The landing pad for Beacon Academy was fairly deserted this late at night, save for four individuals dressed in the school uniforms of students there. One of them, a tall and athletic-looking girl with long red hair tied back behind her head, looked to be the most agitated of the group as she paced back and forth.
"You don't all have to wait with me, you know," Pyrrha said for perhaps the dozenth time. "Honestly, I appreciate the thought, but I can stay out here by myself."
"Well, what else are we gonna do?" Nora asked, sitting cross-legged on the ground as she tinkered with Magnhild while in its grenade-launcher form. "Study?"
"That would not be such a terrible idea," Ren interjected softly. "Still, you know we would all prefer to be here with you."
"If nothing else so that you don't go harass the traffic controller again," Jaune joked with an easy grin. "Last time they kicked you out, what, ten minutes ago? What was it they said?"
Pyrrha sighed. "That they would call Ozpin next time they saw me," she grumbled mildly. "It's just…"
"I know, Pyrrha," her blond team leader replied gently. "They're overdue. But on their way, so no need to fret anymore."
"I'll stop fretting when I have my arms around them," the redhead retorted without any rancor.
"'Them', huh?"
"Er…" Pyrrha stopped in her pacing to regard her partner. "Well… yes. Both of them."
Jaune nodded thoughtfully. "And it hasn't bothered you at all, Blake and Ruby being off alone during their extended mission?"
Pyrrha shrugged, genuinely unconcerned. "No, not at all."
"Yup," Nora said, popping the end of the word. "No hesitation there whatsoever. She's hooked."
"I'm… Wait, what?"
"Y'know, hooked! Head over heels, crazy attached, itchin' for some mad lovin'... Want me to go on?"
"No, thank you, Nora," Pyrrha blushed. "Er, I get the idea."
"So, I don't want to overly pry," Jaune continued hesitantly. "But… well, are you and Blake, maybe…"
The tall redhead sighed once more, her eyes averted to the ground. "I'm not sure what to make of Blake and I," she admitted quietly. "We're… more than friends, that much is certain. And I desperately want them to be happy, Ruby and Blake both…"
"Do they both make you happy?" Ren inquired.
She smiled softly. "Yes. Yes they do."
"Then why are you worried about this?"
"I'm… not, truly. I just… I just want them to return safely. Both of them. That is all for right now."
Nora let out a small chuckle as she snapped a cover back onto her weapon. "Yep, you're hooked on the two 'em."
Pyrrha nodded slowly as her head perked up, alerted by the distant whine of engines. "I suppose I am," she quietly admitted, a smile growing on her face.
She bounced on her toes in uncharacteristic eagerness as she watched the Bulldog approach. It had been a very long four days without either girl by her side, when they'd been almost constant companions for over three months now. Not to mention the incredibly lonely nights sleeping in her bed without the warmth of the other two girls…
Finally the transport touched down, and the hatch hardly had the time to open before a red blur shot towards her, preceeded by a barely audible cry of her name.
Pyrrha staggered slightly as Ruby crashed into her, the diminutive brunette wrapping her arms around her neck and kicking her feet into the air. The redhead laughed and spun about once with the smaller girl in her arms, causing the brunette to giggle joyously.
"Didja miss me?" Ruby grinned up at her, her nose an inch away from her chin and her silver eyes twinkling merrily.
Wordlessly Pyrrha placed her hands on her waist and lifted her up enough to seal her lips over her girlfriend's, displaying just how much she did, in fact, miss her.
Ruby slowly lowered her feet down so that she was standing on her tiptoes on top of Pyrrha's boots, making rather pleased sounds in the back of her throat.
They separated after only a few moments, Ruby's grin now matched by the one on Pyrrha's face. "Every day, little rose," she finally answered breathlessly.
Weiss and Yang were now walking by, and she gave the both of them warm greetings in turn, though her eyes sought out the other person she had eagerly awaited.
Blake sauntered up last, almost nervous in her stance, and stopped a couple of feet away as Ruby disentangled herself.
Pyrrha gave the Cat Faunus a shy smile and stepped forward, reaching out to take the other's hand. "Hey, you," she smiled cautiously, unsure as to the other girl's mood.
"Hello, Pyrrha," she answered quietly though with a small, timorous smile nonetheless.
"Okay!" Ruby said loudly, startling everyone on the platform. "I gotta go make our team report! Blake and Pyrrha go talk, everyone else with me!" And with that she marched off, the others trailing bemusedly in her wake.
"Um," the redhead started. "Talk?"
"If you don't mind... " Blake said, glancing away but still maintaining her grip on Pyrrha's hand. "That is… can we take a walk? I… would like to speak with you about something."
"Certainly," Pyrrha answered, although her insides were beginning to knot up.
Is she perhaps upset at how we've been together? Have we been moving too fast, or… or does she want more time alone with Ruby?
They walked together off of the platform and along the unlit grounds of Beacon, mostly quiet at this time of night though a few nocturnal woodland creatures could be heard. She knew her palms were beginning to sweat, and while she was dreading the conclusion of this conversation, she desperately wished it to be over with.
"So…" Blake began, so softly that she had to lean a little closer to hear her. "While we were out… Ruby and I talked some."
Pyrrha held her tongue and just nodded slowly, nervously rubbing her other hand along her school uniform skirt.
"The thing is… That is, I need to tell you…" The raven-haired girl stopped, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm not very good at this sort of thing," she admitted quietly.
"At… what, exactly?" Pyrrha asked through lips that felt numb.
"Taking a first step like this," Blake answered, her eyes still screwed shut. "It's one of the things I've always admired about you, Pyrrha, your bravery. I never would have even asked Ruby out that first day were it not for Yang and Weiss to prod me."
"Well, truthfully, it took Nora's urging for me to do so myself," Pyrrha admitted.
Blake opened her eyes, then, her amber orbs glowing in the dim light. "Truly?"
"Indeed."
"Well, then… I suppose…" Blake's eyes danced around Pyrrha's face, likely able to see her wary expression as clearly if it were the daytime.
"Blake, please," the redhead implored gently. "Just tell me. We are still friends, are we not?"
"We are…" Blake replied, reaching over with her other hand so that they were now face to face, both sets of hands firmly clasped. "But… I was wondering if… that is, if you might feel the same…"
"Yes?" Pyrrha breathed, her heart soaring with hope as she began to suspect where the conversation was going.
"Could we be more?" Blake finally whispered anxiously. "Pyrrha, I… I feel the same for you that I do with Ruby, and… and I desperately hope that you might feel the same as well…"
The taller girl nodded slowly, a wide grin spreading across her face. "I do, kitty cat, I do feel the same…"
"Oh, thank Oum," Blake practically sobbed before mashing their lips together. They released each other's hands so that they might wrap their arms around one another as they hungrily kissed, tongues dancing alongside while hands eagerly pulled warm bodies flush together. Pyrrha reached up and threaded her hand through Blake's hair, reaching up until she could rub gently right at the base of where her bow was tied, careful not to release her Faunus ears from their concealment.
Blake let out a happy mewl that was swallowed by Pyrrha's mouth, and the redhead could feel the vibrations of the Faunus girl's purr against her own chest.
They separated eventually, breathing heavily as they gazed at each other in wonderment.
"I love you, Pyrrha," the Cat Faunus murmured.
The redhead brought a hand up to gently cup the raven-haired girl's cheek. "I love you as well, Blake. And you are far braver than you give yourself credit for."
Blake gave a small laugh. "Well, I had encouragement from Ruby to help."
"What would we do without her?" Pyrrha mused humorously.
"Well," Blake sighed. "If it weren't for her, I never would have fallen so deeply in love with two amazing women."
"Nor would I have," Pyrrha admitted. "And that would have been unforgivable."
"So… girlfriends?"
"Yes, absolutely. Girlfriends."
Blake grinned and leaned in once more, placing a languid kiss against Pyrrha's lips that quickly deepened as before, the both of them pouring their love into the act.
And the only coherent thought that ran through Pyrrha's head as she clung tenderly to the other third of her heart was how incredibly complete she now felt.
A/N: Finally, the Purruby set is complete! Let the squees resound from the very rafters!
So, I'm most likely going to be unable to post tomorrow as I will be gone most of the day. Regular daily postings shall resume the following day. At least I got this one out before the weekend!
Also, next week sometime (since I've put Pearls on a String on a brief hiatus) I'm going to push out a new short story, likely only a few chapters. It's a Bumblebee tale I don't think I've read the likes of before, so we'll see how that goes. Follow me as an author if you're interested, working title right now is Voices.
THB4: Glad you enjoyed it! Pyrrha's nickname is forthcoming, have no fear, as is the name of Weiss' crush. All will be revealed in good time…
TacoKing23: Glad you enjoyed the anniversary adventure! I did, however, write 'figgured' intentionally as slang. It's not always obvious when I do so, sorry. Pyrrha solo would like give Qrow a run for the money, especially with her semblance, but I think she'd still have her hands full just defending herself, and his greater stamina and experience would win out in the end.
Stay shiny!