Hey, everyone! I just wanted to thank you all for reading this fic. This is my most viewed fic of all time. 228k views, 430 followers, 373 favorites. And that's not even counting the AO3 numbers. You guys love this story, and honestly, I love writing this story. It's always been a little escape for me to come here and write painfully cute fluff or hot smut or just adorable wholesomeness between these two ladies, and I think you guys have enjoyed the tone this fic has taken so far as well. That said, the reason for me writing this note is because I wanna warn y'all... Unfortunately, there will not be much fluff or wholesomeness for a while. I've done my best in this fic to try and keep it as canon-adjacent as possible. As if everything unfolding in this fic could've happened in between episodes of RWBY, we just weren't allowed to see them during their private time. That said, we're at that point in season three now. That point where everything just kept getting worse until... well, I'll avoid spoiling my own fic. But the Bees won't be together for more than a year in between the season 3 finale and when they finally reunite at the end of season 5. There were 8 months just in between Ruby and Yang returning to Patch and where the series picked back up during the season 4 premiere. That's a lot of time, and a lot of emotions team RWBY will have had to deal with that- in all honesty- I don't think RT ever properly addressed at all. I really disliked these two seasons because they just didn't do the girls justice in terms of how they must've been feeling about each other ever since the Fall of Beacon. So I'm gonna do it.

This is a lot of words just to say that, for the foreseeable future, this fic is gonna get super angsty. And Yang and Blake are gonna make some real painful decisions that will be understandably frustrating for anyone who just wanted to read a cute Bumbleby fic. A couple chapters ago I practiced writing from Blake's POV. That wasn't just for fun, or to throw you guys for a loop, but because we're going to be taking the ride with her for a long while as Yang recovers from her trauma and injuries, and I wanted to make sure I could actually write well from her perspective, because she's a way different kind of person than Yang or myself are.

I wanted to be as fair as I could to all of my readers so that y'all could mentally prepare, and/or make the decision to just stop reading if y'all wanted to. I wanted to warn y'all that this isn't gonna be the cute, fluffy fic you've all been enjoying so far. It's not gonna be anything super dark either, but it will get sad. But I promise you all that Bumbleby will get back together by the end of this journey. I didn't write 50+ chapters just to separate these two women. It's gonna be a long, hard process for them both, but I hope you guys will trust me and stick around for it.

Anyway, if you've been reading this fic for years, thanks. It means a lot that I've had such consistent readers for so long. If you've just picked this fic up, thanks to you as well for choosing this 44k word fic at for no real reason, I hope you've enjoyed it enough so far to give me a chance! I'll turn this whole little thing into an author's note some time next week. I will be dropping a new chapter soon anyway, so you don't have much longer to wait if you were expecting a new chapter. Thanks again, and I appreciate your time!

"You're disqualified."

"Strawberry sunrise... No ice." That'd been… what, three drinks ago? Four? Then there was a whiskey that burned hotter than ash going down, and something nutty that smelled like cough medicine but tasted so smooth I had another. Now I wasn't sure if the pounding in my head was from the drinks or the music.

"There's not going to be a next time, blondie…"

"Blondie, what's-"

"Don't call me that." I could tell there was just enough scarlet in my eyes for Junior to answer with nothing more than a nod. I wasn't in the mood to trash his bar and he wasn't in the mood to have his bar trashed. It was mutually beneficial or whatever.

"Yang. This isn't the kind of bar for kids to come and have fun on their own. You know that, I know that. Talk," he said, signaling the bartender for another drink.

"I want to believe you."

I looked away, running my fingers through my hair as I fought back the tears again. I never imagined Blake could ever look at me like that. So horrified. So scared!

"Girl trouble," I said flatly, wiping my eyes before looking back to Junior with a shrug. Guys hardly ever care about details. Give them the vaguest idea of what they want, and they'll think it's enough. Small miracles, I guess.

"You take this much of an interest in every customer's bad day?" I asked pointedly, rolling my eyes at him before I grabbed a handful of pretzels from the bowl he'd ordered.

"Not every customer comes in here, embarrasses my crew, then comes back a second time with a smile on their face for business. Let alone a third," Junior said, downing his shot before turning to face me.

"Girl trouble? What happened to that blue haired kid? The noodly one, looked like a toothpick. I liked him, he had guts," he asked with a chuckle.

"Maybe in another story." I shrugged, looking down into my empty cup as the bartender handed me a new one. I didn't even know what was in this one. Something Junior ordered for me, probably. I took a few sips and was positive this tasted like something that'd been sitting at the back of dad's cabinet since he'd graduated.

"If it counts for anything, proving your innocence will be pretty easy." Junior adjusted his tie, waiting for my reaction.

"Wh… what?" I almost forgot that the entire match had been televised. The whole thing. All across Remnant. People in Vacuo probably watched that fight and saw me… My stomach churned as I tried not to think about it.

"Your girl? She think you assaulted that kid on purpose? She doesn't know you that well." He talked like he knew me all that well.

"What the hell do you know-"

"Cool it, I'm on your side. You don't do that type of stuff. You came in and beat up dozens of guys who'd rushed you with hatchets, guns and blades. They all got back up within the hour. A cracked rib here and there, black eye, bruised ego. Nothing broken. You don't hurt people. You take them down." Junior signaled to one of his men, who came with a large Scroll. It was open to the fight. Right when I… It already had over fifty million views. It'd barely been eight hours.

"I- I don't want to-"

"Watch." Junior pressed play, and it looked so much worse from this angle. The way his leg just… I wanted to throw up, and not because of the drinks.

"Don't watch him, watch your eyes. You're not looking at him. You're tracking something else." Junior replayed the video and… he was right. I'd been looking so far away from where Mercury actually was. I was looking where… where I saw him. About thirty feet away, picking himself up off the floor.

"Your eyes snap again right here. Looks like you're tracking a Dust shell or a thrown weapon. Your eyes focus, target, then you punch right where his knee is. Someone set you up. Probably hit you with some Semblance before the fight that'd make you hallucinate. Stack the deck against you. Or maybe someone wanted this kid out of the picture and used you to do it. Either way, not your fault." Junior looked smug, like he'd solved some big mystery. I mean, technically he had.

"Now you can tell your lady friend what actually happened." The fact that Junior had figured all this out… He knew right away I'd never… Blake didn't even believe me right away but this guy just figured it out all on his own…

"I need you to promise me you regret having to do what you did."

"It doesn't matter…" I wanted to scream. I was so angry and sad and hurt and I just wanted to cry and curl up in a ball and just...

"She that mad?" Junior actually sounded worried. Like he was an older brother checking up on me. What was worse… I didn't hate it. Someone being supportive like this after what'd just happened… I needed it.

"No, I… Why do you know me better than my own girlfriend?" My fist was shaking as I slammed it down on the bar. Junior looked from my hand back to me before giving me a look. I apologized, glad I hadn't dented it.

"I run a bar. I get all types of clients in here. Some real scum, some people down on their luck, some people just looking to spill as much blood as they can or make a quick buck. You don't have that look in your eyes. You're still just a kid. You look scared. When you turned to the big screen and watched the replay, shoulda been obvious by the face you made you had no idea what happened."

"She… she really thinks I could just do that to someone." I held my head in my hands, looking back down at the bar as I tried to make it make sense. It felt like my head was gonna split in two.

"She thinks I could just… break someone-"

"I will kick you out if you light anything on fire." I hadn't even realized I'd been burning. God, I was such a fucking mess. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"Look, kid. You're pissed. And you're drunk. I could get one of my guys to drive you around the kingdom for a couple hours, have you sober up, then get you to school in time for curfew," he offered, putting a hand on my shoulder. It was weird, but I didn't really care.

"M'not going back to school. Classes are on break during the finals anyway." I explained. I'd planned on just heading home to Patch until the festival was over but… I just really didn't want to have to talk to dad. He'd already texted me a couple of times and it was obvious he was worried and would want to talk for hours. I just wasn't in the mood.

"You can rent a room for the night, then. My only charge is a couple nights' security from you. Won't be for a couple months, but it'll be an easy job for you." He was definitely a salesman. Something about the way he spoke made me want to say yes. It took me about a minute to answer. I didn't know why Junior was being so nice. Like we were friends. I mean, we weren't enemies, but I wasn't exactly nice to him.

"If he's been doing all of this just because he really wanted me to work security…" I took another sip of my drink and nodded.

"Didn't realize you sold rooms here," I said.

"Officially, we sell rooms. Unofficially… we sell time." Junior stood up and reached into his pocket, and handed me a gold key. Then he waved again and suddenly Melanie and Miltia were sitting on either side of me. I thought I was seconds away from getting jumped, but then Melanie was picking at my pretzels and Miltia had her hand on my shoulder like nothing was wrong.

"Be extra nice to her, girls. She's having a rough day," Junior said, sliding his shades onto his face before walking away to deal with… whatever it was bar owners slash criminal kingpins dealt with.

"You guys… don't hate me?" It was so weird… I expected Melanie to want to cut my throat out, but here she was sitting at the barstool, sliding her heels off as she sat down and ordered more drinks.

"Hate you? Cowgirl, I've been wanting to hit Junior that hard ever since I started working here," Melanie said with an exasperated roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, we're bodyguards. And we're off the clock. The fact you crushed Junior's juniors makes you okay in my book," Miltia responded, handing me a glass of water.

"Oh gods, did Junior order this for you?" Melanie asked, a disgusted look on her face as she sipped my drink. She looked like she'd just swallowed a rapier wasp.

"He acts like he's fifty! This stuff was out of style last century, duh!"

"I think he got it from that movie he was watching." The way Miltia spoke sent a shiver down my spine. She had this quiet, reserved tone. Almost just barely like-

"Ugh! Jamie, can you make us something actually good? Do you have any more of that peppermint schnapps? I know I made sure Junior ordered extra bottles," Melanie called, sitting up as tall as she could to get Jamie's attention.

"If you drink that with the fireball Dust you get a nice fire and ice feeling in your chest," Miltia explained, her hand still on my shoulder. I started laughing. It was just so funny! Here were these two chicks who I'd absolutely wrecked about a year ago. And they were treating me better than my own… I wiped my eyes and tried not to think about it, finishing the water as Jaime finally came with the drinks Melanie had ordered.

The twins were… weirdly funny. Melanie was so in-your-face and opinionated… she kinda reminded me of Weiss—if she'd ever learned how to relax. Miltiades was a bit softer, quieter. Kinda like Ren or… Anyway she seemed to rely on Melanie, letting her take the lead on things. Like pouring her drink or answering questions for her.

"Alright, who's the older twin," I asked, positive it had to be Melanie.

"I am…" Miltia answered after a long pause, looking down at her liquor and blushing.

"Oh! I… I could've sworn—"

"Don't worry, Goldilocks. Everyone makes that mistake. Miltia just likes being this way. You should see how… agreeable she is. I guess it just comes with being a twin. There's always a dominant one and then a… well, you get the idea." Melanie was smirking when she grabbed another handful of pretzels. I was drunk but not so drunk that I didn't know what she was implying. I felt my face flush as I tried to think of literally anything else. There was another drink in my hand before I knew what I was doing, and the twins laughed, knowing what must've been going through my mind.

"Didn't take you for the flustered type," Melanie said with a smirk, resting her hand on my thigh as she spoke.

"Maybe she's not into it, Mel," Miltia said softly, earning an exasperated glare and eye roll from her twin.

"Everyone's into the idea of twins, Miltia. She's not blushing because of the drink," she explained, sliding her hand a little further up my thigh.

My memory is kinda fuzzy after that. There was another round of drinks while Melanie and Miltia did body shots off my abs. I told them I had a sister too—not sure why I even mentioned it. Then there was some water passed around and then we left the bar. Headed upstairs, both twins under my arms, giggling as they lead me up the steps and into the room. Then they started kissing, and I'd never… It was hot, okay?

It felt like barely minutes passed before I was watching Melanie wrap her hand around Milita's throat, her sister's cheeks turning as red as her dress as she was pinned against the wall.

"We have a guest, Miltiades. Don't forget your manners," Melanie reminded her. Miltia's green eyes were tearing up as she looked over to me, unable to speak past the hand at her throat.

"I-I'm sorry," she croaked once Melanie had removed her hand. She stepped out of her heels as her sister undid her dress, the expensive looking fabric pooling on the floor. She was wearing the skimpiest lingerie underneath, and I could feel my whole body heat up. I shouldn't be watching this. It shouldn't be so-

"Like what you see, Xiao Long?" Melanie asked, slapping her sister's ass hard enough to knock her onto the bed. Threading her fingers through Miltia's hair, she tugged, forcing her to arch her back and show me her face. Mil already looked so into it. Like she couldn't wait for Melanie to do whatever she wanted to her. She looked so ready and eager and desperate.

"Oh fuck," I whined, rubbing my eyes. None of this felt real.

"Do you want to touch, Yang? You want to take over? Miltia's so fucking slutty when she's tipsy." Melanie was enjoying this almost as much as her sister was.

"I- I… I think I'll just watch." It was so hot but… Blake…

"She's still thinking about her girlfriend," Miltia whined softly, vulnerable under her sister's touch.

"I can see that. But it's a lost cause if you ask me. She thinks you're the kind of person who'd crack someone's knee for no reason; she's never gonna believe you when you need it," Melanie huffed, tracing her fingers down Miltia's spine and making the woman shiver.

"She doesn't trust you. Trust is important, Cowgirl. Look how much Miltiades trusts me," she whispers, wrapping her hand around her twin's throat and squeezing ever so snugly. I watched Miltia's eyes go wide as color flooded her cheeks. She didn't fight- not even for a moment. Not even after a full minute, when her eyes started watering and rolled back behind fluttering lashes. I wanted to shout—to make Melanie stop! But just when I was positive Miltia would've passed out, Melanie let go, and her sister took in a shaky breath.

"It's trust, Yang. She trusts me so much she wouldn't even fight back. Your girlfriend doesn't even trust you enough to take your side when there's no reason you'd lie."

I wanted to cry. I wanted to curl up and sob until I couldn't cry anymore. Why didn't Blake trust me?! Why did she think I'd just—

"Oh, fuck Mel," Miltia hissed, sliding out from under her sister to come to my side. This was the second time a half-naked girl needed to console me.

"I didn't think she'd start sobbing," Melanie said quickly, moving to my other side and sitting down next to me.

"Yang, look. I didn't mean to push so hard," she explained.

"B-but… why didn't she trust me? How could she not—"

Junior's bar was also an unofficial brothel. Girls often cheered lonely customers up, or made cheating customers at ease with their guilt. It wasn't often they had to console a crying customer, but there was a first time for everything.