Blake opened her eyes lazily to complete darkness and absolutely zero idea of what time or day it was. While that wasn't odd itself, the fact that there were so many familiar scents around her alerted her that her friends were near and she was most likely in one of their rooms. Their rooms were never as dark as hers.
The skin pressed to her face and blocking her vision smelt strongly of roses and ice cold fingers were curled around her hip, an equally frigid cheek on her stomach. But a warm, almost hot, arm was curled around her shoulders, cancelling out any chills she may have felt.
She vaguely remembered crashing on Ruby's bed, but that didn't explain how they all ended up crowded around her. Cuddling.
Though she would admit, it was kind of nice. The scent of her friends brought a gentle sense of safety that couldn't compete with being alone behind a locked door.
She squirmed slightly in an effort to dislodge her head from whatever body part Ruby had tried to suffocate her with in her sleep, but as she let out a quiet grunt, eardrum shattering alarms went off throughout the apartment.
She froze for a moment, thinking she had somehow set it off, before realizing that it was the fire alarm. Her ears flattened against her head in an effort to keep out the noise and calm her startled heart.
Groans could be heard from her companions as they began to shift under the assault on their ears. As Ruby got off of her, Blake could see that it was her neck she had almost been smothered in. Her eye makeup left smudges in the tan girl's skin that made her look as though she'd been punched in the throat.
"What the fuck is going on?" Yang groaned, tightening her hold on Blake and squishing Weiss between them. The Ice Queen didn't seem to mind. She slept soundly throughout everything.
"Fire." Blake said shortly.
Ruby snapped out of her groggy, half asleep state immediately, letting out a scream and throwing herself off the bed as if she were already on fire. "Holy shit we need to get out of here!" She yelled, scrambling to put on her bright red hoodie.
Blake couldn't hold back a small smile at how adorable she looked with her hair all spiked up and silver eyes wide, the no longer active glowsticks still around her head and wrists.
Yang sat up, getting off the bed a little slower, but still pretty quickly considering her eyes were only half open. "Okay, okay. We're on the seventh floor, it'll probably take a while for the fire to get to us. We have time."
Ruby sprinted around the room like a frightened puppy for a moment before running over and practically dragging Blake off the bed. "You don't know that! It could be the floor right below us! Oh god, we're all gonna die!" She wailed.
Blake straightened her clothes. She didn't smell any smoke, so she figured Yang was right. Taking a look back at Weiss, she found the girl still asleep with her damaged hand cradled to her chest. Blake wasn't about to wake her up. Yang seemed to be just as cautious of her. They weren't brave enough to risk it.
Ruby, however, jumped onto the bed, shaking Weiss' shoulder in a panic. "Weiss! Weiss! You gotta wake up! You can't die here Weiss!"
The woman cracked one eye open to look at Ruby, then smacked her hand away and rolled over. "No."
"Weiss," Yang spoke up, quickly pulling her sister out of the danger zone. "You either wake up or burn to death."
"I choose death." She grumbled, curling further into the blankets.
The faint smell of smoke finally began to reach Blake's nose, making it scrunch up. While she would rather not leave Weiss to die, she really didn't want to herself. Not to mention that Ruby was still rambling about their horrible, fiery death in quiet sobs.
"Pick her up." She suggested.
Yang looked at her, then at Weiss. Blake would do it herself, but she didn't have the physical strength to carry her out of a burning building. Well, she did, but she didn't think her way of carrying people would be very acceptable for Weiss.
Letting out a sigh, Yang bundled the woman in the bright red blankets and picked her up.
"Unhand me, you brute." The heiress growled sleepily. Her point was contradicted by the way she snuggled into the blonde.
"I'll put you down when it's safe, go back to sleep." She murmured.
Blake rolled her eyes and started towards the fire escape on their balcony.
She didn't know if they were blind or ignorant. With all the blushing and staring, It was obvious how much they adored each other.
Blake had her suspicions, but the three days they spent not talking sealed the deal. Weiss aggressively ignoring the blonde's existence with a bright red face, while Yang stared forlornly at her looking like a kicked puppy.
And the smell! Blake would've thought she was living with a bunch of horny teenagers. It was safe to say that Yang and Weiss got turned on everytime they so much as glanced at each other. Blake didn't know what the hell was up with Ruby, but the girl gave off waves of arousal every time Blake was near enough to catch her scent. They were all making the apartment smell like the set of a porno and Blake was getting real sick of their bullshit.
When they all got down the fire escape and made it to the group of people that had gathered in front of the building, the crowd was mostly quiet. People talked to each other in soft, sleepy voices as they wandered aimlessly in the dim morning. The cold had most of them huddled together in small groups.
Blake wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she had followed Ruby's example and grabbed a sweater. She hated the cold.
"Are you okay Blake? You didn't get burned, did you?" Ruby asked, already starting to panic again.
Fighting off the urge to remind her that the fire didn't even reach their apartment, she shook her head. "I'm just cold, Ruby."
The girl gasped and squirmed out of her sweater, pulling it over Blake's head. The faunus let out an alarmed noise, struggling until she realized that Ruby was trying to put it on her and not strangle her with it.
"Aren't you cold too?" She asked. While the gesture was very sweet and the sweater very comfortable, she didn't want the smaller girl to freeze to death. She had on nothing but a t-shirt and some pajama pants.
Ruby held up a shaky thumb, her teeth already beginning to chatter, "A-As long as y-y-you're comfy Blake I-I-I'll be alright! Besides, I-I-I'm related to Y-Yang!" She managed to get out.
Blake looked over at Yang. The tall blonde was wearing nothing but a thin tank top and short shorts, but didn't seem to feel the cold at all as she wandered over to them. It would've been a good argument if Ruby hadn't been shaking so hard she looked like she was having a seizure.
Blake didn't know if some of Ruby's affectionate nature had been absorbed into the sweater, or if she simply wanted to keep the guitarist warm, but she stepped forward and pulled the girl into a tight hug.
Ruby sighed in relief, but still shook violently. Blake's eyebrows pulled together. How would she keep the woman from freezing without sacrificing the warm, sweet smelling sweater?
"B-Blake, I have an idea!"
Without waiting for Blake to tell her that, whatever it was, it was probably a bad idea, she ducked down and began to wriggle into the sweater with her. It was a tight fit, but it seemed to be working.
Blake was entirely unsure how to feel in this situation. Rubbing your scent on someone was one thing, but with that tight little body writhing against her, her face became the warmest part of her.
Blake frowned in confusion.
Wait.
Ruby's body was little. And it was tight, muscularly speaking. But Blake hadn't thought about it in a... sexual way before. Blake hadn't thought about anyone in a sexual way before. What the fuck was going on here?
As Ruby's head finally popped out in front of her, she decided that this was not the best time to think about it.
"You can keep the sleeves Blake. I don't think both of our arms will fit." She giggled. Blake simply blinked, still trying to shake off her state of supreme sexual confusion.
"Hey look! It's Jaune!" Ruby squealed bouncing up and down and casting Blake's mind deeper into the gutter. "Please wave Blake."
Blake, being in control of the arms, waved at the blonde for her. It caught his attention and he smiled, walking over. Three people followed him, but she could only see the bright red hair of Pyrrha Nikos. The other two lagged behind, almost entirely out of Blake's sight.
"Hey Ruby! You guys sure do look warm." He laughed. Blake was pleased to see his eyes turn slightly nervous when he looked at her.
"We didn't have time to get Blake's sweater, so we're sharing!" She said happily. "What do you guys think happened to the apartments?"
Pyrrha smiled sheepishly and Jaune suddenly looked very nervous. Blake narrowed her eyes, folding her arms over Ruby's chest. She didn't expect arson from either of the two, but you could never be sure.
"Oh! Haha, that was me!" Sang one of the one's that had followed.
A man with a pink streak in his hair that matched his vibrant eyes was pushed forward. Soot stained his face and shirt all over. He looked calm, despite being shoved and a little burnt.
A woman stepped out from behind him. Blake noted the bright orange hair with an equally bright smile and a pair of deep green eyes. What caught her attention, was that the woman was naked. Not underwear naked. Not bathrobe or towel naked. Completely fucking naked and dripping wet from head to toe.
Blake blinked a couple of times. Even Ruby seemed at a loss for words.
"Sorry about that!"She said, her voice high and cheery. "I was skinny dipping in the cafeteria because Ren was making me pancakes in there, but then the evil dominatrix witch came-"
"Glynda Goodwitch." The man next to her clarified.
"-and she was like, 'You have broke the law by having fun Nora! Now you must die!'-"
"She asked her to go back to her room."
"So I was like 'you will never vanquish me!' and she used her super sexy moves of seduction to break my will-"
"Nora screamed and tackled her. Glynda smacked her with her riding crop in self defense."
"But then Ren came to rescue me and the pancake beast spewed lava all over the kitchen!"
"I left to pull Nora off of her and the kitchen caught on fire while I was away. I apologize for the inconvenience."
The conscious members of RWBY stood in silence for a moment, trying to wrap their heads around the story.
"Wait…" Yang said, eyebrows rising, "Wasn't there a rule about skinny dipping in the cafeteria?"
"Oh my god." Ruby murmured in awe, her face lit up with glee. "You're the one. You're the reason that rule was made."
The girl that Blake suspected was named 'Nora' shrugged. "Rules are light suggestions at most."
"Blake! High five please!" Ruby squealed. Blake raised her hand and Nora slapped it, grinning.
"How do you guys know Pyrrha?" Yang asked, her head cocked.
"We're roommates." The singer explained. "Since there are no single apartments, I'm sharing with The Pink Sloths."
"The Pink Sloths?" Blake wondered aloud.
Nora raised her hand happily, "That's me, Ren, and Jaune! I thought of the name, of course." She looked very proud of that.
Yang's eyes dipped to Nora's chest for a moment, concerned. "Are you cold? I could give you one of these blankets." She nodded down towards Weiss.
Nora looked down at her chest, confused, before understanding lit her face. She gave Yang a smile. "Oh, No! I'm not cold. Fighting with Goodwitch always gets me randy."
Blake's brain abandoned it's sanity, as it should've done long ago. Ren caught her eyes and gave her a sympathetic look.
That was the moment Weiss chose to wake up. Her snowy head peeked out of the blankets, squinting in the light and looking around curiously. Her eyes locked onto Nora for a moment.
She promptly retreated back into her covers letting out a firm, "No."
"Alright, that was the last recording!" Yang said, disconnecting the device from the microphones with a cheery smile on her face.
It had taken a few days for Blake and Ruby to adapt the songs to their respective skills.
'I Burn' needed the least amount of tinkering. They only needed to add Blake's bass and let Weiss take the lyrics. Yang still got warm fuzzy feelings because Ruby had written it for her, and hearing Weiss sing it gave her a whole lot of other feelings she'd rather not think about.
'From Shadows', something that Blake had taken from the White Fang riot, was tweaked to change the lyrics. She was ecstatic when Ruby asked if Yang and Blake would add some electronic music to it. They even bought a soundboard for it.
Ruby and Blake took the lyrics for that one. Weiss' face when they told her that her voice was 'too pretty' had been priceless mixture of offended and flattered. Blake actually had a really nice voice. It was deeper than Weiss', but clearer than Ruby's.
Yang was slightly at a loss when they got to 'Mirror Mirror'. It was made for a piano or violin. She thought she would have to sit it out for not knowing how to play anything but percusion, but Ruby added a drumbeat and handed the soundboard over to Blake with the simple instruction of "Make it pretty!"
She didn't think that Weiss would sing with as much passion as she did. It still felt like she was holding back, It was too clean, too perfect, but you could tell that she felt it. With how depressing the song was, it made Yang's heart hurt at the thought that Weiss had wrote it.
Seeing 'Red Like Roses' on the song list had confused the blonde. Ruby had played that song a lot when they were still living with their dad. Yang would often hear it through the thin walls late at night. She didn't think that Ruby would ever play for anyone else, let alone the world.
Weiss sang and played her violin, Ruby her cuatro, and Yang had to take out her small drum that she usually only used when they sang together. Blake, however, chose a tambourine. Yang would still swear to everyone that asked that she was the one true master of the unassuming instrument, but she could admit to herself that Blake had shown her up big time.
Yang felt a soft smile pull at her lips as she looked back at her band. They were talking to each other quietly, Ruby waving her arms excitedly and Weiss scowling, though it didn't have the frosty effect that it used to. Her smile dropped slightly when she looked at Blake.
Blake was, by her nature, a detached and mysterious person. Her golden eyes usually caught everything that nobody else did, tracking every movement and word but not offering many of her own. Not to mention quiet enough to walk away like smoke blowing away on the wind, leaving no one the wiser.
But lately Blake had been less… Blakey. The darkness under her eyes had returned, though not as strongly as it had been when they were first brought together. Her eyes didn't track every move, but often stared straight ahead, clouded in thought.
She knew from the frustrated stares Weiss gave and the worried glances Ruby threw her way that they had noticed too. Blake hadn't been herself. The change in expression was very subtle, but she had been looking lost and confused, rather than calm and collected.
It made a feeling of wrongness nag at the back of Yang's mind. Ruby may have been her priority for years, and still was, but she thought of Weiss and Blake as family and loved them like it. She didn't know what the problem with Blake was, but she was gonna do her best to make it better.
"If you're quite done staring at the wall, we're ready to go."
Yang blinked a couple of times, looking down at Weiss. She shook her head in an effort to clear it, giving them a wide smile. "Sorry, I was thinking."
"Don't hurt yourself." Weiss huffed.
Yang pouted, "Hey, I think all the time!" A white eyebrow rose and Yang backtracked, "Well, maybe not all the time."
A small smirk twisted the heiress' lips for a split second, "Well, if you're done, we should get going."
"Actually, you two go ahead. I have to talk to Blake about something. Don't worry though, I'll start on dinner as soon as we get back."
Weiss gave her an approving nod and started out the door, taking Ruby with her.
When the door of their recording booth closed and left the dim room in silence, Blake looked at her curiously.
Yang sat down on one of the benches that lined the walls and patted the spot next to her, making sure not to be between Blake and the door. She wanted to help, not make her feel trapped.
When the faunus sat down, Yang gave her a small smile. "Blake, what's going on?"
Blake looked confused for moment before her ears flattened against her head. "What do you mean?"
"You've been kind of… distant lately. Well, more than usual." Yang kept her tone soft, "I'll understand if it's something you don't want to talk about, but I care about you and I want to make sure you're doing alright."
The woman's eyebrows knit together and she looked down at her hands. She stayed silent for a moment before speaking in a voice that Yang had to strain to hear. "It is kind of personal. I think it's something I need to figure out myself."
"Alright Blakey, but remember that I'm here if you need to talk, okay? Hell, you can talk to any of us." Yang reached out and squeezed her shoulder gently.
The faunus smiled slightly, looking up at Yang. "I'll keep that in mind. And… thank you."
Yang beamed. Even if she hadn't gotten to the bottom of the problem, Blake knew that she was there for her. Now all she could do was give the woman her space.
"Alright, let's hurry back before Weiss gets too hungry and stabs me."
Blake chuckled.
"I'm glad the brute is talking to her. I can't stand her looking lost all the time." Weiss huffed, arms folded. It wasn't as if she was worried. But the way Blake was acting was… unsettling at the least.
"Don't worry, Yang's in big sister mode." Ruby said happily. "She'll help her."
Weiss was somewhat skeptical about this 'big sister mode', but she knew that the blonde's presence could be incredibly comforting.
"I'm really happy! I was super worried about her, but I didn't know how to fix it. Maybe I should make her a cake or something. Do you think Blake likes cake? Or cookies?" She rambled, eyebrows knit together. "Maybe I should cuddle her? Cuddling always makes me feel better. Weiss, will you help me cuddle Blake?"
If the planets were aligned correctly and you caught her after her nap and exactly sixteen minutes after her cup of coffee, Weiss might admit that, contrary to popular belief, she did not dislike talking to Ruby.
While the girl was often full of too much energy and affection, she was not as quiet as Blake, Nor was she as physically distracting as her sister. The delicate mixture made it slightly easier for Weiss to tolerate her existence. She could be a complete dolt sometimes, but was capable of holding intelligent conversation. Though her rambling could be tiring, it was honest.
It was for that reason, that Weiss knew Ruby. She knew the subtle shift in tone between her talking about how much she loved cookies and how much she loved Yang, how sad she was that her industrial got infected (It was terrible and disgusting) and how sad she was about not seeing her father more often.
When Ruby said she was worried about Blake, it wasn't like how she was worried about running out of milk. It was more like how she was worried about her career as a musician failing.
"Why are you so concerned?" She asked, genuinely curious as to what had her that worried and sidestepping the previous question. "I understand that Blake has been acting strange lately, but her behavior hasn't been dangerous to herself or others."
"I want Blake to be happy, no matter what."
Weiss' eyebrows knit together, her confusion furthering. She understood this whole 'friendship' thing, but she would've suspected that she'd be more concerned with her own happiness. "Why?"
"Because I'm in love with her." She spoke as if it were the most simple thing in the world, a smile on her face.
Weiss blinked."You mean, like family?"
Ruby shook her head.
"Ruby, do you know what you're saying?"
"Of course Weiss. I'm in love with Blake." She gave Weiss a sunny smile.
The heiress didn't understand how she could just say that without embarrassment or reservations. Ruby didn't blush or stutter or do anything that would usually come from such an admission and she said it with so much absolution that Weiss couldn't even doubt her. How did she just love somebody so fearlessly?
Weiss opened the door to their home, a gust of warm air greeting her and warming the constant chill in her bones slightly.
"How are you not… scared?" She asked slowly, sitting at the counter.
Ruby shrugged, "What is there to be scared of?"
"You could get hurt, or rejected, or disappointed."
The woman took a seat next to her, "Well, I don't really expect anything. I just want to make her happy."
Weiss looked down in thought. She had never really thought about love much, it seemed like such an idealistic thing. Not something that could actually exist in reality. The real world was harsh and cruel and it used the weight of responsibility and fear to crush things like love and happiness.
Yet, here was an example of both right next to her.
"What does it feel like?" Weiss asked quietly. She felt nervous about the answer, like she might scare it away.
Ruby hummed for a moment, "Well, it's kind of warm and fuzzy. Like a really comfortable blanket. It kind of hurts a little too for some reason, like your heart can't hold all of it so it spills out of your eyes."
She paused for a moment, a beaming smile spreading across her face, "And sometimes it makes you brave. Like you can take on the world. And even if you fail, you can pick yourself up and do it again."
"That sounds amazing." The heiress whispered. A small part of her wondered if she would ever feel that, but a larger part told her to keep her feelings in check. She wished she could be as fearless as Ruby.
"We're back!" The loud voice cut through the gentle quiet in the room. Weiss saw the way Ruby's eyes lit up at the declaration and wondered how she didn't notice the girl's feelings sooner.
She straightened her posture immediately, looking at the two. Weiss was happy to see that Blake looked a bit less lost. She even had a small smile on her face. Whatever Yang did, it had worked, if only a little.
"Let me go get changed and I'll start making dinner." Yang said, striding down the hall.
Weiss was suddenly very glad she agreed to teaching Yang how to sing. Not only did it give her a sense of pride to see the woman make progress, but the food was amazing. With her stomach rumbling and her eyelids becoming heavy with her after practice fatigue, a nice meal and a nap would be the closest to heaven she could get.
A familiar high pitched scream snapped her out of her thoughts. Weiss scowled. It was probably best to ignore it.
Ruby did not share the sentiment, bolting into the hall screaming, "Yang!"
There was a pause before another set of screams joined the first, followed by a door slamming. Blake sighed, and looked at Weiss.
With as much ladylike maturity she could muster, she declared, "Not it."
Blake got up and sauntered down the hall without a word, forcing Weiss to remind herself that, no. She was not jealous of Blake's hips.
Before Weiss could doze off (despite the continuous screaming) Blake reemerged from the hall. The heiress looked to her for answers, but the faunus simply stormed towards the door, ears pinned against her head, and left the apartment.
Left with no other responsible adults, she heaved a sigh and got up to see what was going on. When she got to Yang's room, the door was open and Ruby was nowhere in sight. When the blonde saw Weiss from her spot sitting on the ground, the screams gave way to fearful whimpers.
It was extremely disconcerting to see the usually fearless (to the point of stupidity) drummer cowering on the ground, eyes wide with terror.
Weiss looked at her curiously before scanning the room for anything odd. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but she wasn't quite sure what was ordinary for Yang's room, considering it was the first time she'd seen it. It was a lot more comfortable than her room, covered in warm yellow, orange, and brown rather than blue and white.
"What is it?"
Yang pointed straight at her, finger shaking. Weiss scowled. She could understand that her appearance was intimidating, but this was kind of a delayed reaction with how long they'd known each other. She opened her mouth to scold her, but paused when she saw what was hanging in the doorway between them.
It was a spider. It may have been big compared to most spiders, but it was still small and practically harmless.
Weiss eyed it for a moment, wondering if it was what had made everyone so afraid, but her question was answered for her when it dropped to the ground and started towards Yang. The screams resumed at an even higher pitch as she scrambled back desperately.
Fighting back the urge to cover her ears, the heiress bent down and scooped the tiny beast into her hand. It sat in her palm like a good little spider as she opened the window and let it outside.
The spider stepped off her hand slowly before taking off across the wall as fast as it could. Poor thing was probably terrified.
She closed the window and turned back to Yang, blue eyes looking her up and down to make sure she hadn't hurt herself.
"Y-you picked it up." The blonde murmured, eyes wide.
"Yes."
"With your bare hands."
Weiss looked at her hands. They were indeed bare. "Yes."
The blonde picked herself up off the ground slowly, a slight blush on her face and her eyes focused on her boots. "Get it over with."
A snowy eyebrow rose, "Get what over with?
"The teasing. I know it's probably hilarious. The big bad Yang Xiao-Long afraid of a tiny spider."
"I am not going to tease you for being afraid of something." The heiress huffed, walking over to lean against the wall next to the door. "Everybody is afraid of some things."
"Not spiders." Yang grumbled, pouting.
Weiss sighed, averting her eyes to keep herself from cooing at the kicked puppy look Yang was giving her."If it makes you feel any better, I used to be afraid of them too."
Yang's eyebrows shot up. "Really? How did you get over it?"
"My father bought me a pet tarantula. Her name was Fluffy."
Yang paled.
Suddenly, Ruby burst into the room, just missing Weiss and screaming, "Where is it!? Where is that bastard!?"
Weiss let out a startled squawk, making Ruby flinch. When Ruby flinched, so did her index finger. And when Ruby's index finger flinched, Weiss was alerted to the presence of a very cute, very pink, Hello Kitty handgun clutched in her hands. Mostly because it shot through the floor.
The screams came back, this time from all of them.
"Ruby why do you have a gun!?" Weiss screamed, throwing herself behind Yang's bed.
"To kill the spider! Where is it!? I will not stand here while that monster terrorizes my sister!" She yelled, angry eyes scanning the ground. Weiss wanted to know why she owned a gun, but that answer was as good as any.
Yang put a hand on her shoulder very slowly. "Weiss already got rid of it, sis."
"Really?"
"With her bare hands." The blonde said, nodding solemnly.
Ruby looked at the face peeking out from behind the bed in a mixture of awe and fear. Weiss stood and straightened her clothing, trying to hide the small blush on her face. She had thought ducking for cover was the appropriate reaction to seeing a woman with a gun, but now that she thought about it, it was Ruby. It could've been worse.
Weiss sighed. "You didn't shoot anyone below us, did you?"
Ruby gasped and dropped to the ground, pressing her eye to the small hole.
"Hey! It's Pyrrha!"
"Hello again."
Ruby twiddled her thumbs in her lap nervously, refusing to look at the fuming woman pacing in front of them.
"Why is it always you four!? I don't understand, does something compel you to make my job as hard as humanly possible!?" Goodwitch raved, crop clutched tightly behind her back.
"No ma'am." Ruby said. The others were silent and she didn't blame them. She was the one who got them into this after all.
"No ma'am." Glynda repeated under her breath, glaring at the woman in red. Ruby cowered slightly under her gaze. "Not only do you have a firearm-"
"I have a license for that."
Goodwitch continued as if she hadn't heard, "-But you shot through the floor, causing damage to the building that will have to be repaired, and almost injured one of our most profitable singers."
Ruby looked to Ozpin for help, but he simply sat at his desk and sipped his coffee, watching with an amused look in his eyes. Sadistic bastard.
"My point is, that you not only need to be more responsible with the property, but more careful with the health of you and your friends."
"Aw, do you actually care about our health Glynda?" Yang cooed. The rest of them snapped their eyes to her, trying to telepathically communicate that she needed to shut the fuck up.
Glynda looked at her, face going through multiple stages of murderous rage before settling on cold fury. "I'm not telling you this because I care about you hooligans. I'm telling you because I'm the one who has to explain to the police why there's blood all over the walls."
"At least it wasn't a fire." Blake drawled, successfully diverting her attention away from them with the skill of someone diffusing a bomb. Ruby shot her a grateful look, getting a small smile in return.
"Anyways," Ozpin spoke up, as if Ruby hadn't just shot up their apartment, "Has there been any progress made on your album? You may not have a deadline, but I will admit that I'm curious."
"Yeah! We finished it up and recorded it!" Ruby stood to place the flash drive on his desk.
Her chest swelled with pride at the surprised look on his face. Not only had they managed to finish their album, but in Ruby's opinion it was perfect for their beginning. Ozpin was right to suggest their auditioning songs, because it's where they started.
"What's the title of the album?"
"Huntress." She said proudly.
"I see." He said, sipping his coffee for a moment. "Well then, your first concert is in two days. I'll text you the address and time. Good luck."
They stared at him, shell shocked, waiting for a punchline or clarification of some sort but he sat expressionless. Glynda leaned against the wall, a hand pressed against her face so hard Ruby thought she might break her nose.
"Um, what?" She said elegantly.
"Good luck." He repeated, "Also, Ms. Schnee , I would appreciate it if you would stay behind for a moment."
They got up and started towards the door slowly (minus Weiss) still waiting for a smile and a joke, even when the heavy door closed behind them. It was only when Weiss came out a few minutes later, looking like she'd seen the end of the universe, that it hit them like a wrecking ball.
"Oh my god. Oh my fucking god." Ruby's anxious whisper sounded like a scream in the quiet hallway.
She put both hands on her head as if it would explode if she didn't. They were just starting out! They weren't ready for a concert! Hell, it took them almost killing each other just to get through the first few songs. Not to mention the album!
She kept repeating the phrase "Oh my fucking god" Like it was the incantation that would set everything back to normal and they would be sitting in Ozpin's office saying "Oh man, you had us there for a second!" and laughing about it. Everyone would laugh. Even Glynda. Everyone would have a good time and they'd go back to their room and not shoot things or stab people and everything would be okay.
Unfortunately, reality was not as kind as the ideal world in her head. It was not a joke and there was no going back short of handing in her letter of resignation.
She closed her eyes tightly, groaning with the effort of keeping herself together.
"Ruby, you love making music, don't you?"
"Of course!"
"Then you've got nothing to worry about. You love it so I know you'll work hard to accomplish your dreams."
Her dad was right. They had worked hard and accomplished so much. She was not going to let this slip through her fingers. She took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to calm her adrenaline addled heart.
While she was struggling with her own anxiety, she had missed the way her band had completely lost their shit.
Weiss was curled up in a very small ball in the corner, her breath coming in harsh pants. Yang was laying face down on the hard, tiled floor in what Ruby had come to call her '404 error' position. Blake, the most composed out of them, stood completely still, a faraway look in her eyes.
Ruby squared her shoulders in a way she had seen Weiss do so many times. The heiress always looked like she could take on the world whenever she did, and Ruby hoped that some of that cold power would rub off on her. She'd need it, because her team needed her.
She strode over to the hyperventilating heiress, feeling that she was the in need of the most help. Kneeling down next to her, she put a hand on the white haired woman's back, rubbing softly and slowly.
Panicked blue eyes looked up at her, "R-Ruby, I can't-"
"Weiss, it's alright. We're going to be alright. We're here and we're gonna do this together." She gave the woman a reassuring smile.
She nodded slowly, closing her eyes tightly and starting to slow down her breathing. Ruby patted her gently on the back before moving on to her sister.
With a grunt, she rolled the blonde onto her back and stood over her. Yang's eyes were open, which was good, but they were glazed over and she had an unsettling stoic look that didn't belong on the cheery woman at all.
If there was one thing she knew about how to cure Yang of any emotional problem, it was tough love. Whether it be a window breaking, chair throwing fight, or a friendly spar, it worked more often than not.
With that in mind, she rubbed her hands together briefly before rearing her arm back and slapping her sister across the face so hard that her neck popped.
"Ow, son of a bitch! What the fuck, Rubes!?" She groaned bringing a hand up to hold her cheek.
"Are you okay?" She asked, happy to see that the dead look had left her eyes.
Yang stayed quiet for a moment before giving the girl a nod, small smile on her face. "Yeah, sorry about that sis."
Ruby nodded, patting her shoulder and stepping towards Blake.
She wasn't as concerned about Blake. She looked like she was thinking. It wasn't uncommon for the faunus to stop talking altogether and go deep into thought about something.
Ruby was about to give the girl a smile and ask if she wanted to go back, before she realized something out of sorts with the quiet girl that made her own breath catch in her throat.
Blake wasn't breathing. In fact, her lips were starting to look a little pale under the dark lipstick she wore.
Alarms went off in Ruby's head and her eyes widened. Why hadn't she noticed it sooner!
"Blake? Blake!? You gotta breathe!" She said quickly. She would've shook or touched her, but Blake had always been quick to shift into fight or flight mode. Running after the agile faunus or waking up in a hospital bed with multiple stab wounds didn't sound like the best right now.
But she wasn't breathing. She figured being in a hospital bed would be better than seeing Blake in one. So, against her better judgement, she grabbed the girl's shoulders tightly. Blake was shaking so slightly that Ruby couldn't see it, but she felt it through her hands as the faunus slowly lifted her eyes to Ruby, looking through her instead of at her.
"Blake! Breathe, please!" She begged.
Blake simply stared, not responding.
What was she supposed to do!? What would professionals do? You couldn't just force someone to breathe!
She gasped.
Yes you could!
Fighting off a blush and wrapping her arms around the woman's torso, she smashed her lips into Blake's. The first thing that registered were how unbelievably soft they were. The woman smelled of relaxing lavender, though the situation was anything but.
Regaining control of herself, she pushed air into Blake's lungs. When she pulled back, it was not only to give the faunus a squeeze to get the air out of her lungs, but to come to her own senses as well before pressing their lips together again.
She kept it up for what felt like ages, noting dimly that the color had returned to Blake's face.
"Ruby-"
She breathed more air into Blake, inhaling the soft lavender scent.
"I'm breathing-"
She gave her a squeeze to exhale.
"Ruby."
Silver eye's blinked and looked up at Blake. The woman looked down at her and not through her, chest expanding and contracting on it's own. Blake was breathing. Blake was breathing.
She felt relieved tears come to her eyes. Blake was okay and back to her regular expressionless self and it made an explosion of warmth fill her chest.
She loosened her hold on Blake's torso, only to cup her cheek and bring their lips together once more. This time out of happiness and not necessity.
She felt like she had a million butterflies fluttering around in her chest. For a moment, she honestly thought she might explode with all of the emotion that was filling her up more than she could handle.
When she pulled back with wide eyes and harsh breaths, she saw something she never thought she'd see in her lifetime. Blake was not composed.
Golden eyes were wide and her eyebrows were knit together in surprise and confusion. Her mouth hung open and a very dark, very red blush was spreading down her neck and up to the tips of her ears.
Before her brain could register that it was a bad idea and her confidence could fade, she gave the dark woman a smirk.
"I hope you know CPR, because you just took my breath away."
Blake's rare expression became even more intense a split second before her face mimicked that of someone whose soul was leaving their body and she went limp in Ruby's arms.
"O-Oh! Oh god! Blake? BLAKE!?"
She didn't respond.
Her eyes snapped to her sister, who looked like a parent who's child had just won a national championship. "Yang! Help! I killed Blake!" She wailed.
Yang wrapped Ruby (and Blake, as collateral damage) into a rib-destroying hug, "I knew it! I knew you had game little sis!" She cried happily, sounding close to tears, "I'm so proud of you!"
"Oh my fucking god." Weiss muttered, a hand pressed to her face, "Oh my fucking god."
When she looked at them, her glare was icy and her shoulders squared, proving that she had recovered to her usual scowly self.
"We do not have time for 'game'. We do not have time for pride! We do not have time for death!" She hissed, storming over. "We have a concert in two goddamn days and I will literally throw myself out that window before I let us go into it unprepared!" She stabbed a finger viciously at the window to prove her point. Ruby vaguely wondered how so much rage could fit into that tiny body.
"So you'd better resurrect Blake and get your shit together this instant because we do not have time." She growled.
"Yes, mistress!" Yang giggled, batting her eyelashes. It sent Weiss into a fit of enraged stammering and blushing before the woman gracefully tried to strangle the life out of her.
Ruby knew that Weiss cared, even if she did show it in a particularly violent way, and it brought even more warmth to her heart. If this kept up, she was going to spontaneously combust.
"Let's go Rubes. You got Blake?" Yang rasped, long slender fingers still wrapped around her throat.
A smile Ruby didn't even know she had widened. Yang always carried people ever since they were younger. Whether they were sick, injured, or just smaller than her.
With a nod, she hooked her arm under Blake's legs and lifted her against her chest, feeling the woman's head loll against her shoulder. She could understand why Yang did it now, she felt like a valiant knight sweeping her princess away from harm.
When Yang managed to pry Weiss' hands off her neck, they started down the hall quickly.
Ruby looked at her three friends, feeling herself come just a little closer to combustion.
They were in this together, and there was no way they could fail.
Blake groaned when she woke up, opening her eyes to darkness. There were no scents but her own and the faint smell of roses. She was in her own room.
She remembered being called to Ozpin's office after Ruby shot a hole in the floor (that had nearly been a hole in Pyrrha), Glynda ranting and raving to them for nearly an hour, being told that they had a concert in two days, the soul crushing panic that had surprised her and stole her breath, then Ruby-
"I hope you know CPR, because you just took my breath away"
Blake's face felt hot. Was she blushing?
She got up, walking over to her mirror quickly.
She was blushing!
What the actual fuck was going on!?
She had spent the days since the fire in a state of perpetual confusion. Ruby was definitely the cause, but she didn't understand why. The words 'tight little body' came to mind, but she dispelled them quickly.
She had never been attracted to anybody before, much less sexually. But she could feel a hot stirring in her lower stomach every time those molten silver eyes locked onto hers and a sharp spike in her heart rate when Ruby showed her over affectionate side. It was just like those books she kept at the bottom of her closet.
And so was the kissing. Dear god, the kissing. The books hadn't done that any justice at all. It was like calling the sun a light bulb. Her face heated up again and she watched the red spread over her face in the mirror as another thought hit her.
Ruby had taken her first kiss.
Growing up in activist groups and homeless shelters had ensured that her mind was not on romance of any sort. Not to mention that the last person that had tried to kiss her ended up with a large, jagged scar on their face.
After Ruby ki-... after Ruby, everything went black. Had she… Had she fainted!?
A knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts. Startled her! Nothing was right with the world lately.
She made her way over and opened it to reveal the blonde, smiling drummer. She was dressed in a pair of baggy jeans and a tight yellow t-shirt. Her beloved scarf hung around her neck and Blake wondered if she bought all of her clothes to match it. "Heya Blakey! You feeling okay after your trip to the afterlife?"
Goodness, she had fainted.
"I'm fine." She monotoned.
Yang nodded, smile never faltering. "Great! I'm going to scout the club and make sure it's an alright place. Ruby wanted to come and we even managed to rope Weiss in. You can come too if you want, but we'll understand if it's not your cup of tea."
Yang was right. It wasn't usually her cup of tea, but she could use a distraction right about now. "I'll go."
The blonde's smile seemed to shine even brighter and she was nearly dragged into the living room. Weiss was sitting idly on the couch, looking at her scroll while Ruby fidgeted nervously beside her. Weiss looked more casual than she usually did, foregoing the Blazer and just wearing a blue button up. Ruby had given up her hoodie, leaving her in a red and black t-shirt with a matching beanie.
When those silver eyes locked onto hers, the woman jumped up and threw herself at the faunus, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're not dead, Blake! I thought I killed you!"
Blake felt a familiar heat in her stomach, but pushed it aside. What had the kiss meant to Ruby? She was tempted to ask, but the fact that it might not be the right time and her want to put off what could be an uncomfortable conversation kept her mouth shut about it.
Instead, she gave the girl a small smile. "Still alive."
"Can we please get this over with?" Weiss spoke up, looking a bit tired.
They decided not to argue with her. The drive to the club was short, with Ruby giving directions and Weiss driving just a little over the speed limit. Blake would've thrown one of the overexcited sisters out the window if it had taken longer than it did.
The city looked a lot different at night. The street were still filled with people, despite how cold it was, but nobody seemed to be in a rush. They walked up and down the streets lazily, some even stumbling. All the twinkling lights made the buildings look like giant christmas trees.
When they pulled up and started towards the door, Yang stopped a ways from the bouncer to turn towards them.
"Alright guys, make sure not to wander off on your own for too long. Stay safe and have fun!" She said, as if she were a teacher leading them on a field trip.
Ruby raised her hand, "I'll be designated sober person! I don't really feel like drinking tonight anyways."
Yang nodded and turned, leading them into the club.
An explosion of stimuli overwhelmed her senses. The flashing lights and the smell of sweat and alcohol, she could handle. It was the horrendously loud music that disoriented her for a moment and made her close her eyes tightly.
A shoulder bumped into hers and she opened her eyes to see a concerned Ruby. Blake pointed at one of the speakers, shrugging. With a smile, the silver eyed woman pulled off her beanie and put it on Blake's head. Immediately, the sound lessened to a dull roar, She let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Ruby. She always knew how to help somehow.
Weiss seemed to share her views on the club, "Why is the music so loud!" She had to shout to be heard.
"Just wait until the bass drops!" Yang yelled back. Blake smirked.
Weiss scowled. "What do you mean by 'bass-"
Sound exploded throughout the club as, sure enough, the bass dropped. Hard. The heiress opened her mouth, eyes wide, but her startled screams were drowned out by the intense electronic music. As was Yang's laughter.
The blonde gently guided the heiress over to the bar, where it was a little less loud. For the safety of her eardrums, Blake followed with Ruby close behind.
As they got to the bar, all the music stopped. Blake looked around curiously, but none of the patrons seemed confused.
"Now for what you've all been waiting for! CRME with their new hit single!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd and Blake's eyes widened. CRME was playing here? They were famous. Much too famous to be playing in a small club in Vale. What were they doing here?
The cool blue spotlights snapped onto the stage, revealing Cinder Fall looking out at the crowd, guitar in hand and the rest of CRME behind her. The sight of her gave Blake an uneasy feeling in her gut. Especially when her burning eyes locked onto her and her friends for a moment.
Then, without an introduction or speech of any kind, they began to play.
Torchwick started with a soft tune on his piano, a smirk on his face. Suddenly, the guitars exploded in a fast paced and heavily distorted melody. Strumming his bass, Mercury started the first line with a scream.
"Maybe red's like roses!"
"Maybe it's the pool of blood
the innocents will lay in when in the end you fail to save them!"
"Their dying eyes!"
"Are wide and white like snow
and now they know the cost of trusting you's obliteration!"
Blake felt her stomach drop, a dark and ugly feeling in her chest at their words. Cinder's eyes glinted more than any animal Blake had ever seen, her teeth bared at the crowd and her face set in such an expression of anger and hatred that Blake felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
"Mirrors will shatter!
Crushed by the weight of the world!"
"The pillars collapse!"
"In
Shame."
Burning amber eyes locked straight onto them, a twisted smirk curling the woman's lips.
"There will be no rest!
There will be no love!
There will be no hero in the end, who will rise above!
And when it ends!"
"The good will crawl!"
"Shining lights will sink in darkness!
Victory for hate incarnate!
Misery and pain for all!
When it falls!"
The heavy beats continued while Cinder held the note before all sound stopped, the spotlights switched off, and the house and dubstep music resumed on the speakers like they hadn't been there at all.
The girls looked at each other uneasily as the crowd screamed. The cheery club didn't feel the same after the chill that song had left in the air. Why were they so focused on her and her friends?
"Well that was fucking ominous!" Yang did what she did best, smashing through the tension like a jackhammer.
They all burst out laughing, a touch of hysteric leaking into it. Whether it was from Yang's comment, the stressful events of the day, or the predatory stare Cinder had directed at them, Blake didn't know. All she knew was that it felt good to simply laugh with her friends after so much confusion.
Soon enough, a drink was placed into her hands and all had returned to normal. Her friends talked, Yang laughing, Weiss scowling, and Ruby chattering about this and that excitedly. One thing that didn't bode well was Yang challenging Weiss to a drinking contest ("You think you're tiny little body could hold more liquor than mine?" "Are you calling me short!?") That could only end in disaster.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, motioning towards Blake's drink with her can of soda. "If you're nervous, I can promise you that I'm really good at taking care of drunk people. Even then, you really don't have to drink if you don't want to."
Blake smiled slightly, "I'm just not much of an alcohol person, Ruby."
Ruby made a face of understanding before taking off into the crowd. Blake worried a bit that Ruby might get lost and was tempted to go and find her, but the girl came back in less than two minutes with a clear bag full of something green and sweet smelling.
Blake's eyes widened slightly. "Ruby, is that-"
"Catnip? Why, yes. It is."
Glynda shrugged on her coat. Her papers were packed into her briefcase and she was nearly ready to go home for the day. Her eyes were tired and she had a migraine that was most likely cause by her infuriatingly eccentric partner.
Before she headed out the door, she stopped and looked back at him. He was staring out the window. He even made that look vague and cryptic. Probably thinking about how he could throw this institution further into insanity. If she was just a sliver less patient, she would have thrown him out that damn window years ago.
"Why are you being so hard on them?" She blurted out, curious, but mostly assessing the damage she could expect.
His eyes caught hers in the reflection of the window. "It's a test."
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. Despite what she had assumed, they were a promising group. Throwing that away for a test was insane, even for him. "A test to see how fast you can wear them out? If you keep pushing them so hard, they'll fail before they even have a chance."
"They have potential."
"They have limits, Ozpin." She took a deep breath, calming herself slightly. "If we force them to do too much, too fast, they'll lose their passion. Run them too hot, and they'll burn out."
He smiled softly at her, finally turning to face his friend. "Maybe they will. But I doubt it."
Her eyes widened slightly. Did he really believe in them enough to take that kind of risk? She could never see the things that he could, but he would say the same about her. They were two very different people and, despite how much she'd love to strangle him, she respected him.
"Why?" She asked softly. "We both know very well, that even the most brilliant lights will flicker and die."
He turned back to look at the window again, the soft smile still on his lips, but no longer aimed at her. His eyes had glazed over. Whether it was in thought or in memory, she couldn't tell.
"Some flames are eternal, Glynda."
AN: Am I the only one that thought 'When It Falls' was really goddamn ominous?
I really didn't expect this chapter to end up so long! Or have as many POV switches, but I certainly don't regret either.
Thank you for all of those reviews and favorites! When I saw that my story had 101 reviews I had to do a (not so) little happy dance.
Until next time friends
-Vox