Shoving her face deeper into the couch cushions, Yang groaned. Ever since she had awoken that day she had begun to fear for Weiss in the smallest of ways. What if Weiss overheated again? Would Yang have to go out and find her? Would they somehow miss each other along the way? Or what if someone tried to kidnap Weiss? Not like that would ever happen in this neighborhood, but Yang never knew.
She turned her body over, now staring up at the ceiling. Weiss was more than capable of handling herself, was she not? It had been around a month since Yang had her first run-in with Weiss. Usually, Yang was good at making friends. Her overly friendly and caring personality had her voted in the yearbook three times in a row for "The Most Friendly and Huggable" Award. Everyone at school knew her, or had heard of her.
But with Weiss, well, with Weiss… Yang wasn't sure where she stood with the quiet girl. She knew better than to expect the new kid to easily open up to her, but for Yang, this was something different. Something she never really had to do before, and that was to work for a friendship. Yang was always willing to accommodate her friends, but she couldn't help but feel that there was so much more to it than just this.
However long it would take, Yang would make it there with Weiss. As her friend… or… possibly...
The door handle shook wildly, causing Yang to spill herself on the floor as she scrambled to get up. "Wei-" her eyes lit up, only to be slightly disappointed as the door opened.
"What? Not happy to see your old man?" Tai eyed her with a smirk. "This damn door handle needs to be fixed," he mumbled to himself, closing the door behind him. "Aren't you supposed to be at Blake's?"
Yang fell back onto the couch with a rather loud thud. "Yeah, I'm just waiting on Weiss. I thought you were her for a second." She eyed her father as he set down his bags by the door and sat himself next to Yang.
Tai nodded. "Isn't that the girl you're learning sign language for? Why are you waiting on her, couldn't you have just picked her up?"
Yang's face contorted to that of uncertainty as she nodded. "Yup, that's the girl." She paused, letting out a sigh. "And let's say she's a little… complicated." She paused again, eyes widening as she realized how that might have sounded. "Not bad complicated, but more like she's different. Like her eyes, if you look at them, there's a story in there. You can tell she wants to talk and she has a lot to say," she huffed out. "I know it seems presumptuous of me to say those things, but I know with time maybe we'll be close friends. I'm sure she needs someone like that." Yang's eyes glazed over as her mind went elsewhere, a small smirk overriding her face.
Tai, too, shared a smile — a knowing smile — as his daughter brought this new information to light. "You seem very enthusiastic about her. If I didn't know any better it almost sounded as if you were talking about Bl—" Tai felt a hand cover his mouth before he was able to finish, his words being muffled completely.
"Dad." Yang glared at him, a clear indication that she did not want to bring that up. While she and that said person were, and always will be, friends, it was just that sometimes Yang had a very bad habit of getting too involved.
Tai gently removed her hand from his mouth and sighed. "Look, sweetheart, I'm not trying to hold you back from whatever you have with Weiss. Just whatever you do, remember to take care of yourself, too." His hand found its way to her shoulder.
Yang's own gaze lingered on her dad for awhile, then shifted downwards at her feet in thought. "It's not like that, Dad, you don't know her. I don't even know her, but… this is different. I know it is."
As she finished speaking, her phone loudly buzzed on the table. Yang reached over, a text from an unknown number, but as she opened the message, it became very clear who that number belonged to.
"It's Weiss. I'm on my way."
Yang's eyes lit up, another hopeful smile appearing on her face. She looked away from the phone for a moment to look at her dad. "Yeah, it's different," she repeated as an affirmation not only to her father, but to herself.
Tai stood up and stretched himself out. "Alright. Well, Yang, as your dad, you know I'm always looking out for you. And if she's really important to you, I'll look out for her, too." He nodded.
"Thank you." Yang turned back to her phone as her father left the room. She saved the number to her phone.
She opened the text, her thumbs now hovering over the keys. Without hesitation, she responded:
'Hey Stranger, glad to see you're on your way. Need me to come pick you up or anything like that?'
Hitting the send button, she put her hands down, resting them in between her legs. Within just a few seconds, her phone buzzed again.
'No thank you. I'm on your street,' the message from Weiss read.
Yang scrambled off the couch once more, grabbing her backpack and phone, now rushing out to the garage and throwing open the door. She grabbed her bike, which she had attached pegs to just the day before. Now, Yang knew better than using pegs as a way to carry someone, but right now it was the only way. She could've borrowed her dad's car, but something told Yang that this would be the better way to do things.
She rushed outside, careful using the bike's stand to prop it up. Now returning to the garage, she reached for the handle to the door, and yanked it down shut.
Now kicking the bike off its stand and hopping onto the seat, she rode towards Weiss's direction. It wasn't very long before Yang had spotted Weiss, who had just seemed to round the corner onto her street.
She casually rode up to Weiss, hoping not to spook her by going at the high speeds which Yang was used to. As soon as Yang was about twenty feet away from her, she stopped her bike. She grinned widely at Weiss who seemed to have her usual deer-in-the-headlights look when it came to meeting Yang.
"Eheh… Hey, Weiss. I thought I'd meet you. Might be quicker, y'know? Do you need to stop by my house for anything? Water? Pit stop?" Yang seemed awfully eager to get a move on. She was more excited at the fact that Weiss would finally meet her friends. The ones that she had eluded for so long.
Weiss's brows furrowed as she shook her head. She seemed a little unsure of how to react to Yang's clear as day excitement. Weiss bit her lip she had to admit seeing Yang like this filled her with a small sense of excitement herself. Not to mention, it was rather… cute. These feelings for Weiss were unusual.
She hadn't been able to express many emotions to people. Weiss usual wore a deadpan expression, and the most she could offer up was a small smile or a scowl. Not ever had she felt this… odd, and yet, it was always when Yang was around that she couldn't help but let go. Little by little. Baby steps.
Yang nodded, now turning the bike around. She looked back at Weiss. "Alright, so what you're gonna do is hop on those pegs on the back wheel. Then hold on tight to my shoulder. Or backpack. Whichever you prefer. If this is your first time, we can take it slow." Yang winked. "Kidding! But really, though, don't be afraid to uhh… tell me if I'm going too fast."
A small blush crept upon Weiss's face. Of course this was Weiss's first time, how could she be so daft? Weiss had never really been on the back of a bike before. Weiss's eyes widened in realization of what Yang had just said. Did… Yang just flirt with her, with a strange innuendo, nonetheless?
Maybe it was just Weiss's imagination. She watched as Yang turned her head, looking forward. Weiss placed herself on the pegs, finding balance as she clutched onto Yang's oddly broad and muscled shoulders. She hadn't noticed this feature on Yang before, mostly because she had spent time avoiding her gaze.
Yang began to pedal slowly, speaking as she moved. "Alright, Weiss. Let's use signals. Pat me on the right shoulder three times if you want me to go faster. Pinch me on the left to slow down. Squeeze both of my shoulders tightly if you want to stop."
Weiss had raised an eyebrow at the innovative signaling system that Yang had not only probably thought of on the spot, but had once more, completely accommodated to Weiss's needs. She let out a silent huff as they pedaled at a casual pace. Maybe Yang was her friend after all.
They passed Yang's house as it seemed that Yang had quickened the pace, but only by a smidge. "Hope you don't mind if we go a little faster," Yang commented.
Yang felt three taps on her right shoulder. "Oh?" a smirked appeared on Yang's face, unbeknownst to Weiss. The pace had picked up even more. "I have to warn you, in this ride there will be one downhill ride and then we'll have to take a shortcut through the woods. Don't worry, though, I take this path all the time. No bears, lucky for us!" Yang chuckled.
They rounded several streets, their pace a little fast but nothing that Yang couldn't handle. She had done this several times with Ruby in the past when they couldn't get rides. They were lucky it wasn't too busy of a day, either. Not a lot of cars when crossing the street, but even then Yang knew better than to become reckless, especially with a passenger she was trying to befriend.
Yang would occasionally take glances behind her to check on Weiss. Their eyes meeting each time as Weiss would give her the same impassive look. When in reality, Weiss was genuinely enjoying herself.
Who knew that the feeling of the sun beating down, and the wind rushing past her, would give her such a sense of newfound longing of something she'd never had? She wanted more, and she seemed to be in luck.
Yang had spoken up once more, "Okay, you're going to want hold on a little tightly. Here's the hill. You have nothing to fear, though, I wo—" Yang felt a multitude of taps on her right shoulder. They were fast taps, that she couldn't keep up with. Yang couldn't help but bellow out in laughter. "You got it!"
Weiss's grip tightened, but only slightly so as to not make Yang stop. For some odd reason, Weiss could feel her heart pumping. Was this what excitement felt like? "Hold on!" Yang yelled.
They took a slight dip, the bike gaining speed from Yang's pedaling along with the addition of the hill's decline.
Weiss sharply inhaled, a huge grin spreading across her face as the world whirred around her. This was excitement. This was freedom. She could feel her voice aching to yell and shout, but she held back. Closing her eyes, the grin not disappearing, she felt the wind and the excitement overtake her. She opened them once more, letting the wind hit her eyes in a speed she wasn't used to. Her eyes filled with tears from the wind pushing against them, and from the sudden rush of emotion that had hit her.
All of Weiss's life had been one whole negative emotion. Anxiety. Spite. Remorse. But this was new. So new, and Weiss wanted more, but at the same time… she was afraid of it.
"Ho—" Yang was in the process of glancing back at Weiss as she spoke.
Time now slowed down for Yang, everything about Weiss in this moment was perfect. Never before had she seen Weiss with such a big grin. With so much feeling showing in one simple emotion. Happiness. The feeling resonated within Yang. She could see the twinkle in Weiss's eyes, how they spoke of a better future. A once-gone dreamer, now revived right before Yang's very eyes.
Yang turned her head back to the road, her late mother's quote eerily creeping its way into her memory.
Scathing eyes ask that we be symmetrical, one-sided, and easily processed. Yet every misshapen spark's unseen beauty is greater than it's would be judgement.
"Different." Yang muttered to herself as she began to chuckle to herself, now enjoying the moment along with Weiss. Yang lifted her legs outwards and cheered out loudly.
The decline had ended, but their speed was still fast. Yang waited for a pinch on her shoulders that never came as she slowed down herself to take a turn, speeding up, then another turn where a cut-off between neighborhood and forest were.
Weiss had gotten lost in her thoughts and emotions, not paying attention to anything or anyone surrounding them. The rush of emotions that had just occurred kept its high over her. A wide smile plastered on her face as Yang continued to pedal to the inside of the woods.
"It's a little bumpy here. Funnily enough, I might as well own this bike path," Yang commented again as the rush of trees, bushes, and sounds whirred past them. "This totally makes me want to go mountain biking." Yang took a small turn in the path, maneuvering skillfully as she kept the bike steady.
Weiss felt the vibrations through her legs, it was an odd sensation, but again, a new feeling she just couldn't ignore. Mountain biking? Weiss was unfamiliar with such activities, but the way they had been riding, Weiss felt as if she could do anything. Try anything. She looked down at the blonde head before her.
This girl had actively done stuff for her that Weiss couldn't possibly dream of, but she knew better than to take someone's kindness for granted. Yang could be lying to her, after all. For all Weiss knew, everything here was fake. Weiss scoffed at her own thoughts, it seemed like enjoying a moment's peace and excitement was too much for her doubtful mind trying to seek its revenge.
Soon enough, the bike had slowed down as they pulled up to a very large two-story house that had been gated. Yang went up to a machine, entering a five-digit code, and now riding past the gates that had opened. They went down the driveway and arrived at the garage where several other cars were parked.
Weiss's eyes went wide, a sense of unease now replaced her excitement. This house was almost comparable to her house back in Atlas. A flood of memories dared to rush through her mind, but she swallowed it down. With Yang's smile pulling her back into reality, she got off the bike as Yang had done the same.
Gesturing for Weiss to come along, Yang took the lead through the front door as it was unlocked. Weiss ventured forward, following behind an eager Yang who had a slight skip in her step.
The interior of the house was just as impressive as the exterior. There was a slight monochromatic scheme along with a nature-like vibe as the wooden floors were sleek and shiny. A loud snore could be heard from another room where background chatter could be heard. "Heh. Ghira must be sleeping," Yang commented as they past the living room. "That's Blake's dad. He's a really cool guy."
Indeed there was a gruff man, leaning back on an armchair. His arms folded, his head tilted, and another loud snore emitting from him. Weiss momentarily stared at the man. Never before had she seen such a big, brutish looking man look so gentle. She wished she could say the same about her… she whisked away the thought as she noted that Yang had moved on further into the house without her.
She moved closer to the backyard, which could be seen from the inside the house as glass panes and one sliding glass door made it very clear. A lavished pool with its own rocks, waterfall, and slide appeared right before Weiss's and Yang's very own eyes. Yang removed her own backpack and left it near a table where other stuff had been strewn. Meanwhile, Weiss stood in awe.
She had never seen anything like it. Her own family never thought of owning such frivolous things. It wasn't like it mattered, though; she didn't have much family left. Or what she considered to be family, at least.
Yang lightly nudged her on the shoulder. "Cool, huh? So, you ready to meet the crew?" Yang now nodded toward the other goers. Yang opened the sliding glass door and paused, turning to Weiss. "You can put down your stuff inside and come join us when you're ready. I'll let them know you're here. No rush!" Yang happily grinned and closed the door behind her.
Weiss snapped out of her somewhat jealous gaze and turned her attention to them. Through the window she could see them all. She watched as Yang walked away. A slight pang of unknown emotion ran through Weiss as she watched Yang close the door behind her.
She watched through the window as Yang and her friends laughed and greeted her. They talked and made slight glances towards the door.
The large, clear windows and sliding door now now separated Weiss and Yang… and her friends. For a moment, she saw her saddened reflection in the clean windows. She looked down, shaking her head. Now removing her own backpack, but keeping her phone close at hand, she looked up at her reflection once more.
She nodded.
She stepped toward the sliding door, pausing before reaching for the handle. No door, or window, or dumb test would keep Weiss from moving forward.
The only thing she knew that could stop her was… herself. The demons that followed her everywhere she would have to battle. She knew this, but this… this was something she wanted, and she knew she had to try.
She took this to mind and heart and grabbed the door handle, now taking a deep breath and sliding it open.