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.

6. Chapter 6

Revised 10/03/2018 from 14726 to 15806

Her waking was pretty sudden that morning; her bed covers were mercilessly torn off to expose her to the cold air of the room. Yang sat up. Scanning around her bed to find the offender had her meet two cold blue orbs staring up at her.

"I'm accompanying Ruby to see Professor Ozpin before class, since your dear sister still hasn't turned in our entry for the Vytal festival's tournament. She still hadn't filled it in with the tournament tomorrow!" Weiss explained without prior greetings. "I want you out of bed before we leave. If you're late to class again the whole team may very well get penalized. You know what happened with team JNPR last month."

"Good morning to you too," the blonde muttered, letting herself fall on her back once more.

"Get out of bed," the short lady insisted.

Yang rolled on her side and let the upper half of her body dangle from her bed to check the bed underneath hers. "Is Blake already gone?"

"She's in the bathroom getting ready," Weiss motioned towards the open door. "Unlike a certain someone who hits snooze about a dozen times before she just entirely turns off her alarm and stays in bed, Blake gets up even before the thing rings," she added in a bit of an accusatory tone, earning herself a grimace from the blonde.

Snubbing this trivial misdemeanor, Weiss went on. "Ruby and I will have breakfast afterwards, if you and Blake want to join us later at the cafeteria."

"We'll see," Yang swung down from her bed. "I'm up. You can leave," she flatly said. Her gaze flickered towards the bathroom's open door for a second before she found her friend's again.

The snow haired lady had done exactly the same, following Yang's line of sight towards the door, and as their gazes met again, the so very… odd way she stared back at her left the blonde somewhat disconcerted.

"Don't be late," Weiss repeated.

"I'm not going to be! You got me up this early," the blonde reminded her. With every intention to show her she would be ready in time, she trotted to her closet and took out her school uniform. "You and Ruby can leave now," she reiterated, unable to veil her impatience.

The bizarre look Weiss had been giving her turned to something Yang couldn't accurately pinpoint. Something of a mix between wary and critical. Weiss looked surprisingly very, very displeased. With no clue as to why, Yang nevertheless expected to be chewed out. It was ever more surprisingly that Weiss seemed to bite her tongue and swallow down that irritation. Without another word, she picked up her school supplies and ushered her younger partner out the door, though not without throwing the brawler a last stern look before leaving.

As soon as she heard the click of the door, Yang dropped her uniform on her desk and hurried to the bathroom.

Blake had already brushed her teeth and applied make-up; the last step of her routine was her hair, which she'd just started on, the ribbon she used as her trademark bow still on the bathroom counter. Surprised to see her partner storm in this way and even more so to be pulled into a fierce hug, Blake started to say something but before she could the blonde had stolen her lips. She docilely submitted to the kiss, forgetting for a second what she'd been doing.

Only when hands rid her of the red uniform ribbon so neatly tied around her neck did Blake seem to come back to her senses. "What are you doing they're-"

"They left," Yang cut in. "And once they've seen Ozpin, they're going to the cafeteria to get something to eat before class." Without further ceremony, she effortlessly hauled the faunus up to seat her on the bathroom counter. "That leaves us… what… an hour?"

"An hour in which you also need to get ready," she reminded her.

Yang took it upon herself to start unbuttoning her partner's shirt. "You've seen me get out of bed late. You know I'm an expert at getting ready in a couple of minutes."

Though she let herself be stripped, Blake nevertheless was clearly hesitant. She sat very still, her eyes unmoving from Yang's.

The blonde paused, holding her stare amusedly, knowing full well what to say to fire up her partner. "You don't feel like being my breakfast?" she questioned in a teasing tone.

As expected, the faunus instantly gave in, closing in for another kiss as she took off her blazer. The blonde's hands quickly finished their work and met her bare stomach, circling around inside her open dress shirt to draw her into a closer embrace. Blake wrapped her legs around her waist, her arms around her shoulders and, as their bodies fully came together, Yang felt her lust flare up tenfold. Her hands traveled up her partner's ribs to unhook her bra and she caressed down the perfect curve of her body again to the small of her back, then massaged back up. She felt Blake smile in the kiss, her tongue tracing her lower lip and, as they deepened the kiss, the all-consuming desire to have her writhe in pleasure took hold of Yang once more. Her hands urgently grabbed at her thighs and her lips fell on her neck, then quickly down her chest. Even with it being unhooked, Blake couldn't remove her bra, as they were in such a hurry she hadn't removed her blouse either; Yang simply pushed the cups up on her torso and stuck her mouth to one of her breasts. She felt the faunus's hands in her hair and the blonde pressed closer, lightly biting the hardened nipple as she sucked with more fervor.

Blake whined softly, pulling her closer with her legs and rubbing her core against her stomach. Feeling the heat through the garments made Yang shudder with lust; her hands moved back down to caress her thighs.

"Mark me," Blake whispered, her fingers balling into a fist to clutch her golden hair.

Despite her unbridledly unreeling passion, Yang was brought back to that conversation they had in the shower. She now grasped very well the underlying implications, and she knew what Blake thought of this, what they now both understood it suggested, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

…No, that wasn't true at all. If leaving evidence of this passion gave the impression she was making a statement… she did care. She cared because she had been too reckless already. The reason she in fact proceeded despite it all was that… the idea Blake could be perceived as hers or even that Blake could perceive herself as hers, was not one she could say she disliked.

In truth, even more so now that Blake had opened her eyes to its inherent subtext, she found the act of leaving marks on the other woman's body exceptionally arousing. She realized… she wanted to feel like she possessed her. And that notion, clear as it was in its essence… clear as it was in its implications, was one she willed to be locked away at the back of her mind as her mouth moved from her nipple to her skin. She sucked harshly to leave painless bruises between her breasts as well as a trail of them as she slowly headed down her stomach. Her lips approached the waistband of her skirt and she could feel Blake's grip of her hair roughen in an attempt to control the movement of her head; Yang surprised herself realizing she didn't mind. Her hair, over which she'd typically so hastily go ballistic, was being yanked more forcefully than she'd ever allowed it to be… and yet the only emotion it stirred was the excitement of being taken control of. She opted not to linger on why it was that Blake could pull on her beloved golden locks all she wanted.

She let her tongue follow the skin along the fabric of her skirt, earning herself a gasp from her partner. With both hands, Yang reached underneath the garment to help Blake, still sitting on the bathroom counter, wiggle out of her panties. Underwear promptly thrown to the ground, Yang's hands then trailed her legs, pushing her skirt up. She moved her lips from her stomach to the inside of her thigh and, as she closed in on her goal, the air felt hotter, heavier, saltier, musky. An all-consuming raw, hunger was hastily growing in the pit of her stomach, yet she made herself take the time to also mark the skin on the inside of her thigh. As she excruciatingly slowly inched closer to her soaked lips, the faunus huffed impatiently. Yang then felt the grip her partner had on her hair get rougher and, as if she'd had enough of teasing, as if she snapped, Blake shoved her face to her sex.

With a grin, completely unruffled by how forcefully her partner was now handling her, Yang readily took a mouthful, sucking on her lips, absolutely obliging her need. Blake relaxed right away -the blonde could feel it in her legs resting on her shoulders- as she thrust her hips almost imperceptibly. Yang pressed closer, her tongue tracing her opening. Its taste filled her mouth and she found herself positively relishing in that. She plunged her tongue inside of her, leisurely twisting it and Blake's purring grew loud enough for the brawler to hear as she leisurely rocked her hips along. Yang noted to herself that every time she got to taste her she loved it more and more. But that too, she decided she shouldn't linger on.

Bringing two fingers to slowly penetrate her had her partner whimper and writhe, struggling to keep her body propped up in a sitting position. Blake was so drenched that Yang's fingers slid in and out of her sloppily and it somehow got even worse as the blonde started fingering her faster, still kissing with an open mouth, tongue insistent on the hardened bud.

The air she breathed had become humid, suffocating with the heat of their bodies, of their increasingly vigorous movements. Her bangs stuck to the moist skin of the faunus's thighs and it felt like Blake's flesh was burning up more and more against her lips and tongue. The dark-haired woman could barely hold herself up, she leaned back against the mirror, thrusting her hips against her mouth, following the pace of her fingers. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands; one second, they were in the golden hair, the other they were trying to help supporting her sitting up. As she cradled her head closer again, she brought one trembling hand to her mouth.

"Yang…" She gasped under her breath and Yang felt her heart skip a beat. It was followed by a tremendous shiver going down her spine that seemed to unleash extraordinary, maddening passion, a ravaging blaze throughout her body. Yet she couldn't double up her efforts now; she already felt her fingers squeezed as Blake tensed up and she knew altering her rhythm would be counter effective. Her partner was quivering, desperately trying to regulate her breathing, to fill her lungs with air. The blonde still licked in long, slow strokes, keeping her fingers deep in her until she felt her start to relax. Only when she finally did, did Yang move away.

Strangely elated, she kissed her thigh and then her stomach, taking her time kissing up between her breasts, then following her collarbone slowly. Arms incited her to melt into a warm embrace and Yang obliged, welcoming her tenderness and need. She pressed her mouth to her neck burningly, feeling her fast pulse under her lips.

"You said my name," she noted in a whisper.

Still heaving from the effort, Blake had no energy to try challenge that. "So I did," she acquiesced almost inaudibly.

"I… I really loved that you did," the blonde admitted, disconcerted with how unexpectedly flustered both hearing her say it and sharing this revelation with her partner made her.

Blake was silent for a while, catching her breath. Her delicate fingers combed the blonde mane gently. "…I imagined you would, with how you've been asking," she then allowed.

Yang drew back enough to observe her features. She wanted to know what kind of expression her partner had as she gave those prudent responses. Instead, she was once more awestruck with how even in such a disheveled state, with her skin flushed and midnight bangs messily sticking to her forehead, Blake was so, so absurdly gorgeous. The gold of her eyes flickered with something that only this type of relief and comfort ever brought out of her, a vulnerability that under virtually no circumstances she would let show through. With it, there was this unmistakable yearning, this affection, this… adoration that Yang would catch a glimpse of in some rare occasions.

Her heart was violently pounding in her chest and the brawler knew it wasn't from the exertion of bringing her partner to climax. Holding her unshielded stare, faced with her unspoken truth, Yang breathed out shakily. The sound of Blake's voice whispering her name in rapture echoed in her head.

"…I need to hear it again," she found herself articulating anxiously, returning her fingers between the faunus's legs. Faint contractions were still perceptible at her entrance as Yang very gently caressed her, coating her fingers with her arousal.

"What…?" The dark-haired beauty shakily breathed, having obviously not completely recovered yet.

"Say my name again," she clarified, pushing her fingers in.

Blake threw her head back, her mouth open in a silent cry, her eyes shut tightly. She fumbled to find a steady grip on her partner and forced her head upright again, locking a puzzled, fretful gaze with hers. It was only a few gentle thrusts of Yang's fingers for her legs to wrap themselves around her waist, for her hips to find a slow rhythm against Yang's hand. "What are you doing…?" Blake still protested, cupping her cheek. "I won't have time to do you…"

She tilted her head into her hand, turning just enough to kiss her palm. "It's okay," she dismissed as she leaned closer to rest her forehead against hers. "…Just say it again."

The faunus stared back in silence, searching her eyes, evidently seeking to determine why the blonde urged this out of her.

Yang couldn't even pinpoint it herself. Though, admittedly… something at the back of her mind insisted that she in fact knew very well why, that she had to be stupid not to catch onto the obviousness of her behavior towards the woman in her arms.

Yet still, straining not to dwell on her own motivations, struggling to ignore the haunting, unrelenting feeling of being on the verge of an emotional breakthrough, the one thing she accepted, the one thing she just couldn't hide from, was that she needed to hear it. With her forehead leaning against hers, Yang held her stare. Blake's gleaming golden eyes were glazed from pleasure and confusion. "Blake, please," she insisted.

In response, Blake pulled her closer and moved in to brush her mouth to hers, kissing her only with the tip of her lips between burning exhalations. "…Yang," she allowed herself to whisper, her voice saturated with desire.

The blonde shivered with excitement. She pumped her fingers a little faster, careful to apply gentle pressure against the front wall and her partner seemed to be melting in her arms. "Again, say it again," she pleaded, curling her fingers, pressing their bodies together.

Blake arched her back, squirming with pleasure, hanging onto her. "Yang," she moaned markedly louder, obstinately staring back, and Yang was utterly hypnotized with her. She squeezed in a third finger, earning herself a brusque gasp; the faunus rocked her hips with renewed vigor, biting her lower lip as the purring started anew. "Yang," she murmured avidly, without being prompted to this time. She huffed harshly, hands rummaging through golden locks, kissing her once more, inhaling sharply and moaning yet again. Her eyes rolled in pleasure for a second as she evidently was losing herself in the sensations but then somehow, she managed to find her gaze again. "Yang, I… …I…" Her breath was running out and she was panting, unable to articulate anything else.

Intense violet eyes were locked onto the gold orbs and her heart hammered in her chest with anticipation. "You…?" she expectantly pressed.

Her questioning brought a spark of lucidity to flash in her eyes and Blake abruptly stopped purring, as if shaken. She quickly broke eye contact as she tightened her embrace to nuzzle into the crook of her partner's neck. "…I want to touch you too," she managed unsteadily.

Yang felt her rush shatter.

It was painfully obvious that this wasn't what Blake had started saying, that Blake had caught herself and bit back those words Yang had made explicitly clear she hadn't been ready to hear. Swallowing the disheartened feeling that had abruptly chilled her, she leaned her cheek against her head, breathing in the intoxicating scent of her hair, feeling herself relax back into what she was doing. "I know. We'll get to that…" she quietly breathed, pushing her fingers deeper inside her. She didn't want to think about why being denied the confession she realized she'd anticipated disappointed her so.

Blake pushed back with her hips, clutching the back of her orange tank top in trembling fists, her panting searing the skin of her shoulder and neck. Yang cradled her closer, rubbing her cheek to the top of her head, dark curls so soft against her skin. "…Talk to me again…?"

She felt her head shake 'no' faintly and Yang pumped her fingers in a shorter movement, though much faster. Blake moaned feverishly, frantically grasping at her back, hands then losing themselves in the blonde mane.

"…You turn me on so much," Yang gently murmured next a quivering cat ear, prompting the purring to resume. "Just doing you, I'm also feeling myself getting close," she admitted. It was true; her own core throbbed, so aching to be touched that even the faint brush of the fabric of her pajama was of some relief.

Blake gasped. Her hands flowed down her back, caressing her ass, then back up again, inciting the blonde to press closer in an almost suffocating embrace.

"You can keep touching if it gets you off," Yang suggested and right away she felt fingers slip in at the back of her loose black shorts to grip her naked rear. Against her own chest resonated the vibration emerging from her partner's ribcage and the distinct purring sound coming from her throat was undeniably louder. Yang found herself grinning once again; it did flatter her ego that groping her ass would have that effect on Blake.

The next moment, the faunus tensed up and the thrust of her hips came in a spasmodic motion, she seemed unable to catch her breath. The blonde kissed the top of her head in a lingering, tender kiss and Blake's hands gauchely moved from her ass to properly embrace her. The purring started to fade as she slowly settled back down and only then did Yang draw back, though only far enough so she could claim her lips again. The other woman lazily kissed her back, her legs around her waist loosening considerably.

"You monster," Blake accused quietly, their lips still grazing.

"…So what if I am?" The blonde breathed as an answer.

The dark haired faunus pressed her mouth to hers once more and, with the way she took control of the kiss, the brawler could feel her partner's sluggishness wearing off faster than it usually did. Maybe this being the beginning of the day left her with more energy?

Blake ran her tongue along her lower lip before biting it gently as she drew back. "You don't regret not leaving time for you?"

"We have time for me," Yang shot back. "I'm so, so fired up, all I need is a small push." With this, she untangled herself enough to drop her pajama shorts to the ground and then climbed on the bathroom counter to straddle her lap. Without shame, she pulled her orange tank above her head, now completely naked. "…Unless you mind?"

"…Really?" Blake's eyes swept down her shape for a quick glance at her body before she pulled her closer. "Do you actually think I'd mind?"

"Only 'cause we're a little pressed for time, you may have wanted to redo your hair and makeup," the blonde explained.

"I'd rather be late for class than leave you hanging," she answered with a smile, prompting a hearty laugh from her partner.

"We can't be late, Weiss would kill us," she argued.

"Then we'll be fast," Blake resolved. "…Besides, if you want me as much as I've been wanting you, this won't take long," she affirmed, caressing her ass again in large, circular motions.

Yang felt herself grin. "As much? Maybe I want you more than you want me," she teased, slowly rocking her hips, itching for one of her hands to drop between her legs.

"I doubt it."

"Then show me," the blonde dared, another effort to incite the caresses she was dying for.

The moment the words passed her lips, the golden eyes had sharply locked onto hers, shining with resolved ferociousness. It only lasted a heartbeat, but there was something exceedingly savage about her. It was hard to believe this was the same level-headed and composed woman she called her partner; Yang was staggered. Blake crashed her mouth to hers, her nails dug into her as she yanked her closer with a strength that Yang knew Blake's deceptively delicate body concealed but was nevertheless always surprised to experience. And the blonde avidly kissed her back, greedily trying to quench her lust. Blake bit her lower lip, pushed her tongue in her mouth as she devoured it, her breathing harsh with passion. She felt Blake's fingers slide inside of her, coaxing a satisfied moan out of her, and Yang knew it unquestionably wouldn't take more than a few minutes for her climax. But then, almost as if in a dream, somewhere far, far off, she heard the sound of a door. She broke the kiss abruptly and met her partner's worried gaze, both of them now completely still.

"Yang? Blake?" Ruby's voice in their shared room made them jump out of their skin.

Yang was off her and back in her pajamas in record time while Blake reattached her bra and started buttoning her shirt as quick as she could.

The blonde picked up her partner's underwear. "We're in the bathroom Ruby," she answered, helping her slip back into it while the dark haired faunus finished buttoning her shirt and straightening her top.

"You're still not ready?" Ruby called from the bedroom.

"No, uh, we…" Yang glanced at herself in the mirror, quickly trying to straighten out her hair. "Weren't you heading to the cafeteria right away…?"

"We were, but I noticed I took the wrong book for class so I dashed back here," her voice sounded closer, as their leader manifestly was approaching the bathroom. The next moment, Ruby poked her head in. "Weiss stayed back at the cafeteria, she said she'd eat with Pyrrha and Jaune while I—Oh my God!" She stared them both down. With their clothing ruffled, reddened skin and being slightly out of breath, Ruby could only conclude one thing. "Did you two get into a fight or something?"

Intense relief washed over her, unbelievably grateful for her sister's naïve assessment.

"…We sorted it out, it's fine!" The blonde blurted, rolling with it.

Her sibling, still wide-eyed, was unconvinced. "…Are you sure you're okay? I mean, to get to violence, your argument must've been pretty-"

"Ruby," Blake cut in, "we're good, don't worry," she quickly said. "We just had to resolve… a… pressing issue."

She blinked quickly several times, her gaze then moving from the faunus to her older sister. "…You've already kissed and made up?"

"We did exactly that," Yang swung her arm around her partner's shoulders for emphasis; she felt a hand snake around her waist and Blake pulled her a little closer.

This seemed to convince Ruby, as her features finally settled from the shock and worry. "Well… Okay," she hesitantly gave. Then, and only then, did her expression tint itself with a hint of mischief. "So. Who won?"

It was no surprise that Ruby would require this information.

"I did," Blake answered.

"Did not," Yang instantly argued.

Blake eyed her nonchalantly. "Everything's resolved on my side," she reminded her. "How bothered are you still?"

Stunned with her partner's audacity, outright asking this in front of Ruby, the blonde could only speechlessly stare back at her.

The corner of her lip curled into a bit of a smug smirk. "Doesn't that make me the winner?"

Yang's mouth hung up open in disbelief and a frown slowly took over her features. She then felt Ruby gently pat her arm and glanced back at her sister.

"Don't be mad Yang, you'll get a rematch sooner or later," the short girl encouragingly tried.

Blake snorted. "Yeah, don't be mad," she piped in, drawing the aggravated brawler's gaze back to her. "You will get that rematch," she promised, a mischievous twinkle to her eye.

Yang narrowed her eyes, in no mood to be teased.

The faunus's lips broke into a full smile. "Now get ready or we'll be late."

She stuck her tongue at her and went on to wash her face without another word, meanwhile her sister had the grace to fetch her uniform and underwear for her. Without missing a beat, the blonde pulled her top above her head and grabbed her bra, earning herself a squeak from Ruby.

"Yang! Have some shame!" she exclaimed, silver eyes glancing towards the faunus before averting her eyes.

"What?" She unconcernedly questioned back while fastening her bra. "You're my sister and Blake's… Blake," she added as she repositioned her breasts in the cups and slipped on her blouse, buttoning it.

"What does that even mean," Ruby mumbled more to herself than her two teammates, opting to go and find her missing school manual while they finished getting ready.

Blake leaned the side of her hip to the bathroom counter and crossed her arms, studying the blonde as she changed. "You should be a little more careful," she commented quietly.

"Should I?" She changed her loose pajama shorts for clean underwear and her skirt.

The golden eyes stayed on her shape as she did so. "…You used to show more modesty, she may find it strange."

Even if her sister was making a racket searching for her book in their shared room, Yang closed in to assure they wouldn't be overheard. "Ruby would never have suspicions about something like this," she rationalized almost inaudibly. "It would've been obvious to anyone else what we'd been doing; she thought we'd been fighting, for God's sake."

"Yeah…" Blake agreed in a sigh. She stayed immobile another moment, staring back at her. "…Yang, don't forget to brush your teeth," she added somewhat out of the blue, "or we may get busted."

"What?" She laughed, poking her in the torso. "My breath smells like pussy… cat?"

The faunus raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "This was too predictable to be even remotely amusing," she dryly answered.

"I'm funny," the blonde huffed, grabbing her toothbrush.

"Whatever you wanna tell yourself," Blake answered with a roll of her eyes, starting up on redoing her makeup.

Yang quickly brushed her teeth and applied light make-up as the faunus slowly fixed her hair and bow. Blake grabbed her scroll and, in an attempt to check the time, Yang glanced at the screen over her shoulder. She was astonished to see an impressive amount of missed calls from Weiss in the last minutes.

"Wow, you think she's in trouble?" The blonde grabbed her own scroll to see if she'd tried reaching her too, but nothing showed. Understanding that their friend's apparent emergency wasn't something life-threatening, but rather of a personal nature concerning Blake, she turned again to her raven-haired partner. "...Are you going to call her back?" She curiously asked.

Blake gave a light sigh. "No need."

Cocking her head to the side in a silent question, she kept staring. Did her partner share secrets with their snow haired friend? Things Yang didn't know? …Since when?

As if she'd read the questions on her mind, Blake shook her head. "…Weiss probably wanted to warn us that Ruby was heading to our room in case we were doing… exactly what we were doing," she explained. Yang's expression surely betrayed her surprise because Blake followed suit with her explanations. "She… saw through me, the way I'd been looking at you," the faunus offered quietly. "She confronted me with it and I…I ended up telling her we have," she paused for a second, hesitating, "…something."

And all at once, their friend's peculiar behavior earlier that morning made complete sense. Yang realized Weiss had understood why she was urging her to leave and that this probably was why she'd reminded her several times not to be late. The blonde instantly felt incredibly self-conscious. Weiss had known. She'd known her intentions, and she also knew exactly what would happen as soon as she and Ruby would leave the room.

Yang didn't know what to think or how to react to all this. Not only because she now realized how obvious she may have been, but also because… she barely was starting to be comfortable with her newfound identity. She wasn't sure how ready she had been for anyone else to know yet. On top of it, this wasn't just anyone! Weiss was a close friend… who had previously shown herself to be quite narrow-minded. As Yang's thoughts spiraled down, she abruptly came aware of how her stomach and throat tightened. Her fingers were cold and palms clammy; apprehension chilled her. Had she mistaken irritation with revulsion earlier? Was Weiss revolted with knowing this? "…She… knows? That we…?"

As Blake stared back at her, watching the blood drain from her face, watching her whole disposition lose its carefreeness, she seemed to be struck with realization. "Oh…" she quietly said, bringing her hand to cover her mouth. "I'm so sorry," Blake instantly apologized in a whisper. "I should've asked before I said anything, I should never have outed you without your consent, I-I never imagined you may not have been comfortable with her knowing about you having tendencies and… a-and… I…" she stammered, nervously inhaling a sharp breath. "I… in the moment… I didn't think, I…. I mean, you'd suggested we tell them so we could… have private time, so it never crossed my mind that-"

"Never mind, Blake, it's okay," Yang cut in, and she saw some, if not most, of the tension leave her partner's features. Still hesitant, she searched her golden eyes for any clue of her exchange with Weiss having gone south, even in the slightest. "It's just that…Weiss isn't very… you know? I mean…she…was okay with that?"

"She was startled," Blake conceded, "but she doesn't have a problem with same-sex attraction."

The blonde felt herself relax considerably. "That's a relief," she gave with a sigh. Thinking it over, Yang was reminded how their friend had made tremendous progress over the last months, first changing her discourse about faunus, and subsequently being significantly less judgmental with other matters. This also prompted her to acknowledge how the snow haired lady hadn't behaved any differently towards them, to the point Yang hadn't even realized she had been aware of what was going on with her and Blake. Moreover, she had even tried to give them a head's up about Ruby, and this also deserved some credit.

"I do however think she disapproves," Blake admitted and, as Yang started to frown, the faunus anticipated what she was going to say. "Not because we're both women but… I mean… what we're doing, as it is," she tried ambiguously, her eyes drifting to the floor.

Yang felt a twinge of discomfort – was it irritation? There was a clear sense of defensiveness to it. "…She doesn't have a say in this though," she warily cautioned.

"Are you two coming?" Ruby's voice interjected from the room; she'd apparently finally found her book.

"Of course, she doesn't," Blake agreed. "In truth, she never said she disapproved… it's simply the feeling I got."

If she indeed had a problem with it, it'd explain Weiss narrowing her eyes at her in condemnation earlier. "Why do you think she…" Yang started asking but trailed off, feeling a little stupid for even questioning this.

It was obvious why. If Weiss had heard Blake's account, then she had probably also had some insight on the faunus's feelings… of how Yang was most definitely hurting her and of how precarious the situation may be. Weiss probably was aware of how Yang deliberately ignored what had to be discussed, of how she kept the situation nebulous while still selfishly indulging in something that could potentially be disastrous for the team. It was only a given that the heiress would be displeased with a precarious situation like this one.

Before anything else could be said, Ruby popped in again, insisting they leave.

Managing to make it to the cafeteria with some spare time to eat, the three girls joined with their remaining teammate and their other friends. Ruby resumed animatedly chatting with Nora, a conversation she had apparently left hanging to get her precious book, while Yang, sitting with Blake, found herself very aware of pale blue eyes scrutinizing the two of them in an unquestionably analytical way. Now aware that Blake had talked to her, Yang had a good guess at what her teammate was looking for; evidence of what Ruby may have interrupted. In an attempt to test her assumption, the blonde subtly rearranged her clothes, as if they'd needed readjustment after having been ruffled by that intimate moment with her partner. Unsurprisingly, Weiss averted her eyes, her face growing a pinkish red.

The rest of the day went by in a blur, classes were cut short for the teams participating in the Vytal Tournament; teachers gracefully allowed them a few extra hours of preparation to strategize, clean and sharpen their weapons and armor. Or simply relax before the big day, if they so desired. The excitement of the event could be felt in the air, to the point it was hard to find any sleep—the four of them were up at the crack of dawn. It however didn't prevent team RWBY from prevailing in their first match. Though admittedly a tad disorganized at first, they'd managed to snatch quite a smooth victory.

After their congratulatory meal with team JNPR and subsequently viewing said team's match, they opted to stay in the stadium to witness their other friends' fights; watching as team CFVY secured their own victory, and then followed by another, albeit less smooth, win from team SSSN.

Ruby, having been on edge the whole match, sank in her seat. "Urhh! That was so close!"

Yang looked on with a grin as Sun and Neptune, the two left standing of the team, gracelessly but candidly danced their victory. "Looks like the dorks made it to the next round!" She exclaimed.

The next moment, the blond faunus boy gestured towards Blake in elation; Yang didn't notice how her own smile melted off her features.

"Emphasis on dork…" Blake mumbled under her breath as she averted her eyes, blushing self-consciously at the overt attention.

The purple eyes drifted from her partner to the blonde faunus's figure again as he was walking out of the arena. The brawler now realized her fingers were cold, her chest constricted, something didn't feel right. Before she could identify what was happening, the loudspeaker buzzed and Doctor Ooblek's voice came on.

"That concludes the matches for the day," the message started, "please leave the coliseum in A CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION." His voice suddenly booming forced horrible feedback from the speakers, making everyone cringe.

The sudden disruption shook off the strange feeling Yang couldn't place as they were now forced to move on with their day, and she stood. "Come on, let's go congratulate them," she suggested.

Receiving nods of agreement from the group, they all started towards the nearest exit of the stadium. Though almost immediately, Ruby grouchily complaining had the blonde glancing back at the team; her sister had bumped into Weiss, who's gaze was fixed to the sky in wonder.

The snow haired lady stood still, completely absorbed with the airship slowly travelling over them. "She's here," she whispered in amazement.

"Who's here?" Ruby quizzically inquired, blinking in few times.

Weiss paid no attention to her partner. "She's here!" She repeated excitedly, dashing to the exit.

The three of them looked at each other, and, as leader and self-proclaimed BFF, Ruby instantly volunteered: "I'll go with Weiss, see what's up!" And thus, ran off after her before anything else can be said.

The blonde's eyes followed her sister's rapidly disappearing figure until she was out of sight, then only did she turn to her faunus partner. "We're still going to see Sun and his boys?"

"Sure," Blake acquiesced, following close as they made their way backstage.

It was surprisingly arduous to meet up with them; it seemed the guys from team SSSN had brought a small fan club –complete with giant signs of Sun's abs- from overseas. They nevertheless managed to push their way through the crowd, and, the very second the blonde faunus spotted them, it was almost embarrassing how much space he made for them.

Yang was fairly impressed with how well her typically discreet partner handled the attention all this drew to her; on one had there was Sun gushing over her, then on the other, the negativity his focus on Blake brought about from his little fan club. Though it didn't take much time before true nature unsurprisingly showed through, and the blonde brawler could clearly see how suffocated by the crowd and agitation her dark-haired partner was. None of the boys seemed to pick up on it, and Yang decided that… before Blake's discomfort became too obvious, they should excuse themselves.

Mentioning she'd received a message from Ruby about their uncle arriving in town this evening and wanting to meet their team, she promptly dragged Blake away. They were gone fairly quickly, to the boys' great disenchantment; Yang had determined it was best not to leave anyone room to suggest something like… all of them meeting said uncle or accompanying them.

Hurrying towards one of the airships acting as a shuttle from the stadium to the academy, they made it with only a few minutes before it departed. The day having come to an end, the aircraft was pretty full, and they were forced to stand. Lucky to find a spot next to a window, they were at least able to watch the scenery as they traveled over Vale to Beacon Academy.

"So, your uncle…?" Blake inquired quietly.

"Yeah. Ruby says they've met Weiss's sister and then our uncle Qrow showed up," she related. "He hasn't been in town for months, so he'll drop by our room to see Ruby and I tomorrow."

"…Not today?"

A light smile etched itself on her features. "He has important matters with Ozpin, we won't see him today."

As she understood her partner had bent the truth to allow them to leave, Blake's expression softened. "Was it so obvious that I wanted out…?"

"I don't think the guys noticed," the blonde offered.

The faunus stared at her pointedly. "But you have," she indicated.

"Of course I have, Blake, we spend nearly every waking hour together."

Her features now split into a genuine smile. "Point made…" she conceded. "Thank you. For getting me away from all that agitation."

"No problem," Yang grinned back.

The faunus turned again to the unraveling scenery under them, settling in a comfortable silence. Blake gazed out as dusk started to settle over the kingdom of Vale and Yang noticed the ardent colors of the sunset sky reflected in the golden of her eyes, making them appear to be alight with incandescent fire. Her profile outlined by the twilight glow and the warmth seemingly seeping in her skin completed the breathtaking picture and Yang was left to wonder… how was it not criminal to be so beautiful?

Blake's soft voice broke the blonde out of her trance. "... I don't think Sun realizes I'm not too much of a people person," she commented.

Yang looked on at her partner interestedly, wondering if it was possible she hadn't noticed the boy's interest in her. "…He's just fawning over you because he likes you," she said, studying her features, on the lookout for any indication of surprise.

Still gazing out at the orange-tinted landscape, Blake gave a gentle sigh "…I know," she quietly acquiesced. "Of course I know."

With a nod, the blonde managed to detach her eyes from her, opting to settle on the view again. "Okay. Just wanted to be sure you were aware, since… you know. You haven't done anything about it."

In response, the faunus shrugged almost imperceptibly. "There is nothing to do about it, he hasn't come forward with it," she explained.

"So you just let him flirt?" She found herself saying, without anticipating how this could be interpreted.

There was a long pause and Yang eventually looked back over to her. Blake was staring at her quizzically, she opened her mouth and closed it again. Frowning a little now, she opened her mouth a second time. "…Are you…jealous?"

Yang raised her eyebrows in honest surprise. "No, I was just wondering why you let it drag on when…" 'when you only have eyes for me,' was how she burned to finish her sentence, but she opted not to. "When you have no interest," she conservatively offered. "Why would I be jealous?" she curiously asked.

Blake leaned her head against the window, still observing her. "He's an attractive guy," she offered. "What if I entertained the thought of giving him a chance?"

Her answer spurred the blonde's chest to tighten in the same way it had a bit earlier, when Sun had displayed from the ring overt attention towards the dark-haired faunus. It was distressing and unsettling. "I haven't… I haven't seen interest when you look at him, so I never thought you did," she tentatively explained. And as she said this, though she thought she'd been quite certain of Blake's feelings, she couldn't help the doubts the present conversation now induced. Along with it, a very clear uneasiness took hold of her. "…What, am I wrong? Do you… like him?"

The golden orbs stayed steadily fixed on hers, impenetrable. "…What if I did?"

"…But you don't."

"But what if I did?"

"But you don't," Yang stressed, aware she was more agitated than she would have been comfortable showing. "Right?" She stepped closer, so very mindful of how her behavior wasn't consistent with what emotional distance she'd been maintaining by refusing to address what Blake kept hinting at. So very mindful that she had no right to be acting this way when she didn't have any avowed commitment to her partner. "You don't, right? No what ifs."

"Don't get upset, geez," Blake cautiously defended, eyeing her somewhat incredulously.

"I'm not upset," she shot back without giving it a thought.

Her partner stared back at her for a second, manifestly in plain disbelief, before she started moving towards the exit.

Only with this did the blonde notice the ship had landed. Nevertheless, she stayed immobile for a second as Blake disappeared in the exiting crowd. When she snapped out of it, Yang caught a glance of herself in the large windows of the airship; her reflection's vivid red eyes startled her, and the surprise made the color blink back to the customary violet color.

Perplexed, she hurried after Blake, jogging lightly to catch up to her as they headed in the direction of the dorm. She walked several steps behind her, eyes fixated on her partner's back as they walked back to their room in silence. They let themselves in, and the blonde watched as the other woman took off her shoes and made herself comfortable on her bed with one of her novels. Yang leaned her back against the door, staring at her for a long time, and Blake seemed content to just let her observe her.

"I wouldn't like it," Yang finally said, a little out of the blue.

Her eyes stayed riveted to the pages off her book. "Hmm?"

"If you liked him," the blonde specified, feeling so self-conscious about admitting this. "I wouldn't handle that well. At all." Her voice sounded weaker than she would've liked.

Blake's gaze drifted up and she stared back for a short moment before her features softened. "…I thought so," she conceded, looking rather satisfied with Yang admitting this. She rested her book on her nightstand and patted the mattress, motioning for Yang to come and sit with her.

The blonde promptly obeyed; she dropped herself to lie on the bed next to her sitting partner and rolled on her side to hug her waist. Hiding her face against the other woman's body, she felt a hand softly go through her curls, delicately untangling her hair. She tightened her embrace. "So… you don't like him, right?" She couldn't help asking. It all felt stupidly childish, but she needed confirmation.

"Not romantically," Blake offered.

"…Not romantically…?"

Blake sighed, catching onto why Yang emphasized this. After all, their unspoken agreement was that they weren't to call their interest in each other romantic either. "There is no attraction, Yang. Of any kind," she gently said. "I like him, but it's absolutely platonic."

She felt herself relax considerably. Even if she'd rationally known this, even if she'd been essentially convinced she already understood exactly what Blake's feelings were, Yang still had been bothered by this irrational, illogical, even foolish kind of… what was it…? Concern? …Fear?

She loosened her grip on her enough to glance up at her. "…Sorry, I…" She exhaled shakily. "I don't know what came over me…."

"It sounds like you may have been jealous," Blake answered, and though her features were quite impassive, the blonde could undeniably distinguish a positively delighted gleam in her partner's eye.

She frowned lightly, pouting despite herself. "I…" She was about to disagree but faltered. "…Was I?"

"I'm pretty sure that was jealousy," the faunus sustained, and the corner of her lips broke into an almost imperceptible smile.

The blonde groaned dejectedly, pushing her face back into her side, in the black material of her partner's clothing. "I don't want to be like this," she complained, tightening once more her hold on her. "…Sorry."

Blake's hand in her hair stopped moving, and her voice was so very gentle. "Why are you sorry?"

She shrugged awkwardly, still hugging her waist. "…Just… 'cause."

There was a silence, and then the faunus reiterated her question. "Why are you sorry, Yang?"

This way Blake had to calmly impose an answer out of her, somehow making her feel she had no choice but to answer, didn't help with how incredibly self-conscious she felt.

"…Nothing, I…" She held her breath a second. "Just…" she tried again, searching for the right manner to go about explaining this. "…Just, I have no right to be jealous, and yet…" Yang gave a small resigned sigh. "Yet, you're right. That's exactly it."

Blake's fingers resumed combing tenderly through the soft golden hair. "…It doesn't bother me," she said, and the blonde had the unshakable feeling that her partner was in fact enjoying that she showed herself to be a tad possessive.

Letting go of her to sit up, Yang turned her back to the other woman as she slid both feet to the ground. "It bothers me," she protested.

She was in fact somewhat in disbelief with her own behavior. What nerve she showed. It embarrassed her to be acting so greedily. How dare she, when she was herself insisting on keeping her partner in limbo, when it was she who feared addressing something Blake desperately needed out in the open… how could she still selfishly resent Sun? And for what? Him hoping to be able to offer Blake what she deserved? A genuine, committed relationship? Something more, better, than whatever Yang was subjecting her to?

Yang leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her thighs and bowing her head to lace her fingers behind her neck. "I can't be like this. It's unfair."

Blake repositioned herself to sit next to her on the edge of the bed instead of remaining behind her. "…Would reminding you that I'm not about to go look anywhere else help?" She gently tried.

This would indeed help with the jealousy issue, but it also served to remind her that Blake was waiting on her, and the pressure it created had her body tense up. "That's even worse," she quietly answered, bowing her head a little more. The blonde loathed her conflicting behavior but even above that, she loathed how petrified she found herself of exploring where all this stemmed from and uncovering what was inside of her. "…You deserve better, Blake."

It was a short pause before she answered, and Blake's tone was distinctly darker. "That's a matter of perspective," she murmured, drawing the violet eyes to her. Her cat ears seemed to want to flatten backwards, as the bow awkwardly shifted, and it was very quietly and ill at ease that she spoke again. "You know, at times, I get the feeling like I've been soiling you," she admitted.

In a flash, Blake's whispered confession from that night they slept in each other's arms came back to her. About how unjustly she'd been made to feel about her faunus heritage, about how at times she still felt she was something she should be ashamed of being. Yang's entire body jolted upright with conviction and her voice came out more forceful than she'd intended it to be. "I never want to hear you say something like that again," she vehemently said. "All you've brought me, I'm incredibly grateful for. Don't ever think for a second I'd wish for anything less than what we have."

Her fervent reaction had struck Blake speechless and, when she recovered, she shyly let her eyes drift to the floor. Yang found herself wanting to tell her... something to comfort her more, wanting to tell her…

What, exactly?

The rhythm of her heart leaped. What did she want to say?

In silence, she reached to entwine her fingers with hers. Blake gave a gentle squeeze back.

"Thank you," the dark-haired faunus quietly mouthed, moving a tad closer. "I feel likewise. You've also brought me so much, I…" she trailed off, her eyes now wandering to their joined hands. "…Yang, that's why what I don't want to hear from you is that I should yearn for something else," Blake looked up at her. "Sun and whatever he wants to offer me… it's not what I want."

Yang held her gaze for a second, and again, this felt like a decisive moment. She knew now was not only a good time to broach this, it was already way past time they did. She knew all she had to ask Blake was what was it that she did want. Or say anything really that would let her know that Yang was willing to talk.

But these few words seemed like such incredibly daunting ones, she found herself unable to open her mouth. Mostly because, if she was to be honest, she still couldn't anticipate what her own answer would be if Blake did come clean, and Yang wondered… would Blake resent her if she asked her to come out with her feelings only to not be able to answer still?

She thought of the morning prior, of how disheartened she'd felt with Blake catching herself, and how… how she couldn't help thinking that maybe, just maybe, addressing Blake's feelings overtly and honestly would settle her own heart. Maybe that's what she needed? It wouldn't be farfetched that she would need something like this. After all… knowing for a fact that she would be welcomed and desired, that would make the prospect of allowing herself to be vulnerable, allowing herself to accept that maybe she'd reached a point where she needed Blake much less intimidating.

With this notion persistently making itself more and more felt, she was more and more convinced that she should indeed ask her… and of course, the more convinced she felt, the more anxious she grew. As impenetrable golden eyes stayed steady on the fretful amethyst ones, Yang wondered if she looked as nervous as she felt. There were a million ways she could broach this, a million manners she could ask to open up this conversation, all she needed was to formulate one thought, utter one short question… yet her rushing mind was completely blank.

Words almost on her lips, the silence stretched. Before she could find the nerve to say anything, Blake leaned in for a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You have no reasons to worry about him, alright?" she quietly said, moving on. She grabbed her novel again and went back to her initial position, leaning against the headboard of her bed with her book.

Yang silently exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

It took another moment for her to decide that she really didn't feel like busying herself with her own hobbies. She turned around and crawled back in her partner's bed, forcing Blake to readjust her position as Yang squeezed herself between her legs to settle over her in her arms, her head on her chest.

She closed her eyes and affectionately rubbed her cheek against her breast. "Don't mind me," she murmured, making herself comfortable hugging her.

Without another word, Blake resumed her reading, and Yang found she was very thankful her partner let her invade her space this way without inquiring. Every day that went by, she was now very aware, the need for some sort of closeness with Blake made itself increasingly persistent. Moments like this, she relished in as much as when they'd give into their desire for each other. Blake's dizzyingly enthralling scent saturated her senses and she listened to her heartbeat, her head soothingly rocked by the slow rising and falling of her chest. Every minute or so, Yang would hear a page turned, as her partner went through her novel. Again, she rubbed her cheek gently against her, and this prompted Blake to distractedly comb through her blonde curls with one hand, stopping only to turn a page from time to time.

All this was so unbelievably calming, so incredibly comfortable, Yang completely lost track of time. The sky had gone from a pinkish orange to a dark blue when Blake ultimately seemed to lose interest with her book. She marked the page and placed it back on her bedside table. Idly, she kept running her fingers through her hair.

"Yang?"

She exhaled silently, hoping she wouldn't be asking her to move. "What is it, kitten?"

"I've been thinking," she quietly started. Her hand stopped moving in her hair. "…And I… …think I'm gay."

Eyes fluttering open, she glanced up at her in surprise. This surely was unexpected.

Blake seemed a little embarrassed, she avoided meeting her gaze. "… I just… I thought you should know."

She repositioned herself so she could keep looking at her without straining her neck. "I thought you said you had some interest in both?"

"…That night…?" Blake quietly asked, glancing at her again. "When we talked about it… you assumed I did. You asked if I had always known I could go both ways, but I don't think I ever expressed interest in men."

"Oh..." She hadn't wanted to push anything on her, and now felt somewhat guilty having presumed as much. "I… I only said that because of how you mentioned you were surprised by the way you… were…attracted to me," she answered carefully.

The faunus gave a small sigh, staring at her contemplatively. "Well, I really was surprised, that wasn't a lie," she allowed. "Never before had I thought about women in that way after all. It's just that… recently, as I took the time to really think about it, I realized I never thought about men that way either."

Yang blinked rapidly a couple of times as what she explained sank in. "Really? You hadn't realized at all you weren't attracted to guys? How did you not realize?" Hearing her own questions as they poured out, compelled her to justify them. "I mean, everyone else must've gotten interested in romance around you. That never got you thinking?"

Blake shrugged lightly. "I just… I guess I just… thought I was just picky. And that I'd fall in love eventually, and… I went through the motions without really thinking about it. I presumed that, in time, I'd find the right guy and settle down, because… simply because that's how life goes. I'd never pause to think beyond 'that's how it goes'," she cautiously explained. "It was only when I realized just how I was looking at you that I had to re-examine why I had never seemed to care about love, sex, relationships. It made me understand that I did care, I did have some interest… it simply was that mine didn't lay where it conventionally does."

Yang hummed pensively. She didn't want to make it seem like she was questioning what her partner affirmed, but curiosity nagged at her. "If you don't mind, I'm just… wondering. You hadn't realized sooner, so you didn't have any interest in other women before either, right? So, I mean, because you have the hots for me right now doesn't entirely rule out guys, does it?"

"Are you suggesting I am simply very picky?"

Yang grinned teasingly. "What, because you're saying you're not?"

Blake shook her head. "No, maybe I am too, but it's definitely not just that," she stated. "Thinking it through… I…" she paused, and Yang could swear she saw her cheeks take a more pinkish tint. "…Thinking it through, I…I came to realize that I don't believe a male body could ever… arouse me," she admitted. "Or that I could ever want things… like what I find myself wanting…" She trailed off, and her voice wavering prompted the blonde to notice how Blake's eyes glimmered with that unmistakable burn. The golden orbs slid from Yang's features to her body in her arms. "The things I desire out of… you," she carefully said, "…these things, I find repulsive to imagine with men."

As she'd said this, her golden eyes had fallen on her thighs and it was very subtle, but Yang didn't miss it as Blake licked her lips. Where the faunus's mind was wandering was plainly obvious, and Yang felt an invigorating jolt go through her body. She couldn't help being reminded how often her partner had expressed the desire to go down on her or how much it evidently turned her on to do so.

Knowing their teammates could be back any moment and falling prey to their desires wasn't a option, Yang opted to do her best not to linger the ambiance that was setting in, deciding to promptly hurry the conversation along with a decidedly unsexy question. "…So your problem is, like, their junk?"

Her features broke into a smile and Blake seemed to brush off the mood that explaining this was putting her in. "It's everything, Yang. Yes, there's that, but it's also… the shape of the body, its hairiness, the difference in smells, the…" she then paused, shuddering a bit. "I don't like the thought of being handled by a man, or the idea of …bodily fluids either…"

"Bodily fluids," she repeated, laughing. The way her partner had said it was too amusing, she couldn't help it.

"Well… yes," Blake still acquiesced in all seriousness. "While on the contrary, the thought of all this about women, I'm okay with."

The blonde blinked quickly a few times, confused. Blake hadn't seemed simply 'okay' with getting physical, she'd seemed quite enthusiastic. "Just okay?" She underlined, surprised.

"I meant 'okay' if broadly speaking, about women in general," she clarified, again catching onto the implied question. "But I'm attracted to you, so with you, I… of course, things like that actively turn me on," she quietly said. The tone of her voice laced itself anew with longing as she continued. "And moreover, even things I'd otherwise consider…vulgar, filthy, perverse…" she trailed off, swallowing difficulty before she exhaled a strained breath, "…somehow will turn me on when it comes to you…" she finished.

Blake's train of thought was manifestly getting extremely sidetracked, and being still settled between her legs, Yang found herself so very aware of how, even through her shorts, she could feel that distinct spot grow hotter. The blonde leaned back in, laying her head on her chest and bringing their bodies together again in a hug. In a seemingly instinctive response, she felt a very faint thrust of Blake's hips against the side of her waist, and this almost imperceptible movement which might in truth have been nothing more than Blake readjusting herself, was all it took to unquestionably spark her own desires to life. She tightened her embrace a little, Blake's trembling fingers followed down her spine, and Yang exhaled heavily.

"Explaining all this is making you think dirty thoughts?" she asked, knowing very well she shouldn't follow that train of thought.

"Why are you asking this?" Blake quietly questioned back.

"…'Cause you're definitely turned on right now," Yang observed, her fingers trailing on her ribs.

"Can't hide anything from you, can I?" She shakily breathed.

"I'm between your legs, so no, you can't hide this," Yang pressed closer, and again, she felt this faint motion of her hips, of her partner grinding lightly against her. Her body flared up even more, so much hotter, completely awake, and she itched to caress her. "…Maybe I could do something about it…?"

The faunus promptly shook her head. "No, Weiss and Ruby will be back very soon," she said. "There's only half an hour or so left for the school curfew."

"Yeah, you're right…" the blonde sighed. But she still felt utterly intoxicated with her. She was lightheaded, eyelids heavy, her skin was ridiculously sensitive. She moved one of the arms she had around her to slide it down her body, from her waist down to caress her hip, realizing she was craving for her to press her sex closer again. "I gotta say, I love when you… do that," she commented. "It's really sexy."

Blake gave a very faint hum, thrusting gently against her for the third time. "You mean that…?"

"Exactly that," she breathed, her hand sliding from her hip to her rear, forcing her to press closer and earning herself a quiet gasp from her partner.

"Don't," she warned, her voice had grown hoarse.

"Right, we shouldn't," she agreed, yet the knowledge that Blake was undeniably getting some pleasure from this was the only thing occupying her entire being. "It's really risky," Yang added, as if trying to convince herself. But she wasn't really trying to, because in truth, she found herself rationalizing that if they stayed fully clothed, it wouldn't look too obvious were their teammates to walk in on them. Moreover, with her head still lying on the other woman's chest, she noticed how the pounding of her heart had undeniably grown heavier, how her breathing was also clearly deeper. How Blake unquestionably wanted her.

Her mind had already fogged up and before she knew what she was doing, Yang's hand gripping her ass encouraged the motion of her hip. To her surprise, Blake readily obeyed, thrusting faintly with each impulse the blonde incited. Both of the faunus's arms wrapped themselves around her, one hugging her head to her breast, massaging her scalp and tangling her blonde locks, the other pulling her body closer, finding curves though her garments. Yang shivered with lust, shutting her eyes tightly, struggling to repress her urge to touch her, to rip her clothes off her. The steady rhythm at which Blake now rocked her hips picked up, as she had clearly abandoned the idea of trying to fight this, fully grinding against her. Yang buried her face in her chest, feeling her own breathing start to get labored and, in response, the dark haired faunus curled around her, purring. Blake kissed the top of her head as she hugged it to her heart.

Her trapped breath as Yang exhaled heavily burned the fabric she pressed her face in and, though she was struggling for air, she just pressed closer. Blake leaned her cheek against the blonde head of hair and as she writhed under her, a quiet, vacillating moan escaped her. Yang's grip on her ass immediately grew fiercer, pulling their bodies closer.

The sound of Blake's voice tainted with lust had brought back that shiver-inducing echo of how she'd whispered her name the morning prior, and Yang wanted to—no, needed to hear it again. Once more, the notion gripped her that if Blake could own up to her feelings, it may finally settle her own heart.

"…Blake," Yang murmured, her voice mostly muffled in her clothes, in her chest, hoping the other woman would somehow know what she wanted without her asking.

Panting the way she was, her breath warmed the top of her head. "Hmm?"

She didn't want to ask. Voicing this request made her uncomfortable considering how, last time, this had brought Blake to nearly confess and subsequently almost shut down.

"Nothing," Yang lied. "I just… I love saying your name." This second part, at least, wasn't a lie.

In response, Blake exhaled what was almost a chuckle. "…I …" she had to pause, groaning lightly, "…I love when you say it…"

Yang slowly caressed her ass, encouraging even more her grinding, completely exhilarated with the way Blake's thighs were parting helplessly as she rubbed against her body, as her thrust got more and more heated. "Fuck, I want you, Blake," she whispered.

This seemed to send her reeling, as the motion of her hips came a little more erratically, unquestionably more forceful, making it obvious that she was getting very close. Yang, in turn, pressed her body against her, clutching her with more strength than she may have intended to. Blake's fingers dug in her flesh, returning her embrace as fiercely. The next moment she was slowing down. Her legs were quivering, twitching, and Blake exhaled a long, relieved sigh. Her arms around her head, around her body relaxed, and Yang separated just enough to glance up at her.

What irradiated from Blake, such blissfulness and comfort, seemed to seep into the blonde; a unique kind of soothing, so, so tender warmth was overtaking her. Yang felt again like she should ask her. Any one of those questions that would prompt the talk they should have had weeks ago would do. 'What am I to you, Blake? What do you want this to be? ...What were you about to say, yesterday morning? …That you love me? …You do love me, right…?'

As this last question crossed her mind, Yang realized… she wanted Blake to tell her she loved her.

Maybe it was her current arousal that helped alleviate her inhibitions, but, in that moment, Yang understood fully that if she wanted Blake to say it, it wasn't because of the ever-present weight it brought, nor because they needed to move forward at some point, and not even because Blake herself needed to say it. It simply was that… she wanted to hear those words from her. It was her own selfish desire to hear them. Because she wanted them.

"They could've come back any moment," Blake whispered, her eyes still closed.

Brusquely pulled back to reality, it took her a second to replace the situation. "Y-yeah, I know..." Yang shakily answered. She couldn't get rid of the train of thought that had been set in motion. "We're still dressed, Ruby would probably have thought we were wrestling or something," she reasoned.

"But not Weiss," the faunus countered lazily.

"We're still clothed. At worse, it would've looked to her that she and Ruby interrupted a make-out session and nothing more, right? No big deal," she shrugged. "There's no way for her to tell anything else had been going on," Yang moved up enough to press her lips to hers, and Blake cupped her face with both hands, indulging in a very tender but invested kiss.

Though she adored when her partner kissed her this way, the blonde however couldn't restrain the raw hunger their activities had roused, even more so since embers of it had been lingering in her since Ruby had interrupted them the morning prior. As she answered her kiss, Yang unbuttoned her tan blazer and guided Blake's hand inside it.

The faunus squeezed one of her breasts, her thumb rolled over the erect nipple that poked through the fabric. "...We'll get caught," she mumbled against her lips.

"You still grinded against me until you came," Yang reminded her.

Blake gently kissed her again. "In the heat of the moment... I'm not sure if I forgot or I stopped caring, but I just couldn't stop myself," she admitted.

Though she pertinently knew they didn't have much time, her desires haunted her, and she felt unable to let go. Swiftly coming aware that there could be a compromise, that she could still quickly get some relief… it was very hard to convince herself that it might not be a good idea. In fact, the clouded reasoning of her fogged-up mind was failing her, and she couldn't for the life of her find a reason not to. After all, though it indeed was still risky, she wouldn't need more than a few minutes to relieve herself.

Yang's hand dropped between her own legs, as she slouched over the other woman, resting her head on her chest once more. She tentatively touched through the black fabric of her shorts, wondering if some dampness had soaked through, before her hand snaked its way underneath them, into her underwear. With how steamy, how positively electrifying she'd found it for Blake to grind against her, she had certainly expected to find herself in such an advanced state of arousal, and, as she gently glided her fingers against herself, her drenched underwear stuck to the back of her hand. The blonde found her swollen nub and she hummed contently, faintly rocking her hips as she closed her eyes. Blake seemed to hold her breath under her.

"...Yang, are you...?"

Dexterously working herself, she let out a guilty-but-not-sorry chuckle, snuggling into her chest. "Does it bother you?" Her voice was unsteady, all her senses were going in overdrive; the heat and curves of Blake's body, the scent of her, the soft touch of her fingers on her cheek, all of it was entrancing.

"No, of course not," she mouthed, delicately combing her bangs away from her face to see her features. "But are you okay settling with this...?"

"Yeah… It's faster if I do it," she whispered back. "…Why?"

"You said before that it didn't feel as good as when we're having sex," Blake offered. As she talked, her hand had found its way into her blazer again to fondle her chest.

She hummed, pressing into her touch. Her body tensed lightly, and Yang rubbed herself a little faster in a circular motion. "I wasn't lying..." she managed, exhaling wavering breaths. "…Doing this… is nowhere near as intense when it's you who makes me cum... it's just faster" she admitted, failing at biting back a moan. "...A quick fix until next time."

The sounds she couldn't hold back evidently enlivened her partner anew; her body felt hotter, her thighs twitched on each side of Yang's waist, pressing against her. Her hand still on her breast massaged assertively, her other hand was busy combing the blonde hair, and Yang was suddenly overtaken with the certitude that Blake was doing everything in her power not to flip them around and make her say her name once more. It distinctly felt like Blake was trying to busy herself so she wouldn't jump her, and feeling so desired sent shivers all over the blonde's body. She leaned up slightly; Blake understood her shift and claimed her lips. The faunus poured everything she had in her kiss; her passion, her lust… but also the ache of her longing, and Yang felt like she was engulfed in her.

Alas, her panting very quickly became too heavy and forced her to release her lips again. She pressed her face in her partner's chest, rocking her hips more heatedly as she felt the tension start building in her body. She felt Blake exhale a barely controlled, shaky sigh, one hand straying on her hip down her ass. Yang could feel her gaze, and she found herself smiling. "...You watching...Blake…?"

"Mm-hmm," she acquiesced. "Though I can't see what I wish I could," she admitted in a breath.

The fantasy of spreading her legs and allowing Blake to watch her touch herself overwhelmed her with an upsurge of lust, and Yang moaned, fingering herself faster. The faunus tightened her embrace in return, cradling her closer, and Yang willingly drowned in her arms. "I'll… I'll show you properly... someday," she managed, rubbing her cheek against her breast.

Blake caressed her face, inciting her to snuggle against her chest more. "Voyeur and exhibitionist?" She commented. "Well, the latter part doesn't surprise me, with how much skin your choice of clothes tend to show..."

The brawler somehow managed a laugh; she knew this wasn't meant as criticism because she'd caught the other woman ogling her more times that she could count. "You love it."

Her answer was breathed out, saturated with desire. "...I do..."

On impulse, Yang's mind altered this last exchange. She heard herself say 'You love me,' and Blake subsequently answering the same 'I do'. The blonde moaned feverishly, her desire spiking, abruptly leaping close to the edge, so close to her climax.

Even through the haziness of her unfocused thoughts, she still realized that what she was fantasizing about had just crossed a line. She nevertheless was powerless to stop herself and she nestled closer into her embrace, overtaken by that euphoric feeling, her mind going blank. Her beautiful partner's name rolled off her tongue and Blake's fierce embrace somehow became even needier.

Intaking deep breaths, her eyes fluttered open the moment her body started to relax. Blake's arms around her tenderly cradled her, and before she could grasp what feelings invaded her, a distinct, unparalleled certitude crashed down on her to obliterate any other thoughts. She was madly in love with Blake. She knew this with unprecedented clarity, as if a veil was suddenly lifted from her eyes.

It was so, so obvious, she couldn't comprehend how she'd even been able to run from that fact, to blind herself to it for so long. How hadn't it been absolutely transparent to her since day one? How could she ever have considered this might be nothing but a crush, infatuation, or simple fancy? The magnitude of what filled her when it came to her partner could clearly only be described as Love with a capital L. The real thing. The kind people want to believe in, but can only hope exist, the kind everyone dreams of but that most are never able to find in their lifetimes. The kind worth dying for.

She was so completely blown away by how everything just seemed to click at once, Yang was completely immobile, staring out in the emptiness. She would unquestionably would give her life for Blake. And this was why no one ever seemed to matter outside of Blake. And this was also why she'd been so jealous at the thought that Blake could want to look elsewhere.

She felt unbelievably dense, so foolish.

How could she have time and time again been absolutely mesmerized with her, with her eyes, with her smile, and still managed to keep herself in the haze? How could she have time and time again succumbed to desire like she'd never experienced before, eager to vanish in her arms, prepared to abandon even her sense of self, to forget her own name at the mercy of her, without grasping why her yearning was so profound? How could she have reveled in everything, everything about her, the smell of her body, of her hair, the taste of her tongue, of her sweat, of her sex, the featherlike touch of her fingers or the fierce, skin-ripping clutch of them digging in her flesh, the sound of her voice, the groaning and purring, without recognizing where her adoration stemmed from?

Blake's voice tore her from her sudden enlightenment. "You're right, that was really fast," she commented, amused.

She raised her gaze to her, dumfounded. Coming aware of this, she seemed to be seeing her in a whole new light, and all she could do was stare, speechless.

"You'll need to teach me what you did," Blake added. "I'd love to be able to get you off so fast."

Yang only gawked at her in awe, baffled with her realization.

"Yang?"

"Wha-…what?"

Her faunus partner stared down at her, studying her features. "What's wrong?"

She broke eye contact, discomfited. "Nothing's wrong," she managed, fumbling to readjust her position in her arms and straighten out her clothes somewhat.

"Did you just wipe your fingers on my bed?"

The blonde realized she indeed had; she'd done it without thinking, but she'd done it alright. Her gaze snapped back up to the beautiful golden. "...Sorry, did you mind? I didn't realize I'd-"

"If I mind?" She repeated in a scoff. "Of course I don't. It wasn't why…" she trailed off, her eyes somewhere on her bedsheets or on Yang's hand.

This helped Yang to shake off her dazed behavior before it looked suspicious to the other woman; she willed herself to push past the shock to put up a playful front. "...Oh," she exclaimed, inciting Blake to release her so she could sit properly, "was there something else you would've preferred?" She teased, allowing a frisky grin stretch her features. "Kitten wanted a little lick maybe?"

Blake pursed her lips, her cheeks adorably pink. "…It's too late now."

"Too late?" Yang repeated. It was a quick slip of her hand beneath her shorts and she extended her fingers to her. "They're dirty again, oops."

She didn't stare long at the brawler's hand before she took it and wrapped her lips around her index and middle finger. The faunus closed her eyes and sucked languidly, her tongue caressing her fingers. Yang held her breath.

When Blake slowly pulled the brawler's fingers out of her mouth, her gaze locked itself with the amethyst color, and she shakily breathed out. "You fiend, why do you do this to me?"

Yang was stunned by the intensity of her stare and could do nothing but sit completely still.

Blake moved closer; she gently grabbed both her wrists and slowly made her lie on her back, advancing over her. "Don't you know how I want to ravage you…?" she murmured, lying on top of her. "Don't you know giving me a small taste is worse than none at all?"

As their bodies came together once more, Yang marveled at how, now that she had a full understanding of the nature of her feelings, sharing this intimacy was such an entirely different experience. She wondered if she could ever enjoy the fit of another body against hers the way she did with her partner's svelte and weightless build. If anything in the world could parallel the silkiness of the locks of jet-black hair gliding against her own skin, or the lusciousness of her soft lips as they found hers, as they parted, or the goose bumps induced by the way her slender, delicate fingers trailed from her wrist up her arm, or so tenderly on her cheek. Yang wondered if anything else would ever enflame her desires the way Blake's long legs sliding against her own and the faint, but oh-so-suggestive rocking of her hips did. With shuddering breaths, Yang was forced to acknowledge she couldn't recall anything as enthralling, as intoxicating as her scent, or anything as alluring, as hypnotizing, as sensual as the way she moved, the way she pressed her body to hers.

And God… there was no wondering if she could miss anything more than her kiss, now that Blake had unfortunately pulled back. She'd forever yearn for it, every second of every day. Yang's eyelids felt heavy, but she still willed her eyes open. She shakily reached to cup her cheek in her hand, and Blake leaned into her caress.

The light touch of Blake's fingers, tracing her skin on her arm or exploring her body in a gentle massage made her very aware of how much her partner yearned to touch her, how Blake was trying very hard not to escalate this again. Yang had to remind herself that their teammates truly could come back any moment and that they had already been very lucky to have gotten away with what they had. "…Blake," she breathed out, "we really can't."

"I know," she gave in a strained voice. "I just… I want you so much, I can't think of anything else," she confessed in a whisper.

Her desire to appease her partner overpowered her own lust, and Yang found herself suggesting: "Pretend I'm a guy?"

Blake's lips curled into a smile. "Like I could," she pointed out, moving just enough to tactlessly grope one of her breasts under her.

To which Yang laughed, spurring the faunus to laugh along. Her hand's unsexy fondling quickly died down and Blake instead outlined her breast in a careful caress. The blonde gazed up at her, unable to suppress the very fond smile she knew might very well betray her newfound feelings. She thought to herself that she needed to hurry the moment along, else they might get caught into each other again. Yang opted to naturally follow the notion she'd raised. "Hey… did it bother you I assumed you liked guys too?"

Blake let herself get swept with the distraction, she seemed to be taking a proper hold of herself as she answered. "No, I understand why you did. Even I assumed I did. But in the end… it was all just that. Assumptions," she mused, staring down a her for a second. "Living in a shared room with your outrageously sexy self wrecked those assumptions faster than I'd like to admit."

This brought a grin to the blonde's face. "…So, I let it slide earlier, but I can't pass it up twice. You're saying that I'm the one who kick-started your hormones, right?" She gloated.

Blake moved off her. "…Don't flatter yourself."

Yang stayed on her back, quite entertained. "I don't need to, you're doing it for me," she argued, trying to suppress the intense feeling of glee this brought her. She then rolled on her side to face her, still beaming cheekily. "Granted, with my hot ass around, you didn't stand a chance."

Golden eyes stared down at her affectionately. "Maybe you made me gay," she answered with a playful smile, going along with the banter.

"Or maybe you made me," she shot back.

"But you're not," Blake gently countered. "You do like both."

"…Yeah," Yang unenthusiastically answered, losing her smile.

She bit back her tongue, wanting to tell her how incredibly irrelevant that sounded to her right now. After all, she had lost any desire to let her gaze wander to other people, men or women, because somewhere along the line, Blake had become the only one she was drawn to, the only thing that seemed real, the only option that made sense to her. Blake was the only one that could draw her eye and the only one she felt connected to. And it made so much sense now that she understood she was head over heels in love with her.

Blake seemed to pick up on her lack of enthusiasm. "…Unless you… were pretending to be interested in men?"

Yang propped up her elbow on the pillow, leaning her head in her hand. "No, there definitely was attraction, some interest for sure…. It's just…" She paused in hesitation, knowing what she wanted to say would clearly infer. But something deep within her pushed her to continue. "It's irrelevant now."

"…Is it?"

With Blake sitting up, leaning against the headboard of the bed, Yang had to look up to observe her features. "...Because everyone just blends together now, only you stand out anymore," she admitted.

The dark-haired woman didn't look phased at all by this revelation. She gave a low hum. "It's only natural to pay more attention to the person you're sleeping with," Blake rationalized.

"Probably," Yang conceded, though something tugged at her heart. She hated to allow her feelings to be diminished to that. "But, Blake... it's not simply 'more attention', it's much more than that," she confessed, wishing she could convey how it seemed like everyone else would downright disappear when her partner was around. And as what Blake had said replayed itself in her head, Yang found her stomach tightened with revulsion at how that sentence implied that two people who were simply having baseless sex would look at each other with the same consideration they did.

"It's more than that," Yang repeated with startling conviction, and Blake's eyes found hers again, in apparent surprise. "You're not just a person I'm sleeping with, it's not cheap like that, Blake. You said it before, we're lovers, right?" Yang allowed the word to pass her lips for the first time and found herself savoring the sound of it.

Though she manifestly was stunned, Blake's features had brightened considerably.

Her partner's genuine amazement abruptly made Yang self-conscious. Her gaze flickered to the bed sheets before they fretfully returned to her. "Is it okay? That I… would think like that?"

"Of course," the faunus promptly answered. It looked like she forgot herself for an instant, she blinked several times, shifting her position, and she didn't seem to know what to do with herself. "I just... I..." She shakily tried, smiling, then bringing a hand to her mouth. "Sorry, it made me really happy... but it's... ..." The short breath she exhaled almost sounded like a sob, and her eyes scanned Yang's features with poorly veiled distress. "I... I don't know how or where to draw the line with you," she faintly admitted.

A deep surge of warmth overcame Yang, and along with it the inexorable need to appease the ache irradiating from her gorgeous partner. In this instant, she felt ready to do anything, absolutely anything, give up anything she could have wanted, anything she had, or was, give herself up entirely if it could soothe her lover's longing even just in the slightest. And with the firm grasp she had now on what it was exactly that she felt, Yang felt a fierce impulse to share it with her, to scream it, to let everyone know. Her heart rate skyrocketed again, and she sat up.

"Blake," she earnestly called. "I know I haven't exactly been easy to deal with," she acknowledged but as quickly as her decisiveness had ignited inside of her, what she wanted to say was also getting muddled and unintelligible. "And I'm really, really sorry for that. And…. I'm also sorry I hurt you, because I know I did…hurt you."

A questioning frown slowly took over her perfect features and Blake's gaze was fixed on hers.

"I just… uh…"

The words caught in her throat. The blonde couldn't remember a time she ever felt so nervous. How was this so hard? Blake loved her too, right? Even if she never said she did, she… did, right? And Yang was now feeling stupidly vulnerable. Holding her breath, she could do nothing but stare back at the mesmerizing gold.

Blake patiently waited for another minute or so, in vain. With a small sigh, she started moving out of bed. "…It's getting late, Ruby and Weiss will be here anytime," she offered to excuse herself.

Faster than she intended to, she grabbed her partner's arm, keeping her in bed with her. "Wait, just…j-just wait a second okay?" She stammered.

Now some form of tension tainted the dark-haired woman's features; Yang knew she was an open book, and if Blake had deliberately ignored her disquiet up until now, this nervousness was starting to make her nervous too. "…What is it, Yang? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong…" she shakily said, pulling her in. Embracing her felt so strangely better now that her feelings were clear. Was this how Blake had been feeling, holding her…?

How about… making love to her…? The thought provoked violent thumping of her heart and along with it, a flash of warmth. Yang pressed her face to her neck, exhaling a shivering breath. Her quivering hands still clutched her closer. "I just… don't want to let go."

"Me neither," Blake answered. Her hand at the back of her partner's head tenderly went through blonde locks. "However, it'd be best to."

"I know, I know," she groaned, trying to settle the impetuous hurricane of thoughts and emotions raging within her.

That storm only seemed to want to wreck her judgment, irrationally scaring her into fearing the insignificant chance that she had completely misread Blake's prudence with the situation. It hurled her fears into a downward spiral in which she was so sickeningly aware of what it would mean to need another person. What it would mean to allow herself to be vulnerable. But it wasn't like she couldn't trust Blake, right? On the contrary, if there was anyone she might ever feel she'd be able to lean on, depend on… it would be Blake. So why was owning up to all of it, saying it out loud so sickeningly frightening? Was it because if she said it, it made it more… real? Or because saying it would mean… committing? Committing came with expectations, right? Not that she was scared of such expectation, of living up to them! The issue was… could she allow herself to have them too…? Could she allow herself to expect someone else to comfort, nurture, care for her through thick and thin? The simple idea of allowing herself those expectations out of anyone was downright terrifying. Because after all… she'd… always been let down in that area, hadn't she? And why would anything be any different now?

Her hands curled into fists, loosely gripping at the black fabric on Blake's back. "Blake, I just…" Yang's voiced died in her throat and she could only find herself nervously trying to think up a way to stall, to keep her partner in her arms just a bit longer, hoping that the next moment would have her find the nerve to confess despite all her instincts screaming to protect herself. "Please, let me just… hold you until we absolutely have to let go. Okay?"

"You like me this much, Yang?" She playfully teased.

"…You have no idea," she found herself whispering.

She felt her partner become incredibly still, to the point Yang wondered if she even breathed. The blonde's heart picked up pace again, and for the third time, she thought it was time; she was compelled to come clean. Three words. Three stupid words. I love you. How hard was it? Yet in this silence, it felt like she was sinking, drowning. And then Blake started breathing again, and time was resumed, and the faunus shifted to be able to present her a questioning gaze.

Yang parted her lips, finding herself exhaling a short, shivering breath instead of the words she wanted to say. The way Blake now stared back at her, anxious, full of anticipation, had Yang wonder if that had been how she had herself been looking at Blake the morning prior, when she realized she'd expected her to confess. What exactly was it that Blake could see in her eyes in this moment…? Did she understand what words Yang couldn't seem to force past her lips?

As the silence stretched still, whatever she saw compelled Blake to close in to capture her lips once more, kissing her so, so tenderly. Her arms slowly unraveled from around her shoulders, her fingers trailing on her neck and on her jaw, savoring the kiss lengthily before drawing back less than an inch. Blake leaned her forehead to hers, holding her breath nervously. "We can't go on this way, Yang, we… have to talk about this," she mouthed.

"I know, we're well overdue," the blonde agreed. She felt the faunus draw back further and Yang felt her own expression contort a little pitifully. "I'm… really trying right now, you know?"

To which Blake had a faint, surprisingly tender smile. "I got that," she quietly allowed. And suddenly, sharp focus took over her features and her cat ears stiffened under her bow, making it look tauter. "…They're here, down the hall," Blake stated as she got up.

Yang mentally kicked herself. If only she'd gathered her nerves enough a few minutes prior. If only she wasn't this ridiculously averse to allowing herself to be vulnerable. She watched as Blake straightened out her clothes and glanced back at her, offering her a fond smile.

The blonde had the very clear impression they both understood what had been left unsaid, what they both didn't find the courage to say right in this moment. It alleviated her heart that her partner seemed to be feeling better with this and, as she got off the faunus's bed, she still briefly considered just blurting what she had to say. She however thought to herself that it wouldn't be fair. They needed to take a moment and do this properly; she'd made Blake wait over a month now, and with their mutual understanding, it surely could wait until tomorrow or the day after.

-tbc