Nearly a week had passed since Ruby's birthday, and things were going well.
Mezzaluna was settling into her new home just fine. She seemed to love being the only cat in the house, and thrived off the non-stop attention that Yang and Ruby fed her. Whenever Ruby was home, Mezzaluna was close behind, following at her feet, riding on her shoulder, or simply sitting within an arm's reach of her person.
If Yang happened to get home before Ruby did, or left later than she did, the cat seemed to seek out attention from her as well, but not in the same ways she did with Ruby. She seemed to enjoy just being in Yang's presence. Yang enjoyed having someone to talk to around the house, even if the black cat didn't exactly talk back. It was nice, having someone to just listen to Yang rant about whatever it was she needed to get out of her mind that day.
Sure, she could have done that in the empty apartment before the cat had come to live with them, but there was something that just felt a little bit better about talking to another living being about her problems.
For the last few days, there had been one major problem on her mind.
Blake Belladonna.
The girls had continued talking over text even after Mezzaluna had come home. At first, it was just update pictures of the cat, but it quickly became casual discussion. If Blake was home at the same time as Yang, she'd respond to one of Mezzaluna's pictures with a picture of one of her four cats.
Yang knew them all by name now, despite never having met them, but had a hard time telling Gambol and Shroud apart. They were both pure black cats, nearly identical. Blake had insisted that it was easier to tell them apart in person- she'd have to come by sometime and meet them.
Yang had been obsessed with the idea since Blake had brought it up. She wanted to see Blake again- but she wasn't exactly sure how to do it.
She had decided that Ruby had been right, although she didn't want to admit it to her yet.
Yang Xiao Long had feelings for Blake Belladonna.
Yang wanted to ask Blake on a date.
But she just didn't know how.
"Is texting her too informal?" Yang asked, pacing back and forth in front of the cat resting on the couch.
"Mrrp."
"You're right, Mez," Yang sighed, shaking her head. "Do I call her? How do I even know if she's busy or available? Is she even seeing anyone?"
"Meow."
Yang shook her head again, opening her mouth to speak again, but was cut off by an alarm going off on her scroll.
"Shit," she hissed, pulling out her scroll and turning it off. "Sorry Mez. I've got work."
It wasn't her usual time to work at the coffee shop, but she was covering for a coworker. She'd taken any opportunity for extra hours, as she usually did, hoping to scrape together whatever extra money she could. Even though she knew she'd be fine just working her normal hours, she also was filled with an unending anxiety over taking care of Ruby, and now, Mezzaluna.
Yang darted into her bedroom, pulling her coffee shop apron from her closet and shoved it into her backpack. Flying around the house at a speed that rivaled her little sister's, she gathered the rest of her things, including her lunch, keys, jacket, and helmet. The entire time, Mezzaluna sat on the couch, watching and flipping her head back and forth as if she were watching a tennis match between Yang and the collection of Yang's things.
"Bye Mez! See you tonight!" Yang called over her shoulder as she headed out the front door of the apartment, locking it behind her before sprinting down the hallway to the elevator.
Blake was pretty annoyed when she went all the way to Vale Community College, only to find a sign on the door that had told her that her creative writing class was cancelled today. Why her professor couldn't have been bothered to send out an email was beyond her. She could have lounged around the apartment this morning, and spent some time with her cats. She could have worked up the nerve to send a text to a certain someone she'd been wanting to ask something specific all week.
Instead, she found herself sulking back towards her car in the parking lot at VCC, annoyed she'd wasted gas coming all the way out here.
She let out a long yawn as she got into the front seat. She didn't really want to go back to sleep and ruin her sleeping pattern, as much as the idea of a warm bed, filled with cats, called to her right now. Maybe all she needed was a pick-me-up…
A cup of coffee!
A smile formed on Blake's face as she pushed her keys into the ignition and turned.
If she was lucky, her trip to the University District wouldn't have been so worthless after all.
The first thing that Blake noticed upon entering the coffee shop was the brand new sign in the window, lovingly hand-painted on a large piece of finished wood.
Faunus Welcome!
Blake smiled, her ears twitching slightly under her bow. She wasn't going to take it off, in case someone from class saw her, but she knew exactly who was behind this new decor for Scholar's Coffee Shop.
She pushed the door open and took her place in line. The crowds weren't as bad as they usually were when she came, but then again, most classes were in session right now. Still, she struggled to see over the tops of the heads of the taller men in front of her.
It wasn't until she heard the call of "Next in line!" did her face light up with a huge smile.
It seemed that today was indeed her lucky day.
"Next in line!" Yang called again, looking up after placing the last cup in line.
"Fancy seeing you here," Blake said with a smirk, stepping up to the register.
"Oh, hi Blake!" Yang exclaimed with a huge smile. "Didn't expect to see you here today!"
"My class got cancelled, but I didn't find out until I already got to VCC. I figured I'd stop by and see if you were working."
Yang blinked. "Really?"
"Yeah, I actually, uh, had something I wanted to ask you."
Yang's heart started beating a million miles a minute. "Go ahead!"
"Would you… if you're available… want to go out to dinner tonight? Like… a-a date?" Blake asked, stammering a bit.
Yang blinked twice before a smile crossed her face. "Yeah, absolutely! Tonight's my night off from the diner, and I get out of here at three today. I'd have to go home and shower and stuff…"
"Three is a little early for dinner anyways. What if I picked you up at your apartment at six?"
"Sounds great!" A huge smile was still on Yang's face.
"A-hem," the girl behind Blake coughed. "Are you actually going to order anything? Some of us have places to be."
Both Blake and Yang's faces lit up bright red.
"Sorry!" Blake exclaimed quickly, turning back to Yang. "A medium pumpkin spice latte, please."
"You got it!" Yang punched the order into the computer, causing the price to pop up on the tiny screen facing Blake. Blake handed her card over, and the two completed the transaction without another word.
"See you at six," Blake said with a wink as she walked away from the register, leaving Yang flustered behind the register again.
"A-hem," the girl repeated, clearly annoyed.
"My apologies, one moment," Yang said quickly, waving over a coworker.
"Can you take over the register for a while?" Yang asked. "I need to get moving around, my arm is jamming up."
Was it true? No. Did it happen sometimes? Yes. Did Yang usually lie about it? No. But the solution to the problem of her arm jamming up was to get more use out of it by making some drinks and keeping it flowing without interruption. That gave her the perfect opportunity to make something extra special
"Blake!" Yang called out five minutes later at the back of the shop.
Blake approached the counter, raising an eyebrow. "Weren't you just working register?"
"Wanted to make this," Yang replied with a smile, handing her the drink. "Make sure you take off the top and take a look before you drink," she added with a wink.
Blake took the drink, her face blushing at the wink Yang had given her. She walked back to the table she had picked out, trying to hide her smile.
As soon as she sat down, she very gently took the plastic top off the hot drink. At the top was some rather cute latte art of a very cute cat head, complete with ears, eyes, nose, a mouth, and whiskers.
Blake smiled as her heart fluttered in her chest. Pulling out her scroll, she snapped a quick picture before looking over her shoulder at a still-smiling Yang. She turned back to the scroll, sending the picture to the artist, and added a quick Thank you :).
Sliding her scroll back into her pocket, she looked down at the cat on the drink smiling back up at her.
Yeah, today was definitely Blake's lucky day.
Yang tossed her keys onto the table and hung up her helmet in a single fluid motion. She pulled out her scroll, sending a quick text to her sister.
Hey, what are you up to?
A reply came within a minute.
Just got out of class, was going to go to the library to get some work done. Why, what's up?
I have a date in three hours, think you could come home and help me get ready?
Moments after Yang sent her reply, her screen lit up with a call from her younger sister. She answered, but before she could even offer a greeting, Ruby yelled into the phone in excitement.
"A DATE? WITH WHO?"
"Nice to talk to you too, Rubes."
"Who? Tell me! This is so exciting, oh my Oum!"
"Do you remember the girl from the cat rescue? Blake?"
"I knew it!" Ruby exclaimed. "I'm heading back to my car now. I'll be home soon!"
"See you soon!"
Yang hung up the call and looked around the room. Mezzaluna looked up from her nap on the couch, letting out a small "mrrp?" at the sight of Yang waking her up.
"I didn't have to figure it out, Mez!" Yang exclaimed, plopping down on the couch next to the cat to give some head scratches. "She found me at the coffee shop and asked me out!"
"Mrrr," Mezzaluna responded, pushing her head further into Yang's hand.
"I know, right!" Yang said cheerfully, continuing to pet the cat as she waited for Ruby to get home.
Blake swung open the door to her apartment, a spring in her step as she hung up her jacket and put down her keys.
"Someone's awful chipper," Kali said, looking up from the TV playing in the living room.
"Well, class was canceled, I got a great latte… and I have a date tonight."
"A date?" Kali asked, a smirk appearing on her face. "With who?"
"...Yang."
Kali jumped up from her seat. "Aha! I knew it!"
"Yes, yes, you were right, as always," Blake replied with a smile and rolling her eyes. "Would you… help me pick something out to wear?"
Her mother nodded, following her daughter to her bedroom. "Tell me the details! Who asked who?"
"I asked her."
"Really?"
"Oh, come on Mom, give me a bit more credit than that," Blake said with a laugh, shuffling through her closet.
"She just seemed like a very… forward person. And you're… not very forward."
Blake rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You only met her twice, and one of those times, she was delivering you a pizza."
"With the amount you talk about her, I know her far better than you realize."
Blake's cheeks flushed bright red.
"See," Kali said with a smile, poking her daughter in the cheek. "You know I'm right."
"Mooom," she whined, trying to push her hand away. "Are you going to help me pick out an outfit or not?"
"Fine, fine," Kali replied with a laugh, heading over to her daughter's closet. "Where are you going?"
"Out to dinner, probably at Francine's," Blake stated, joining her mother in staring at her closet. "So something nice, but not too nice."
Kali nodded. "Excellent choice. Italian is usually pretty safe, and Francine's is very good."
"You can stop fantasizing about the shrimp scampi now," Blake teased.
Kali let out a laugh, beginning to push through the clothing on their hangers. "What about a nice black sweater?"
Blake nodded, approving of the garment that her mother was holding in front of her. "I could put a white blouse on under that, and the collar sticking out the top will look cute."
"Just make sure to use the lint roller in your car," Kali reminded her.
"Of course," Blake said with a laugh. It was rare that Blake wore any white, since her two black cats tended to immediately cover anything white in a ton of fur. Still, she'd acquired a few white options over the years, mostly used underneath other clothing, like for this outfit.
"What about the bottom?" Kali asked, after placing the sweater and the white blouse Blake had removed from the closet on Blake's bed. "Leggings and a skirt, maybe?"
Blake shook her head. "Eh, that's a bit too dressy." She walked over to her dresser, opening one of the drawers and sifting through them. "Black jeans?"
"One of the nicer pairs, probably." Kali appeared next to Blake, pulling out two pairs of jeans from the drawer. "One of these."
"Hmm…" Blake hummed, glancing between the two. "The right one," she settled.
Kali nodded, putting the left pair back in the drawer and putting the other on the bed.
"Shoes," Blake murmured, heading back to the bottom of her closet.
"You should definitely go for black, or primarily black," Kali suggested, crouching down next to her daughter. "Boots?"
"Maybe," Blake hummed, picking up a pair of canvas shoes. "I was thinking something more like these."
"Hmm," Kali hummed, sounding very much like her daughter. "I like the look of the canvas shoes better, but it's a little too cold for exposed ankles."
Blake laughed and rolled her eyes. "We'll be inside for the most part. I think my ankles will survive."
Kali shook her head with a smile. "Alright, if you say so."
"I'm going to go take a shower and finish getting ready," Blake said, standing up and putting her shoes next to her bed. "Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate the help."
"Of course," Kali said with a smile, giving her daughter a huge hug. "I'm glad to see you excited about a date, and with a rather good girl, if I do say so myself."
"Mooooom!"
Ruby burst into the apartment, practically bouncing up and down as she darted over to the futon.
"OhmyOumohmyOumohmyOum you're going on a date with Blake!" Ruby exclaimed, giving her sister a crashing hug.
"Yes, yes," Yang replied, trying to gather her breath, gently returning her sister's hug. "Do you think you could let me go and help me pick something out to wear before I shower and do my hair?"
"Do your hair? How much time do you have?"
"Three hours," Yang replied at once. "More like two and a half now… Okay, I'm going to go shower, can you pick out a couple different outfit options for me?"
"You got it!" Ruby sprung up, darting into Yang's bedroom, Mezzaluna trotting at her heels and making small noises as she ran.
Yang laughed, getting up off the couch and heading for the bathroom. Ruby and Mezzaluna had already become so much alike.
Two and a half hours later, Yang was pacing in the living room, Ruby still practically bouncing up and down on the couch.
Ruby's choices had done fairly well. Yang had settled for a classic look of hers- a tan coat over a nicer dark dress shirt, a pair of dark jeans, and short heels. Not that she really needed the extra height, but Ruby had insisted that they really brought the whole outfit together. Yang didn't have a ton of time to argue, since her hair took so long to dry and style properly, so she had gone along with the outfit regardless.
"Don't you have homework to do?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow at her bouncing sister as she turned again, continuing her pacing.
"Please, as if anything is going to get done tonight now. I'm too excited for you!"
"Ruby," Yang sighed, "this wasn't what I intended to happen when I asked you to come home."
"It's not due for another few days anyways," Ruby replied, waving her arm dismissively. "It'll get done, I promise! It's been a long time since something this good happened. I'm allowed to be excited for you, alright?"
Yang sighed, stopping in her tracks. "Don't you dare," she warned, but it was already too late.
Giant silver orbs appeared in front of her, the classic puppy dog eyes that Ruby had perfected long, long ago.
With another sigh, Yang gave in. "Alright, alright."
Yang's scroll gave a chirp, having set the volume all the way up. She pulled it out of her pocket so fast, she nearly dropped it.
I'm outside!
Yang's heart fluttered at the message, her breathing uneven.
"You got this!" Ruby said, giving her sister a quick hug. "I'm sure it'll be great."
"I really, really hope so," Yang replied, before grabbing her keys and heading out the door.
AN: If you'd like updates on this work, as well as others, you can follow me on tumblr at SuperbBirbFics , or my main for spicy rwby memes and other various content at PancakesWithKetchup . And, if you'd like to help support me and my writing more, you can buy me a ko-fi ! My username there, as with most places (except for tumblr, because the url is taken rip) is SuperbBirb ! Thank you all so much for your continued support in my works, I endlessly appreciate it and love you all!