Brighter

by y8ay8a

It took that three day mission away from Beacon Academy, but if Yang looked back on the last months, their relationship was probably bound to change sooner or later. - Bumbleby smut. Starts in between V2 and V3, follows events of V3. May very well be continued with V5.

3. Chapter 3

this chapter used to be 10 066 words, it is now 14 354 ... This revision is not a joke :')

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It had been a week now. A full week since they had been back from that fateful mission. Seven complete days since Yang had last been able to be alone with her partner for any decent amount of time. The most they had managed had been stealing kisses here and there. The whole team living in a single-room dorm and attending mostly the same classes would do that.

The blonde thought she was slowly going insane; it was becoming increasingly clear to her that until now, she had never known what it truly meant to desire someone. Blake occupied every second of her wakeful thoughts and then again every single one of the dreams she did remember. She had never experienced something like this before.

…Yet what did that mean about herself? Was she really ready to call herself… what? Call herself what? Whatever label she would use didn't matter until she had addressed the question of whether or not she was ready to call herself anything but heterosexual. Though even if she wasn't ready… she had no choice but to concede it. She may never had wanted another woman before Blake, but she also never had wanted anyone as much as Blake.

And if that in and of itself wasn't terrifying enough, she'd then think… What would her father say? What would Ruby think? Would she be disgusted? If it were to come out… would she lose a lot of friends? What about Weiss? Weiss had a problem with faunus at first, so what about this? And people would definitely gossip, wouldn't they? She didn't care much what strangers would say and the risk of getting being bullied didn't scare her; she knew she could stand up for herself… but what about Blake ?

Blake hid being a faunus not only to avoid drawing attention to herself, but also because she'd already been on the receiving end of baseless cruelty. The thought of causing Blake to endure any more hardships made her stomach turn. Even just a fleeting thought of anyone causing her partner the smallest amount of pain made her skin flare up with her semblance's fiery anger. She'd always been protective of her loved ones, but she'd noticed that somewhere along the line, she had started to react excessively when it came to Blake. Not only that… it all came disproportionately quicker and even more violently than it ever had, even compared to how defensive she'd always been of Ruby.

She'd also noticed how she constantly felt exceedingly sensitive to Blake's presence; as if her senses were heightened. She was distressingly aware of every single thing about her faunus partner, every movement, every twitch of her cat ears under her bow, every breath .

While incredibly upsetting, it was almost comical how now that she wanted to touch her more than ever, she felt so self-conscious about doing so that she couldn't bring herself to indulge in any type of contact at all. Before, she wouldn't have thought twice about casually throwing her arm around Blake's shoulders, taking her hand to guide her if she was too engrossed in a book to stop reading as she walked, or just untangling her dark curls with her fingers. Yet now, knowing they couldn't let anything on…Yang didn't even dare simply reaching out to her anymore, afraid that a gesture as negligible as a fleeting touch on her arm would wake the fire in their eyes. Afraid that a featherlike contact, a simple brush of their skin would fully rouse their urges. It was so bad that Yang feared that if she even just as much as stood next to her , her fascination with Blake would be so glaringly obvious to everyone that they'd be found out.

At this point, even making eye contact proved difficult; every time it happened, Yang struggled to withstand an almost irrepressible surge of desire, all the while doing her best to keep a cool facade. And every time she would miraculously swallow down her lust, all the while wondering if at some point she wouldn't be able to look away, if sooner or later the always increasingly heavily charged air would betray them.

She yearned so much for anything, anything at all, touching her hand, leaning against her, really, anything would have helped appease her aching, but she still found herself resisting her instincts. She still found herself avoiding any contact, interactions which used to be so commonplace… because given how desperately she craved them, none of it felt innocent anymore. Any sort of physical contact with Blake sent her reeling, jolted her body to a state she should never find herself in while out it public and she knew would anyone pay attention, they'd incontestably see through her. Hence, she couldn't. She couldn't touch her.

Every hour that went by, she was tormented by her need to close the distance between them, which was without fail made always more painful the closer Blake physically was.

Above all, Yang would do her very best not to constantly stare at her, but her silhouette out of the corner of her eye was magnetic and, like an itch, like a bad habit, her eyes would inevitably drift to her partner again. Not to mention… in spite of her best efforts, with each passing day her gaze, she knew, was becoming increasingly inappropriate.

She'd catch herself fixated on the immaculate skin of her thighs exposed between her uniform skirt and black knee socks. She'd follow up her long legs and find herself downright hypnotized by the way her hips swayed as she walked. She'd stare at her perfectly shaped lips, her heart skipping a beat every time they parted, remembering their softness as she kissed her, the way she sounded panting for breath, envisioning how she had brought her fingers to mouth to suck on them. And Yang would exhale a shivering sigh, trying so hard to cleanse her thoughts.

However, even when she managed this, she'd still find herself captivated by insignificant little things about her faunus partner; the way she'd tap her pencil to those lips when she studied or the way she'd delicately tuck a strand of silky black hair behind one of her ears while she read one of her corny ninja novels. She struggled to not walk over, tear the book out of her hands, straddle her lap and demand her full attention. Oh , the memory of Blake's lips on her skin, of her hands on her body…!

Yang would scrutinize her graceful movements, in awe at how everything about Blake seemed weightless, evocative of her feline heritage. It was especially apparent during the mock battles in sparring classes, every motion incredibly smooth, elegant, precise, every hit sharp and with purpose, Blake took down every target effortlessly. But what impressed the brawler most was how this refinement, this fluidity transpired even in mundane trivialities such as when Blake fixed up her bow or delicately applied her makeup.

Though all this paled in comparison to how hard her obsession manifested itself again at night, when she listened to her teammates fall asleep. Yang would close her eyes, yearning for the respite her once typically dreamless nights offered, only to find herself haunted by memories of Blake's naked body. Locks of jet black hair gliding like silk on her contrasting pale skin, pert and flawlessly shaped breasts rising with every harsh breath she'd take, a svelte frame that had felt so delicate in her arms but somehow concealed utmost deadliness. Most of all she would remember the alluring glow in her hypnotizing golden eyes as she'd licked her lips. Those lips… the featherlike touch of them on Yang's stomach, or her tongue, as she shamelessly pushed it inside of her. Of course, Yang would then toss and turn for hours, trying to ward away the images… struggling with the phantom sensations of her fingers and mouth, all the while knowing that Blake lied in the bed just underneath hers and that it would be so easy to come down and join her.

The only consolation she found was that she knew her yearning was definitely reciprocated; after all, she constantly felt herself being watched. Dared she look, she would without fail catch those endless pools of gold studying her and when that happened, when they'd lock gazes, the electricity in the air made her heart beat so hard her breath would catch in her throat. Those gorgeous eyes, lit up as they were with flagrant desire, taunted her, challenged her, and what little self-control Yang possessed threatened to completely give way.

Constantly, she would ponder… how long? How long before her own gaze is blatant enough that everyone sees what's going on? How long before the simple sound of Blake's voice as she pronounced her name had her so completely flustered she'd be unable to keep her composure, even in public? How long before she finds herself ramming her partner in a wall without caring whether or not they risked getting caught? …Essentially, how long before she utterly lost it?

It was on that eighth night that she'd reached her saturation point. Yang glanced over again at Ruby's sleeping form and down at the adjacent bed, double checking Weiss was also asleep before she dared opening her mouth.

"…Blake, are you still awake?"

"Hmm," was the only answer she received.

"…I can't take it anymore," she whispered almost inaudibly.

There was a long silence before she heard her partner's voice again, she didn't sound as lethargic this time around. "It's not any easier on me, but…"

The blonde sat up, restless. She wanted to roll over, jump down and pin Blake to her bed with her body. She wanted to rip her clothes to shreds, devour her lips, reclaim every single inch of her body and goad pleased sighs out of her again. Yet, Yang knew that despite how much Blake would welcome this, it just couldn't happen right now. She wouldn't be able to look her sister in the eye again were she to do anything this inappropriate with Ruby sleeping in the same room.

…Though the blonde truly could not go any longer with this self-imposed distance. "Can I just… lie with you for a while? I won't do anything."

"Not even kiss me?"

It was not even a second, Yang was down from her bed and in her arms crashing her lips to hers. Blake had sat up and fiercely pulled her in, returning her kiss with every ounce of passion. They might have worried about their harsh breaths and muffled moans if they weren't so starved for each other. The blonde's hands hurriedly searched her partner's body again, craving to remember her flesh, her slender shape, her velvety skin. She caressed her breast through her clothing, the same way she had when she first had taken the liberty to touch her. Blake gasped, interrupting their kiss.

"No, Yang, no," she whispered, though immediately she claimed her lips again and Blake's own hands caressed her partner's naked thighs.

It was Yang's turn to whine softly, breaking away from the faunus. "I know. Even just doing this, we could get caught and yet…" She hated how desperate she sounded but couldn't help the tone of her voice. Yang had to remind herself of her baby sister sleeping in the same room. She cursed how they had decided it would be for the best to hide. She cursed how hard it was not to longingly stare at her, how much of a dilemma simply taking her hand had become. Yang felt like she was starting to thread on the edge of madness. Her hands were in the dark hair, she searched those beautiful golden orbs as if they held the remedies to all her woes. "This distance with you is killing me," she confessed miserably.

Blake held her gaze, her hands coming to a halt, resting on her legs just where the fabric of her pajama shorts met her skin. "I also thought I would handle this better," she started, exhaling a shivering sigh. "God, Yang...I can't look your way without wanting… to just…" Blake held her breath, her cat ears flattened themselves backwards in discomfiture. "…If you knew what goes through my head when I look at you…"

Her mouth found her partner's again and Yang savored another lengthy kiss. "Tell me," she whispered against her lips, so hungry for anything and everything of her. "I'll make it happen, I'll do anything you want." She felt ready to do anything, ready to submit to anything if Blake wanted it.

Blake inhaled shakily, evidently stirred by the proposition. Her fingers on her thighs dug into her flesh lightly, as if she struggled to prevent them from going any further. "Not now," she eventually murmured. "It isn't wise right now. Even just talking about it would do nothing but worsen the situation, wouldn't it?" She rationalized before pressing her mouth to hers again, very gently biting the blonde's lower lip as she pulled away.

With her fingers gently combing her hair, she managed to keep from the temptation of her body again. "We have to find some alone time… and soon. Or we might as well forget trying to hide, I can barely handle myself around you already," she murmured.

Blake nodded faintly. "I agree….If we keep going like this it will only be a matter of time before the whole world figures it out," she sighed, leaning her head into her touch.

Yang relished in being able to caress her this way. She kept untangling the dark locks in a slow movement. "…Shouldn't we just..." she started, but didn't actually know how to finish her sentence. She groaned. "…Would it be weird to ask them to leave us the room for a few hours…?"

"…Weird? I guess not if we have a credible excuse. If they asked us to leave them the room for a few hours, wouldn't you be curious what for?"

"I guess…" the blonde reluctantly allowed.

The faunus moved a little closer, her hands still on her partner's thighs were tracing the edge of the shorts in a gentle caress. "If we refuse to tell them what for… you know your sister. I wouldn't put it past her to try and peek or somehow find out why we need the room for ourselves."

The image of Ruby walking in on them flashed through her mind. " Oh god , no," Yang blurted in horror. She took a deep breath, trying to shake the thought as fast as possible. Blake leaned her head in her hands to remind her she was petting her hair. She didn't know if it had been the goal, but it successfully redirected her attention and the blonde smiled gently, scratching behind her cat ears. "So… if we ask, we do need an excuse. One that would be good enough to ensure they're absolutely gone for a couple hours."

Blake closed her eyes, looking incredibly serene. "What do you propose we say?"

She didn't know how to answer. Every pretext she thought up didn't seem solid enough of an excuse. Except of course telling the truth… But that , they definitely couldn't do, not with the questions that would certainly ensue. Yang most definitely didn't have any answers yet. Not for Ruby and Weiss, not for Blake, not even for herself.

Because really…what was this?

Beyond this incredibly powerful attraction, which the blonde was just freshly coming to terms with, the immensity of what flooded her when it came to the dark haired faunus was indescribable. The magnitude of it all terrified her and she felt like a spineless coward for not being able to bring herself to confront it just yet. It didn't feel like herself at all to be so unable to own up to whatever it was she was feeling but every time she found herself threading near her own truth, she was plagued, assaulted with millions of distressing thoughts which would inevitably send her on a downward spiral. Never mind her own identity crisis, never mind her concern over Ruby's opinion over what may come out of that very identity crisis, it was nothing compared to the anxiety she felt over the prospect of anything going wrong with her partner.

Blake, who had initially been so distant with them, who used to be withdrawn, who had been a complete enigma, had slowly been opening up over the last months. Yang would never forgive herself if because of her rash, impulsive behavior, because of her dumbly following what had then been only a whim, curiosity, she ended up hurting her or causing her to shut down again.

The blonde wasn't aware of the details, but she'd known her partner had suffered through a lot and, of course, how it had left her emotionally fragile. If anything went wrong….she risked losing Blake entirely, didn't she? After all, the dark haired woman herself had confessed to dealing with problems by running from them. And the thought of Blake turning her back on her was so, so painful… Whenever Yang would attempt to assess where they now stood, her thought process would without fail end up a derailing into being shattered by these fears and she would then find herself back to square one.

Yet, all those questions kept assailing her. Could she not find any way to qualify this at all? Anything to give herself some sort of waypoint…? Outside of the obvious aspect of their relationship not being platonic anymore, did anything else change? Was this what they called friends with benefits? Would she still describe Blake as nothing more than her best friend and partner if she had to label their relationship? Would Blake label it the same way? …Was it still really all there was?

Yang's hands slowly slid out of the dark locks of hair, instead she entwined her fingers with the hands resting on her thighs. Blake's gaze fell on them for a second, stroking the back of Yang's hands with her thumbs. Then, her gorgeous golden eyes flowed up from their joined hands slowly. Flagrant desire reflected in them as she overtly studied the brawler's body and as her stare finally settled on her features, the shiver-inducing lust somewhat gave way to betray a different sort of yearning.

No . This isn't all there is. Yang had to concede. Something else changed, Blake doesn't look at me the way she used to.

This thought abruptly provoked another one, a very intrusive one, reminding her that maybe it was she who, until very recently, had simply been unable to recognize what had been in Blake's eyes.

After all, everything pointed to this potentially having been there at least long enough for the faunus to make peace with herself about it, seeing as Blake had never looked confused through what happened and had moreover gone along with it entirely readily from the very start. Yang could only wonder… since when had she failed to notice what the other woman had been yearning for…? And… what was she yearning for, exactly…?

Through all this and after a moment of silence, Blake now stared at her expectantly. The blonde sighed. "…Honestly, I have no idea what to tell them, that would have them leave. Except the truth…which is out of question right now."

She could have sworn Blake looked disheartened. Her golden eyes drifted back down to their joined hands and she gave a gentle, encouraging squeeze. "I thought so."

Something twinged at her heart and Yang leaned even closer to touch their foreheads together. "…What is it? Have you changed your mind? Do you… you think we should be straightforward with this?"

"No." Blake gave a sigh and moved a few inches back, away from her. "I still think it's best for us to stay discreet with…" she paused and her cat ears twitched. "…Well, with whatever we're doing is."

And just like that, Yang was hit again with the reminder that Blake was not even trying to offer her any kind of insight concerning her feelings. Worse; was she maybe… actively avoiding it? Would she give any answers to the questions which burned Yang's tongue, were she to ask any of them…?

' What is this to you, Blake?' She couldn't help but wonder. 'If it was only up to you… would you tell them? Just what would you tell them? Who am I to you now…? Who do you want me to be to you…? Where do you want it to go? Why don't you ask me what I want for…us? Are you scared of the answer…? '

Yang could do nothing but swallow it all down. Despite her excessive curiosity, she couldn't voice any of her concerns. Not only did she know it was unfair to ask when she couldn't will herself to even start thinkingabout her own answers, but… moreover and above all, she already suspected what asking may open the door to.

A little voice at the back of Yang's mind nagged that there had to be a reason Blake both abstained to press for answers and omitted to talk about her own feelings. The blonde couldn't help deducing from this that… if Blake let her be the judge of the pace at which they talked about this, it simply was because Blake already knew what it was she wanted and exactly where she stood. She was waiting for Yang to be ready to talk and, for now, given how uncertain Yang showed herself… Blake didn't seem to think it wise to disclose anything to her. Yang had an alarmingly clear notion of what all this may imply.

With every moment, she came more and more aware of just how precarious the situation may turn out to be. She toyed with the idea that maybe it would be best for her not to indulge in this anymore until she had sorted herself out. Until she could at least offer Blake something tangible about how she felt, about what she wanted this to become. Until she was able to show Blake she wasn't acting only on impulse and that she didcare where all this lead them, how all this could affect her.

…Until she sorted herself enough for Blake to trust she could confide in Yang what it was that she was keeping to herself.

Yang thought that maybe refraining from touching her, trying to abstain from ogling her the way she'd been, not giving into the desire to melt in her arms as soon as the opportunity presented itself might be fairer to them both. At least until she was ready to move forward. But who was she kidding... she couldn't stop. It was so incredibly selfish, she knew, but she didn't want to. She might not even have been able bring herself to stop if she'd actively wished to.

Her eyes travelled on the moonlit outline of her partner's shape, to her beautiful golden eyes shining in the darkness and with her whole being Yang felt a magnetic, irresistible pull to her. She scooted closer again and drew her in a strong embrace which was promptly answered. The head of dark hair nestled in the crook of her neck.

She exhaled a heavy, shaking breath. Blake's enthralling scent calmed the storm of emotions she felt but only by drowning it in a single consuming one; distressingly powerful lust. The fists gripping loosely the fabric at the back of the faunus's nightwear clenched tighter, struggling to prevent her hands from exploring what the thin garment concealed. Unmistakable heat flared in her core, impetuously spreading through her body again, taking possession of her. And as if she'd known all this—no, she most definitely knew all this— Blake's lips were now on her skin. Delicate caresses on her back, going up to her shoulders and feather soft kisses on her collarbone were blissful torture. With her eyelids heavy, the rhythm of her heart resonating through her, the blonde wanted nothing more than to melt into her. "I can't resist if you do this." Her hushed voice was strained.

"Of course you'll resist, you don't want to go too far since we're not alone..." her feline partner countered in a murmur before drawing her into an ardent kiss.

Her fears and doubts completely forgotten, she without hesitation reciprocated with matching fervor. Somehow, she found it in herself not to push Blake down on the bed, but her embrace loosened and her hands found themselves on her thin waist or down on her hips, and how were they now caressing her thighs? The blonde couldn't help but think the other woman had way too much faith in her. After all, Yang was certainly notorious for her lack of self-control.

"Yang," Blake whispered again between kisses, and Yang could feel her partner's smile against her lips as her hands were gently being pushed away from her bare skin.

The brawler tried to shake herself out of it, get a grip at least somewhat. Her eyes fluttered open for an instant, swiftly studying the other woman's features in an inflamed, passionate glimpse. "You're right, sorry..." she weakly agreed before pressing her lips to hers again but more gently.

Blake's answer was especially tender, abstaining from deepening the kiss. Her fingers softly brushed against her cheek before losing themselves in the golden locks. The faunus's restraint was an obvious effort to tame her partner's ardors while still indulging in some intimacy, and yet somehow, how considerate and careful she was being made Yang even more powerless against the profound yearning she felt for her. She wanted her. So much that the world around them was fading out and her clouded mind again lost track of their surroundings and she desperately needed her closer. Yang hauled her on to her lap as she pushed her tongue in her mouth. Blake's muffled moan muddied her judgment even more, plunging her yet further away from sanity, and she hugged her closer, one hand hurriedly finding her breast again. Her partner seized her wrist, stopping her for the third time now.

"Yang." Blake sounded amused despite the warning tone of her voice.

Giving a dismayed sigh, she pitifully gazed up at her partner. Staring into this mesmerizing, ignited gold only served to sear her desires further into her and it took everything for her not to latch at Blake again. "I don't even realize what I'm doing before you stop me!" She defended, dismayed. She knew she sounded nothing like her usual self and she hated being so unable to project her customary self-assurance. "I don't know what's happening to me…." she then confessed in a faint, uncertain voice. Yang could never have imagined that restraining her caresses would prove to be such a trying ordeal.

Unmoving from her lap, Blake very gently cupped her face with both hands. She plunged her gaze in hers, searching her eyes for God knows what… Yang didn't dare try to read the look she was giving her. The dark haired faunus slowly caressed her partner's cheeks with both thumbs. "What do you mean, you don't know what's happening to you? Have you never wanted anyone?"

"Of course I have. It's just…not like this," the blonde admitted. "I mean… you know. I told you. I've dated, fooled around but…" She let out a short laugh in disbelief. "This. This , Blake I've never had." No one she had ever been with before had ever obsessed her this way; she almost felt like an outside force was dictating her actions. Yang could not break eye contact with the woman nestled against her. "I'd never understood how some guys would let themselves be completely controlled by their dicks, but when I'm with you… really, suddenly I completely get it. I can't think with my brain at all ."

Blake turned very slowly, repositioning herself from simply sitting on her lap to straddling her. "…You've never felt like this before?"

"Never," Yang sighed for the umpteenth time. "This is… controlling me." She hugged Blake a little closer and leaned her forehead on her shoulder, closing her eyes. She felt her partner's arms come around her neck and her head leaning against hers. Enveloped in her as she was, leaning into her inviting and warm body, overwhelmed with her dizzyingly delicious scent, she felt subjugated. Her hands dropped to Blake's thighs as she was astride of her, but she didn't dare move them further. Yang chuckled again. "Can you feel that? It's so bad my hands are shaking…"

Blake kissed the side of her head gently and moved closer to her ear. "I feel it," she confirmed. Her voice was hushed, her breath was hot. "I want you too, so, so bad," she murmured, lips brushing against her ear. "The way you've been looking at me since then has been driving me crazy. When you speak my name, it feels like my body is bursting into flames." As she said this, she rocked her hips faintly. With the provocative movement, Yang's hands twitched on her naked thighs. Blake pressed closer, nestling her head in the crook of her neck for her lips to burn her skin. "All I can think of is how it felt when you were on top of me, the sounds you made when my fingers were inside you… how I want your legs wrapped around my head again…"

A powerful shiver travelled down her spine; Yang felt lightheaded. Every tedious breath she managed was quivering. "…You're going to make me lose my mind," she reproached. Her fingers were starting to have a mind of their own again, crawling up Blake's legs to her ass, searching her body again.

"That's only fair, you're making me lose mine," she countered, allowing the other woman's hands to wander this time around.

Yang clutched her fiercely, needing to feel her with her entire body. This sensation was the only thing that could help the gaping void inside of her, the desperation she felt to somehow release this blaze devouring her. Her warmth and her scent and the way she faintly thrust her hips again had her delirious. Yang once more couldn't seem to remember that she shouldn't lay her on the bed. After all, in what world could it be a bad thing to just lie down on top of her? And maybe just kiss her again, they had been kissing earlier and it was fine, right? Blake was such a good kisser, it was almost criminal. How was Yang expected not to want to come back for more every chance she got?

Blake's fingers found the hem of her loose orange top, her hands slipping underneath to caress her back. Yang's mouth fell on her neck and as she sucked gently, Blake gasped, nails digging into her back. It fired her up like a match thrown into gasoline and the blonde wanted nothing more than skin against skin. With this last straw, Yang couldn't find it in herself to deny her urges anymore; quickly her lips dropped to what skin her kimono coming undone had exposed of her chest. Her hands found her partner's thighs; the skin was so delicate, supple, softer than both silk and velvet, and yet in her unreeling passion Yang gripped her flesh downright savagely. She forced her legs open to move herself down between them.

"If you truly want to go ahead, I won't stop you," Blake's hushed, breathless voice brought her back to earth with a last warning. "I want this. I don't care that we're not alone."

And suddenly Yang remembered her sister sleeping a few feet from them. With a discouraged groan, she pushed her forehead to her stomach. How had she lost this much control? How could she keep forgetting herself this way? She just couldn't comprehend how she was so unable to restrain herself….! She felt miserable to the point of tears.

Deciding cold water may slap her back to reason, she made herself pull away, shakily standing up. She couldn't even glance at her partner, fearing she would surrender to her desires again. "Sorry, give me a second," Yang muttered under her breath, heading for the bathroom.

She ran the water and leaned against the bathroom counter with both hands, staring herself down in the mirror. She felt like a mess. She looked like a mess. Her skin was flushed, humid and feverish, her eyes were dilated to a dark purple, her hair was a ruffled and tangled heap of blonde. Splashing cold water to her face did nothing to help jolt her out of her daze. There was not much to do, she had resign herself. With this, Yang took a deep breath, turned off the tap and trotted back to the room.

Blake was sitting up, in her bed, fixing her kimono. Hearing her coming had her cat ears perk up alertly. "Feeling better?"

Her partner was as alluring as ever, and Yang was incredibly displeased with how cold water had been absolutely no help with quelling what burned inside of her. "No. I'm feeling exactly the same and right now it sucks."

"Maybe you should get back to your bunk," she suggested.

Yang could tell Blake didn't want her to. She stood a few steps away from the bed, and though her head told her she should comply with her partner's advice, put an end to what they'd been doing, the intense blaze utterly devouring her body in addition to the downcast look on the faunus's features both compelled her to give a selfish answer. "…I don't want to," she protested. "I want to sleep in your bed. With you."

Her eyes lit up with what Yang would've ventured calling hope. "…I'd love for you to sleep with me."

Yang didn't step closer. "Won't it be weird if Rubes and Weiss wake up before us?"

Blake shrugged. "Coming up with an excuse won't be hard," she reasoned.

She still stared at her, standing a safe distance from their beds. "But I don't trust myself with you," the blonde dismally croaked.

For a long moment Blake observed her, seemingly weighing their options. Ultimately, she moved herself to one side of her bed and patted the mattress next to her. "…Come on."

"But I—"

"You can sleep in my bed," she cut in. "If you don't trust yourself, trust me. I won't let it get out of hand."

"You said you wouldn't stop me again," she pointed out.

Blake sighed. "I know I said that. But… I also know how you'd feel towards Ruby if we did go too far. I don't want this on your conscience," she gently explained. "Not to mention how distracted you'd be. I want you to be all there with me when we're finally able to do it again," she whispered. There was gleam in her gaze that had Yang forget to breathe for a second; she just knew Blake too was picturing that moment when they would unshackle their desires.

Her dark haired partner pushed her hand in the mattress next to her, calling attention to the empty space by her side again. "I won't let you do anything we shouldn't," she said, pleadingly. " I'll tie you down if needed be."

Just as she said this last sentence, Blake seemed to realize her poor choice of words. Yang guessed the expression on her own face betrayed how unopposed to being tied down she was because her partner's gaze drifted down with embarrassment. "Just…get in," she muttered.

Yang obediently moved to lie down next to her, facing her. As Blake pulled the covers over them, Yang leaned in. "Are you going to tie me?"

She turned her back to her. " Sleep ."

Though both of their bodies were in the same precarious state, how happy she was to be able to hold her eclipsed any discomfort having to restrain herself incurred. She yearned so much for her that simply just sharing a bed to sleep was genuinely soothing.

She pressed against Blake's back, but didn't dare wrap her arm around her. Yang had no idea if her partner had turned her back to her because she wanted to be spooned or if it was to create enough distance for them not to get too heated again. The blonde leaned her head against her and her partner still didn't move. "Hey Blake…I'm not being too clingy am I? You can say it if you feel like I'm too much."

"…It's fine, Yang," she very quietly dismissed.

Still unconvinced, she couldn't help insisting. "But you can say it though if you think I'm too needy, if it's suffocating," The last thing she would've wanted was for the faunus to be exasperated with her behavior.

Blake stayed motionless, seemingly doing her best to try and sleep. "I would let you know if you were a bother."

"Would you really though?"

She turned just enough to glance briefly at her. "Yes," she strongly stressed. Then she turned her back to her again and took a deep breath, clearing her throat lightly. "Yang, the truth is," Blake breathed out again, this time a little shakily, betraying some uneasiness. "I'm not irritated at all, on the contrary. I'm relieved. It felt like there was an invisible wall between us this week, and I really… missed all those frequent casual touches of yours."

"I wanted to touch you," she instantly affirmed. "I wanted so much that… that it didn't feel casual anymore though," she explained. Of course such a radical change wouldn't go unnoticed. "Before, I wouldn't have thought twice and just… been all over you." It felt hilarious to say it like this given how though she really was always up in her space, it didn't compare to how she now literally wanted to be all over her. "Now, all I can think about is… that. And I'm scared it'll be obvious to everyone every time I'm about to touch you."

"I thought as much," Blake acknowledged. "But I still missed it. And I… I really needed this tonight," she confessed.

"Even though you keep having to put me back in my place?"

She gave a gentle hum of approval. "By being like that, you're making me feel incredibly desirable, who could ever dislike that?"

"You mean you don't feel incredibly desirable all the time?" She shot, grinning to herself. "You know there isn't a woman out there who wouldn't kill to look half as good as you."

"You must've killed a lot of people to be this gorgeous," she commented.

Yang was unable to completely stifle her laugh. " What ? I look like a beast next to you."

Her voice was wry and flat. "Aren't I the beastly one?"

"Only ever when you find Zwei sleeping on your bed," she retorted and Blake gave a quiet but undeniably amused scoff. Her own grin turned to what was probably a grossly tender smile; brightening her partner's mood inevitably made her heart swell. She wrapped her arms around her, forgetting she had been reluctant to a moment earlier. "Blake… human or faunus, it doesn't matter. You're a very rare beauty. You're breathtaking ."

"Such honeyed words," Blake mused, the tone of her voice now betrayed a smile; she leaned back into her embrace. "I should've expected you to be such a sweet-talking lover."

The word resonated through her and Yang felt herself blush. Lover. It seemed that this one word answered about a thousand of her questions and spawned a million more. Was that what Blake was to her now? "…Is that how you would qualify our relationship?"

There was a long pause before she spoke again, almost inaudibly. "…Did you want to qualify it as something?"

" No ," Yang quickly answered, then realized how negatively her partner may interpret her answer. "I mean—….I don't know," she subsequently attempted again. As the surprise of being openly confronted with the truth wore off, she had to concede Blake's choice of words wasn't incorrect. "Sorry, you're right. I guess… hearing it shocked me a bit, but if I look at all this for what it is… I don't think 'lovers' is wrong."

"Do you have a better term?" Blake gently tried.

"No," she admitted. It was so very disarming to be associating the word lover with another woman, her best friend at that, but… what was happening between her and Blake had clearly crossed the line of simple friendship and this seemingly never-ending escalation of yearning absolutely ruled out trivial experimentation. This , whatever it was, carried more weight than she could've ever anticipated and though she had no intention or desire to even think of putting an end to it... trying to decipher it was downright terrifying.

She realized she'd been holding her breath; her voice was a lot quieter when she spoke again. "…Sorry, Blake I'm just… all over the place. I'd love to sort myself out, to sort it out but I'm just so… overwhelmed. I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know what to think," she confessed. She leaned her forehead against her back, silently inhaling the enticing scent of her hair. It only served to remind her how crushingly overwhelming her urges were. "Of course I can't deny I…" she puffed out a quivering breath, "I want you. I want you like I didn't know it was possible to want someone else. And I hope you know I care so, so much about you… and it's just…" Her hands, she now noticed as she gently ran her fingers on her arm, were still quivering albeit almost imperceptibly. "It's so much to take in. It's intimidating. And I don't want to be reckless, I've been reckless enough as it is," she tried explaining. She did realize she was being very much ambiguous, but she truly didn't know where all this may lead or what it meant to go there… or where Blake wanted to go anyways. "For what it's worth… I'm really sorry." Her hand trailed from her arm, down her side to her waist to rest there.

"For what?"

Her voice was thick with something Yang couldn't recognize and the blonde's tone was very careful as she answered her. "Being confusing…?"

"Oh."

Blake's retorts felt heavy and with how terse they'd been, the blonde was coldly awashed with an alarming sense of distance. She dearly hoped her jumbled mess of an explanation didn't hurt her partner; Blake suddenly felt so far away. There was a long pause in which the blonde agonized over whether or not she should say something more, if whatever she would say more would only make matters worse, if it would only make the dark haired faunus withdraw more.

It was Blake who ended up breaking the silence. "…I'm sorry if I used a word I shouldn't have, I didn't mean to precipitate anything on you," she offered. Yang instantly abhorred the very concept of the other woman withdrawing the word 'lovers' from them, though she couldn't find it in herself to voice it out loud before Blake continued. "And don't apologize for being mixed up. You don't have to explain, I understand where you're coming from," she said as she reached to take Yang's hand from her waist to entwine their fingers together. "I was also at loss when I initially realized I was attracted to you."

This small supportive gesture relieved Yang to a degree, both with the matter of her inner turmoil and her anxiousness over the perceived rift she thought she may have created between them. She gave a gentle squeeze of the faunus's hand. "…But even then, look at how collected you've been. I feel horrible that I'm being so… weird about this when it seems you're totally okay with it. How am I so mixed up still?"

Blake instantly turned to glance at her again. "Oh no, Yang, you've got it all wrong," she shot in an apologetic tone. "It's completely expected that you're still confused, a week isn't enough to—It's taken much longer than this week for me to be okay with how I felt, it took months …" As she trailed off, her expression seemed to fall and her eyes widened with the realization of what she'd just confessed.

The meaning behind Blake's words sank in and the blonde came aware that she was holding her breath. So it really was as she had suspected; she had failed to notice. "…What?"

Discomfited and looking more than a little anxious, Blake couldn't seem to hold her gaze; she shifted to lie with her back to her as she'd been a moment ago.

Yang grabbed her arm and forced her to face her again, though her partner wouldn't meet her gaze. "Blake...?" She called, without knowing what question to ask. Blake had said 'how she felt'. Did she mean this physical attraction? Or was there more to it…? ...How much more? Should Yang even ask …? One really shouldn't ask questions if the truth happened to be an answer they weren't ready to hear yet.

"…I…" Blake's voice was a little strained and she stopped herself, maybe debating how much she was comfortable revealing. Golden yellow orbs then flickered up to look at her and she exhaled nervously, apparently resigning herself. "…I meant that… even before that mission the way I had been looking at you already wasn't… entirely innocent," she ended up admitting. "Back then, I didn't want to dwell on it. Even though, in spite of my best efforts to ignore it, I was very aware of how attracted to you I was," she carefully explained. "And to be completely honest, that was why I was hesitant to share a bed back then. I felt it was unfair to you."

Her inadvertent confession had made it clear enough already that Blake had been fancying her for some time, but hearing the confirmation still stirred her. It felt like her heart would explode out of her chest. "So how long have you…?"

"Longer than I would like to admit," she quietly offered. Blake's eyes found hers again. Her expression was unequivocal: Yang knew there was no way to get anything else out of her. "The point is… don't berate yourself over struggling with what you're feeling," she resumed. "It's new to you, it will take some time. On my part, I already had plenty of time to recognize what I had inside of me and accept what it was I wanted from you."

With this, the question again was on the tip of her tongue, ' And what is it exactly that you want from me?' …except she managed to bite back the words once more. She couldn't go there yet. Her fingers gently trailed on her arm again. "You never thought of letting me know?"

"Of course not." Blake finally turned around, settling to face her completely. "How could I, Yang? I had no reason to even hope I may have had a chance."

The change of position had her release her. "That's not true. I flirted with you constantly."

"But you're a flirt," she countered immediately. "And I'm not even the only one you flirt with. And you said yourself that you didn't realize what you felt was attraction." Blake observed her with a bit of a dejected mood. "Your flirting was just that. If there was intent, you weren't even aware yourself."

The blonde pursed her lips lightly. She had no choice but to concede the point her partner made. "Right. Okay. So you just shrugged it off…"

Blake sighed inaudibly. "Try to understand, Yang… I'm a faunus; the world is harsh with us. We're constantly made to feel undesirable, unwanted… and some humans even see us as vermin, slaves, animals, pets ! …It would be an understatement to say that most of my life I haven't been made to feel very appreciated." The tone of her voice was a heart-wrenching mix of pain and frustration, even more so than it usually would be when she would speak about faunus rights. She took a few seconds to gather herself, gently entwining her fingers with her partner's again now that she was facing her.

Yang listened intently. The other woman was very vocal about the inequality between their species and the necessity of fighting for civil rights but it wasn't very often that she spoke of her own experiences, of how shehad personally been hurt by all this.

Blake absentmindedly stroked the back of her hand with her thumb. "It took me wearing that bow on my head for me to feel like I didn't stand out as a target anymore," she so very quietly admitted. "These people… they would constantly make me feel like an eyesore, so… I guess, somewhere along the line, it became customary for me to be wary. To analyze everything in a negative light… to be prepared for a worst case scenario." Her gaze, which had drifted down as she talked, now flowed back up to meet Yang's. "Feeling like the things I want or just good things… can't possibly be happening to me, not without there being a catch somewhere."

It was very easy to read what the other woman was avoiding explicitly telling her and the blonde felt her heart stabbed that someone so wonderful and so beautiful would ever be made to feel so unwanted. "You didn't think I could honestly want…? …I'm not like them, Blake."

"Oh, Yang, no, I know! I know you aren't anything like them! I know for you I'm a person … that you believe I deserve just the same as any of you," she assertively defended. "It's just that… all that, it didn't necessarily mean that you would be able to see past race when it came to…" Blake hesitated, maybe searching for the right word, maybe trying not to use another one. "…When it came to anything more than friendship." The cat ears flattened themselves slightly, then perked up again. "I couldn't have hoped…I mean, the respect you show me already feels outstanding, it's hard for me to conceive it could go even beyond that. Even now, it stillseems so farfetched that there could be genuine attraction…"

Yang stared back for a long moment, letting what was just said sink in. "You find it hard to believe that I'm into you…?"

"When I stop to think about it... yeah," she admitted.

"But I am ."

"I know," she quickly shot back. "It's clear enough," she allowed, and her features broke into a light smile that was slightly reassuring. Yang gave a comforting squeeze on the hand she was holding and Blake answered with the same. "It's simply… it feels so much like a dream I can hardly believe it."

"I never could've guessed," she quietly said. Blake was such a gorgeous woman, it was near impossible to wrap her head around the idea that she would've ever felt undesirable. "Do you…" she started asking but stopped herself; what she was about to ask sounded so absurd to her that it felt pointless, stupid even, to ask. But in view of what Blake had just revealed to her… she really did need to know. "Blake, do you… not feel like you're attractive…?"

At this, she broke eye contact, visibly discomfited. "Objectively…I know I'm not un attractive," she carefully offered. "I have days where I feel good, where I'm happy with how I look… but then, then other days…" she sighed and seemed to shrink down somehow. "This world we live in… its reality has made me see myself in an unfairly negative light. If I'm to be completely honest—" she stopped herself; it looked like she reconsidered what she'd been about to say. Her golden orbs found violet ones in search of something she would never find; any hint that Yang would be judgmental towards her or think any differently of her. Blake exhaled a breath she seemed to have forgotten she was holding. "If I'm to be completely honest," she started again, so gently, "there's this looming sensation that I'm something I should be ashamed of being, something… lowly, an aberration." As she spoke, her voice sounded more strained, and Yang could tell she was struggling to keep composed. "I can't help thinking twice about my heritage when around humans and I… despite how I wish I wouldn't think this way, despite my wish to… not feel like I have to apologize for simply existing, this… this shame is still deep-seated within me. This shame… like I have something insidious infused in my very DNA that everyone would be disgusted with," she explained painfully.

Listening to her was nothing short of heartbreaking. That anyone would be made to feel this atrocious about something as fundamental as their very identity had her at a complete loss of words. Yang dragged her into her arms, crushing her against herself, needing for her to feel wanted and treasured and desirable because she truly was all those things. Blake's breathing against her chest as she nestled her head in the crook of her neck was shivering almost imperceptivity, but still betrayed how emotional talking about this had made her.

"…It's been better lately between how the bow hiding my ears spares me would-be disgusted looks and how good you've made me feel," Blake murmured against her skin. "But I still… I still was very mindful that no matter how unbiased you were about having a faunus partner… sexually could be an entirely different matter."

Her eyes flickered up to the cat ears. Of course Yang knew that the animal appendages were not the only things that made faunus different from humans, but the differences between the two races were so insignificant compared to what similarities they shared, she couldn't understand how anyone would be deterred by them. "I could've never guessed you of all people would feel this way. I mean, since you were a pro-equality activist and all, I wouldn't have thought you'd see your race as a potential problem."

"How I wish the world was and how I've experienced it are two things." Her voice was a little bitter, and Blake seemed to realize it; she gently detached herself from the other woman's embrace so she could turn on her back. It looked like she was gathering herself and it felt to the blonde as if the topic wasn't something her partner was used to broaching, let alone opening up about. "I've… heard and seen horrors . So it's only natural that I worry my race will matter in the eyes of someone I may desire."

Yang silently observed her. The dark haired faunus was visibly upset and, though there was nothing she wanted more than to comfort her, Blake had moved away from her only a second ago. She reined in the urge to touch her again, opting to leave her some space and listen instead.

Blake scowled at the bed-boards above them. "You know, most humans aren't violent towards us. But there's astonishing rejection. These people believe interracial relationships are unnatural. Or that... it's okay for others but not for me, or my kids or my family . It's something that's okay on TV, but they reject us if they feel we're too close for comfort," she explained animatedly, seemingly forgetting their sleeping teammates. "Racism is perfidious . Even if we manage to stay safe, it's not all in the open violence… No faunus signs on stores? Being referred to as 'it' instead of 'she'? You know, I've even had some people wipe their hands after touching me," she revealed, turning again to lock gazes with Yang's appalled one. "How do you think that comes off to you when you're a child…?" Blake still continued. "No matter how hard you try to preserve a healthy self-esteem… All that wears you down like death by a thousand cuts." With this, she crossed her arms tightly, it almost looked like she needed to hold herself for comfort. "I've felt repulsive, often… It won't simply go away."

Not being on the receiving end of this despicable behavior and not having many faunus friends, she had never witnessed anything of the sort happen. It probably was also due to the fact that hateful people may have been less likely to target faunus were they accompanied with human friends. But as she reflected more on the reality of it all, the worst, she realized, was undoubtedly the casual racism was such a customary part of the scenery that she'd stopped noticing. "That's… so fucked up," she eventually managed to articulate. "I'm sorry. I can't wrap my head around how fucking awful these people can be, I'm so sorry."

Blake shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Don't apologize, you're not the reason I've felt this way."

"I haven't done anything to help though," Yang argued, considerably bothered now that she came aware of all this.

"You've helped making me feel better, healing me," Blake countered. "From the very first moment you've known I'm a faunus… it never changed your behavior towards me. You've always been so keen on being around me, being close to me and you've been fussing so much over me… not to mention the way you would so readily give all those gentle touches; take my hand or caress my hair… it's been very therapeutic for me to be shown such open appreciation and enthusiasm." As she explained this, it felt like the puzzle was finally falling into place to Yang. She had always found it odd how, though Blake was always very mindful and cautious with personal space, though she had always seemed uncomfortable initiating physical contact, she nevertheless very docilely and without fail would let Yang do as she pleased. Even when it came to absurd endeavors like swooping her up in a bride carry.

"I never realized you liked it so much," the blonde offered with a smile.

"In truth, I liked it so much it made me feel guilty," she admitted. "Because I was so attracted to you and I loved whenever you would touch me and… I thought…" she trailed off, her eyes drifting to her again. Blake observed her for a very still, extended moment. Something about the darkness around them shifted, maybe it was clouds moving to give way to the full glory of the moon that shone through the window, but Blake seemed to come alight in the darkness. Her eyes shone with a fascinating gleam as she turned her whole body towards her again. "It doesn't matter what I thought; I was wrong ," she whispered before she leaned in to gently capture her lips.

The kiss they shared was so unbelievably tender, the word lovers floated through her mind again… and it tasted so sweet. Both the word and the kiss did. Yang caressed her silky hair and her cheek and meanwhile she could feel Blake's hand on her waist, idly caressing her skin with the tip of her fingers. Her partner's slow breathing seem to dictate the rhythm of the blonde's very existence and she seemed to forget herself. Her lips slowly moving against Yang's were the best thing in the world and the blonde couldn't help moving closer. They pressed against each other, content to revel in each other's presence.

Blake had been the one initiating the kiss and she was also the one to withdraw. Yang hadn't been ready for it to end and she moved back in, startling her partner when she hurriedly kissed her again with such longing she surprised even herself. It felt like she'd waited a lifetime to kiss her again when it'd been only a second. The way the dark haired faunus was so completely taken aback and helplessly surrendered to it was sexier than the brawler could've anticipated… and oh , what to say of the way her hand moved from Yang's waist to weakly grasp her shirt, pulling her half over her. The blonde exhaled shakily as she cupped her cheek again, struggling so much to prevent her hand from wandering down. Blake's chest moulding to her own and her perfect body against hers was downright sinful. Yang made herself pull back before things got out of hand again. She stared down into the fascinating gold of her almond-shaped eyes, rapt with the surreal, spectacular portrait of her porcelain skin contrasting the halo of jet black hair that framed her delicate features as they spilled on her pillow and her lips slightly reddened by Yang's insistent commandeering of them.

"When you kiss me, I momentarily forget I ever felt wrong about myself," Blake whispered, interrupting her admiring.

"These people are sick. There's nothing wrong with you," she vehemently answered.

"I've been making a point of not letting myself believe otherwise," she acquiesced.

"I'm angry with myself I never realized it was that bad for faunus, I'm sorry."

A frown broke her features. "Yang please, no, don't go down that road. You can't blame yourself for that."

"But how bad does it have to be if it's to a point where you would ever feel unattractive…?! It completely blows my mind— I mean, you're Blake Belladonna . Literally the sexiest piece of ass in Beacon Academy." Even through the darkness, Yang could see her face redden slightly. Blake narrowed her eyes and her eyebrows went up in apparent disbelief, it was adorable enough to lighten the blonde's mood.

"Don't give me that look, you really are!" She laughed and the reaction she now received was her partner pursing her lips, her expression unchanging. "What, you think I'm trying to butter you up? You mean you don't realize how many people ogle you?" As the dark haired woman kept staring at her with a skeptical look, Yang realized not only had the faunus not perceived the stares she'd often get as admiring, but she also realized it was possible she may not even have read them as positive attention. The blonde's expression fell, now quite serious. "…Blake, you make heads turn. Big time . Hell, you made my head turn and I didn't even know I could like women."

Her unconvinced mask instantly turned inquisitive. "So you do?"

Yang frowned, confused for a second. "What?"

"Like women."

The blonde hesitated. "You mean other than you?" She bluntly asked.

Blake broke eye contact again, discomfited. "…..Yes, other than me."

She took another moment to observe her partner, again caught with her beauty. Blake was such a work of art that Yang was convinced this very beauty of hers transcended even gender-specific attraction. Though in truth, the way she wanted to flat out worship her body surely held heftier significance about her own orientation. "I haven't thought about it much," she found herself saying. "But I guess… I assume I have to, given how much I want you." She then reached out to gently caress her cheek and incite her to look her way again. "It's just that… I can't give it a fair thought because honestly, ever since we started… this , I don't even care anymore about guys either," she confessed in a whisper. "It's like there's just you I want."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she saw that unmistakable glimmer of lust ignite those golden eyes and all at once, irresistible desire engulfed Yang again. Her hand travelled in the midnight hair and she pulled her in to capture her lips once more. This kiss wasn't as sweet or tender as the last one. Blake longingly kissed her back, running her hand through golden curls and Yang pushed her on her back, promptly hauling herself on top. As she devoured her lips, Blake entwined their legs together, allowing the blonde's thigh to slip between her own. That amazingly hot spot between her legs had Yang's breathing hastily get more and more laborious and she pressed to her, overtaken with goosebumps from the way the damp fabric of her underwear stuck to the skin of her thigh. The brawler aggressively gripped her ass with one hand, inciting her to start grinding and the raven haired beauty shuddered, instinctively giving a thrust of her hips as she moaned into the kiss.

"Yang," she protested weakly, running her hands from her cheeks down her neck to her shoulders. The blonde's fingers dug deeper into the flesh of her ass and she pulled on her again, this time getting her to steadily grind against her thigh.

Her mind reeled, went completely blank; when the other woman would thrust her hips this way, it triggered something unbelievably wild from deep within her. "Fuck, I want you..." she exhaled. She could feel Blake's hand drift from her back to her side, grazing her breast but not quite getting between them to fondle it. "Blake," she moaned against her lips, her hand on her rear went to caress her partner's thigh and found its way on her hip under her kimono. Having forgotten the situation, she impudently pulled at her underwear.

Snapping out of it, Blake immediately broke the kiss, pushing on her shoulders with both hands. "Yang," She gasped. "Y—…you're being really unfair with me," she breathed out. It sounded like she tried to keep her voice as unwavering as possible yet uneasiness unmistakably showed through.

The brawler pressed her mouth to her neck in a burning kiss, then exhaled lowly. "Sorry, I'm really sorry…" She didn't move for another moment. Yang absolutely didn't want to stop or get off her partner, but she knew she had to. Blake under her after having craved her for seven painful days was the most magnificent feeling she had experienced in her life. Tearing herself off felt like tearing her skin from her bones so painful it was. She lied down again next to her, facing her, mirroring her agitated gaze. "I'm sorry, I told you I don't trust myself."

"It's okay," she whispered, fidgeting slightly. "It's just…I know you don't actually want to do this with Ruby sleeping right there. And yet… You've worked me up to an unreasonable point." As she spoke, she ran her fingers on the blonde's thigh, finding moistness where Yang had pressed against her and thus emphasizing her point.

"…Sorry," Yang repeated. "I'll make it up to you," she added in an effort to cheer her a little. With this, she took the hand that had lingered on her thigh and brought her fingers to her mouth to kiss them gently, searching for remnants of that dampness on them. The almost imperceptible taste and the slightly more distinguishable smell had a hot flash go through her body. She was powerless to stop herself from remembering the one time she'd tasted her and along with it came the memory of Blake's thighs on each side of her head as she had positioned herself over her face. Yang exhaled heavily and Blake's hand in hers slid from mouth to her cheek, gently caressing it and tucking the blonde bangs behind her ear. The brawler was slowly taking a hold of herself again as she pensively observed her, letting the faunus trace her features and comb her hair with her fingers.

The fact that Blake wanted her was unquestionable, but Yang still wondered what shape that desire took inside her partner. Did Blake also scrutinize her? Did Blake's gaze linger on any features of her body more than others? Which ones? Did she daydream about doing…things too…? What exactly? Was she comfortable with those thoughts? She did say it had been months since she'd realized her attraction to Yang. And this led to yet another question. "…Blake, have you always known you were into both?"

She hummed gently. "You want to know if I knew I could like women before I realized I was attracted to you?"

"Sorry, yeah, that was a bit unclear."

Blake shook her head faintly. "I didn't know," she admitted. "I never actively sought or seriously considered romance before, so I didn't know I had… … tendencies. I was very troubled when I first realized how I had started looking at you," she quietly explained. "…As you may imagine, both of us being women was another reason why I couldn't bring myself to let you know."

Yang's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "It's not the main reason?"

Blake shrugged. "No… I thought… I don't know. I guess I thought my being a faunus is what would put one off before anything else."

Ruby and she had been raised with a very equalitarian mindset and, in their family, race would never have come out as a potential issue. It was only now that her partner had explained all this that she was truly able to understand why that fear would loom over her. "People are morons," she simply ended up saying. It made her furious that it was so common for humans to have such completely bigoted and groundless hostility that someone as fantastic as Blake would be conditioned to presume she was unwanted. "Our semblances already make us different enough from human to human, what's the big deal about horns or a tail? They're just there ," she vented.

Blake had a small smile. "So my ears are just there ?"

"No," she instantly interjected. "Your ears are so precious. They're the cutest thing and every time you get embarrassed and they flatten down, I think I almost die."

As expected, Blake's cat ears flattened backwards and, with that light blush on her cheeks, she was so irresistibly endearing Yang abruptly clutched her to herself.

Her voice came muffled as her face was buried somewhere between Yang's neck and breasts. "...You like them?"

"What?"

Blake managed to have her relax her grip and move just enough so that she could look at her curiously. "My ears. You actually like them…?"

"Yeah! A lot, actually." She shot with a large grin. "I like how expressive they are even when you try to put on a poker face. And I really like the way it sorta makes your whole portrait…" she trailed off, attempting to find the correct word to describe how those pointy little ears completed her partner's image. "Sharper? I don't know. You wouldn't be you without them and I like them," she concluded, reaching to caress the dark locks of hair, gently tracing around one of the cat ears pensively. "I really think it's a shame you hide them, though I understand why now," she gently said to which Blake gave a very faint nod. Yang smiled again. "You know… if you ever want to go around with your ears out, you know I'll look out for you, right? Ruby and Weiss will too."

She nodded again. "I know, thank you. But… I like the anonymity the bow grants," she reminded her. With this she gave a sigh; the conversation at hand clearly stirred her train of thought. "…I wish everyone would see past race. I wish there was absolutely no discrimination," Blake quietly voiced. "But… that's not how it is. And that bow is granting me equal opportunity—not be denied things or denied help, or sabotaged… or… harmed. Simply for being a faunus."

"…Has that actually happened?" Yang found herself asking. She knew those things happened out there but… it having happened to Blake chilled her with the sort of hate for strangers that she had never felt before.

Her partner stared at her for a long time. It looked like she didn't want to answer, but the longer she remained silent, the louder that very silence spoke.

"...Blake…?"

It was another moment before she spoke again. "…I've… I— … I've had… more than a few traumatic experiences with racism," she carefully said. Though she implicitly refused to describe any specific event, her answer only cemented Yang's assumption that her partner had indeed been abused in some ways. "And so, for as long as I remember, I've… dreamed of being able to walk with my head up high with my ears on display. You can say it's been a childhood fantasy… either for the world to somehow be different… or for me to be strong enough not to crumble under the hate. And… and I've—" she stopped herself, her breath catching in her throat. "I've tried and every time I seem to take a step forward, it seems to be the wrong way and I get pushed back twice further and I just can't seem to stand strong and face—… … And I… I feel more ashamed ofeverything I am ," she ambiguously blathered. Her eyes were glassy and she sniffed, her cat ears flattening back again in apparent embarrassment at her discomfiture. "I'm sorry, I don't make any sense," she whispered.

At this point Yang was unsure if the dark haired woman in her arms was still on the topic of the weight of racism, or she'd somehow found herself talking about past mistakes. She didn't understand what she was trying to convey or what she was referring to but she was certain Blake would someday open up more and it'd make sense then. She was however very aware that Blake's past had not been pretty, and seeing her get emotional this way was just harrowingly painful. Yang's heart swelled with sorrow, compassion, anger, so many crushing emotions. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of having you by my side," she affirmed. "I couldn't have dreamed up someone better than you."

Her words seemed to have the adverse effect than intended and Blake's expression turned from fragile to dismal. "Of course you could. I'm flawed and damaged," she dryly answered.

How much self-loathing and hate she harbored was nearly inconceivable to Yang, she couldn't help but wonder if all that was more the result of the rejection she'd experienced or of her own mistakes. She nevertheless felt choked up with sorrow for the so very precious woman in her arms and she tightened her embrace as if she would be able to absorb whatever residue of pain could be left. "I know you're not perfect, Blake. I'm not either. No one is," she gently said. "But the qualities you have, I admire; they inspire me. You're noble and dedicated and so smart and you have a vocation , and you… really make me want to be better; help people, defend strangers, get justice for them." As she'd talked, she noticed the tension gradually leave Blake's body. It felt like her heartfelt words had reached her and she smiled to herself. Very softly, she nuzzled her cheek against the midnight curls. "…Maybe I shouldn't be saying this but I… I also feel like… we're very complementary."

There was a very long silence and Yang had pretty much given up on getting any sort of answer. It almost surprised her that Blake carefully ended up asking: "Why shouldn't you be saying this?"

"It's…" Yang breathed out shakily, unable to articulate the reason. Because she couldn't breach that topic yet. Because she didn't have answers yet. Because she couldn't face Blake's truth yet.

As if she'd read all this plain and clear, Blake shook her head faintly. "It doesn't matter," she murmured. "But it's not wrong… we are complementary," she still acknowledged, running both hands down her back as she hugged her closer.

The brawler decided it may be wiser not to add anything. She was content in her arms and she didn't want to chance saying something that may either ruin the moment or move things along faster than she was ready. She returned the embrace, laying a soft kiss on her temple.

---

The first thing she came aware of when she woke up was that Yang was still with her, sleeping very soundly. With a yawn, Blake pulled her closer, curling in her arms and burying her face in her chest. The blonde's loose tank top exposed a lot of skin and, as she settled against it, she sighed contently. The pleasant smell of Yang's skin was both comforting and arousing, the warmth of her body made her want to drift back to sleep, the soft flesh of her chest gently rising against her cheek with every slow inhalation made her want to press her mouth to it. She tilted her head ever so slightly, brushing her lips against her breast as she snuggled closer. Oh, how she wanted mark her skin, explore her with her mouth again, kiss every inch of her. Her arms around Yang slowly caressed down her back to her ass, pulling their bodies closer together under the bedcovers. Before she knew it, she realized she was purring.

The faunus cracked her eyes open again, her sleepy mind now remembering she had to mind her behavior and that, with this much light flooding the room, she may need to think about getting out of bed. They did have class and especially… it may be better to avoid being seen by their teammates. Reluctantly, she made herself let go of her partner and sat up, scratching her head. Glancing to the neighboring bed had her notice it was empty, indicating the snow haired heiress was already up. Blake's eyes then swiped the room and promptly met the cool blue orbs that happened to be observing her from afar.

Weiss finished buttoning up her uniform vest in silence, then proceeded with the red ribbon around her neck, her eyes still locked with Blake's. She neatly tied the ribbon into a perfect bow, ultimately breaking eye contact as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror to ensure of her impeccable appearance. Then she approached their beds.

"…Good morning," Weiss finally greeted.

"Good morning," Blake answered very quietly. Her teammate unquestionably had to have seen how she had been cuddling up to her partner, even if said teammate had been a little far to be able to witness the full extent of the intimacy of her actions. Blake awkwardly looked up at Weiss, then at the makeshift bunk beds across, wanting to shift the attention away from herself. "Ruby is still sleeping?"

"Yes, I was about to get her out of bed," she retorted, though she didn't move from standing next to Blake's bed. After another second of apparent deliberation, she opened her mouth again. "…What happened?"

"What?"

"…Well," Weiss cleared her throat then nodded towards the sleeping blonde. "Someone's not in her own bed."

Though Blake had hoped against all odds she would overlook it, it had been a given Weiss wouldn't let this slide without at least inquiring. The faunus glanced towards her partner, who drowsily seemed to be searching for the warm body that had torn itself from her arms. "She… heard me having a nightmare. About the White Fang. She came down to wake me up and calm me down… I guess we fell asleep while talking."

"Oh. Okay." It seemed to Blake like she was buying it. Or maybe she wasn't, Weiss did look to still be slightly bothered after all but if she hadn't bought it, then she apparently wasn't certain enough to call Blake out on a lie. Ultimately, she seemed to decide to move on. "I'm going to wake Ruby now, I trust you can take care of your own partner?"

"Yeah, I'll make sure she's not late," the faunus acquiesced.

The snow haired heiress stepped towards her own bunk bed, about to pull on the bed covers half-hanging from the top bunk to shock their short haired leader awake. Instead, she suddenly turned again to her previous interlocutor, that odd disconcerted look tainting her features again. Whatever had been bothering her had prevailed and Weiss stepped closer again. "Blake?" Her expression was now openly perplex, very uncertain. "…Were you… sorry, but honestly, just now. You were purring ?"

"…Maybe."

Weiss furrowed her brow further, narrowing her eyes in apparent disapproval of the vague response. "Is it 'maybe' as in you were still half asleep and you don't remember or 'maybe' as in you're embarrassed that I heard you?"

"Maybe you heard wrong…?" Blake tried meekly.

"I know what I heard."

Her cat ears flattened themselves backwards in shame. "Can you please let it go?"

Weiss's gaze drifted from Blake to Yang's sleeping form before she looked back towards the faunus for another seemingly interminable moment. The icy blue of her eyes gave the young woman a very piercing gaze and the way she kept staring at her made Blake feel like she could see through her.

"I see," Weiss finally said. Then she was about to resume her activities, but she glanced at Blake one last time. "Don't worry, I won't tell," she added before pulling on the dangling bed covers, earning them a displeased cry from Ruby's bed.

Very troubled with what had just happened, Blake felt uneasiness stem in the pit of her stomach. What did her teammate mean? That she won't tell Ruby that Yang had slept in her bed? Or tell that Blake can purr? Or tellYang that she was purring while snuggling up to her? Was it that maybe Weiss was starting to fit the pieces together…? Anxiously, she turned to the blonde.

While the room was now drowned in the white princess and their quirky team leader arguing about whether or not it was too early for Ruby to get out of bed, Blake brought her hand to her own partner's arm, gently shaking her. "Yang…" She called.

The brawler groaned but didn't open her eyes; she reached up to lazily pull on Blake's wrist so she'd lie with her again.

She wondered how her partner wasn't bothered by the ruckus. Maybe growing up with a younger sibling made her impervious to the noise? "I can't, it's morning. You need to get out of my bed now."

With this, her eyes snapped open and she sat up right away. "A-are they—"

"It's okay," Blake whispered. Her voice was almost drowned by the quarrelling going on in the background. "I had a nightmare and we fell asleep as we talked. That's the story. Weiss saw us."

Yang seemed dazed, evidently not entirely awake. Then, as the information seemed to register, she nodded. Her amethyst eyes fell on their snow haired friend trying oh so hard to force her younger partner down from her bed. Yang let herself fall on her back and yawned, closing her eyes.

Blake stared at her for a second, unsure about what the blonde was doing. "You're just… going back to sleep?"

"No," she shrugged. They heard Ruby fall out of bed and being dragged away. Yang smiled. "But it's not like I have to hurry either, my dear sister won't be ready for a while."

Blake sighed.

"Out of bed, Xiao Long!" Weiss's pointy voice called from the bathroom to which she had dragged Ruby.

Yang put Blake's pillow over her head. "Tell her I'm still sleeping."

She rolled her eyes. "She's still sleeping," Blake repeated, just loud enough for the short heiress to hear.

"Don't stoop to her level, Belladonna. I heard her voice, I know she's awake," Weiss called back. They then heard the shower running along with some threats of being dunked under the water with pajamas still on. It was when Ruby complained she'd undress when she had privacy that Weiss then came stomping out of the bathroom. She shut the door behind her, consequently muting the indignant rant about how cold the water was, and started picking up Ruby's books and school materials, shoving everything in her bag to save them some time. "I swear those siblings, why do I need to be babysitting—" she stopped as she noticed the pair still in bed. "Blake, kick her out of bed!"

"You heard that? I'm supposed to kick you out of bed," Blake removed the pillow to see her partner's face and was met with a playfully gleaming leer.

"Isn't your bed where you like me best though?" Yang whispered almost inaudibly.

Blake felt a flash of heat overcome her. Oh how she found her partner sexy when she gave her that look. Not that there was ever a time when she didn't find the blonde sexy, but this… this was upsettingly alluring. She glanced behind her, making sure Weiss stopped paying attention to them before she leaned in very close. "No, where I like you best is on top of me ," she whispered.

Instantaneously, she saw lust flare up in her partner's eyes. "Oh, damn," Yang breathed. "Brutal… Making me want you from the moment I wake up."

"Wouldn't you have wanted me anyhow from the moment you opened your eyes?" Blake playfully shot back, still keeping her voice very low.

Yang grinned. "Even before that," she declared. "Maybe I haven't told you, but I dream a lot about you. Hot dreams."

Blake felt herself smile. "You don't need to tell me, I know."

"Oh really?" Her grin widened and Yang stretched lazily. Her orange tank top rode up, uncovering more of her toned stomach.

She knew she was blatantly staring and she knew the blonde could see it but there was no reason for her to try to veil her gaze, not with her back to their other teammate. "I thought I told you how great my sense of smell is."

The amethyst eyes amusedly observed her, apparently quite entertained with the way she was unashamedly studying her. "Ouch. Blake – two, Yang – zero."

She laughed, poking her stomach. "What do I win?"

Her smooth answer came with a killer smile. "Anything you want."

Your heart , was the first thing she thought of answering. And with this thought, her own heart seemed to crumble heavily into her painfully compressed chest. Without another word, Blake got out of bed.

"Noooo! Kitten, don't leave me!" Yang complained loudly.

"Kitten?" Weiss repeated, staring Blake down as she walked across the room.

Deciding not to acknowledge either of them, she knocked on the bathroom door. "Ruby, are you almost done?"

tbc-