Sixteen weeks in, and Blake's obsession with the nursery…or nest, as she called it…continued to astound Weiss.
Blake would spend hours just marking the room with her scent, and had dragged Weiss in to simply exist for long stretches of time. As per the usual rule, no one else was allowed in, and Blake had made sure to enforce that religiously. That still didn't stop her from enlisting Velvet's help to gather supplies. New deliveries of ordered goods seemed to make an appearance often enough.
Weiss stepped over one such box, thinking she had lost her mind when all that was inside was a big bag of fluffy cotton and a bunch of tightly rolled fabric.
She still hadn't the slightest idea what that was for…but she was glad Blake was starting to utilize the credit card for once in her life. Even so, the expenditures were cheap. Fifty lien here, a hundred there. The most expensive thing on the bank statement had been a purchase that was over four hundred lien. A finely hand-crafted rocking chair made for Faunus in mind. It was the gliding sort that mounted from a long poll that stretched from the floor to ceiling. Made so that so that little tails or curious fingers wouldn't get caught in the slats.
Weiss had expected her fair share of difficulties when it came to looking after not one, but two pregnant women. She did not, however, take into account that she would be so exhausted. There wasn't just Blake to look after anymore. Velvet was further along, and with twins no less. Even with Yatsuhashi around to mediate the havoc of Velvet's brood, there were still more trips to Vale than Weiss knew what to do with.
Bi-weekly, Blake had an appointment with Oobleck. On alternating weeks Velvet had her own doctor to see. On top of that, there were meetings to be held at the SDC, and trips across Remnant that Weiss had to attend. Those trips she had been making alone, with a small army of lower ranking security personnel accompanying her. She had just gotten back from one such journey to speak publicly on the Grimm attacks in Atlas.
Tired, and ready to flop down into bed, she meandered through the front door.
She no sooner entered, that she took sight of small army of children, both human and Faunus alike, stampeding down the hall. A red-eyed Yang chased after them spitting obesities. Yatsuhashi followed after her, albeit at a much more leisurely pace, shaking his head with a bemused smile.
"I don't want to know, do I?" Weiss asked as Velvet finally made it around the corner with a sigh.
"The girls tried to give her a haircut." Velvet reported, holding the small lock between her fingers.
"Not the wisest idea by far." Weiss said as Velvet handed her a letter.
"Not in the slightest. In any case, Ruby sent this." Velvet said happily. Weekly snail mail was the only way to send replies back and forth, and the inhabitants of the mansion lived for their litters. Velvet's day brightened considerably when two long letters arrived for her. She always made a habit of replying back the same day, so that it made the early post. For her, there was never a shortage of things to say.
"Any word on when they'll be coming home?" Weiss asked.
"No, but Coco did say that they found Sun and Neptune staying at one of the inns on the northern ridge. As of this letter, Coco says they're going to survey the area. I assume everyone's okay for now. She didn't say anything about any injuries. I haven't gotten to Fox's letter though."
"That's a relief." Weiss tucked her letter into her inside blazer pocket, glancing around. "You wouldn't happen to know where Blake is, do you?"
Velvet seemed to ponder this. "The library, I believe. Last place I saw her, anyway. She's been cooped up in there all day, won't accept any visitors."
"Well, I suppose I'm off to the library then." Weiss said before making her way there. She passed by one of the sitting rooms, where Jaune had fallen asleep. His son laying across his chest snoozing soundly as well. When she got to the library, she noticed several boxes of books carefully packed away, and Blake gathering more as she held them to her chest. The boxes all had one word scribbled across them in big bold ink.
Nest…
"Is all of this truly necessary?" Weiss asked with no small amount of amusement.
"Yes." Blake said distractedly before realization dawned and she hurriedly put her books down to pull her wife into a long sought after hug. "God, I missed you." That several bits of reading material plopped to the floor didn't bother Blake in the slightest. She left them forgotten for the moment. "I never seem to know how much until I have you back in my arms again."
"It was only a weekend."
"It was still too long to-" Blake cut herself off, standing there quietly before purring. Her left ear twitched before a delirious smile formed on her face. "They're moving Weiss." She said quietly. "I can feel them moving."
"When did that start?" Weiss asked, nearly mystified. Oobleck had said to expect it at their last exam, but the magnitude of the statement struck Weiss hard. She pushed up Blake's shirt and gently placed her hand over her wife's pregnant belly.
"The other morning, after breakfast." Blake kept her voice low, as if speaking any louder would destroy the moment from around them. "I thought it might have been indigestion, but they keep on doing it. It's them Weiss. That, right there."
Weiss chuckled then. "It's too soon for me to feel anything." Weiss said, offering Blake a kiss in apology. "So, are they the reason you're dismantling the library?"
Blake nodded. "Come on." She pulled Weiss through the halls and over to the room she had claimed as the nest. As normal, they took off their shoes and socks before entering. That was another one of Blake's rules. Bare feet only on the carpet. Opening the door and ushering Weiss inside, she was eager to show off the latest handiwork. "So, what do you think?"
All Weiss saw was a gigantic plushy looking oval, covered in some sort of elastic tarp. "I don't even know what it is…" She trailed off. It couldn't be a bed, at least not any sort of bed she knew of. Blake had already made one out of the bundle of sheets in the corner. All of the furniture in there was low to the ground. Nothing above knee height except for the three inlaid shelves. This tarp covered oval stuck out like a sore thumb.
"It's for the home birth." Blake said, preparing herself for a hard sell. Weiss would be skeptical, she was sure of it. "I want to give birth right here in this room…and I want it to be just us, Ruby and Yang…just the family."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Weiss asked, more than a little perturbed by the idea.
"Don't give me that look, it's the exact same one Yang gave me."
"Yes, well, perhaps that's for the best." Weiss coughed. "You...don't truly want to do a home birth, do you?"
"At my last appointment, Oobleck said it would be fine so long as it was a relaxing environment." Blake said, trying to get Weiss to agree. "We can always fly him out a few days before the birth so he can be in the mansion in case anything goes wrong…"
"I don't know about this…"
"Even Velvet thinks this is for the best. All of hers have been at home with just Coco and Fox there…labor more or less takes care of itself."
Blake had her heart set on this. Weiss could tell. She bit her lip worriedly. She paced around, slowly and carefully. "I want the family doctor and Oobleck on standby…and someone who's done this before is coming into this room scent or not…I don't care who….but someone. Those are my terms if you want me to agree to this."
Blake bit her lip. She really didn't want to have too many different scents in the room. "Sun…"
"Sun?" Weiss spluttered, choking on her own shock. She had many names listed in her brain, Sun wasn't one of them.
"I can't ask Velvet." Blake said slowly. "She'll be in the bonding phase with her litter by then. Besides, Sun's practically immediate family now. I'm sure he'll be in courtship with Ruby by then, if not mated by that point. He has just as much a right to be in here as Ruby, and he took care of Octavia and Zhu just fine."
"This is going to worry me." Weiss told her.
"Weiss, I could have a whole hospital team, and you'd still be worried." Blake said knowingly. "I want to do it here."
That was also true, and Weiss sighed in earnest. "Alright…alright, fine…I'll agree to this under one stipulation. Closer to the time, Oobleck swears to me that he's positive that there won't be any problems with you doing a home birth. Absolutely none."
Blake smiled. "That's all I ask."
"Fluid breaths, the world and all of its problems are no longer your burden to bear." The tall man of few words said smoothly, schooling Yang in the art of mediation. He cracked an eye open. "Relax."
But Yang wasn't relaxed. She was anything but relaxed. This man was pervading her life in more ways than one, and she really didn't want him to be. Blake kept giving Yang offhanded glances, which didn't help the matter. Meditation was not how she relaxed. Booze was. Questionable television was. Sex was. A good fight...something, anything, but this.
Shameless flirting and beating down target dummies, were what put the spring back in her step. At least, that's what it usually did. Now, it just made her feel even more alone. While everyone else spent time gushing over letters and talking about children, Yang was forced to deal with the fact that she didn't have anyone. With another frustrated curse, she got up off of the floor. "I can't do this. I'm not like you."
"It is a lack of effort on your behalf." Yatsuhashi concluded. "You believe you are unable, and thusly, you fail to open yourself up to wider possibilities."
"Starting to sound like Ren." Yang half muttered, stretching to pop her back.
"I have meditated with him in the past. It is rather soothing to share ones vexations, and I know he feels the same." He stood as well, towering over with his height. He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, the action making her catch her breath. "Strength is not measured by known feats. It's measured by the trials that lay ahead, beyond what is seen."
"Yeah, you keep thinking that." Yang said, pushing away to grab her water bottle.
She was twirled around in an instant, one large hand holding her wrist in a steadfast grip. Powerful enough to hold her, gentle enough not to hurt her. He measured her lilac eyes, and the surprise that he saw there. "What do you wish of me?"
Yang forced a smile. "It's nothing big guy, trust me. I've just been out of sorts. Not your fault."
"Now that," He considered thoughtfully, "I do not believe."
"Yeah, well unless you're going to fuck me right here in this gym, guess you're going to be a non-believer."
Yatsuhashi sighed at length. Yang Xiao Long was many things, but she was above all, a very difficult woman. He'd concluded this long ago, and he had many women in his life with which to compare. Velvet was the peaceful sort. She knew what she wanted, but sometimes lacked confidence to ask. Coco, on the other hand was sometimes a bit too confidant, and let her nature become a badge of honor.
As for Weiss, she was cunning. Every bit the wealthy powerhouse one might expect of the Schnee Dust Company. Her short stature and petite body only added to her glacial charm. Blake was the person that he wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of in a dark alleyway. Without a doubt, Blake could be wild and feral. Ruby was the open book of the group. Yang…Yatsuhashi wasn't sure about her. He hadn't the slightest clue how to define her actions into a simple little package.
However, no matter what he thought, her words shocked him to the core. The gentle giant could do no more than run that large thumb of his along her wrist, feeling her tremble under his touch. She always came on strong, but just like always, there was a fear there. An undercurrent that he couldn't fathom.
"I sincerely doubt that." He began slowly, and with great effort on his part. "Even if I were to fornicate with you in such a manner, I'd question that it would leave either one of us with any peace of mind. Chances are good that it would not."
"Let me go…let's not do this." Yang said with a small but weak smile. Forced between the joke she always said at times such as these. "You don't want me anyway."
"I believe the situation more complicated. I do not wish to harm you." He said in earnest. "It is clear to me, you wound yourself enough with your own turn of phrase. It is a path I've seen many go down before. Self-loathing, self-doubt, that's the beginning of a dark road." Even so, he refused to let go of her. "I feel as if you do not truly believe it, but you are a very beautiful woman, Yang Xiao Long."
And she was indeed beautiful to him. She was his friend, if little else, and honesty was the best policy. Still, he was not the sort of man that sought the comfort of a bedmate for the sake of notches on a belt, or lines on a bedpost. He couldn't recall a time where he hadn't devoted himself to honor and virtue. The last time he had even looked for a lover, he was a mere soft-hearted boy at Beacon, and not the man he was today.
The days of looking, and being denied such simple things...they were very upsetting indeed.
So, in that distant regard, he understood some of the pain he saw in lilac eyes. The desire to be noticed on a much deeper level spoke to him. A kinship that was perhaps in its own way much deeper. Much more intimate, than what Yang had asked for mere moments ago.
"You haven't a clue as to what I desire." He said as he pulled her close, one gentle kiss to her cheek, and then another upon her lips. "How could you, when even I do not yet possess that sort of information? It is easy to covet, but difficult to keep what one has...I have endeavored thankfulness over loneliness...I do not wish to lose all that I have managed to be given..."
That left Yang with plenty to think about...
Yatsuhashi got it. Understood all of the things Yang never bitched about, but always let linger in her mind. Her days were filled with warmth. She had a good thing going, she wasn't stupid. She knew that. Weiss and Blake were family, no question. She had a roof over her head, a job that kept her busy, great meals all the time, and the security of knowing that if anything ever happened, she'd be looked after. All of those same comforts extended to Ruby.
But for all of the warmth of her daily life, at the end of it all, Yang was alone in her own head at night.
Left to her thoughts, her regrets, to the niggling littles questions. The 'what ifs' and the 'why hadn't she' thoughts rolling around in a big messy lump of frustration. Left stewing in that kind of thinking long enough, the lines did tend to muddy. Blurred between what she wanted, and what she needed. On the extreme and desperate end of those silent screams, she'd gotten lost along the way...forgotten why it was so much fun to flirt and play around in the first place.
The game wasn't a game anymore. It was a pained cry to be understood. Yang had already decided long ago, thinking like that was pretty damn ugly. Nobody wanted someone who thought like that…no one…
Not even a guy like Yatsuhashi.
So, she tried to push it out of her mind. When that didn't work, she reverted back to what she did best. Keeping an eye on the goings on, and munching on salty snacks. Thankfully, there was a comedy going on right in front of her. It seemed like Weiss had finally met her match when it came to stubbornness.
"Apple…" Weiss said, pointing to the fruit on the table. "Come on, Zhu, you can say it. Apple."
He made a noise, popping the small piece into his mouth.
"Damn…" She cursed, shaking her head.
"Maybe he just doesn't want to talk." Yang said thoughtfully.
"He actually is talking." Blake said, closing her book to regard them. "He's just not using human speech. I can understand him perfectly well."
"Because you suddenly speak monkey." Weiss groused.
"Obviously not, but I can read body language." Blake said simply. "He's not so concerned with the word, but rather the intent. That sound clearly means fruit. He's made it for everything you've put in front of him." Blake said then, smiling softly at her wife's vexation. "Besides, you know he always curls his tail like that when he's interested in something. No matter what he's actually saying, he's clearly agreeing with you."
"Okay, let's try this again." Weiss replied. "Apple."
His tail flicked as he made a sound of interest. Watching as his meal floated in front of him between two dainty fingers. He launched himself at the snack, upturning the plate that was off to the side, sending the meal flying across the table as he charged after it.
"Zhu!" Weiss chastised, not that the boy seemed to care as he enjoyed the runaway lunch.
Blake only laughed. "Though, it could also mean 'feed me stupid' with the way you're taking your dear sweet time feeding him."
Yang lifted an eyebrow. "Okay smartass. We'll play it your way." She dug potato chip out of the bag. "Chip?"
To his credit, Zhu made a different sound but didn't speak, slowly taking the offered morsel with due satisfaction.
"See?" Blake said with a smirk. "Different noise entirely."
"Well excuse us humans for being stupid." Yang laughed, riffling the red hair atop his head.
Blake sighed, the smile still playing across her face. "Not all Faunus use human speech. We just don't need it among our own kind. It helps, certainly, but it's not exactly a requirement to get by. Besides, getting small children to transition into it can be difficult."
"It'll certainly be a requirement in this household." Weiss refuted, placing another small slice onto his plate. "Apple, Zhu. Just say apple."
Zhu scowled, and then hooted at her, popping the piece into his mouth. They didn't need to speak his language to know that sound was a clear act of defiance. He'd done it often enough. Blake's unrestrained laughter didn't help the situation.
Velvet came in then, holding Bruno. "Might I ask what's so funny?"
Blake pressed her lips together, but more laughter slipped out. "They're trying to teach Zhu to talk…"
At this, Velvet shared a weary smile of her own. "Oh?"
"I hardly see the hilarity…" Weiss sighed, giving her wife an agitated look. "I've heard him say simple words before. It's time to expand his vocabulary."
"And, how might I ask, are you trying to do this?" Velvet queried. Weiss offered a demonstration, which resulted in the usual failure to say the word. Suddenly understanding dawned on Velvet, and she turned to Blake. "How long have they been doing that?"
"About an hour."
"Blake, that's so mean." Velvet laughed with a shake of her head. She offered Weiss a passing question. "You do realize, a Faunus toddler his age has almost full range of vocalization, correct? In his native tongue, he's communicating fluently by now...it's just a matter of getting him to want to start converting the language."
"It was too funny to correct them." Blake admitted with a grin.
"You knew?!" Weiss blustered.
"I did try to warn you that he was a little young to adapt…" Blake said with a renewed round of snickers. "He knows what he's doing Weiss, he understands you just fine. He just doesn't want to answer back in your language. Like I told you earlier, he's been saying apple or fruit this whole time."
Weiss sighed with no small amount of aggravation. "He is his father's son..."
Velvet remained highly amused. "Play dumb, that's what Coco and Fox do with our litter. If you act like you have no clue what he's trying to communicate, he'll have to start talking." Zhu gave Velvet a long look, puffing his chest out. "See what I mean?" She said, gesturing to him. "Though, if I were you, I'd wait another year or two before trying to force it. Chances are, he'll grow into it on his own."