Author's Note: Okay folks, this one's a fair bit longer than the average chapter, partly because it's kind of tow in one… you'll see…
Glynda Goodwitch was not amused.
The staff of Beacon academy were masterful huntsmen and huntresses one and all, and well-versed in their particular subject matter besides, but this mastery did come with it's eccentricities. There was Port who, while surprisingly every inch the huntsman he claimed to be, was nonetheless a pompously boastful lout from time to time, Oobleck, who, more so even than the headmaster, could do to lay off the coffee once in a while, and Ozpin himself, to name but a few examples. As arguably the sanest and most stable individual among the staff, upon having taken this job, Glynda had swiftly found that, if any semblance of order was to be maintained on a coed campus full of hormonal teenagers, she would plainly have to impose it herself; Ozpin certainly wasn't going to do it – the man was likely to inspire trouble than prevent it. So it was that her office, rather than the headmaster's, had become the center of discipline within the walls of Beacon academy. Of course, as a consequence of the fact that Beacon was brimming with the aforementioned hormonal teenagers, trouble was inevitable, and Glynda had come to find that a great deal of her time was spent reminding students in no uncertain terms that Beacon was an institution of learning, as opposed to a frat-house.
On this particular occasion however, Glynda was particularly displeased. Across from her was seated Mina Carfax, hands neatly folded in her lap, upright, and with an attentive, deceptively innocent expression on her face. Blake Belladonna, seated to Mina's left, seemed to have a more appropriate grasp of their situation; her breathing was very deliberately measured, but that couldn't stop her from fidgeting nervously in her seat. In a way, Glynda supposed, their separate reactions suited them; on the one hand, Miss Carfax had a reputation as a very conscious, if also generally harmless trouble-maker, and well-accustomed to shrugging off admonitions of her behavior by now, and never one to take things particularly seriously, which meant that she was a chronic – albeit petty – offender. Miss Belladonna on the other hand, well… with the exception of this case, she was a model student, second in her academics only to Miss Schnee, whose study habits bordered upon the obsessive. Blake was clearly not accustomed to being in hot water for her behavior, that much was clear.
"Young Ladies," Goodwitch began sternly, "What is Beacon Academy?"
Blake stared at the floor, so it was Mina who calmly answered, "A prestigious school for the training of Huntsmen and Huntresses,"
"Right you are Miss Carfax," Goodwitch nodded, neither her expression nor tone of voice softening in the least, "And being that this is a prestigious institution, we like to give it our very best effort to ensure that it is a respectable one as well…"
"Yes ma'am…" Blake mumbled.
"Tell me girls, how do you suppose that your behavior reflects upon our fine school?" Glynda drummed her fingers on the immaculately polished wood of her desk.
Both girls were silent.
"Hmmm. That's what I thought," the Professor adjusted her glasses, "Though, while the sheer inappropriateness of your actions frankly speaks for itself, I am genuinely curious as to what possessed you to behave in such a manner!"
"Well Profes-,"
"I am not finished!" Goodwitch took a moment to lower her voice again, recollecting her calm, "Frankly Miss Carfax, I might have expected something like this from you…"
"Guilty as charged," Mina shrugged absently.
"…But you, Miss Belladonna… I am honestly without words for my disappointment!"
Blake's ears drooped under her bow, "It won't happen again ma'am…"
"Indeed not, but you have yet to answer my question,"
"Well Professor," Mina began, "I admit that I was not as invested in Dr. Oobleck's class I as I might have been… and I may have taken Blake's pen as a practical joke of sorts…"
"This does not explain, Miss Carfax, why Miss belladonna had her hand down your shirt. In class, no less!" The Professor excoriated, "Such behavior is nothing short of absolutely shameful! This is an institution of learning, not a brothel!"
Blake winced, "I… needed my pen…"
"Really Miss Belladonna? Is that the best you can do?" Goodwitch reproached dryly, "If you are going to make excuses, at least put some effort into it,"
"Yes ma'am…"
Goodwitch took off her glasses and let out a long sigh, massaging her temples to alleviate the onset of a headache, "Ladies… I am aware that you have some history, and that you are yet growing young women, but a little self-control is all I ask for. The nature of your relationship is really no concern of mine, and frankly, I'd prefer it stayed that way, and your private time stayed private. Instead, the two of you have opted to make it my business, and everyone else's for that matter, with your little display in Professor Oobleck's class."
"We'll accept any punishment you deem necessary, Professor," Blake returned her gaze to the floor.
"Well, provided of course that you don't want-,"
"Shut up Mina!" Blake swiftly elbowed the bat Faunus before she could dig them in deeper with an ill-advised wisecrack.
Glynda raised an eyebrow, "Do not misunderstand me Ladies; I am quite aware that the student-body of this school consists of maturing young adults…" She sighed exasperatedly, "Thus, it is not so much your indiscretion as where and when you… indulge… that is at issue here, rather than the fact in itself…"
"Are we…" Blake spoke with a shaky voice, "…expelled, ma'am?"
Glynda couldn't help a little bitter laugh, "Oh no…" she put her glasses back on, "That would be far too easy…"
This 'punishment' is cruel and unusual…
Blake, as most everyone else, had rather swiftly pegged Miss Goodwitch for a stern disciplinarian pretty much from the first time she'd seen the professor. For the longest time, Blake had also judged this to be right and proper; someone had to keep discipline in the school after all, what with people like Cardin enrolled alongside shrinking violets like Velvet. Until the previous Tuesday, Blake had never expected to be on the receiving end of Goodwitch's particular brand of discipline, and the punishment that the woman had devised was, Blake had to admit, genuinely inspired…though that was certainly not to say that it was pleasant…
"While I do understand that the two of you are very… fond… of each other, as I have said, class is neither the time nor the place," Goodwitch had concluded her lecture, "Thus, for the next two weeks, you two will report to me for an hour after class each day for your punishment,"
Blake had involuntarily reddened at this pronouncement, thoughts bouncing between a certain page in Ruby's sketch diary which she had accidently read, and a particular chapter of Ninjas of Love, her eyes furtively darting to Goodwitch's riding-er… wand…
Forcibly dismissing the thoughts though, Blake had weakly nodded, "Yes Ma'am…"
As horrifying a punishment as Blake had been imagining, that which was administered when the two of them reported as ordered the next afternoon was a thousand times worse… if also much more reasonable…
It was now the third day of their punishment, ad Blake had a colossal migrane. If there was a personal hell reserved for each individual as punishment for their misdeeds in life, Blake was certain that she was glimpsing hers; lover of books and high literature as she was – and Ninjas of Love was absolutely high literature, no matter what Weiss might say – she could think of nothing quite so hellish as the task before her. Blake Belladonna, huntress-in-training and literary aficionado, had been sentence to help Miss Goodwitch with her desk work, but not just any desk work, oh no, specifically, she was made to help the woman grade papers. This mightn't have been so intransigently wretched had it not so rapidly become crystal clear that her fellow students, in all but a very few cases, had absolutely atrocious handwriting. What was more, while the substance of the papers was reserved for Goodwitch's judgment, Blake had been tasked with the infinitely more mundane, if more objective task of checking spelling, grammar, and mechanics. There were a few exceptions, but on the whole, these papers were the sort of things Blake had nightmares about alongside Port's mustache and book-burnings.
"Punishment, Miss Belladonna," Goodwitch had explained that first day when she dropped the first mountainous stack of term papers in front of Blake, "Must be fitted to the individual as much as the crime…"
"So you're going to make me read…?"
Goodwitch had laughed bitterly, "Yes Miss Belladonna, yes I am…"
Blake had since lost count of the number of times she had read 'is' where 'are' should have been, or 'cuz' substituted for 'because'… It seemed that the English skills of her peers had fallen into a state of nightmarish neglect…
Mina, for her part, could not assist with the papers for rather self-evident reasons. Instead, Mina's first task of each grading session was to bring Goodwitch tea, after which point she was effectively used as an errand girl, delivering things to other professors or carrying messages. It was a much lighter sentence, Blake thought, but then, she supposed that Glynda had figured – and rightly so – that a serious attempt to discipline Mina herself would have been a lost cause, and thus had she concentrated her efforts on ensuring that Blake would never let herself slip again.
I really should have been the responsible one I suppose… Still… at least it's Friday…
She tried very hard not to display her impatience and anticipation during the last hour-long 'punishment' session of the week, but Blake was not sure if she was doing a good job.
Twenty more minutes… Blake thought, Just endure these abuses of the language for twenty more minutes and it will all be worth it….
Finally, after slogging through a particularly atrociously written paper, Goodwitch dismissed the two of them after Mina returned from her latest petty errand, "The same time on Monday, girls,"" she said, without looking up from the paper as she edited it with a red pen.
Blake heaved a sigh of relief as Mina shut the door to Goodwitch's office behind them and they were well and truly free for the weekend, "Thank God that's over…"
Mina smiled, "Perhaps now we may get to something more… pleasant?'
"Did you… um… have a place in mind?" Blake asked, suddenly very conscious of the fact that they were still immediately next to Goodwitch's office.
"Well…" Mina answered coyly, stepping away from the door, clasping her hands behind her and turning back to look Blake's way with a suggestive smile, "How do you feel about a little trip into the city?"
"Mina… Wow…"
After a brief detour to Team RWBY's dorm to change out of their uniforms, and packing an extra change at Mina's insistence, Mina had politely informed Weiss – the only other one present in the room at the time, Yang and Ruby having made the very foolish mistake of challenging Nora to a pancake-eating contest in JNPR's dorm apparently – that Blake and herself would not be returning for the evening. Weiss looked rather uncomfortable about being the one who'd have to explain as much to Ruby, or more to the point, Yang, but she nodded nonetheless and wished them a notably embarrassed 'good evening.' This done, Mina had hastened to lead Blake to Beacon's airships station for the next departure, and once they'd arrived in Vale, Mina pulled with similar aplomb to lead Blake to her intended destination. What they eventually arrived at took Blake's breath away.
"…The Vale Grand Hotel…?"
"Mmhmm…" Mina nodded proudly, "We have reservations for the evening at the restaurant, as well as a couple's suite with-,"
"Mina, why did you reserve a table at the-,"
Mina hushed her with a finger to the lips she steered Blake past the hotel's elegant carved wooden doors, "We can see to my needs later, but for now, you must be hungry, yes?"
"Yes…" Blake glanced down at her outfit, "But I can't help feeling underdressed…"
"Nonsense; I am sure that you look fine," Mina assured, "Now, we can leave our things for one of the bellhops to take to our suite, and see about getting you dinner,"
The next hour went by in a blur of excellent service and very good food. A courteous waitress smiled, asking no questions that weren't her business, whereupon Blake ordered the grilled tuna and a cup of jasmine tea, whilst Mina contented herself with a virgin Bloody Mary. She almost felt guilty eating in front of Mina, but there was no reason for it; Mina sat with their group all the time at lunch, and even now, Mina wore a slight smile on the whole time as she patiently waited for Blake to finish. It was only when the waitress came around with the bill that the first would-be hang-up for the evening had presented itself, as seeing the fifty Lien tab made Blake feel slightly ashamed of herself while she fished for her wallet.
"Nonsense Dearest," Mina shook her head to signal that Blake was to put her wallet away as she handed the exact cash, plus twenty percent, to the grateful waitress, "My treat,"
"But you've already-,"
"I confess, Dearest, that I got a rather substantial discount on the suite for the evening; would you believe that Clara's boyfriend is the son of the owner?"
"Still…"
"Dearest," Mina was more serious now, "Working at the Summer Blossom pays much better than being a library assistant at Beacon, I'd wager; let me do this for you, please?"
Blake sipped the last of her tea, "…Alright…"
A few minutes later, Mina was swiping the key-card to their suite on the seventh floor and ushering Blake inside, "We have a master bathroom with a tub and walk-in shower besides, a king-sized bed, and a balcony which I am told has a lovely view of the ocean…" Mina listed the features of their accommodations for the evening, "and all of it to ourselves; no unwelcome eyes, and no Goodwitch…"
Blake couldn't but gape, at it all. Their few things had been delivered to the suite by the bellhop as directed, and the room was immaculate. The carpets were thick, the bed was neatly made, the bathroom was one of the largest Blake had ever seen, and the balcony…
"Mina… Wow…"
Mina smiled happily, "you like it then?"
The light of the setting sun reflected beautifully off of the ocean as Blake went over to take in the view from the balustrade, "It's beautiful…"
Mina sat down on the edge of the bed with a wistful little smile, "I am happy that you enjoy it…"
"I love it, Thank you Mina," Blake walked back over to give her a kiss, "but when did you find the time to set this up?"
"Well…" Mina twiddled her thumbs guiltily, "After Goodwitch was done with us on Tuesday, I thought it best to make it up to you for getting you into trouble… so at my shift that evening, I mentioned to Clara that I wanted to make tonight special so…"
"And she got her boyfriend to help you out?" Blake concluded before crawling onto and throwing herself down on the extraordinarily soft bed.
"She did," Mina admitted, turning around to cuddle, "I do hope that is alright…"
Blake reached up to run her fingers through Mina's hair and over her ears, "Of course Mina; to be honest… my only contribution to our last date was my presence…"
Mina chuckled, laying her head down on Blake's chest, "That is all that I could ask for…"
Blake took in a deep breath, just to appreciate the weight of Mina's head resting on her chest, This is nice…
"Remember when we would spend every night just like this?" Mina asked suddenly, her words having nothing to do with the surroundings, just the two of them, and Blake nodded her confirmation, "Why did we stop?"
Blake caught her breath, "I… um… well…"
Mina looked up to meet Blake's hesitant gaze, a look equal parts sadness and concern on her face, "Blake?"
"Well… we were fourteen…" Blake offered weakly.
"And you thought we were too old for that?" Mina offered.
I wish… "No…" Blake gulped dreading the forthcoming admission of pettiness, "You were getting… bigger than me… and I was self-conscious…"
Mina snorted, trying to keep back laughter, her anxiety gone, "That… that was it?" She asked incredulously, "And I suppose that you refusing to rest your head-,"
"...Envy…" Blake admitted guiltily.
"Well…" Mina sighed, "We must needs bathe first, but after that…" she grabbed one of Blake's hands and pulled it back to her chest, "What's mine is yours…"
Blake pouted for nobody's benefit but her own as Mina sat up and stripped off her shirt, tossing it over towards the hamper over in the corner. Blake's eyes traced up Mina's waist and gradually moved upward and soon she found herself sitting up behind Mina and reaching around to weave her fingers together about Mina's stomach, "I love you,"
"Dearest?" Mina asked, puzzled, but not unappreciative.
"Can… I undress you for your shower…?"
"Mina chuckled again, "What's mine is yours,"
About a half hour and a very accommodating shower later, Mina had sprawled herself on the bed, swaddled in a luxuriantly soft robe, waiting for Blake to finish drying her longer hair. She felt a slight discomfort from the hunger, yes, but she had been looking forward to this all week, and she could wait a few minutes more for Blake to make herself comfortable. Mina's mouth watered at the mere thought of it, and her hasty heartbeat kept pace with her mounting anticipation, but she could be patient; there was no need to rush…
"Mina…"
Patience or no, Mina's heart still skipped a beat, "Dearest?"
She listened with rapt attention to each of Blake's soft footfalls as she crossed the room and climbed into the bed next to her, "I'm ready…"
Mina tried to sit up for a kiss, but stopped when she felt Blake's hand on her chest, caressing as much as holding her down.
"No…" Mina could tell in passing that Blake was shaking her head by the few strands of hair that brushed over her face, but she was much more interested in the way that Blake had placed herself on top of her, only then leaning down for that kiss, "May I kiss you?"
"Yes…" Mina eagerly met Blake's lips as she leaned in, smiling wholeheartedly when they broke apart, "Just like my sixteenth birthday…"
Blake blushed, but it was true. Mina's birthday had come around eight months after their mutual confession, and their relationship to that point had been… awkward… Blake would still read to Mina every night, and they would still cuddle up, but knowing what they did about each other… there was a fresh layer of tension, to say the least. Blake would swear she felt and electric current run through her whenever they touched, and each time that it was Blake's turn for Mina to feed upon, well… she couldn't think of a better way to show Mina how much she loved her. The one concrete thing that had changed – that is, aside from the new light in which Blake found herself viewing Mina's every little action – was that now, Blake would kiss Mina goodnight, and occasionally just because she felt like it. Then came Mina's birthday.
Life in the White Fang was an austere one, and there hadn't really been much celebration for Mina's birthday as a result, nor for Blake's the previous week, but Mina didn't seem to care. About the extent of the festivities was that Blake and Mina were excused from a major operation that day, and thus they had not only their little room, but the whole hideout to themselves for that one day. All Mina had then asked of Blake was that she finish the book that Blake had been reading her for most of that week. When they'd done so, it was late, and Mina had been fighting the desire to nod off on Blake's shoulder. With an affectionate sigh, Blake had helped her to her feet and walked her to their bed, laying her down as Mina let out an adorable little yawn. It was then that Blake got a slightly guilty thought.
"Hey Mina… Can I kiss you?"
Mina had blinked a few times in drowsy puzzlement, "Hmmm?" Blake was not in the habit of asking before she kissed her, and Mina had never so much as entertained the thought of refusing her, "Yes…"
And so she had.
Blake had hesitated after breaking off what had been the first time she'd tried to slip her tongue past Mina's lips, looking away because she was slightly ashamed of herself.. Mina on the other hand, was definitely awake after that, "Blake…"
"I-I'm sorry… I don't know what I was thinking and-,"
Mina had silenced her by pulling her into another, this time making no surprised effort to deny Blake's tongue, "Dearest…" Mina had spoken softly after the second, considerably longer kiss came to an end, "I said 'yes…'"
Breath shaky Blake had then asked, "Can I… um… touch you…?"
"Yes…"
Blake remembered feeling dizzy after that, like she wasn't really there, but she knew better. She'd started by gently caressing Mina's cheek as she leaned in for a third kiss, but gradually, as this time the kiss stretched on, Blake's fingers had traced their way down to Mina's shoulder before hesitantly moving down to Mina's breast. Mina had let out a little squeak of surprise, and Blake had made to pull her hand away, but to her own surprise, Mina reached up and pulled Blake's hand back, "More please…"
Blake really hadn't meant for it to go that far. She'd just wanted to give Mina a kiss, right? Just a chaste, innocent little kiss, but when she asked to touch, it was almost – almost – like she wasn't in control of her own voice, but the reality was that she'd wanted to just touch Mina for a long time, not just cuddle… and when Mina had agreed, Blake could scarcely believe it. At first Blake had gingerly brushed her fingers over Mina's curves, eliciting little gasps or shudders as she went. One thing had led to another from there, and before it was over, Mina hadn't been quite so innocent anymore.
"Dearest?" the question startled Blake back to the present, where she had been straddling her girlfriend for going on several minutes now…
"I am so sorry!" Blake apologized profusely, "I… I was just lost in thought…"
"Hmmm…" Mina thought aloud, before pulling Blake down to the mattress and then reversing their roles, before leaning in to nuzzle the crook of Blake's neck and shoulder, "I do not mean to be impatient Dearest, but… may I?"
Blake drew in a deep breath to brace herself, "Yes…"
"Thank you…"
Mina sank her fangs into the side of Blake's neck and Blake gasped. The sudden shot of pain sent her heart hammering, but with a few deep breaths she was able to calm down just in time for mina to pull her back up to a sitting position and untie the belt of her robe to ease the soft white robe off of Blake's shoulders before the blood could stain it, exposing her naked form for Mina's soft touch. Blake could feel herself getting hot all over as Mina lapped at the blood which welled from her wound, but Blake's aura was working to repair the damage too quickly, and Mina would need to bite down again a second, possibly even a third time to meet her needs, but that was alright; the pain was worth it.
Author's Note: Well, I hope that all of you enjoyed that. I will ay that this was one of the hardest chapters to write, mostly because, while I am quite fond of writing fluff and action scenes, I am admittedly less comfortable with writing racier stuff, but here you go; I tried. As always, please do feel free to leave reviews if you are so inclined, and I hope that you enjoy the rest of your day.