A/N: Hello everyone! This is part one of December and covers the first two weeks from Blake's POV. I know, it's July. But oh well! Without further ado...

Chapter Four: Burning Up

"What are they doing?" asked Blake.

Two boys carefully placed wreaths along the walls of the long, wide breezeway. "They're decorating for Christmas. They do this every year! Don't you know it's December?" Ruby questioned her, giggling at the end of her sentence.

Blake had forgotten. The time had blown by so quickly that, before she knew it, she had already spent a little more than two months at the prestigious academy. It really didn't feel that long. They walked from Goodwitch's Calculus class to their next subjects. The golden-eyed girl liked to escort her friend over to the English department, giving her a chance to stretch her legs and share a short conversation before she returned to the STEM department. But today, she was looking for someone in particular, and she knew she'd find her in Ruby's class.

"Blake?" Ruby piped up, noticing that she lingered even after she walked into the classroom with her. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes," she nodded, her eyes meeting sapphire just a moment later. Weiss tilted her head to the side, as if to ask why she was there. "I need to talk to Weiss."

"Hmm. You sure are talking to her more often…" Ruby voiced her thoughts. "Are you friends with her now?"

It was true. Recently, whenever Ruby would have something going on with the art club or pottery club at lunch, Blake would find herself with Weiss. She glanced down at the smaller girl and gave a small smile. "I think we're something like that. I have to ask her something."

"Oh, okay."

Making Blake's life easier, Weiss sauntered over, looking at the two. "Ruby is in this class with me, but what are you doing here, Blake?" Her words might've sounded venomous, but her tone indicated otherwise, seeming more curious than anything else.

"I actually need to talk to you about something."

An eyebrow shot up, a smirk finding its way on her face. "Can we discuss it at lunch?"

"I was going to ask if we could go to tea again. Er, coffee." She remembered her preferences.

"And of course, let me guess, you need me to drive again, don't you?" The Ice Queen rolled her eyes and tossed her bangs to the side, the scar over her left eye much more visible now. "I'll meet you at the flagpole after school."

When Blake mentioned her thanks, Ruby grabbed her sleeve and pulled her down so she could whisper in her ear. "What do you need to ask Weiss about? Do you have a crush on her?" she joked.

Blake nearly exploded, this time from wanting to laugh, not because she was horribly embarrassed. "No, Ruby. That's a good guess, but no. I just need to ask her a question about… someone."

"Oh," she sighed, giving up on the topic. "You should probably get to your class. Wouldn't want to be late and bump Yang into a trash can again!"

She glared, but playfully, before she replied, "Yes, you're right."

Weiss dunked a sugar cube into her black coffee and stirred in some cream to give it a thicker texture. Blake watched her delicate fingers return the teaspoon to the side and observed her small lips take a sip of her addiction. Her eyes shined like jewels as the last rays of the California sun reached inside the small coffee shop. Today, she wore a white dress, ending just above the knee and matching her hair. In many ways, Weiss emulated the word beautiful… as much as she lived to the word cold.

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" she wondered, crossing her legs and leaning back into her chair.

Blake had thought this through a few days ago, but actually perking up the courage to say it was much, much harder than she expected. Initially, she completely rejected the idea, trying to shut it out each and every time. But with each passing day, the feeling grew stronger, more fervent, and it was folly to ignore it anymore than she already had. Hesitantly, she peered up from her own cup of tea to those precious stones and took in a deep breath. "Weiss, I think I like Yang."

Silence seeped in and she thought Weiss was going to laugh at her. "So that's why you're not interested in Sun," she jested. "I didn't know you… bent that way, Blake."

"I didn't either," she said in defense. "I never have, and I didn't think I did until…"

"It's not an issue," Weiss quickly dismissed, half-worried she might've insulted her on accident. "You like Yang. Well, a lot of people like Yang…" She measured her words carefully. "What made you realize that you like her as more than a friend?"

Blake set her tea down after drinking a bit of it. "I've never felt so anxious around other people, but with her, I feel… I don't know. I feel at home and kind of scared at the same time. She's so beautiful, Weiss. I've never seen such a kind person. We hardly knew each other, and yet, she forgave me easily and danced with me, even inviting me to hang out here and then. Ruby and I have been friends since school started, so she sort of took me into her family. It's more than I deserve, and you know that. I think… I think I like her because she's such a positive person. She brings so much good energy and I admire her so much because of it. She loves life. I wish I could as much as she does, but you know that I don't, that I… can't."

Weiss' expression softened, her eyes somehow much more considerate than the typical, piercing look. "I think those are fair reasons to take a romantic interest in someone," she nodded, drinking her coffee. "When did you realize you liked her?"

"Maybe two weeks ago? After Thanksgiving… I went over to her house."

"Really now?" Weiss mused, giving her a small smile. "And how did that go?"

Blake allowed herself to grin. "Very well."

"I see. Well, you're right; Yang is a very, very uplifting person. That's why she's so popular. I thought I told you that a long time ago. What do you need me to do for you now?"

"That's just the thing," she sighed. "I don't know what to do with how I feel."

"What do you mean you don't know what to do with how you feel?" She was bemused. "Act on your feelings."

Blake gave her an incredulous look. "I've never been in a relationship before…"

"Neither have I," she confessed, much to Blake's surprise. "But at least I know to speak up about how I feel."

"So, you…"

"Yes," she grumbled. "I told Neptune that I liked him. But he's too cool for me and he has way more options than he knows what to do with. You know, even though he tells me all the time that he's such an intellectual, I seriously doubt he is smart enough to figure things out." She crossed her arms and frowned, clearly upset with the matter. "But that's besides the point, Blake. We're talking about you here."

"I don't think I can just go up to Yang and blurt out that I like her." Blake averted her eyes, knowing she'd receive a scathing look, if not a few harsh words, from the heiress across the table.

But instead, Weiss responded, "Then work up to the point when you can." Sapphire met gold. "Take her out on a few dates, build up your relationship with her first, and then tell her how you feel. Maybe she'll develop her feelings as much as you develop yours. Maybe not. But you won't know until you try, right?" She set down her cup, now empty, and dabbed her mouth with the small handkerchief she carried around with her at all times.

"So, you advise that I take her out?"

"Yes. That'll give you time to get to know her as well. You want to be sure that the person you like is someone likable, don't you? I can't like Sun—and I don't like Sun—because he's not my type. Maybe you think Yang is your type, but she really isn't. You'll have to find out for yourself."

Blake nodded, letting her words sink in. She finished her tea and smoothed out her hair, shyly looking at Weiss again. "Thank you for your advice. You're good at listening."

"It's a pleasure. After all, I am a Schnee," she added proudly

"For someone who has never dated anyone, you sure do seem to know more about this kind of stuff than I do."

Pink found its way onto the girl's face, giving her complexion some color. "I have my share of teenage endeavors as well." That didn't seem to be a subject she wanted to speak up about, so Blake gave it a break and turned the conversation elsewhere.

"You've been kind to me, Weiss. I thought you didn't like me, but you've been a friend."

At first, she didn't know whether to smile or to frown, so she did neither. Then her eyes narrowed, though not menacingly or out of malice. Rather, it was out of the hidden, light-hearted side of her that she rarely showed. She smirked. "You and I are not so very different from one another, Blake. We're both trying to find the weaknesses in one another. I discovered yours, and it just happens to be the most popular girl at school. You have yet to find mine." She rose, checking the silver watch on her right wrist. "I have fencing at 4:30, so we need to get going."

Weiss wasn't particularly wrong. She was just unreadable.

On Monday, as Blake flipped through the pages of her Calculus book at Ruby and Yang's house, the brunette awkwardly cleared her throat in an attempt to get her attention. Slowly, the older girl lifted her eyes off the equations to look at silver instead, her eyebrows raised.

"What is it, Ruby?"

"I'm having trouble with this one," she murmured, tapping her pencil on a particular problem.

Blake scanned over it quickly, working how to figure the problem out in her head. After a few seconds, it clicked. "Ah. This is a differential question, so you can just use the derivative rules to figure it out." She leaned over. "First, you'd have to factor this part out…"

She watched Ruby's brows furrow, first out of confusion, then concentration. Her pencil scratched against her notebook, quickly factoring and simplifying and deriving the problem. She was almost there as Blake coached her on, but then she stopped. "Wait. I think I did it wrong."

"No, you're doing it correctly. You have to multiply that part as well."

She beamed. "Oh!" Again, she picked up her pencil and crossed out numbers, writing new ones underneath them. Sometimes, it was hard for Blake to follow her thought process, but the girl always calculated the problems correctly. Weiss was right—about a lot of things, this included—when she said that Ruby was a real whizz. It wasn't often that she would ask Blake for help. "Got it."

Blake looked at her own notebook to confirm she had the right answer. "27?"

"27!"

Blake should have been spending her Monday afternoon with the school's book club, discussing the latest books they read and their thoughts, but instead, she opted to study with Ruby instead, as they had a test later in the week. She had only recently joined the book club, which met every Monday and Wednesday, out of Ruby's urging. Today, they were going to discuss Pride and Prejudice, which Blake had read over and over again until the spine gave away. Right now, related rates and optimization problems were more important.

Then, her whole body rocked with the house as Yang slammed the front door so hard, she thought the hinges would break.

"Oh no." Immediately, Ruby stood, knowing her sister was home and seriously pissed off. Hardly anyone got in Yang's way when she was furious, but Ruby always managed to find a way to calm her down in no time. Even if Yang had a horrible temper, she'd cool down much faster if the younger girl was around. Turning her head, Blake caught a glimpse of the blonde, passing by without showing her face. She watched Ruby follow her up the stairs. Then, she heard an angry hiss, no doubt Yang, and it was only a moment until the younger sister walked down the steps, her eyes glossy and filled with tears. Blake set her pen down and made her way over to her to give her a hug, hoping she wouldn't cry.

"Yang's so angry." She struggled to keep her composure. "I haven't seen her this angry in a really, really long time."

"Any idea why she would be so upset?" And suddenly, she remembered that Yang had been gone the whole weekend, playing at the state tournament in hopes to bring victory to Beacon.

Ruby shrugged and failed to blink back the salty beads, letting them fall onto Blake's shoulder. "She yelled at me…"

Gently, Blake walked her back over to the table and sat her down, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "It's okay." She pushed back Ruby's bangs and tucked them behind her ear. "Does she normally yell at you?"

"N-No…" she stuttered in between tiny gasps of air. "That was the first time in months."

Every fiber in her body begged her to stay grounded and allow for a few minutes to pass, but it would not do. "Maybe I can try to talk to her."

Ruby hiccuped and shook her head. "Blake, s-she's just going to-to hurt you, she's really pissed!"

"She's been pissed off with me before. I can handle it," she quipped, but even she was a bit worried that she was being too brash.

Her conscience screamed at her and verbally berated her for being so stupid, but Blake continued to climb each step of the staircase anyway, knowing that Yang was more important. Whatever had set her off must've been serious. Her temper was something well-known around the school. For Blake, she had a first-hand experience, remembering how her feet dangled several inches off of the floor those first few days of school. But this? This was bad. Even Ruby didn't dare to see her in this state. While she ascended to the second floor, she heard the banging of what must have been a chair against the door and was amazed to see it was, somehow, still intact. Yang had punched the door instead. It remained slightly ajar. She heard her seething hisses, no doubt released between gritted teeth.

Pushing the door open, she saw that the red bedsheets were tangled on the floor, having been gathered up then thrown. Yang faced away from her, hunched overHer backpack was dumped next to the bed, her volleyball duffle bag thrown to the side, its contents spilled all over. The very air of the room felt heavy and suffocating. Blake watched her shoulders rise then fall, rise then fall, hoping she was trying to calm herself down, though that was unlikely.

"Yang…"

"Ruby, get out!" she snarled, whipping her head backwards, only to be met by a blinking pair of gold.

Blake's jaw hung open, heart racing, and this time out of fear. But she couldn't move, she wouldn't move. She stayed still, lips parted and eyes wide.

Yang raged like fire, but she shut her mouth, lowered her hands, balled into fists, and brought her legs together. "Blake, please, I'm—"

"Stop," she ordered, throwing her arms around her. She feared that Yang would shove her off or attack her otherwise, but she didn't move, remaining stiff in her embrace. Thirty seconds later, she felt her go slack and realized they were slowly sinking down onto the floor, surrounded by clothes and linens. Then, she felt a pool of wetness on her shoulder, right where Ruby had cried. Yang's back shook with each sob, her voice cracking. Blake had never seen her in this state and she wished she didn't have to. Pulling away, she brought her face up so they could look at each other properly. The tears had extinguished the blaming flames and left lilacs instead.

"We lost because of me," she blamed herself, her expression crestfallen and ashamed. "The ball, I touched it, I had it, we could've won, we could've… could've…"

"Yang…"

Her head lowered, she noticed that her hands were shaking. "Damn it, we were so close… If I just listened to Pyrrha, if I just let Nora get the damn ball, damn it! Damn it!" She cursed the same phrase over and over again, her yell only growing in volume until it had all been let out. Blake had nothing to say, feeling that her presence was enough.

After ten minutes, the girl embarrassingly collected herself, tried to fix her trashed room, and went to the bathroom to wash off her face. Though she avoided Blake's gaze, the girl could see that her eyes were bloodshot, her hair a tangled, frizzy mess. They heard the sound of smaller, little feet hitting the floor. Ruby appeared before both of them as they sat on the top step, her frown seeming rather out of place for a usually joyful person.

"Yang…?"

The silence cut. Then, "… Ruby?"

Clearly, her sister hadn't expected her to say anything in reply. "A-Are you okay?"

"Are you okay? I… snapped pretty—"

Ruby hugged her tight without letting her finish her sentence. Blake thought she would start crying again and rotated herself to hug Yang along with her. The three sat there, holding onto the sunshine child, the popular girl, the Yang Xiao Long, and let her grieve.

The following day, Yang approached Blake at her locker, just outside the amphitheater.

"Blake? Can we talk for a minute?" She asked, as if the other girl could ever say no.

The raven-haired girl closed her locker and turned her whole body to face her. She looked much better now that she had applied light makeup and dressed herself in an appealing shirt and jean combination. Her hair, long as ever, fell to her hip, though it was brushed and not so tangled. Though, Blake wished she wouldn't wear such a somber expression.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, turning to face her and leaning against the lockers.

"About yesterday…" Yang started, tapping her foot. Biting her lip, she struggled to find the right words. "I'm really sorry."

"Yang, you were angry. I don't expect you to be—"

"What happened was completely unacceptable," she continued, her eyes darting from left to right to look at anything besides Blake. "You shouldn't have seen that, I should've been more… respectable. That was the second time that you saw me so furious and I don't want you to have to see that again, Blake."

"Yang, seriously, stop—"

She cut her off again. "But more importantly, I wanted to say thank you." Yang met her gaze. "Ruby is usually the person that can calm me down, but for some reason, you stepped in when I pushed her out and… I couldn't be mad at you, so I forced myself to sit down and quit acting like a brat. I might've hurt Ruby and you were there to make sure she was okay. I've gotta admit. I was pretty pissed. But you really calmed me down before I could do any more damage. I'm really grateful you could be there, for both of us."

Blake smiled, bringing her textbooks closer to her chest. "It's okay that you got upset. I could understand where you were coming from. Volleyball means a lot to you and it was reasonable that you were angry. Don't worry about me. Are things between you Ruby okay?"

Finally, she grinned. "Yeah, me and Rubes are always fine."

"Good." The bell rang, a signal for the two to head to class. "Well, I should probably be going to class now. I wouldn't want to be late."

"Me neither. Catch you later, Blake," Yang chuckled. She turned her back and took a step in the opposite.

Blake scolded herself again. She was missing her chance. She was watching her walk away, a perfect opportunity not taken just because she was scared, because she was too nervous to speak up. She tried to walk, walk towards Oobleck's class, towards any class really, but she wouldn't let herself. She wasn't going to run away this time. "Yang!"

"Yeah? What's up?"

Blake caught up with her, jogging over to her. "Um…" No, you will speak, you will say it! "About yesterday… I know that you're still upset over what happened at state, but I was wondering if…" Damn it, Blake! "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out sometime."

"Oh, duh! I thought you'd never ask. I've been wanting to," she laughed, hands on her hips. "What would you want to do?"

Blake seriously didn't think that far, probably because she was assuming Yang would decline her offer. Think, you dolt, she heard Weiss in her head. It's December. What do you do in December? "We could do anything!" Think! "Since Christmas is at the end of the month… how about… dinner and some shopping? Maybe we can get some presents."

Yang pursed her lips before giving Blake a full smile, nodding her head enthusiastically. "Sounds solid! How about we check out the mall tomorrow at five? We'll beat the dinner rush. I'll pick you up."

"Y-yeah!" she stammered. "I haven't gone to the mall yet."

"Really? Girl, you've gotta get your shopping on. Oh, we're going to be late to class! I'll talk to you later alright?"

The small voice in her head, sounding very similar to the snow angel, congratulated her.

The whole morning, Blake couldn't stop thinking about five o'clock in the afternoon. To keep herself busy, she did her whole weekend homework early in the morning to get it over with so that she could enjoy tonight and Sunday. After that was finished, at one o'clock, she took a shower, laid on her couch in her bathrobe and towel, and turned on the TV to kill more time. The day seemed to pass by as slowly as it possibly could, even though each second was identical to the other. Thirty minutes before Yang was supposed to show up, she decided on an outfit: a forest green baseball tee, bearing Beacon's sigil, dark jeans, and her signature black bow. Right on the dot, she heard Bumblebee bellow outside and opened the front door.

Yang dressed herself in skinny jeans and a black crop-top shirt. As she pulled off her helmet, her blonde locks spilled onto her back, tossed side to side as she shook her head. With a smile, Blake locked the door and walked over to her.

"Ready to go, kitten?" the girl asked, a smirk on her face.

"Yes, Yang," Blake answered, hopping on and wrapping her arms around her torso. Whereas last time she felt awkward holding her so close, this time felt so much more natural. She hoped each time would feel just as normal.

After they parked Yang's motorcycle, the two made their way to dinner first, feeling that they'd have more energy to walk around if they ate first. Blake insisted that Yang choose where to eat, as she knew the area much better. Dinner for the evening would be held at a small but busy Italian restaurant called Mi Amore, one of her favorite places to eat. Etta James crooned quietly in the background as the waiters brought the two girls to their seats. Blake was impressed with the grandeur of it all, despite the room being small and crowded. The lights, shining rather dimly, created a darker, muted atmosphere. She glanced at Yang, admiring her as she continued to scan over the expansive menu. Catching her off guard, lilac eyes flickered from the paper to Blake's.

"You wear glasses?" the girl questioned, laying the menu flat on the table.

Blake had forgotten that she put them on. "Oh, yeah. I only wear them when I'm reading. I can see just fine without them."

"Really? They look really good on you," Yang complimented her, bringing a light blush that she hoped wouldn't show.

"Hey Yang, and Blake!" boomed a voice above them. When they both turned to look, they realized Sun crookedly smiling down at them, notepad and pen in hand.

The girls looked at each other before Yang addressed him. "Since when did you work here, monkey boy?" she poked lightheartedly.

"Since last week, actually," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. Gray met gold and he gave a much more polite smile to Blake. "Hey."

"Hi," she giggled, amused at the sudden change of expression. "I think this is my first time seeing you in something…"

"Oh, yeah," he pulled at his tie. "Stupid neck traps. I hate this uniform," he whispered so his other coworkers wouldn't hear him. "But it's whatever. Anyway. What can I get for you?"

Blake opened her mouth, but Yang spoke instead. "I just want lemonade. No ice. Blake, what do you want?"

"Um… Ginger beer, please."

Sun scratched their orders down hastily. "And for your entrees?"

"I'll have the full order of the shrimp alfredo, please!" Yang said rather gleefully.

Sun turned to the other, expectant. "Can I have a half-order of the chicken pagmiara?" Blake did her best to smile.

"Sure." He finished scribbling a few last letters and cleared their table of the menus. "Alright ladies, I'll have your drinks out in a second." He watched Blake put away her glasses and mumbled, "Hey, those are kind of cute."

Blake picked up on it and blushed for the second time in four minutes. "Thanks, Sun."

When he left, Yang tapped the top of Blake's foot, catching her attention instantly. "I think Sun's got a little crush on you, Blake!"

"W-what makes you think that?"

She wiggled an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear the way he complimented your glasses?"

"Yang, you just complimented my glasses."

She shut up when the boy came back, bringing two lemonades with him. "No ice," he drew out as he set down Yang's glass. "And ginger beer." His brows furrowed and he scratched his head. "That's not alcohol, by the way."

"I know," Blake smiled, taking a long drink out of the bottle.

"Oh. Uh. Anyway. Okay." Sun showed his teeth in an awkward smile and left the two alone.

Yang played with the straw in her drink, her face mischievous. "Yeah, he's totally got the hots for you."

"Sure," she rolled her eyes dramatically.

Yang laughed before asking, "Come to think of it, what kind of guys are you into, Blake?"

The question disarmed her and Blake nearly spat out her drank. It's not like she could just confess her love for the person she liked, who happened to be sitting right in front of her. She froze, putting her hands in between her thighs to get them to stop shaking so badly. Nervously, she replied, "To be honest, I'm not very interested in boys right now."

"Really? I feel like someone like you could easily get someone, y'know? Like, Sun digs you, for sure." She sipped at her lemonade, letting out a sigh of relief at the refreshing taste.

"Sun is just a friend. We haven't really interacted since Homecoming and I only see him in Port's class." Blake took a deep breath before saying, "Yang, you're the person who can get anyone they want."

Yang stared at her intently. "What makes you think so?"

"Well," she started, having a hard time keeping eye contact. "You're the school's most popular person. You're a great athlete, you're like third or fourth in our class, you're beautiful, you're cool! I just don't understand how anyone would want to break your heart."

The smile Yang once wore was now completely gone, a frown resting on her face instead.

Oh. Damn it.

"Who told you?" she asked, her eyes tearing their gaze and her voice hushed.

"Yang…"

"Blake, who told you about my last relationship?" she reiterated.

Guiltily, she sighed. "Weiss."

"Wow, ice queen sure seems to be connected to secrets and figuring things out," she gave out a ha without any sort of mirth attached to it. Those two were friends and she hoped this wouldn't damage their friendship.

Blake frowned. "It was months ago after we ran into one another that first time, Yang. She asked me about it and let out that you had a bad breakup last summer, but I don't know anything else besides that." Her heart raced until she thought it would burst as she vomited up the truth. Anxiously, she waited for Yang to look back at her.

When she did, she was expecting red eyes and a lost temper. But her eyes remained pools of violet, hurt and hollow. Yang looked so forlorn.

Blake was eternally grateful when Sun came back with their two entrees. The star couldn't be so unhappy for so long with perfectly good food in front of her. He left them to dine and they did so, in silence.

After they finished dinner, the two walked to the main portion of the mall, featuring some of the world's most popular clothing stores and outlets. Yang's mood greatly improved, acting as though the awkward conversation at dinner hadn't happened. Instead, she let Blake talk about her favorite shops, clothing styles, and more. She didn't appear the type of person to be into fashion to Blake and listened more than she spoke. They stopped at several stores and Blake actually bought more than she expected to, blowing more than a hundred dollars after two hours of walking around. Yang stayed off to the side, giving compliments and critique when they were needed.

The two, a bit tired, stepped out of Calvin Klein laughing.

"Oh man, is it already nine?" Yang asked, checking her phone.

Blake sighed, her wan smile still on her face. "We sure have done a lot of shopping."

"You have, I haven't spent a dime!"

In total, Blake knew she probably spent more than three hundred dollars today—including paying for the whole dinner a few hours earlier—but she didn't really care. Circumstances in her life gave way to a little more spending every now and then. "We should probably get going then, huh?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to keep you out for too long," she winked.

The drive home proved to be a bit awkward, as Blake had to hold onto Yang with one arm and her new items in the other. Still, she enjoyed the ride and being able to breathe in the other girl's tangy, citrus scent. That was her favorite part of their rides, as few and far between as they were. In a few minutes, they found themselves back at the steps leading to Blake's house. But instead of darting away, Yang turned off Bumblebee and hung her helmet on one of the handlebars, her blonde hair spilling out chaotically, yet gracefully all the same. She turned to Blake, who had just gotten off.

"Do you want to come in, Yang?" the golden-eyed girl offered, expecting her to say no.

But, to her surprise, Yang nodded. "Yeah. I'd kill for some water or something."

So, the girl followed her in, leaving her shoes at the front door out of habit. Blake unlocked the door and pushed it open, turning on the light as she entered the house. As she made for the kitchen, she let Yang explore the living room. "Make yourself at home," she called out as she filled a tall glass with ice cold water out of the fridge. The blonde did so, taking a seat on the comfortable sofa and observing the furniture around her. Not much had changed in the house since Blake had first stayed here with her parents many years ago, but she took care of each and every part of the home. Soon enough, she joined her friend on the couch, handing her the glass.

After she drank half of it, she set it down on the coffee table and turned to Blake. "Thanks, kitten."

"You're welcome," she nodded, letting out a small yawn. "I had a great day today."

"Me too. Dinner was so good! Did you like it?"

"Yes, I did." She tried not to think about the awkward portion of it, but she did anyway.

It must've shown on her face, for Yang put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not mad that you know. I just wanted to know how you found out. People gossip all the time and I just needed to know you weren't getting that from some sketch source or anything." Her voice was low, maybe even a little husky.

"I'm glad. I didn't want to damage your friendship with Weiss."

"Nah, you couldn't hurt that one. We've been friends for a long time," she smiled fondly, thinking of the heiress. Then her lips drooped into a frown and her violet eyes lost that sparkle. "It's already December huh? I guess it's been a while since we broke up."

Blake summoned all the courage she had to ask, "What happened?"

Before she answered, Yang drained her glass in one swig and let out a long, deep sigh. "I met this boy at the beginning of my junior year. His name was…" She paused here to give another empty laugh. "Wow, I can't even say his name. Anyway. He moved here and he was new, so I decided I'd hang around him and get to know him. And you know how these things are. I liked him, he liked me, and soon enough we started going out.

"Everything was going fine. We were the typical high school romance, and I guess everyone liked us so much that they were always rooting for us, always hoping we'd be together wherever we went. Well, when summer came around, I realized that we had stopped talking as much… and realized that we just stopped talking entirely. He was moving away again and I found out then that I was just his trophy girl. Some people say that he was dating someone else at the same time and that I just didn't know about it. To be honest, I really wouldn't be so surprised. I was blind and I was stupid.

"I don't like to talk about it so much just because it's such a hurtful thing, y'know? I mean, how could people just do that? But they do. So, even if I could get anyone, I haven't. I don't know. That question freaks me out. I hate having to hear that I could get anyone I want, because that doesn't always guarantee I'll get someone great. Or that I am someone great. I don't know."

Blake listened earnestly the whole time, her gaze never leaving those lilac orbs. When Yang finished explaining her story, she let a few seconds pass before she could begin her own spiel.

"Yang, honestly, I'm sorry. Really. But I feel that…" She took in a deep breath. "Just because he didn't cherish you doesn't mean you're not precious." That caught her attention and brought her to meet her stare. "He was an idiot to hurt you like that. I know we haven't known each other very long, but I know that you're an incredible person, Yang. Just take me for an example… I mean, here I am, new to Beacon, and instead of pushing me away or ignoring me, you've given me a family. I love spending so much time with Ruby and you whenever we can. That's much more than friendship. That's… more.

"That's why I can't imagine why someone would ever just use you like that. You're not just a trophy girl, Yang. You're so much cooler than that! You're such a lovely person."

Yang felt small, tiny pins prick at the corner of her eyes and she was worried she'd start crying. Quickly, she pulled Blake in, and the poor girl almost felt like she was being crushed by her force. Everything was warm—her shoulder, her arms, her neck, Yang's breath tickling her collar. But it was home, somehow, every single sensation. And she wished it wouldn't end. She wished Yang wouldn't pull away and leave her alone for the evening, but she knew she had to.

The moment ended too soon and soon, Yang was walking towards the door. They exchanged a goodnight and Yang asked Blake to keep everything a secret. When she was gone, Blake closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a heavy sigh, knowing Yang would see right through her one day or another.

She imagined herself telling Weiss all about this and confirming that Yang was definitely her type.

A/N: And that's the end of part one. Part two will be coming in about two and a half weeks. I will be traveling internationally and will not be able to write, so hold on for a little while! I apologize for the inconvenience. Part two will be written in Yang's POV! Finally, a shift in POV!

Thank you for reading my work. Please leave a review so I can see how I'm doing.

-Lex