#opalord

Losing it again, Ruby nearly spat all over the bed as she started laughing uncontrollably. Weiss, her for her part, merely shrugged. Her idle hands stroked through Ruby’s red-streaked hair, fingers easing through knots and natural curls in a gentle show of affection. “Ruby thinks we should date,” she said.

Ruby gasped, laughter cut short as she sat up straight. “Wh-- no! That’s not what I said.”

Pulling at her neck tie with one finger, Yang worked the noose free from around her neck, grinning at them with bemusement. “Wait, wait,” she said, “We? As in…?”

“You and I,” Weiss said, rolling her eyes as Ruby grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her, insisting that’s not what she meant. “Don’t worry, I’m not interested. You’re not really… my type.”

Her eyebrows quirked up at Weiss’ outright rejection. While it was true they were about as compatible as oil and water, getting so effortlessly snubbed burned at her pride. “Untrue. I’m everyone’s type,” she said, kicking off her shoes and going over to her own bed. “You just can’t see it yet.”

Weiss snorted. “Just because the pickings at Beacon are criminally low doesn't mean I’m going to lower my standards.”

That almost set a spark off in her eyes, but fortunately, she didn't get a chance to snap back with a biting response. Following the exchange with growing concern, Ruby made a face at that last remark and jabbed her partner in the ribs, hard. “Hey! Excuse you, my sister is the greatest! And you’re only proving my point, you know. What I actually said,” she continued, throwing Weiss a narrow-eyed glare, “Was that Yang is super smooth and could help youuuuu, ummmm... talk to ladies... better.”

Securely shimmied up into her own bunk, Yang started to laugh. “Oh, man!” she said. “Is Weiss having trouble talking to people in a way that doesn't involve coded insults and passive aggressive posturing? Nah.” She shook her head. “It couldn't be.”

“God, just stop talking.” Weiss shoved Ruby away from her when she saw her getting ready to poke her ribs again. “Both of you.”

Lying down so that her arms dangled over the side of her bed, she peered down at the two of them, clucking her tongue reprimandingly. “That’s your first mistake,” she said, wagging her finger. “When chatting up somebody out of your league, you let ‘em talk as much as they like, and listen carefully to what they have to say, so you can use it later to impress them.”

“Yang, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but you’re not out of my league. You’re not even in my league. We aren't even playing the same game, you like men.”

“So? Girls are really cute, too. And,” she added pointedly, “At least I know how to talk to them without making them cry.”

Weiss threw her arms up into the air, lips twisted and voice full of scorn. “That was one time!”

“Whatever.” Rolling back onto her bed, Yang reached under her pillow for the book she was reading, ready to drop this line of discussion. Arguing with Weiss was not how she wanted to unwind after class, and this line of discussion had stopped being funny. True to form, though, Weiss wasn't ready to let go.

“So what, exactly, does the great and wise Xiao Long suggest I do to get the perfect ten of my dreams?” Weiss drawled.

She slapped the book down against her mattress, glaring up at the ceiling. “You learn to be something other than rude little bug, first off. And then you stop grading girls based on some weird, arbitrary number system.”

“My,” Weiss said, “You’re certainly getting your lien’s worth out of that Word A Day calendar by your bed, aren't you?”

“Guys...” Ruby started, uncertainly trying to keep the peace. “Come on, we’re not really fighting over something like this, are we?”

Yang heard Weiss get up, the blankets rustling and her voice growing closer. “Fighting? Not at all. I’m just curious about what other kinds of advice a deer thinks it can give a huntress.”

“A dee-- a deer?” That was it. That was literally the last straw. Vaulting over the edge of her bed, she landed heavily in front of Weiss, her shoulders thrown back and her chest out. “Ok, short stuff,” Yang said. Rolling her neck, she gripped first one wrist and then the other, cracking out those joints before working on her knuckles in a series of threatening pops. “You wanna go? You think you’re a big lady killer? You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

She let out a helpless laugh, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Oh my god,” she said, “Are you serious? Are you challenging me to some kind of wooing contest?”

“You called me a deer!” she said, just a hint of color entering her cheeks. “Like, don’t think I don’t know what you meant by that!” She prodded Weiss’ chest. “I don’t like girls any less just cause I swing both ways, Weiss. And I can so woo better than you.”

Weiss crossed her arms, twitching away from her intruding finger. “That a fact?”

“A certifiable one.”

“Except it’s not?” Weiss’ lip twitched in the barest hint of a smile. “Last week when we went to that restaurant downtown, you tried to flirt with the waiter by throwing chips at him until he paid attention to you!” She waved her hand dismissively at her, unable to hide how smug she became. “Just face it, you oaf. You coast on how gorgeous you are and assume it counts as charm. If you looked like the rest of us you wouldn't be half as popular as you think you are.”

Sliding between the two of them faster than they could blink, Ruby put her back to Yang’s chest and held her hands up for peace, furiously signalling at Weiss to stop. “Weh-heh-hellll I think that’s quite enough of that for one day!” she said, digging her heels in and trying to shove Yang back a few paces. Her sister stayed rooted in place, still glaring down at Weiss from over Ruby’s head. “We obviously are all a little tense right now and I think--”

Brushing her aside, Yang took another step closer to Weiss, grinning down at her humorlessly. “No, no, hold on, we were on to something here. What was that about me being gorgeous?”

Dragging her hands down her face in frustration, Ruby zipped off to another part of the room, searching her school bag for something as Weiss replied. “I never said you weren't attractive. Just that you weren't my type. I’m uninterested, not blind.”

“And I maintain that I’m everyone’s type, you just don’t know it yet. Believe me, if I wanted to, I could whisk you away just like that--” she snapped her fingers in Weiss’s face, making her blink. “--Miss Schnee.”

“Ha! I’d like to see you try. Truly, I would.”

“Deal,” Yang snapped back without thinking, still flashing what Ruby tended to call her ‘alpha wolf’ smile. “How’s Friday at seven oclock sound? Or would Daddy get too mad at you for staying out late?”

Before Weiss could answer, a burst of rose petals exploded between them. Erupting up from the floor, a flash of red danced from Weiss to Yang as Ruby angrily started pushing them apart. Her raw strength still wasn’t enough to make Yang budge much, but with the momentum from her semblance, she actually managed to move her this time.  

“Enough!” she said, uncapping a red felt-tip pen with her teeth, a crimson mote flashing in her eyes, the familial resemblance to her sister unmistakable. “You, you are exiled! Come here!” Grabbing Yang’s hand, she drew a giant uppercase E on the back of her palm.

Rounding on Weiss, she tried to do the same to her. “And you, you are ex--” Jerking her hand away, Weiss started to complain before Ruby used her semblance to get the jump on her. Hovering suspended in midair, she floated at just the right angle to draw another E on her before zipping over to the door. Opening it, she pointed outside, stomping her foot. “You are exiled! Out of the room! Out! Until however long it takes for the marker to wash off!”

“I didn’t even yell at her--”

Ruby didn’t let her finish. “You first, Weiss. I’m staggering your exits so you don’t just stand right outside the door to argue some more.” When her partner bristled up, looking ready to launch into another argument, Ruby jumped in with, “Leader’s orders.”

Her partner bit down hard on her words, looking furious enough to burst. “I hate it when you pull leader’s orders on me,” she muttered at last, leaving without another comment.

They waited until the sound of her feet stopped echoing in the hallways, Ruby with her hands on her hips, maybe standing at the ready in case Weiss came charging back in. Yang leaned against her bedframe, teeth grit. The red E on her hand seemed unfair, but at the same time, she knew how Weiss could be. Full of hot air, she was ready to argue at the drop of a hat. All she had to do was ignore her, but she hadn't.

“I’m so sorry,” Ruby said after a while, turning to her. Her entire posture softened as she took Yang’s hand, licking her thumb and trying to rub off the E. “I don’t think you did anything wrong, I just did that so Weiss would go cool off somewhere. Are you okay?”

Yang pulled her hand free to ruffle Ruby’s hair. “I’m fine. And I should have just ignored her, Weiss doesn't even believe what she’s arguing about half the time.” Taking her book off her bed, she kissed Ruby on the cheek and left as well, still barefoot. She’d wash off the E later.

By the next day, they had reconciled, and that should have been the end of it.

Two weeks later found Weiss gnawing on the end of her pencil, a stress headache forming over the essay on her desk. If she could just finish this assignment, she would have the rest of the weekend completely free. But the words weren't coming, and the subject was hideously boring, and to be honest all she wanted to do tonight was watch movies on her scroll until she fell asleep. Taking it out of her bag, she resisted the streaming option and instead texted Ruby.

Still at the book signing?

There was no response. Narrowing her eyes, Weiss set the scroll down and returned to her paper, managing to scratch out two more paragraphs until the door opened with a slam. She jumped, twisting in her seat to see Yang victoriously waving a folder over her head. “Yo!” she shouted, grinning with all her teeth. “Blake, you owe me ten lien, because my portfolio got an A+! Blake?” Noticing the room was empty, Yang checked the messy bottom bunk, patting it to be sure Blake wasn't curled up in the stack of pillows.

Weiss smiled wryly. “They’re at a book reading. Or signing. Or something?” she doubled checked the message she’d received earlier. “A midnight release. Didn't you get the message?”

She shook her head. “I forgot to charge it last night, it’s been dead almost all day.” Deflated, Yang tossed her portfolio onto the bedside table, flopping onto Blake’s bunk with an unhappy sigh. “So why aren't you with them?”

“Busy. Also, I hate the Love Ninja series and I don’t want to spend the whole night in a room full of teenaged hormones.” Just as she finished, her scroll buzzed with an incoming text.

It was Ruby. SHE HELD MY HAND, WEISS!! the screen yelled out. THE AUTHOR, SHE SIGNED MY BOOK AND MY HAND TOUCHED HER ACTUAL HAND THAT SHE USES TO WRITE THINGS. I’M NEVER WASHING IT AGAIN.

Gross, she texted back.

Don’t even hate.

“Everything okay?” Yang asked, suddenly right behind her. Weiss almost jumped out of her skin, dropping the scroll on the desk with shock. If there was any merit to the idea that hanging around someone meant you absorbed some of their habits, Yang was definitely getting too good at mimicking Blake’s silent approaches. “Whoa! Someone’s twitchy tonight.

Immensely. Smoothing out her skirt with her fidgeting, idle hands, Weiss sat up straighter in her chair. “Yes, everything is fine. I’m just a little stressed.”

Leaning over, Yang rested her crossed forearms on the desk so that she was eye level with Weiss. “I can tell,” she said, serious for once. “Wanna talk about it?”

Such an invitation from anyone else would have been met with blazing scorn, but after almost two years with the Rose siblings, Weiss was beginning to take acts of genuine kindness at face value. Still, Weiss eyed her, wary for any hint of duplicity. Yang seemed oblivious to her mood, tilting her head to the side and smiling at her, full of disarming sweetness. And, well, it was hard to be detached in front of someone so effortlessly channeling their inner golden retriever. Sliding her chair out a bit, Weiss sighed and leaned back, rubbing at her temples.

“I was wondering,” she said, and Yang nodded, encouraging her to go on and that she was listening. “Since I’m not making any progress with this essay, and I’m otherwise without any obligations, and I mean.” She picked at her skirt again, finding loose threads and bits of lint that suddenly fascinated her. “Well, both our partners are off gallivanting across the city and won’t return until tomorrow. And I know you’re only planning to lie around in your boxers and watch Netflix tonight because that’s all of us on Fridays… but if you don’t, or that is, if you are opposed to the idea on principle, I would understand-- Especially considering how intolerably rude and thoughtless I’ve been in the past.”

Now she was rambling, her point long lost. Yang’s smile drooped a few molars, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she kept on going. At one point she must have gotten her feelings across, though, because it lit right back up again. “Wait,” she said, clapping one hand to Weiss’s mouth to shush her. “Wait, wait. Am I getting this right? Are you trying to ask me out or something?”

She made a shocked noise under her palm before gripping Yang’s wrist with both hands, somehow dragging it away. Heating up, she did her best not to comment on the abrupt shift from caring to smarmy Yang’s expression took. “Of course not!” she insisted, jerking back a bit when Yang’s hand broke free only to then land on her shoulder. It didn’t feel threatening at all, or like she was trying to be inappropriate, but the contact still made her uncomfortable and she couldn’t pin why it was different now. “You asked me out. I’m just wondering if the offer was--” she shook Yang’s hand off her again, and this time Yang got the hint, retreating from her personal space. “Was still open.”

The insufferable, smug expression on her face weakened. Shifting her body posture so that she was no longer fully facing Weiss, she subconsciously pulled away. Crossing her arms, she rolled her shoulders. “Ah,” she said, uncomfortable. “Oh yeah. I did, kinda, didn’t I? When we were all nasty with each other that one time.”

Weiss didn’t say anything. She had already made her bed; if Yang turned her down on account of her behavior, then she would have no choice but to back down gracefully and lie in it.

And then Yang reached out again, pinching her cheek. “And didn’t I tell you I was your type? Huh?” She tried to get Weiss’s head to bob as the other girl started slapping at her, getting red in the face. “I’m too low for your standards, huh? Asking me out on a date. Ask me properly and maybe I’ll say yes!”

“It’s not a date,” Weiss said, grimacing as best she could. Her expressions were limited from Yang pulling on her face. “I’m just feeling a little cooped up and thought maybe we could… do a thing together. Like how Blake and Ruby are.” She winced almost as soon as she said the words. A Thing? Really? With a post-college reading level ever since she was twelve, the best word she could use to describe an outing was A Thing? Maybe Ruby was rubbing off on her too. “You’re still not my type, so enough with the gloating.”

As though summoned, her scroll started buzzing again. Picking it up, Weiss pointedly got out of her seat, turning her back on Yang in a huff before looking down to answer. Weiss could read it in Ruby’s voice, excited to the point of vibrating. This is seriously the greatest event I’ve ever been to in my life. I thought we were just gonna be standing around waiting in line until midnight! I never ever ever in a million years thought she’d actually be here and sign books and stuff it was a huge surprise im gonna vomit im!!!!! blake and I won the trivia game too it was so great we are like the ninja masters

Smiling, Weiss tapped out a reply. I’m glad you’re having fun. You have a ride home, right?

We do! But we might not be back till stupid o’clock in the morning, so don’t wait up. Before Weiss could say anything else, another message zipped in. Also, I just realized I’d let this woman do awful, indescribable things to my body if it meant I got to listen to her talk some more.

Ruby! she typed furiously. GROSS!

I’M NOT SORRY HER VOICE IS LIKE CRUSHED VELVET ON MY EARDRUMS

Pocketing the scroll with disgust, Weiss glanced up to see Yang rummaging through the closet. Weiss’s side of the closet. Finding what she was looking for, she turned around and tossed a sweater at Weiss, along with a pair of jeans. “Here,” she said, adding a floral sundress and a cardigan. “Either outfit works for what I have in mind. Though I’m starting to second guess that dress, TBH, since we’re gonna be leaving on my bike.”

Weiss held onto her bundle of clothes, bent over slightly and staring at Yang in shock.

“Well don’t just gawk, hon, turn aside. I need to change too,” Yang said, idly unbuttoning her blouse with one hand, her thoughts obviously somewhere else. Alarmed, Weiss averted her gaze, listening to Yang rustle around with more clothes. “I thought about it, and you’re right. Since Nerd Lords 1 and 2 are out having fun, we should have fun too,” Yang rationalized. “It doesn’t have to be a date or anything, if you don’t wanna, but I do know somewhere really cool we could go. So which outfit are you wearing?”

Caught off guard, Weiss glanced over her shoulder at Yang, who had her own back turned. She was bare from the waist up, having shucked off her skirt to squeeze into a pair of jeans. “I’m, ah,” she said as Yang tossed aside her sports bra into the laundry basket. Holding her arms above her, she stretched, pulling her elbow down behind her back. Golden skin rippled over firm, flat muscles, and all cognizant thought leave her brain. “The uh, the dress.”

“Cool.” She slid into a normal bra and Weiss finally realized she was staring. Facing forward, she got out of her uniform and into some casual clothes. She’d find a pair of shorts to put on once Yang was done changing. They spent the next few minutes in silence, each getting ready. Weiss contemplated throwing on some makeup, but Yang was still in the room with her, and she absolutely did not want her getting any ideas. The fact that Yang was only wearing a sheer top and a leather jacket cemented her resolution to keep this as casual as possible.

“Do you like gyros?” Yang asked, opening the front door.

Far, far beyond the noise of the industrial and residential districts, they stood out in the middle of an open field. All around them were the remains of the last harvest, and empty land. “I’m pretty sure this is illegal,” Weiss said, holding herself against an unexpected chill. Yang knocked out the kickstand to her bike, booted feet slapping it into place.

“It’s not illegal,” Yang promised her, pulling something out of the compartment under the seat. It was a backpack. “The agricultural district is government property, yeah, but like. It’s not like no one is allowed out here.” She turned to her with a grin and a DVD case, shaking it in front of her eyes. “Tada!”

Weiss had no problem reading the title in the moonlight. The stars were exceptionally clear and bright outside the city limits as well, each constellation clear as day. She had memorized them, learned their patterns, but never could recall watching them on a cloudless night in the middle of the country. “The Wizard of Oz?” she said, rolling her eyes. “So instead of staying in and watching tv in our pajamas, we’re going out to watch tv in the cold?”

Her team mate waved a finger at her knowingly. “Oh, Weiss. Weiss, Weiss, Weiss. You poor little fool. Don’t you have a single romantic bone in your body?”

Weiss just looked at her.

Pulling off her jacket, she dumped it unexpectedly over Weiss’s head. “First off, there, now you won’t be cold. Even though it’s not cold, and you’re just a dumb dumb.”

“Not all of us produce enough body heat to power a small nuclear reactor, Yang.”

Yang ignored her. “Secondly, this is the ultimate romantic date. Think about it.” Pulling Weiss in by her shoulder, she held her against her side and gestured out at the acres of empty farmland. “Nobody around. The stars a brilliant canopy above us. A classic film.” Letting Weiss go, she chambered her fists in excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “The only thing missin’ is a bottle of wine! Because honestly I wasn’t sure what would go well with gyros. Anyway,” she pulled out a tightly folded up blanket out of her backpack, shaking it out for them to sit on. “I’m a huge super duper romantic, Weiss, and if you stick with me I will have you sweeping ladies off their feet in no time.”

“You keep saying that,” Weiss said, settling down on the blanket and pulling her arms through the sleeves of Yang’s leather jacket. “And yet I never actually see you with girls.”

She narrowed her eyes at her, expression turning guarded. “Ugh, god,” she said, sitting down next to her with an exaggerated huff. “You’re not gonna start this up again, are you? I hate it when you put me through the bisexual obstacle course.”

“I’m not questioning your attraction to women, but your claim to be some sort of seduction goddess has no proof to back it up.” She sniffed. “That’s all.”

“Um, well.” Fiddling with her scroll, she busied herself by scanning the DVD to it, and waiting for it to load. “Have you considered that the reason I’m not swimming in fine honeys all day long is because I want to focus on my huntress training?”

Weiss started laughing. Loudly. Pouting, Yang started up the film. Her scroll buzzed, and then shot out a screen of light, a perfect projection. The previews rolled, and they continued to talk softly over it. “I’ve never seen this movie before,” Weiss admitted, putting her cheek in her hands as she watched.

“I know,” Yang said. “I used to tease you a lot over it, remember? Because you were singing Wicked for five weeks straight but you’d never seen Wizard of Oz. It just felt wrong.”

She did remember, now that Yang mentioned it. And she remembered all their squabbles over it, too. “It’s a 70 year old movie,” she said, crossly. “And one of the most popular films of all time, I don’t need to watch it to get Wicked.”

Throwing her hands into the air, Yang scowled. “Uh, yeah, you do? You literally do, how are we still arguing this.”

“How can I appreciate the Wizard of Oz references in a Wizard of Oz spinoff, despite the fact that I already know the plot of the movie, and so does anyone else not locked in a closet their whole life?”

“Shhh,” Yang said, putting an arm around her shoulder again to yank her close to her side, not tearing her eyes from the projection. “The movie is starting. Shush it.”

“You shush it,” Weiss said, jabbing her elbows into Yang’s ribs, but she went quiet regardless. It started, a familiar sepia tale. Under her breath, Weiss sang along to the songs, both because she knew all the lyrics and to prove a point to Yang. it was only until midway through the movie that she spoke again. “Jesus, Dorothy, hasn’t anyone ever told you not to talk to strangers? You keep picking up all these hobos.”

“Stranger danger,” Yang agreed. After that, the spell of silence was broken, and they spent just as much time riffing the film as enjoying it. By the time it was over, Weiss was crying with laughter, and Yang sprawled out on the blanket, clutching onto her sides. “But now you see, right?” she said, once she had regained her breath. Tapping the blanket with one finger, she laid it out for Weiss. “There are like, these classic films-- and I mean like, cornerstones of movies and junk-- the ones it feels like everyone has to have seen already. But there’s always one your romantic interest has not seen. You take her out to some cool, secluded spot, and you watch that movie with her.” Gesturing loosely at the sky, she shrugged. “It’s like, the hipster version of just taking her to a theater.”

Lying on her side, Weiss propped her head up on one hand and gave her another thin smirk. “Oh really.”

“Yes, really,” Yang said, sticking her tongue out. “I’m full of romantic dates I wanna go on.” Laying on her back now, she made a pillow with her hands, staring up at the sky. “You know. Eventually. And not just girls. If I ever date a guy he’s gonna have to get used to me trying to spoil him, too.”

Settling down on her back as well, Weiss mentally traced all the constellations she could find. It occurred to her to maybe bring the subject up to Yang, but she couldn’t find the right way to say it without sounding like someone she was not. Finally, she settled on, “Do you have a favorite constellation, by any chance?”

“Orion,” Yang said immediately. “Because he’s the only one I can find.”

A laugh rippled through her, and when she looked over at Yang she saw she was smiling again. “So what happens next on your big romantic date?”

Holding up a finger, she pointed at the sky. “By now, we’ve worked through whatever booze I brought on the trip, and I’ve gotten super flirty and I touch them a lot to let them know I wanna smooch them up.” Grunting a bit, she wriggled until she was lying closer to Weiss, their shoulders brushing. “And then I just wait…”

Some small tremor of inexplicable emotion welled up inside her, threatening to spill out if she wasn’t careful. “Uh,” she said, “...Wait for what, exactly?”

Yang continued to focus on the sky, gaze intent. “Wait for it. Except I won’t be obvious like this, I’ll pretend I’m not scanning the sky. It’ll-- ah!” she clapped her hands in excitement, turning her head to grin at Weiss with all her boundless enthusiasm. “Did you see it?” she said.

“See what?” Weiss asked.

“A shooting star. I saw it and you didn’t, neener neener.” She turned the rest of her body now, smile softening into something more tender, but still just as genuine.

And then she reached out, and brushed the back of her fingers across Weiss’ cheek.

She thought her heart might stop.

“They’re really rare,” Yang said, delicately pushing back a strand of hair out of her face as she leaned in closer.

“They’re uh, they’re actually not,” Weiss said.

Yang paused.

Eyes darting to somewhere, anywhere but the incredibly beautiful girl who was within kissing distance, Weiss stammered out again, “Shooting stars are actually pretty frequent, especially in an area like this where the view is so clear and there isn’t a lot of light pollution. I actually saw about three before you said anything.”

“...Well,” Yang said.

“I’m sorry,” Weiss said, definitely starting to panic now. “I just thought you might like to know that.”

“No, I knew it,” Yang said. “It’s just kind of part of the seduction plan, you know. Disney princess stuff.”

“Oh.”

Very quickly, they returned to lying on their backs, Weiss flushed from forehead to heel. “Well, uh,” Yang said, squirming away. “So yeah, that’s my… super duper romantic thing to do with a lady you might be interested in. Feel free to use it any time.”

“I’ll try not to use it on an astronomer.”

Shooting to her feet, Yang brushed herself off. “Yeah, good call.” Checking her scroll for the time, she tapped out a message, probably to Ruby. “We should be heading back now, anyway. Help me fold the blanket?”

They did, managing to shove it back into the backpack in awkward silence. Then Yang secured the helmet over her white head, double checking the tightness of the straps by trying to loop her finger through it. It lasted for the whole ride home, her hair flapping wildly in the wind. The trip home seemed a lot shorter than the journey out, and by the time they had stowed the bike away, Weiss still hadn’t returned the leather jacket.

She should say something. “I had a fun time,” Weiss said as “Hanging out with just you. I don’t think we do that often enough. It’s always--”

Yang shoved her hands into her pockets, slowing her long, easy stride so that Weiss didn’t have to run to catch up. The gates of Beacon were before them, getting closer every second. It was strange-- some part of her felt like Yang should be dropping her off at home. Now they were both returning to their shared home, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. “Ruby, yeah.”

“Or Blake.”

“I had fun too,” Yang promised her, giving her a sidelong glance. “And, well, even though this wasn’t a date--”

Weiss stopped in her tracks, heart thundering in her ears. “Definitely not.”

Noticing she had stopped, Yang waited for her. When she didn’t move, she carefully sidled up in front of her, hands still shoved deep in her pockets. “If it was, though,” Yang said, feet shuffling from side to side. “I wouldn’t kiss you goodnight. You gotta wait for like at least the third or fourth date for that, if you’re thinking of maybe getting serious instead of just screwin’ around.”

Pulling the jacket tighter around herself, Weiss eyed her critically. “...Oh, come off it,” she said. “You were totally going for it until you let the mood die.”

That set her bristles up, sparks flying in her hair. “I let the mood die?” she demanded. “You were the one who wouldn’t roll with my fairy princess setup!”

“Because it was wrong,” Weiss insisted. “What, you want me to play dumb for you? Please! Don’t insult me.”

Waving her hands around in frustration, Yang tried and failed to verbalize a comeback to that. She pinched the bridge of her nose, breathing deeply. “Okay,” she said, “Fine. Okay. You want a kiss? If this was a date, this is the kiss I would do.”

Stepping forward, Yang hesitated for just a breath, eyes scanning her up and down. Then she pushed aside Weiss’ bangs, pressing her lips against her forehead in a soft, long kiss. It wasn’t what she had been expecting. Caught off guard, she let her true feelings slip out. “Aw,” she said, strangely touched. “That’s exactly how you kiss Ruby.”

“That’s my kiss for team mates,” she said, turning bright red as her boots scuffed the floor. “It’s really special, so like, take it seriously, okay?”

“I… I do. I promise,” Weiss said, crossing her heart for extra effect.