"Well, there's always-,"

"Shut up Yang," Weiss rolled her eyes, "Blake is going for heartfelt and touching, not-,"

"Touching's good-,"

"Shut up!"

Blake sighed. In the nearly eleven years that she had known Mina, their birthdays had never exactly been grand affairs; Mina would bring Blake a cupcake, or Blake would give Mina ribbon like the one she wore, nothing fancy. Things had always gone like that for the first eight or so years, and after they started their relationship there would be a little extra intimacy too, but as a rule, simplicity had always been best, if only because life in the White Fang had not been particularly lavish. Now though, they were free of all that and working honest jobs while they studied – even if Blake didn't make quite as much as a library aid as Mina did waitressing at a maid café – but Blake decided she wanted to make Mina's eighteenth birthday a bit more special, and after what Mina had arranged for hers, Blake had to make Mina's good. Unfortunately, while Blake was a woman of many talents, party planning was not one of them, so she had opted to consult her other teammates. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to agree.

"Sis…" Ruby fidgeted nervously, "That one might be a bit much…"

"Not enough, more like…" Weiss muttered.

No indeed, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were not inclined to agree; she had asked them to help her come up with a way to make Mina's birthday special, and the options had been… limited. A movie was out, for rather self-evident reasons, as was a party the like of which Mina had thrown Blake – Mina couldn't eat either. About the only thing that had been agreed upon was that Mina's birthday would be better kept as a more private occasion, after which point Ruby had blushingly suggested 'cuddling,' Yang encouraged Blake to "get steamy," and Weiss…. Refused to comment… Blake could sympathize… she didn't much like discussing her and Mina's… physical relationship, but she'd opened this can of worms, and now she had to see this madness through… no matter how many lingerie stores she got dragged to.

"What? It's sexy!" Yang defended, holding up a very lacy and very skimpy matched set of underwear, "One look at this and-,"

"Yang…" Weiss cut the enthusiastic blonde off, shaking her head.

"Yang, Mina's blind," Blake reminded her a bit more bluntly, "What it looks like doesn't matter," she poked the brassiere distastefully, "And that doesn't look very comfortable…"

"Hmm…" Yang grumbled, "How 'bout this one?"

"That's just underwire."

"So?"

"God Yang… you're such a deviant…"

"There's nothing deviant about havin' a good time!"

Weiss turned back to Blake, not dignifying Yang's comment with a response, "You know Blake, I'm sure that you could do something, anything else; I mean, she likes Liszt's music, doesn't she? You could always get her a CD…"

Blake sighed, shaking her head, "She has his whole repertoire on her scroll…"

"There are always other composers…" Weiss implored, "You could simply play some nice music somewhere… private…" Weiss blushed furiously, "I'm sure she wouldn't want you to do anything that might make you uncomfortable…"

"Pfft. You ain't gonna impress her without steppin' outside your comfort zone Blake," Yang disagreed, "This is her birthday after all; you've gotta make it better for her than losing her-,"

"Yes Yang, we get it, no need to continue," Weiss cut her off, rolling her eyes, "What disappoints me is that you don't seem to get that we need a gift for Mina-,"

"Hey! Sexy underwear ain't just for the girl who's wearin' it!"

"Honestly…" Weiss facepalmed, "If you like it so much, why don't you buy it?"

"Ain't my size," Yang shrugged the remark off, "'Sides, I already got one~"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that…" Weiss shuddered, "Blake, why don't you go for something a little more… modest? A nice nightgown or a robe… something not quite so… indecent…"

"Leave it to the Princess to spoil the fun…"

"Hey! I'm just being reasonable here! Someone has to be!" the Heiress objected.

"Oh yeah? What was so 'unreasonable' about the one Rubes picked out, huh?"

"It came with cat ears – not that there's anything wrong with cat ears – but artificial ones would be a little redundant, wouldn't you say?"

"In retrospect, it probably was a little insensitive…" Ruby moped.

"Okay fine," Yang allowed, "But what about that first one I-,"

"It was a fishnet bodysuit."

"So-?"

"It was a fishnet bodysuit," The Heiress repeated, more emphatically this time.

"Why are you so determined to shoot down everything I suggest?"

"Please, you're just jealous because I found Mina's outfit for last week,"

"Only because you saw it first…" Yang griped, "And since when are you that bold, huh?"

"It covered all that it needed to," Weiss shot back, "Not that I would have worn something like that, but, but at least it wasn't a fishnet jumpsuit,"

"Okay, okay, I get it…" Yang sounded momentarily deflated, "But isn't this Blake's decision anyway?"

"I'm still not wearing fishnets, Yang," Blake put in dryly.

"Dammit!"

"I'm confused… Are we picking out an outfit for Blake or a gift for Mina?" Ruby Asked, puzzled, to which Yang, Weiss, and Blake responded respectively.

"Both!"

"A gift!"

"I don't know anymore…"

"Well uh… okay… thanks for… thanks for clearing that up…"

"Although…" Yang spoke again, eyebrow raised deviously, prodding Blake suggestively with her elbow, "Blake's best bet is probably goin' au natural~"

"Yang!"

"Alright, alright, fine, I'll behave…"

Weiss let out a sigh of her own now, kneading her temples, "Okay look, this is the third lingerie store we've been in today, and frankly, they've gotten seedier as we go along, and I don't want it to get around that I – ore anyone I associate with, for that matter – frequents these kinds of stores,"

"But we haven't found anything yet…" Ruby twiddled her thumbs, trying not to look around at some of the more… exotic items on offer.

"That's why we're going somewhere nice and civilized to look, like the nice little boutique I shop at,"

"I don't think any of us can afford where you shop at Princess,"

Yang's realistic concerns about affordability aside, Blake had nonetheless opted to take the Heiress up on her offer; she hadn't seen anything yet at the stores Yang had brought her to that would fit the occasion, and frankly the places had made her uncomfortable. The trouble with all of this birthday business was that Mina, while easily pleased, at least where Blake was concerned, was very difficult to shop for. She had simple tastes, and on account of her blindness, 'pretty' didn't mean much to her, and thus jewelry was no good, even if Blake could afford it. Blake herself had thought that a CD of Ludwig Sebastian Liszt's best work might make a good gift – until she found out that Mina had indeed downloaded the entirety of the man's work the day after the two of them had gone to his concert on their date – which shot down that idea. That pretty much left clothes and perfume, and Mina didn't like perfume. Of course as Yang had insisted prior to this whole trip, Blake always had the option of taking Mina someplace private and "screwing her brains out…" Blake liked to think that she was more of a romantic than that though, and besides, she needed an actual gift first…

The 'little boutique' that Weiss had led them to though, was nothing if not high-end. Camellia, as the place was called, featured the latest fashions from Vale, Mistral, and Atlas, all of which at a surprisingly moderate – if still very expensive price. Fortunately, this particular store was not exclusively a lingerie shop, so that widened the options considerably – although Yang still found a way to corral the lot of them into that section of the store regardless.

"Damn Weiss… This stuff is nice…" Yang commented absently as she inspected the selection, "Nice and soft too…"

"You don't have to get her lingerie, you know," Weiss just rolled her eyes, "she likes sandals too…"

"Yeah… But she has three pairs…" Ruby argued, only half paying attention as she examined a nearby corset.

"Weiss has a point though," Blake admitted, "She should really be here for that sort of thing, and there's plenty here to choose from other than… wow that's.. Really soft…"

"Focus Blake!" Weiss objected to Blake's interest in what was indeed a very soft bra, "Mina's always complaining about her sleepwear, right? You could get her a new negligee or some other nightgown! A robe, even – I'm sure she would appreciate that!"

"Geez Princess, chillax – you brought us here after all~" Yang teased, "Get comfortable – try something on! You could use something lacey~"

"I think not," Weiss muttered distastefully, "And besides, underwear isn't meant to be on display, so it hardly matters…"

"Some is~"

"Deviant!"

Heaving a sigh, Blake moved off to go look at another section of the store, swiftly finding herself amidst nightgowns and then bathrobes of varying colors, materials, and textures. This section was much more comfortable to be around – less awkward if nothing else – and Weiss was probably right; Mina could do with some proper sleepwear that she could actually be motivated to use, so while Yang and Weiss continued to argue about whether or not it was a necessity that every girl should own what Yang called 'sexy underwear,' and what Weiss called 'obscene,' Blake began to sift through the racks with particular interest. Black silk, pink cotton –oh, but Mina did look really

nice in white…

"So..." Blake asked tentatively as she presented Mina with her gift, "Do you like it?"

Blake hadn't bothered with a fancy wrapping job – a simple little gift bag did the trick just fine – she was much more interested in what Mina thought of the gift itself. All told though, Mina's birthday had been a much more low-key affair than Blake's had been; Blake woke her with a gentle little kiss before offering to help her dress, much the same as Mina had done for her. It came as no surprise when Mina eagerly accepted, which made Blake happy as well – she really wanted Mina to feel special on her birthday after all. Unfortunately, what with Mina's rather limited diet, the whole of her party consisted of about an hour in which gifts were given and everyone but her had cake – it was kind of sad really, the birthday girl sitting by and smiling while everyone else enjoyed her party, but Mina was a good sport about it, always smiling here, laughing there, but Blake could tell plain as day that the party wasn't what she'd been looking forward to, and Blake was not about to let Mina down on her birthday.

"Mmmm…" Mina nodded, rubbing the white terry cloth of the sleeve up against her cheek, "So soft… I love it,"

"You think I can persuade you to actually wear this one at night?" Blake teased with a smirk.

Mina smirked right back at her though, twirling about in the curious hybrid of a bathrobe and a nightgown, "You can persuade me…"

After the unassuming little party though, Blake had led Mina back to the place that Goodwitch had pointed out to them last week with all possible subtlety, which was no mean feat with Yang, Nora, and Clara about, and after a brief – if also quite vigorous – search of the area to ensure that their only company would be Nora's beloved turtles, Blake had presented Mina with her gift as they sat down on the bench, where they found themselves exchanging their affectionate little banter until Mina – with uncharacteristic modesty – had gone behind a stand of trees to undress and try on the garment which she was presently modeling for Blake.

"Oh really?" Blake leaned in for a kiss, "and how might I do that?"

"Well," Mina approached with a sultry swagger, "I want you to tell me what you think…"

The robe was sewn together over the stomach, so Mina had had to put it on like a shirt or a dress, but by the waist, it wasn't stitched together anymore, although the two sides overlapped considerably – for modesty's sake, of course. Letting her eyes track back up Mina's body, Blake could certainly appreciate the generous swell of the bodice, which fit even Mina nice and loosely, and there was certainly something persuasive about that neckline…

"You look… really nice…"

Mina sat down beside her on the bench, taking Blake's hand in hers and pulling it up against the fabric draped over her lap, "And how does it feel?"

"Very soft…"

Mina smiled, "Good to hear… but I hope you do not mean to make me beg on my birthday…"

"B-beg? What do you mean?"

Mina sighed, casting Blake a slightly impatient look, "Dearest, I appreciate that you like to take it slow sometimes, but at present, I am seated beside you, naked but for this wonderfully soft robe, it is my birthday, and I want you. Perhaps we could skip any further niceties…?"

You have been-, Blake mentally chastised herself at the phrasing of her internal reprimand, She has been looking forward to this all day…

Mina didn't wait for her to answer though; in the absence of an objection after about a heartbeats pause, Mina straddled Blake on the bench and pressed her lips to Blake's with such force that Blake had to angle her neck back. One of Mina's hands found its way behind Blake's head to just barely tease the back of Blake's cat ears, whilst the other caressed Blake's cheek. In the next moment, Blake's bow was undone and hanging over the back of the bench, and Mina was lowering Blake down to lay on the seat, lips still locked, though her hands had migrated to explore the possibility of removing Blake's shirt. For her part, Blake saw no reason not to take advantage of the looseness of Mina's bodice, slipping a hand in to stroke Mina gently, her other hand resting on Mina's hip. Blake felt her breathing grow heavy as they broke apart just long enough for Mina to relieve her of her shirt, but then, rather than return to status quo as it were, Blake took the opportunity to take them both down from the bench and into the soft grass, placing herself now on top of a startled, but not displeased Mina.

With Blake now firmly in control, Mina tilted her head to the side to get a better kiss, and Blake eagerly obliged; Mina could probably have thrown Blake off had she really wanted to be on top, but she didn't, and Blake just found something about knowing that Mina was the physically stronger of the two – thanks to all of her gym time – and yet she – Blake – was in control here rather appealing. Of course, little about present circumstances could be said to be unappealing; from where the robe fell away from Mina's legs, Blake could tell that the gym time had certainly paid off in more ways than one. Years of hanging crunches and clever footwork had rendered Mina's long, full legs very nicely toned, and Blake was torn about whether she should spare a few moments to really appreciate Mina's legs or just get lost in her beautiful eyes. Unable to decide, Blake compromised, burying her face in Mina's ample chest and just listening to her heartbeat. It was fast.

"I'm glad that you are enjoying yourself…" Mina giggled, "I know I am…"

"You smell nice…" Was all Blake could muster in response, muffled by the fact that she was speaking into Mina's chest; well, that and, "I'm so glad I didn't get you some stupid perfume…"

Mina giggled again, "I am pleased that you approve, but please, don't stop…"

"Alright," Resolving her prior dilemma at Mina's request, Blake moved up to give Mina another long, slow kiss, bracing on one elbow, whilst she traced the fingers of her other hand up Mina's inner thigh, ready to oblige her, "You ready?"

"Yes,"

Resuming the kiss once more, and keeping her lips pressed to Mina's as best as she could, Blake continued, taking in the way Mina's whole body jerked and her eyes squeezed shut – if only for a moment. As Mina relaxed into it though, Blake slid her tongue past Mina's lips to play over Mina's own tongue, stifling a little gasp from her lover. Weakly, Mina reached up to rest her hands on Blake's hips as she continued, and then moved her hands up and over Blake's back, eventually reaching up under Blake's arms and holding onto her shoulders, and then back down again.

"Blake…"

Blake hesitated seeing the little tears welling up in Mina's eyes, "Are you okay?"

Mina nodded, a little smile tugging up at the corners of her mouth, "Y-yes… I…" But Mina gave up trying to speak though, instead reaching up to pull Blake into another kiss, suppressing her own gasp of pleasure, before breaking it off again pulling Blake down and rolling over, "Thank you…"

"Uh… sure…" Blake breathed, wide-eyed, "Do you want to…?"

Mina closed her eyes and pressed her face to Blake's bare chest, nodding as she nuzzled, reaching down with one hand to slip her fingers past the waste of Blake's pants. "Yes… May I?"

Blake nodded shakily, letting Mina have control now, "Please… however you want it…"

Nodding gratefully, Mina briefly got up on her knees and stripped off her robe. Then she was back on Blake, nuzzling and caressing Blake's breast, before taking a deep breath in unison with Blake before she bit down to draw blood. Blake winced, gasping, but holding Mina to herself, savoring the sensation of being wanted – needed – and secure in the knowledge that Mina had every intention of showing her gratitude for the sacrifice that she needed from Blake, and that she was good at it… Mina lapped the crimson trickle up as it welled from the puncture wound on Blake's breast, trying to make it as painless as possible, but at the same time too excited and hungry to be as careful as she might have been. That was okay though as far as Blake was concerned; it was such a small price to pay for such great devotion as Mina showed her.

Author's Note: Okay… three racy chapters in relatively brief succession (last week's chapter excluded, of course)… Starting to think I might be laying it on a little thick… Anyway, to compensate for this, next time we will be returning to plot! Yes! Remember plot? I do! Kinda… Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'd love to hear back from anybody if they have suggestions or comments.