Chapter Text
The first tendrils of morning light fell across the city as everyone awoke to start the day, more and more cars beginning to flood the streets. Well, almost everyone, Winter thought, pulling into the run down apartment complex and grateful to have made it home from her graveyard shift in one piece. Six months pulling fourteen hour shifts, only managing to sleep when her sister happened to be free. Today wouldn’t be one of those days, however, seeing as Weiss had her own job and Blake, her girlfriend, seemed indisposed as well. Which wouldn’t be a problem, really, even as the engine sputtered while she pulled up to her unit; it just meant that she’d have to hope her daughter would be inclined for a nap around two in the afternoon. A two hour nap sounded like heaven, frankly, but she had to lightly slap her cheeks to discourage the thought.
Sleep would come later. She hoped, anyway.
Pulling herself out of the vehicle, Winter trudged up the stairs- three flights- to her apartment, sliding her key into the door and summoning her strength before opening it.
“Mom!” A little voice called out before the patter of feet gave her warning to brace herself as a five-year-old slammed into her. “You’re home!”
“Yes, Penny, I’m home.” She smiled- a small, tired thing, but it existed nonetheless- and smoothed the little girl’s hair before bending down to kiss her forehead while brushing back ginger bangs. “Were you good for Aunt Weiss?”
“Uh huh!”
“She was an angel.” Aforementioned aunt appeared from the only bedroom, throwing a blazer over her shoulders. “She even woke up before me this morning and dressed herself.” Stopping by the door to grab her purse, Weiss chuckled at the mile wide smile on Penny’s face. “She seems very excited this morning.”
“We’re going to the park today!”
A jolt went through Winter’s body at those words. She’d completely forgotten about that promise and just the thought made her back ache but she quickly schooled her expression into one of pleasant surprise.
“Oh, right, thank you for reminding me, Sweetheart,” she said, doing her best to mirror her daughter’s enthusiasm.
However, it didn’t quite work as the light in those bright green eyes dimmed. “Unless Mom’s tired?”
That was the excuse she’d given several times before but she had to draw the line.
“Mom’s not too tired.” Weiss looked at her then, obviously disbelieving, but she ignored it. “Just let me change and then we’ll walk down there, okay?”
“Yay!” Penny danced in her spot before grabbing Winter’s hand and tugging her towards the bedroom. “Go change, Mom! Then we can go to the park!”
“There’s a fresh pot in the kitchen,” Weiss said quietly, expression apologetic. “Try to get some sleep today, okay?”
“We’ll do our best,” she replied before heading further inside the apartment, opting to trade her jumpsuit for jeans and a sweatshirt.
Funny, she thought, for there was a time in her life where she couldn’t imagine what sort of person would wear such an ensemble out in public. Ah, the thoughts of a privileged, foolish child; she’d learned since then that a good pair of jeans could be worth more than gold in the right circumstances.
Stopping by the kitchen, she filled a thermos Weiss had gotten her as a gift with coffee and turned the machine off, not looking forward to the cold coffee awaiting her when she returned but not trusting the electrical wiring in the apartment too much, either. Better cold coffee than a fire.
“Okay, Penny, are you ready for the park?” She couldn’t quite summon the enthusiasm she should probably be exuding but her daughter seemed determined to make it up in spades.
“Yeah!” In her favorite little dress and boots, that green bow she loved so much in her hair, the little girl waited by the door with the biggest smile. “I’m park ready!”
“Then let’s go.”
The complex itself had a… park, if one could call it that. More like a lawsuit waiting to happen, if someone asked Winter, and she’d always held the belief that her financial difficulties shouldn’t dictate everything about Penny’s life. So, they walked to the park a few miles away, because while she trusted the rust bucket she took to work not to break down on her, she didn’t trust it enough to bet her daughter’s life on it.
To her credit, Penny walked all the way there this time, though it did seem to drain some of her energy. Winter would likely have to carry her back but that was fine; she’d grown bigger and heavier the past four years, but she still paled in comparison to working at the warehouse, moving heavy, solid wood furniture.
“Alright, we’re here.” Winter swept her gaze across the park before looking down at Penny. “What are the rules?”
“Don’t go off with strangers,” she replied, reciting the list from memory. “If anyone bigger than me talks to me, come back to you. Don’t start a fight and don’t get into an argument, just walk away. And if anyone touches me, scream.”
“Good.” Picking out a park bench, Winter lead them over and sat down. “You want to play on the swings?” Her daughter nodded. “Okay. Mom just needs to rest for a few minutes. I’m just going to close my eyes briefly and then we’ll go to the swings. Does that sound amenable?”
“Yes, Mom.” Penny hopped up to sit beside her on the bench, knowing that it would be best to stay close while the woman rested her eyes. “I’ll be good.”
“I know you will, Sweetheart.” She bent over to give her little girl another kiss on her forehead before leaning back against the bench. Just a minute to close her eyes, that’s all she needed.
Just a… minute…
Penny smiled, watching the other kids run around the playground, laughing and screaming as they played. Some of them were about her size, so she could probably play with them, but she remained on the bench beside Mom.
Honestly, she loved coming to the park because she enjoyed the fresh air and the trees; playing with other kids and on the swing set was just a bonus. She understood that Mom spent most of her time working, so she tried not to complain when they stayed in the apartment all day, but she didn’t like it. Aunt Weiss’ apartment was nicer, and she could at least go out on the patio when Aunt Weiss or Aunt Blake was there, but she only went over there when Mom had to work a lot, so she didn’t exactly like that either.
But this, she liked. Sitting with Mom in the park- it made her happy. Even if Mom had started snoring lightly, she’d walked all the way to park! She was tired and needed to sleep and Penny could still enjoy the breeze.
That made it a perfect day in her book.
Yang bit back a yawn, trying to keep her eyes open as she walked along the path, Zwei’s leash tugging lightly against her palm. Usually, she loved early mornings, but last night involved a few too many beers while watching the game and she’d paid dearly for it with a bit of a hangover. Some water and aspirin did wonders to remedy that but she still felt a bit lethargic. She’d missed her morning workout but Zwei hadn’t been so forgiving, demanding his walk regardless, and she’d learned her lesson when it came to withholding walks. Yang Xiao Long had only a few weaknesses- a well cooked steak, a pretty woman with fire in her soul, and puppy dog eyes being among them- and being confronted with them before noon usually shot her day to hell.
“C'mon, Zwei,” she said, coaxing him away from watching ducks in the park’s pond. “Let’s finish one more lap and then head back for breakfast.”
They followed the path, stopping whenever kids ran up and asked to pet the corgi- who absolutely loved the attention, by the by, until they rounded the playground.
Then, Yang had to stop, a sight she found all too familiar causing her expression to pinch as a frown claimed her lips. A woman with white hair pulled into a bun that had started falling out slumped on a bench, apparently asleep while a little girl sat beside her, remaining calm and quiet while watching the other children play. A worn out parent with a child growing up far too quickly- it made her heart ache to see it, and she lead Zwei over after plastering on a gentle smile.
“Hey there,” she said, trying to keep her voice soft while kneeling in front of the bench. “Is that your mom?” The little girl said nothing but nodded her head, obviously wary about interacting with a stranger. “Are you keeping an eye on her while she sleeps?” Again, a nod. “Okay. I’m sure your mom warned you against strangers, yeah? Well, I’m not gonna ask you to do anything. I’m just gonna switch places with you.” Slowly, she moved to the far edge of the bench and tied Zwei’s leash to it, giving him enough room to wander around. “Why don’t you play with Zwei for a bit? I’ll keep an eye on your mom and let her sleep. Promise. We’ll all be right here when she wakes up.”
She tread a very thin line here. On the one hand, Yang was talking to a very young child while her parent slept, and she really wouldn’t blame anyone for jumping to the wrong conclusion. On the other hand… she was that kid, once. The one looking after her parent who was trying so hard to provide for her and her sister, not going to play so she could do chores, not hanging out with friends because someone had to put dinner on the table.
And if she could give another kid the chance to be a kid, it was worth the risk.
“We’ll stay here?” The little girl remained suspicious, though she obviously shared Yang’s weakness to Zwei’s need for attention.
“We won’t leave this bench.” She offered up her pinky, thinking it would be a universal sign that she meant what she’d said. However, the girl just stared at her, uncomprehending. “I promise.”
“Okay.” She jumped down and went to the end of the bench, petting Zwei, while Yang took her seat beside the sleeping woman. “Good doggie.”
Yang smiled, glad that the little girl seemed rather happy playing with the corgi. He might be getting a bit old but Zwei had certainly learned the best methods to cheer up kids with entirely too many responsibilities.
With a sigh, she pulled out her scroll, prepared to whittle the time away with a game, but caught movement out of the corner of her eye. The woman had started leaning forward, slumber robbing her of the ability to sit up straight, and she ran the risk of falling face first off the bench. Carefully, Yang wrapped an arm around the woman’s shoulders, trying to stabilize her, but found that- completely unconsciously- her charge turned into her, leaning onto her and effectively using her as a body pillow and snuggling into her shoulder until she felt comfortable.
Immediately, Yang’s cheeks became red, because she went straight from being in a potentially- and an understandably- bad situation to an even worse one . If the woman woke up and kicked her ass, she wouldn’t be able to blame her. But… she was still asleep and had to be pretty damn tired to not even wake after all that .
“I have one helluvan ass whoopin’ waiting for me when she wakes up,” she said, curling an arm around the woman’s shoulders to keep her stable. At least now it looked like she kinda belonged there.
While the little girl played with Zwei, having him do what tricks he could considering the leash, Yang sat there and mused about how she’d explain to Ruby what held her up. Sure, her sister might be a little annoyed being left to run the shop herself, but she’d probably be more worried than anything. Plus, she had that engine she still needed to rebuild for one of their long standing customers, but he’d probably understand. Especially if she spun the story to make it sound like she’d tried hitting on some lady in the park and got hit back, literally. He’d get a kick out of laughing at her.
Idly, she started constructing her explanation, trying to make it sound less creepy and failing miserably. Perhaps the only way she could adequately explain herself would be to start off with ‘I lost two moms growing up, I know what being a single parent feels like’ but that seemed like a lot of baggage to dump on a very angry stranger.
“Stick?” The little girl pointed at one just a ways off, too far for Zwei to reach, before walking over to pick it up.
Really, Yang’s best outcome would be not getting the cops called on her. Going to jail didn’t sound like fun today.
The girl returned, with the stick in hand, Zwei letting out a soft bark and eagerly awaiting it.
If she did get arrested, though, she hoped Ruby would be willing to bail her out. Not that her sister would turn her down, exactly, but she might let her spend a night just to drive the point home.
“Want it?” And then she raised it over her head, probably intending to use it as a treat after Zwei performed a trick. That wasn’t how he saw it, though, jumping for the stick once the leash allowed it. And that caused the little girl to shriek from delighted surprised as a dog just a little smaller than herself hit her chest.
And, okay, Yang kinda saw that coming. He didn’t jump often but he loved sticks or anything one could use for fetch. But she didn’t see the fall out coming, not at all.
Immediately, the woman snapped awake, throwing her arms out to propel her to her feet, one elbow landing solidly in the hollow of Yang’s throat. As she clutched at the injury and sputtered her breath, the woman looked around in a blind panic.
Winter felt her heart thundering in her chest, terrified for a moment that the sound that awoke her meant Penny had gotten hurt. "Penny!“ When her gaze finally landed on her daughter- currently being used as a resting place by a black and white corgi- relief suffused her being as she effortlessly lifted the dog off her little girl. "Sweetheart, are you hurt? Show me- did the dog bite you?”
“I’m okay,” Penny replied, allowing herself to be lifted into Winter’s arms without protest, though she did point somewhere behind her mom’s shoulder. “But she isn’t.”
With a furrowed brow, Winter turned to find a very fit blonde on her hands and knees, coughing violently while clutching at her throat. “What happened to her?”
“You hit her, Mom.” Penny pointed at her throat. “Right here.”
She’d thought her arm had hit something much softer than the bench but had discarded the possibility, seeing as there rightly shouldn’t be anything soft to hit.
“And what were you doing that close to me in the first place?” She scowled, a harsh edge to her voice as she turned her body to shield Penny.
“You were sleeping with her, Mom.”
“I was what ?”
“Wait!” The stranger croaked out, drawing a deep, rattling breath. “I can explain!”
“I sincerely doubt it.” Winter growled, resisting the urge to deliver a swift kick that would lay the interloper low. “If I ever see you again, you won’t be getting up.” With that, she turned, determined to leave the stranger and her mutt behind. “Penny, did she lay a hand on you?”
“No, Mom.” Penny vigorously shook her head. “She only asked to trade places with me.”
A chill ran down her spine at that, now confronted with the idea that the stranger had sat within arms’ reach of her for some reason- and the list of possibilities ran rather short in her mind. “Penny-”
“ZWEI, NO! HEEL!”
Suddenly, the corgi darted in front of her, a stick in his mouth making stepping around him treacherous, and she lowered her voice.
“Cover your ears.” As her daughter complied, she turned, the force of her piercing gaze bringing the stranger to a sudden stop. “You-”
“Just let me get my dog and I’ll be on my way, I swear.” She raised her hands in surrender and merely nodded towards the leash. “I don’t mean any trouble.”
“Listen to me, you pervert, I don’t know what you did-”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“-or why -”
“Because I was your kid!” That brought a halt to Winter’s tirade, absolutely befuddled by such a bizarre statement. “I mean- look, my mom ran out when I was a baby and my sister’s mom died when I was seven. My dad worked two jobs to keep a roof over our head and he was always tired, and the one thing I wanted most was for the world to cut him a little slack. Let him just be a dad for more than a few hours before he was too exhausted to move.” She shrugged. “Honestly, I didn’t expect this to turn out well, so you don’t have to believe me. Just let me grab my dog and we’ll be out of your hair- there’s another park a few miles up the road, we’ll go there from now on.”
“If I understand you correctly, you full well understood that you’d likely be deemed either a pervert or a deviant and decided to sit on a bench for- what time is it?”
“Uh, almost ten.”
“Almost- what ?” Winter checked her own watch, shifting Penny slightly to do so, and confirmed that, yes, she’d been asleep on that bench for nearly two hours. “Two hours? You just sat there for two hours while I slept?”
“Yeah.” She scratched at the back of her neck idly. “You kinda snore, by the way. Don’t worry, it’s actually really cute.” Immediately, red flared in her cheeks. “That was inappropriate.”
“Highly.”
“My name’s Yang-”
“I don’t recall asking.” Winter sighed, looking at Penny when she felt a little tug on her hoodie. “What is it, Sweetheart?”
“Mom, you’re being mean.” Her daughter frowned, softly speaking the admonishment but meeting her eyes all the same. “She was nice.”
Now, she was somewhat trapped. If she didn’t at least apologize, it would set a bad example, because every piece of evidence pointed to the idea that this Yang character had indeed taken time out of her day to give her some much needed rest and watch over Penny. It would be different if the woman had crossed a boundary, had taken any action with which she could object, but so far it looked like she’d asked nothing but a chance to help. At the same time, she remained suspicious, refusing to take any chances.
So, what was she to do?
“Are you hungry?” She waited until Penny nodded before summoning her most civil tone. “Yang, was it?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you eaten breakfast yet?”
“Nah, I… kinda got a late start to the day.”
Setting her daughter down, she took the little girl’s hand. “Would you like to join us for breakfast, then? As a… show of my gratitude.”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” Yang nodded, finally coming close enough to grab her dog’s leash. “But, um, I should probably take my dog home, since most places-”
“There’s a cafe with an outdoor patio around the corner.” Winter left out the part where it was far too expensive for her budget but swallowed down those concerns. She’d just have to put off getting a new pair of work boots a little longer. “It’s our treat.”
Something akin to worry flashed across lilac eyes but she smiled all the same. “Well, can’t turn down an offer like that.”
Keeping her daughter close, Winter started towards the cafe while Yang fell into step beside her, and from the corner of her eye she registered that this strange and apparent Good Samaritan could probably bench press her with ease. That worried her- if she wanted something, she could likely take it, and while Winter had strength of her own and the desire to protect Penny to fuel her, it would’ve done her no good while she slept- but, were the circumstances different, it would be… interesting for another reason.
Shaking her head, she put those thoughts to the back of her mind. After she fulfilled the social obligation of repaying the woman’s kindness, they’d never cross paths again.
“Mom?” Penny bit her lip briefly before looking up. “Can we swing on the way back?”
“Of course, Sweetheart.”
As much as she hated to admit it, those two hours had provided her with ample energy, even if her backside felt a touch sore.
Yang finished off the last of her milk, wiping her lip with the back of her hand. Surreptitiously, she looked over to see that both Winter and Penny- whom she’d been properly introduced to on the walk over- were very politely demolishing the extra food she’d ordered.
The moment they’d been handed the menus, she’d caught Winter’s expression, the wince of 'how am I going to pay for that’ covered only by resolve, but the fact that both of them had ordered water to drink and the cheapest options on the menu told all Yang needed to know. So, she’d ordered a full sized breakfast and then a few side orders, encouraging the woman and her daughter to try them, since she’d already ordered it. All told, they’d probably worked through thirty lien of food, but they’d be full and happy after this, and that’s what mattered to Yang. Ever since she learned how to operate the stove, making sure everyone ate had been her responsibility, and some habits were hard to break.
“Hey, can you watch Zwei for a minute?” She pushed her chair back from the table. “I just need to run to the restroom.”
“Of course,” Winter replied, pouring more OJ for Penny, since she’d ordered a carafe.
Heading inside, Yang went straight for the server station where their waiter stood. “Excuse me, can I settle up our bill when you get a second?”
“I can bring it to your table-”
“Actually, I don’t want my friend knowing I paid for the whole meal quite yet.” She laughed, offering a shrug. “She gets kinda funny about it. Oh, and can I add a few to-go orders, too?”
“Of course.”
As the waiter set about ringing up the thing Yang had noticed the two really liked, her mind wandered over the conversation. It started stilted and precise, with Winter obviously not trusting her, so it fell to her to try and make the air a bit less awkward. She talked about her job, her sister, the game last night, Zwei- any topic that came to mind, answering the questions Penny posed when they came.
By degrees, Winter relaxed, mentioning a sister of her own vaguely, until they both struck on a mutual topic of interest- apparently, the woman had served in the Atlas military before moving to Vale, and Yang had always admired their uniforms and technology.
Once she warmed up, Winter was actually fun to talk to, a bit biting in her wit but she’d gotten Yang to laugh a few times, and Penny was absolutely adorable with how excited she got.
After handing over her lien- and a sizable tip- Yang went back outside with an apologetic smile. “Hey, I hate to eat and run, but I should probably get to work.”
“I understand.” Winter gave a tight smile of her own, likely dreading the tab. “Take care, Yang.”
“You, too.” She knelt down beside Penny’s chair. “And you keep being good for your mom, alright?”
“Okay!” She smiled wide, looking down at the corgi. “And be good Zwei!”
He barked in response, obviously not happy about being separated from the little girl but following Yang all the same.
It bummed her out, just a bit, that she couldn’t rightly ask for Winter’s number. Considering the circumstances, it’d probably look bad, and she’d rather not sour the whole experience by overstepping again.
But maybe their paths would cross sometime down the road.
Winter tried to settle the unease in her gut as she waited for the waiter to return. She couldn’t imagine the bill awaiting her and the part of her that wanted to be annoyed by it couldn’t quite talk over the satisfaction in her belly. It had been months since she’d had thick cut bacon and Vacuon sausages, maybe even years now that she thought about it, and she likely wouldn’t eat like that for a while yet.
“Mom?” Penny pushed around the last bit of her pancakes with a fork. “Is Yang still a stranger?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “If you see her again, you can talk to her, but she’s not like your Aunts. I have to be there or another adult you know, understood?”
“Yes, Mom.” That seemed to make her happy, returning to her plate to finish the pancake.
Some nights, Winter went without food herself to ensure her daughter could eat, so it made her smile to see that her appetite grew with her. It worried her, too, but for now, she could simply enjoy it. “Are you sure you still want to go to the swings?” Penny nodded. “Very well. As soon as I pay-”
“Here you go, Ma'am.” The waiter cheerily dropped off two bags filled with to-go boxes. “Enjoy the rest of your day!”
“Wait, I haven’t paid-”
“Oh, your friend took care of the tab.”
Winter sat there for a moment, dumbstruck, before peeking into the bags. One had various breakfast pastries while the other had little bottles of milk and orange juice.
“Sweetheart,” she said, looking over at Penny. “If you ever see Yang again, thank her. And then make sure she stays put so I can talk to her.”
“Yes, Mom.”
If she ever found that woman again, she’d express her gratitude as well, and then she’d give her an earful for not sticking around to take the credit.
Yang ducked into the shop, cringing at the line of cars sitting in the parking lot. Apparently, quite a few people were in need of their automobile expertise and she’d just barely shown up. Ruby would not be happy about this.
“Sorry!” She called out the moment she saw a flash of red coming around the front of a minivan. “I have a good excuse!”
“You better!” Her brows pinched together, hands on her hips as oil stained her coveralls. “If it wasn’t for Blake smoothing things over, we’d have a lot of unhappy customers!”
“Oh, Yang finally showed up?” The Faunus appeared from somewhere in the back, carrying a box with spare parts. “Where have you been?”
“Look, give me fifteen minutes to tell this story, and we’ll knock out everything.” She took off her jacket and hung it up on a hook, leaving her just in her own yellow coveralls. “You’re not going to believe this.”
And thus, she began her tale, noting the curious expression on Blake’s face but doing her best to expedite the series of events.
“You’re right; I don’t believe it.” Ruby shook her head and laughed. “ How did you not get arrested?”
“Maidens’ grace?” A shrug. “Honestly, it’s a shame we didn’t meet some other way. She was really nice, once we got past the awkwardness, and her kid’s adorable.”
The Faunus tilted her head. “Are you going to try running into her again?”
“Nah.” She laughed. “She probably doesn’t wanna see me again. I’ll just head off to another park for Zwei’s walks. It’s no big deal.” Slipping on her gloves, she turned to start in the first oil change of the day, certain she could knock out three simultaneously if she balanced things right, and found Blake just… looking at her. “What?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “Nothing at all.”
Then, she walked off, and Yang just shrugged and got to work. Whatever was on the Faunus’ mind would come out at some point.