Mmmmm… So soft…
Blake really wasn't terribly keen on the prospect of waking up; no, she really wasn't tired anymore, and she didn't feel ill anymore – quite the opposite in fact – but sleep was just so nice… Still, all good things had to come to an end…
As Blake finally managed to blink her eyes open and lifted her head, Mina spoke, "Good morning Dearest,"
"Hmmm?" Came Blake's somewhat languid response, "Mina…?"
Mina smiled "Yes Dear?"
Blake shook her head, gathering her wits, "Thanks…"
"Any time," Mina ran her fingers through Blake's hair, "Do you feel better?"
Blake nodded, and then, in a somewhat unguarded fit of whimsy, buried her face in Mina's chest, nuzzling as close as she could, "You're so soft, you know that?"
Mina chuckled, "I am pleased to know that you approve, but, well…"
"Ahem…" It was Weiss, trying to get her attention as tactfully as possible, in contrast to Yang, who outright whistled.
Blake froze, feeling her cheeks heat up as she refused to lift her face from Mina's chest, Oh why me?
"Jeez, and I thought Mina was a clingy sleeper…" Yang commented with a massive smirk on her face, "And almost a whole twenty-four hours like that too…"
"What!?" Blake gaped, finally lifting her head to stare unbelieving, "You mean it's…"
"Eight fifteen, Tuesday morning," Weiss nodded.
"Ugh…" Blake let her head slump back down again, "I can't believe that I actually slept that long…"
"It is good to rest when one is ill Dearest," Mina shrugged, hugging Blake close to her chest again, "And besides, I rather enjoyed it…"
"Yes, well um… speaking of which…" Weiss stammered averting her eyes, "I think that you should perhaps fix your blouse Mina…"
Both Blake and Mina blinked a few times, and Blake took a moment to register the fact that her drowsy cuddling had tugged the front of Mina's blouse down to the point of indecency, "Umm…" Mina didn't seem to either understand or care as yet, so Blake was left to scramble to restore her modesty. Unfortunately, the rather low-cut collar of the blouse was a surprisingly snug elastic, and proved uncooperative with Blake's panicky effort to pull it back up to where it belonged. Giving up on that, the solution that Blake arrived at, which – as she would insist to her dying day – owed more to the fact that she wasn't quite fully awake yet, was not one of her brighter ideas…
Mina raised an eyebrow with a wry smirk, "While I do love it when you take the initiative Dearest, I can't but wonder if we have time for this at the moment…"
"What's going on?" Ruby asked confusedly, walking out of the bathroom, toothbrush still in her mouth.
Weiss shot Blake a dirty look as she scrambled to cover her partner's eyes, "Really Blake? I would have thought to expect some self-control from you!"
"I-wait! No! That's not what I meant to-!"
Yang cracked up, snapping a picture on her scroll, "I'm gonna get a lot 'a mileage outta this one…"
Head slumping forward in abject embarrassment, Blake removed her hands, allowing for Mina to finally fix her own blouse, "Yang… I beg you… Please delete that…"
"Awww…" Yang said with a suspiciously artificial pout, turning her scroll around to show Blake, "But you guys are so cute…"
As Blake got a good look at the picture, she just wanted to die. From the angle that Yang had taken the picture, it looked very much like Blake was straddling Mina, whose shirt was pulled down, with a hand on each of Mina's breasts… Kill me…
"Please Yang…"
"Oh alright…" Yang said with a pout, deleting the picture as requested, "Can I keep the other ones though?"
"Other ones?" Blake demanded, horrified.
"Yeah…" Yang admitted, "You two were just sooo cute ~"
Blake sat up, ramrod straight, snatching Yang's scroll from her hands, "How many… Good God, YANG!"
The pictures started out innocent enough, but as she went through Yang's preposterously long list of pictures, she felt the mixed frustration and embarrassment raising her blood pressure. The first few were pretty much how she remembered going to sleep, her head resting comfortably on Mina's chest, and Yang was right, they were cute pictures, and maybe that would have been alright if these had been the only pictures. Around a dozen shots in though, Blake swallowed; she was pretty much looking at a frame-by-frame demonstrating how her hand had moved up to clutch Mina's other breast in her sleep, and after a few blurry shots, they showed rather plainly that Blake had pulled Mina's shirt down as well…
Do I really move that much… She sighed, It would have been nice to remember what I was dreaming about…
"Mina…"
"Yes Dearest?" Mina asked as she started to strip off the maid outfit so as to change into her uniform.
"Why did you just let her take all these?"
Mina shrugged, "I didn't notice at first, and once I did, well… Stopping it would have meant waking you, and really, what difference do a few pictures make?"
Blake grimaced as she scrolled past a particularly indecent one, immediately deleting it like all the other dubious images, "Well, you're kind of…" She shot Yang a withering look, "exposed in most of these… Honestly Yang, I expected better-,"
"You did?" The Blonde raised an eyebrow, breaking out in laughter all over again.
"Not that I condone her actions," Weiss began, shaking her head with a disappointed sigh, "But you really shouldn't have Blake…"
Blake's head slumped, "Yeah… I know… But seriously Yang, what were you going to do with all of these?"
"Print novelty postcards and sell 'em for twenty Lien a piece?" Yang offered with a shrug.
"You wouldn't…"
"Alright, alright," Yang put up her hands, "I'll sell 'em for thirty Lien-,"
That did it, "DAMMIT YANG!"
Ruby and Weiss only just managed to physically restrain Blake from attempting to tackle and throttle the brawler, "Come on Blake… violence isn't the answer…"
"And let's be honest…" Weiss added to Ruby's plea, "We all know she's not worth it…"
Still seething, Blake fought to calm herself, "Yang… I swear by all things good and holy that I will end you if these pictures ever come up again…"
"Hey! You're the one who-,"
Blake, Weiss, and Ruby all fixed her with a death glare.
"Okay… Too far this time… I got it…" Yang backed down as she shuffled towards the door.
"Where are you going, Xiao Long?" Weiss asked, dubious about the brawler's intentions.
"Oh, uh… nowhere really… I just gotta… borrow Nora's scroll for a bit…"
"You already-?"
"N-no! I swear Blake! She only has that first cute one!"
"Erase it. Now."
"On it." And with that Yang disappeared from the room.
Blake sighed, "That girl… Ugh! Sometimes I just…"
Weiss gave her a sympathetic nod and a pat on the shoulder, "Trust me, we know…"
Ruby nodded as well, "Yang's fun and all, but sometimes she's… um… too much…"
"Pot callin' the kettle black much Ruby?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"I am precisely the right amount of fun, thank you very much! Hmph!" Ruby retorted, hands on her hips.
Mina chuckled, drawing everyone's attention; she had put on her dress shirt and was now stepping into her skirt, "Always good to know that you two still get along…"
"What? Of course we do! I am perfectly personable!" Weiss asserted, somewhat indignant, "And remarkably patient, if I do say so myself…"
"And so very humble too…" Ruby Muttered under her breath.
"What was that you Dunce?"
"Nothing!"
"Hmph, I thought not," Weiss crossed her arms, "Now then, to business; come now Blake, we have class in..." the Heiress looked up at the clock, "… half an hour now, and none of us have eaten, so hurry up and get dressed!"
"Right," Blake agreed, setting about the task as Weiss and Ruby gathered their books and such, "First period is with Oobleck today, right?'
Weiss shook her head, though she didn't turn around from her desk, "No, you're thinking of Mondays; we've got Port today…"
"…Great…"
"Oh come now Dearest, is it really so bad as that?" Mina asked encouragingly, "Personally, I find the man rather endearing,"
"Hardly," Weiss flatly disagreed, "I respect him as a huntsman but… his personality could use some work…"
"Yeah..." Ruby agreed nervously, "Plus he kinda creeps me out…"
"I know what you mean…" Blake nodded, heading into the bathroom to take a quick shower, and so raising her voice to be heard in the other room, "It's like he undresses us with his eyes; I really feel sorry for Pyrrha…"
Ruby cocked her head, "Doesn't he ogle Yang more often though?""
"Yeah, but in that case I think it's karmic justice,"
As Blake's shower spluttered to life from the bathroom, Mina was pulling up her stockings, seated on Blake's bed, nearly ready to go, and listening with some amusement as Weiss and Miss Rose continued the discussion as they each rifled through their respective drawers. If all said was to be believed, Professor Port was very much guilty of having wandering eyes, but she didn't much care. Perhaps it was a pre-occupation of the sighted, but Mina never had, and could not foresee ever sharing this obsession with modesty; she was indeed in the habit of dressing herself before going out in public, but that had less to do with modesty and more to do with habit and the desire to avoid drawing unwanted attention really. The good professor was welcome to look and imagine whatever he liked, provided he kept his hands to himself; Mina was not above the breaking of misbehaving fingers.
"Sometimes I just wish we could have Goodwitch or Oobleck for Grimm Studies as well…" Weiss mused.
"I know…" Miss Rose agreed, "And seriously, what is with that mustache? It's HUGE!"
"Are you ready Mina?" Weiss asked, audibly turning around and signaling the end of the plaintiff discussion of the good professor.
"Nearly," Mina replied, pulling up her other stocking and reaching for her shoes, "But I mean to wait for Blake; you two needn't hold yourselves up on my account,"
"You sure?" Miss Rose asked curiously, "We can wait…"
"And miss your morning cookies Miss Rose? I'm flattered…"
There was a silence,
Mina smiled, "You should not forgo your breakfast, Miss Rose; in fact, I would appreciate it if you went and saved a few slices of toast for Blake, yes?"
"Okay!"
As Ruby darted from the room, Weiss sighed, making for the door at a more sober pace, "Well… See you in class then… and don't be late; it makes us look bad, okay?"
Mina laughed, "I make no promises,"
"Right…" Presumably Weiss shook her head at that comment, judging by the rustling noise, ""See you then,"
Mina nodded, and with that, Weiss took her leave of the room as well.
Slipping into her shoes, Mina got up from her seat on Blake's bed and headed over to the dresser that they shared. Opening the top drawer, she felt out a set of socks and underwear for Blake, set them down on the bed, and moved back to the dresser. She'd jokingly suggested on the way back to Beacon from their date that Blake forgo such things more often, but the last thing that she wanted was for Blake to be uncomfortable, and thus the suggestion had remained a joke… mostly… At any rate, from the next drawer down Mina selected the smooth dress shirt of Blake's uniform as well as the blazer, and finally from the bottom she pulled Blake's uniform skirt, easily identified as Blake didn't own any other skirts.
Blake and Mina had shared the three drawers for some time now for their uniforms, combat outfits, and some casualwear, though between the two of them, a fair bit also had to be stored in Mina's trunk nonetheless. Mina was a dress size or so larger than Blake, but generally it was by the two letters which she herself had stitched into the back of the collar of her shirts and the right pocket of her pants that she identified which was properly hers. One of the few things that Mina had been good at before meeting Blake had been sewing; it was a skill she'd learned from her mother – "Idle hands will get you into trouble Dearest" - so she'd said, and after Blake had made a point of teaching her what their respective initials were shaped like when they were nine, Mina had ever after made a point to stitch 'BB' into all of her clothes. It had been a childish act of fantasy at the time, but she still did it… Which reminds me… I need to buy a spool of white thread for the evening dress…
"Hey Mina, are you still there?" Blake called from the bathroom, "I forgot to bring my towel in, could you?"
"Of course Dear," Mina called back, pulling her trunk from under Blake's bed to fish out the towel, "Just a moment!"
"Okay, thanks!"
Finding the requested item, Mina shut the trunk again and slid it back under the bed before making for the bathroom door. She was met with a wall of humidity as she opened the door, taking a deep breath of the warm, damp air smelling of soap. By the sound of it, Blake had chosen to brush her teeth rather than simply wait idly for her to collect the towel. Purely in the interest of certainty of course, Mina tapped her semblance to confirm the assumption, finding that it was indeed so. It was not often that Mina found herself envious of her peers with working eyes, but this was certainly one of those times…
"Are you checking me out?" Blake asked nervously, snapping Mina's concentration, if only for a moment.
"I might be…" Mina stepped in past the threshold, "But do not let that stop you; we have class after all…"
"You're not going to shower?" Blake asked before returning to brushing her teeth.
"I am afraid that there is not time for that at this point," Mina shook her head, "I'll be sure to use some perfume or something,"
"You know, we could have showered together…" Mina could hear the pout on Blake's face.
"I am quite certain we'd be quite late indeed if we were to do so…" Mina whispered, "Perhaps next time, if it pleases you…"
"Stop being such a tease," Blake mumbled before spitting out her toothpaste.
"Alright…"
"H-hey! What are you-?"
"Well I am certainly not being a tease," Mina cracked a slightly evil grin as she wiped the towel down Blake's back and about her hips, "In fact I would say that I am being incredibly helpful…"
"You're being incredibly distracting…"
"You love it…"
Blake was stubbornly quiet as Mina brought the towel back up to her shoulder and down her arm.
"I rather enjoyed last night though…" Mina added with a smirk.
"Please tell me I wasn't loud…" Blake begged, "I don't think I'll ever live it down if-,"
Mina chuckled as Blake turned around, letting her pat her front dry, "Rest easy Dearest; you slept like a baby… A very grabby baby…"
"Yeah… Yang showed me…"
Mina leaned in for a kiss as she dried Blake's hair, "You ought not mind her so much Dear; surely Miss Xiao Long is harmless? In any event, I am more interested to know if you had any nice dreams…"
"…"
"Fine then do not tell me," Mina pouted, before gesturing back out into the dorm proper, "I have laid out your uniform Dearest, move along now,"
Grateful for the change of subject, Blake obliged, heading out to dress, "I appreciate this Mina; it's rather thoughtful of you to-, this… this is your bra though…"
Mina cocked her head, "Oh dear… How did I confuse that?" She followed Blake out of the bathroom and headed to the dresser to fish out an appropriate replacement, "I do apologize Blake; it seems that I was not paying attention…"
"It's the thought that counts," Blake shrugged it off, trading one article for the other and putting it on, "Everything else is right though,"
Putting the mistakenly selected undergarment back in the top drawer, Mina then turned back around with a nostalgic smile, "We used to share…"
Blake snorted, "Yeah, but that was when I had to give you one of mine to get you to wear one all, and we were the same size… I'd have to make you borrow one from Pyrrha now…"
"This… displeases you?" Mina asked with sudden worry.
"No! No, you're beautiful Mina; honestly I kind of feel guilty looking at you because you can't look back…"
"Can, and do~" Mina winked.
"Well… You know what I mean…" Blake rolled her eyes exasperatedly, "I just… I worry sometimes… Tell me honestly… You're happy with my body, right?"
Mina blinked a few times in confusion, this not being a question to have ever really entered her consideration, "Dearest?"
"Er… Like… You wouldn't prefer I was… bigger…"
Mina blinked again, "Dearest… I fell in love with you long before any of that mattered… and my opinion has not changed…"
"Really?" Blake didn't sound terribly confident.
Mina stepped forward, giving her a hug and another kiss, "Of course Dearest; I like to touch you, yes, but I enjoy it so much precisely because it is you that I am touching, Blake. No one else will do in your stead, I promise,"
"Okay…" Blake sniffled, returning the hug, "God, look at me; I must still be a little sick…"
A fresh, sincere smile tugged at Mina's lips again, "I would be happy to lay down with you again if you like…"
"…We have class…" Blake reluctantly shook her head, "But…"
"Yes?"
"Would you mind… sharing my bunk again tonight?" Blake finished, blushing furiously.
"Any time you like,"
Author's note: Hello all, sorry for the wait. This chapter wouldn't have taken this long normally, but finals are coming up so unfortunately I've had to study. Still, it might've been out sooner if I hadn't briefly fallen ill over the weekend (probably karma for last chapter, if I had to guess) but nonetheless I hope that you've enjoyed this, and hopefully the next one should be up at some point this weekend. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts. See you next time.