Pyrrha was having the strangest dream about being on a moon bounce, unable to escape as she couldn't find the entrance. Only she was surrounded by about a dozen Zwei who were happily bouncing about, yipping cheerfully as she was haphazardly thrown around.
With a start she woke, blinking her eyes open to realize that reality might have had something to do with her dreamscape. Ruby, in her pajamas, was bouncing excitedly on the end of the king-sized bed in her room at Patch. It had replaced the dual twin beds formerly slid together from the past summer, Tai already having it set up for when they got there as his Yuletide present to the three of them.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," the brunette chirped in exhilaration, bouncing in tune to Zwei's ecstatic barks from where he ran in circles at the doorway to the bedroom. "It's Yuletide! We gotta get up and open presents!"
"For the love of Dust," Blake groaned, dragging a pillow over her head. "What time is it? Is the sun even up yet?"
"Time is irrelevant!" Ruby exclaimed. "It's Yuletide!"
"Little rose, please," Pyrrha sighed, blearily reaching out to try and restrain the petite ball of energy. Unsuccessfully, as her aim was hampered by her only halfway-open eyelids. "Just a little more time to sleep? Please?"
"Awww…" The brunette huffed and sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, arms tightly folded across her chest. Pyrrha let out a small sigh of relief as she stopped moving. "But it's Yuletide!"
"I think we already established that, yes," Blake deadpanned, her voice muffled by the pillow.
Ruby grinned suddenly, her silver eyes alight with mischief. "Y'know… Zwei likes this season as well, he's reeealy eager to get going…"
The corner of the pillow suddenly was propped up, one amber orb glaring in warning. "Don't even think about it."
"I mean, I'd hate to let the little fella just linger on the floor, waiting for us, all lonely and all…"
"Ruby, I swear to Oum…"
Pyrrha giggled behind her hand at her girlfriends' antics. She was fully awake now, but more than willing to let this play out.
"Yeah, maybe I should call him up," Ruby smirked, turning slightly. She let out a squawk as she was instantly tackled by the Faunus in a ninja-like pounce, and found herself pinned to the mattress, the raven-haired girl poised above her on all fours.
"No," Blake stated firmly. "No dogs on the bed, we agreed to this."
"True, we did," Ruby smirked unrepentantly. "Buuuut it gotcha up, didn't it?"
The Cat Faunus gave her a half-hearted scowl. "You suck."
Pyrrha snickered softly, observing the pair with her head propped up on an upraised palm. "I do recall you saying something rather similar last night, kitty cat…"
Ruby barked out an incredulous laugh, turning towards the redhead with an impressed grin. "Nice one, fluffy fox!"
With her head turned, she was unable to block the long, languid lick that Blake gave her up the length of her cheek.
"Blaaakeeey," she squealed softly, squirming underneath her captor.
"Well, since I have you where I want you," the raven-haired girl replied reasonably. "I figured I would have my way with you."
"Now that," Pyrrha giggled again, crawling her way over, "sounds like a fun way to start the morning."
An hour later, after they had wrapped up their amorous good-mornings and taken a joint shower, the three of them were dressed casually and seated on the couch in front of the fireplace. The Yuletide tree was in the corner, presents tucked underneath, and garlands and wreaths lined the walls and mantle.
"Ruby Rose!" the redhead gasped as she finally got a look at the time. "It's only just now seven o'clock!"
"Well, yeah," the brunette replied glibly. "But it's Yuletide! C'mon, don't tell me you guys never got up early on Yuletide!"
"No, actually," Blake replied with a soft smile. "But I suppose I don't mind making a new tradition of it."
"I suppose not," Pyrrha agreed with a fond sigh. "But shouldn't we wait for the others?"
"Nope!" Ruby chirped. "Yang won't get up for another hour, I usually had to just sit around, staring at the presents until she got up…"
"What, you never went in and woke her up?" Blake asked amusedly.
"Just the once," Ruby replied with a shudder. "Never again."
"Very well, then," Pyrrha said with a wide smile. "Perhaps we can exchange our presents before anyone else is up?"
"Mmm."
"Yep, sounds good to me!"
The three of them had agreed, since it would get quite a bit expensive buying gifts for everyone around, that the pairs would jointly pick out a present for the third. Hence, the first present out was a small wrapped box from both Pyrrha and Blake, addressed to Ruby.
The petite brunette bounced in her seat as she eagerly unwrapped the gift, still taking the time to carefully slit it open at the seams. When she opened the lid of the flat white box, she read the certificate inside.
"Oh my Oum," she squealed. "A lifetime subscription to Guns n' Dust? Oh, you guys know me so well!"
The other two laughed affectionately as the gleeful girl hurtled into their arms, peppering their faces with kisses. "Well, yes I suppose we do," Blake murmured happily. "Now, shall we give fluffy fox ours?"
"Oh, yeah, lemme go get it!" Ruby darted forward, crawling under the tree (much to the delight of her girlfriends) to retrieve the next present.
"Are you guys checking out my ass?" she called out from the depths of the Yuletide tree.
"Nope," they replied simultaneously and with an unrepentant giggle.
"Mmhmm."
Before long Ruby was back on the couch, eagerly handing Pyrrha another small wrapped box. She held one more in her hand of a similar size, and the redhead knew it was the one for Blake, which made her smile widely.
"Very well then," she murmured, flipping the box over and pulling the tape apart. "What have we here…"
Her eyes widened as she opened the lid, revealing a gorgeous emerald necklace that matched her eyes. It was on a long, gold chain and set into a matching pendant.
"Oh, my," she breathed, carefully pulling it out and holding it up to the light. "It's… It is beautiful."
"Almost as much as you are," Ruby giggled.
"Mmm, very smooth, little rose," Blake smirked. "We knew you aren't one for jewelry often, but thought it would go nicely with your dress that you like wearing on our fancier dates."
"Oh, absolutely," the redhead smiled, her eyes watery. "I love it, I truly do, thank you both so much…"
She wasn't as enthusiastic about glomping her girlfriends as Ruby was, but she made sure her affections and appreciation were known to both of her incredible women.
And then it was time for Blake's.
"This feels rather light," the Cat Faunus murmured humorously, hefting her box. "It's not a subscription for catnip, is it?"
"No, but thanks for the idea for next year," Ruby laughed merrily. "Go on, open it!"
The raven-haired girl obliged, her girlfriends waiting eagerly. Blake's brow was furrowed as she withdrew a piece of paper and began to read it.
"It's a voucher for a… tattoo?" Blake blinked her eyes, peering at the other two with confusion evident on her features.
Ruby giggled and nodded rapidly. "Tomorrow, we have an appointment at a parlor in downtown Patch. We're gonna get you a tattoo that matches our Mark, so we can all be the same!"
"Oh," Blake breathed, her breath hitching as her amber eyes grew wide. "Oh, oh, oh… I don't… I'm not even sure what to say, this is…" She hiccuped slightly, raising her hands to her mouth as happy tears began to spill over her cheeks.
Both Ruby and Pyrrha, laughing softly, enveloped their Cat Faunus girlfriend from either side. "Happy Yuletide, my loves," the redhead murmured happily.
"And many more to come," Ruby interjected with a soft smile.
"Oh, gods, how I love you both," Blake mumbled, her voice harsh as she tried to restrain her happy tears.
"We know, kitty cat," the brunette murmured, stroking her hair as Pyrrha rubbed her hands along Blake's back soothingly. "We know."
They had all calmed down significantly by the time a sleepy Yang arrived, towed by an uncharacteristically enthusiastic Weiss.
"Anybody make coffee?" the blonde grunted.
"Not yet, no," her partner chuckled. "Feel free to put some on."
With another bleary grunt, her eyes only halfway open, Yang shuffled off to do just that.
A knock sounded at the front door then, causing Ruby to perk up excitedly. Her dad, however, was already walking by on his way to the kitchen as well.
"Got it," Tai called out, opening the door and then grinning widely. "Hey there, old man!"
"Hey yerself, old man," Qrow chuckled amicably, giving the other Hunter a rough hug. "Happy Yuletide."
"Uncle Qrow!"
Weiss was spun around with a squawk, and both Blake and Pyrrha were left waving their hands in front of their faces to dispel the cloud of rose petals. In the blink of an eye, the angular, raven-haired man was staggering backwards, a certain brunette draped from his neck.
"Hi!" Ruby chirped excitedly.
"Oof, son of a Grimm," Qrow laughed. "Did you grow on me, kiddo?"
"Mmmayyybe," she drawled humorously, hopping back down but giving him a tight squeeze around his waist. She quickly switched targets to wrap Tai up in a hug next. "Morning, Uncle Qrow, morning dad! Happy Yuletide!"
"Coffee's on!" Yang sang out, entering the room with her eyes considerably less clouded. She had two mugs in each hand, and gave one that was full to the brim with cream in it to Weiss. She planted a quick kiss on the platinum-haired girl's cheek as she passed, eliciting a quiet giggle.
"Here you go, gents," she snarked, holding the pair in her other hand out to the newcomers. "Just the way you like 'em."
"Why is one of them only halfway full?" Ruby asked curiously.
"That'd be mine," Qrow chuckled, pulling his flash out to add his own special flavoring. "Thanks, firecracker, and happy Yuletide."
Greetings and hugs were passed around, though Qrow raised an eyebrow at the other girls' use of 'dad' when they addressed Tai.
"So, izzat how it is, now?" he laughed. "Well, then, best be calling me 'uncle' as well, I suppose…"
"Or 'old man', that works too," Yang smirked, sitting with her arm draped around Weiss' shoulders.
"Hey now, only this asshole gets to call me that," Qrow retorted, sticking a thumb over his shoulder towards Tai.
Ruby giggled as she walked from the kitchen, balancing three mugs in her hands. "You gonna let him get away with that, dad?"
"What?" Tai grunted mildly. "He's not wrong."
The brunette laughed harder at that, fortunately not spilling her drinks. She handed the sole tea to her Cat Faunus girlfriend, and the other coffee with creamer to Pyrrha. The extra-sweetened one she kept for herself.
Pyrrha waited cautiously for Ruby to take the first sip to ensure she'd gotten them correct. She had made the mistake once of drinking from Ruby's coffee.
The once was quite enough for her lifetime.
More presents were happily exchanged around the tree as the small family laughed and teased each other affectionately. Weiss had managed to get her hands on some experimental Dust ammunition that she cajoled someone she knew to sneak out of the SDC labs in Atlas, much to the brunette's joy.
"Best! Partner! Ever!" Ruby squealed as she tackled the petite white-haired girl.
Weiss let out an exasperated huff as she fell to the floor with the overenthusiastic brunette, but she still returned the hug with a fond smile.
And then, towards the end of the gift-giving, Yang sat up straight with a plush pillow in the shape of a beowolf head clutched in her hands.
"Rubbles! Heads-up!"
Her brunette sister laughed as she caught it, reaching around the side of the couch to retrieve another plush pillow, this one of a corgi head, hurling it towards the blonde. "Back atcha!"
"What in the name of Dust was that all about?" Weiss asked curiously.
Yang shrugged, hugging her new pillow to her chest. "Just a thing me an' Rubes do every Yuletide."
"Yeah, we decided awhile ago just to exchange cute pillows," Ruby chimed in. "That way we don't spend a lotta lien on each other, y'know? Our love is enough."
Tai sighed affectionately at the goofy, beaming grins the siblings shared, and Qrow patted him on the shoulder.
"Even though they're growing up," the raven-haired man rasped quietly, "some things stay the same."
"Yeah," the blond happily agreed. "Couldn't be prouder, actually."
By the second round of coffees, another knock came from the front door. Ruby, being the closest, opened it wide with an equally wide smile.
"Helena! Mr. Nikos!" she burbled happily. "Happy Yuletide! How was the flight?"
"It was well, thank you, dear," the matronly redhead replied warmly as she enveloped the brunette in a hug. "It was so nice of you to invite us."
"Oh, pfft," Ruby giggled. "Yuletide is for family, so why not have all the family together?"
"Well said," Epirus stated, a soft smile on his face as he gave Ruby a hesitant hug next. "And please, call me Epirus." Silver eyes wide, the brunette glanced around his side towards her girlfriends, both of whom were frozen in shock at the sight.
Pyrrha's father cleared his throat and stepped back. "We have a couple of bags in the cab still…"
"I'll help with that," Tai interjected, walking up just then with his hand extended. "Taiyang Xiao Long, but please call me Tai. Welcome to our home!"
Pyrrha laughed lightly as she enveloped her mother in a hug. "What is going on with father?" she whispered incredulously.
"Well, dear," Helena began mischievously, peering around to make sure only her daughter, Blake, and Ruby were in earshot. "He was terribly confused when you told us about the, er, Mating. It would seem the only way he could reconcile this in his head was to interpret it as marriage. So…"
Blake snickered quietly. "So he considers us to be daughters-in-law now?"
"Exactly," Helena beamed, giving the Cat Faunus a tight hug next. "To be fair, even though I fully understand what it means to be Mated, I consider you all to be the same as well. So… welcome to the family, girls."
"And welcome to ours!" Ruby giggled, bouncing on her toes and pulling her forward by the hand. "C'mon, I'll introduce you around…"
Perhaps an hour later, as the extended family was crowded around the living room, exchanging numerous pleasantries, yet another knock came from the front entrance. This time Blake was nearest, as she had just taken her empty tea mug back to the kitchen.
"I have it!" she called out, pulling the portal open. She opened her mouth in greeting, but was cut off by an orange-haired ball of energy that flung herself into her arms.
"Oh my Oum, your kitty ears are out!" Nora squealed excitedly. "Happy Yuletide, Blake!"
"Happy Yuletide, everyone," the raven-haired girl chuckled mildly, staggering backwards under the affectionate onslaught. She smiled warmly at the others, inclining her head. "Please, come on in and join us."
"Thank you, Blake," Ren replied with a soft smile of his own. He gave her shoulder a squeeze before attempting to pry his girlfriend off. "Nora, come on now…"
"But she's soooo cute with her kitty ears!"
Ren gave Blake a quick wink. "Nora, I see Ruby across the room…"
"Really?" The pinkette's eyes shot over towards her best mischief buddy. "Ruby!" she cheered excitedly.
"Nora!" the brunette cheered back with just as much enthusiasm.
"Hide the breakables," Weiss groaned humorously as the petite zealous pair met with a crash of giggles.
"Hi, Blake," Jaune smiled awkwardly, his arm around Emerald, who was peering inside with an almost morbid curiosity. "Looks like a full house in there."
"Always room for more," the Cat Faunus chuckled, pulling the pair inside. "And how have the two of you been?"
"Really well," the blond boy blushed slightly.
"Oh, really?" Blake remarked, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.
"Yes, really," Emerald answered smugly.
Blake shook her head, laughing softly, as she led the pair inside to participate in the introductions all around.
o o o
Dinner was a spectacular affair, even if some of the diners had to eat out in the living room. Everyone heaped their praises upon the Xiao Long household, girlfriends included, who helped put it all together. Qrow's contribution, several bottles of particularly fine whiskey for after the meal, received suitable appreciation as well from Epirus in particular.
Yang groaned as she reclined on the loveseat, rubbing at her belly. "Ooooh, I think I ate too much..."
"Really, you think so?" Weiss snarked, leaning up to plant a kiss on the blonde's cheek. "Was it the third helping of apple pie, or perhaps the after-dessert monstrous ham sandwich you and Nora split before they departed?"
"Um," the blonde grunted. "Yes."
Ruby chuckled from where she lay, ensconced on either side by a pair of sleepy and snuggly girls. Pretty much everyone else had either left already, their classmates to head over to the Arc household back in Vale and Qrow for parts unknown, or headed to bed. Tai had gotten the Nikos parents settled into the guestroom before he retired for the night, passing around warm hugs to all of the girls and murmuring one last 'Happy Yuletide'.
"Alright, come on then, you great big lovable oaf," Weiss sighed, getting to her feet and pulling Yang's bulk up with her. For such a tiny girl, she had surprising upper body strength.
"I'm comin', I'm comin'," Yang muttered. "Night, all," she yawned, shuffling out of the room with the platinum-haired girl pushing her from behind.
"Good night, ladies," Weiss added with a warm smile.
"G'night, Yang, Weiss," the brunette grinned, her sentiments echoed on either side of her. She listened to the sounds of the other couple as they retreated down the hallway and into Yang's room, closing the door behind them.
She reached over and squeezed the hands of her girlfriends. "You're not going to sleep on me yet, ayra?"
"No, though I must admit, the thought of snuggling in our bed sounds lovely," Pyrrha murmured.
"The bed, it calls to me," Blake sighed, nuzzling into Ruby's shoulder.
"None of that, now," Ruby giggled. "C'mon, I have one more present for us."
"For us?" the redhead questioned, sitting upright. "Whatever do you mean?"
Ruby squirmed in her seat. "Well, I mean… this." She pulled out a small, long, black velvet box from inside her pocket where she'd concealed it earlier. "I didn't wrap it or anything, 'cause, well…"
"What on Remnant has you so anxious?" Blake inquired softly, reaching back and running a hand through her girlfriend's red-tipped tresses.
Wordlessly, Ruby propped the box on her knees and pried it open.
Nestled within were three gold rings, side-by-side. Each band had a trio of stones set in a row, one each of emerald, ruby, and amethyst, but the order of them differed, so that they were all unique in which stone was in the center.
"I had these made for us," Ruby explained softly to her stunned girlfriends. She shyly ducked her head down, her face covered by her bangs. "The gems are us, and the one in the middle is who the ring belongs to… I just… I wanted something to show non-Faunus how we're all bound together, y'know? Kinda like promise rings… Not, like, engagement rings or anything…"
Blake reached out and pressed a soft finger to her lips to cut off the rambling. "No, I understand, little rose, it's… It's wonderfully sweet. I love the idea."
"They are quite beautiful," Pyrrha agreed, her voice scratchy from unshed tears. "As is the sentiment. Er… are they sized correctly?"
"Yep!" Ruby grinned. "I have my ways… Can I put them on you?"
Both of her girlfriends nodded their heads quickly, unable to trust their voices anymore. With a warm smile, Ruby slid the amethyst ring onto Blake's finger, and then the emerald one onto Pyrrha's. The ruby one she slid onto her own, holding it out to admire it.
"I really wanted to try it on when I first picked them up," she whispered, ignoring the happy tears that slid down her cheeks. "But I wanted to wait until yours were on."
Pyrrha sniffed, nodding. She held her hand up next to Ruby's and rested her head against the top of the brunette's. "They are so very lovely," the redhead whispered brokenly.
"Yes, they are," Blake agreed, her voice hitching as she leaned in from the other side and held her hand up as well. "Thank you, little rose."
Ruby slowly brought their hands down together until they were entwined on her lap.
"I know it doesn't need said," the brunette murmured. "But I love you both so very, very much."
"And I love you both as well, all of my heart and all of my soul," Pyrrha whispered.
Blake sighed happily, rubbing her cheek against Ruby's shoulder. "You are both my life and my reason for breathing. I truly do love you girls."
The three of them just sat like that, shedding quiet tears of joy at how fortunate they were to have found their soulmates, and how wonderful it was to share the bond they had with each other.
Nothing, not even death itself, would come between them ever again.
A/N: Fuckwaffles. I was crying as I wrote the end of this, dammit, and I'm not embarrassed to admit it. Gods, it feels weird to have written the last chapter for this story.
The tattoo idea is courtesy of RealTerminal and a few other reviewers, a way for them to share in the Mark together. Oh, and please do stop by my author's page to vote on the Weiss x Yang x Neo ship name if you haven't yet, it's right at the top of the page. I'll likely take it down over the weekend.
So, this almost wraps things up. Next week we have the two epilogue chapters, on Monday and Wednesday, the ones I've had sitting around already written for some time now. I hope you all enjoy the ending as I've always envisioned it.
For now, though, much love for reading and reviewing, and apologies for the prodigious amount of tissues required: Phoenix Commander, Herofire, lkdog, THB4, Heil96, Gorsouul, Jack Inqu, Boombox94, Arngeirr, allie300093, MakaS0ul, Dragonsoul1, ILikeHotDogs, The Reader of Fanfiction, Marauderby, OverDude12, DschingisKhan. I didn't answer many of the reviews' sweet sentiments, because all it would amount to would be, "Yeah, ditto."
Stay shiny!