It returns! Finally! I'm very sorry for the long absence from this story - my life has kinda been thrown in a loop recently and it's been difficult to focus my attention on this. I do plan to continue the story, just less often as I had once been.
Side note - if the story 'bothers' you, don't read it. I'm not forcing anyone to read this! There are plenty of other stories out there to read - why put yourself through something you don't enjoy?
Humming to herself, she pulled open the door to the refrigerator and searched aimlessly inside while waiting for an idea to strike. Thankfully, when it came to food, inspiration was never too far away from her. Breakfast this morning would be...some eggs, bacon, and a side of toast.
Perfect.
Grabbing the eggs and bacon from the fridge, she set them on the large island in the kitchen before going in search of a loaf of bread. It was while her head was stuck in the pantry that she heard the sound of feet shuffling into the kitchen to join her.
Turning around, she found Blake walking into the room with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head before rubbing the sleep from her amber eyes.
The girl was still wearing the oversized t-shirt she'd found stuffed in the back of one of Yang's sets of drawers a while ago. And boy had that been one of the best discoveries known to mankind. The way it clung to the writer's chest before barely touching the rest of her petite frame...falling just far enough so she couldn't really tell if the girl was wearing anything underneath or not...
"I'd think you'd have had enough of that, by now."
The comment snapped her eyes upward, finding a small grin sneaking its way onto Blake's lips.
Well, this certainly wasn't the first time she'd been caught openly ogling her beautiful girlfriend - and it most certainly wouldn't be the last.
"I'll never have enough," she replied confidently, smiling through the flush she felt on her cheeks.
Sometimes, she felt as if her smile might be too bright from the way Blake would turn away after none too long. But it was the blush on the girl's cheeks that gave away the rush of feelings the girl must be experiencing.
"Making breakfast?" Blake asked, gesturing towards some of the ingredients that had made it to the counter.
"Yup! Thought I could have it ready before you woke up, but you beat me."
The girl blushed, but maintained eye contact this time.
"Well...the bed gets really cold when you leave…"
"Aww...so you missed me?"
It was times like these that she loved Blake even more - that she loved their relationship even more.
That, even with flushed cheeks, they could admit anything to one another - no matter how cheesy or crazy or vulnerable it made them sound.
The thought made her grin as Blake walked up to her - the girl's proximity beginning to scramble her cognitive abilities the closer they became. Blake only stopped her advance when she was practically pressed against her - undoubtedly trying to steal some more of her warmth while playfully tugging at the bottom of her own loosely fitted tee.
It was difficult to concentrate whenever the girl was in her personal space like this...the interaction so seemingly innocent...except in her mind.
"Do you want any help?"
"Uh...help with what?" she asked dumbly, mind consumed by thoughts of nothing but the sight in front of her - long, smooth legs extending for miles...pronounced collarbone visible from the way the shirt fell towards the girl's shoulders...
"Breakfast?" Blake asked with a smirk, having yet again caught her in the midst of staring.
"Oh! Right, I was making breakfast," she exclaimed, face flushing while trying to refocus on the task at hand - the task she'd attempted to wake up early for. "Yeah, I'd love some help - you wanna start the eggs?"
After nodding, Blake gave her a quick kiss on the lips, which would have delayed breakfast for at least an hour had the girl not quickly skirted away from her.
Collecting the carton of eggs, the writer began gathering the other utensils needed to crack and scramble them.
Shaking her head in order to clear it of the Blake-induced cobwebs, she turned back towards the pantry in search of the bread she somehow still hadn't managed to locate.
With a soft 'aha,' she finally found the bag and threw it onto the island just as her phone began ringing - the loud sound intrusive upon their lowkey morning.
Grabbing the device off the counter, she looked at the name and groaned as she answered.
"You know it's Saturday, right?" she asked, skipping the customary 'good morning.'
"I wouldn't have to call if you would respond to my emails."
"I've been...busy," she replied cagily, shooting a quick glance towards the person who'd been occupying most...er, all...of her time the last couple of days.
It wasn't her fault that she had a terribly alluring girlfriend.
But it was as if she became melted butter whenever Blake set foot into the room - or popped into her thoughts. What was she supposed to do?
Plus, she'd convinced herself that they were just...researching...in case Blake wanted to write something under that pen name of hers again. She was only being helpful, as any good girlfriend should strive to be.
"I wanted to remind you of your commitment today - I know how you like to forget your weekend appointments."
Frowning at the words, she began pushing papers around on the counter, searching for her planner.
"Well, who schedules things on the weekend?" she complained - the argument she'd steadfastly held for years now.
Finding the planner under the unopened mail, she flipped it open with one hand and tried to find the current week. She'd gotten a little bad at keeping track of things ever since Blake stepped into the picture, so she hadn't actually looked at the thing in a month or so.
"I would say that I usually do, but this one was actually you," Glynda replied.
Finding today's date, she read the scribbles she must have written down ages ago.
"Oh."
"Yes, 'oh,'" Glynda mimicked her - the woman's smirk traveling through the phone. "I asked what would happen if you were seeing someone, but you swore it would never happen - something about being 'too free a bird to be flying with chickens,' or something like that…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she replied, mind already moving past this conversation to the much more uncomfortable one she was going to have to have next. "Guessing there's no way to get out of it?"
It was a long shot...but at least worth asking…
"Not without disappointing a lot of people - you've been the main selling point for a long time now."
"Of course...ok well, no problem!" she replied with a fake level of confidence. "I'll still be there."
"A glutton for punishment, huh?" Glynda answered in amusement. "The details are in your email already. Oh, and tell Blake I said hello - before or after she kills you, I don't mind which."
"Ha ha," she replied dryly. "Thanks for the call."
"Good luck."
Ending the call, she threw the device onto the countertop and let out a sigh.
What a way to start the day.
Maybe she shouldn't have gotten out of bed, after all.
Blake was looking at her curiously while frying the eggs, another pan sizzling on the stove with bacon at the same time. The girl didn't ask anything, but she didn't have to - she knew that Yang would explain the conversation without being prompted.
That's how they worked - there were no secrets. Everything was shared without having to be asked...because they wanted to share everything with each other.
It certainly made things easy.
"Glynda says hello," she began as she joined her girlfriend near the stove.
"Oh, that's nice. I should call her...maybe she'd like to have lunch again," Blake responded, turning her attention temporarily back to the pans she was tending to.
"I swear she likes you way more than me," she teased, leaning against the countertop, smiling when the comment made the girl laugh.
"Glynda adores you - she just won't ever admit it."
"Eh...I'm pretty sure she only likes me because of you."
Blake shook her head, but gave her an appreciative smile for the compliment.
"I'm pretty sure a lot of people like me way more just because I'm with you," she continued, mind wandering as she thought of the truth behind that statement. "It's like...if I'm somehow good enough that someone like you will date me -"
"Ok, what are you sucking up for?" Blake teased, turning fully towards her, arms crossed over her chest.
"I was being completely truthful!" she whined, throwing in a quick pout for good measure. "But now that you mention it...there's something I need to do this afternoon...and you might not like it very much…"
"I'm listening," Blake said, encouraging her to continue with a small smile.
"You know, it's actually kinda funny if you think about it…"
Blake raised an eyebrow at her attempt to hedge around the issue.
"Ok," she said, cutting to the chase. "So a while ago, I might have...kinda...volunteered myself to participate in this auction…"
"What type of auction?"
"Well, it's for charity - the proceeds go to the Lunar Foundation - the one that helps all those sick kids?"
"Ok...so far this doesn't sound like something I would be remotely against…" Blake said with a grin.
"Well...they're kinda going to...auction off...a kiss."
Whatever Blake had been expecting, it hadn't been that - after a brief moment of confusion, the girl's eyes widened in shock.
"A kiss? As in, a kiss with you?"
"Uh...kinda…" she said, running one hand through her hair and giving the girl a nervous smile.
"So...let me get this straight...some complete stranger is going to buy a kiss with you?"
She cringed under the girl's steady gaze.
When it was put that way, it sounded pretty horrible.
Now was probably about the right time to start apologizing profusely.
"I'm really sorry! I just...I volunteered when I wasn't seeing anyone...or even considering seeing anyone. They asked me to do it as a joke, but I figured it could actually bring in a lot of money so I agreed. I would totally back out, but apparently that's one of the things they've been hyping up this entire time...and I totally forgot about it and I'm really, really sorry…"
She watched while Blake bit her bottom lip, tapping one finger quickly against her arm while hopefully absorbing the apology.
A huge sigh of relief escaped her lips when the writer gave a curt nod in acceptance. Without thinking, she reached forward and crushed the girl in a hug, giving her a kiss on the lips before releasing her.
Ok, hard part over…
"And just another small detail...the kiss might be combined with...a little bit of a date."
Putting on her best 'I'm so sorry I could literally die right now' face, she watched as Blake opened her mouth, just to let out a sigh.
"It's really hard to be mad when it's supporting sick kids…" the girl mumbled.
Grinning, she gave the girl another huge hug, this time nearly lifting Blake off of her feet.
"You're absolutely amazing, you know that?" she said, giving Blake a much longer kiss before finally breaking away, brushing a loose strand of black hair behind the writer's ear. "I love you so much."
Blake blushed at the words, unable to even pretend to be upset for long.
"Well...one of us has to be amazing," the girl finally teased her.
Laughing at the joke, she grabbed the girl's hands and led her to the other side of the island, pulling out one of the stools for Blake to sit on.
"You sit here and let me finish up breakfast, ok? We don't need anymore overcooked eggs."
She giggled as Blake playfully swatted her butt before taking the seat. Going back to the stove, she lifted the pan of eggs and looked at them more closely, determining that they had been left on the heat a little too long. Dumping the contents into the trash, she started over.
As she cooked, she glanced over her shoulder every so often, finding Blake watching her intently each time.
There had never been any doubt in her mind before, but she had the best girlfriend ever.
"So...how exactly is this going work again?" Blake asked as they walked through the front door of the sprawling hotel where the charity event was taking place.
"Well, they're going to be auctioning off a lot of other stuff, but I'll be going last. People will bid for the chance to go on a date with me, an opportunity of a lifetime, if you ask me! Whoever wins, I'll take out on one date. And, you know, give one kiss," she added quietly, not wanting to draw too much attention back to that sticking point. "They can make suggestions on what they'd like to do, but ultimately I get to decide."
"It'll be something casual like dinner, right?" Blake asked as they followed the giant signs towards the right convention room.
"No, actually I was thinking more like a drive-in theater or a hike - somewhere really secluded where we can be nice and alone together."
She turned to grin at her girlfriend, who was much less amused by her joke than she was.
"And I'm really not allowed to participate?"
"Well, it wouldn't really be fair if my girlfriend won a date with me, right?" she asked in return, although deep down she kind of wanted Blake to bail her out of this, too.
"But I would pay…"
"Then I might as well just donate the money myself! The point is to get other people to spend their money," she replied.
Blake just made a 'hmm'ing noise in response.
She could tell that the girl wasn't the most thrilled with the situation, but had thankfully still come along with her. It would be just like ripping off a bandaid...a very painful bandaid...and then she would spend a very, very long time showering her girlfriend with gifts and apologies.
"Do I get to see jealous Blake again?" she teased lightly, nudging the girl gently in the side while they approached a crowd of people milling around the entrance to the event.
"Please -"
"You're already jealous, huh."
"Let's just say that I'll be stalking you wherever this date ends up being."
She laughed at the honest answer, the sound attracting the attention of several people near the back of the crowd. Ignoring their stares, she gave Blake a quick kiss for being so adorably adorable yet again.
Stares didn't bother her - they were easy enough to pretend weren't happening and Blake seemed to have grown used to them.
Whispers though…they were sometimes easy to ignore, but sometimes they became so incessant and persistent, she had no choice but to acknowledge them - like right now. The excited chatters made it really difficult to concentrate on appreciating the girl standing right within her grasp.
Turning away from Blake, she searched for the source of the commotion - the cause of the whispers.
"Of course…." she said when she found it, letting out a big sigh and taking one of Blake's hands while turning to face the newest arrival with a big, fake smile.
"Cinder! What a pleasant surprise."
Never releasing Blake's hand, she gave Cinder a one-armed hug to maintain appearances before backing away.
"There was no way I was going to miss this," the girl responded with a smirk. "Yang Xiao Long...selling herself? And in front of her own girlfriend, no less? I can throw money at some sick kids for the chance to see that."
It's for charity, it's for charity, she reminded herself as she gritted her teeth - not responding to Cinder's attempt to rile her up in front of onlookers.
Of course, she wasn't the only person listening.
"At least someone would be willing to buy her."
She turned to Blake in surprise, jaw dropping before turning back to find the smirk wiped clean off Cinder's face. The woman's mouth opened and closed, rebuttals flashing behind those eyes but not emerging as words. There was no really good way to respond without having to prove that someone would, in fact, be willing to pay for Cinder's company.
And she highly doubted that the woman was willing to put herself up for auction - only to potentially be 'purchased' for less than she was.
With a huff, Cinder just pushed past them, stalking inside the room towards the seats.
She giggled as the girl left them angrily behind, turning to Blake and giving her another kiss on the cheek.
"You're so awesome…"
"I don't like her," the girl responded flatly.
"Neither do I! But I can't think of zingers like that."
Her girlfriend finally smiled and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Well, we know who the quick thinker in this relationship is…"
"Most definitely you," she replied with a grin, before a more horrible thought occurred to her.
"Oh god...she's going to buy my date..."
The day had just gotten substantially worse in a heartbeat.
"Now can I bid?" Blake asked.
"Sweetie...I know we don't talk about personal finances much...but is it possible that you make more than an internationally recognized superstar actress?"
"...probably not…"
"Ok...I don't want you to waste your money on this. We also don't want it to look like you tried and lost, you know? So maybe we just...take the high road from the start? Make it obvious that you're not going to bid?"
It was a horrible solution, but it would probably look bad if Blake lost out when really trying…then the media would run something like 'who really holds Yang's affections?' or some bull like that.
This was truly a bad day...she should have turned off her phone and accidentally missed this entire thing.
"Hey, I know what will cheer you up," Blake suddenly said, nudging her shoulder gently to get her attention.
Glancing for a second into amber eyes, she then looked in the direction the girl nodded in.
"Nooo way!" she exclaimed after a gasp, a smile appearing immediately.
"Knew that would make you happy," Blake said with a giggle.
"Oh you know it!" she replied happily while leading the writer through the crowd of people and into the giant room beyond. "This at least makes today a little better."
She stopped talking as they neared their objective - the girl speaking calmly to a small group of people who looked to be rather adoring fans.
"Hey Weiss!"
The girl turned towards the sound of her name, confused expression turning to one of...no, that couldn't be dread on her face. Apprehension, maybe.
Yeah, she'd go with apprehension.
"I didn't know you would be here!" she exclaimed, pulling the girl into a somewhat stiff and uncomfortable hug.
"I'm here every year," the girl responded after taking a step away from her, blushing lightly while their onlookers stared in awe.
"Oh, I didn't know that! So you're big on the kids, huh?" she asked, ignoring the stares easily, which didn't seem to be working so well for the girl in front of her, who was becoming more awkward by the second.
"Well, I just...think it's a good cause…"
"Will you be donating something to the auction then?" Blake asked, voice calming and much less...eager than hers.
Weiss seemed to respond much better to that tone, turning away from her and focusing solely upon Blake.
"Yes, every year I donate a session in a recording studio where I'll help coach them through their own single."
"Woah," she said in surprise while Blake nodded in agreement with her reaction. "That is way cool. So much better than a stupid kiss."
"Yeah, Yang - how come Weiss came up with something unique and interesting and you...just threw your body into it?" Blake teased.
"Because that's what I always do," she answered with a grin and a wink for Weiss' sake.
She almost missed it, but there was a tiny hint of a smile that appeared for no more than a second - could it be that the girl had found their banter somewhat amusing?
"You know what I should have done? I should have offered up Pyrrha!" she exclaimed, keeping a sly watch on the singer to gauge a reaction. "Then I could invite her to 'support the cause' - once she got here, she'd never be able to say no!"
"You're probably right...but then I wouldn't have a girlfriend anymore," Blake responded, never missing a beat.
She grinned, both at the writer's response and the small smile Weiss allowed to slip out.
Weiss had a sense of humor buried in there somewhere!
"We should probably get ready - I think they'll start soon," the singer suggested, gesturing towards the stage that had been set up on one end of the room.
"Right - here's where I disappear for a bit!" she said, turning back to Blake and wrapping the girl in a quick hug. "I'll see you as soon as my part's over."
The writer gave her a loving smile, squeezing her hand lightly before walking away to find a seat in the crowd.
"God, I'm in so much trouble later…" she muttered to herself before turning to follow Weiss backstage, as the organizers had requested they do.
"She didn't seem too upset," Weiss responded, the answer surprisingly in its...very existence.
"Just wait until Cinder buys a kiss and date with me…"
The girl let out a mild laugh of amusement at that thought, before their attention was drawn to the task at hand - employees and helpers rushing around backstage while trying to get everything in order as the auction began. The sound of a loud voice over a microphone could be heard on just the other side of the curtains, announcing the beginning of this year's event.
Sitting backstage, she watched as people rushed about - taking items up onto stage to be sold before bringing them back to be stored for their new owners. The entire time, she sat in one chair, knee bouncing nervously up and down while awaiting her fate.
Weiss sat next to her, although the singer wasn't very talkative. She didn't really mind though - she was used to spending quiet afternoons with Blake. The writer needed quiet in order to concentrate, so she was more than happy to just...keep the girl company.
But before too long, Weiss was also gone - going upstage for her own, way too awesome, experience to be auctioned away. The girl didn't return afterward, either joining the crowd or leaving, she didn't know.
And then the director of the event was waving her over, signaling that it was her time to shine.
With a wide, confident smile, she stepped through the slit in the curtain and out onto the stage to a round of applause. Waving, she walked over to the auctioneer just as she'd been instructed to do, stopping to his right. The man was already speaking quickly, having already introduced what exactly was being offered before she'd even appeared.
He was already getting into money - shouting progressively higher numbers while various people in the crowd raised their hands or nodded to place their bid.
This was for charity - and people were excited. That meant they would spend a lot of money.
Which was a good thing, regardless of what happened.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the seas of gold she'd found herself missing over their mandatory separation. She found Blake in the fourth row, a little left of the center of the room. Sending the writer a smile meant only for her, she beamed even wider when she received one in return.
Not wanting to stare at only one person, she allowed her eyes to wander, making sure to hold a smile all the while. Her smile only faltered when she found Cinder - the girl sending her the biggest smirk while watching the action going on around them.
It was pretty clear what the girl was doing...she was waiting for the less serious bidders to fall out, then she would come in and start picking up rather large numbers.
But it was going to charity.
Sick children.
The auctioneer passed ten thousand Lien...a hefty sum for an evening of her time. Fewer and fewer people were placing bids now, the extravagant price exceeding what they could afford or wanted to spend.
It was then that Cinder began to bid - the girl making nothing more than a minuscule tilt of her head to notify the auctioneer of her acceptance of the price.
One by one, the random people were beginning to fall out of the bidding until there were just two left - some well dressed man wearing a...cowboy hat...and Cinder.
"Eighteen thousand -" the auctioneer finally said, only much more garbled than that.
And cowboy hat...failed her. Shaking his head at the sum while Cinder beamed with victory.
She sent a wink towards Blake, knowing that the girl was probably steaming at what was about to occur.
"Eighteen thousand going once -"
Why did she have to have the most crazy ex in the entire universe? Why couldn't Cinder just leave her alone?
"Eighteen thousand going twice -"
If she was lucky, a hole would appear beneath her feet on the stage and she could fall through it. She'd find Blake later and both of them would go on the lamb - never to be seen or heard from again.
"Twenty thousand Lien."
There were gasps at the stated bid, the crowd searching for the bidder as the smirk was blown right off of Cinder's face. Her eyes followed the crowd as they found the source of the voice.
No...freaking...way.
Weiss looked completely disinterested in the entire affair, ignoring the shocked expressions she was receiving from basically everyone in the room.
Even the auctioneer was surprised at the last minute entrant and her bid, sputtering for a second before resuming his job.
"Uh...twenty thousand Lien - going once -"
Cinder scowled at the singer, undoubtedly not wanting to get into a bidding war with someone whose pockets were just as deep as hers. Standing up, the woman stalked out of the room in anger.
"Going twice...sold to Miss Schnee."
The singer stood and walked calmly out of the room as the auctioneer gave way to an announcer who was going to wrap up the event.
She disappeared back behind the stage then ran out the nearest door to the hallway in the hotel, booking it towards the exit so that she could cut the girl off.
Thankfully, Weiss was only walking - not running like she was - allowing her to catch up in no time.
"Weiss, wait up!" she called out, the girl turning slightly and obediently stopping ahead.
Jogging to a stop in front of the girl, she noticed that she'd managed to draw quite a bit of attention with her shout, so lowered her voice to a more appropriate level before continuing.
"Thank you, so much!"
"You looked like you could use a hand," the girl replied, giving her a small smile.
"Oh, most definitely. I was just planning my escape across the border in case she won."
"Well...you're welcome," Weiss replied before turning to leave.
"Uh...wait!" she shouted a little too loudly, not wanting the girl to slip away so soon. "What do you want to do for your date then? Anything you want, I'll do it! I owe you one."
Weiss merely shrugged her shoulders at the comment.
"We don't actually have to go on a date."
Her jaw dropped.
"But...you just spent like...a boatload of money -" she sputtered. "Then at least let me pay you back!"
"It's going to charity...I don't mind paying it," the girl replied steadily, giving her a curious expression for having even posed the question.
Staring for a few seconds, she found that she had absolutely no idea how to respond to this situation.
Thankfully, her better half walked up to them then, having found them in the hallway after the auction concluded.
"Well, that was entertaining," Blake said with a smile she directed towards Weiss. "Thank you for preventing my girlfriend from doing something extraordinarily drastic and unwise."
"W-what?" she sputtered. "I was not going to do something unwise! Just drastic."
She grinned at Weiss, who smiled back at both of them - what seemed to be the first genuine smile she'd ever seen from the singer.
"I'm really glad that I could help both of you out."
As Weiss tried to turn away from them once again, she panicked, not wanting to allow the girl to leave without being appropriately thanked. So...she did what any normal person would do in her situation...reaching out to gently grab the girl's shoulder before leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to the girl's cheek.
"Ok, there's your kiss!" she exclaimed, watching as Weiss' face flushed tremendously. "And you have to let me know if you ever need me to make an appearance somewhere - charity event, wedding, funeral, whatever - I'll be there!"
"I...that seems fair…" Weiss replied, although the girl might just be agreeing in order to leave faster, by this point.
"AND you have to come to my birthday party. I don't know much about it, but this amazing person right here is planning it, so I know it'll be a great time."
She gave Blake a big grin, confident that whatever secret plans the girl was making would be more than a little enjoyable.
"Please?" she followed up with when Weiss seemed to be undecided on the commitment. "I'm literally begging you."
The singer thought about it for a few more seconds, looking between the two of them before finally nodding her head.
"Ok, that sounds like fun."
"If you give me your email, I can send you all the details when they're finalized," Blake offered.
Weiss agreed and quickly entered her contact information into Blake's phone before turning to leave for a third time.
This time, she allowed it, giving the girl a wave and shouting 'bye Weiss!' at her back on the way out of the hotel. Only when the singer had completely disappeared from view did she turn towards her girlfriend with a big smile.
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"
Blake laughed, shaking her head at what had almost turned out to be a complete disaster.
"No, it was actually quite amusing at the end. But...please don't offer to sell your kisses again."
"Psh...don't you worry your pretty self about that. The only person I'm selling kisses to from here on out is...uh...I mean, the only person I'm kissing - oh, uh, not even that cuz of work…"
Her words were silenced when Blake pressed a kiss to her lips.
"I know - I'm the only one," the girl said with a smile when they separated.
"The only one," she confirmed happily, taking one of Blake's hands so they could walk out of the hotel together.
"Twenty thousand Lien though…" Blake muttered, shaking her head in surprise at the amount. "You really owe Weiss now, don't you?"
"I totally do…" she mused to herself before turning back to the writer. "So please make sure to invite her to the party - I need to pay her back in anyway I can."
"Don't worry...I'll help you out on this crusade to become her best friend. I'll admit that now it's actually looking like a slim possibility."
"I know, right? She actually like...smiled at me."
She grinned when Blake laughed at that comment, both knowing that they were still far from considering themselves to be 'friends' with the singer. But, they had plenty of time.
Plus, Weiss had just given her the perfect excuse to badger the girl all the time.
Which she planned to fully take advantage of.