Blake felt her heart stutter in her chest.
Did she want a child? Yes...yes she did.
That's precisely what Weiss asked her. In fact, that was all that was asked of her.
"I…" Blake licked her lips. One little word, and it was always so hard to say. "Weiss…"
Golden eyes closed. Her memories taking her back to a time long ago, when she had been just a little girl. Her home back in those days wasn't even a home at all. It was a rundown café, nestled in the outskirts of one of the big cities. She couldn't really remember where, exactly. Young men with hoods stepped inside, and though she didn't know most of them, she eagerly waited. She just knew if she waited long enough, one of the men would be someone she knew. All she had to do was be a good little girl and wait.
"He'll be here soon." That all too soft voice, she remembered it so well. In her mind's eye, she could still remember looking up to see her mother.
That's right. That's all she had to do. Wait for daddy to come home, and he would tuck her in. Just like he did every night. It took a long time, but finally, he came through the door. She was always so happy to see him. To bury her nose into the shoulder of his leather jacket and see what new smells she could find. She used to pester him, asking about the humans. About wanting to meet some, and make friends. At the time, she'd been too little to really understand. Even so, she kept asking, and asking, and asking…
And finally, she went to her first protest, met humans for the first time. She remembered being so excited, so happy…and then the humans dumped a trash can on top of her. That one small moment in her life defined years' worth of hardship. It paved the way for the person she was today. She'd be lying though, if she said she grew up entirely unscathed.
Blake slowly opened her eyes once more.
Yes, she wanted a child. She wanted to be a mother so badly. It was a mystery even to herself. Something like a calling, if she had to give the strange and inexplicable desire some sort of name. It wasn't easy admitting that. "Yes…but-" A thumb pressed ever so gently to her lips. Her wife shushed her.
"Never mind all of those complicated little loopholes." Weiss told her lover gently as she pulled Blake into a hug. "I didn't ask about those. I asked about you."
"You should be concerned, though, shouldn't you?" Blake's ears twitched once more when a soft breath tickled them. They were very sensitive to touch, and even the tiniest thing could irritate them. Strangely enough though, kisses atop her head were never unwelcome. "Children are a big step, huge, in fact." Blake said slowly. "And…I'm a cat Faunus. Simply because of that, I'm prone to litters as well. There's a very large possibility of twins."
"I have no doubt I'll be able to put food on the table." Weiss chuckled softly, prompting Blake to sit upright and look her in the eyes. "Blake, it doesn't matter to me if the people of Atlas like it or not. The next heir of the Schnee Dust Company is going to be a Faunus. We're in a much better position now than we were after we got married. I wasn't ready to be a parent then, and I certainly didn't have the time to consider it."
Blake mulled this over, but their lives hadn't changed all that much. "We still work long hours."
"I will always work long hours." Weiss said with a soft shake of her head. "My employees depend on me for that. I can let them down. You, on the other hand, have no such responsibility." Taking Blake's hands into her own, she examined those perfectly manicured nails. It was a good thing, too. She needing something to look at besides those intoxicating golden eyes. "If you're waiting for me to carry our first born, you're being ridiculous. I don't plan to carry."
"But…I mean, don't you want to?"
"When would I find the time?" Weiss asked her honestly. "It's easy to say I'd carry for nine months, but we both know I'd never be able to keep an infant at the breast all day."
"There's bottles for that." Blake said with a tiny, humorous smile. "…if you carry, the baby has a higher possibility of developing more human traits."
"You mean the ears." Weiss lifted her fingers to run along Blake's for emphasis. "Does it bother you?"
"It's just easier to blend in, that's all." Blake explained. "Behavioral reactions like purring are more easily explained away. Ears…well…they aren't."
"Blake…"
"Yes?"
Weiss cleared her throat a bit, doing away with her blazer. Untucking her white button down shirt from the matching pencil skirt she wore. There was always time for a quickie. "Since you don't seem to understand, let me make this unbelievably blunt." Her shirt hit the floor, and with a little shimmy of her hips, her skirt followed. "Hypothetically speaking, any child we have could come out covered in fur, ears, and a wagging a tail. I would still love that child."
"I…I know that."
"Do you? You absolutely should, but do you really?" Weiss asked, leaning over Blake. She began to divest her lover of the blouse she wore. "Do I make myself absolutely clear?"
Blake swallowed, hard. Her mouth suddenly dry. "Crystal."
Weiss smiled against Blake's lips. "Is that so?" She breathed hotly. "Then prove it to me."
To her credit, Blake was a very, very passionate woman.
Her kisses were always searing hot, and her desires were stronger than any mere flame. It helped, of course, that it was the middle of fall. Mating season brought havoc to Blake's sensibilities, at least behind closed doors. Truth be told, the resident cat Faunus could have cared less about making it down stairs in time for dinner, but Weiss had insisted.
The Faunus needed a shower first, or at least to throw herself into the largest snow pile she could fine. She opted for the former. Albeit painfully as she extracted herself from the bed.
Weiss did the same, much better off as she cleaned up a bit and dressed herself. She knew if she so much as step foot into the bathroom, Blake would made her desire known once more. Much to the dismay of the wealthy woman, circumstances were equally exhausting as soon as she exited her bedroom.
A low wolf whistle greeted Weiss.
"Yang, don't you dare."
"Yeah, boss, gotcha."
"For the thousandth time, don't call me that." Weiss chided. It as worse than princess. "In fact, not a word out of you." Weiss warned Yang as she continued to fix her completely disheveled hair.
Yang nodded, stepping into the private sitting room. That single cozy space separated the rest of the sprawling household and the bedroom. Besides the lovers, only Ruby and Yang were ever permitted inside to visit. The sisters each had their own rooms, quite the same, to do their own entertaining. Yang of course, tended to follow Weiss everywhere. It was in her job description.
"Though, I kind of think you want me to have a word." Yang was failing to suppress a grin.
"One." Weiss allowed skeptically. "Only one, and it had better not be perverse."
There was something about that all too amused look on Yang's face that was a cause for concern. To the blonde's credit, she was able to nip down on her lewd remark. She ended up pulling out compact that contained a mirror. "Look."
Weiss merely sighed. "Concealer please…"
Yang grinned as she unzipped the pouch she kept attached to one of her hips. "Well, it is that time of year."
"So it is." Weiss sighed, hiding the rather raw looking bite mark. It was far too high up on her neck to cover with her shirt.
"I keep telling you, it might not be so bad to invest in a few turtlenecks."
Weiss clicked the bottle shut pointedly. "Trust me, this is the last thing on my current list of predicaments." Handing the bottle back to Yang, she continued authoritatively. "I'll need you to cancel tomorrow's meetings, have them switched. Then, make a call to the family doctor. We'll be visiting there tomorrow, and that is to be kept a private matter from everyone including Ruby until further notice."
"Is Blake okay?" Yang asked worriedly. Weiss didn't normally have Yang do the secretary's job unless it was important.
"She's fine, Yang, but things are going to get a little hectic around here." Weiss replied as she frowned a little in careful consideration. "Ruby's going to have to be added to the security detail."
"But why? She likes inspecting the mines." Yang protested. "It makes her feel good to be out exploring, and you know what that means to her."
"I can't exactly help that, Yang. I'm going to need someone. If she's adamantly opposed to it, I'll keep it as temporary as possible." Weiss said as she pulled out her scroll to take it off of silent. Over fifty new messages graced her screen. She got rid of the notification and made a note to check them later.
"Is there anything else you want me to do?"
Weiss shook her head. "After dinner, you can have the night off."
Yang nodded, but then gave Weiss a knowing look. "Would you like someone else assigned, at least?"
Weiss only shook her head, going over to her glass case. She pulled out her weapon, not that she really needed it. "All guests are off the premises by now anyway." Then as an afterthought, she looked back to the bedroom. "Although, should you feel inclined to keep busy, keeping Ruby out of my hair would be quite helpful. I have too much to do to join her for cookies tonight, and you know she gets."
"Yeah, sure..." Yang trailed as she watched her best frond come out of the bedroom looking like her head was in the clouds. "Uh, just, don't fall asleep at your desk tonight. I really don't want to have to bleach my eyes if Blake catches up with you in the morning."
"If you'd remember to knock on doors first, that would never be an issue." Weiss sighed as she places at hand on the small of her wife's back. "Now then, we better get to the dining hall. Punctuality is a virtue."
AYangThang: I'm going to attempt an update every few days, or failing that, once a week. Shorter chapter lengths agree with my current lifestyle. Thank you all for the response I've received thus far. I hope you continue to enjoy as time goes forward. For those of you just joining this bandwagon, I hope I've sparked your interest. Have a good couple of days, everyone. I'll post again soon.