Disclaimer: TheFabulousUncle made a suggestion on the Elderburn Discord and I couldn't resist...

Winter's brows furrowed together in that peculiar way, the one that indicated she'd encountered something both unexpected and unwanted, a defect in the machine that required all her mechanical talent to repair. She'd already stripped off the top half of her coveralls, tied the sleeves around her waist to keep them out of her way, and the white tank top beneath was stained by oil and grime and wet from sweat. Beads of it dripped from her brow, rolled down her neck, over collarbone and soaked into the fabric even as her hands worked within the engine block, carefully tearing it apart piece by piece.

Yang licked her lips, trying to draw a steady breath. She both loved and hated when she managed to swing by the shop and find Winter elbow deep in a project. On the one hand, the sight before her constituted nothing short of a blessing. On the other… well… she did feel an awful lot like a peeping Tom at that moment.

"Oh, there you are," Weiss said, entering the shop from the door that lead upstairs, where the sisters lived. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I can be quiet when I wanna," she replied, biting her lip and weighing her options. They were supposed to be meeting up with Ruby and Blake- a rare bit of downtime between their hectic schedules- but after a year of stealing glances, she just had to get it off her chest. "Can I call in a favor?"

"As long as it's nothing ridiculous." It didn't seem like her staring had been noticed, since Weiss seemed far more concerned with checking the logbook on the counter than looking at her friend. "What is it?"

"I'm gonna say some things. And I want no judgment or reality check or… like, I wanna say it, and then you forget that I said it, and we go catch a movie with Ruby and Blake like nothing happened."

"As ominous as that sounds, I know you well enough to know you're being serious right now." She looked away from the window into the garage and met Weiss' curious gaze. "Go ahead."

"Your sister is hot." She could feel her cheeks igniting as a blush bloomed on her face but continued regardless. "And, like, not in the we-just-met-let's-hook-up hot, I mean the every-time-I-look-at-you-there's-a-fire-in-my-soul hot, the kinda hot that mesmerizes you and makes you want to try to hold it in your hand, even if it burns. She's smart, she's stubborn, she's snarky- I literally can't list everything I like about her, because there's just too much, but I know what I don't like, because that's just how things go ya know, because you don't just like all of a person off the bat, but damn do I want to get to the point where I love every little thing about her." She took a deep breath, somehow managing everything previous in one go, and nodded to herself. "That's it. Let's go."

"Now wait just a fucking minute." Her friend snapped. "You honestly expect me to just forget you said all that?"

"Eh, yeah?" Yang shrugged. "I mean… look, I know what my chances are here: abysmal. You two are the pioneers of new technologies, you know dust engines better than anyone else on the planet, there's not a soul alive that doesn't know who you two are, and me? I own a noddle shop." She reached up, running a hand through her hair. "I mean, my food is good, but it's not high quality, five star level. She'd have her pick of anyone in Remnant!"

Weiss stared at her for a moment before rubbing two fingers against her temple. "And what am I? Chopped liver? Did you forget I'm dating a civil rights activist? Where are you getting this preconceived notion of our dating standards, really-"

"Blake's at least famous."

"Or infamous, depending on your perspective," she said with a little curl to her lips that spoke of amusement. Then she sighed. "Right. Let's just get this over with- follow me and stand by the tires. Don't move, don't speak, try not to breath- just listen."

"But-"

"That wasn't a request." Weiss turned, heading to the door leading into the garage. "Do this for me, and I'll not spend every day for the rest of our lives yelling at you for telling me how hot you think my sister is." With a grumble about 'that's not how favors work', Yang reluctantly complied, slipping out behind her friend and standing next to a stack of tires, watching as Weiss walk around to the other side of the vehicle Winter was working on and clearing her throat. "I forgot to mention; I have a friend coming to pick me up. I won't be home until later."

"A friend? Blake's busy?" Although she didn't stop her work, Winter canted her head to indicate she was listening.

"She's wrapping up a meeting."

"Understandable. Ruby, then?"

"Yang, actually."

At that, the woman cursed under her breath and stood up straight, turning to level a look at her sister. Yang couldn't see, what with Winter's back to her and all, but the tension in her shoulders spoke of frustration. "How many times have I told you to give me more warning when Yang's coming over?" She gestured down at herself. "Just once, I'd like to be able to greet her without smelling like a burned up oil filter."

"You know she doesn't mind," Weiss replied, seemingly bored by her sister's indignation. "We've been friends for years and she's never complained."

"That's not the point!"

"Why don't you just tell her already?" She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You act like this every time she comes over, no matter how much notice I give you."

"You know I'd need at least two hours to get showered and dressed." Winter growled, leaning against the vehicle. "One would think having a girlfriend would imbue you with some sense of romance."

Yang's brows rose. Romance?

"Enlighten me," Weiss said with a little smirk. "What are your perfect conditions?"

"First off, I wouldn't be wearing this." She gestured at her coveralls. "I'd be cleaned up, in my suit."

"The white one with the blue trim?"

"Yes, that one, my very best," she said, crossing her arms as her voice took on a whimsical quality Yang had never heard before but drank up greedily. "Then, I'd take her to Coté Guillard."

"You'd take her to the best restaurant in the city?" Weiss looked absolutely perplexed. "You don't even like their food!"

"That's the point." Winter chuckled. "We'd go, and the food would be awful- I'd tell her how I just can't stand places like that, ones that are missing that special little something, and that it could just never measure up to her cooking."

"You'd spend hundreds of lien on a dinner for the sole purpose of telling Yang her cooking is better?"

"It goes beyond that." Winter pushed off the vehicle and started to pace, so absorbed in her thoughts she still didn't notice Yang standing by the tires. "I want to show her that it's not about the money- mine or hers. She just as good, if not better than anyone else with more lien in their pocket, because I've seen the way she looks at Neptune sometimes when he does his 'rich boy whining' routine-"

"You know he's mostly being sarcastic… well, nowadays, anyway."

"The point still stands; Yang doesn't realize she's absolutely priceless, precious- she's far more than what she sees herself. I want to show her that."

"And you can't do it looking like that because…"

Winter shot her sister a withering glare. "Because she deserves my absolute best and nothing less." A pause. "And, really, this is all hypothetical anyway. I don't even know if she'd say yes, but I'd like to try. So, could you please give me just a bit more warning next time?"

"How does three days sound?" Weiss tilted her head. "Say… Thursday at six?"

For a moment, it looked like Winter might balk, but then she nodded resolutely. "If you could convince her to stop by, I swear I'll ask her out. I just want the opportunity to try."

"Very well; I'll let her know." Then, Weiss looked straight at Yang. "Your schedule is free Thursday, correct?"

Winter went stock still for the blink of an eye before whirling around, gaze landing on the blonde as her jaw dropped open. In the next moment, it looked like she was about to turn and either yell at Weiss or bolt, but Yang's brain kicked into high gear at that moment.

"Let's go to my place!" She waited for Winter to look at her before continuing. "I mean, going to a fancy restaurant just to hear you riff on the food sounds hilarious but I'd rather us have a nice meal and just, ya know, talk. So how about my place? Thursday at six?"

Winter blinked, looking around almost like she didn't believe what she was hearing. Then, she met Yang's gaze with a very light blush rising in her cheeks, hardly visible beneath the smudge of oil. "But… you… I mean, if you're taking some personal time, wouldn't you want to spend it away from the restaurant?"

She smirked "I said my place, not my restaurant."

Slowly, the woman's lips curled into a devious little smile. "That's sounds a great deal more intimate. I can't say I disapprove." And then a nod. "Very well. Thursday at six."

"Perfect!" She beamed, smiled so wide her cheeks hurt, and decided to get one more little tease in while she could. "And, uh, if you insist on the suit, I definitely won't stop you, but for the record?" Deliberately, she looked Winter up and down, then licked her lips. "I'm a fan of the grease monkey look."

"And that is where I'm going to end this flirtfest before it turns into the screenplay for a bad porno," Weiss said, marching across the garage and grabbing Yang's arm. "You two have plenty of time to flirt with each other; we have a prior engagement to get to."

"Rude," Yang said, though she really couldn't give the woman any shit, all things considered, and instead looked back over her shoulder before being dragged out of the garage. "I'll call you tonight!"

"I look forward to it!"

As they left the shop, Yang threw an arm around Weiss' shoulder. "Thanks for that. Guess we kinda needed the nudge."

"I thought we agreed not to talk about it?" Weiss lightly scoffed, though she seemed rather pleased. "But… I do think you two will be good for each other."

They made it three more steps before she couldn't help herself. "So… is it too early to call you 'sister'?"