It's been awhile.
Enjoy.
"Yang."
"What," came the mumbled response of the blonde who currently had her head buried into her bedsheets.
"Are you busy today?" Whitaker asked as he stepped out of the bathroom to an empty dorm room aside from him and Yang.
"Yes."
Whitaker plopped down beside her. "Okay, so since you're not busy, I wanted you to come to Vale with me so I could get some help picking an outfit for the dance."
Yang shot up from her pillow, her Semblance activated— her hair fully ablaze and eyes as red as blood. She was in her pajamas, but she looked ready for war. "I already told you, I—"
"Yang," Whitaker interjected. "Just play along. I… I want to make things up to you. Let me. Please?"
The blonde brawler stared at him, red eyes and all. Then, she extinguished the fire that ran through her veins. "Fine." Yang walked over to her dresser. "Let me get ready."
Whitaker nodded. "I'm not going anywhere." As Yang headed into the shower with her change of clothes in hand, Whitaker sat up in his bed and pulled out his Scroll to text Coco.
Okay, he began. I'm leaving in a bit. Any colors I should look out for or stay away from?
You know my palette. Find something that matches it, she replied. Are you going alone?
I'm dragging Yang with me. I have to explain to her what I explained to you. And also apologize for not telling her sooner.
Do you need me there?
I'll be fine. Hang out with your team.
Okay. The little icon that showed she was typing something disappeared for a brief moment. It quickly returned, then it vanished again.
I'll let you know when I've finished up. Maybe we can go out on a date tonight?
Two girls in one day, Whitaker? Isn't that a little greedy of you?
Whitaker snorted. Is that a yes or a no?
It's a no, Coco answered. Ozpin needs my team for a mission.
A mission?
I don't have any details yet, but we're getting our debrief this afternoon.
I thought they didn't start until after the dance.
We're going early. Don't stress. We'll be fine.
I know. So, who's responsible for the dance planning?
You guys are, probably. And the green and orange ones from Team JNPR.
Oh no.
Have fun.
I'll try. Whitaker's hands paused on the keyboard. Then, he typed and sent something else. Love you.
?!
Whitaker laughed aloud. Are you gonna say it back? Or…
LOVE YOU TOO. BYE.
Whitaker could vividly see her expression in his mind's eye.
It wasn't long before Yang finished up her shower and stepped back out into the dorm room. She wore a simple oversized yellow hoodie that went over a pair of denim shorts. She slipped on her white shorts and grabbed a purple shoulder bag from her dresser. Yang reached up to her mane of hair before collecting it into a ponytail using a lilac purple scrunchie.
"All ready?" Whitaker asked, walking over to her.
"Mmh." Yang nodded over to him.
"Good. Let's go!"
[;]
Along with deciding to wield Lightbearer again, Whitaker also chose to be as adventurous as Yang was. While it was true that he was the most controlled and disciplined of Team RWBY, he also knew that Harros, his father, and many others spoke the truth when it came to how he should endeavor to live his life.
If all he ever did was study and train, he was no better than the machines that made up the bulk of the Atlas military.
He was a Huntsman. They had lives, families, friends, and lovers, even. There was more to them than the services they provided to the Kingdoms.
When Whitaker and Yang hopped out of the Bullhead, the blonde glanced over at him and tilted her head. "So, where are we going first?"
"Not sure," Whitaker replied. "Let's just walk around until we see a good clothing store, maybe?"
Yang nodded her assent. As they walked in silence, it didn't take very long for Yang to clear her throat to speak up. "So, who are you going to the dance with?"
"Coco," Whitaker said. "I asked her the other night."
Yang hummed, bringing her thumb to her lips. "Really? Never would've guessed that you would ask her yourself."
"Me neither," Whitaker said frankly. "But… I've learned some pretty important lessons lately, I think."
"Such as?"
"Knowing when to live for myself."
"That's… good," Yang said, seemingly surprised at Whitaker's earnesty.
They eventually stumbled upon a small shopping center— one that wasn't large enough to call a mall but not small enough to contain just one or two stores. It was close to the docks where Team RWBY's run-in with the White Fang occurred, but the center itself was undamaged from the attacks. Among the restaurants and stores, there was a clothing store entitled Sly and Sleek. Its stylized, dim neon signs were rather out of place for Vale. It seemed like the store had been plucked right out of Atlas and dropped into the middle of downtown Vale. Nevertheless, it most certainly caught Whitaker's eye as a store that had potential for him.
"That one," he said, pointing at it to garner Yang's attention. "Who knows, maybe we'll find a dress for you in there."
When they stepped inside the establishment, Whitaker found himself in slight awe. It was everything that he could have ever wanted from a clothing store; it was entirely true to its name. The clothes on the racks were modern and Atlesian yet it held a distinct Valean design as well. There was something… old-timey about the palette of the clothes, and Whitaker was entranced by them.
"Do you think they do commissions?" Whitaker asked Yang.
"Maybe," Yang said, glancing around. "Though this place doesn't really match my style." She gestured to her fairly rough and tumble appearance.
Whitaker tilted his head. He eyed Yang, thinking deeply about whether or not any of the clothes in the store would actually look good on her. She was a beautiful woman, and with her blonde hair and lilac eyes, she only needed to find neutral-toned clothes to compliment her. Her hair and eyes would provide all the color accents she could ever need. While Yang's statement wasn't exactly incorrect, it also wasn't completely correct either— she could easily make any of the outfits in the store work, especially if she put her mind to it.
"Uhh," Yang said slowly, bringing Whitaker back into reality. "You're kinda staring at me, Witt."
"Sorry, I was just thinking," Whitaker replied. He smiled at her. "You'd look amazing with any of the clothes here, Yang."
She rolled her eyes. "Alright, buster. Tone down the charm."
"Not working?" Whitaker said, cracking a small smile.
"You're laying it on a little too thick, Witt." Yang scrunched her nose.
"Sorry."
She shook her head. "Don't worry. I still appreciate the compliments."
It wasn't long before they were both attended to by one of the staff members at Sly and Sleek— a taller, dark-skinned man with a charming smile and short, salt-and-pepper hair. He wore a three-piece suit with beautiful S&S cufflinks. He laid a hand on his chest and entered a low bow. "My name is Arthur, and I'll be taking care of both of you today."
"Hello Arthur," Whitaker said. "My name is Whitaker Ash, and this is my friend Yang Xiao Long."
Yang waved. "Nice to meet you."
"A pleasure, both of you." Arthur steepled his fingers. "Now, what can I do for you?"
The process of buying a tailor-made dress and suit was a complicated one, and it was something Whitaker hadn't the slightest clue how to do properly. Fortunately for him, he had two cousins who likely knew exactly how to go about it, if only out of their father's nature (and the depths of his bank accounts).
Whitaker called Weiss, and was somewhat surprised when she picked up her Scroll before the first ring was fully completed. She guided him and Yang on the process, and before long, Whitaker also added Coco to the call.
"See, you tell me to go and hang out with my team, but you end up calling me anyways," Coco chided. Her team, CFVY, laughed alongside her.
"Sorry, sorry," Whitaker quickly said. "But I just want to make sure we have our colors for the dance already. Just white and brown, right?"
"Our usual colors, Witt. Don't stress too much about that. Just pick out some good fabrics for us, and the rest should be easy-going."
Arthur, from a few feet away and helping Yang, glanced at Whitaker and nodded.
"Okay," Whitaker said. "I'll stop bothering you. Text me about that thing later, okay?"
"I will. Love you."
"Love you too."
Coco's face disappeared from the call with a small blip of white light. Weiss, who was present for the entire exchange, tilted her head and raised her brow at Whitaker.
"She's my girlfriend now," he said. "We're trying it out. Testing the waters."
"You don't have to give your justifications to me, Witt," Weiss said. "I was just curious." Then, she smiled. "I'm happy for you, though."
"Thanks."
Weiss beamed. "Okay. Let's finish up with your shopping. I have to grab lunch with my team."
The next two hours, along with Weiss and Arthur's help, went about as well as Whitaker could have hoped for. The two were experts, and they made every stage of the process smooth, simple, and enjoyable. Whitaker chose the fabrics for his and Coco's dress, and watched as Yang agonized over the tiniest details of her own dress. Much to his surprise, when Arthur suggested that she let the store handle it, Yang accepted.
By the second hour, they both worked through sketches and concepts of their clothes with Arthur. The man had a talent for drawing, as well as salesmanship and sewing, it seemed. Once they were satisfied with the appearances of their clothes on paper, Arthur took scans of both pages to print before handing them both the original copies.
"It is Sly and Sleek's policy to give our customers the original copies of their sketched clothes as part of our promise to deliver," he explained.
"Brave decision," Weiss observed. "Have you ever had people run out with your designs?"
"Yes, many times," Arthur said. "However, it isn't long before they return to us because anyone who works in bespoke fashion would recognize the paper we use, as well as a few of our other trademark styles."
"Interesting."
"I am glad that the daughter of Nicholas Schnee finds our business to be interesting," Arthur noted with a sly smile. "That aside, I'll ring you both up now."
"Half up-front and half on-delivery?" Whitaker asked.
"Precisely."
Arthur gave Whitaker the number (a staggering amount, by most people's standards), and said, "Will you be paying separately?"
"I'll cover hers too."
Yang stared at him, gobsmacked. "Wait, Whitaker—"
"Of course."
Whitaker passed Arthur his card and quickly finished the transaction before Yang could protest any further. It was the least he could do for her.
With the payment complete, Whitaker said, "If you could have it delivered to Beacon Academy, that would be wonderful."
"I shall see it done," said Arthur. "Have a wonderful afternoon." He bowed his head.
Both Whitaker and Yang left the store, returning to the streets of Vale.
Whitaker checked his Scroll. "Alright. Let's grab lunch and then head back to Beacon," he said. "We need to meet with Ren and Nora for the planning."
"Ren and Nora? Planning? For what?" Yang asked.
"The dance," he answered. "Team CFVY is going on a mission, so they're pushing the planning to us."
Yang frowned. "I see."
"We'll chat about it later. What do you want for lunch?"
"There's that diner by the harbor," Yang suggested.
"Sounds good enough to me."
[;]
Whitaker and Yang sat opposite each other in the diner. The window to their left overlooked Vale's harbor, allowing them to see ships and vessels loading and unloading their cargo. Their meal was finished. It was finished over five minutes ago. They'd been sitting in silence ever since.
Whitaker spent all that time thinking, trying to find the exact way he would tell Yang about Lightbearer, about what it did to him, about how he found it.
Whitaker rested his elbows on the table as he glanced at Yang. "So," he began. "About what happened the other day. With Mercury."
Yang's jaw visibly clenched. "What about it?" She asked through gritted teeth.
"I'm ready to talk about it."
She crossed her arms. "Go."
"Remember that test I had in Atlas?"
Yang nodded.
"That's where I found it. When I found it. Lightbearer."
"The sword you had during the entrance test, right?"
"Yeah."
"What does it have to do with how you nearly killed Mercury?"
Whitaker let out a slow, deep breath. "Lightbearer stores memories. It stores souls. And when it chooses you as its wielder, it lets you interact with those souls. One of those souls is Kalarel."
"Kalarel?"
"A soul. A person that was so evil and bloodthirsty that they could take over. They could control me."
"But you're not using that sword now."
Whitaker shrugged. "That's what was confusing me too. But when Lightbearer chose me, it meant more than what I thought it did. It was a mark. A curse. It meant that I would never be able to use another sword like I used to, and that so long as I continued to not use Lightbearer, my Aura and my Semblance would become weaker. Almost to the point of non-existence."
"Your Aura? How does a weapon affect your Aura?"
"I don't know. It just does. Watch." He picks up the butter knife on the table. He presses it against the palm of his hand, digging into the flesh. Not deep enough to draw blood, but deep enough for Yang to see that his Aura was gone.
"Okay, wait," Yang said. "Lightbearer stores souls. One of those souls took control of you, and that's what caused you to lash out like that?"
"That's the gist of it."
"What's stopping that soul from doing it again?"
"Using Lightbearer. Gaining my Aura back. It's like…" Whitaker trailed off, trying to find an explanation for it. He reached for their glasses of water. "Mind if I borrow this?"
Yang waved for him to continue.
Whitaker poured his water into Yang's glass. "Right now, my Aura is like this glass. Empty. And it can be filled with anything." He shook salt and pepper into the glass. He ripped open packets of sugar and emptied them into the glass. "And that includes," he picked up the ketchup bottle. "Kalarel." He squeezes ketchup into the glass.
Yang pointed to the glass full of water. "And this is like my Aura."
"Yes." Whitaker put some salt, pepper, and sugar into Yang's glass. "You can still be affected by external sources, but your Aura ultimately stays the same. Those sources are diluted into your Aura."
"But you have no water— no Aura," Yang said. "So whatever fills your glass changes your Aura completely."
Whitaker nodded. "I'm oversimplifying it, but that's the basics."
"Who told you all of this?"
"One of the friendlier souls stored within Lightbearer."
"Does it have a name?"
"Harros Vesta."
"That is definitely a friendlier-sounding name."
Whitaker smiled fondly. "Yeah. It is."
"How do you control it, then? What's stopping Kalarel from just completely taking you over and killing all of us or something?"
"Eventually? My Aura. And Lightbearer," Whitaker said.
"Lightbearer?"
Whitaker nodded. "I talked to Ozpin after my time at the hospital. I told him that after the dance, I would take back Lightbearer. That I'd use it again."
Yang leaned back in her chair. "You don't sound happy about it."
Whitaker smiled, yet there was a bitterness to it. "I'm afraid, Yang."
"Of?"
"Being erased." He glanced out to Vale Harbor; he watched the tide roll and crash against the docks. "Being washed away like sand on a beach, staring at the ocean as it dissolves me."
"That's not going to happen, Witt."
"How are you so sure?" He whispered. "Do you think you can do something about it, Yang? Can you hold back the generations of warriors stored within Lightbearer? That you can resist them better than I can?"
"I…" Yang trailed off. "I'm sorry."
Whitaker shook his head. "It's alright. There's nothing we can do. Better a different man than a dead one, right?"
Yang met his gaze. "Yeah. I guess."
"Let's head back to Beacon," Whitaker said. "I'll pay."
With questions of his fate weighing his shoulders, Whitaker, with Yang behind him, took the next Bullhead back to Beacon.
[;]
Over the next few days leading up to Coco's departure, Whitaker ended up being given the task of planning the dance while she and her team were gone. Instead of going about it alone, he enlisted the help of people he thought would be able to give good perspectives on how best to plan a dance.
And Nora.
"Alright! Listen up, chumps, we've got a dance to plan, and I, Nora Valkyrie, the Queen of the Castle, shall carry this burden for all of you!" cried Nora as she stood on top of a table in triumph.
Ren sighed. "Nora…"
Yang chuckled.
"You know what, Nora," Whitaker began. "Let's have you lead it. Why not?"
Nora grinned.
The planning commenced, and Whitaker did his best to relinquish control of it to Nora. But despite her initial willingness to shoulder the burden of the planning, she eventually handed most of it off to Whitaker, saying that she "wanted to see what he would do with it."
Whitaker wanted to keep things clean and simple, which everyone was in agreement with. The only thing that Yang pushed for was a bigger expense on the DJ.
"DJs are the life of a party," she said. "If you have a bad one, you're gonna have a bad time."
"Makes sense," said Ren. "What about food? We should have a wide array for the students to pick from, right?"
Nora elbowed her partner. "Renny just wants there to be vegan and vegetarian options."
Whitaker glanced at the budget. "I think we have some wiggle room for that."
"So, Whitaker," Nora began. "I heard from a little rose that you're going with someone to the dance?"
Whitaker nodded. "I'm going with Coco Adel. She's a year above us."
"We're familiar with her and her team," Ren said. "That's good. I am happy for you."
"Thank you, Ren."
"Nora, that means you owe me ten lien." Ren grinned. "And so does Jaune."
Nora pouted. "I was hoping you forgot."
"Impossible."
"You guys had a bet going?"
"On who you would go with," Nora said. "I said it would be with Blake; Ren thought it would be with Coco."
"Who did Jaune pick?"
Ren closed his eyes. "Pyrrha."
Everyone shared a sigh.
"Oh, Jaune."
"Hey, she did jump at the opportunity to help you find Blake," Nora reminded.
"Well, we did sleep together."
Silence.
Whitaker held his laughter underneath a completely straight face.
"WHAT?!"
Peals of laughter escaped Whitaker as he keeled over. He laughed and laughed, clutching his stomach as it began to grow sore. When he finally gathered himself again, he said, "We just slept in the same bed."
"That's still a big step!" Nora protested. "When was this?"
"When we skipped that day in school to track Blake down."
Realization dawned on their faces.
"Any other women you're pursuing?" Yang asked.
"I'm locked up, Yang," he said. "Anyways," he continued, suddenly feeling awkward. "Let's finish up planning this dance, yeah?"
Ren, Nora, and Yang all nodded in agreement.
[;]
Whitaker played with Coco's hair as she sat with her head on his lap. He had his Scroll in his other hand, reading through a digital version of the book that Dr. Oobleck assigned them earlier that week.
"We leave today," murmured Coco.
"I know." Whitaker slipped his Scroll into his pocket. "Are you worried?"
Coco shrugged. "Only as much as I should be."
"You'll be okay. You and your team."
She nodded. "If you're wrong and I die, I will haunt you for the rest of your life, Whitaker."
"I expect nothing less." Whitaker smirked.
Coco's Scroll pinged in her pocket. She fished it out and opened it. She sighed, sitting up from Whitaker's lap. "Time to go."
He expected as much. Same-day deployment was how missions like this usually went. It was how almost every mission he and his father went on operated.
Both of them stood up. Whitaker reached out and embraced Coco tightly, his arms wrapping over her like a coat. Her arms snaked around his waist. He rested his chin on the top of her head before slightly pulling away.
Whitaker stared into Coco's amber eyes. His gaze wandered to her lips.
"Just kiss me already, stupid," she whispered.
Whitaker smiled. He pressed his lips to Coco's.
Soft warmth ignited a fire in Whitaker's core. She tasted beautiful; she tasted like honey and coffee. His hands snaked around her waist, and she draped her arms over the crook of his neck. Whitaker pulled her closer, her body pressed firmly against his.
Coco exhaled, breath heavy and hot, into his mouth. She deepened the kiss before she slowly, hesitantly, pulled away. She whispered, her lips still inches from his, "Time to go."
Whitaker nodded. He rested his forehead against Coco's.
"Come back to me, Coco."
"I will."
The two of them struggled to fully separate themselves. When they finally did, Whitaker stared at Coco as she walked away.
She turned back to him. She waved, then blew him a kiss.
Whitaker grinned, waving back.
He continued to watch her, until she eventually rounded a corner and disappeared from his sight.
[;]
Team RWBY watched as Yang stepped out of the bathroom in her new dress; the one she and Whitaker purchased from Sly and Sleek.
"Woah."
"Holy—"
Whitaker grinned. "It looks fantastic."
Yang's dress was primarily black and lilac that was elegant and sultry. It featured black bodice that clung to Yang's figure, accentuating her bust and her hips. Her decolletage featured a mesh that only partially revealed her cleavage. The dress was shoulderless and backless, and the long, light purple, and draping sleeves were secured to silver cuffs near the top of Yang's arms. The lilac skirt of the dress exposed Yang's hips in a tasteful way, gathering at her sides before richly draping down the sides of her legs. Shimmery white silk accented Yang's pale skin as it hung down the middle of the skirt.
"Whitaker," Blake began slowly. She turned to face him, death in her eyes. "Please buy me a dress next time."
"Me too!" Ruby jumped in.
"Okay, okay," Whitaker surrendered, laughing. "Team RWBY will get a makeover for the next dance."
Yang cleared her throat. "Can I take this off now?" She asked. "Last thing I want is to ruin it before the dance."
"Do you like it?" Ruby asked.
Yang smiled. "I do. Thanks, Witt."
"Don't mention it," Whitaker said.
"Wait, where's yours?" Yang looked around the room.
"Hidden away," Whitaker said with a smirk. "I'll be debuting it the night of the dance."
"Oh that is so not fair," Ruby protested. "You have to show us now!"
Whitaker shook his head. "Not happening."
The rest of Team RWBY sighed or groaned, but Yang eventually returned to the bathroom to change out of her dress.
"So Whitaker's going with Coco," Ruby said. "Who are you going with, Blake?"
"Not sure."
"I think Sun wants to go with you," Whitaker said. "I've heard him mention it every now and then."
"Yeah," grumbled Blake. "So have I."
"Not gonna give it a shot?" Whitaker asked.
Blake shrugged. "Going alone doesn't sound so bad."
"I've heard people go as friends to dances," Ruby said. "So maybe we can all go as a team? Except for Whitaker?"
"Way to leave me out of it."
Ruby smiled. "You chose this."
Yang stepped out of the bathroom, her dress returned to its garment bag. "What's the plan now, team?"
No one moved to say or suggest anything. Blake pulled out a book, Ruby and Yang began to take out their Scrolls, and Whitaker's gaze burned a hole into the ground.
"I…" Whitaker said, cutting through the thick silence. "I want to be honest with all of you."
Ruby, Yang, and Blake set aside their distractions and turn their full attention to Whitaker as he stands in the middle of the dorm room.
"We're listening," Ruby said. She sits on the edge of her bed.
And so, Whitaker told them everything. At least, he told Rub everything. Both Blake and Yang sat in silence, nodding along to his explanation as if they'd never heard any of it before.
"So, a super-powerful weapon chose you to be its wielder and would've let you command its powers, and you chose not to use it because you didn't think you were ready? Even though it chose you?" Ruby summarized.
"Well, that— that's an understatement," Whitaker retorted. "But it's not exactly untrue?"
"Either way, I'm glad you figured it out," she said. "And… I want you to know we'll always be by your side, Witt. No matter what."
Whitaker shook his head. He turned to look at both Yang and Blake. "There's something else," he said. "It's about what I did to Mercury. Or what I didn't do, I suppose."
Ruby raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"Lightbearer has conditions to using it, to being chosen by it. When I don't use it, my Aura begins to fade. I'm sitting at around 40% of my normal Aura right now; and that's not all, my Semblance starts to go too. Without that sword in my hands, it's impossible for me to fight at my best."
"Why? That seems so backwards."
"It's not. If you consider the fact that my soul is going to be absorbed and merged with every soul inside of Lightbearer," Whitaker explained. "After the dance, I told Ozpin that I would wield Lightbearer again. If only to protect you guys from Kalarel— the one who made me do what I did to Mercury."
Ruby glanced at Blake and Yang. "You two don't have anything to say?"
"He… He already told us this," Blake said. "But I didn't know about this Kalarel person."
"Yeah," Whitaker said. He chuckled. "Me too."
"Are you sure that's what'll happen, Witt?" Ruby asked. "If Kalarel's soul is stored inside of Lightbearer, then isn't there a chance of him manifesting in you?"
Whitaker nodded. "There is. But I have a contingency for that."
"Which is?"
Whitaker just smiled before pursing his lips. "Don't worry," he said. "It's a good one."
His teammates— his friends— looked at each other.
"Okay," Ruby said. "We trust you."
[;]
Whitaker slipped on his asymmetrical, cashmere blue coat. The sleeve on his right arm draped over his shoulder almost like a pauldron, while his left arm was just a simple sleeve. His white linen shirt beneath the coat was tucked into a pair of white, flat tuck pants. Around his waist was an intricately designed belt, its buckle was a golden rondel that gleamed brightly. Whitaker accessorized himself with matching gold jewelry: rings, a necklace with a lightning bolt amulet, and even fake sapphire teardrop earrings.
Ostentatious it might have been, but Whitaker pulled it off well.
"You look good," Yang said, her arms crossed as she too wore her dress. She'd fixed up her hair into a cascading waterfall braid that perfectly suited her regal look.
"So do you." Whitaker smiled.
Yang grinned and shot him a thumb's up. "Let's get going! I still haven't seen Ruby or Blake's dresses."
Together, Whitaker and Yang walked over to Beacon's ballroom. Since they were the event organizers, they were there far earlier than everyone else. They set about the ballroom and made sure that everything was in its place before the actual dance started.
Clipboard in hand, Whitaker checked each item off of the list as he and Yang inspected it, or made sure it was there. The DJ was already there too— setting up his workstation, his speakers, and preparing for a night of partying.
After about an hour, Whitaker looked down at his list and said, "I think that's everything." The dance was ready, everything was in place, and all they needed now were the guests. He looked at Yang as she commanded the front entrance.
The doors swung open to reveal Blake and Ruby, both in their dresses— black and red-black, respectively. Blake put her hair into a simple bun, and she'd swapped her black bow for a teal one. And as she approached Yang, she said, "I wish Whitaker bought me a dress."
Yang rolled her eyes. "You still look great. Both of you. I'm glad you wore a real dress this time, Ruby."
Her younger sister grinned. "Thanks. And… it's not so bad."
"Enjoy the dance you two," Yang said, waving her hand at the ballroom.
Eventually, over the course of the next twenty minutes, students begin to flood into the room. Most in groups, some in pairs, and others alone, but all found their place in the ballroom. As the DJ turned on his music, the party ignited into full swing. Everyone was dancing, chatting, snacking, or drinking, and Whitaker observed them all from the upper floor.
In the corner of the dance floor, just outside of it, he spotted Pyrrha and Jaune dancing with each other. And much to his surprise, Jaune was good. No, he was a great dancer. He was outmaneuvering his partner easily, spinning, twirling, swinging his hips and body in ways that surprised Whitaker.
Ren and Nora danced with each other too, close enough to Pyrrha and Jaune to be in their group, but not enough to get in the way of their dance. Both of them stole glances at Pyrrha and Jaune, smiling brightly, their eyes alight with glee at the two finally getting to spend time with each other.
"Not joining your dance, Whitaker?" Ozpin asked as he snuck up behind him.
Whitaker moved over on the banister so that Ozpin could stand beside him, and said, "Not yet."
"Well, be sure to do so before it comes to an end," Ozpin said. "You did an excellent job preparing it. It would be a waste to not celebrate it yourself."
Whitaker nodded once. "I will, Headmaster."
"Good."
With that, Whitaker excused himself to go catch some fresh air. As he rounded the corner up to the rooftop staircase, he saw someone at the top of the staircase.
Whitaker stared at Coco Adel with wide-eyes. The young woman wore a tight, dark brown wine dress that hugged every curve of her body. A touch of gold scrolling along the end and collar of the dress brought out the brightness in her eyes that were, for once, not hidden behind her sunglasses. Her heels were different from their usual, simpler, and less attention-grabbing than her dress. And her hair, usually kept beneath her signature beret, was beautifully done and flowed down the sides of her face in such a way that accentuated the sharpness of her jaw and the height of her cheekbones. The moonlight that cascaded from the doorway behind her perfectly framed her.
It was like a scene straight out of a movie— one where Coco was the beautiful heroine, and Whitaker was the utterly-charmed love interest.
"You…" Whitaker was breathless. For once, he was wordless. There was nothing that could put into words just how amazing Coco looked. "You look… amazing. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Stunning. I don't even…"
Coco chuckled. "Missed me that much, Witt?"
"Yeah," Whitaker said with a smile.
"Are you gonna come up?" She asked, tilting her head and raising a brow.
Whitaker immediately headed up the stairs and took his place alongside Coco. The two of them walked up to the balcony. There were a few other students wandering around, but there was enough space that their conversation would be left uninterrupted and unheard.
Coco turned her back to the railing, her hips resting against it as she turned her gaze to Whitaker. "I was waiting for you to get tired of the party," she said.
"You were just waiting up here the whole time?"
She nodded.
"What if I never came up?"
Coco smiled slightly. "That's impossible. You were going to get bored, and you were going to come up here to get some air. I know you, and you of all people should know that."
Whitaker smirked. "I guess so." He stood beside her on the railing. The sight of Vale at night was always a pleasant one. Calming. Beautiful. But his attention was drawn to another sight that was even more beautiful. Coco had always been pretty. She'd always been attractive. Always beautiful. But tonight, there was something about her that seemed almost… impossibly attractive.
"You're staring, Witt."
"Sorry, I—"
Coco leaned closer to him. She pressed her body against his. "It's okay. I like it. Keep staring."
"I thought your mission would take longer," he said, bringing his arm around her waist.
"So did I, but we finished it quickly. Faster than I was expecting to, if I'm honest," she said. "And when I came back there was a dress waiting for me, so…" She motioned down to the rest of her body.
Whitaker grabbed her waist and turned her completely to face him. "You're beautiful, Coco," he whispered.
"And so are you." Coco kissed him on the lips. "And speaking of which, my team decided to skip out on the dance and go clubbing in Vale instead. They're not gonna be back until tomorrow."
Whitaker's eyes widened. "Are you…"
Coco's hand trailed down his chest, to his waist, right to where his— "You wanna get out of here, handsome?"
No one said anything when Whitaker and Coco left the dance early.
This was a ton of fun to write. Between this and Paracausal Effect, I've been trying to get back in the habit of writing fantasy/science-fiction. Hopefully this will get more consistent updates, but we'll see. No promises!
See y'all in the next one.
