!"

Blake yawned and stretched. "Bad night?"

"I dunno. I guess I'll have to try Yang then."

Blake sighed. "I guess I'm not sleeping anymore then."

"Hahaha. You wanna do the honors?"

"You mean get smacked in the face? No thanks. Be my guest. Oh wait, lemme at least get off the bed first. I have enough of a headache as it is."

Ruby smirked, a part of her proud of the fact that she had the prowess and bad-ass skill to manage Yang in the morning. The rest of her was cackling inside, remembering the first time Blake and Weiss had been treated to a "Yang awakening".

Ruby set her feet on the edge of Blake's bed and popped her head over the top of the second bunk, careful not to pull too hard lest the delicate balance achieved by Blake's books decided to give way. "Psst! Yang!" she called softly, poking her sister in the ribs.

"Mrrarph." Yang mumbled.

"Yang! Yaaaaangy yang! Its wakey time!" Ruby sang.

"Grrumphrawr," Yang rumbled incoherently. Ruby ducked as Yang swung an arm, then went back to poking her sister.

"C'mon Yang, its already 10!"

"Gerrroff meh," Yang growled, swiping again. Ruby simply used her Semblance for a second, materializing after Yang's arm swung through rose petals. Almost there. Ruby grabbed Yang's blanket and unceremoniously ripped it off in one swift movement.

"Grrracck its cold!" Yang yelped as Ruby giggled, safe atop her own bunk holding Yang's blanket hostage. Yang made a big show of burying under her pillow, complaining about the cold. Blake rolled her eyes.

"Stop being such a baby. Its 60 degrees."

"Not everyone grew up in…well whatever cold place you grew up in!"

"It was in Me—Mistral! Mistral. I grew up in Mistral." Crap, I almost let the cat out of the bag! Wait that was…dammit you and your puns Yang.

Luckily for Blake, Yang was too busy griping about the intolerable weather and trying to steal back her blanket, and Ruby was too busy keeping the blanket away from Yang for either of them to notice. After ten minutes of Blake standing there uncomfortably, uncertain how to get the sisters back on track, it was a grumpy finally-awakened Weiss who interrupted the sisters' antics.

"What in the name of Light are you two doing?"

"She stole my blanket and won't give it back!" Yang pointed an accusatory finger at Ruby.

"I only stole it because you'd never wake up if I didn't!"

"I would!"

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

"Would not!"

"Would—"

"Stop." Two white glyphs had popped up in front of each sister for emphasis. Weiss put a hand to her forehead. "Seriously Yang, when are you going to grow up?"

That was apparently the wrong thing to say. Yang's eyes immediately turned red and her voice was harsh and scathing. "Well Ice Queen, not all of us got to have the luxury of a mom, so don't you be telling me to grow up when that's all I did!"

Weiss's eyes widened in shock as the glyphs faded. The room got quiet. Ruby and Blake looked between their partners anxiously. What do I do, what do I do? Ruby thought frantically. I didn't think there was anything wrong…I thought they made up, and now they're fighting again! Before Ruby could think of what to do, however, Weiss's expression hardened. "There's no need to be so full of yourself. You're not the only one who's had to grow up fast. You want to call yourself a Huntress? Act like it." Weiss shot the last words out through clenched teeth before whirling around and striding towards the door.

Yang was frozen, taking a second to process what Weiss had said. "Hey, get back here you—!"

Weiss slammed the door closed.

"—you little prick! I'm not finished with you yet!" Yang made to head out the door, but Blake was faster. Semblancing in front of her partner, she hooked one leg around Yang's and with one swift motion shoved Yang to the ground on her back. The sudden attack was shocking enough for Yang's eyes to fade back to lilac. "…Blake?"

"I'm keeping my promise. Weiss took a page out of your book and walked out before things could get worse. Take a minute to calm yourself down."

Yang's eyes narrowed before she resigned and closed her eyes, breathing in and out.

"Thanks Blake," Ruby whispered. Blake met Ruby's glance, saw the little fidget in her hands and feet and the way her eyes kept darting to the door and back. With a slight smile, Blake gestured her head to the door. Go help Weiss. I've got Yang.

Even as the relief filled Ruby's eyes, Ruby raised her eyebrows. Will you be okay though?

Blake nodded slightly. I'll be fine.

Reassured, Ruby gave Blake a little smile of thanks. Without another word, she disappeared in a flurry of rose petals.

Yang felt the slight breeze and opened her eyes. "She off chasing Ice Queen again?"

Blake sighed. "Better her than me," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. How are you feeling?"

Yang sat up suddenly, fist clenched beside her on the floor. "I can't believe she had the nerve to say that to me! I mean, I've basically been Ruby's mom since she was three. I didn't exactly get a childhood, you know? When Mom…when mom was gone, Dad just…shut down. I had to be the grown up. Get Ruby ready for school, feed her, clean her, help her with her homework. That was me."

Blake sat down on her bed and gestured for Yang to do the same. Huffing still in her frustration, Yang plopped herself down, making Blake bounce a little. "It's not like she's some perfect little saint either! Grow up? She should grow up!"

Blake took a deep breath and let it out. "I understand where you're coming from, Yang, believe me. And yes, Weiss has a lot of things to work on. But also…Weiss has a point."

"You agree with her?!"

"Hear me out, please, " Blake beseeched her. She waited for Yang to nod curtly before continuing. "Yes, you've had a rough childhood. You've talked about it, and I think we all get that. But…you're not the only one. Weiss…well I can't really speak for her. But for me, things haven't always gone right either. I…made a big mistake when I was younger…ran away from home. I don't have a mom or a dad right now." Blake shook her head. "I'll stop there because this isn't about me."

"You okay?" Yang couldn't help interjecting, concern in her eyes and voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Really." Blake took another breath. "What I was trying to say is that there's a time and place for everything. I'm not saying you should change who you are. Being silly and fun is part of your nature, and we're a better team because of it. But…you're the older sister, and Ruby is the one waking you up in the morning? Arguing with her for ten minutes over a blanket when we have a serious matter to attend to and we're already behind schedule? Yang, don't get me wrong, I care about you, like I do Ruby, and even Weiss. But there's a time and place to be at least a little more serious. On top of that, Weiss had only just woken up. I don't think she meant anything more than a request to tone down the energy a little bit. If I'm being completely honest, I'm glad Weiss spoke up. It was starting to get on my nerves too."

Yang sat back, amazed. "I think that's the most words I've ever heard come out of your mouth in one sitting."

Blake gave a slight chuckle. "Probably."

Yang was thoughtful for a moment. "So you think I was too hard on Weiss?"

"I think you took what she said the wrong way, thinking she was harping on your identity and character when she was just trying to have a little more peace in the morning."

Yang sighed. "Maybe you're right. Thanks Blake." Yang tilted her head back. "I guess I owe Ice Queen an apology, huh."

Blake's lips quirked up in a little smile. "You're learning."

"I still hate apologies though."

"It's okay to not be right all the time."

"No yeah, I get that. It's just…they're always awkward and weird and it feels like you're letting the other person win."

Blake hummed. "I think apologies actually help you more than the other person, so you end up winning no matter what. It's a way of letting go of any leftover bitterness and rage inside you and gives you closure. Otherwise, you just end up carrying it for the rest of your life." Blake's expression changed to a sadder one, but Yang didn't notice.

"In that case, you get an apology too! Sorry Blake for getting on your nerves."

Blake's eyes narrowed playfully, whatever she was thinking about forgotten. "Are you being serious or teasing?"

Yang grinned. "A bit of both."

"Well, apology accepted then."

The door beeped and clicked open, revealing Ruby. Blake and Yang noticed Weiss' absence and exchanged a look.

"Is Weiss okay?" Blake asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, she's alright. She just needed a little time to herself. She told us to go ahead and go down to breakfast and she'll join us in a bit."

Blake and Yang exchanged another look again, before Blake spoke up for them both. "Alright. Guess we should get ready."

Yang scuffed a hand behind her head. "And Rubes?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for getting me up this morning."

Ruby broke into a warm relaxed smile. "Anything for you, sis." Yang smiled, reassured that things between them were really okay.

"Ugh, what is that smell?" Blake squeezed her eyes shut in disgust.

Ruby sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything."

After giving the air a good whiff herself, Yang added, "Me neither, Blakey. You sure it isn't just you?"

Blake opened her eyes and gave a grumpy glare at her partner. "I know its not me, Yang."

Yang's eyes widened. "That's—that's not what I meant!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"I didn't, I swear!"

"I'm just teasing you, Yang. It's fine."

"O—oh."

"But seriously, I didn't want to intrude with everything that was happening, but that smell…" Blake followed her nose to the corner, stopping at Yang's pile of clothes on the floor. "Umm…Yang? You might want to see this."

"I know my gym clothes are in there, but I was already planning on doing laundry this afternoon! Sorry about that Blakey."

"You…might want to consider doing the laundry sooner rather than later."

"Wha?"

"Eww, what is that?" Ruby was bending down next to the pile, pinching her nose and pointing at a brownish liquid soaking through Yang's yellow shirt.

"It appears to be cat feces," Blake stated matter-of-factly through a pinched nose as she bent down for a closer look. "Though why its watery is unknown."

"Ninja did this?!" Yang exclaimed.

All three turned to look at Ninja, who was still sleeping on Weiss's bed, oblivious.

"Didn't you guys buy a dirtbox or something?!"

Ruby tapped her two pointer fingers together nervously. "Yeah, we did Yang. But uhh…we may have forgotten about it last night," she finished sheepishly.

"Argh!"

Poor Yang.

Also tried to keep some continuity, since Yang later says "I may have been too gang ho from time to time." Also, Blake completely sweeps Yang off the floor, something Yang does later to Taiyang.