"So, to go over this one last time; Jaune and I were not conducting a drug deal, on a late night pancake run, or…ugh, 'banging the hell out of each other on the roof'." Blake muttered, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she sent a seemingly unconvinced Yang a glare and trying her best to quell her flush. "We really were out fighting the White Fang, right Jaune?"
Blake only got a soft snore in response, tilting her head as she realized that Jaune was fast asleep at the table, drooling slightly and mumbling dreamily on occasion. She sighed, cracking a fond smile as she walked over to the nearby couch and plucked a blanket off the back of it, draping it over him. To her surprise, Yang snagged a pillow from the couch and gently slipped it under his head. The poor guy didn't even stop snoring.
"Tch, never expected Lover Boy to be such a heavy sleeper…guess you really wore him out, Blakey." She teased gently, snickering quietly at the eyeroll that followed before waving Blake to follow her room. Stepping inside and gently shutting the door, she crossed her arms and turned back to Blake. "So, that's really the final version you're going with? Nothing else to confess?"
"What, you want more than me formerly being part of a terrorist organization and blowing up their warehouses under the cover of night as a vigilante?" Blake drawled in a deadpan with a raised eyebrow. The two women stared at each other for a beet…and then both started to laugh, struggling to keep the voices down. It sounded so absolutely absurd, and yet it was entirely true.
"Alright, I believe you…pretty kickass origin story, though." Yang replied with a shrug, grinning as Blake continued to try and stifle her laughter. However, a familiar mischievous grin arose on the brawler's face as leaned in slowly and adopted a teasing tone. "Sooooo…you and Lover Boy seemed pretty close when you came back tonight…you sure no funny business happened on the roof~?"
"Very sure, Yang…though I did find out he's a good hugger. Haven't felt that safe in someone's arms since leaving home." Blake hummed with a wistful sigh, before realizing the smirk plastered on Yang's face had only grown, quickly clearing her throat. "But no, we didn't do anything…scandalous."
"Mhm, sure. I believe you." Yang replied in an all too peppy tone, still looking just a bit overly pleased as she sat on her bed, faking a contemplative look. "So, you don't have any complicated feelings for our knight out there?"
Blake's mouth opened and closed for a moment, restaining the urge to lie and say she felt nothing. It was embarrassing to admit, but she had certainly become a bit infatuated with Jaune, even before the antics of this evening. He was sweet, kind, attentive…it would be hard not to be a little attracted to him.
"I suppose I might have a…slight crush on him…"
"Ha, called it." Yang chortled, making Blake flush and pout in slight embarrassment given her reaction. After a few seconds, though, Yang sighed and joined Blake on the bed, adopting a more . "I mean, can't shame your taste. Dork got his hooks in me too."
"...wait, you mean…?" Blake trailed off, eyes widening a bit as she turned to face Yang fully. Yang grimaced and shrugged, releasing a self deprecating chuckle.
"Yeah, I got it bad…he's one endearing bastard. Got me to fall for him just by being so damn…him." Yang huffed in a teasing, dramatic tone, propping her head up with one hand as she shook her head. "Gods, it's almost embarrassing. Pride myself on having pretty high standards for a partner, and Jaune checked all the boxes flawlessly."
"If I may ask…when did you know?" Blake asked with a curious tilt of her head, folding her hands over her lap with newfound interest in Yang's own rationalization of her feelings.
"Shit, I mean…there wasn't really a specific moment. It's not like I'm madly in love or anything. Blake." Yang snorted, earning her another eye roll from her roommate as she was urged to provide a better answer. "Since the first day we met, when he and Ruby first became friends back at Signal…I always had a soft spot for him. I guess living with him and getting to know him better just helped me see even more of his redeeming qualities…plus, working out with him clued me in that he's actually building up some muscle under that hoodie!"
Blake couldn't help but crack an amused smile at that last part. Trust Yang to cap off an honestly adorable sentiment with an implication of checking Jaune out…truth be told, she couldn't blame the blonde. Jaune was already a fairly attractive guy, but his trips with Yang to the gym were definitely paying off.
"Can't argue with that, honestly…suppose I should keep things fair, and explain myself as well." She sighed, ignoring Yang's celebratory fist pump and shaking her head fondly. "I suppose I started to see Jaune in a different light after we watched that movie together. It wasn't anything terribly daunting at first; I haven't had a partner since Adam for a reason…but Jaune was just so painfully sweet, and endlessly patient. I started to grow attached, and now…well, you know the rest."
"Yup…so, what exactly happens now?" Yang asked, her smile turning just the slightest bit nervous as Blake's ears twitched in curiosity. "I mean, I'm tickled to know we got the same taste in blond dorks, but it's not like we could both pursue him…"
Blake simply raised an eyebrow, privately relishing the surprise that flittered along Yang's face as raised a hand and started to count down on her fingers. "I mean…to be frank, Yang; you literally have two moms and a dad that, to your own admittance, are in a polyamorous relationship, polygamy is actually semi-common where I come from, Menagerie is very accepting. Not to mention it's Jaune. The man is denser than bedrock, we'd need all the firepower we can get."
Yang blinked, staring at Blake for a few seconds with a look of utter shock on her face. She earnestly hadn't considered that Blake would be open to sharing, let alone the fact that an honest to god polyamorous relationship was possible. Sure, her moms and Tai made it work, but they made it sound so rare…
"You're for real, Blake? You'd actually be open to dating Jaune, and me?" Yang broached cautiously, eyebrows raised in surprise. Blake actually cracked a smirk at that, and nodded again as she fixed her roommate with a teasing look.
"Yes, I believe I would be. You're both my closest friends, and I have no qualms with sharing…plus, I never said that I don't find you attractive as well~"
Yang sputtered at that, looking away quickly as her cheeks bloomed with fresh color, all while Blake snickered to herself. God forbid Jaune ever found out how flustered she got when her flirting was reciprocated, she'd be toast.
"Wow, you sure know how to make a girl feel special, Blakey." She managed eventually as Blake's soft chuckles tampered off, turning back to look her in the eyes as her smile returned. "Guess you learn something new every day…what do you think Jaune's verdict would be?"
"We should ask him what he thinks in the morning, but I honestly couldn't say. He may not be ready for a relationship, let alone one with two women involved." Blake replied sagely, realizing that their idle chat over a mutual crush had become a whole lot less skeptical.
"Oh shit, you're right. Didn't even think about that…" Yang admitted, suddenly looking sheepish as she scratched the back of her neck. She honestly hadn't considered the possibility that Jaune might not be looking for a partner, but now that she considered it, it seemed to yank her back to reality. "Well, shit…guess that's just something we'll have to figure out down the line, huh?"
"It would probably be smart, yeah. We should both get some sleep, clear our heads. It's been a long night." Blake replied with a slight chuckle, rising from the bed and stretching before heading for the door. "We can talk more in the morning, Yang. Sleep well."
"Back 'atcha, Blakey. Goodnight!" Yang replied, holding up her smile until Blake stepped out, letting it drop as she flopped back onto her bed, feeling exhausted and a smidge embarrassed. She hadn't expected a heart to heart confession of mutual feelings for her roommate, but to be fair, she didn't expect her roommates to be out kicking ass either.
With a soft sigh, she slipped under the covers and tried her best to get to sleep. Maybe, in the morning, Blake wouldn't even remember their conversation about Jaune…seems like only time would tell.
"Thanks again, Jaune. You didn't have to make breakfast for us." Blake praised as she smiled up at the blond who was currently serving Yang a plate of fresh pancakes. "That was very sweet of you."
"Eh, I thought it'd be a nice surprise! Plus, a semi apology for how wild last night was." Jaune replied with a chuckle, heading back to the stove and setting down the pan as he started a new round of cakes. "Turns out, passing out at the table wasn't the worst plan; I'm feelin' pretty well rested!"
"Well, thanks, Jaune! Been too long since we've had a nice breakfast like this!" Yang chimed in, flashing him a wide grin and preparing a typical quip before she popped a slice of pancake into her mouth, eyes widening in surprise. "Damn, I forgot what a good cook you are, too…"
"Ah, another perk of having seven sisters; they force you to learn things they deem 'helpful'. Cooking was one of many." Jaune snorted, flipping his latest pancake and humming softly as he waited for it to finish cooking. "Certainly worse things I could have picked up."
"Indeed…so, did you have any plans for the day?" Blake asked curiously, ears twitching with interest as she took a break from her own breakfast and smiled warmly at him.
"Actually, I did have plans to swing by the university and visit Ruby today, see how she's holding up so far!" Jaune admitted, setting his breakfast on a plate and turning off the stove before joining the duo at the table. "Figured we could all go, maybe swing by the on campus library for the hell of it!"
"That actually sounds pretty fun! Called Ruby once or twice since she moved in, but it'd be nice to surprise her!" Yang agreed excitedly, the thought of checking in on her little sis sounding quite appealing. After all, she did need to ask her a few questions regarding a certain blond dork…
"I'd love to finally meet Ruby in person, and a visit to the local library sounds lovely!" Blake agreed with an equally eager tone, finding the prospect quite alluring as well. Jaune beamed, pleasantly surprised by both of his friends being open for such an abrupt visit.
"Awesome! We can head out after we finish breakfast, then!"
The trio were in agreement after that, spending the rest of their breakfast idly chatting in a comfortable setting. Jaune volunteered to do the dishes as well, but Yang and Blake both insisted they could handle it after he'd made them breakfast. Relenting, Jaune headed to his room to get dressed for the day, leaving Blake and Yang in the kitchen as they cleaned up.
Blake noticed that Yang was a bit spacy as they cleaned up the kitchen, eventually prompting her to tap her shoulder, smiling a bit at the way the blonde jumped. "You alright, Yang? It's not like you to space out like this."
"Oh, I'm all good. Just drumming up some fresh puns for when we meet with Ruby later." She replied, cracking a wicked grin and receiving a groan of exasperation from her Faunus friend. "I've been holding back lately, gotta step my game back up!"
"I suppose I should have been enjoying the peace while it lasted. How foolish of me to think you'd finally gotten over puns." Blake drawled in a playfully devastated tone. Yang snickered, and threw up her hands in a placating gesture.
"Hey, c'mon! I imagine you'd want more Yang for your buck!"
"Oh, not again." Jaune groaned as he entered the kitchen just in time to hear Yang's latest work of evil, grimacing with a theatrical shudder, offering Blake an apologetic look. "We should have appreciated the reprieve, now we're right back to the dark ages."
"To be fair, it was in the lease agreement; 'will make horrid puns at the worst of moments'. We have no one to blame but ourselves." Blake sighed in an equally theatrical tone, cracking a small smile as Yang continued to snicker at their reactions.
"You guys love it, deep down. Wouldn't put up with me otherwise." Yang refuted proudly as her laughter died off, sporting an all too proud expression. Puns were a speciality of hers that she absolutely loved to annoy her friends with them.
"I'll admit, it is part of your charm. You wouldn't be you if you didn't make the worst puns possible." Jaune mused with a smirk, crossing his arms as he sized Yang up with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say holding them in makes you feel…Yang-xious."
Yang's eyes widened comically, before a massive grin split on her face and she wrapped Jaune into a surprise hug while cheering, all while Blake looked on in absolute horror.
"Oh Gods, it's spreading. There's two of them now." She deadpanned, facepalming while Yang continued to cheer and laugh. "This is a travesty, truly. I never should have signed the roommate agreement."
"Come on, Blake, it's not so bad! Join us!" Jaune chortled as Yang finally released him, shooting the ninja a wide, endearing grin that it was nearly impossible not to return. "Embrace the puns, you'll be happier for it!"
"I assure you, I will not be…but I'll settle for you two fulfilling my quota." Blake huffed with a slight grin, trying her best not to cave to the grinning duo as she walked off towards her room. "I need to grab a few things before we head out!"
"Take your time, Blakey!" Yang called out, chuckling a bit more as she turned back to Jaune,
Lightly punch his arm in appreciation. "I should grab a few things too. Thanks again for breakfast, Jaune!"
"Anytime, Yang." Jaune assured her, watching her dart off to her room and chuckling to himself as he checked his scroll, double checking that he had Ruby's room number correct. Didn't want to end up lost on campus, after all!
A few minutes passed, and soon both girls met him in the foyer, ready for another day of adventure. He smiled brightly at both, and held the door open for them as they strolled out of the apartment.
"Ruby, here we come!"
"We really should have checked the weather first, huh?"
Yang leered at Jaune with uncharacteristic ire as she wrung the rainwater out of her hair best she could. Blake, likewise, was twisting the bow she wore to cover her ears in public, trying to make it less than soaked before slipping it back on.
To be fair, it wasn't specifically Jaune's fault that he forgot to check the weather before they headed out. It was barely even cloudy when they got on the bus, but by the time they arrived at the academy, it was practically a full on thunderstorm.
"Sorry again, guys. I should have checked before we left." He apologized again, feeling pretty bad at this point. He would have offered one of them his hoodie if it wasn't already soaked.
"It's fine…none of us had the thought, so we can't exactly blame just you." Blake sighed, ultimately giving up on her bow and tucking it into her pocket, before turning to Yang and offering an apologetic smile. "Yang, maybe you should just-"
"I got it." Yang replied, before her eyes flashed red and her semblance suddenly activated. Her hair was suddenly aflame and her body outlined with heat, but after a few seconds, the flames simmered and her eyes returned to their normal lilac. In a flash, she was almost entirely dry.
"...that is so many levels of unfair." Jaune mused while Yang just shrugged, her trademark grin breaking on her face. "Well, guess that just means Blake and I will have to huddle for warmth in the meantime."
"I don't think that'd work out since we're both soaked…but I don't think it'd hurt, either." Blake hummed, smiling as well as he walked up beside Jaune and looped an arm around his, flashing him a warm smile. "Lead the way?"
"Uh…yeah, sure. Let me just pull out the room number…" Jaune squeaked, flushing a bit as he fumbled for his scroll, missing the appraising look Yang shot Blake as he was looking away. "Ah, here we go…Room 213! Should be a floor above us…"
"Well, what are you waiting for? Onwards, Lover Boy!" Yang encouraged with a grin, looping her own arm with Jaune's free one and snickering at his embarrassed response. Eventually, he pulled himself together enough to lead them over to the stairs, ascending them and making their way down the adjoining hall.
Soon enough, they came to a stop outside Room 213, with the girls releasing Jaune for the time being as Yang stepped forward and knocked politely on the door. A familiar voice from inside squeaked, "Who's there?"
"Special delivery!" Yang replied with unwavering confidence, earning her an audible gasp from the otherside of the door before it unlocked and suddenly swung open, and a red blur launched out and nailed Yang in the chest, knocking her back a foot or two as she was suddenly caught in a hug.
"YANG! Oh my gods, why didn't you tell me you were coming?!" Ruby crowed ecstatically, hugging her older sister tightly as Yang laughed and hugged her back. "You should have called me! My roommate just left a few minutes ago, I would have loved for her to meet you!"
"We thought showing up unannounced would make for a nice surprise!" Yang replied, giving her sister one more squeeze before pulling back and gesturing to Jaune and Blake nearby with a grin. "Speaking of which, I brought a few friends!"
Ruby looked over curiously, letting out another gasp of surprise and darting over to Jaune, wrapping him in a hug promptly. "Jaune! I should have known she'd bring you with!"
"Heh, good to see you too, Ruby." Jaune greeted with a wide smile, feeling her nuzzle into his chest slightly before pulling back and grimacing at his damp clothes, making him chuckle. "Yeah, we kinda had to traverse the storm to get here…"
"Guessing Yang used her semblance to dry herself off?" Ruby guessed with a knowing smile, giggling off Jaune's nod and dienagging from the hug, turning to Blake and cracking a wide smile as she offered her a hand. "And you must be Blake! Yang's told me a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet you in person!"
"It's nice to meet you, Ruby. Yang's told me a lot about you as well!" Blake replied while shaking her hand, already getting the sense that Yang hadn't been exaggerating about her sister's natural exuberance.
Ruby beamed at her reply, quickly ushering the group back into her room as she babbled on to the group about how weird having an actual roommate now, not to mention the amount of schoolwork she was having to deal with now.
Stepping inside, the room was actually quite cosey for a dorm There were two beds and two desks, plus around eight feet of space between them. Each side also held a dresser for clothes and an apparent corner for personal touches. Ruby's side, naturally, was a bit more cluttered and had a handful of her usual knick knacks and trinkets scattered about.
The opposite side was almost bare, save for a few clothes and a makeup stand. Blake hummed thoughtfully at the contrast, tilting her head to Ruby curiously. "Your roommate certainly seems to be the clean type…"
"Oh, yeah! Weiss keeps her space a lot less messy than mine, always prim and proper." Ruby chuckled as she sagged into a gaming chair, gesturing for the others to sit on her bed. There was only really room for two of them, so Jaune opted to stand while Yang and Blake sat. "It took a few days to get used to her, but we're pretty cool now! As long as I keep my stuff on my side of the room and try not to get on her nerves, we're all good!"
"So…you like her, then?" Jaune asked with a thoughtful grin, happy to hear that Ruby had made another friend since she wasn't always the most social being. The redhead nodded eagerly, her smile never faltering.
"Yeah, I do! We had a rough patch or two in the first few days, but we're better now!" She confirmed, before she snapped her finger in seeming realization. "Oh, and she has the coolest darn sword I've ever seen! It shoots dust and stuff, it's incredible!"
Now that got an eyebrow raise from all three of them. This "Weiss" having a weapon sounded like she knew how to use it, and thus had training. That wasn't super surprising, but interesting all the same since everyone in that room shared some form of experience or another.
Suddenly, before the conversation could move any further, the sound of a door opening made four heads turn. In stepped a young woman around their age, with white braided hair and clad in a pale blue sleeveless dress and a blue shrug with a raised collar. She certainly looked as prim as Ruby described, her tone ringing out with a certain amount of passive exasperation.
"Honestly, you'd think Professor Port would be wise enough to send out an email about canceling class sooner than fifteen minutes beforehand." She grumbled, having been looking at her scroll as she stepped in, looking up and startling slightly in surprise, huffing a moment later. "My apologies, I wasn't aware that we had company…a text would have been nice, Ruby."
"Sorry, Weiss. They only showed up a minute ago…but I'm glad you came back!" Ruby replied, rising from her chair and gesturing to the duo beside her with a megawatt grin. "This is my sister, Yang, my best friend, Jaune, and their roommate, Blake!"
The trio waved to Weiss, who seemed to size them up for a moment before cracking a miniscule smile, nodding in greeting and crossing her arms. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all. I am Weiss Schnee, Ruby's roommate, as I'm sure she's informed you."
"Nice to meet you, Weissicle." Yang replied with a two finger salute, smiling through the annoyed groan from both Blake and Jaune, while Weiss merely raised an eyebrow at the pun before the blond offered her a hand, which she hesitantly shook.
"I apologize for her, she has frighteningly little self control when it comes to wordplay." Jaune offered with an apologetic smile, scratching his cheek anxiously. She chuffed slightly at his excuse, and shook her head with a composed smile.
"I've endured much worse than a simple pun, no apology needed." She assured him, before stepping back and sitting on her bed, fixing the group with a curious look as she hummed thoughtfully. "Ruby's mentioned you two extensively since we first met, so if nothing else, I've been prepared."
"That bad?" Blake asked with a quirked eyebrow, making Ruby flush a bit in embarrassment while Weiss chuckled and shook her head, raising a hand and waving dismissively as she clarified.
"Oh, no worse than my own older sister or friends back home. Just a perk of having siblings, I suppose." She expanded, before she glanced at the nearby clock on her desk and hummed thoughtfully. "It's nearly noon…there's a cafeteria attached to the building, if you'd like to grab something to eat. It'd be nice to get to know you all better somewhere a bit more…spacious."
"That sounds like a great idea, Weiss!" Ruby chimed in, silver eyes blown wide in evident delight that her roommate showed interest in getting to know her friends better. She then turned to the visiting trio, smiling brightly. "Does that sound good to you guys?"
"If nothing else, I could certainly go for some hot cocoa. Why not?" Blake hummed, not minding the idea of sticking around a bit longer, especially since the weather outside didn't seem to be getting any less grim.
"Sure, sounds like a good idea." Yang concurred as well, before turning to Jaune and nudging him slightly with a teasing grin. "Whadaya say, Jaune? Care to treat us to lunch?"
Jaune snickered at her less than subtle wording, throwing up his hands in mock annoyance and agreeing with a playfully exhausted tone. "Oh, if you insist…lunch actually does sound pretty good."
Weiss raised an eyebrow at their banter, but her smile didn't falter as she rose from her bed. Honestly, immature as it was, she found it remarkably enduring. "Very well, shall we be off?"
The group all agreed, and promptly stepped out of the dorm room and headed down to the cafeteria on the first floor. It was well furnished and lit, and had quite the spread in the way of options for food.
A few minutes later, after grabbing a few snacks and a few warm drinks, the group convened at one of the larger tables in the cafeteria, upon which Yang decided to take the lead when it came to conversation.
"So, Rubes, how did you and Weiss end up being roommates?"
"Oh! Well, originally Weiss had someone else scheduled to be her roommate, but they pulled out at the last second." Ruby replied, before turning to Weiss as she stuffed a cookie in her mouth and continued talking with her mouth full. "Did they ever say what happened with her?"
"First, swallow before you choke." Weiss instructed without pause, clearly used to having to deliver such instructions at this point. "Second…no, actually. Apparently, she just opted out of the roommate program. Perhaps she just wanted to live alone?"
"Hmm…perhaps. Still, it'd be strange to enroll in the lottery for a roommate before pulling out at the last second." Blake mused, nursing her cup of hot cocoa with a small, delighted smile on her face while her ears twitched happily. "Then again, who's to say? People make strange choices all the time."
"Yeah, you could say that again." Jaune chuckled, taking a bite out of his fresh grilled cheese and chuckling softly as he looked around the assembled group. It was almost like being back in highschool, eating lunch with friends between classes…there was something deeply nostalgia about it.
"Well, all the same, I could have ended up with a roommate much worse than Ruby. I got very lucky." Weiss chuckled, before noticing the wide eyed look the redhead was shooting her and flushing slightly, looking away as she sipped her coffee. "Dolt…"
For the next hour or so, the group made conversation about how things were going on campus, and how both girls were enjoying their first year at university. Eventually, Yang noticed that the weather had started to clear outside, and Ruby recalled that she had a class within the hour. As such, the group decided to separate for the day.
"It was great seeing you, sis. I'll be sure to call ahead before we visit next time!" Yang promised Ruby after giving her a goodbye hug, before nodding to Weiss and offering her a warm smile. "Was nice meeting you, Weiss."
"Likewise, Yang. It was a pleasure meeting all of you." The heiress replied, nodding to Jaune and Blake as well and rolling her eyes playfully as a ball of red shot into the former's arms, giving him a tight hug. "I should be going as well. See you after Grimm Studies, Ruby."
"See you then, Weiss!" Ruby called out while still hugging Jaune, before finally stepping back and smiling up at him brightly, the slightest tinge of pink on her cheeks. "Thanks for coming with to check up on me, Jaune. It means a lot…"
"Of course, I was itching to visit you! I'll be sure to check in on you again, with or without Yang." He promised her, earning him an elated giggle from the speedster before she said her goodbyes to Blake and sped off with her semblance, leaving the trio at the entrance of the cafeteria. "Seems like she's actually enjoying university so far…gotta admit, I never thought I'd see the day."
"I'm glad, honestly. You know how she was at Signal, socially awkward and a massive dork…she's grown up a lot, but still the same dork." Yang remarked, chuckling softly as she crossed her arms. "That's Ruby for you."
"She's certainly a delight to be around." Blake concurred, killing off the last of her hot chocolate with a satisfied sigh and dropping the cup into a nearby trash bin before smiling at the duo and nodding to the nearest exit. "Shall we? Hopefully, we'll catch another bus before anymore inclement weather rolls in."
"Please don't jinx us, Blake. If we do, lord knows that'd just make Yang come up with more puns." Jaune grimaced, leading the group towards the exit doors while Yang laughed in a menacing manner, prompting him to look back at her in bemusement.
"Oh, you give me to much credit, Jaune…coming up with weather puns is a breeze~"
Jaune and Blake groaned in unison while Yang cackled with her usual delight, the sound echoing throughout the halls as they made their way outside and towards the distant bus stop, eager for a ride back home.