Chapter Six: One Lie
Written by: JayEmEl
Edited by: Cowjump
Happy reading!
To say the least, Yang was enjoying herself. Smirking, she quickly sidestepped, swerving out of her opponent's line of sight in the nick of time. Fist failing to connect with its intended target, her adversary stumbled forward with their momentum. Before they could recover, Yang gave them a little offending push on the back, effectively causing them to tumble to the mat with a surprised "Oomph!"
The brawler's smirk turned into a wide grin. "C'mon, Rubes! You got this!" she called out to the red heap of a body that was her sibling.
Ruby groaned and made a show of feebly attempting to sit, but then, pretending to be utterly spent, just collapsed again. She said something; however, her voice was muffled because her face was pressed against the sparring mat.
Yang chuckled. "Sorry, there, sis." She raised her voice to make sure Ruby made out her next words. "I couldn't hear you because my ears are all locked up!" It was probably one of the worst puns she had ever made because it was such a stretch…but Yang was proud of it, like all her jokes. Well, most of them. But still. Either way, her hair was so thick and wild that her wordplay might have even held a hint of truth.
She knew her puns were bad if she had to justify them even to herself.
"You could at least say something that isn't complete gibberish," Weiss huffed indignantly from where she was situated on the benches further off, but she was mostly ignored. As bad as her joke had been, when it came to Weiss, Yang would defend every single one of them to the death. To Weiss', that is.
However, bad or not, Ruby did giggle at the pun and managed to get to her feet, turning to face her older sister. "If you're done being the lamest comedian I've ever known, I'll totally show you I do got this!" She raised her fists in a friendly challenge.
Yang beamed and moved into position as well, glancing at her surroundings before focusing on Ruby. They were in the vast gymnasium of Beacon's facilities, using their time off between exams to train. There were other students present, their voices and occasional yells echoing off the walls of the large chamber, but none of them were close enough to worry about.
For the past few months, Yang had been teaching Ruby the basics of kickboxing under the pretense that it was vital in case she lost her scythe, Crescent Rose, in battle or couldn't have it with her at a moment's notice. As dubious as such circumstances were, they were not impossible – in fact, it was one such occasion that had almost been the death of her in the past – and so it was a precautionary measure born of past experiences. Yang worried for her younger sibling, after all.
Ruby had accepted enthusiastically – thrilled for the one-on-one time she would get to spend with her adored sister – and had made phenomenal progress over just a short period. Yang had even been able to start showing her more advanced techniques over the course of the recent weeks. It went without saying that Yang always had a reason to be proud of RWBY's leader. Ruby was constantly learning and improving in many areas of her life.
Yang returned her attention to the friendly battle at hand. They had decided against using their semblances, but despite this and Ruby's lack of expertise, the girl in red could give the brawler a good fight for at least a minute or two when she applied herself.
...But then Yang would step up her game and immediately take advantage of the first mistake Ruby made, as she had just done moments ago. She would always do so with a self-assured grin – Yang was a bit of a show-off that way.
Ruby never seemed to mind, though. They were both having an equal amount of fun doing this.
They circled, silver and lilac locked as they jounced on their feet and protected their faces with their fists. The brunette suddenly hopped forward and jabbed low. Yang crunched and parried. She would have slammed her elbow into Ruby's upper back, but the younger teen was prepared and tacked backwards. Without missing a beat, she punched Yang's face while there was an opening.
Or, rather, she tried to. Yang grabbed her fist, winked, and then pulled. Her sister crashed head-first into the mat – however, she swung her leg out to trip the taller of the two, who merely jumped and then stepped away to regain her bearings.
"Oh, nice one!"
Ruby rolled over herself once and then was up on her feet again as well, silver eyes twinkling in pleasure and mirroring her sibling's regard. They both knew who would be the winner of this fight, but by no means did it diminish the enjoyment of it.
There was a movement from the corner of Yang's left eye that momentarily distracted her. A certain dark-haired someone had just entered and taken a seat beside Weiss. Yang grinned and returned her attention to Ruby…
Too late.
Her aura was protecting her from physical harm, but Yang nevertheless felt the punch in her stomach and it did still wind her. She doubled over, and Ruby only had to kick her behind one calf to bring her to her knees.
Through her shock at having been defeated so quickly, Yang was only somewhat aware of the speedy monster hopping around her victoriously. "What was that about never taking your eyes off your opponent?" Ruby teased before giggling happily.
When Yang found her breath, she began laughing. By no means was her pride hurt – in fact, it swelled for her leader. She had listened well. Ruby extended her hand and Yang took it firmly, allowing the smaller of the two to help her to her feet. "You deserved that one," Yang admitted with a snicker, patting her sister on the back. She glanced towards the benches and added loudly, "I mean, if Blake hadn't strutted in here like she owned the place or something, I would've totally won."
Blake visibly rolled her eyes, but one corner of her lips lifted upwards into a half-smirk.
"Excuses, excuses!" Ruby said in singsong, grabbing her bottle of water nearby and taking a swig. "Also, since when did Blake get here?" She looked over at the duo seated on the benches, perplexed. But then she shrugged and returned her attention to Yang. "Dad would be ashamed of you for letting some girl shift your focus from the combat," she added before wiping her mouth and simpering, effectively removing any bite that might have been present from her statement.
"Oh, you're really looking for it if you're bringing dad into this," Yang responded with an amused smile. She raised her hands, wiggling her fingers as a playful threat.
The truth was that the extrovert didn't mind at all if their father had been mentioned. He was the one, after all, who had taught her how to fight – and he had done it very well. For all his faults, Taiyang couldn't be reproached for his earnest teaching of the martial arts to his eldest daughter. That said, Yang did find Ruby's comment a little bizarre for the way she had said "girl." Yang would have never been distracted by some girl. A boy, probably – if he was particularly tall, ripped, and handsome with stormy green eyes… – but some girl?
Just Blake. Blake was an exception. At least, that was the plan.
Upon realizing the threat Yang's fingers represented, Ruby's eyes widened, and she squeaked, bolting in a flurry of rose petals to join Weiss on the benches and attempt to hide behind her. This caused the heiress to frown and lean away from their leader. "If you think I'm going to protect you from that oaf…" Her frown turned into a scowl.
"Who're you calling an oaf?" Yang challenged lightly as she approached the trio on the benches, putting her hands on her hips to feign offense. She knew her grin would betray her mirth.
"Don't pretend you don't know," Blake interjected in her calm voice. Her golden eyes met Yang's lilac, and by the way they inspired teasing malice, it was clear the Faunus was just playing along – as she often did when she was in a good mood.
Ever the one to take advantage of such situations, Yang was quick to point at the black-haired young woman. "Listen here, you!"
There was a pause, the girls waiting in patient expectation for Yang to air her grievances.
Failing to come up with anything witty, she simply exclaimed, raising herself to her full height, "Fight me!"
Legs crossed, Blake leaned her chin on the palm of her hand and regarded Yang with a look that was nothing short of the epitome of unimpressed.
Yang glanced at Ruby and Weiss for help. Upon meeting her gaze, Ruby smiled and began chanting quietly, "Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight." That wasn't helpful, and she was rapidly shushed with a glare from her partner and another threat of curled fingers from her sister. That munchkin was just begging for a good tickling.
"Well, since Ruby insists…" Blake slowly stood, a half-smirk forming on her lips again.
Yang grinned from ear to ear. The two teammates had sparred several times in the past. It wasn't a matter of gauging who was the best combatant between the two – rather, it was to work on their weaknesses and hone their strengths. Doing homework with Blake, while informative, was nothing like fighting with her. The lithe young woman was swift and agile on her feet, more than capable of meeting Yang strike for strike, and even forcing the brawler to push herself – pick up the pace and think not only faster but smarter, too. Brute force alone would almost never undo Blake Belladonna – it was too slow, too obvious, and really only proved effective if the Faunus was fatigued. Yang had quickly learned to use restraint and wait for the most opportune moment to give a devastating blow, combining wits with power.
And Yang loved testing her limits and improving her techniques, something that fighting Blake offered in spades.
"Come get it, partner," the blonde taunted mischievously, raising her fists and hopping backwards, returning to the sparring mat.
Blake didn't take the bait. In fact, she seemed to dangle one herself as she took a moment to stretch her muscles, deliberately unhurried and seemingly bored. Yang put her hands on her hips again, tempted to bite. Pride and amusement instead made her stand there and watch this rare show of confidence. Blake often won these matches between them, after all.
Finally, the ninja joined Yang on the mat. Their gazes locked, and the robust woman moved into a defensive position, keeping her center of gravity low while she evaluated her teammate, who returned in kind.
Blake's bow was straight on her head, betraying how her cat ears were on high alert. Her golden gaze was unwavering and focused. One corner of her mouth was lifted only slightly, the shadow of a smile. She was in a good mood, and she was apparently looking forward to the fight.
Yang grinned and beckoned with her fingers for Blake to attack first. It had already been clear she would to begin with – her posture betrayed her intention, from the way her torso leaned forward a bit and the tension in her long legs, ready to propel her into motion.
Blake didn't hesitate. As she jumped into the air, Yang dove to the mat and rolled, immediately turning around before she was even on her feet. She barely parried the kick to her face with her forearm. Yang jabbed with her other fist, narrowly missing Blake's jaw. The Faunus summersaulted backwards and Yang took a step back just in time to avoid Blake's soles.
The brawler went after the ninja, who recovered from her acrobatics and ducked beneath Yang's punch before tackling her midriff. Yang was winded as Blake's shoulder connected, and the girl in black pushed forward with surprising strength, lifting her partner's heavier weight enough to send her sprawling into the mat.
Man, she's fast.
Yang wouldn't be defeated that easily, however. She encircled Blake's waist with her thighs and gained the upper hand with a powerful surge and roll, grunting with the effort it took to get Blake on her back. Before she could immobilize Blake's wrists, the smaller of the two sent the palm of her hand straight into Yang's chin. Yang's head snapped back, and her teammate seized the opportunity to shove her off.
Immediately, the two got back to their feet and faced each other.
"Go, Yang!" Ruby cheered. "You can do it!"
Beginning to feel pumped and encouraged by her younger sister's shout, Yang charged at Blake. The dark-haired girl was instantly ready to defend herself and quickly parried Yang's jabs one after the other with her palms and forearms. Yang jumped and twisted into a roundabout kick, knocking Blake in the shoulder and causing her a momentary loss of balance. Their gazes met, and Yang winked, grabbing Blake's arm and using the opening to send her fist careening into the Faunus' face.
Too late. Blake had already recovered and gripped Yang's arm, too, and let herself swing down, directly between the blonde's legs. Before Yang even knew it, she found herself staring up at the ceiling high above, having executed a forced frontal flip. And then a slight dizziness set in, making her realize she had hit her head on the sparring mat.
Blake's face appeared above her, concern etched in her features. "Are you okay?"
Yang blinked but then grinned as she felt her semblance sparking within, bringing the world back into focus. "You bet, babe!" She grabbed each side of her girlfriend's head and slammed her forehead into the bridge of Blake's nose. Yang only needed to let go for Blake to reel backwards, hand over her face.
The robust woman jumped to her feet, laughing. That was a defeat for her partner, the first time ever! Blake had to be losing her edge – disconcerting as it may be, that move hadn't been anything special. To be fair, Blake hadn't held back, either.
Yang turned and outstretched her hand towards Blake, who glared up at her as she lightly prodded her nose for any damage. "Oh, c'mon. Your aura took the brunt of that." Amused lilac met sharp golden.
Blake regarded Yang and then gripped her friend's hand.
…Only to pull her down roughly, and Yang found herself unexpectedly smooching the mat. It was unpleasantly salty – not the greatest experience. Nevertheless, the goofball started cackling as she rolled over. Blake had her eyebrows arched, but she looked rather amused, too.
"I love it when you're feisty," Yang giggled, and then stretched her arms out behind her head. "So, that was a tie?"
The quiet introvert smiled a little then, finally, and said, "No. You won. I underestimated you…somehow."
Yang sat up next to her girlfriend, leaning back on her hands and sharing an affectionate look with Blake. The lilac-eyed girl knew Blake hadn't truly lost her edge – if anything, given the friendly circumstances of the fight, Blake had merely allowed herself to show more worry than usual for Yang's wellbeing. Yang wasn't going to complain – not only was it kind of adorable, but it had enabled her to win the battle. This dating idea was really starting to grow on her.
"You were distracted by all this crazy hotness," Yang teased, gesturing at her own body. "I mean, I know I'm irresistible, but you gotta control yourself, Blakey…"
Blake smirked and stood. "Oh, yes. Nothing more attractive than a head so big it can't fit through the doorframe. Absolutely." She began walking back towards Ruby and Weiss, every bit as flippant as Yang could be. But probably better, too, because Blake had that sass about her.
Blake was particularly great when she was in a good mood, Yang decided. And if she had any say in it, Yang would definitely try to upkeep her girlfriend's happiness. The golden girl hopped to her feet and caught up to the Faunus. She was about to casually put her arm around Blake's shoulders but then, remembering that the bookworm didn't like being touched when she was sweaty, promptly lowered her hand.
Blake seemed to notice, though. "It's okay. Only this once." She glanced at the blonde, vague amusement lingering in her gaze.
Yang raised her eyebrows in surprise, but was quick to grin and sling her arm across Blake's shoulders. It was actually kind of nice being so affectionate with someone again. The duo came to stand in front of Ruby and Weiss. "So? What do we do next?"
The two shorter girls shared a look, and then Ruby was on her feet, too. "Team RWBY! Let's assemble in the simulation chamber!"
Weiss suddenly frowned. "Excuse me. That's not what I thought we agreed on. Shouldn't we start packing?"
Ruby blinked and then paused to consider her teammate. "Um, well… But, isn't it too early to pack? We're only leaving in three days and –"
"That's exactly the point! We're already late!"
The girl in red bit her bottom lip, appearing rather uncertain about how to proceed next. Yang knew her little sister like the back of her hand – Ruby wanted to train. Setting up for a mission, while not exactly boring, was not, by any means, the mission, itself. That said, Weiss' manner of speaking to Ruby wasn't something Yang appreciated. Still, the young leader insisted on being grown up, and Yang wouldn't always be there to intervene. She had learned to let Ruby deal with Weiss on her own. Mostly.
"One round in the SC. Then we can pack," Yang suggested, sending Weiss a warning glance and tightening her hold on Blake's shoulder.
The heiress opened her mouth as if wanting to dispute that, but then met Ruby's pleading and hopeful regard, and sighed. "Fine. But only one simulation round."
Ruby outwardly expressed her joy with a high jump into the air and a loud, "Yes!" And then she immediately dashed out of sight, leaving rose petals in her wake.
Weiss rolled her eyes and stood before following the newly created floral trail, slowly shaking her head in apparent mild exasperation.
Yang realized she was grinning. She looked at Blake, who motioned with a small movement of her chin in the younger partnership's general direction. "Let's not keep them waiting." And then Yang felt Blake carefully slide her arm around her waist.
The extravert beamed. "Sounds good to me! Let's go."
With Yang and Blake holding each other, the couple followed Ruby and Weiss to continue their training.
"Uhh…lemme see… Oh, I know! Okay, okay – so! I built Crescent Rose all by myself, I used to be afraid of the dark, and Yang once found me playing with dolls." Ruby sat back, satisfied with her choices.
"The last one!" Nora exclaimed, leaning forward. "The last one is a huge lie!"
Ruby snickered but pretended to zip her mouth shut and throw away the key. "Not saying just yet!"
Yang glanced at the individual faces present. JNPR had joined RWBY in their dorm room to spend some time together before they departed for their respective missions the following day. They were sitting in a circle on the floor and had decided to enjoy a conversation game as a group – just something simple and fun before everyone would have to get to bed.
Ruby was pretty good, Yang thought amusedly. She hadn't even glanced at Yang, a subtle movement that might have betrayed the truth – or maybe even the lie. Yang only knew which one it was by process of elimination, drawing facts from memory. Otherwise, that had been a pretty sneaky set of options.
"I'm tempted to say you were never scared of the dark," Pyrrha spoke up, a small smile gracing her features. Her emerald eyes met Yang's lilac, but the blonde only grinned in a manner that wouldn't reveal her thoughts. Pyrrha crossed her ankles out in front of her comfortably and looked back at Team RWBY's leader. "Fighting Grimm like you do and often demonstrating so much bravery… I can't imagine that being true."
"I bet it's the dolls," Jaune gazed from Pyrrha to Ruby. "She's way too much of a weapons girl. But, I mean, Pyrrha's argument seems pretty valid, too…" He creased his eyebrows, clearly stuck in the dilemma.
Ren's magenta eyes beheld each person's expression. Eventually, he only sighed and looked towards Weiss. "Let's see what Ruby's partner has to say. I think there are certain details being left out of these choices."
Weiss arched her eyebrows. "I agree with Ren. I'm not risking this trickery." She paused. "You didn't build your weapon all by yourself. Impossible."
Yang wanted to guffaw, and stopping herself from sharing a look with her younger sister was a real challenge. That said, Yang being the only one not allowed to take a guess at the answer, everyone then turned to Blake.
The so far silent girl, who was sitting next to her partner, regarded Ruby and Yang with her sharp golden eyes. Finally, she simply stated, "Building Crescent Rose alone is your lie."
"I mean, suddenly that makes a lot of sense…" Nora whispered, eyes wide.
"Points go to Weiss and Blake!" Ruby declared, laughing. "My uncle Qrow helped me build Crescent Rose while I was in Signal. I might be a weapons enthusiast, and I might have been embarrassingly good in my mechanical classes…but I still needed a teacher to guide me through it."
"So that means…" Jaune started with surprise.
"Yup! I caught my baby sister playing with dolls!" Yang finally gave in to her urge to cackle. It had only been one time, but looking at her now, nobody could have guessed that Ruby had played with the same toys most other little girls had.
"I was five years old!" Ruby protested, eliciting chuckles from most of the group of friends. "And besides, it wasn't just dolls. I had toy cars, too."
"Yeah, which you somehow took apart to make cheap weapons for your dolls," Yang pointed out, creating more hilarity. If there was one thing Yang and Ruby had in common, it was their incorrigibleness. That said, Yang recalled almost having a conniption when she realized her little sister had been handling potentially sharp objects. The family-oriented girl might have only been seven years old at the time, she still had the awareness of the danger the taken-apart toy cars represented.
Yang's gaze gravitated towards Blake. The Faunus was smiling in amusement, listening to the teasing comments that continued to be tossed back and forth among the two teams. But she seemed to notice Yang looking at her, and turned her head to meet her girlfriend's regard. Blake's expression became questioning with a mere arch of her eyebrows.
The bookworm was definitely smart, Yang found. She had figured that out very quickly, of course, but while Weiss had guessed correctly, too, the heiress had felt the need to explain her choice, as if she weren't confident about it and just wanted to keep face. Blake had just…delivered a plain, assured answer – after only observing the two siblings. She hadn't been told all of their history or such small details. She couldn't have known. Yet those sharp golden eyes of hers had seen right through the game.
Despite having been teammates for two years, Blake, categorically, continued to impress Yang.
"So, who wants to go next?" Ruby suddenly piped up as the conversation died down.
A smile formed on Yang's lips, but she didn't break eye-contact with the girl wearing black. "I volunteer Blake," she announced mischievously.
Blake's eyes narrowed. "You can't do that…"
Yang winked. "But I just did." She then turned back towards the rest of her friends. "Whad'ya say, guys? Blake hasn't had a chance to share yet." The truth was that Yang wanted Blake to participate, too. Her partner had been offering her opinion, of course, and just as she had with Ruby, Blake had often assumed correctly which statements were the lies. But now, Yang was curious to know if she could read her teammate as well as her teammate could read her.
"I think she definitely deserves one," Pyrrha agreed, slowly shaking her head in the couple's direction. "But I also think your poor girlfriend has the right to refuse."
Yang feigned offense by bringing her hand to her chest and looking taken aback. "My poor girlfriend? Pyrrha! How could you? I treat Blake with so much love and dignity that –"
Someone's hand suddenly smacked into her face, causing Yang to sputter and stop talking. She heard Nora and Ruby start laughing. Even Pyrrha chuckled. Yang grabbed the person's wrist and took their hand away from her face in disbelief. She found Blake – the culprit – staring at her in amusement. "I'll do it. No need to utter such ridiculous lines."
"You just hit me!" Yang blinked, shocked.
"You'll survive."
Now Yang's eyes widened. "In the face! Also, rude!"
Blake's expression became almost devious. "Oh, c'mon. Your aura took the brunt of that."
And that was how Yang burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. She gasped between laughs, "Oh, my God, Blake. You're amazing." It was an absolute fact in Yang's mind now – when Blake was in a good mood, she was particularly fantastic. If it emboldened her to act more open and less afraid to be herself, then Yang really wanted to help upkeep it.
"I've said it before. You two gross me out," Weiss muttered.
"Let's just ignore Yang," Nora suggested. "Blake! Two truths and one lie!"
"Hey!"
"Nora…" Ren gripped the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.
Yang managed to calm down, but she didn't let go of Blake's hand. They intertwined their fingers on her lap. As the room became silent again and everyone's attention focused on the Faunus, Yang said, "Okay. We're listening to you."
Blake's eyebrows creased a little as she seemed to ponder. Her hold tightened around Yang's fingers, but then she finally declared, "Alright. My favorite color is purple, I once dreamt about eating a live tuna fish, and I occasionally read erotica."
"You what?!" Weiss and Jaune both simultaneously exclaimed in shock.
"Whoa, Blake is admitting to reading shameless smut?" Ruby appeared thoroughly entertained, grinning wickedly at the golden-eyed girl, who was keeping a carefully neutral expression.
Didn't even blink, Yang mused with a small smile gracing her lips. It was actually quite hilarious. Blake had intentionally brought this upon herself – and Yang had a feeling she knew why.
That said, the prankster really needed to start filtering her mouth before she spoke. The only way Ruby could have known about smut was thanks to Yang's jokes about Blake's reading material, and Yang would have preferred keeping Ruby's mind untainted by such perverted imagery for as long as she could.
"Isn't Blake's favorite color black?" Nora wondered innocently, wide-eyed.
A nerve under Blake's eye twitched, and Yang decided to take sides with her partner on this one and put an end to her misery. Simpering, the blonde opened her available arm to gain everyone's attention. "Guys, guys. Do you honestly think Blake would say she reads smut? Clearly that one's the lie." Yang paused. "Although it's really funny you all think it's not." She chuckled.
"Well, look who's grouping us all together," Pyrrha teased gently, and Yang stuck out her tongue at the redhead.
"Oh, so wait! You mean that Blake reads smut all the time?" Nora gasped. "Not just sometimes?"
At last, Blake reacted, slowly bringing her free hand to her face and letting out a long sigh. "Ren, I beg of you. Do something about your partner." She looked up. "My favorite color is purple. And I don't read any kind of erotica, thank you very much."
"So why do you get so embarrassed when you're caught with Ninjas of Love?" Weiss asked critically.
Blake hesitated briefly. "It's…not that good of a book, per se… It's overrated and cheesy, and the plot points are delivered poorly. I pride myself on reading only quality material, and this is more of a guilty pleasure of mine, for my own amusement. Believe me, if I had truly wanted to keep this secret, none of you would have even suspected it. Remember these?" Blake bowed her a head a little to emphasize the twitch of her cat ears, which were bowless. "None of you figured I was a Faunus until I said something."
"I mean, she's not wrong…" Jaune conceded uncertainly.
Yang's gaze lingered on Blake's furry appendages for a moment, wondering, and then focused her attention back on the group. "'Course she's not. Blake's a smart cookie. Now let's give her a break. Who wants to go next?" She didn't need to look to know her girlfriend had given her an appreciative glance. The small squeeze of her fingers was an answer in itself.
Nora opened her mouth, but Weiss interrupted her before she could even speak. "Actually, I don't mean to be the mood dampener, but look at at the time. It's late, and we have to be up early tomorrow for our respective missions."
"Weiss is right," Ruby agreed, but she appeared disappointed nevertheless. Yang would have liked to continue as well, but if Ruby was so easily picking her partner's side on this one…well, Yang wasn't about to argue when her little sister was looking out for their wellbeing as a team, as a leader should. "But we should totally do this again another time!"
There was still something Yang needed to know before JNPR left the room, though. "Hey, do you guys know if we'll be seeing each other before we're sent off?"
Pyrrha, who had stood with Ren, turned and replied, "We were able to wish our farewells to Team CVFY last year before they embarked on the airship. If things haven't changed, we'll get our chance, too."
The rest of the friends got to their feet as well, and Yang approached JNPR as they crowded at the door. "Well, just in case – be safe." She gave Pyrrha and Nora a brief hug each, a firm handshake with Ren, and a pat on the shoulder for Jaune. "Night, guys!"
Once everyone had said their goodbyes, JNPR exited the dorm, leaving RWBY by themselves. The four girls didn't waste time standing around, though. They changed into their pajamas and went about their nightly routine, and proceeded to check their gear to ensure they had everything they needed for their week-long mission. They would have to verify it all again before they left tomorrow, too.
Packing had always been quite a bit of a chore for Ruby and Yang. Organization wasn't their strong suit, and, personally, Yang didn't exactly have the patience to fuss over her belongings until they were neatly arranged to allow for maximum carriage. That was why it had taken Yang a painful while to pack, and being certain she had everything with her to avoid having to do it all over again, she didn't bother with a thorough verification of her equipment.
Instead, she turned towards her team. "How are we feeling about the mission?" she asked lightly.
"We've practiced a lot – on our own, as partners, and as a unit. Plus, the mission is supposed to be adapted to our competencies. I think we'll be fine," Weiss replied dismissively, gazing at her one suitcase with a frown and finally deciding to click it shut and put it down by her bed. Her challenge had been finding the strict necessities and sticking to them alone – something Yang had taken a mighty pleasure in antagonizing her about.
"I can't wait!" Ruby chirped, hopping up onto her bunk and sticking her head out from behind her improvised bed-sheet curtain. "It's gonna be awesome. Team RWBY fighting Grimm like real huntresses for a week! This is what we've been training for, what I know I've been dreaming to do!"
Yang smiled at Ruby's endearing enthusiasm. The blonde had utter confidence in her team and her leader, and she had no doubt the task ahead of them would go smoothly, but that didn't stop her from showing her sisterly concern. She took a few steps closer to Ruby's bunk to gaze up into her sibling's silver eyes. "Promise me you won't be reckless, though, Rubes."
Ruby grinned and sniggered. "Right back at you, Yang. You're crazier than I am!"
"And don't you forget it," Yang retorted, waggling her finger at the young brunette and sharing a laugh with her. "C'mere," she added, standing on her tippy-toes as Ruby leaned forward so that Yang could kiss her on the forehead. Seventeen or not, this was customary for the sisters, and it was one of the rare motherly attentions Ruby still allowed Yang to enjoy. "Now get some sleep, little sis. Sweet dreams," she murmured, and Ruby disappeared behind her blanket of a curtain with a, "G'night! Night, Weiss! Night, Blake!"
"Goodnight, Ruby," Weiss replied as she slipped under the covers of her bed. Blake's soft, slightly muffled voice was heard next.
Yang acknowledged Weiss with a movement of her head, and then went over to shut off the lights. The room was plunged into darkness. Yang tentatively made her way over to her and Blake's bunks but didn't climb up immediately. Instead, she carefully sat down on the edge of her girlfriend's bed. She couldn't make out Blake's shape without the light, but she heard and felt her move into a sitting position. She imagined the Faunus could see her just fine, though, thanks to her night vision.
"Are you alright?" Blake wondered quietly.
"Yeah. But what about you? You didn't answer my question earlier." Yang kept her voice low, too, so that her conversation with Blake wouldn't disturb Weiss and Ruby.
"Oh. I'm fine." The bookworm was silent for a moment, and Yang thought she would leave it at that, but then Blake decided to reveal more. "Ruby's excitement is actually a little contagious. I'm looking forward to the change of scenery."
This caused the corners of Yang's lips to twitch upwards. "I'm glad you aren't too stressed, then. And, hey, I'm sorry I put you on the spot during the game. That probably wasn't –"
"It's okay, Yang," Blake reassured her honestly. "I had fun. Thank you for involving me – it was amusing, all things considered." Her voice then became concerned. "But what about you?"
"What about me?" Yang asked in surprise. "Which part? I had a blast."
"I mean the mission. How do you feel about it?"
Yang resisted the urge to chuckle. She might not have been able to see Blake, but the fact that she was showing genuine worry for her friend – reaching out – was an effort Yang appreciated. Also, it was cute. "We're going to kick butt," the brawler responded confidently. It didn't really matter what she thought, in the end, but Blake's question had been sincere.
"You two should be trying to sleep right now," Weiss muttered from across the couple.
Yang ignored the heiress and slowly extended her hand towards the general direction she assumed the raven-haired girl was. "Where's your face?"
There was a pause, but it wasn't long enough for Yang to start feeling silly or think she should probably have explained that inquiry. "Here," Blake murmured, and the sociable girl felt the quiet young woman's cheek softly against her fingers.
She grinned. "Don't move." Yang then leaned towards Blake, and pinpointing her target based on where her hand was, laid a brief kiss just above the tip of her girlfriend's nose. She paused as she did so, pulling away slowly as she beheld the wide-eyed look Blake returned, glowing faintly beneath the moon's soft, twinkling light, streaming in through a gap in the curtains.
"That's for head-butting you the other day," Yang said quietly.
Blake was silent for three heartbeats, and then she breathed, "Goodnight, Yang. T-thank you."
Yang was silent for just as long, and then she withdrew and stood, laughing lightly. "Night night, kitten." She then climbed onto her top bunk and sunk under the covers.
She found herself staring at the ceiling for a moment. Beneath her, Blake seemed to have not moved, and Yang replayed the scene in her mind, realizing what she had just done. She hadn't really been thinking right then – kissing Blake on the nose had seemed appropriate and friendly, but then there had been that pause. That was…not friendly.
She didn't regret the gesture, though, which meant she must have been comfortable with it. However, Yang hadn't imagined it was romantic when it happened…yet hindsight revealed it probably could have been. Especially from Blake's perspective. But even if Yang had meant nothing romantic by it, if Blake had taken it that way, then that was alright. Yang didn't mind. Wasn't that the point of their relationship? To make Blake happy?
No, that wasn't it.
They had spoken about this. It was so they could both be happy. And Yang was happy – Blake respected her, didn't pressure her, and made a conscious effort to let Yang in. Plus, Blake really was amazing, good mood or not.
Yeah, this relationship had a fair chance. Even if Yang didn't have any romantic feelings for Blake, the Faunus' reaction had been well worth the confusion afterwards.
And who knew what tomorrow would bring.
Short and sweet. See you in chapter seven, and don't forget about the audio version on Youtube (and the unofficial Bumblebee trailer made by yours truly - the link is on my profile)!