A/N: Hey there everybody! Another week, another chapter of Ben 10 RWBY for your reading pleasure! And of course, this week, we've got something pretty special here; Ben and Yang's first date on Earth and Rex and Weiss' first date in general! Should be a rather interesting time, but considering the title… well, you'll see. With that said, let's jump right in. This is…
Chapter 21: Romance Times Two… Plus One?
…..
Ruby Rose was pooped. It had been about an hour since their first training session had ended and needless to say, they had all been put through their paces. As it turned out, the spars were pretty much just the beginning of their training. Indeed, Six had wanted to fill that four-hour quota up effectively, and the idea of having them all run about five miles in the Hazard Chamber on a faux back road was apparently on his agenda. By the end of that run, everyone was red in the face, exhausted, and worst of all; sweaty. They didn't even get to change into PROPER running gear! Combine that with the hot as blazes summer afternoon they all walked into after the fact and…well, the result wasn't pretty.
At present, Ruby was currently sprawled across the couch in Ben's living room, having sat down in one of the most unladylike positions she could've ever conceived. Spread-eagled and arms splayed with Zwei on her lap, she didn't care what she looked like at the moment. All she was concerned with was the fans that kept blowing that sweet cool air on her. She was currently wearing a white t-shirt and red short-shorts, but still, even those felt too hot.
"Uuuuuugh, kill me…" she croaked out.
Sitting on an opposite reclining chair, Blake grimaced as she too attempted to absorb all the cool air she could, the cat girl donned in a black tank-top and a pair of white short-shorts of her own. "Ditto." she mumbled, petting Rema on her lap with the least amount of energy possible. "Six's training methods should be against the law."
"Can't deny, they're pretty effective." Coco admitted, the fashionista sitting on the other chair and wearing a brown crop-top and a set of her own black short-shorts. Team RWBY had invited Team CFVY over to Ben's house after the training session to hang out, and at present, the team leader and Velvet were both hanging in the living room while Cooper, Fox and Yatsu were taking a tour of the basement with Ben. Coco shook her head and took her sunglasses off. "But damn, he sure as hell knows how to put us to the grindstone."
Sitting on other side of the couch… or rather, slumping over the back of it, Velvet let out a sigh. The bunny girl was wearing a black tank top as well, along with a pair of brown shorts, too. "Well, at least it's over… for today, at least." At the sound of footsteps, she craned her head around and perked up at the sight of Sandra coming around the corner. The woman was carrying a laundry hamper, and Velvet was quick to bow her head. "Oh, Mrs. Tenny—" She was cut off when the blonde woman raised a brow at her. "Ah, ahem, yes… Sandra. Thank you so much for letting us do our laundry here."
Coco wore a guilty smile and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, we would've done it when we got back to the Daniels' place, but… well, it's a few miles out and we didn't…"
"Want to have to swim in your clothes for much longer, I get you, girls." Sandra said with a wink. However, her expression fell a bit and she crossed her arms. "Still, I have NO idea what Agent Six was thinking with that one. A five-mile run in heat like this?"
"Believe me, I wish I knew what his thought process was." Blake waved her hand. "But Rex says that he's pretty much ALWAYS been like this."
Coco gave a shrug. "Guess he's not the sixth deadliest man in the world for nothin'."
Sandra placed a hand to her hip, shrugging before changing the subject. "Well, in any case, I'm feeling parched. Would anyone like a drink?" Almost immediately, all the girls' hands snapped up, leading Sandra to give a laugh. "Haha! I thought so…" She made her way to the kitchen when, all of a sudden, a portal opened right in front of her. "AAAAH!" At the sound of her scream, the girls were on high alert… only to see Raven come strolling out of the vortex. "Ah… hah, it's only you, Raven."
The girls all slumped back down in their seats, leading the Spring Maiden to glance at them briefly before addressing Sandra. "Sorry if I gave you a scare, Sandra. I was just finishing a meeting with Six, so I decided to take a shortcut back. So, if I entered here, that means…" At that moment, she felt a strong pair of hands settle on her shoulders, leading her to smile and bring her hand up to cup that strong jawline she was oh so familiar with. "Ah, there you are…"
"Hmhm, welcome home, Rae." Tai chortled as he buried his face into Raven's long, black hair, his hands moving toward her waist. "So, was it a good day of training at the base?"
Coco, Velvet and Blake all groaned slightly at the sight of the two adults swooning over one another while Ruby and Sandra cooed, the latter clapping her hands a little. "Oh, how sweet! Hold on, I'm going to go get those drinks."
As she left, Raven rolled her eyes and turned to Tai, all while jerking her thumb toward the four exhausted ladies. "Hmhm, take a wild guess, Tai."
Tai raised a brow to the girls. "Ah, so it seems the new training regiment's working then!"
"DAD!" Ruby exclaimed. "Would you have some sympathy here!? We've been worked like DOGS!"
Tai shook his head and let out a sigh. "Ruby, sweetie, you have nothing but ALL of my sympathies… but you have to realize that this IS the next step in your training." His arm draped over Raven's shoulder. "Believe me, when we were in our third year at Beacon, we trained harder than we ever had before." He pointed to his daughter with an expectant face. "Whether you like it or not, young lady, this is pretty much how you transition from being a Huntress-in-training into a TRUE huntress."
Blake furrowed her brow slightly at that. "So what you're saying is that Six is basically forcing us to work at a third-year level when we haven't even technically FINISHED our first year at Beacon yet."
"Pretty much." Tai confirmed. "Sucks the big one, but hey, it could always be worse."
Raven crossed her arms as she scanned her eyes around the room. "So, where've the others gone off to?"
Coco nudged her head down the hall. "Well, Tech Head, Fox and Yatsu are down in the basement with Ben. Something about showing them his dad's action figure collection." She put her sunglasses back on before crossing her legs with a smirk. "And as for Yangarang and Weiss-cream… hehe, they're getting ready for their dates."
"Ah, yes, they WERE doing that this afternoon, weren't they?" Raven glanced over to Tai and smiled over to him. "Well, so long as Yang isn't the one driving them around, I'll be fine."
Tai deadpanned at that. "Hm, yeah, I got your text about that, by the way. Just to let ya know, I chewed her out a bit myself when she got back, too." The retired Huntsman shook his head. "I swear, that girl has a lead foot."
"Hm, yes, but on the bright side, there's probably nothing we have to worry about with this da—uuuuuh…" Raven trailed off when she heard footsteps approaching and set her sights down the hall… only for her eyes to widen considerably. Tai followed her gaze and his face became similar to hers, all because of what their daughter was wearing.
Yang was wearing her usual brown boots, so there was nothing new there. But as things went up, Raven and Tai became increasingly concerned. The Blonde Brawler was wearing a pair of blue worn jean shorts that snuggly hugged her form, the pants ending about half-way down her thigh. She was also wearing her yellow tube top that had her black emblem on the right breast, but rather than the brown jacket that had the puffy sleeves, she instead wore new brown leather crop jacket that had no sleeves at all, and she kept it unzipped. She kept Ember Celica on in their bracelet forms, but overall, she was in a completely new ensemble.
Yang stopped and grinned to her parents, giving them a wave. "Oh, hey mom, dad. What's goin' on?"
"WOO!" Everyone's eyebrows shot up when Coco suddenly gave a cheer, their sights going to her. "What's up is your new get-up, Yang! Now THAT is what I call hot."
"Uh, how about "NOT"?!" Tai argued, with both him and Raven giving Yang stern glared. "Yang Xiao-Long, just what in the WORLD are you thinking? Going out like… like THIS?! And to a CLUB no less?!"
Raven put a hand to her forehead and sighed. "And here I thought you driving would be the MOST I'd have to worry about. Do you know how many guys are going to accost you if you dress like that, young lady?"
However, Yang could only shrug. "Well, maybe. But if they try, I could always just tell them to piss off or I'll beat 'em up. …Or Ben will beat 'em up first, one of the two."
Velvet glanced off to the side and muttered; "Not exactly all that heroic, but you can't argue with the results…"
"Besides, I'm eighteen." Yang folded her arms over her chest defiantly. "Pretty sure I can dress however I want. Besides, who's gonna try and mess with me when I've got BEN of all people as my date?"
Both Tai and Raven attempted to argue… but found that their daughter actually had a decent point. No man would dare to try and lay a hand on Yang if they saw her with Ben, who would no doubt beat them into next week if they even tried. Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh. "Well… alright, but could you at least zip the jacket up just a bit?"
"Well, okay." Yang did as her mother requested and zipped her jacket up about halfway, leaving it open enough to allow her chest to breath. "Better?"
"…Kind of." Raven said before noticing a certain someone else walking down the hall as well. As expected, it was Weiss… and she was dressed a lot more formally. The former heiress was in a long white and blueish grey dress that was somewhat similar to her combat dress, only without sleeves and with a longer skirt. The dress left her shoulders exposed, but not much else, with the long skirt ending right at her heels. In her hands, she held a purse and a jacket that went with her dress incase things got cold. Weiss had also let her long, white hair flow down her back, which everyone was quick to grow slack jawed at. "…Now see, dear, you should probably take some notes from Weiss."
Yang eyed her mother and then Weiss, scanning her up and down before concluding; "I should dress like I'm going to a ball instead of a normal restaurant?"
Weiss rolled her eyes and groaned at her teammate. "Ugh, Yang, Rex isn't taking me to just a NORMAL restaurant." She clasped her hands together broke out into a bright smile, her eyes lighting up in excitement. "He told me he was taking me to a high quality restaurant, so naturally, I had to look the part."
Ruby stood up and went over to her partner eagerly. "Well, I think you look fantastic, Weiss! Rex is going to be floored when he sees you."
"Hah, I certainly hope so." Weiss took a lock of her hair and began spinning it around her finger nervously. "Too tell you the truth, though, I'm kind of nervous. I haven't exactly had a REAL date in a long while…"
Blake raised a brow at that. "Really? Not even with Neptune?"
"The dance doesn't count and beyond that, we only hung out at least once or twice." Weiss went over and leaned against the couch, hugging herself to try and control the butterflies in her stomach. "This is the first true date I've had in… I wanna say a year. I hope it goes well…"
"Ah, I'm sure it will, Weiss." Yang assured with a pat to her friend's shoulder. "Rex said he's been planning this for DAYS, so I'm sure he's got something pretty cool planned."
Slowly but surely, Weiss smiled to her teammate as Ruby and Blake joined them as well, going into a group huddle. "Yeah, you've got a point. Thanks for the support, girls…" At that moment, the basement door opened up and out came Cooper, Fox and Yatsu, who were immediately followed by Ben. The Omnitrix bearer was wearing a pair of brown khakis and a green polo, a combo that had been seen back in Remnant several times whenever he and Yang went on dates. "Ah, so one man of the hour has finally come out." Weiss quipped to him.
Ben rolled his eyes and stepped into the living room with the boys following him. "Har-har, very funny Weiss, I—" The hero's voice caught in his throat the moment he saw Yang, his jaw nearly falling to the floor at the sight of her.
Coco pointed over to the stunned boy and nodded. "Mission accomplished, Yang! You broke his mind!"
"Apparently I did." Yang grinned before patting Ben's cheek lightly. "Hey, Green Boy. Don't zone out on me now, I still need ya!"
"Ah!" Ben blinked as he was brought back to reality, shaking his head to get the daze out of it. "Hah… sorry Yang, it's just… wow, you look amazing."
"Glad you think so." Yang gave Ben a kiss before eyeing her parents. "At least SOMEBODY around here does."
Tai shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, sure…" He and Raven stepped up to Ben and gave him a serious look, the hero shrinking back a bit as they stood before him. "Now listen, Ben, I expect you to show my daughter a good time while ALSO making sure that no one does anything fishy to her, understand?"
"We're entrusting you to bring her back safely from that club." Raven stated. "Are we clear?"
Ben swallowed hard and gave a salute. "D-Don't you worry, guys, I'll make sure she gets home alright."
Cooper couldn't help but chuckle a little at that as he stood behind Coco's chair, all while giving the fashionista a shoulder massage. "Man, you've got quite a tall task to deal with on this date, don't ya, Ben?"
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I can handle it." Ben said with a wave. "After all, I know Bellwood like the back of my hand… at least on the surface-level. I'll be sure to have her home safe." He glanced over to Yang and held out his hand for her, which she took without hesitation. "So, you ready for this, Goldie Locks?"
"Sure am, Green Boy." Yang winked back. "Let's do this!" The couple went toward the door and Ben was about to open it… only for a knock to be heard right as he grabbed the handle. Everyone's eyebrows rose up and their heads all spun toward the door, with the power couple glancing toward one another with a knowing smile. Ben opened the door and Yang called to her friend; "Oh, Weiss! Your boy's here to… to…" Yang and Ben's jaws both fell open at what they saw when the door opened up, the former even shaking her head at the sight of their EVO friend. "…I'm sorry, what?"
"Heh, good to see you too, Yang." Rex chuckled. The young man was decked out in a green three-piece suit that no doubt belonged to Six. But that wasn't the shocking part. No, rather, what took the couple completely off-guard was Rex's hair… because it wasn't slicked back. Instead, it was pushed down so that his bangs fell over his forehead. They were no less spikey, but it made his appearance so much more… wild. "So, you guys just heading out?"
Ben nodded, still processing what he was seeing. "Uh, yeah, we are… but jeez, Rex, I never realized how different hair is with it down like that."
Yang smirked and raised a brow. "To say the least. You're looking pretty swank there, Rex."
All of a sudden, a certain indignant voice shouted from behind them. "Okay, just WHAT are you guys talking about?" Weiss' voice made the couple move aside as she stepped closer to the door. "I mean, for goodness sakes, he's MY boyfriend, so I should at least get to see—" Weiss' voice hitched in her throat, the rest of her sentence coming out as small squeaks at the sight of her boyfriend's new hairdo.
This made Rex's smile widen and he stepped into the house. "Heh, good to see you, too, Ice Princess." His eyes trailed up and down her form, taking in her dress. "And I have to say, you're quite ravishing yourself, if I may use some fancy lingo."
The quip made Weiss' mind return to that plane of reality, shaking her head as an intense blush worked its way to her cheeks. "…Th-Thank you, Rex." she curtly returned. "You, uh… you certainly clean up well yourself." Her brow furrowed though when she noticed his choice of clothing. "Wait… why are you wearing one of Six's suits? I'm pretty sure we just BOUGHT you a nice suit a couple days ago." she scolded.
"Uh, heh, yeah about that…" Rex rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I sent it to the cleaners to get it steam pressed and I haven't gotten it back yet. They said it'd be ready by the end of the day, but…"
"Hm, I see." Weiss nodded with a sigh. "Well, at least you have SOMETHING to wear. Just be sure you don't get any food on it, otherwise Six will have your head. And something tells me he's already gonna be mad at you for taking his suit in the first place.
"Ah, he doesn't mind… much." Rex waved off. "Most he does is get a little irritated. Not the first time I've swiped one of his suits, after all. So, shall we be headed off?" Rex offered his arm to Weiss, smiling down to her invitingly.
The former heiress smiled back and gladly took his hand, putting on her fancy coat in the process. "Why yes, I think we shall."
"OOH! Wait, wait, wait!" Everyone's heads snapped back around at the sight of Sandra having entered back into the room, having set a tray of drinks down to instead rush off somewhere else. "I need to go get my camera!"
The group of teens all sweatdropped at the woman's excitedness. "So, does your mom ALWAYS get like this, Ben?" Fox asked.
"Only when a big date comes around." Ben shook his head. "I still remember the first date I ever went on… that was probably the most embarrassed I've ever felt in my pre-teen life."
"Aw, that's adorable!" Yang said as she hugged him.
Moments later, Sandra returned with a large, black, electronic camera, and she quickly started to give the two couples instructions. "Alright, I want the girls standing close together in the middle while the boys are off to the sides. Ben, Rex, hold Yang and Weiss by their shoulders like you mean it and all of you look straight into the camera!"
The four began doing as she told them, and needless today, they were surprised by how serious she was taking this. "You'd think this was prom night or something…" Weiss commented.
Once she was sure that all four of the teens were where she wanted them to be, she held her hand up and pointed to them. "Okay, now, everyone give me some good smiles…" Once she saw their beaming grins, Sandra took about three or four pictures before giving them more instructions. "Okay, now if we could just focus on Ben and Yang for a bit…" And again, Sandra took some more pictures, this time just of her son and his girlfriend. "Good, good, now Rex and Weiss…" She faced the other couple, doing the same for them before calling it quits all together.
The Tennyson matriarch began going over all the pictures, with Tai and Raven peering over her shoulder. "Oh… oh yes, these are good." Raven pointed to one of Ben and Yang's pictures. "We're going to need to print out this one, for sure."
"Oh yeah, that might be one for the mantle back home." Tai concurred.
Yang broke out into a blush as the rest of the team began to chuckle to themselves. "M-Mom! Dad! C'mon, is it REALLY necessary to talk about this in front of everybody?"
"Yes. Yes, it is." Raven said deviously as she waved her hand to the teens, ushering them to move along. "Now, I think you all should be going. You're burning daylight."
"Yeah, she's right." Rex nodded. "My reservations are for four o'clock, so we should head out."
"Ah! Why didn't you say so, Robo-dolt?! Let's go!" Weiss took Rex by the hand and practically yanked him out of the house, making the EVO cry out at the sudden pull. Within an instant, Rex activated his ride and Weiss climbed on, the couple speeding off down the street.
Yang crossed her arms and gave a chuckle. "Heh, well glad that WE don't have any reservations for where we're going." She gave another wink to Ben as she stepped out the door, putting a little extra sway in her hips as she went to Ben's car. "Coming, babe?"
Heat rose to Ben's cheeks and he tugged on his collar, tailing his girlfriend while trying to keep himself under control. "Y-Yeah, I'm right behind ya!" Wasting no time, Ben and Yang climbed into the DX Mark 10, with the hero taking the driver's seat this time, of course. The black and green car's engine roared to life and pulled out of the driveway, the couple now headed out to their date destination.
However, what no one else saw was that someone had seen both couples leave, and was watching them with great interest. A smile curled up onto a pair of rosy read lips as a very beautiful woman with long, brown hair stepped out from behind the fence that surrounded the Tennyson's backyard, her sights focused onto the sports car as it drove down the street. "Ooh, so it's date night, hm? How interesting…" She tapped a finger to her lip, her gaze shifting between the car and the street that Rex and Weiss had gone down as if she were deciding which way she wanted to go. "Hm… but which couple do I choose?" In the end, however, she simply shrugged. "Ah, what the heck? As the commercials say… ¿Por qué no los dos? Afterall, love deserves to be spread around equally." With a snap of her fingers, the woman suddenly disappeared, almost as if she hadn't been there at all.
…..
After a short drive into the main city of Bellwood, the DX Mark 10 turned around one last corner before pulling into a rather large parking lot. Across the street from said lot was a fairly big three-story building that was painted with a black and white checkerboard pattern and had purple-tinted windows. Still, even if the windows were tinted, Ben and Yang could still see several different colored lights flashing from inside, and the neon signs shined through them clear as day. There was one that flashed the word "OPEN" in strobing colors, a solid red one that said "OPEN BAR", and yet another that had the words "PARTY ON!" flashing across a whole entire window. And, right above the double automatic doors, the name of the club was prominently displayed on a large, multi-colored neon sign.
Yang whistled at the sight of the place and read the sign; "Club of Action, huh? Heh, pretty cool name."
"Yeah, the owners are some cool people, I'll say that." Ben concurred. "They treat me well whenever I decide to swing in."
"Ooh, you've been here before, huh?" Yang nudged her boyfriend's shoulder. "Ben, I never took you for a party animal!"
The young hero blushed as he opened his door. "Hehe… w-well, not exactly. My soccer team and I would come to this place sometimes whenever we won a game. …Granted, we weren't SUPPOSED to and sometimes got in trouble, but there were definitely some memories made here."
If anything, though, this made Yang all the more excited. "Ooooh, some teenagers going to a place that they're not supposed to? Ben, you ARE a party animal and a troublemaker." She made bedroom eyes at him and rested her chin on her hands. "Ah, and here I thought I couldn't be more attracted to you." she smiled dreamily.
Ben blushed at her compliment, but he could also tell by her tone that Yang was playing things up a bit, so he decided to play along. "Hmhm, well, considering all the times you've told me that YOU'VE been out clubbing, I can't wait to see how you party. Wait right there one sec…" Ben got out of the car and rushed right over to Yang's side, opening the door for her with a wave of his hand. "Shall we?"
"Such a gentleman." Yang stepped out of the vehicle and took Ben by his hand, putting on a faux-posh accent as she lifted her head and closed her eyes. "Lead the way, my dear."
"As you wish, m'lady." The couple broke out into a fit of laughter as they walked into the club, the doors sliding open for them. The moment they entered, they were bombarded by darkness and light at the same time, with loud rave music and the sound of people cheering and dancing assaulting their eardrums. "AH! Good to know the place hasn't changed!"
Once their eyes adjusted, they took in the entire room, which had completely black walls and a black and white checkerboard floor that matched the outside. There were round, red tables that had matching chairs strewn across the entire club, with the exception of the dance floor which was at a lower elevation than the rest of the place. There was a large stage that had a live DJ set-up at the very end of the dance floor, and at the opposite end of the building, there was a large open bar where several patrons were sitting.
Yang stuck a finger into her ear, her eardrums still ringing slightly from the sudden musical onslaught. "Haha! Holy crap, this place is AMAZING!"
"Yeah, a bit loud, but it's pretty much ALWAYS been like this!" Ben agreed before taking note of a couple people headed their way. They were two men; one with spikey brown hair and a matching goatee, and one with slightly greying hair and a beard-mustache combo. "Hey, there's two of the owners now! Duncan! Steven!"
The man with brown hair, Duncan, gave a laugh and extended his hand, which Ben shook. "Haha! Well look who it is! Ben Tennyson, it's been a LONG time!"
"Not long enough, if ya ask me." The grey-haired man, Steven said before breaking out into a grin. "Hah, nope, can't even say that with a straight face." He offered his hand as well, which Ben took without hesitation. "It's good to see ya, Ben. We've uh… we've heard your life's been kind of a rollercoaster recently."
"Heh, you don't know the half of it, Steven." Ben chuckled. "Are the Joe's here?"
Duncan shook his head. "Nah, its their day off. We'll tell them that ya swung by, though…" His eyes then trailed over to Yang, his smile brightening up as he gave her a nod. "Ah, and THIS must be the lucky lady that stole your heart, huh? Your name's… Yang, right?"
"That'd be me." Yang shrugged. "Man, Ben told me that this place was happening, but he only NOW just told me that he knows the owners." She gave Ben a sly grin and placed her hands on her hips. "And here I thought I knew everything about him."
Steven gave a hearty laugh at that and pat Ben on the shoulder. "Haha, yep, we've known this guy for YEARS. Hell, his DAD was actually the one who helped set up the lighting in this place. And when Ben actually became famous, we put up that sign right over there…" Steven pointed across the dancefloor to a bright sign that said in bold, green letters; "NO HARASSING BEN TENNYSON". Steven shook his head and went back to Yang. "Seriously, you have NO idea how many people were clamoring for Ben every time he walked in here when his secret first became public."
"We had to enforce a rule where people who DID harass Ben would be kicked out on the spot." Duncan added as he gave Ben a jab in the arm. "No one messes with the big man when he walks in, right Ben?"
Ben scratched the back of his neck and sheepishly laughed at that. "Uh, hehe… y-yeah, right."
Yang immediately wrapped her arms around Ben's arm and cuddled into his shoulder. "Ooh! My boyfriend has connections! This is so cool!" Just then, however, the music shifted to another song, one that began with what sounded like an electronic keyboard laying down a rather catchy beat. And almost immediately, more synthetic sounds came into play… and Yang could feel a surge go up her spine at the sound. "Ooh… oh-ho-ho…" She began pulling on Ben's arm, practitcally dragging him to the dance floor. "Ben I NEED to dance to this! C'mon, let's go!"
"O-Okay!" Ben stammered before waving to Duncan and Steven. "N-Nice talking to you guys, but I—WOAH!"
The two men laughed as they watched their friend get dragged out, with the crowd of people cheering at Ben and Yang's arrival as they cleared the dancefloor for them. "Have a good time!" Steven shouted.
"And drinks are on us!" Duncan grinned before the two walked away.
Out on the dancefloor, Yang pulled Ben up close to her as the people cheered for them. As all eyes locked onto the couple, Yang reached her hands up and cupped Ben's cheeks, whispering into his ear; "Let's give these people a show, okay, Green Boy?"
"I-If you insist, Goldie Locks." Ben whispered back, feeling something spark to life within him. Normally, being the center of attention in this sort of situation would make him pretty nervous, especially since his dancing skills weren't all that. Sure, he knew how to do a traditional ballroom dance thanks to his cousin, but freestyle was a completely different animal for him. But with Yang… he felt so much more at ease that his gut told him that there was nothing to worry about. 'So long as she's with you… there's no need to hesitate.' And with that thought in his head, the two began dancing as the lyrics kicked in;
Turn up the music, Let's get out on the floor
I like to move it, Come and give me some more
Watch me getting physical, Out of control
There's people watching me, I never miss a beat
Steel the night, kill the lights, Feel it under your skin
Time is right, keep it tight, 'Cause its pulling you in
Pump it up you can't stop, Cause it feels like an overdose
(Feels like an overdose)
Throughout the whole thing, Ben just let himself go, matching Yang's movements as best he could. It wasn't hard since she was pretty much all over the place with her dancing, but at the same time, she completely mesmerized him how her body moved to the beat. Popping, locking and swaying her hips to the beat, the way her hair waved around wild as she swung her head, and the way she moved every part of herself as the song went on. And, when the beat dropped, her way of dancing became much more intense, her body pressing up against his as the both of them move their feet with every lyric.
(Woah-aoh-aoh) Evacuate the dance-floor!
(Woah-aoh-aoh) I'm infected by the sound!
(Woah-aoh-aoh) Stop this beat is killing me!
Hey little DJ let the music take me underground
(Everybody in the club!) Evacuate the dance-floor!
(Woah-aoh-aoh) I'm infected by the sound!
(Everybody in the club!) Stop this beat is killing me!
Hey little DJ come burn this place right down to the ground
…..
After about forty-five minutes of almost non-stop dancing, an exhausted Ben and Yang both stumbled their way off of the dance floor and toward the bar, with all of the patrons applauding them one final time. Needless to say, they had given it their all out on that floor, to the point where their legs actually kind of hurt. Yang had to unzip her jacket, she was feeling so sweaty. Yet all the same, her excitement was still through the roof. "WOO! You really know how to show a girl a good time, Ben." she said as she sat down at the bar. "I don't think I've EVER gone that hard on the dancefloor before."
"Hah, me either." Ben wiped the sweat from his brow. "We must've gone through like… eight or ten songs, at least?"
"Yeah… hey, who sang that one song? I think it was called… "Just Dance"?"
"Oh, yeah that's a Lady Gaga song. Her songs are REALLY good at making people move."
Yang smirked at that. "Heh, considering I was practically grinding on you throughout that whole thing, I'd say it worked." Almost immediately, Ben smacked his head against the table, hoping his blush wasn't too noticeable. "BAH-hahaha! Ben, you need to relax about this kind of stuff…" She reached over and rubbed his back assuredly. "We're in a relationship, so intense physical contact should be natural, right?"
"Well, yeah, of course." Ben nodded. "It's just… well, let's just say I considered the honor of touching your… your…"
"My ass?" Yang's smirk widened. "Back at my house on Sunday?"
Ben coughed and let out a sigh. "Y-Yeah, that. …That was probably the first REAL time I've been that intimate with a girl—no. With a woman. And I-I consider it a big leap in progress."
Yang's eyes half-lidded once more at that remark. "Oh, Green Boy, you have NO idea how much I appreciate that compliment. …Or how much it turns me on."
"Hehe, I'm sure." Ben rubbed his neck and lowered his eyes. "I just… I think I need some more practice in that department."
The Blonde Brawler reached over and grabbed Ben's hand with her own, rubbing circles into his palm with her thumb. "It's okay, Ben, I understand. And you WILL get that practice, I can promise you that." She lifted his hand and put her other hand over the back of it. "After all… I'm sure that these hands are magic."
Ben's blush intensified, but he quickly came up with a witty retort. "Heh, sorry, but magic hands are kind of what my cousin's all about."
"And I'm sure Kevin must appreciate her, too." Yang cheerfully agreed. "Just think of all the ways they probably—"
"NO! NononoNO!" Ben grimaced and covered his eyes, throwing his head back as Yang nearly laughed herself out of her seat. "GET IT OUT OF MY BRIAN!"
Yang pounded on the counter as she tried to regain control of herself, sucking in air as she laughed her lungs out. "AHAHAHA—AAAAH!" She reached over and pulled her boyfriend into a hug, who tried to resist, but was brought in anyway. "Hahaha! Oh my god, Green Boy, have I ever told you that I love the way you make me laugh?"
"…Many times." Ben admitted, bringing his arm down to gaze right into his girlfriend's eyes. "I love you."
"And I love you right back." Yang said before pecking Ben on the lips.
"Oh, well isn't this just adorable?!" Ben and Yang snapped their heads toward the bar… and both of them were stunned by what they saw. Standing before them was one of the most beautiful women they'd ever seen, one who wore her long, brown hair up in a messy ponytail. Or… was it brown? They weren't sure if it was the changing lights or what, but it appeared as if her hair was shifting into different shades before their eyes. From brunette to blonde, to red, to black, it seemed endless. The same went for her eyes as well, but when she spoke up again, Ben and Yang were met with a brilliant set of blue orbs. "Um, excuse me?"
The couple blinked and the woman's hair had gone back to brown… if it had even changed in the first place. "O-Oh, sorry." Yang apologized.
"It's no problem." The women said, with the couple now noticing that she was in a bar tender's outfit. "I often get told I can be a bit distracting. So, tell me, are you guys set to order something?"
Ben shook the daze out of his head and nodded. "O-Oh, yeah, I'll have a Sprite, please."
"And do you make Strawberry Sunrises here?" Yang asked, making Ben's eyebrows raise up.
The young woman behind the counter smiled and nodded back. "We do! But I suspect you're not over 21." Yang shook her head in response. "Well, you're in luck, because we can make them non-alcoholic. I'll have both of your drinks out in a minute." The lady gave them both a wink. "And consider them on the house for both of you being such a cute couple!"
"O-Oh!" Ben said in surprise. "Thank you…" As the woman left, Ben snapped his head over to Yang with a confused expression. "Okay, was it just me, or did that woman almost seem—"
"Distractingly drop-dead gorgeous?" Yang finished.
"YES!" Ben exclaimed. "I mean… that was just really weird how her appearance was just hypnotizing… and I wasn't the only one, apparently."
Yang's cheeks tinged slightly pink at that. "Heh, what can I say? I appreciate beautiful girls just as much as the next guy."
"Cool to know. …But what I'm more surprised by is the fact that you asked for an alcoholic drink." Ben tilted his head. "And here I thought you didn't drink at all?"
Yang waved her hand to him reassuringly. "It's just a once-and-a-while thing, don't worry. I'm not, nor do I plan on being an alcoholic like my Uncle Qrow was." She gave a shrug. "Besides, I don't even care about the alcohol in them, I just drink it for the taste."
"I see." Ben nodded. But just then, he felt something a bit off in the lower half of his body, leading him to get up. "Oof, I gotta head to the restroom. Will you be good here by yourself for a second?"
"Oh yeah, I'll be fine." Yang gave a thumbs up. "Take care of your business, okay?" Ben returned the thumbs up and rushed off to the bathroom, leaving Yang by herself. As she bopped her head along to the music, she caught the front door opening out the corner of her eye… and almost immediately, the sound of loud, obnoxious laughter filled the whole place.
She glanced over and saw two tall men in their mid-twenties come sauntering into the club, one of them with tanned skin, the other without. The paler one had long, messy black hair while the tanned guy had his long, brown hair pulled back into a small ponytail, with a goatee to match. One thing in common they both had though… were the similar cocky grins they both had on. And unfortunately, both of them had caught Yang eyeing them, to which she snapped her eyes back to the bar.
"Ah-ha!" the tanned man laughed. "Yo, Darin, check out the hottie at the bar over there!"
"WOO!" the pale man cried out. "Dave, you've done it again! C'mon, let's show her a good time…" The two sauntered over to Yang's location, and immediately, the blonde felt an oppressing aura surrounding her, and it got worse when Darin spoke up again. "Yo, babe! Today is your lucky day, because you just spotted us walkin' in!"
Dave let out a wolf-whistle and Yang cringed, feeling their eyes scanning over her like a couple of lecherous hounds. "Hoo-hoo, and I gotta say, if you're here alone dressed like that, then you MUST be wantin' a good time."
TWING! Inside her mind, Yang felt something snap, leading her to purse her lips and take a deep breath. 'Okay, I gotta stop this before it even begins.' She put on the best smile she could muster before swiveling around in her stool, crossing her arms over her chest so the boys couldn't see her cleavage. "Actually, as a matter of fact, I'm NOT alone here."
"Ah, I see!" Darin set his sights to the dance floor. "Some of your girl friends dancing out there? Well, there's plenty of us to go around, so no need to worry about that!"
'Oh, but that's EXACTLY what any girl should worry about.' Yang shook her head, her smile morphing into an irritated sneer. "ACTUALLY… my boyfriend just so happens to be in the bathroom at the moment." She began shooing them off. "Now, if you boys don't mind, I think you should hightail it before he gets back."
"Ooh, a taken lady, huh?" Dave leaned forward and gave her a wink, making Yang want to gag. "Hey, listen here, sweet cheeks, I think you'll find that the male specimens before you are actually two of the biggest studs in the room. Not sure who your boyfriend is, but odds are he definitely can't compare to us."
"Yeah, so c'mon, let's ditch this place and find somewhere that we can have a little… fun." Darin snickered.
Yang rolled her eyes, now fully irritated. "Sorry, boys, but even if I wanted that, I think you'd just disappoint me about halfway through." She jerked her thumb out the door. "But hey, I'm sure there's probably SOME ladies who'll want some macho-acting betas like yourselves, so I suggest you get outta here before I kick your asses." Just then, she saw the waitress approach out the corner of her eye with her and Ben's drinks, to which she turned back around and grabbed hers. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"
The waitress' eyes widened at the sight of the now-pissed off men, both of them now steaming with rage. "Uh… is there a problem here—"
"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY, BITCH?!" Dave lurched forward and forcibly yanked on Yang's arm… which earned him a straight kick in the groin. "AUGH!" Dave crumpled to the floor in a heap, holding his crotch as Yang took a sip of her Strawberry Sunrise.
"Ah… told him." Yang said in satisfaction.
"W-Wha… YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, YOU BIMBO!" Darin went for a punch… but then was suddenly stopped when a flash of green light and a large, crystalline hand stopped him. …And then the larger hand crushed his fist. "AAAAAGH!"
Diamondhead kicked the man in his gut and delivered a swift uppercut, making him crumple to the floor before transforming back into his human form. He went over, grabbed his Sprite and raised a brow to Yang. "Problem, dear?"
"None that we can't handle, Green Boy." Yang smiled back, raising her glass to him. They clinked their drinks together and enjoyed them as Darin and Dave just laid on the floor in agony. After they had finished, they set the drinks down on the tray and Yang took her boyfriend by the hand. "But I think I'm ready to call it quits on this place, though."
"Yeah, sorry those assholes had to ruin it for ya."
"Ah, if anything, they made it more interesting." Yang shrugged.
Ben faced the waitress and gave her a nod. "Think you can tell Steven and Duncan to kick these two outta here for disobeying the golden rule?" he thumbed over to the sign that said not to harass him to clarify what he meant. "I don't think anyone will take kindly to these guys being here anyway."
"Of course, Mr. Tennyson." the waitress smiled. "I'll have them out of here right away." With that, Ben and Yang gave her one last smile and they walked toward the door… and the moment they were out of the establishment, the woman's grin turned into a frown of disapproval as the two men finally got up.
Dave was still holding his groin in pain while Darin clutched his fist, which was now bleeding and sprained. "Ugh… fuck, if I had known HE was his girlfriend, I might've backed off." Darin muttered.
"Nah, screw that, dude." Dave said as he seethed with rage. "I could've taken that blowhard, Tennyson. Harangue's right, that guy's a menace."
"…Are you LISTENING to yourself?"
"Bah, what do you know, anyway?" Darin trailed off as he saw two ladies approaching them with concern, both very provocatively dressed. "Heh… my man, I think we just hit the jackpot…" However, little did both men know, the eyes of the woman behind the counter began to glow a pinkish color, and a matching aura suddenly flashed around the both Darin and Dave as they approached the women. Darin wore his best sultry grin and greeted; "S'up, ladies?"
The women were about to speak up… but then they got a whiff of something VERY unpleasant, and it was obvious where it was coming from. "EW! What the hell, guy?!"
"Both of you smell totes grody! What're you a couple of bums?!" Darin and Dave were left stunned as the ladies turned back toward the dancefloor, both men completely confused.
"W-What? What're they—" Darin cut himself off when he took a sniff himself… and his good hand went up and plugged his nose. "GAH! Dude, you REEK!"
"AUGH! No dude, YOU reek!" Dave plugged his own nose and stepped a few feet away from his friend. "Did you forget to shower?!"
As both men argued over who smelled worse, however, the woman behind the counter craned her head to the front door, her eyes glowing once again. Just then, the door opened up, but rather than more people entering the club… instead came something unexpected. A huge flock of sparrows suddenly flew right in, making a straight beeline for Darin and Dave. The flock zoomed in and divebombed both men, the birds pecking and screeching at them as the men began to scream in shock and horror. The men immediately booked it for the door screaming for their lives, the flock following after them without remorse as the woman smiled in satisfaction.
'Hmhm, let's see how they like dealing with THAT until next week. Now, I think it's time I pay another couple a visit…' With a snap of her fingers, the woman disappeared in an instant, leaving the club without a trace.
Meanwhile, back outside, Yang and Ben had gotten back into the DX Mark 10, the hero letting out a despondent sigh. "Man… and here I thought things would go a LOT better than that." He set his sights to his girlfriend sympathetically. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed it, Yang. You shouldn't have had to lift a finger against those assholes."
"Aw, Ben! You're so sweet…" Yang reached over and gave him a hug, running her hand through his hair. "But really, it's okay. Like I said, it made the night interesting. Plus, I got to do one of my favorite things TO do with you; beat the crap out of assholes!"
"Heh, yeah, we do that a lot, don't we?" Ben chuckled before his smile returned. "However, this actually kind of leads me to the second part of our date…"
Yang gasped at that. "Ah! There's a part two?!"
"Yep…" Ben reached down and pulled up a green bandana from his door pocket. "But until we get there, I'll need you to put this on."
Seeing an opportunity, Yang took it with a smirk. "Ooh, Ben, didn't know you were into the kinky stuff." She got the reaction she wanted when Ben facepalmed, dragging his hand down over his eyes.
"Ugh, I should've seen that coming." Ben shook his head and laughed a little, eyeing Yang knowingly. "Well, innuendo or no, I think you're REALLY gonna like this place once we get… there…" Ben trailed off as he saw both Darin and Dave come sprinting out of the club being chased by a flock of sparrows… with a visible green odor surrounding them as well.
Yang blinked in befuddlement, but shrugged it off nonetheless. "Eh, not the comeuppance I would've thought of, but hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth." She then tied the bandana over her eyes and buckled her seatbelt. "Alright, take me to this mystery place, Green Boy, I'm ready!"
"Heh, sure thing, Goldie Locks." With that, Ben started the DX-Mark 10 and drove off down the road, headed for the outskirts of town.
…..
As that was happening, Rex and Weiss finally arrived at their destination in the next town over. The long drive actually surprised Weiss a bit, but when they pulled up to their destination, the former heiress was quite surprised. It was a rather large building that was modeled after classic Spanish architecture, complete with a brown tiled roof, half-rounded arches, doors and windows, and an adobe brick exterior. Above the front door, there was a sign that said "Fiesta Mexico", complete with a guitar player in a sombrero and a lady in a traditional Hispanic dress.
As she stared at it Rex deactivated his ride and went over to her, taking her by the shoulders. "Well? Whaddya think, Ice Princess? You surprised?"
"Well… kind of." Weiss admitted, giving him a small grin. "I sort of expected you to take me to a Mexican place at somepoint, but I didn't think we'd have to go THIS far outside of Bellwood for it."
"Ah, but there's a big reason for that." Rex winked. "Trust me, you're gonna love what I've got in store for you tonight." He straightened out his tie and offered her his arm as he extended his other hand to the establishment. "Don't worry, the ride will be worth it. Now c'mon… Fiesta Mexico awaits!"
With that, the couple walked up to the building, and when they walked in, they were greeted with the sight of several different pieces of Mexican memorabilia hanging from the walls, including a prominent Mexican flag hanging over one of the archways. From the second they stepped over the threshold, Rex was greeted with several familiar scents. "Ah… oh yeah… you smell that, Ice Princess? Traditional Mexican cooking, right here!"
Weiss' eyes began to tear up… not because this was an emotional moment or anything, though. No, it was because the just a single whiff of the no doubt spicy cooking was making her eyes water. "Hah… oh god." She rubbed her eyes and composed herself, taking off her coat in the process. "Well it's… certainly a unique fragrance."
"Ah, you'll grow to like it, I'm sure." Rex grinned as he lead them up to the front podium, where a host was waiting for them. "Hi, I'm Rex Salazar and I reserved a table for two?"
The host was quick to gladly lead both of them over to their table, though Weiss was surprised at where it was. Rather than a booth, like she had expected, they were seated at a small round one built for two that was in the middle of the floor. And what's more, it was near a makeshift stage where there were several violins, trumpets, and a single guitar all set up for… something. "Uh… Rex? What's that?"
"Ah, that's actually one of the big reasons why I chose THIS restaurant." Rex explained. "See, we aren't here just for the great food, but because there's actually a LIVE Mariachi band playing here tonight! When I got wind of that, I was like; "Okay, I HAVE to take Weiss here to experience this"."
"Aw, that's so nice!" Weiss smiled before seeing several men and women come walking up to the stage, with the other patrons in the restaurant also taking notice. One man in particular had a sombrero on his head and a curled, black mustache, and he actually went for the guitar. "Ooh! There they are!"
Rex rubbed his hand together eagerly before grabbing a menu, with Weiss doing the same. "Oh-ho, awesome! Now all we need is to wait for our waiter and—"
"¡Hola!" Rex and Weiss's eyes both widened and they turned their heads… and were stunned at the sight of their waitress. At first, they thought their eyes were playing tricks on them, because they could've sworn that they saw a brunette standing before them for one second. But the moment they blinked, they saw a beautiful Hispanic woman in a very colorful dress with long, flowing black hair and a pen and pad of paper in her hand, beaming at them with a brilliant smile. "¡Bienvenida a Fiesta Mexico! My name's Adonia and I'll be your server today!" There was a long pause as Rex and Weiss simply stared at the woman, leading her to nervously smile and wave her hand to them. "Uh… hello?"
Rex's hand subconsciously moved up and slapped himself, bringing him back to reality. "AH! O-Oh, sorry about that. We just… well, we weren't expecting you for a while, right Weiss?"
Her boyfriend's words managed to bring Weiss back to the real world as well, the girl shaking her head and getting herself back on track. "Y-Yes, exactly. Sorry for spacing out on you there."
"Ah, no hay que preocuparse." Adonia assured with a cheery grin. "I'm often told that I can be… a bit distracting." She saw the couple blush slightly, but paid it no mind as she brought up her pen and paper. "So, have you two taken a look at the menu and decided on what you'd like?"
Weiss and Rex's attention went straight back to their menus, both because they were hungry and they were hoping to get their minds back on track. "O-Oh, yeah, let's see…" Weiss trailed off when she actually saw at what the restaurant had to offer… and couldn't make heads or tails of what was on the menu. "…Darn, I've got nothing."
Rex chuckled and briefly glanced up to Adonia. "This is her first time eating Mexican food." Adonia nodded in understanding as Rex reached across the table and took a hold of Weiss' hand. "Don't worry, Ice Princess, I've got this." Rex folded up the menus and took them both in hand. "We'll start off with some Diet Coke for our drinks, and for the appetizers, we'll have the Nachos con Chorizo and Chile con Queso. And then for the main course, we'll have some Chicken Taco Salads and Enchiladas Supremas… oh, and could we get some sides of Guacamole Dip and Cheese Sause to go with that?"
Adonia quickly jotted that all down and nodded in approval. "All excellente choices, señor. Going rather spicy, I see…"
"Hey, I gotta get her introduced to the hot stuff right off the bat, ya know?" Rex shrugged.
Weiss could only grimace at him. "If my mouth gets destroyed because of this, you WON'T hear the end of it."
Rex and Adonia both got a chuckle out of that as the latter took both of their menus, giving them a final nod before leaving. "Alright, well if the dashing gentleman and the lovely lady are both satisfied with their choices, I'll bring your drinks and appetizers out in just a little bit!"
"Gracias." The couple both said at the same time, which made them sheepishly smile toward one another. However, as Adonia left, Weiss' brow furrowed in suspicion. "Okay, please tell me I'm not the only one who—"
"Felt like that woman's face was hypnotizing you?" Rex finished, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "Yeah, that happened to me too… it was weird. And did she look like someone else entirely for a split second?"
Weiss shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "Ugh, must've been a trick of the light. …Still, I don't think I've ever been so… breath taken before." The former heiress propped her elbow on the table, resting her cheek against her palm with uncertainty etched in her features. "I mean… she's so beautiful. I can only hope to be HALF that gorgeous when I get older—"
"I'm gonna stop you RIGHT there." Rex reached over and grasped Weiss' hands, gripping them softly as his brow furrowed to her. "Weiss, I don't know WHAT Adonia's deal was, but I can promise you that you ARE just as beautiful as her, and I mean that with every fiber of my being."
…..
Unbeknownst to him, Adonia's eye twitched in the kitchen. Under normal circumstances, she probably would've ended someone for a slight like that. Still, as she continued to hear the conversation, she knew she had to keep a cool head. 'Keep a hold of yourself, lady, and let the romance play out.'
…..
Weiss blushed at Rex's compliment, her free hand cupping her cheek as they tinged red. "Aw! Rex, you're too sweet!" She let out a sigh and squeezed his hand a bit more. "Honestly, I was kind of worried since… well, you and I both stared at her for quite a while and—"
"Hey, if this has anything to do with unfaithfulness, I think I can dash those worries right now." Just then, from his back pocket, Rex pulled out a small, cube-shaped device, one that Weiss recognized instantly.
"Wait, I think I saw Kevin with one of these before… I think he called it a storage cube?"
Rex's smile widened as he reached into the circular opening on the side of the cube, his arm going in up to his elbow. "Yep! And I brought it with me so I could give you…" He pulled his arm out… and what came with it made Weiss' jaw drop to the floor. "These!"
It was a bouquet. A bouquet of beautiful, brilliant white flowers that appeared to have blossomed not too long ago. And what was better was that Weiss knew exactly what type of flowers these were. White Camellia flowers. "R-Rex…" She reached out as Rex handed her the bouquet, still flabbergasted by the gift. "Th-These are…"
"White Camellia, yeah." Rex rubbed his neck nervously. "Holiday helped me pick these out, actually, and she told me that… that they represent adoration… someone who's meaningful to you. Weiss, I know this might be a bit early, but… I just want you to know that I'm committed to this relationship, and nothing's gonna deter me from that."
Weiss was shell shocked at that statement. So much so that she nearly forgot to speak, but she soon found her voice and held the flowers close to her chest. "I… I-I really don't know what to say. Rex… I love them." She beamed up to him as her eyes began to glisten, threatening to tear up at any moment. "I'll be sure to remember this. Because I… I care about you, a lot."
"And I care about you, too, Weiss." Rex smiled back. Both of them knew they weren't ready for the big "L" word just yet… but they also knew that they'd work their way up to that point as well. From there, the couple fell into casual conversation as the Mariachi band began to play, that is until Adonia came back with their appetizers. Rex took in a deep breath to take in the smell. "Ah, los sabores de Mexico. Weiss, you're gonna love this."
Weiss eyed the chorizo nachos and the chili con queso warily, still rather unsure of whether she COULD stomach spicy foods or not. "…I don't know, Rex. I mean, it DOES smell pretty good, don't get me wrong. But… I just haven't had that much experience with spicy stuff."
Rex could only offer a shrug. "Ah, well, I admit, it IS a bit hard to get into it at first. But, once you start eating it consistently, you'll quickly build up a tolerance to it. Here…" Rex reached down and grabbed a nacho, dipping it in the cheesy chili before bringing it up to his mouth. "I'll go first." He popped the chip into his mouth and immediately, his expression morphed into one of euphoria. "Mmm-MM! Ah, yeah, now that's the good stuff."
"Really?" Weiss reached down and procured one of the pork-covered nacho chips and dipped it in the cheesy chili as well. "Let's just see, then…" She popped the chip into her mouth and from the very moment it hit her tongue, an explosion of flavor spread out across her tastebuds. The cheese, the meatiness of the chorizo and the crunchiness of the tortilla all made for an amazing burst to the senses, and immediately, her lips curled up into a small smile. "Ooh… okay, I think I see where you're getting at here."
"Ah-ha! The girlie likes the chili!" Rex laughed in victory. "I had a feeling you'd… uh…" The EVO trailed off as Weiss' face suddenly began to shift to a more reddish hue. And he could tell it wasn't out of embarrassment this time as her brow began sweating and her mouth hung open. "Oh jeez, here we go."
"Oh my GOD!" Weiss began fanning her tongue as fast as she could. "Hot, hot, HOT! So hot!"
"Woah, woah, Weiss, let's calm down for a sec." Rex reached over and slid the glass of Diet Coke over to Weiss, encouraging her to drink. "Take a sip of this and you'll be fine."
Weiss did as she was told and sipped the Coke… and almost instantly she felt her mouth begin to feel relief. "…Huh, wow, I would NOT have expected soda to be an effective heat reliever. Thanks, Rex."
"Hey, don't thank me, thank the Game Theory guy for figuring that out."
"The who?"
"Ah, never mind, you'll probably find out eventually." Rex waved off.
Weiss decided to try and figure THAT out before she eyed the large platter of nachos rather hungrily. "Guess that means we can dig into these without worry…" But then, her eyes snapped back up when she saw Rex smirking at her, leading Weiss to raise a brow back at him. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, it's just… I'm really glad that you like the food of my people." Rex admitted. "It means a lot, Weiss, really, it does."
Weiss smiled fondly toward him and sent him a nod. "You're very welcome, Rex. Now c'mon, let's dig in." With that, the two enjoyed their appetizer in satisfaction as another thirty minutes went by, with Adonia bringing out their main course at about five-fifteen. And while Weiss was more than capable of digging into the chicken taco salad without trouble, the Enchiladas Supremas proved to be… "AAAAAAAAUUUGH!" …Rather tough to swallow. "REX! The Diet Coke isn't working anymore!"
Rex snapped his head up and hollered; "Garcon! Any chance we've got some milk back there?!"
"Hold on!" At that moment, Adonia came rushing out with a glass of cold milk and gave it to Weiss, who immediately took a big sip of it. "Feeling better?"
Emerging from the cup with a milk mustache, Weiss took several breaths before holding a thumbs up. "Yeah… I think I'm good."
"…We're gonna need to do some sorta Scoville test for you, Ice Princess." Rex remarked. "Remind me to get some different hot sauces for ya." He saw Weiss narrow her eyes at him and an amused grin tugged on Rex's lips, the EVO pointing to his upper lip. "Also, uh… hehe… you got a little something right there…"
Weiss grumbled and grabbed a napkin, only to be surprised when Rex beat her to the punch. Using his own napkin, he wiped the milk mustache off of her, making Weiss blush a bit. 'He might be a Robo-dolt… but he's as sweet as can be.' She cleared her throat and went back to her meal. "Thank you, Rex… I think I'll just stick to the salad and we'll pack up the enchiladas to go."
"No problem, Weiss." Rex nodded. "But, uh, I have to ask… did you actually like the enchiladas?"
"Oh, they're very good." Weiss affirmed after swallowing a bite of her salad. "The combination of ingredients feels like an explosion of flavor in my mouth. It's just… they're molten hot." She twirled her finger around a lock of her hair and smiled gratefully at him. "But all the same, thank you for taking me here, Rex. The food, the music, the atmosphere… I think I'm really getting a good feel for your culture, and that means a lot to me."
"Heh, well, you're very welcome. But the night isn't over yet, Ice Princess." Rex trailed off as his eyes moved up to see the lead guitar player of the Mariachi band step off the stage, taking off his sombrero as he came over to them. Rex gave him a wave and said; "Hola, señor."
"Ah, greetings and saludos, my valued patrocinadores." The man greeted back. "Tell me, how are you enjoying your dinner?"
"It's very exquisite, thank you for asking." Weiss returned, though she was slightly confused as to why the man was here. "A little spicy, but I haven't had THAT much experience with food this hot, so…"
"Haha, perfectly understandable, señora." The man bowed his head. "But, as the owner of this fine establishment, I am still very grateful for your kind words."
Weiss' eyes snapped open at that. "W-Wait, YOU'RE the owner?!"
The man gave a laugh and nodded to her. "Indeed. Often times, I have mi Mariachi perform live here for the guests, so forgive me if I do not have the appearance of an owner. Which brings me to why I am here…" He bowed to Rex with a smile. "Señor, the stage is set for you whenever you wish."
His words made Weiss even MORE confused now than ever, her gaze shifting to Rex with a raised brow. "Uh… Rex? What's he talking about?"
The EVO merely chuckled and stood up. "Well, like I said, the night isn't over yet, Weiss. I still have one last surprise up my sleeve… and I hope you like it." The owner ushered Rex toward the stage… and Weiss watched as her boyfriend picked up the guitar and went up to the band.
'…Oh god, don't tell me.' Weiss' lips parted in stunned silence as the entire restaurant's attention was now on her boyfriend, who had taken the stage with a proud smile even with all of those eyes on him. She had a feeling she knew what he was about to do, but all the same, Weiss couldn't help the feeling of dread that was forming in the pit of her stomach. She had been serenaded like this many times before… and unfortunately, all of those times were by Jaune, who didn't exactly have the best singing voice. So, yeah, not too many a positive experience when it came to guys singing for her. Granted, the fact that it was a different person doing the singing was a good thing… but the fact that it was in a public place still made her feel incredibly nervous.
Rex took the microphone and cleared his throat, speaking loud and clearly. "Ahem, buenas tardes, everyone! How's everyone doing? Having a good time?!" His response came in the form of affirmative muttering from the entire restaurant, with Rex nodding in approval. "Good, good, I was hoping so. Well, I know this might seem a bit odd seeing a customer like me take the stage, but… well, I had asked the owner beforehand if I could do a little number of my own… as a little tribute to a special someone." He glanced down to Weiss and, almost immediately, the former heiress heard several people give a cheer at her boyfriend's gesture, which made the both of them blush. "…I hope you like it. Hit it!"
At his word, the Mariachi band came to life, their trumpets all sounding off as the new song began. It was a lively if evenly paced tune, not too fast, not too slow, and when the violins kicked in, it made it even livelier. And, much to Weiss' surprise, Rex began strumming the guitar masterfully… but it got even better when he actually began to sing.
"~Love… is a burning thing. And it makes… a fiery ring.~" Between each pause in the lyrics, the trumpets would sound off, but Weiss was more or less completely entranced by Rex's singing voice. "~Bound… by wild desire. I fell… into a ring of fire.~" She genuinely hadn't expected her boyfriend to be THIS good at singing. It made her jaw drop almost down to the table as she continued to listen to his surprisingly smooth singing. "~I fell into a burning ring of fire! I went down, down, down and the flames went higher! And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire…
The ring of fire.~"
The crowd cheered for Rex as he went on, the EVO keeping pace with the band as he saw the utter shock on his girlfriend's face. He couldn't help but smile at the amount of surprise she was experiencing, but he knew he couldn't stop now. "~The taste… of love is sweet. When hearts… like ours meet. I fell… for you like a child. Oh, but the fire… went wild.~" Slowly but surely, he saw Weiss' stunned expression morph into a bright, beaming smile, the same one that he had grown so fond of over the past several weeks. He smiled back and sighed internally with relief, feeling reassured that his plan had been a total success. "~I fell into a burning ring of fire! I went down, down, down and the flames went higher! And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire… the ring of fire.~"
The song went into its final stretch as Adonia came over to the table, standing next to Weiss as Rex poured out his heart through the lyrics of the song. She glanced down to see the former heiress begin to tear up considerably, though she wiped them away before anyone else could notice. "…You know, I've seen some pretty romantic gestures in my day." Adonia's words caught Weiss' attention and she nudged her head toward the stage. "And this? Heh, well… I'd say this is one of the best one's I've seen yet. You've got a good boy with you, mija."
Weiss sniffled a little bit, making sure she was under control as she faced the stage again. "…I know."
"~I fell into a burning ring of fire! I went down, down, down and the flames went higher! And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire… the ring of fire.~" With that final lyric, the song came to an end and the entire restaurant went into an uproarious cheer, making Rex wave out to all of them in gratitude. "Thank you! Thank you, ALL of you!" He unstrapped the guitar from him and handed it back to the owner, muttering "Gracias" to him before turning back to the table… only to see Weiss come striding up to him with a furrowed brow. "Oh, uh… hey, I know that was a bit unexpected, but—OOF!"
Without warning, Weiss suddenly tackled him to the floor, which made the restaurant go absolutely nuts. Rex may have gotten the wind knocked out of him, but the fact that Weiss buried her head into the crook of his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek, holding him as tight as she could… yeah, that more than made up for it. "Robo-dolt, that had to be one of the craziest things you've ever done… and you did it for me." She beamed up to him and nuzzled her cheek to his. "I loved it. Thank you, so much."
Once more, Rex's face flushed red and he leaned into her embrace, wrapping his arms around her as well. "Heh, you're welcome, Ice Princess."
Weiss hummed to herself before checking the time on her scroll, seeing that it was only about six o'clock. "…Is there anyway we can extend this date beyond the dinner? I kind of don't want it to end yet."
"Haha! Well…" At that moment, an idea entered Rex's head, and he wore a determined grin as his eyes went down to his girlfriend. "How does a flight by sunset sound to you?"
"…Perfect."
…..
Far outside of Bellwood, the DX-Mark 10 pulled to a stop in a heavily forested area, which was being casted in the lovely light of the sun starting to set. Ben put the car in park and turned off the engine, facing the still blind-folded Yang with an amused face. She had tried taking a few peeks out form the blindfold on the way here, but every time, Ben managed to catch it. And at this point, she was just a tad bit annoyed that he wouldn't give any hints to where they were going. "Alright, we're here, Goldie Locks!"
"Haha, FINALLY!" Yang threw her arms up in victory. "Maybe now you'll stop being so cryptic."
Ben deadpanned slightly, but couldn't help but laugh as well. "Hehe… babe, that's literally what one does to keep a surprise."
Without taking her blindfold off, Yang pointed her finger at Ben… which inadvertently made her boop him on the nose. "The point still stands, Green Boy." She opened her door and smiled to him. "Now c'mon, I wanna actually see what this big surprise is."
"Heh, sure thing, babe." Ben followed her lead and got out of the car, though Yang only took a few steps away since she was still blindfolded per Ben's request. The hero walked up behind her and put his hands on the bandana's knot to undo it. "Alright, ready?"
"I am… but can I keep the bandana?"
Those words piqued Ben's curiosity. "Uh, sure. Why?"
"Oh, I have a little collection that I like to keep handy." Yang answered. "And a green one I got from YOU? Sounds like something I should keep."
Ben blushed at that and his cheeks became slightly red. "Aw, that means a lot, Goldie Locks. Consider it yours. Now, you ready?" Yang nodded to him and he undid the knot. "One… two… three!" With that, Ben whipped the bandana off of Yang's head and the blonde opened her eyes… and immediately, her jaw fell open in astonishment.
Before her was what she could only describe as a picturesque scene before her. They were in the middle of a forest with several trees surrounding them, with a small creek flowing directly through it. However, it wasn't just the environment that left her stunned, but the sunset as well. The beautiful light of the setting sun reflected off of the water's surface, and it made her feel warm even as the chill of the night began to settle in. She stepped closer to the water's edge, with was banked by sand and large rocks on either side.
"What… where are we?" Yang muttered.
Ben stepped up next to her and put his hand over her shoulders. "This… is my Grandpa Max's secret fishing spot. He used to take Gwen and myself here all the time when we were kids." He placed an arm across Yang's shoulders and sent a small grin down to her. "Well? What do you think of it?"
"Hah… Ben, I think it's amazing." Yang breathed out. "I-I don't even know what to say…" She raised a brow up to him as she set her head to his chest. "Although… if you were gonna let me in on this "secret" fishing spot, I don't know if the blindfold was really necessary."
The hero gave a shrug. "Well, yeah, but would you've enjoyed this view nearly as much if I HADN'T covered your eyes beforehand?"
"…Okay, I'll admit, the surprise factor WAS appreciated." Yang conceded before pointing at him. "But I hope I at least get to learn HOW to get to this place in the future. I wanna bring my bike out here, ya know."
"Haha, right." Ben chuckled.
"Also, if I had known we'd be coming here, I probably would've packed a bathing suit."
"Ah, there's always next time, right?"
Yang wore a wry smile as she sent a sultry expression to her boyfriend. "Well, yeah, but wouldn't you WANT to see me in a bathing suit sooner rather than later?"
For what felt like the thousandth time that day, Ben's face became red in embarrassment, and Yang laughed as she hugged him close. The hero sighed and leaned into her in exasperation. "My god, do you just enjoy getting me flustered like this?"
"Yes, but don't worry, you probably won't get like that for much longer." Yang cuddled into Ben's neck and whispered; "After all, if everything goes well, we COULD be sharing a bed sometime soon."
"…Provided our parents allow it." Ben reminded. "And I'm personally not holding out too much hope right now. We only JUST got here, after all."
Yang nodded and hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I can see why they'd be against it… still, we can't give up hope all together. So, now that we're here, what do you wanna do now?"
Ben's smile returned and he ushered Yang to follow him. "Actually, I DID have a little plan for us when we got here. C'mon, I'll show you what I'm talking about." Hand in hand, Ben and Yang traveled downstream until they came across a certain tree that was directly on the riverbank. It was tall and appeared to be quite old… and oddly enough, it had a single several yellow and pink flower at the base of its trunk. "Heh, seems grandma was here recently…"
Yang's eyes widened considerably at that. "W-Wait… your grandma was here?"
"Yeah, Grandma Verdona likes to come by and leave these flowers from time to time." Ben explained. "Grandpa usually comes by and picks them up."
"I… I'm not sure if I…" Yang trailed off when her eyes moved further up the trunk, and she was met with the sight of something that made her heart swell. The trunk had a carving of a big heart in it, and inside of it were the words "Max + Verdona". Immediately, the blonde understood the significance of this tree. "Oh… my god."
"Yep, this tree's pretty special to my grandparents." Ben smiled. "They may not be together right now, but their feelings for one another are still pretty strong."
Yang scratched her head in confusion. "Wait, I don't get it… if they love eachother so much, then why not just stay together?"
"Well… grandma's a very "live in the moment" person." The hero lead Yang around to the other side of the tree as he explained. "Once my dad and uncle were all grown up, she felt that she needed to reconnect with her heritage, so she went back to Anodyne. She's stopped in every now and again to check up on us… but since Anodites live MUCH longer lives, those visits are… a bit infrequent. Heck, we didn't even KNOW our grandma was alive until we were fifteen."
"And… that doesn't make you mad?" Yang furrowed her brow slightly, remembering what it was like to have an absent family member herself.
"Well… not exactly. Is it frustrating that we don't get to see her often? Yeah, but at the same time, it's understandable." Ben stopped once both of them were on the opposite side of the trunk, still holding onto Yang's hand. "Aliens live longer than humans, so the time DOES tend to get away from them. She's gotten better at it, though."
"Hm, I see." Yang nodded in understanding. "I can see what you're… uh…" Yang trailed off the moment Ben pulled a knife out of his pocket, and she glanced up to him warily. "Please tell me this isn't what it looks like."
Ben was confused for a split second before realizing what she meant, making his eyes widen in horror. "Oh! OH god, no, no, no, I wasn't—"
"BAH-HA! Ben, you need to relax." Yang broke out into a laugh, patting his shoulder. "I was only joking. "…But uh, what IS the knife for, exactly?"
The Omnitrix bearer wore a sheepish expression, both at Yang's little trick and what he was about to suggest. "O-Oh, well… you see… I just thought that…" Ben took in a deep breath to bolster his confidence, presenting the knife to Yang. "I-I was hoping that WE could do what my grandparents did." He immediately saw the shock on Yang's face and grabbed her hand to reassure her, staring deep into her eyes. "Yang, I love you with everything I have, and that's no exaggeration. I want to have us last for a long time to come… a-and I think doing this would be a great way to solidify us. What do you sa—MMPH!"
At that moment, Yang jumped onto Ben and kissed him on the lips, making him back up right into the tree as she wrapped her legs around his torso. Her arms circled around his neck as Ben pulled his own arms around her lower back, keeping her balanced. The couple's lips locked for several minutes before they were both forced to come up for air, the Blonde Brawler keeping her eyes square on Ben's own. "Ben Tennyson, you are the BEST boyfriend a girl could ask for. I'd happily carve my name with yours into a tree."
Ben stepped away from the tree a bit and let her down before cupping her face with his hands, pressing his forehead against hers. "Yang, you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I love you… SO much."
"I love you, too…" Yang pursed her lips and stepped away from him, wearing a serious face. "But before we do this… there's something I wanna do. Back in Remnant, you poured your heart out to me and made it clear exactly why you loved me… so now it's time I do the same."
"Y-Yang, I—"
"Green Boy, please… let me do this." Ben blinked a couple times before relenting, giving Yang a silent nod before she carried on. "Ben Tennyson… you have to be one of the most genuine people I've ever met. Heck, you're definitely one of the nicest guys I've ever met." She folded her arms over her chest and pursed her lips, her features serious. "Back in Remnant, a lot of the people I'd date usually fell for me because my body grabbed their attention first. Granted, that wasn't the case MOST of the time, but it happened quite a bit." She craned her head up and her smile reappeared. "But you… you actually got to know me first before you asked me out. And you were such a gentleman about it, too. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I was treated so well…"
Ben was left flabbergasted as Yang went on, only just barely able to whisper her name under his breath. "Yang…"
"And you're so funny, too." Yang added as her words became more passionate. "You and I… it often feels like we're on the same wavelength with our humor. The jokes, the puns, I feel like I could bounce off of you all day." Ben got a chuckle out of that before being taken aback by Yang stepping up and cupping his cheek. "And do I even need to mention how cute you are? Looks aren't everything, I know that much, but anyone with eyes can see that you are an absolute looker." Ben rubbed his neck sheepishly before Yang continued on. "But I think the thing I admire most about you, aside from how genuine you are… is your selflessness and optimism. You make sure to put others before yourself, especially in your hero work. And the way your confidence just doesn't faulter… it amazes me, all the time. And that's really why I love you, Ben Tennyson. You're… an amazing person."
"Ah, sheesh, you know how to make a guy blush." Ben stepped up and enveloped Yang in a hug, the blonde returning it without hesitation. "I love you, Goldie Locks."
"Hmhm, same here, Green Boy." Yang reached into Ben's hand and pulled out the knife, nudging her head toward the tree. "Now, how's about we carve this thing?" With that, both of them got to work, and within a few minutes, they had successfully carved a big heart into the trunk with the words "Ben + Yang" in it. The couple stared at it for a few moments before Yang let out a happy sigh. "So, what should we do now?"
"Well, we've still got a couple hours before we need to be back at the house." Ben eyed the sandy banks of the creek. "Maybe we could do some star-watching?"
Yang set her sights onto the night sky and smiled at the sight of several twinkling lights beginning to appear as it grew darker. "You know, I'd actually really like that." The duo settled themselves down into the sand and snuggled up to one another, with Yang giving a small shiver. "Brr… maybe I should've packed a heavier jacket…"
Ben sighed and lowered his head. "Yeah, and me without MY jacket for once… but, uh…" He circled his arms around her once again. "There IS always the option of us just keeping together for warmth."
"Hmhm, exactly, Green Boy." Yang moved closer, pressing herself up against Ben to the point where their bodies practically molded together. "Hope THIS is close enough." she said with a sly wink.
"Heh, it's perfect." Ben said with a slight eyeroll. With that, the couple set their eyes up toward the night sky, just in time to see the cavalcade of stars begin to show themselves overhead. Ben was quick to point out several constellations. "Ooh, there's Ursa Minor… Hercules and the Serpent… oh! And there's Orion and his belt!"
Yang was pretty amazed by the fact that he knew so many. "Wow, Green Boy, fan of astronomy or what?"
"Heh… more like a fan of mythology." Ben clarified. "If most of these stars weren't associated with famous Greek Heroes, I probably wouldn't know them all that well…" He scanned the sky again before noticing one star in particular… which actually wasn't a star at all. "Oh, hey! There's the planet Venus, right there!"
He pointed it out and Yang's eyes widened at the sight of the bright planet in the night sky. It was EXTREMELY far away, but she could still pinpoint it due to how much it was shining. "Woah… that's actually really cool that you can see it from here!"
"Yeah, too true. Didn't expect it to be so—wait." Ben's focus quickly shifted over to what appeared to be a shooting star going across the sky. However, a second glance quickly corrected him and he let out a laugh, pointing up into the night sky. "Hey Yang, guess who's come passing by?!"
Yang followed Ben's finger… and then her lips moved up into a big grin at the sight of Rex flying through the sky, carrying Weiss bridal style as they flew. The Blonde Brawler quickly tried to get their attention with a loud whistle, which actually managed to work. Weiss and Rex craned their heads down and they waved down to them, which they reciprocated. "Hmhm, guess we're not the only ones who had a successful date."
"Indeed so." Ben agreed. "Overall, I'd say this was a pretty awesome night…" The young man set his focus back to Venus for a quick moment, pursing his lips in confusion. "Still, not sure why that planet's glowing so brightly…"
…..
Not too far away from the couple, however, a certain woman was watching from the tree line, grinning from ear to ear at the sight before her. Adonia stepped out from behind the tree she was using as a hiding spot and began to walk away, her appearance shifting from the waitress she disguised herself as and back into her usual brown-haired, blue-eyed self. The young, fair-skinned woman placed her hands on her hips and nodded in approval, taking in a breath of the cool night air.
"Well, I'd consider this day to be a MASSIVE success." Adonia said to herself before walking away. "So… these are the kids who are supposed to help this world in its most dire time of need, eh? Well, if they're as well-versed in war as they are romance, then I'm sure they'll be just fine…" With another snap of her fingers, Adonia was gone without a trace, with nothing left of her but a puff of pink smoke. "I'll be watching YOU four intently…"
…..
A/N: Well… our heroes seem to be really big magnets for mysterious people. First an old man, now a strange woman who seems WAY too invested in the loves lives of our two main couples. And it's evident that both of them are proficient in some crazy abilities. Just what in the world is going on here?
With that said, though I'd consider these two dates to be rather rousing successes! Rex and Weiss had dinner at a Mexican restaurant, complete with live entertainment and Rex being a PART of said entertainment! And I gotta say, Weiss seems to be VERY taken with the fact that her boy can sing… though I don't think the same can be said for spicy foods at the moment, hehe. And as for Ben and Yang, they appear to have had a fun time as well! Complete with dancing, beating suckers up, and of course, a trip to Max's fishing spot where both Ben and Yang followed Max and Verdona's example. Top it off with a bit of cuddling and stargazing and I'd say that makes for a very good date, all things considered.
But now, with that romantic night under their belts, it's time we get into… NEXT TIME! As I said before, Gwen, Kevin and Team JNPR will be going off with Rook to do a bit of an afternoon patrol in Bellwood. And well… things aren't exactly all that eventful at first. BUT… following an unexpected run-in with someone carrying illegal alien tech, the gang will come face to face with… a Jolt from the Past. Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you next time! And as always, stay safe out there!
P.S. Special thanks to 54godamora for the Fiesta Mexico suggestion!
