Naturally, things just weren't going according to Yang's plan.
She's gotten up bright and early on Saturday morning for her shift at the diner. It wasn't supposed to be too long, just the breakfast and lunch rushes, which gave pretty damn good tips on a weekend morning.
Time felt like it was moving by at the speed of a snail. Seven in the morning to two in the afternoon, that was supposed to be the extent of her shift, but it felt like it was taking a full twenty-four hours.
The one thing that Yang wasn't a huge fan of at the diner is that she always had to wait until her replacement came in. Sometimes that meant staying later than expected. She always got paid, of course, but it had become enough of an issue to make her late to the pizzeria on a number of occasions.
Of course, that wasn't Yang's concern today. She wasn't working at the pizza shop, but she had her date with Blake…
Two in the afternoon turned to two-thirty, which turned to three, then three-thirty, then four… Yang was about ready to go hunt down the replacement herself. She'd already texted Blake twice, warning her that her replacement was late, and then an hour and a half later that she was still stuck at the diner.
It wasn't until three hours after her shift was supposed to end that the managers were able to find someone else to come in and cover for the rest of the shift, since the regular replacement was still nowhere to be found. Yang finished up whatever tables she had left, and didn't get to leave the diner until nearly five-thirty.
By the time Yang got back to the apartment, showered, and changed out of her uniform, it was quarter past six. She collapsed onto the futon, exhausted, letting out a long sigh.
She really wanted to see Blake tonight, but it was already so late. They'd only be able to go out for two, maybe three hours at most. Yang had a shift at Scholar's tomorrow, bright and early, and wanted to be in bed by ten.
She looked at her scroll for a long while before making her decision and placing the call through to Blake.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
"Hello?"
Yang smiled at Blake's voice on the other end. "Hiya, Blake. I'm finally home."
"Woah, really? Four hours later?"
"Kind of. I got home a half hour ago but I needed to shower and stuff."
"Do you still want to go out tonight?" Blake asked apprehensively.
"Honestly?" Yang began, sinking further down into the futon as she talked. "Not really. I'm exhausted and we'd only be able to be out for a couple hours anyways."
"Oh, okay."
"But," Yang continued with a smile on her lips, "I'd love for you to come over and watch a movie with me."
"That sounds great!"
Yang had to suppress a giggle at the mental image of Blake's eyes widening and her ears popping up, with the level of enthusiasm that had filled the last sentence. "Come over whenever, I'll buzz you in when you get here."
"I just have to grab my coat and I'll be on my way."
"Okay, see you soon!"
After a quick goodbye, Yang hung up her scroll and shoved it back into her pocket. She pushed her uncle's pillow and blanket off the futon and underneath, making it look a bit better for when Blake got there. That was about all the cleaning she could muster the energy to do, but she knew that Blake wouldn't mind.
Mezzaluna came trotting over to the futon, curious to see what Yang was up to.
"Hey Mez," Yang said, patting the area next to her. "Come on up here."
Mezzaluna leapt up onto the futon, curling up in a ball on Yang's lap, demanding pets by shoving her head into Yang's arm.
"Needy, needy," Yang chided with a smile. "Blake's gonna be here soon. You'll remember her when you see her. She'll be excited to see how you've been adjusting."
"Mrow."
"Yeah, me too, Mez, me too."
Barely fifteen minutes later, Mezzaluna leapt off of Yang's lap at the sound of the buzzing of the call box near the door. Yang went and answered it, buzzing Blake up to the apartment. She didn't move from the doorway until Blake knocked on the other side, knowing very well that if she went and sat back down on the futon it would be much harder to get back up.
The moment the knock came, Yang opened the door, stopping Blake before she could even do a second knock.
"Why, hello to you too," Blake said with a smile, stepping into the apartment.
"Hi," Yang replied sheepishly, blushing. "Sorry, I just…"
"Shush," Blake chided. "Nothing to apologize for."
"Meow meow meow meow!"
Blake looked down with a smile to see Mezzaluna trotting towards her, meowing with every step. "Why hello there, little lady!" Blake crouched down onto the floor, petting Mezzaluna. "Glad to see you're enjoying life!"
"Oh, she loves it here, especially now that she has a third person to sleep on top of at night." Yang let out a little laugh. "Let's go sit on the futon. She'll jump right up and cuddle with us."
Blake stood up, following Yang over to the futon that remained one of the only pieces of furniture in the living room. They ended up sitting longways on the couch, legs up, with Blake sitting behind Yang so she could wrap her arms around Yang. Mezzaluna sat in Yang's lap for a while, but ended up deciding to curl up between both sets of their feet.
They flicked through the channels on the TV for a while, Yang having admitted that they didn't actually own any movies, they just watched whatever was on TV. They ended up deciding on an older action movie that had only really just started, since most of their other options were almost already over.
"So," Yang asked with a small yawn, "how was your day?"
"Kind of boring, not going to lie," Blake replied with a small smile. "I had class this morning, but that was over by one, and I was just kind of waiting to hear from you after that…"
Yang groaned. "I'm so sorry about that. It was really, really annoying for me too. Like, yeah, I got paid and all, but that's four hours I was supposed to be spending with you, not busting my back and my feet even more."
"You don't have to apologize," Blake said softly. "It wasn't your fault the next waitress just decided to go missing."
"I hope she's okay," Yang sighed. "She's a nice girl. Nothing like this has ever happened with her before. Ten or fifteen extra minutes, maybe, but never that long, and always with warning."
"Well, hopefully you have an answer soon."
"Yeah, hopefully." Yang stifled out another yawn.
"My day got a lot better once you called," Blake said, leaning down and planting a kiss on the top of Yang's head.
"Good." Yang looked up, smiling with heavy eyelids. "I really enjoy just having you here."
"Me too."
Yang didn't reply right away, just snuggling herself even closer to Blake. A few minutes later, Blake could hear the distinct sound of very soft snores, and the steady rise and fall of her sleeping girlfriend's chest underneath her arms.
Blake smiled at the sleeping girl. She didn't dare wake her up. She knew all too well that Yang needed extra sleep, and besides, Blake thought sleeping Yang was literally the cutest thing in the entire world.
She pulled out her scroll, trying to be as still as possible to not wake up Yang. She typed up a message to her parents, which took far longer than usual, considering she was only using one hand.
Probably going to be back late tonight, everything is okay, you don't have to wait up for me. When I get home I'll wake you up and let you know I'm back.
Once Blake sent the message, she dropped her scroll onto the ground next to her. She sat there and watched Yang for a little while, peaceful and content, before she felt herself start to drift off into sleep herself. She could feel herself starting to purr as she began to slip away, and almost stopped herself, before remembering that Yang had really enjoyed it last week. She pulled Yang a bit closer to her, allowing herself to drift away into a steady sleep, the low rumbling in her chest growing louder as she became more and more unconscious.
"Well, fancy meeting you here," Ruby said as she stood in the lobby, watching as her uncle entered the building.
"How long have you been standing there?" Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not long! I saw you pull into the lot as I was getting out of my car, so I figured I'd just wait and let you in so you didn't have to buzz in and wake up Yang."
"Good thinking, Little Rose," Qrow replied, waiting while Ruby swiped into the building and led them down the hall.
"How was your meeting?" Ruby asked while they waited for the elevator.
"Good, very good. I'll tell the details when Yang's here too."
Ruby's usual smile widened. "Awesome!"
"What were you doing out so late?" Qrow asked.
"We've got a big test next week, so me and some other commuters in my mechanical engineering course were having a study session," Ruby explained. "Most of the other students have regular study sessions in the dorms, but for those of us that don't live there, we usually have to plan our own sessions on the weekends."
"Still, studying until midnight?"
Ruby shrugged. "It's a bigger test than our final, for whatever reason. Professors don't always make sense, you know."
Qrow let out a hearty laugh as the elevator opened to the sixth floor. "Oh, I certainly remember those days all too well…"
"Shocking," Ruby replied with a smirk, "considering how old you are."
"Watch it, you," Qrow chided, smiling at his niece. "What do you think the chances are Yang's already asleep?"
"One hundred percent. I haven't seen her up at midnight in like, forever. Other than for my birthday, but she had that day off."
"Hmm, well, I guess we'll just have to wake her up for the news then."
"Can't it wait till morning? I'd hate to wake her up…"
"Ruby Rose, wanting to wait to hear news? Now that isn't a change I expected when I came back from my mission."
Ruby stuck her tongue out at her uncle. "Very funny, Uncle Qrow. I just don't want her to be even more tired tomorrow at work. She's always tired as it is."
"It won't take long," Qrow insisted while he waited for Ruby to unlock the door. It was a bit annoying not having a key or the card that his nieces used to get into the building, but he knew that the only way to get his own would be to put his name on the lease… and well, considering that was the literal opposite of what he was trying to do, he had settled for just waiting to be let in for now.
Ruby stepped into the apartment, expecting to flick on the light, to only realize that it was already on. She stopped and turned to face the living room, to see Yang and Blake cuddling on the couch, fast asleep.
"Well, that's unexpected," Qrow whispered, stepping in next to Ruby.
"Well, now we have to wake her, well, them, up regardless," Ruby whispered back.
Qrow nodded, hanging up his coat on one of the hooks that were once reserved for Yang's bike helmet, which now rested in her room. He noted a white coat next to his- assumedly Blake's.
"Yaaang, Blakeee," Ruby half-spoke, half-sang as she approached the futon. "Wakey-wakey!" Ruby nudged Yang slightly, not sure if she should do the same with Blake.
Yang's eyes shot open at Ruby's touch. "Huh, wha?" She attempted to roll over, not realizing she was still nestled between Blake's legs…
Causing them to both fall to the floor with a CRASH!
"Oh my Oum are you okay?" Ruby began sputtering immediately, Qrow dashing over to their sides as well.
Blake rubbed her shoulder, which she'd landed on. "Ow…"
"Oh my Oum, Blake, I'm so sorry!" Yang exclaimed, untangling herself from Blake and rubbing her own knee.
"Let me get you two some ice packs!" Ruby ran into the kitchen to retrieve them from the freezer.
"It's okay, Yang," Blake replied, wincing as she tried to roll her shoulder. "Accidents happen."
A few minutes later, both girls were back on the futon, this time sitting up. Blake had an ice pack draped over her shoulder, and Yang was applying pressure to the ice pack on her knee. Qrow and Ruby had pulled over the kitchen chairs, sitting across from the futon.
"Well, now that that's out of the way," Qrow said with a small chuckle, "I have some news for you."
"Oh?" Yang asked, perking up in her seat.
"Turns out, the meeting was less of a meeting, and more of an informal interview," Qrow explained. "I didn't realize it was going to end up turning into that, but luckily the deputy headmistress didn't seem to mind."
"Wait, what?" Ruby's mouth was gaping open. "I thought you were just going out for drinks with a friend!"
"Yeah, I thought so too. Next thing you know, we're in a restaurant, and a woman named Glynda Goodwitch joined us. Turns out she was under the impression it was an interview, and my friend and I were under the impression it was just for drinks and a friendly dinner."
"And she didn't mind?"
Qrow shook his head. "She seemed okay with the misunderstanding. She was really impressed by my resume and basically just had a few questions for me."
"And…" Yang said, gesturing with her hand to get him to get to the point.
Qrow's smile widened. "She asked me if I could start on Monday. I said yes."
"Oh my Oum!" Ruby leapt out of her chair, giving her uncle a huge crashing hug. "That's incredible!"
Yang's mouth was gaping open as she tried to process the information. Blake placed a hand on top of Yang's and squeezed gently. "I… you… what?"
"I start training on Monday. I won't start teaching formally until next week, but I'll still be getting paid starting Monday."
Yang's mouth finally closed, but only as she began shaking slightly. Blake's eyes grew wide, trying to comfort her, but tears came anyways.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Blake said softly, embracing Yang in a hug, even if it made her shoulder sting.
"Y-yes, yes it is," Yang whispered back. "Happy tears. Happy tears."
Qrow smiled softly. "You can put in your two weeks notice at the coffee shop tomorrow, Yang. You won't need to work two jobs anymore. And once paychecks start coming in, you can leave the diner too and go back to trade school."
Yang buried her face into Blake's good shoulder, the crying increasing into full sobs. Blake rubbed her back gently, still trying to soothe her.
"Holy smokes," Ruby whispered, still in shock herself. "It's over. It's finally over."
Yang pulled back from the hug, standing up and looking at her little sister with a smile. "Come here, Rubes."
Ruby leapt over to the futon, giving Yang a giant hug as tears began to fall from Ruby's eyes too. "We're free," she whispered over and over. "We're free."
Yang held her close, letting her own tears fall onto her sister's shirt. "No more money worries. No more crappy apartment. No more crappy second-hand dorm furniture."
"No more ramen," Ruby said, causing everyone in the room, including herself, to laugh.
Yang and Ruby pulled away, only for Qrow to take turns hugging them both. He stayed with Yang a little bit longer, which she gladly embraced.
"I'm sorry for not being here when you needed me," he whispered softly.
"You don't have to be sorry. You were exactly where you needed to be. You had an important job to do, and we got through it the best we could. Now you're here, and you get to help us now, and we can never be grateful enough for that."
"It never should have gotten to this point in the first place…"
"Qrow," Yang said, pulling away from her uncle and looking him in the eyes. "We can't change the past. That's something I've learned recently and I have to remind myself of it a lot. We can't change the past, but we can improve our present. That's what you're doing now, and that's what you're going to continue to do."
Qrow looked into Yang's eyes for a few moments, shaking his head. "I don't know when you got to be so grown up. You sound exactly like your father."
"I learned from the best," Yang replied with a soft smile.
Qrow pulled her into another hug, although this one was much briefer. When he finally pulled away, Yang went and sat back down on the couch next to Blake.
"Whenever you're all going to move," Blake chimed in, reminding Ruby and Qrow of her presence in the room, "let me know. My parents have offered our van to help move things."
"I don't know how much of this stuff we'll be taking with us," Qrow said, looking around the mostly empty apartment, "but we'll definitely need some help moving in our new furniture."
"Just let us know when and where, and we'll be there," Blake replied with a smile.
"Holy Oum it's late," Yang said with a yawn, taking a look at her scroll. "It's almost one in the morning."
"Shit," Blake cursed, picking up her scroll off the ground. "I told my parents I'd be back late, but I doubt they thought this late…"
"Do you want to stay the night here?" Yang offered, standing up from the futon. "Call me paranoid, but I don't think driving home at one is the best of ideas."
Blake nodded immediately. "That'd be great."
"Just no funny business."
Yang's eyes snapped to glare at Qrow the moment the moment the words left his mouth. "Pretty sure your name isn't anywhere on the lease, so you don't get to make the rules."
Qrow smirked. "Is that so?"
"Yes," Yang huffed, offering her hand to Blake, who had turned beet red. "Besides, I would never do anything with my baby sister in the apartment anyways."
"Hey!" Ruby snapped. "I am twenty years old, I am not a baby!" She gave her best attempt at a glare to Yang, but it simply turned into a pout.
Yang and Qrow burst out laughing, and even Blake let out a few giggles.
"Sorry, Rubes," Yang said, reaching over to ruffle Ruby's hair, "but you'll always be my baby sister."