A/N: Hi guys! I'm back from my travels! Thank you for being so patient with this story. I must admit, I'm a bit worried that this isn't up to where I want it to be, but I hope that this will be a great update after being gone for more than two weeks. Christmas in August? No big deal. Be sure to read my note at the end as well!

Chapter Five: Move

Every part of Yang's body felt heavy. Her eyelids seemed to be pulled down by five-ton weights and her head, nodding every so often, sank deeper into her folded arms on top of the desk. As she slipped further into the numbing state of her daytime slumber, her breaths escaped slower and fuller. The last she heard of the teacher's rambling was something about the aorta leading into the heart. In her own case, her own beating heart steadied and took longer to pump blood, settling into a pattern fit for sleep. Normally, she'd pay attention in class, even if she chatted here and there to someone random. But today, for some reason, Yang Xiao Long was falling, cascading to nowhere in particular, and certainly away from Mr. Oobleck's class.

Then she crashed, hard. An icy tone cut through the haziness of her afternoon nap. "Yang!"

Jolting awake, the blonde opened her eyes, only to be met with precious sapphires staring back at her. "Wha…?"

"Didn't you just hear the bell? School's over!" Weiss reprimanded her. "I've been trying to wake you up since you fell asleep half an hour ago—in the middle of a lecture, mind you!"

She was surprised she slept through the bell and not through Weiss' high, grating voice. Most times, they were the same thing anyway. "Sorry Ice Queen," she mumbled, her throat dry and voice raspy. When the other girl shot her a look of confusion, she shrugged and said, "I don't know what's up with me either." In reality, she knew exactly what was going on.

She was thinking too much again, straining her own mind more than it should have been. So she got tired.

Sinking into her own chair next to Yang, Weiss propped her head up with her hand and sighed. And just like that, all her irritation melted away. The remnants of any frustration faded away as her eyes narrowed. "Are you okay?" she asked, her tone thick with worry.

"I think so," Yang answered, stretching her arms in front of her. She yawned and shook her head to wake up a bit. "I'm just feeling pretty tired is all." That's a good excuse, she thought to herself. It was somewhat true.

"It's a good thing that winter break starts today, then," her friend reminded her. Somehow, she almost forgot.

"Oh yeah!" At the thought of the two-week break, Yang instantly lit up, a smile breaking on her face. "I can finally catch a break!"

"And I can finally catch up on sleep," the heiress sighed, rising. "Come on, you have to take Ruby home and she's probably waiting for you outside."

"Yeah, yeah." She put away her notebook and pen, gathered her backpack, and followed Weiss out the door. They were the last two out of the room, as Mr. Oobleck himself had scrambled away to get more coffee as soon as school ended. Some part of Yang was going to miss him during their recess, even if she dreaded the intense (and often unnecessary) amount of homework he assigned. "What're you going to do on your break?"

She thought she saw a vein burst on the side of Weiss' temple. "Study of course," she replied woefully. "Do I do anything else, Yang?"

Yang rolled her eyes and swung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to her side. "Ah come on. You can take a break for a while, can't you?"

"No," she answered. Usually, she'd wiggle her way out of Yang's embrace. She really didn't like physical touch, even from her friends, especially in public. Yet, she stayed close. Their feet fell in step as they made their way to the courtyard. "You know that I can't."

"I know that you can, and I know that you won't, because you're stubborn as Hell, Weiss," she chuckled. She put her hand atop the snow angel's head of white and pushed back some stray strands. When the girl wasn't wearing her heels, like today, Yang easily towered over her. She didn't turn away or swat away her hand, so Yang continued, saying, "You should really sleep, though. You probably need it more than I do. I just like to sleep."

Weiss let out a rather distressed humph. With her bottom lip sticking out just a bit more than usual and her whiny reply of, "Whatever," it almost looked like she was pouting.

Come to think of it, I haven't really been spending time with Weiss lately. It wasn't that she didn't like her company. The two had been friends since Weiss moved from the East Coast herself before starting high school at Beacon. At first glance, they didn't really seem to be compatible at all; how could they be, when one embodied ice and the other fire? But perhaps that's what had brought them together. Weiss had done more for Yang than she could ever repay her for. The taller of the two smiled affectionately and asked, "What are you going to be doing for Christmas?"

"My father wants to go back to Boston for the vacation, of course," Weiss grumbled. Talking about her family wasn't something she was particularly fond of. "So I'll be freezing my limbs off. I'll be sure to drop off my present for you sometime before."

"Aww, you don't need to do that," Yang feigned saccharine delight, trying to steer the conversation away from her family. God knew how much she really wanted to spend time with her father without her sister, Winter, nearby.

"I will anyway. What are you going to do? I'm sure you and Ruby have plans for the holidays."

"I dunno, actually," she replied, leaning against the flag pole and withdrawing her hand. The stampede of excited students fled the school grounds, already on their way home to celebrate on their time off, leaving the two seniors by themselves in the central part of the school. "There's really not much going on for my break."

"Really?" Weiss seemed genuinely surprised. "No parties, no boys to meet, no hearts to break?"

Yang laughed. "Is that a serious question?"

"All three parts."

She shook her head. "None of that. I guess I'll relax some too. I'm inviting Blake over for Christmas. Ruby asked me to but I was already planning on it anyway."

Weiss smiled then, thinking of their mutual friend. "That's nice of you. I'm sure she'll really like it. She enjoys being around you a lot, I'll have you know."

"Yeah, I do too!" I've thought about this, you know. "I've got the best gift for her, you'll never believe it."

"Is that so?" When she didn't reply immediately, Yang knew she was thinking about something. She paused to collect her thoughts. "Yang, I need to talk to you about something."

She arched an eyebrow. "Yeah? Love issues with Neptune?"

Weiss looked so offended, Yang thought she might tear her throat out. "No," she hissed. "It's about—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Ruby's voice filled the whole area, the echoes bouncing off the walls and in between the breezeway, drowning out Weiss completely. "Yang! Let's go home!" she beamed, reaching the two girls.

Upon seeing the sophomore, Weiss scowled and barked, "Was yelling that loud really necessary?"

"You're unnecessary," Ruby retorted, sticking her tongue out at her.

Yang quickly pulled her sister into a tight hug to protect her from the harsh words Weiss would unleash if she continued. "Ah, quit it Ruby, Weiss already has lots to deal with!" she laughed.

"Well…"

"I've had enough," Weiss tossed her head to the side, her trademark frown returning. "I suppose I'll see you all later, then."

"Alright," the blonde grinned, hoping to appease her somewhat. "Safe flight over to Boston!"

Ruby popped her head out of the suffocating embrace. "Good ridd—" Yang's hand flew and she let out a cry of pain. "Safe trip!"

Weiss rolled her eyes once again before walking away, a trace of a smile lingering on her lips.

Yang put Ruby down and gave her a crooked grin. "You sure do give her a hard time, huh?"

"She gives everyone else a hard time," Ruby defended herself and crossed her arms.

"Right." They started towards the parking lot. "You know, if you really want to be friends with Weiss that bad, you should just ask to be friends with her."

Her little sister looked so incredulous, Yang bursted out laughing. "Yang, I'm not trying to be friends with her!"

"Right."

She wondered what Weiss needed to talk to her about and made a mental note to ask her when she got back.

On some weekend mornings, Yang liked to wake up early to cook breakfast and have the house to herself while her father and sister slept. Those hours offered a time of peace, quiet, and relaxation that she hardly found between her busy school schedule, her friends, and her activities. Today, she woke up at exactly seven in the morning on her break, an incredible feat, considering how tired she had been recently.

Groggily, she stumbled out of bed, hair tangled and dried saliva on her chin. Even though it was early, she had somewhere to be, something she needed to see. Quickly, she brushed her teeth and put her hair up into a high ponytail. She changed out of her casual shorts and tank top into skinny jeans and a white blouse, paired with a tan jacket to keep her warm. Although Oxnard never saw snow, it got a bit chilly in the winter months. That, however, was never an issue with Yang, who always felt like she was a literal human heater.

As she padded down the hallway, she was surprised to see Ruby already awake. Lilac met silver and for a moment, neither said anything to the other, until Yang noticed she was also fully dressed for her day.

"Going out today?" she questioned, grabbing the family car keys off the hook near the door.

"You're going out to get Blake's present, right?"

She laughed then. "Did you want to come along?"

Ruby smiled eagerly. "Yeah. I knew you'd leave early so I wouldn't get to go with you. But alas, Yang Xiao Long!" She pointed her finger and announced, rather triumphantly, "I've figured you out!"

"Sure," her sister snickered. "You can come with me."

As they made their way outside, Ruby realized that Yang had opened the car door rather than starting up Bumblebee. She gave her a quizzical look. "You're driving the car?"

"I have to."

If Ruby were right, then she'd know exactly why Yang needed the extra space, but she had yet to prove that she had figured it out. It took weeks for her sister to solidify her plan, making sure every piece of the puzzle fit just right. There were multiple components to pulling this off—and by no means was it a particularly easy present. Being busy with school and sports left little time to work, so she'd have to use some past money that she'd saved up. She had never done something so special for anyone outside her family, except for him, of course, but she didn't like to think about that.

This was way out of her normal self, even with how giving and generous she could be. But Blake was more than just a normal friend. To Yang, she was more than a sister like Ruby, more than a friend like Weiss, something more than just… I don't know. She was fully aware of what she was doing and how this, unlike anything she had done before, was way out of her way. And yet…

She shook her head, parking in the space right next to the front door. Yang turned to look at Ruby, whose innocent eyes had widened considerably at the sight. Neither of them could remember the last time they had visited this place, as they had both been fairly young. Any memory they had would be vague and fuzzy.

"Are you being serious, Yang?" Ruby asked rather curiously, since she couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Dead serious, Rubes." They exited the car.

"And this is for Blake?"

Yang opened the door and let her sister in first. "The one and only!"

The Ventura County Animal Shelter, situated in Camarillo, was only a fifteen minute drive from their house. Upon entering the building, Yang caught the attention of the employee behind the counter and received a warm, welcoming smile.

"Miss Xiao Long, it's nice to see you," the old man greeted her, typing in a few things into the computer.

"Do you know him?" Ruby looked up to her sister then back to the man as they reached the counter.

"He remembers us from when we adopted Zwei!" She pulled out a pen from her purse to fill out the paperwork he had slid in front of her. "And I've been here a few times before."

"Oh… So this is where you've been running off to." Ruby noted that she should tag along with her sister every time she made random, often unannounced disappearances from their home for a few hours.

When she finished filling out the required sheets, Yang brought her eyes to meet the man's and gave a smile. "I think today's the day."

"Great! Well, come on back. You didn't bring a crate, did you?"

The two sisters joined the man as they ventured off to the back part of the building, where the animals were kept. Dogs sat, huddled together as they rested peacefully in the early morning. Some cats approached the edge of small havens, peering up and intrigued by these new humans. "I didn't think I'd need to, to be honest…" Good one!

"It's not a problem," he chuckled. "We've got lots of extra crates, so you can just choose one. Actually, using the one we first transported her in might be a good idea, so then she's used to it."

Suddenly, Yang heard her sister stop walking. When she looked back at her, she realized that Ruby had finally understood what was going on. With an excited squeal, she caught up and grabbed Yang's arm, nearly pulling it out of socket with how charged up she felt. "Yang! You're crazy! You're insane!"

Yeah, she was crazy and insane. But what else would Yang be?

The clerk grinned at them both as he opened the door to a particular cage. After making a few clicking noises with his tongue, small, young kittens made their way over to his hand, heads tilted and eyes wide with wonder. They came in orange, gray, brown, striped, plain, and more. Yang wanted to hold and squeeze all of them! It was almost too much to bear for her to be around them.

But there was one that mattered the most to her, one that she had selected a week ago that she wanted. After a few seconds, the man held out the only black kitten in the whole litter. With a coat darker than night and brilliant, amber eyes shining back at Ruby and Yang, this cat was the lucky one. One would expect a small cat like this one to be timid or wary. Instead, it meowed loudly, as if trying to speak, and lifted a paw in joy.

The man took his time to explain everything necessary to adopting a cat, like taking it to the vet often, grooming techniques, how and when to feed it, and other interesting topics; but Yang wasn't listening the entire time as she stared at those eyes that made her heart melt. How precious! "Are you going to keep her original name?"

Yang sighed, not out of exasperation or distress or anything like that. She sighed happily, out of relief. "Of course!"

For some reason, Yang felt unusually nervous about Christmas Eve. The Rose-Xiao Long family was unconventional in all senses of the words, evident in how they celebrated the holidays. It was a family tradition, for example, to open presents at midnight rather than Christmas morning. The following day, the family would find board games or any other type of outing that meant being up and active all day to enjoy their time with one another.

Blake would be coming over tonight and, as agreed, she'd be spending the night, as she didn't have anything to do for Christmas day. And while she shouldn't be worried about her present, she was; and Yang Xiao Long never worried about anything.

Something about Blake felt so unsettling, not because she was a bad person or because Yang disliked her. In fact, it was just the opposite. Yang hadn't come across someone so fascinating, not even him. There were certain friends that lived up to their reputations, like Pyrrha and Weiss, the star athlete and the class valedictorian. Or Neptune, the handsome lady-killer, or even her own little sister Ruby, the sophomore brainiac.

Yang knew exactly what she was to everyone else. To some, she was the blonde bimbo, who, much to their surprise, was actually much smarter than they gave her credit for. To others, she was their school's firecracker, always bursting in happiness everywhere. But Blake? What the Hell was she?

Everyone at school referred to the golden-eyed beauty as either the new girl or the book nerd, as she read constantly on her free time. This, Yang knew to be true, as she had often bothered her when she had her nose in a book. But there was so much more about Blake that she still didn't know. Her parents were dead, but why? She had to move to Beacon, but why? She made friends with Weiss, Ruby, and Yang herself, but why, when she could've picked different people, different friends? And she had mentioned being incorporated into her family as much more than friendship. That's… more… But why?

Needless to say, Yang was a bit confused. It seemed the more she knew, the more questions she had to ask.

While she didn't always come off to be rather thoughtful or perceptive—often times quite the opposite, actually—she prided herself on being a great friend, which meant being able to read people like books. But she couldn't read Blake. She was kind, alluring, and mysterious, but she didn't know what else. She liked Blake a lot. Yet… something was missing, something critical to understanding her.

The ring of the doorbell alarmed her and nearly sent her spirit out of her body. Ah, speak of the devil and she'll appear huh? She was starting to worry that she wouldn't show at all, although she knew that she would. She rose and opened the door. Blake's small smile grew wider as their eyes met, lilac meeting gold once again, familiar and foreign all at once. Quickly, she pulled her into a tight hug.

"Blake!" she laughed. "You're looking pretty great!"

"Do I really?" she asked, somewhat sarcastic, somewhat serious.

As per request, the girl donned a Christmas outfit of her choosing in order to "better celebrate the festivities," as Yang had mentioned when she first invited her. Fittingly, she decided to be one of Santa's elves. Wearing a short, low-cut, forest green dress, she revealed more skin than Yang had seen before. At school, she'd wear skirts, jeans, nice blouses, cute jackets.

But now, like this, Blake exposed slender legs and porcelain skin. These were things Yang had never really noticed before. With a matching green Santa hat on her head and a large, green bow, the blonde couldn't help but blush, realizing just how sexy her friend was. I mean, it's Nora's outfit, but…

Well, that was something she figured out about her.

After realizing she was staring, Yang forced a a smile to mask the fact that she had been staring. "Yeah! Really, you're rocking the outfit. Nora would be proud."

Blake ran her hand through her silky onyx hair. " You think so? It's really… short."

"Nah." For herself, Yang dressed as a reindeer, wearing a long-sleeved brown shirt with a yellow heart and a matching mini-skirt. She opted to wear a brown hat as well, but she figured antlers and a red nose would finish the look. "Do you see what I'm wearing?"

Blake looked away, her cheeks turning a little red. "It's not so bad."

"Hey Blake!" Ruby called out from the hallway. Yang turned around and saw the red blur running towards the two. Wearing a Santa suit, her little sister seemed to embody the spirit of the holidays the most. She hugged their guest tightly, saying, "Wow, you pull that off really well! Come in, I just finished baking some cookies!"

Ah, Christmas. This was Yang's favorite holiday because it meant family, it meant love. As the sweet aroma of chocolate chip cookies wafted throughout the household, she led Blake to the living room, where the Christmas tree stood tall. Several gifts sat underneath, ready to be opened and adored. Yang always put on Michael Buble's Christmas CD, perfect for the occasion and mood. Lights decorated the whole house, strung along the walls of the living room and outside the house. All they seemed to miss each year was snow. In a few minutes, Ruby came around the corner, carrying a plate full of her favorite treats and a few glasses of milk to share.

"Where's dad?" Yang asked. She hadn't seen him all day.

"He's out with Uncle Qrow right now. They're supposed to be back by midnight to open up presents!" Ruby answered, munching into a cookie. "Wantch shome?" She held one out to Blake.

"Of course," she smiled, taking a small bite. Impressed, she nodded her head and complimented her, saying, "This is really great, Ruby. Thank you."

Yang noticed a crumb on the side of her lip and brushed it away. "Heh. You had cookie on your face."

Blake chuckled quietly. "Thank you. What time is it?"

"It is precisely… eleven thirty-eight! Which means we'll be opening presents in thirty two minutes!"

"Twenty two," Yang corrected. She applauded herself for her quick mental math. That took effort.

To kill the next twenty minutes, Ruby proposed they'd play a quick game with cookies, trying to see who could eat the most cookies in the meantime. Blake opted out of the competition and watched the two sisters instead. To Yang, honestly, it had seemed like a ridiculous idea and she really didn't want to be sick before opening presents. But she never liked losing, especially when it was against Ruby, so in record time, she burned through thirteen cookies and two glasses of milk. Ruby hadn't even gotten to eight and barely finished her first glass.

Okay, never again. "Oh god," Yang groaned, holding her stomach. "I'm gonna barf."

"Ew, gross, don't barf!" Ruby warned her, sitting up. "We've still gotta open presents!"

"Aren't we supposed to wait for your dad?" Blake asked, amused with the whole situation.

The two sisters looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Then, after a while, Yang came to a decision. "They can open them when they come home. You're here, so we're going to do it on time."

Ruby and Blake seemed alright with the decision. Pulling out the first gift from under the tree, Yang inspected the tag and smiled. "This is from Weiss." The ice queen had given her something heavy, intricately wrapped in baby blue with a white bow. She untied the ribbon and opened up the blue box, pulling out several pairs of shorts, tank tops, and sweatbands. Grinning like crazy, she scanned over Weiss' small card, reading her meticulous cursive.

You were begging for these a while ago and I just happened to find them on sale. Try not to break hearts with them. -WS

"Workout clothes?" Ruby giggled. "I guess that's cool."

"I wanted these forever!" Yang exclaimed, checking out the neon colors and the stretchy material. "These are pretty expensive."

Blake took her turn to open up her gift from the heiress as well. She had given her a set of classic books, including first edition copies of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights. Yang made a mental note that she really seemed to like romance novels, even the older ones. Ruby gave her a nice set of notebooks and pens, something Blake was eternally grateful for. She loved writing almost as much as she did reading.

"What does her card say?"

"'I am glad that you too are fond of books and wish you great happiness as you embark on these journeys. Perhaps we can read together.'"

"That's sweet," Yang smiled.

"That's surprising," Ruby muttered.

Clutching the texts closely, Blake noticed there was another present from Weiss. "Hey, Ruby, I think that's for you."

"What?" she asked, dumbfounded. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was true. "Weiss… Actually got me something?" In disbelief, she picked up the little red box, took off the wrapping, and opened the package. She dangled a small silver rose in front of her, her matching silver eyes showing amazement and awe. Yang poked her to remind her to read the card. "Yang told me you wanted a necklace. I hope you like roses. After all, they are your… namesake. Weiss." Her sister looked up at her. "You told Weiss I wanted a necklace?"

Yang pulled her into a hug. "Of course I did! She was the one who was wondering what you wanted anyway. I told you she doesn't hate you. You just don't get along."

They continued opening presents in that manner. From her father, Yang received new jewelry and clothes. Uncle Qrow had given her a shot glass set… Not that she'd use it tonight or any time soon. His card requested she waited until he'd be over until they'd use it, much to Ruby, Blake, and, she suspected, her father's horror. Setting that aside, she opened her present from Ruby and was pleasantly surprised to see that she had bought the three video games she had asked for specifically. Well, there goes some time on my break.

Blake pushed forward a medium-sized box towards her, a shy smile on her face. "I hope that you like it. It took a while to think of."

"Aww, Blake." Yang took it, carefully unwrapping the paper to reveal a portion of a canvas. Opening the present fully, she felt her heart swell in her chest, taken aback by the sheer skill it took to paint the damn thing. Blake's present was a painting of Yang going up to spike a volleyball. She couldn't imagine how much time it took to produce something of such high caliber. Her tongue felt like a steel weight. She struggled to find the right words and could only utter, "Blake…"

"Ruby helped me to think of it, actually," the girl admitted. "It took a while. But one of the photographers took a really, really nice picture. So I thought I could paint you at your favorite sport." Her smile was wan, but genuine all the same.

Yang didn't know what to do, so she hugged her. That always seemed to be her go-to move when she couldn't speak. "Thank you. Thank you!"

Ruby, witnessing the whole thing, gave a gasp, catching Yang's attention. She looked over at her and saw that her eyes were filled with tears. "Gah, the presents just keep getting better! You have to give Blake her present! I think it's time!"

Right!

After thanking her profusely again, Yang rose and ran over to her room. Ruby sat, excited to see what Blake's reaction would be. Walking slowly back into the living room, Yang met Blake's eyes and grinned mischievously. She held the gift behind her back so she couldn't see, leaving Blake to wonder what on Earth the trickster had up her sleeve this time.

"What is it?"

"That would defeat the purpose of a surprise, Blake." She sat down next to her and placed the small box in her hands.

Blake's eyes lowered down to the mystery box and widened when it shook. "Yang? Why is my present moving…?"

"Just open it!"

So she did. And Yang wished that she could've captured her reaction on video, because it was absolutely, hilariously priceless. Gold met amber, a perfect match, really, and Blake almost dropped the kitten. Pulling her out carefully, the girl was greeted with a high-pitched meow and a yawn, as the cat had been asleep when Yang placed her carefully into the box. Blake stared at her for what seemed like ages. And finally, she smiled, eyes glossy and hands trembling. She wasn't scared or upset. Yang knew that for a fact. This was pure happiness.

"Isn't she just the purrfect gift?" Yang snickered as she made a pun. "It's a pretty pawesome present!"

"Yang…" Blake couldn't laugh at her jokes, since this small cat was so much better. "You really…"

She took advantage of her silence. "I got you a cat because, well, y'know, cats are cool. I mean, I like dogs myself. I have Zwei, ha. But I figured a small kitten would be nice for you to have at home, since you're alone so much. I've got everything you'll need to take care of her, if you'll take her, of course!" Yang met her eyes. "She's really, really playful. Her name is Gambol, but you can change it if you want."

The whole gesture might've been the kindest thing the girl had received since she moved. Or at least that's what Yang hoped. She wanted to give her something incredible.

Blake seemed to think about the name. Then, she shook her head. "No. I like that name."

"Yay!" Ruby cried out in glee. "Yang, you did such a good job!"

"I'd like to think so," her sister winked.

Just then, the back door rattled. It could only be either her father or Qrow, since they were they only ones besides the two girls who knew how to get in. Yang glanced at her sister. Quick on her feet, she went up to go let them in, even though it had been close to an hour past midnight now. Yang looked over at Blake, who stroked Gambol just behind her ears. The action elicited a small mewl in reply. Clearly, she made her happy.

"You like her, huh?" Yang already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it anyway.

"I love her very much." Blake lifted her eyes. "Yang, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I haven't had a pet in a long time."

"Yeah? Well… You deserve it! You've been a really good friend, Blake."

Yang leaned forward to pet the cat, but something wet found its way under her knee. Or, at least, it felt wet. Either way, it was slippery, and by the time Yang realized it was a piece of wrapping, she had already slipped on something hard and soft at the same time. Muttering a small curse under her breath, she blinked to find Blake underneath her. God damn it, what's with falling so much? she thought to herself, remembering the one time she fell in a trash can, thanks to the girl under her. That seemed like ages ago.

Grumbling and pained, Blake sat up, her eyes still closed from the force of the impact. Yang's breath hitched and she put a hand on the other girl's shoulder, trying to steady her and warn her of her own presence. When Blake's eyes fluttered open, she felt her mouth go dry completely. Faces only inches apart, smooth and warm skin against skin, light lavender meeting liquid gold—all of it was too much for Yang to bear. But instead of moving away like she should have, she remained frozen.

Damn.

Every voice in her head yelled at her to move, especially because she could hear her sister, father, and uncle only a few rooms down. But she didn't. She couldn't.

Blake looked so stunned. She failed to respond and could only meet Yang's expression similarly. Xiao Long, snap out of it! Yang yelled internally. Nothing. Move! She heard her volleyball coach yelling at her to get back to the line. She stopped breathing when Blake moved instead, her eyelids shutting slowly. Yang, move! Pyrrha Nikos' booming voice rang in her skull, the only other person she'd obey out on the court. She swore she heard her name escape between Blake's lips, softer than a whisper. Please move? Wait, what did she need to do again? She closed her eyes, steadying herself on her palm on the floor. Yang… Yang, are you going to move? She heard Ruby's small plea when she felt Blake's fingers grip her forearm for support, and felt…

"Yang?"

Shit.

Before Taiyang could round the corner, Yang mustered all the courage she had to get up and act as normal as possible. She thanked herself a million times that she did so, because even though her father was somewhat drunk, she was sure he'd never let her live it down if he caught her doing… whatever the Hell that was.

"Oh, Blake. Hello," he waved at her. "Uh. Looks like you opened presents without me!"

A nervous laugh. "Yeah! We can open yours now…" Yang looked over at Blake, but she didn't catch her eye. She was looking for Gambol, who hid in her box more because she was tired than anything else.

After presents, they said nothing else besides wishing one another a good night.

Great job, you dumbass. Yang stripped off her reindeer outfit down to her underwear and pulled over a huge shirt. Her bed felt somewhat cold tonight, a strange feeling, since she never felt cold. It was certainly big enough to fit another person if she wanted, as she always had Ruby stay in it whenever she wished. But perhaps it was for the better that Blake decided to sleep in Ruby's room with her. After all, Ruby had the queen-sized bed, meant for whenever friends would come over anyway. Oh damn it, what the heck were you thinking, moving like that? As she tossed around, blankets strewn all over the place, she couldn't help but wonder one thing, seeing smoldering, golden eyes the whole time.

What the Hell was that?

A/N: How did you like it? Most of you have noticed that I've given this story a -T rating, and for good reason. Although, up to now, there's been quite a bit of fluff and character development, the story isn't always going to be happy and there will be more conflicts and complications down the line. But don't worry! Little do you readers know how I've got this all planned out. ;)

Thank you all for reading! Please leave a review so I can see what I should improve on.