Author's note: And now for the moment we've all been waiting for: the reveal of the play/cast list! As always, thank you for all of the feedback and I hope y'all enjoy!
"The cast list should've been up over an hour ago!" Yang groaned.
"Almost two," Ruby chimed in helpfully. The sisters were currently lounging on the floor in Weiss and Ruby's room. Weiss was patiently watching her computer screen, waiting for the email to show up, while Blake was sitting comfortably in one of the chairs.
"There must be a disagreement on the casting. And since Beacon doesn't do callbacks for the freshman play, we have to wait for them to make a decision," Blake observed, though it was clear from her tone that she was also tired of waiting. The sound beeping filled the room and Weiss's face lit up.
"It's here," she announced, catching everyone's attention.
"So what's the play?" Ruby asked, excited. Yang squeezed her hand in anticipation and gave Blake a reassuring smile. Weiss scanned through the introduction of the email.
"'We reserve the right change the cast list at any time'...looks like Blake was right about the disagreement," she mused, earning a sound of impatience from Ruby. She continued to read before letting out a sigh of disappointment.
"What is it?" Yang asked.
"Romeo and Juliet," Weiss announced with disdain. Yang groaned, a sentiment shared by Blake.
"Of course it is," she said. Ruby cocked her head.
"What's so bad about it?" She asked, curious.
"It's not the worst play in the world," Blake conceded, "but it is overdone," she said.
"It's also really not that romantic. They know each other for like two days and that's it," Yang chimed in. "It could be fun though depending on who's who," she admitted. Weiss took that as her cue to move on to the actual cast list. An impressed smile found its way on her face.
"Jaune is Romeo," she announced, clearly surprised. Yang and Blake shared a knowing look while Ruby announced her excitement.
"Ten bucks says Pyrrha's Juliet," Yang deadpanned, to which Blake murmured her agreement. While she would love it to be someone else (she'd heard Blake practice enough to know she was good enough and that wasn't just her personal bias speaking), casting Jaune as Romeo didn't bode well for the other leads in terms of diversity. Weiss smirked.
"Pay up then," she said smugly, crossing her arms. Surprise was evident on both Blake and Yang's faces. Unable to contain herself, Ruby peeked over her roommate's shoulder, reading until she caught up with Weiss. Her face immediately lit up.
"It's Blake!" she announced excitedly. Yang's expression immediately mirrored her sister's while Blake looked completely stunned.
"Blake, that's amazing! Congratulations!" Yang said wholeheartedly, completely ecstatic for her friend. She jumped up to give her a crushing hug, not remembering that not everyone was as tactile as her until she pulled away. "Whoops, sorry," she apologized with nervous chuckle.
"It's fine," Blake said, slightly dazed. "You're serious?" she questioned, apparently not quite believing her ears.
"That's what it says," Weiss confirmed with a smile. Yang grinned when she saw Blake smile the biggest smile she'd ever seen on her.
"A-alright, what about everyone else?" she asked, seemingly embarrassed by the attention if the blush on her cheeks was any indication. Still, Yang could see she was happy. Weiss and Ruby continued scanning down the list.
"Sun's your friend right?" Ruby asked, getting confirmation from Blake. "He's Benvolio," she read off.
"Nice," Yang said.
"I'm Lady Capulet," Weiss announced, and Yang burst into laughter. "What?" she asked, clearly offended.
"I'm sorry, it's just-" she giggled, unable to keep a straight face. "That means you're Blake's mom!" she said before another bout of giggles hit her. Ruby quickly joined her and even Blake had to crack a smile.
"Who's the father?" Blake deadpanned.
"Some guy named Neptune," Ruby read. That actually got Blake to laugh.
"He's Sun's roommate," Blake explained.
"Pyrrha's the Prince," Weiss continued, a role that Yang believed suited the redhead. "Ruby and Penny are the chorus and...miscellaneous?"
"Probably some of the minor roles," Blake chimed in, earning an 'ah' from Weiss.
"It'll be fun! Penny's really nice," Ruby said cheerfully. Weiss continued reading, looking for other people they knew.
"I don't recognize the Montagues, but Nora's the Nurse-"
"Wait, really?" Yang asked with a frown. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for girl, but out of what was left she was sure that that was the part she'd get. "Who am I then?" she asked, unable to help the nervousness sweeping over her.
"Oh, Yang! You're Mercutio!" Ruby said, snapping Yang out of it. She felt a wave of relief pass over her, and then she really let it sink in.
"I think I can live with that," she joked, hoping no one had noticed her earlier internal panic. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Wait. I totally get to do a sword fight," she realized gleefully.
"And if memory serves your reaction to getting stabbed is to make a pun," Blake added with a smirk. Yang's grin grew even wider.
"Ooh, who's playing the asshole that kills me?" She asked, getting up and walking over to Weiss's computer.
"Some guy named Cardin Winchester," Weiss said. Yang didn't recognize the name, and none of the others seemed to know it as well. Yang and Blake joined them in scanning over the rest of the email, which consisted of the rest of the cast list and a rehearsal schedule, which started in a little over a week. A buzzing sound caught everyone's attention.
"I should go; I'm supposed to be Skyping my parents," Blake said. "I'll see you all later," she said with a smile that Yang would almost call giddy.
"Bye Blake!" Yang said cheerfully, which was quickly echoed by Weiss and Ruby. She watched with a smile as Blake left the three of them alone. The trio sat in silence for a moment before Yang spoke up. "I think I'm gonna head out too. I should probably call dad," she said with a nervous chuckle.
"You haven't talked to him yet?" Ruby asked, and Yang could hear the worry in her voice.
"I've been busy," she said dismissively. "I'll see you two tomorrow!" she said, waving goodbye and leaving before Ruby could say anything else. Yang pulled out her phone as she headed outside, deciding an evening walk would be nice. Her father picked up after two rings.
"Hello?"
"Hey dad," Yang said casually, hoping her nerves weren't showing in her voice. Why am I so nervous? She asked herself.
"Yang? About time you called. I haven't heard from you all week."
"Sorry, I've been busy getting settled in. It's been pretty crazy," she said with an easy laugh. Yang could hear him sigh.
"How've you been?"
"Just fine," Yang said, and she meant it.
"Oh really? Because that's not what I heard."
Yang could hear the skepticism in his voice. She knew Ruby wouldn't have told him about her panic attack (not that she'd told her sister it was a panic attack), but she also knew she wasn't the best liar. Something must've slipped out.
"I had an incident early this week but I took care of it," she said casually. "And I'd appreciate it if you took my word for it instead of trying to get it out of Ruby," she added dryly. After a brief pause, she sighed. "Look, I know you're worried about me, but I can take care of myself," Yang said, softening her tone. It took a moment for Tai to speak.
"Tell me about your first week."
"Classes are going smoothly right now and I'm already making a bunch of friends. Ruby's roommate is pretty cool and Blake is awesome," Yang said, unable to keep a smile off her face.
"Blake's your roommate right?"
"Yeah."
"Good, I was worried about that. Have you checked on your friends from Signal? I think Violet was supposed to start at Haven this week."
Yang froze. It took every last ounce of strength for her to find a neutral voice. "No, I've been busy," she said through gritted teeth. "We had auditions this morning. We're doing Romeo and Juliet," she said with as much cheer as she could muster, hoping to change the conversation.
"Do you know if you've been cast?"
"Yeah, I get to play Mercutio," Yang said, genuinely smiling. The more she thought about it, the more excited she was about the part.
"Isn't that one of the guys?"
Yang frowned. "Well yeah. Shakespeare doesn't exactly have a lot of women in his plays, so they have to flip some of the roles," she said, feeling slightly deflated by his reaction.
"I just hope this doesn't become a trend for you. You'll have a hard time finding a guy if they keep seeing you play boys and not girls."
Yang forced herself to let out a choked laugh as she struggled to maintain her composure. "I'm a little too busy to be worrying about guys right now," she joked weakly. And a lot too gay she mentally added. "Anyway, I should get going. It's getting pretty late," she added, needing this to be over.
"Alright then. Be careful, and I love you."
"I love you too dad," Yang said as she hung up. With a groan she slumped onto a nearby bench to try and pull herself together. After a few minutes, an idea came to her. "Screw it," she muttered, standing back up and walking with a new sense of purpose.
"Hey mom, hey dad," Blake greeted with a warm smile.
"There you are! We were starting to worry about you," Kali said.
"Sorry about that, the cast list was posted late," Blake explained. She could see her parents' faces light up.
"Oh, how did it go?" Kali asked. The excitement on her face was a stark contrast the worry Blake could see on her father's.
"We're performing Romeo and Juliet, and I'm Juliet," Blake announced with a bashful smile. The reaction was instantaneous.
"That's wonderful!" Ghira declared, pride evident in his voice.
"We're so proud of you!" Kali agreed. "We can't wait to see it," she added, and Blake felt a surge of happiness at that.
"You seem to be adjusting well," Ghira observed after a moment.
"Are you making friends?" Kali chimed in. Blake smiled.
"More than I thought I would," she admitted, earning a pleasantly surprised gasp from her mother. "I think I might be becoming friends Weiss Schnee," she mused, still surprised herself. Her parents seemed equally shocked.
"A Schnee," Ghira repeated.
"A Schnee," Blake confirmed. "She's...something. I'm still not sure if I like her, but she seems to be a decent person. Decent for a Schnee at least," she said. Her parents didn't look convinced.
"How did you two meet?" Kali asked, ever the diplomat.
"She's a theatre major, so it was inevitable. She's also rooming with Ruby, Yang's sister," Blake said.
"How are things with Yang?" Kali asked. Blake couldn't help but smile.
"She sings in the shower, is way too perky in the morning, and she's a hugger," she said, unable to keep the fondness out of her voice. "She's wonderful," she said wholeheartedly.
"I'm sure she is," Kali said with mischievous glint in her eye. Blake fought off a blush.
"Has she given you any problems for being a Faunus?" Ghira asked.
"Not at all. She's been very considerate and willing to listen and learn," Blake said, earning a sigh of relief from her father. "I've gotten a few stares from other students, but nothing too overt," she added.
"How was your first week?" Kali asked. They spent the next thirty minutes talking, with Blake telling stories about college while her parents listened eagerly. Blake's ears perked up at the sound of a key turning and the door opening. Yang quickly followed, a bag in her arm as she radiated nervous agitation.
"Hi," Blake greeted, a frown forming on her face. "Is everything okay?" Yang fidgeted, and before she spoke she noticed Blake's computer was still open.
"Oh yeah," Yang said dismissively, but Blake didn't believe her. "Are you still Skyping your parents? Sorry about that, I can head back over to Ruby's if you want some privacy," she offered, slipping easily into a more cheerful disposition as she deposited her bag on her desk.
"No, it's fine," Blake insisted.
"It's getting late," Kali observed. "We'll get out of your hair. Don't be a stranger dear," she said with a smile.
"It was good hearing from you, Blake. Take care of yourself, and we love you," Ghira said. Blake smiled.
"I love you both," Blake said as the call ended. She shifted her attention to her roommate, who was currently browsing her phone with an unreadable expression. "Are you alright?" she asked seriously. Yang looked up.
"Yeah, I uh…" she paused before sighing. "Can we talk about this in the morning? It's getting late and I just…I need to sleep on something," she requested, and Blake's concern skyrocketed. It must have shone on her face because Yang immediately backtracked. "It's nothing bad, I swear," she said, throwing up her hand in defense.
"If you're sure," Blake relented reluctantly.
"Thanks. I promise I'll talk about it in the morning," Yang said, and Blake decided to trust her. "Besides, tonight's a night for celebrating! You're Juliet for pete's sake," she added, flashing a smile that was genuine despite whatever was bothering her.
"I'm convinced that you're more excited than I am," Blake said wryly, a smirk on her face.
"Because you deserve the part," she said easily, earning a slight blush from Blake. "I'm serious! I've heard you practice, and you're pretty great," she said warmly.
"Flatterer," Blake said, fighting off a deeper blush.
"I do my best," Yang said with an exaggerated waggle of her eyebrows, getting a chuckle out of Blake.
"I'm going to take a shower ladykiller," she said with a fond eye roll, feeling immense satisfaction when she heard the blonde laugh and shoot back 'if only!'.
Author's note: Aaaaaaand it's Romeo and Juliet. Some of the other roles not listed already include Ren as Friar Lawrence, Mercury and Emerald as the Montagues, Russel Thrush as Paris, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark as Abraham and Balthasar, and Sage and Scarlet as Samson and Gregory.