Blake should've known Sun wouldn't care that Yang was human; he'd be satisfied so long as she was someone he could tease her about.

And embarrass her in front of.

"So, Yang, how'd you manage to get Blake in the water? Been working on that for years."

Sun and Yang were settled at the small table in the kitchen, that was honestly only used once a year, if they were lucky. Sun had convinced Yang to come in for tea after catching them kissing outside and Blake didn't have time to say it wasn't necessary before Yang was agreeing with a smile.

Even though Sun was the one with the invitation, Blake still somehow managed to be the one making the tea, waiting for the pot to whistle while Sun drilled Yang with questions and comments; all framed with the common goal being to cause Blake as much embarrassment as possible.

Yang chuckled, resting her chin in her palm and glancing at Blake as she leaned against the counter near the stove.

"Oh, it wasn't that hard," Yang said with a smirk. "Just a little coaxing…"

Blake scoffed. "Coaxing?" She said, raising an eyebrow. "You tricked me."

"And you loved it." Yang winked and Blake rolled her eyes, ignoring the blush staining her cheeks.

Sun smirked in Blake's direction and she cleared her throat, kicking herself off the counter to get tea cups from the cabinet. Yang's chuckle rumbled low, and Blake was – once again – thankful for her above-average hearing.

Blake quickly set the cups out next to the stove, hands only slightly shaky with nerves that had no right being present.

"So, Sun," Yang said. Blake's ears perked up to try and listen over the clinking of tea cups. "How long have you and Blake known each other?"

"She didn't tell you? You didn't tell her?"

Blake glanced over her shoulder to see Sun looking at her like a wounded puppy, and she would have felt bad if she thought it was actually genuine. Instead, she rolled her eyes.

"Believe it or not, you don't come up that often," Blake said. There was instant regret in the way it sounded because she knew what was coming next, without a doubt.

"Oh? Too busy—"

Blake cut off Sun's sentence with a glare and he relented, with a sigh and roll of his eyes. To Blake's surprise, Yang chuckled.

"Oh, definitely," Yang said with a smirk. "Blake's mouth is usually otherwise preoccupied." She tossed Blake a wink and honestly, it was probably the first time Blake wanted to actually kill Yang since they'd met.

Sun laughed loud and Yang shrugged as the whistle on the teapot sounded, the perfect sound effect for how red Blake's face surely was.

"Oh, Blake, I like her. Can we keep her?" Sun asked with a grin. Before Blake could even comment on how problematic Sun's question was, he turned to Yang. "Can we keep you?"

A blush crept up Blake's neck and she was glad her back was still turned so she couldn't see Yang's reaction, even though she could hear it.

"I…"

It hadn't been the laugh Blake was expecting, not even close. It was hesitant and serious and Blake felt Yang's gaze land on her back. It bore into her so deeply she thought Yang might've been able to see into every thought and hope and dream currently lingering in Blake's soul. It made her shoulders tense.

Yang cleared her throat. "I mean, as long as Blake wants me around, I guess I'm not really going anywhere."

"For the summer," Blake quickly added, turning and striding to the table with the tray of tea, sugar, lemon, and honey.

She placed it down in the center and could still feel Yang's eyes roaming over her as she handed her a cup with shaky hands.

"Of course," Yang said, taking the drink from Blake carefully. "For the summer."

Apparently even Sun could sense the tension that had settled over the table as he cleared his throat and took a cup from the table before adding far too much sugar for Blake's tastes.

"Y'know, Blake makes the best tea. I think it's 'cause she's a book nerd," Sun said, trying to lighten the mood.

Blake quirked an eyebrow, glad for the change in conversation even if it was a backhanded compliment.

"If it's so great, why do you add half a bag of sugar every time?" She sat down opposite Yang, taking her own tea off the tray and adding just a bit of lemon and honey.

"Because sweet tea is the best tea, Blake. Otherwise it's just… leaf… water."

Blake shook her head, bringing her cup to her lips and taking a sip with a hum, her eyes fluttering shut. Sun was right, she does make good tea, even if he ruined it with sugar.

Even in the middle of Menagerie's heatwave, Blake appreciated tea. The way the heat washed over her with familiarity and grounded her, easing tension from her shoulders. Her eyes opened as she put the cup back on the saucer, gaze flickering to Yang as she looked at her. Blake blushed.

"Do you… take your tea with something else?" Blake finally asked with a restless flick of her ears. Yang seemed to snap out of her daze at Blake's question, sitting up a little straighter and fidgeting with the cup in her hands.

"Oh, no. Just uh… just honey's fine, thanks," Yang said, reaching for the little plastic bear bottle Sun had insisted on getting the last trip to the market. Blake noticed how her cheeks tinted pink as she popped the cap open and poured a little into her cup. She wondered if it was from the heat or…

"So, when did you guys meet?" Yang asked, eagerly trying to push the conversation forward as she stirred her tea.

"Third grade," Blake said with a smirk, hidden just barely by the rim of her cup.

Yang's eyebrows raised to her hairline. "Wow. I don't think I have any friends from that far back…" The way Yang's voice trailed off – sad and distant – reminded Blake of their time on the beach that afternoon, but she let it slide. It was obvious Yang wasn't ready to talk about it, and Blake wasn't about to press the issue – particularly in front of Sun.

Sun scratched the back of his head. "Yeahhh maybe 'friends' isn't the best word for what we were back then…"

Blake smirked a little wider, bringing her cup to her lips once again.

Yang cocked an eyebrow. "So… enemies?"

Blake chuckled. "Sun's being dramatic. He just doesn't want to admit that I shot him down in third grade."

"You asked a girl out in third grade?" Yang asked with a laugh.

Sun held his hands out to the side in a shrug. "Hey. You've met Blake. Who could blame me?"

Yang's eyes fell on Blake again, slightly hooded as she looked her over, one finger running around the rim of her tea cup with a measured pace. After a moment, Yang smirked. "Not me."

Blake shook her head, blushing yet again at Yang's words. Yang's smirk was swapped for a smile.

"Anyway," Blake said, before the conversation could derail itself in a direction she really didn't want it going, "Sun thought he was smooth at the ripe age of eight and went for it. He broke his arm and everything."

Yang's finger stopped its journey around the rim of her cup abruptly. "I'm sorry, he what?"

Sun sighed covering his face with his hands. "Why do you always have to lead with that part?"

"Because it's the best part of the story," Blake said with a smug smile. If he was going to try embarrassing her for the remainder of the night, she could certainly win this round at least. "Hook your audience, Sun."

"Details," Yang said, leaning forward on the table with childlike enthusiasm. "Please."

"Okay," Blake said, also leaning forward, a large smile on her face. "So, it was just about the end of the school year and we were on the playground for recess…"

Blake wasn't overly fond of recess. The other kids were usually too loud and there was always that overly obnoxious blond boy from the other class doing tricks on the monkey bars, making all the girls giggle.

Well, all except Ilia. Blake was grateful to have at least someone that didn't seem to want to be a part of… all of that. On a normal day they'd play hopscotch or just spend the hour laughing and talking up in one of the tubes of the playground, away from all the loud noises and crowds.

However, today Ilia wasn't there and Blake was left to her own devices; which meant it was a day spent up in the highest part of the playground, sitting with her back against the metal bars and reading a book that she was still having trouble understanding.

She was just about a third of the way through the third chapter when a shadow blocked out the sun and she squinted up to see the boy from the monkey bars standing there.

"Hey!" he said, far too enthusiastic with the wave of his hand. He came over to sit next to her and Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Hey."

"Whatcha doing?" He asked, glancing over at the book in her hands. Blake looked at him curiously.

"Um… reading," she said slowly. The boy's eyebrows shot up, looking at her in disbelief.

"During recess?" His nose scrunched up as he leaned back against the bars. "Boooooring." Before Blake could respond, the boy stood up again, jumping and grabbing onto the archway that lead to the "firepole." He swung his body lazily, kicking his legs back and forth to gain momentum. "But I'm thinking maybe you and me…? Maybe not so boring!"

Blake frowned, looking back down at the pages of her book. "I'm… no, I'm okay."

He dropped back down onto the platform of the playground a thoughtful frown settled on his lips as he scratched the back of his head. Blake raised an eyebrow as he fidgeted.

"Well, I mean I guess I was kinda just thinking it'd be fun 'cause like… you seem… cool. And I was thinking maybe you could… be my girlfriend?"

Blake's eyes widened. "I—what?" She'd barely even spoken to him before today and now… what did that even mean?

"I dunno," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "My brother has one and they like… hold hands and stuff. He said he likes her 'cause she's like… pretty and nice and I dunno I think that about you, so…"

Blake blinked. She didn't know a lot about this 'girlfriend/ boyfriend' thing, but she was fairly certain that wasn't how it worked. "That's not— you don't even know me."

The boy – to his credit – was undeterred. He grinned wide, placing his hands on his hips. "Well, let's change that! I'm Sun," he said, pointing to himself with a thumb, tail swaying happily behind his back.

He looked at Blake expectantly and she humored him with a sigh, hoping the sooner this was over, the sooner she could get back to reading.

"Blake."

"Great!" Sun said tossing his hands up to the side. "See? Now we know each other!"

"Uh, sure. But I'm still not going to be your girlfriend."

Sun frowned. "Well, what if… what if I prove I'm cool enough for you?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "I never said—"

"Yeah!" Sun said, an idea springing to mind that Blake thought was probably dangerous and absolutely stupid. She was proven right by Sun's next words. "Okay, so, see the monkey bars?" Sun asked, pointing down to the right of where he crouched.

"Yes. But I don't—"

"Well, how about this: If I jump from here," Sun said, pointing up at the bar connecting the firepole to the playground, "to there," he added, pointing at the monkey bars not too far away, "and go through all of 'em, you'll be my girlfriend… at least for the week."

Blake shook her head. "Sun, that's not how—" she sighed as he already grabbed onto the bar and swung himself until he was perched on top of it.

Oh, she hadn't thought… yeah, he was definitely going to hurt himself. She stood up, book falling shut as she leaned in the archway to look up at him.

"Sun! Would you… get down," she said, lowering her voice and looking for the teachers that were watching out for behavior that could land students in trouble. Like this. "You're gonna get hurt."

Sun looked down at her briefly before tossing her a wink. "I'll be fine!"

When Sun jumped, Blake knew right away he didn't have the distance—or rather that he had too much of it. His arm hit the first bar at an odd angle and Blake's ears twitched at the yelp of pain he let out before he hit the woodchips.

She was down in a flash, sliding down the firepole with ease and jogging over to where Sun had sat up, grimacing over his scraped knee.

"I told you you'd get hurt," she said, catching his attention. He grinned up at her, shrugging.

"It was worth a shot, right?"

"I never even said I'd—" Blake sighed, covering her face with a hand before she looked back down at him, extending her hand out to help him up. "You should probably go to the nurse."

"Eh, I've had worse. Just—ow!" Sun grabbed at his right arm as he drew it back to his body, his teeth clenching.

"Yeah. Nurse," Blake said, bending down to help him up by his other arm instead. She grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the teacher on the other side of the playground. They walked in silence for a few steps before Sun spoke up.

"So, hand holding," he said with a smirk, "does this mean you're my girlfriend now?" Blake looked back at him, her gaze following his to their linked hands and she rolled her eyes, tugging him forward a little faster.

"No."

Sun shrugged, taking a sip of his tea again. "I regret nothing."

"You jumped off the top of the playground – unprompted – to try and impress me." Blake chuckled, shaking her head. "You should regret something."

Sun groaned. "Like you never did something stupid to impress a girl?"

Blake shot him a teasing grin. "Nothing that involved almost dying."

"Just wet t-shirts," Yang said, bringing her tea to her lips. Blake sputtered, face going red as Sun laughed.

"That wasn't to impress you." Blake grumbled. "I was trying to get you to—" she cut herself off, clearing her throat and glancing at Sun. Yang chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry, baby. I know what you were trying to do."

Blake squinted at her and Yang's smirk only grew.

"Well, anyway," Sun said, placing his cup down. "I may have failed, but I guess you still lucked out with a hot blonde, huh Blake?"

"I—Sun," she set him with a look before making uneasy eye contact with Yang who only chuckled and smiled softly.

Blake was a little surprised by her reaction to Sun literally calling her a 'hot blonde,' but she really couldn't complain when Yang looked at her like that. When Yang looked at her like… like she was the one who lucked out. Looked at her like she… like she…

"I… guess so," Blake finally said. Yang's responding smile was absolutely blinding and Blake's heart raced. It only lasted a moment though, before Yang's open expression fizzled into something more smug, teasing.

"So, you think I'm hot, huh?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that's been established."

"So, you think I'm hot, huh?" Sun chimed in with a smirk.

Blake glanced at Sun, raising an eyebrow.

"No." She deadpanned. "Pretty sure that's also been established."

Sun clutched a hand to his chest dramatically. "Is there a medic in the house? Blake just stabbed me in the heart."

"Medic present. But I think I'm going to let this one slide. Wound looks to have only punctured your pride," Yang said with a smirk behind the lip of her cup.

Blake's ears twitched up. "I—wait. You're a medic?" she asked. Maybe she should've been embarrassed that she hadn't already known that, seeing as they'd been… hanging out for almost two weeks now. But, to be fair, they hadn't done too much talking about themselves in that time. Particularly Yang.

Yang blushed though, smiling small and bashful.

"Well, I uh… I mean… sort of? It's not—I'm still in school, technically. I've been studying fire sciences for the past four years. Just graduated," she said, chuckling. "Actually, kind of why I'm here. Celebratory vacation with my best friend and my sister. But um, yeah, I want to be a firefighter and… it's not easy to get a foot in the door. I'd tried fresh out of high school but…" she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Competitive field and all."

Blake blinked. Yang was going to be…

"Well, I guess that explains the abs." The words were out of her faster than she could stop them and Blake instantly felt her cheeks go red. That was not at all what she'd planned to say.

Yang laughed. "I can't just be in shape?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"That—I didn't—"

"Smooth, Blake," Sun said, chuckling as he sipped his tea.

Blake shot him a glare, and looked back at Yang, trying to regain some dignity. "Anyway. That's… very cool."

"Or hot, I guess you could say," Yang tossed out with a wink. Blake rolled her eyes as Yang continued. "But yeah, I want to do the full program – paramedic certification and all – so I can help people in every possible way, y'know?" she chuckled. "Guess it's kinda good they shut me down as a kid. Now I get to do it all."

Blake smiled. It was so… Yang… to want to help people like that. To care so much about others and want to put her life on the line for them. The idea of her rushing into burning buildings wasn't Blake's favorite, but she could get over it if Yang was happy.

Wait. She shouldn't have been thinking like that. Like Yang was still going to be hers to worry about way down the road when that would be happening. Like she'd be the one that got to feel relief and pride every time Yang walked through the door at the end of the day. Like she'd be the one who got to show her how amazing she was every night.

Luckily, Sun managed to shut down that train of thought by breaking the silence.

"Pretty kick ass if you ask me. Hopefully you don't mind the bonfire though, pretty sure it's kept legal."

"Bonfire?" Yang asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Sun looked at Blake.

"Seriously, do you two talk at all?" he asked, before he turned back to Yang. "Yeah, Kuo Kuana throws this huge summer festival out on the beach. Fireworks, a bonfire, drinks, music, dancing… it's freaking awesome! I can't believe Blake hasn't asked you to go yet."

Blake flushed. To be honest, she hadn't planned on even going. Particularly with Yang. Given the fact that—

"I mean, her parents coordinate it every year, so I know she didn't forget," Sun said.

Blake coughed, setting her tea on the table and swatting Sun's shoulder.

"She's right here. And would appreciate it if you'd stop talking," Blake said.

Sun raised his hands in a shrug and Blake glanced over at Yang. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, her lips quirked in amusement but her eyes looked a little sad.

"Don't want me to meet your parents, Blake?" Yang asked, tone teasing but again laced with something more. Blake felt her ears flatten, her eyes go wide, guilt settling in the pit of her stomach even though it wasn't warranted.

"I—no that's not…" she sighed. "I…"

Damn Sun. Damn him for having to open his damn mouth and make this damn thing between her and Yang even more damn complicated. Because how? How could she sit there and say she didn't want to take this amazing girl to one of the best things Menagerie had to offer? How could she even convince herself that dancing with Yang on the beach wouldn't be amazing? How could she look into those soft lilac eyes and say anything other than…

"We should go together." Blake watched as Yang's eyes widened in surprise before a large smile spread across her face.

"Really?" Maybe Blake's heart sped up with just how excited Yang sounded. Maybe she was starting not to care that it did.

"Yeah," Blake said, smile small. "And not just because Sun bullied me into it." She added, shooting a glare in Sun's direction. Sun merely smirked and shrugged his shoulders, his tail coming up to bring his tea cup to his lips, giving him an over-the-top air of innocence.

Blake jolted when she felt a hand cover her own on the table and she quickly met Yang's eyes.

"Thanks…" Yang fidgeted with her fingers, looking down at their hands and Blake couldn't help but smile.

God… was this…? Was this too much? Was this crossing that line Blake had drawn in the sand? Was it a line Yang wanted her to cross?

I know I'm temporary. Yang had said…

Blake felt herself crumble with doubt, smile falling from her lips.

"Yeah… um. You—you should invite Ruby and Weiss too," Blake said. Yang's fingers stalled and they locked eyes once more. "I'm sure they'd have a good time. Plus, it could be fun… a big group of us."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sun shake his head and roll his eyes, but she was more concerned with Yang's reaction. She smiled. Tight and forced, and Blake wasn't sure how to read that. Disappointed? Had she made the wrong choice?

She flailed again, evidently unable to stop herself from making a fool out of herself, even without Sun's assistance. "Not that we won't get time alone. Just— I thought maybe…"

Yang's eyebrows raised. Blake had been so smooth lately that this – Yang being so close to her personal life – was throwing her off.

Blake sighed and then a thought popped into her head, her lips twitching into a smirk as she found her footing. "I just thought Ruby would have fun with all the sugary stuff available and… maybe Sun would like to meet Weiss."

Sun's tea cup slipped out of the grip of his tail, clattering onto the table and – by some miracle – not breaking. He stopped it from falling off the table with two shaky hands, babbling all the while.

"I—I don't think that's necessary. I'm doing fine. Totally fine. Don't need anyone setting me up. Like I mentioned earlier, Blake."

Blake cocked an eyebrow in his direction as Yang chuckled, cradling her chin in the palm of her free hand and looking wistfully at Sun.

Yang sighed. "Oh… she is gonna eat you alive…"

Sun gulped, blushing a deep red and Blake was relieved to finally be on the other side of it today.

"So!" Yang said, perking up and turning her attention to Blake. Her thumb trailed lazily over the back of Blake's hand and she tried not to get distracted by the sensation. "When is this little soiree?"

"Not for another couple of weeks," Blake said, frowning a little as she remembered she'd probably be recruited to help set it all up. "It's something to really kick off the summer. But we usually like to wait until at least the end of June to give time for the island to get full and vacationers to settle in. The more the merrier, right?" Blake rolled her eyes. Yang's hand squeezed hers lightly and Blake's eyes flashed up.

"Hey. We'll make it fun," Yang said softly. She smirked as she continued. "You got one of the best tourists on the island right here, I'll make sure it's a good time."

Blake gave her a smirk of her own, leaning forward. "It's always a good time with you…"

Yang's eyes hooded and Blake's thoughts flashed to Yang pinned under her on the table for the briefest of moments until…

"Yeah… still… still in the room, guys," Sun said.

"Oh," Yang said, leaning back a little and taking her hand from Blake's to scratch the back of her head. She cleared her throat. "Sorry."

Blake simply smirked wider, leaning back into her seat and bringing her tea to her lips.

A little while later, Blake was walking Yang to the front door, unwilling to part with her too early.

"Thanks again for having me," Yang said with a smile, slipping on her flip flops.

Blake chuckled, arms crossed as she watched the other woman. "Thank you for entertaining Sun's stupidity. Sorry you got dragged into this today."

Yang stood upright, shaking her head with a confused smile. "Why sorry? I had a great time, really. He's…" she let out a breath looking in the direction of the kitchen where Sun was washing the dishes. He caught Yang's gaze, waving animatedly and dropping a tea cup into the soapy water by accident, flinching as water and soap bubbles flew up at him. "Uh…"

Blake chuckled. "Something. Yeah."

"Can't wait to see how he and Weiss get along," Yang muttered.

Blake laughed, remembering her own run in with Yang's friend. "I mean, you never know," she said with a shrug. "Opposites attract and all."

Yang looked at her with a smirk. "That why we work?"

Blake bit her lip. Since when did Yang refer to them as 'we?' When did either of them?

"We're not opposites," Blake said, shaking her head.

"No?"

"Nope. We're…" Blake squinted, wracking her brain for the right word. They weren't exactly opposites. Blake had learned that rather fast over the short time they'd know each other. They had different personalities, yes, but at the core they were still… similar.

"Complimentary." Blake finally decided on. Yang seemed to like the word, as she responded with a smile and a thoughtful hum.

"I think that sounds nice. I do like to compliment you." Blake rolled her eyes at the tease, taking a step forward and placing a quick kiss to Yang's lips. "I'll see you soon?" Yang asked against Blake's lips, once she pulled back.

"Well I mean, the bonfire's in a couple weeks—"

Yang let out a breath, shaking her head. "Gotta be sooner than that, baby."

"I'll see what I can do," Blake said with a grin. She bit down gently on Yang's bottom lip before continuing. "Sure I could fit you in somewhere between now and then."

"Blake," Yang said with a chuckle, "I'll take whatever time you got."