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Chapter Text

It had been some days after the ball. After they confessed their feelings to each other. Blake and Yang were trying to keep it slow, seeing as they were both not very experienced with all of this. Sure, Blake was with Adam for some time, but what she had with him was nothing like what was going on between her and her partner. 
 
With Adam, there was a suffocating roughness, their relationship bathed by his hunger for control. Yang was not like that. With Yang, everything was gentle, slow, and calm. Blake felt like she was experiencing this kind of love for the first time. 
 
And that's how they were keeping things for the last few days. Slow. Even though everyone else made the genius decision to make them share the room that had just one bed. They were staying in a faunus friendly five stars hotel - Blake didn't even know that was possible but she wouldn't complain -, an Atlas courtesy for saving Argus from the Leviathan. Apparently, they weren't allowed to use the Academy's dorms, since they were basically criminals. 
 
Oh yeah, that. Of course, as a punishment for stealing Atlas property, guards followed the group everywhere. They couldn't go out unannounced, and if they ever did, there would be consequences. Blake didn't like feeling like this. Even though the place was luxurious, comfortable even, it still felt like a prison. Everything comes with a price, she supposes.
 
Jaune, Ren and Nora didn't want to be away from each other, so they chose the one with three separate beds. Weiss - who refused to get anywhere near the Schnee household unless all of her friends (Blake included) were welcomed there - said Ruby thrashed too much, and she didn't want to be kicked out of bed. And since Ruby didn't want to be away from her BFF - and low-key wanted to give Blake and Yang some time alone together -, they took the room with two beds. Qrow, Maria and Oscar went for the one with a double bed and a single bed.
 
The thing is, they decided that when Blake and Yang weren't there. When they were out looking for proper clothes to wear. Yang joked about it being a conspiracy, while Blake just quietly blushed. By the time they got to Atlas and the tension of the last events got a bit lower, people were playing around and joking about how they couldn't be away from each other for more than two minutes. Nora was, predictably, the first one to point it out.
 
"Well, of course we would let you two have that room!" The energetic girl had said. "Look at you, you're glued together as if being away physically hurts!"
 
"Nora!" Ren had warned, not wanting the teasing to get out of hand. 
 
"What?! It's true! Even Maria can see that, and she's, y'know, blind!"
 
"Watch your tongue, young lady, I'm still the best huntress of my generation." Calavera had responded. "Also, I have these," she pointed at her prosthetic eyes, "to help me! I can see very clearly what's blossoming between those two."
 
Ren had sent an apologetic smile at them. Only when Qrow, who was just looking at them teasingly all along, announced they should head to their rooms did the teasing stop. Everyone was exhausted, the energy drained from them. And so they went up, everyone crashing on their respective beds. There was no talking in any of the rooms, all of them immediately falling asleep. Blake and Yang slept in each other's arms, still shaken by the events of that day. 
 
That was the first night of nightmares, the first night of unspoken comfort. The first of many more.
 
After that, so many things happened in the space of one week that those events seemed to have happened months ago. The relic was secure, they were safe, the ball happened, Ironwood was aware of the whole "Salem wants a war" and "Oz omitted important info" issues, Qrow had been busy as hell, they were allowed to use Atlas sparring rooms to train... 
 
Everything was going too fast. So fast, Blake almost let her mind get away from the memories that were made at the bridge. Two blades cutting through his skin, impaling him. The way he weakly walked. His body falling off. The cracking sound that she didn't know if was his skull or his back. Either way, he was dead. She killed him. They killed him.
 
'It was self-defense,' she tried to convince herself. But wasn't that what he said, too? When he killed a person for the first time?
 
'You had no other choice!' That's what he said, he convinced himself he had no choice either. And then he became a monster.
 
'Yang killed him too. Is she a monster to you?' What?! No, of course not! Yang is nice, gentle and would never hurt someone unless she absolutely had to!
 
And those thoughts mixed with her guilt morphed into another nightmare. Again, she was standing on that bridge. Again, she was fighting Adam. Again, Yang came to her rescue. And they fought him together, they killed him together.
 
That seemed more as a memory to her, until...
 
Adam's body emerged behind Yang. The horrific brand over his left eye bleeding. The wounds she and Yang gave him bleeding. All of his body was covered in blood, others' and his own. Blake's eyes widened, and she tried to scream when he drew his sword. She tried to shove Yang away when he readied the blade to stab them. She couldn't, though. Something almost physical seemed to be preventing her from doing so.
 
Adam impaled both her and Yang, the blonde grunting in her ear. 
 
"B-Blake... it hurts, Blake. It... hurts..." The girl muttered in her ear, voice fading by the end of the last word.
 
'No, no, no. Please, no!' Blake thought.
 
Then, Yang faded and it was just her and Adam. He looked in her eyes, with pain. It wasn't him stabbing her anymore. It was her killing him, rage filling her veins. 
 
"You... monster..." Adam whispered. "Beast. You... are... a beast..." He continued, but it wasn't him anymore.
 
"Yang?!" She screamed in the dream, letting go of the weapon. She watched the blonde fall to her knees, and fade away again, just like Ozma when the God of Light prevented him from being resurrected. "No! Yang, stay with me!" She tried reaching. "Don't leave me alone!"
 
"I don't want to be alone!"
 
Everything was suddenly in darkness. Shadows. Again, in the shadows, where she belonged. Alone.
 
Alone...
 
Blake.
 
Blake!
 
"Blake!" Yang was desperately shaking her shoulders, her eyes widened in worry. The lights were off, there was no need for them to be on, since the moonlight bathed the entirety of the room. The silver light made Yang look ghostly, almost unreal. Blake needed to know she was truly there. She needed to know she was still alive. 
 
Blake immediately sat up and pulled Yang in a hug, sobbing and gasping in her shoulder. She grabbed Yang's shirt, clinging to her. Her ears were down in distress, sadness and fear. Yang slowly put her left hand on the middle of her back and the right on the back of her head. She shushed Blake's cries and hummed a calming tune. 
 
"I got you, baby. I got you." Yang said softly, making the faunus nuzzle in her neck. Her tears wetted Yang's shoulder, but the blonde didn't care. In that moment, making sure Blake felt safe in her arms was all that mattered to her.
 
Blake cried for a long time, her heart beating an almost rib breaking speed. It hurt, it hurt so much. She felt the muscle clench as its speed increased, and she started gasping for air. Every time she blinked, images of the nightmare would take her mind. She almost shoved Yang away when the memory of Adam behind her appeared, panic taking her body. 
 
Yang sensed the tension in her body, and not wanting to force anything on Blake, she pulled away slightly. Her hands started rubbing the faunus' arms, her touch light and full of care. She touched Blake's forehead with her own. The rhythm of the other's unsteady breathing worried her, and then she spoke again.
 
"Hey Blake, baby, look at me. Please." Yang said, and Blake opened her eyes, the golden orbs dull. Yang's amethyst ones met them, and she couldn't look away. "Now breathe with me, okay? Can you do that?" Blake nodded. "Good. Let's do this, together. I got ya."
 
In. 
 
Blake thought of how Adam always told her to put herself together when the night horrors came.
 
Out.
 
She thought of how she tried to hide them, not wanting him to see the weakness in her.
 
In.
 
She thought of how his touch was never this comforting. 
 
Out.
 
"Yes, baby, you're doing great. Take your time. I'm here, let it out. I got your back, okay?"
 
And they kept going, until Blake's heartbeat normalized, and her breathing was steady again. They remained with their foreheads still touching. Blake was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed, until then, that Yang had her prosthetic on again. She didn't pay much mind, though. It was Yang. It was a part of her, and as cold as the metal was against her skin, she wouldn't have it any other way.
 
"Are you feeling better now?" Yang asked softly, and Blake nodded. "Are you ready to talk about it? Do you want to?"
 
"N-not yet... give me... give me a minute." Blake answered, her voice weak. 
 
"When I heard you scream, I thought someone had invaded our room." Yang put her right hand on Blake's cheek, her thumb brushing the tears away. "You gave me quite the scare, y'know? I thought you were having a heart attack while sleeping. Your hand was clutching your chest and..." Yang sighed. "I didn't know what to do to ease your pain..."
 
"S-sorry for that." Blake apologized, holding the hand on her cheek.
 
"Hey, hey. There's nothing to apologize for." Yang kissed a tear that began rolling over her cheek. Blake closed her eyes, taking in the warmth that came from the light touch of Yang's lips on her face. "You're okay now, right? That's what matters to me."
 
A ghost of a smiled appeared on her face, as she let go of Yang's sleep shirt, locating her hands on the girl's sides instead. "What did I ever do to deserve you, sunshine?"
 
"Nothing! You being... well, you, has always been enough to me. More than enough, actually." Blake couldn't hold herself back anymore, and kissed Yang's lips. It was the first time they kissed after the ball some nights ago. Yang thought about how soft Blake's lips were against her own, and how good it felt to have those delicate hands gripping her sides a bit tighter as the blonde's tongue entered her mouth.
 
Yang's right hand went to Blake's hair, tugging as lightly as she could. The other stayed on the place where her shoulder and neck met, massaging to get rid of the tension caused by the nightmare. Blake sighed through her nose, deepening the kiss and moving herself even closer to Yang. The kiss was passionate, and the faunus found herself feeling the temperature of the room growing hotter by a degree. Her hands started rubbing Yang's sides, and the girl almost moaned in her mouth because of the light touch.
 
Yang was the first to pull away, pecking the other's mouth and then leaving kisses all over her face. Blake giggled, moving her hands to caress Yang's golden locks. She was the only one allowed to touch them, and she felt special because of that. Yang stopped kissing her when she reached her ears, having touched all the way up her jaw with her lips. "I love you so, so much, Blake." She whispered, putting her chin on Blake's shoulder, hugging her close.
 
"I know you do." Blake answered. "And I love you too." They stayed like that for some minutes. "I think I'm ready now. To talk." She then pulled away, putting her pillow on her own, signaling Yang to do the same. When she did, Blake took her hand and interlocked their fingers. Then, she told everything. The nightmare. The thoughts. Everything. Yang listened her through it all, tightening her hold some times to show her that she was there.
 
"Blake..." Yang moved closer, so that their shoulders were touching. "You're not a monster. You're not a beast. You're... you're Blake. The girl who loves books, who fights for the rights of her people, the girl who never wanted to harm anyone, the girl who was given no choice when she had to face her biggest fear."
 
"But-"
 
"No, I won't let you look down at yourself like that. You're my partner, my best friend and... the one I love." Yang blushed a bit at her own words. She and Blake hadn't defined their relationship yet, and saying out loud that she loved Blake always got to her. "I know you'd never hurt me like... that. I trust you. And I trust myself when I say I'll never give you a reason to. I'm not him."
 
"I know you aren't!" Blake exclaimed too desperately, startling Yang. "S-sorry. I know you won't hurt me like he did."
 
"Good!" Yang smiled. She took Blake's hand to her mouth and left a kiss there. "I know it's not easy. I know we're gonna have to work through a lot until things are totally fine. But we're doing this together. I'm gonna be there for you, and you're gonna be there for me!"
 
Blake smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She confirmed, lying her head on Yang's shoulder. They were in silence for some time, until Yang broke it.
 
"Y'know, since it's past four in the morning and we're clearly wide awake, let's just... I don't know, talk a little. The airships passing by outside make a pretty annoying noise and your voice is much better than those rumbling machines."
 
Blake chuckled and nodded. "What do you wanna talk about?"
 
"Uh..." Yang thought for a second, until she remembered a story from some years ago that would certainly lighten up the mood. "Well, when I said I had my fair share of dates... that wasn't quite the truth." She scratched the back of her head with her free hand. 
 
"Oh?" Blake questioned, curious. "You mean you never had a date?"
 
"No, I mean I only had one in my entire life."
 
"Wow. And was that enough for you to be traumatized for life?"
 
Yang laughed out loud at that, and Blake felt something warm in her chest, proud that she had been the cause of such a melody. "Not really. She was nice. The problem is what came afterwards."
 
"Did she hurt you?" Blake asked, an edge of anger in her voice.
 
"Nah, with my temper at the time, no one would dare to. She was a fine person, I promise! It's just... well... lemme tell the story, you'll understand. "
 
"Sure. Go ahead and tell me about your first date." Blake said, mocking a jealous tone.
 
"Aww, baby, you know you're the only one for me!" She kissed Blake's head. 
 
"I know, I know. Now go ahead and tell me your story."
 
"You see..."
 
A lot of people used to ask me out when I was in Signal. Not to be that kind of person, but I was quite popular. The hot daughter of the hottest teacher! The best fighter of my grade! (Those were my titles, I'm not making that up, I swear!) People wanted to get to know me and stuff. But I always turned them down. I had Ruby to take care of. I had a house to be cleaned up. I had a father who always came home exhausted to take to his room and make sure he didn't fall asleep on the sofa.
 
Ruby knew of my fame though. And one day, when a white fox faunus called Kitsu asked me out, Ruby saw the whole thing. We were in the local market, doing grocery shopping, when she came to talk with us, and ask me out. You see, she and I used to talk a lot back then, ever since I defended her from some racist idiots that tried to pick on her. She was a nice person, she didn't deserve that. No one does. (Blake smiled at how thoughtful Yang was, ever since she was young.)
 
When I turned her down, I actually felt bad, because being with her was fun. I liked being with her and stuff. Also, her ears dropped and she seemed really hurt. It was heartbreaking to watch- not as heartbreaking as when you do that, but it still was. 
 
Ruby knew what I thought about her, and asked me why I turned her down.
 
"You know why, Ruby. If I'm out for, like, two hours, you and dad might demolish the house. And let Zwei starve."
 
"W-what?! We wouldn't!" Ruby said. "And you need to have some fun too! Like, c'mon, you're always home, barely go out with your friends... you're almost like a popular and mom version of me!"
 
"Ugh, Ruby, I just... look, I-"
 
"Go on this date, sis. If me and dad don't handle things well, I'll ground myself with no cookies for... um... one month!"
 
"First of: it's 'dad and I'," I corrected and she rolled her eyes. "And second: one month?" I raised an eyebrow. There's no way Ruby would survive an entire month with no cookies.
 
"Ugh, fine, I know. Hm... two weeks?"
 
I sighed. Well, she was right, I needed that. Going out, having fun, finding a wife before the world ended because of a crazy Grimm lady... (Blake tightened her hold warningly, and Yang winced.) Maybe not that last part, but still! This could be fun. "Fine. I'll go. But don't expect me to go easy on you in case this turns out to be a bad idea."
 
Ruby celebrated and promised she wouldn't let me down. I texted Kitsu, and we paged our date. Friday, 5PM, couldn't be home after ten or parents would eat our guts... typical sixteen years old stuff. Well, as typical as it can be when you live in an island full of Grimm.
 
We went to the movies, ate on the fast food restaurant outside the theater, went on a walk, talked about future plans- she wanted to go to Shade Academy, I wanted to go to Beacon, but I never saw her during the Vytal Fest. I gave her a ride home, we almost kissed but it ended up being me kissing her cheek because her dog startled me.
 
Then, I awkwardly said goodbye and went back home. It was a long ride, since our house is outside the city. It was my mom's choice because she hated living in crowded places. Too much noise, and according to uncle Qrow, she hates that. When I got there, I felt a funny smell and went in to check it out. Smoke. Coming from the kitchen, as if a fire had just taken place in there. 
 
Dad? Passed out on the sofa. Ruby? Guilty standing by the kitchen's door, the fire extinguisher by her feet. 
 
"Uh... hi, sis?"
 
"What the actual fuck, Ruby?" I almost shouted, but didn't want to scare dad and make him try to punch the whole house down thinking there were intruders, or Grimm.
 
"Uh... I tried making dinner? But things kinda got out of hand and somehow I set things on fire and dad was sleeping so I couldn't wake him up and I-"
 
"You mean you guys didn't have dinner?!"
 
"Uh... yeah? I mean... there was no way to make it since I set the kitchen on fire. Heh." I glared at her, my jaw set. 
 
"I'll call the pizza place and pray they're willing to come here this time. You wake dad up. You're out of cookies for one month-"
 
"But-"
 
"Don't make it two. And if you ever try talking me into going to dates again, I swear I'll make sure you're out of 'em for the rest. Of. Your. Life. Do you hear me?"
 
"Y-yeah."
 
"Great."
 
"...and after that I never went on a date again."
 
Blake surprisingly burst in laughter after Yang ended the story. Yang eventually joined her, and they laughed together for some minutes. "I can't believe Ruby ruined your love life by setting the kitchen on fire. I mean, it sounds more likely that you would do that as protest that someone was taking your little sister away."
 
"Hey! For your information, I was always in favor that Ruby tried to fit in. I love her, but having her depending on me would ruin her life! Imagine if something happened to me and she didn't have anyone to rely on!" Yang said. "I mean, something did happen, and I'm glad she had friends like Jaune, Ren and Nora there for her. To support her when I couldn't."
 
"You're a good sister, Yang." Blake smiled, tightening her hold on Yang's hand softly and with high appreciation. "I bet you're gonna be a great mom."
 
Yang blushed at the compliment, but recovered quickly and went in for some teasing. "And just what are you implying, hm?"
 
Blake was immediately flustered, just then realizing the implications of what she just said. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."
 
"Heey, it's okay to have plans for the future!"
 
Blake raised her head and look away. "S-stop teasing me like that. You know that's not what I meant. W-we're taking it slow, remember?"
 
Yang laughed at how cute Blake was. She was right, they hadn't even defined what they were yet, how would they talk about having kids? Besides, they had Salem to face and the world to save. They didn't even know if they would survive that. 
 
Yang brushed the dark thoughts away, not wanting to ruin the moment they were having. "I know, I know. It's just fun watching you all flustered. It's quite cute."
 
"Says the person who stared at me for two minutes after I confessed. And asked me if I didn't want to date the guy who's a brother to me." Blake pointed out. "Seriously, Yang? I never imagined I'd see you in such a panicked state."
 
"Oh, you did not just use that against me." Yang affirmed, outraged.
 
"Did I stutter?" Blake smirked, her tone challenging.
 
"Oh, I see how it is." Yang smirked as well, confusing Blake. 'Just what is she up to?' the faunus thought.
 
She was surprised by Yang poking her ribcage, testing the waters of how ticklish she was. The answer was clear: Blake Belladonna was very ticklish. Seeing her reaction, Yang's smirk got wider, and she increased the tickling, using her two hands on Blake's sides. She was careful not to be too harsh, because she was aware of her own strength, and she didn't want to hurt Blake. 
 
Blake laughed and tossed and turned, trying to get Yang off of her, throwing the covers and the pillows off their bed. When she did manage to get away from Yang's torture, she tried tickling the blonde back. And it was so, so awkward when Yang didn't even move. Blake was straddling her, hands on her toned stomach, trying to tickle her and failing. Hands falling static there, while she pouted, her ears falling a bit in betrayal. Yang thought it was cute, even though it wasn't like Blake to go around wearing pouts and straddling people.
 
"This is so unfair." Blake said. "Why are you like this?"
 
"Well, having a younger sister and a very touchy dad, I grew used to it." Yang smiled, but then started getting a bit uncomfortable with their position. She never got to be with someone like she was with Blake, so it was a bit scary for her when tension started growing too much. "Uh... B-Blake..."
 
Blake seemed to get what was bothering Yang, and got off of her. "Sorry," she muttered as she got her pillow. She placed it by the headrest and lied her head there. Yang got her own pillow and the covers back from the ground, placing the former on the original position. She lied on her side, looking at Blake, and covering them. She smiled and pulled Blake closer. 
 
"No problem!" She chuckled. Then, she yawned and hugged Blake a bit tighter, the warmth of her body enveloping both of them. She once again nuzzled the crook of Blake's neck, planting a small kiss there before closing her eyes.
 
"I thought you said you were wide awake," Blake chuckled, running her hands through Yang's hair carefully. Then, she let out her own yawn.
 
"I was." Was Yang's answer. "But you're so cuddly and soft that I just wanna hold you till we sleep." She admitted, hoping Blake wouldn't feel how hot her cheeks got.
 
Blake did, but decided not to tease the blonde, since her own cheeks were burning. "Then hold me until sleep comes, and as dawn falls upon us."
 
"Hmmm... poetic. And I sure will."
 
Blake smiled, her hands still going through the golden strands. "I love you, my dream."
 
"And I love you, my queen."
 
After that, they went silent. They stayed like that until sleep came, and this time it was quiet, calm and relaxing. No nightmares, no agitation, no Adam. It was just the two of them, as it was supposed to be.

Chapter Text

"So... we're going on a date. Today." Yang said, pointing to Blake and herself while their team was having breakfast. Blake was startled by the sudden announcement. Of course, she knew they would be going on a date. She was the one to ask Yang out, after all. What she did not expect was for the blonde to announce it that bluntly.

"Well, we figured you would at some point." Weiss rolled her eyes. "Seriously, the way you two are taking this that slow is insufferable."

"No need to give us a cold with your words, Ice Queen." Weiss glared at Yang for that. "You're just jealous, I know it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked, indignantly.

"Yeah, Yang, what's that supposed to mean?" Blake raised an eyebrow, ears twitching with curiosity.

"C'mon, guys, we all know Weiss has had no romantic interest since who? Neptune? And we all know she crushed on him for his looks." Yang pointed out. Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "My point is: Ms. Schnee here wants some romance in her life too and she's projecting the fast, passionate stuff she wants on Blake and I!"

"Yang Xiao Long and the giant reach." Weiss shot back. "Honestly, Yang, how much time of the two seconds you spent away from Blake did you waste coming up with that?"

Yang had a comeback for that on the tip of her tongue, but was interrupted by Ruby. "Hey, guys, let's not fight! This is a great day!" The youngest smiled joyfully. "Yang's going on a date! And Blake too! They're going together! Like, together-together."

"Yeah!" Yang agreed. "Oh, that reminds me. Ruby, try not setting stuff on fire while Blake and I are gone."

Blake almost spat the tuna sandwich at that, repressed laughter taking her. Weiss looked confused, but curious and concerned. And Ruby... well, Ruby was redder than her cloak, both in embarrassment and anger.

"Yaaaaang!" She whined the complaint. "Don't bring stuff like that up!"

"Well, I have to be cautious, don't I?" Yang smirked, and Blake observed with a fond look in her eyes as the sisters interacted.

"Ugh, Yang, just- why you- ugh!"

"Hold on, hold on." Weiss raised her hands signaling for the sisters to be quiet for a second. It worked, which was a first when it came to the two of them. "What is this with Ruby and setting things on fire?"

"Nothing!" Ruby exclaimed, covering Yang's mouth when the blonde opened it to start talking.

"When Yang had her first date, Ruby tried making dinner. It didn't... go so well, and Yang's love life was devastated for some time." Blake explained, a large, teasing smile on her face. Weiss stared at Ruby for some seconds, expression unreadable, making the younger look everywhere but the former heiress in uneasiness. Then, Weiss started laughing. A lot. Like no one had ever heard her laugh before.

"Aw, c'moonn," the girl in red complained, embarrassed. She put her arms over the table and laid her head there in defeat. Weiss patted her head, her laughter dying a bit.

"You're such a dolt, Ruby." The Schnee said, fondly. "But at least now Yang has a date you probably won't ruin afterwards. I mean, you have no access to the kitchen, after all." That made the WBY part of the team crack up, and Ruby just glared at them, her head now raised.

"Instead of crater face, we should call her..." Blake thought for a second, still recovering from her laughter fit. "Kitchen pyro." That made Yang and Weiss double over in silent laughter.

"You are all the absolute worst!" Ruby huffed loudly.

"Can't take a little teasing, kitchen pyro?" Yang questioned through laughter. Before Ruby could answer, Qrow showed up.

"Just what are you kids up to, huh?" Qrow asked, sitting on a chair with his cup of black coffee, taking a long sip.

"We were talking about that time Ruby almost burnt the house down." Yang grinned, putting her right arm over Blake's shoulder. "And Blake here came up with a new nickname. Kitchen pyro. I'll be callin' Ruby that for today on!"

Qrow let out a low chuckle, amused by the team's antics. He decided to add some fuel to the fire. "I guess it's not my place to tell them where 'firecracker' came from. Or are you too scared of a little teasing?"

"Hah! Take that!" Ruby screamed at her sister.

"I- you-" Yang swallowed thickly. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what? Say you set a salon on fire when you were ten because we took you to have a haircut? In front of your girlfriend? No, no, far from me to do just that." The man grinned in a cocky way.

Yang growled at her uncle, face red, while Blake giggled at the image of a young Yang already being her explosive self. The blonde still had her arm around Blake's shoulder, and she noticed how the girl's body trembled slightly as she laughed. Yang instantly calmed down, and smiled softly as Blake let out those adorable giggles. Yang felt her chest growing warm, and she poured the pure love she felt for the faunus into the way she looked at her.

"We're... not girlfriends." Yang uselessly answered, knowing that Qrow wouldn't drop it. "Yet."

"Yet?" Blake looked back at her, amber eyes as loving as Yang's purple ones.

"Yet," Yang confirmed, leaning in to kiss Blake's forehead.

Those soft looks, soft moments, were becoming more and more common, even in front of others. They had no reason to hide it, after all. Everyone knew of their current situation. They were all supportive of it, and Jaune had a long conversation with them about not wasting time. He said that when he noticed what he felt, when he noticed what Pyrrha felt, she was up that tower. And, in his own words, he was uselessly trying to get help.

"How are you holding up, though?" Yang had asked him, worried for her friend. Sure, they were never that close, but he was still her friend. She cared about him, and about his team.

"Uh... I was worse. Back at the beginning." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I noticed Pyrrha wouldn't have wanted to see me in that state. She would want me to value my life, and others'. The lives she fought to defend." He smiled sadly.

"I'm glad you're doing better now." Blake smiled at him. Not as soft as the smiles she gives Yang, but soft enough to feel reassuring. She then interlocked her and Yang's fingers, with her head still on Yang's shoulder, as she was leaning against the taller girl, absorbing her warmth. It was getting late and she was getting sleepy. They had trained all day long, after all. She was almost sleeping while standing there, in the hallway to hers and Yang's room. And Blake was always touchy when she was sleepy.

"Thanks." He replied, a grateful and genuine small smile on his face. "You guys look like you could use some sleep, though. You should go get some rest, we can always talk later!" To prove his point, Blake yawned.

"Sorry." Blake said, not feeling sorry at all.

"No problem." The boy said. "Just remember what I told you two. Don't waste your time, and love each other as if every moment is your last one. It might be."

"Will do." The girls said in unison. Then, the pair said good night to Jaune and went to their own room.

Yang still felt like all those wise words coming from Jaune were a bit out of character. Don't get her wrong, she doesn't think he's dumb. Well, not thoroughly so. But the way Pyrrha's death hit him was all over his face. He grew a lot after that, as a fighter and as a person. Yang just wanted it hadn't been her death that had him have this change. No one likes losing a friend.

"Ugh, get a room you two." Yang was snapped out of her thoughts by Weiss' voice. Yang just laughed it off, while Blake blushed with her face in her hands.

"I'm glad you found someone for yourself, kid." Qrow smiled at her.

"Thanks," Yang smiled back. Qrow took another sip to his coffee, appreciating the bitter, hot drink. Yang raised an eyebrow at him, retreating her arm from Blake's shoulder. "Aren't you getting anything to eat?"

"Huh? Oh, don't worry about it, firecracker." Qrow tried sounding reassuring.

"But... uncle Qrow, you need to eat." Ruby looked at the man beside her, concerned.

"I'm just fine, Ruby." He smiled at her. "I can always stop by the chocolate shop on the way to Jimmy's office, you know."

"Hmmm..." Ruby hummed, in thought. "Nope."

"What?"

"You asked us to help you get in line, uncle Qrow." Yang smiled. "That includes not letting you neglect nor skip meals. Or you thought we'd go easy on ya?"

Qrow opened his mouth, trying to form words of protest, but he ended up laughing lowly and shortly. "Fine, fine. I will-"

"I'll get it for you!" Ruby said quickly and got up, rushing to the serving place. Everyone looked as she went, smiling at the girl.

The rest of breakfast and of their day went by smoothly, and before they noticed, they were getting ready for their date. Yang, after a long shower, got out of the bathroom. She was fully dressed, wearing her boots, dark jeans, a yellow button up, and a black coat over all, which had synthetic, purple fur on the inside. It was very warm and cozy. They had bought some casual clothes, budgeted by the money Ironwood paid them for helping Argus.

Yang didn't complain, but she felt like they didn't do nothing more than their duty. They had responsibility over the Grimm attack, they shouldn't be paid for stopping it. It was an obligation, not a job. Or maybe she was just too sensitive. Yang really didn't know.

And Yang also didn't know why Blake was allowed to be shirtless when she came out of the bathroom to say she was ready to go. Blake was wearing high heeled boots, pretty similar to the ones she used when they were in Anima, black leather pants and only a lacey black bra on the top part. She was looking at a picture of team RWBY, back in their Beacon days. The same one Yang had looked at over and over again during their time apart.

Yang couldn't tear her eyes away from Blake, blushing and frozen in shock. She swallowed loudly, and she knew Blake could tell she was in the room by the way the faunus' right ear twitched in her direction. Then why wasn't she covering herself? Why was she there, exposing her toned stomach and showing off her... um... her-

"Staring is rude, you know?" Blake teased, a smirk playing on her lips, as she turned her head to look at Yang. She sent the same look at Yang as when they became partners, challenging her to say something. To react to her. To shoot back. And suddenly, Yang felt like she was sent back to those days. So she decided to give Blake what she wanted, what the look in her eyes invited Yang to do.

"Well, I don't think that's the proper outfit to go out there, in the cold." Yang responded, smirking back as Blake got up and walked to her, leaving the photograph on the bed.

"Oh? And what do you suggest me to do?" Blake raised an eyebrow, involuntarily licking her lips. Yang blushed, not knowing what to do. 'Why is Blake acting like this? What's going on? Why is my face on fire?' were the thoughts running through her mind. But she didn't back down.

"You could always put on a shirt so we can go out," Yang suggested. She put her right hand on Blake's hip, caressing the scar that was there with her thumb, causing Blake to sigh as metal touched the sensitive skin. The other one went to Blake's cheek, as she leaned in to touch the raven haired girl's forehead with her own. "Or we could stay in, and... enjoy ourselves."

Blake chuckled lowly, one hand going to Yang's left shoulder, while the other caressed her biceps. She brought her face closer to Yang's, her breath tickling the blonde's lips. "And what if I want to have both?"

Yang's answer was a kiss on Blake's lips. She left her own lips there for a while, denying the other girl when she got impatient and tried getting her tongue in the blonde's mouth. Blake whined in protest, in annoyance, pulling away. Yang chuckled teasingly, and finally accepted when Blake kissed her with more passion, letting her tongue in.

The cat faunus' hands went to the back of Yang's head, pulling her even closer- as if that were physically possible-, gripping on the blond hair. Yang growled lowly in the kiss, a noise on the back of her throat that made Blake believe she really did justice to her name. Yang's hands went to Blake's back and brought their bodies closer together, while rubbing the skin.

When air was necessary, Blake was the first to pull away, but Yang kept kissing her face, from the jaw all the way to the angle, sucking lightly on the skin. Blake held back a noise and blushed. Yang also led her hands to Blake's sides, moving them up and down while aligning the movements with a slow lick to Blake's earlobe, as Blake exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. But then... it got too much.

"Woah, easy there, dragon." She said, nervously. Okay, she did enjoy it whenever they kissed, but this... she was also new to it. Adam was never this affectionate or this caring, so things got overwhelming for her, too. Not in a completely bad way, but the tension scared her at times.

She was thankful for the fact that Yang understood that without needing more words to be said. No dejected look, no disappointment, no hard feelings. Yang looked at Blake with an understanding smile as she pulled away, putting some distance between the other and herself. Blake missed the contact, but also knew this was a way for Yang to show that she knew that Blake needed her space.

Blake was also thankful that she wasn't the only one blushing. Yang's face was as red as Ruby's cloak.

"Um... so... w-why are you shirtless?" Yang stuttered, confused and flustered. She didn't even look like the fierce, passionate lover from a minute ago. Blake smiled and walked to their bed, picking up a long sleeved, black and yellow, shirt. She put it on, and then, over all, a coat similar to Yang's, except the synthetic fur was yellow.

"I got distracted looking at the picture." Blake answered, smiling sheepishly. "Do you think things will ever be like it was back then?"

"Careless? Fun? With our ignorance still presenting itself as a blessing?" Yang questioned.

"Peaceful." Blake said, with a sigh. "With all the crazy things that happened... I kind of miss our biggest problems being Torchwick and the White Fang."

Yang hummed, thinking before expressing her thoughts. "I don't think things will ever go back to that. If we win this war... there'll be a lot of rebuilding to do. A lot of unfinished stuff. But we'll be able to get actual peace, I guess. No crazy Grimm lady, no reincarnating dude with a tragic past with said lady, more friends dying because of age or Grimm, not because of crazy Grimm lady's delusional henchmen..."

"Your point?"

"I think things won't be like they were before, because we have a chance to make it better, without higher forces getting in the way." Yang smiled, hopeful. "We'll own our lives, they won't belong to this war."

"You think things will be better, then?" Blake hummed, in thought, and Yang nodded. She then closed her eyes, and sighed, before smiling back at Yang. Gold and purple met as Blake walked to her date, grabbing the blonde's left hand in her own.

"Talking about the future is nice and all, but what about we concern ourselves with the present? We do have a date today." Yang nudged the faunus' shoulder, grinning at her.

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

The girls decided to walk their way to the restaurant near the edge of the floating city. Exploring and walking around has always been their thing, and it was natural that their first date would include doing that. Yang was the most hesitant about it out of the two, memories of the ball still fresh. Memories of how racist the Atlesian people could be. Memories of how it affected Blake.

It was the faunus who suggested they made it a walk there, though. She assured Yang it was fine, that it didn't matter, as long as they were by each other's side. And things were going rather smoothly, until a particularly infuriating comment was thrown their way.

"Shouldn't that thing be on a leash?" The voice of a man asked from behind them. Yang came to a halt, gritting her teeth. Her whole back tensed and some glints of red showed on her eyes.

"Yang..." Blake whispered, tightening her hold on Yang's hand. "Let's just keep walking."

Yang exhaled, hot breath coming out of her mouth as a large smoke puff. "Let's." She answered, her voice shaky and full of anger. They started walking, but the guy didn't seem to want to let it go.

"Such a weak mistress you are, receiving orders from your pet." She could hear the grin in his malicious words. "At least the two of you won't contribute to the growth of this inferior race." And that was it for Yang. She let go of Blake's hand and turned around, walking to the man. He seemed to be in his early forties, blonde and tall.

The girl grabbed him by his shirt and pressed him to the wall of a nearby building. She basically growled at him, eyes red. "You did not just say that." Yang said slowly, her voice heavy with rage.

"R-release me this instant! Don't touch me with the hands you touch that beast! Who knows what kind of disease you might carry being involved with such... bestiality!" The man shouted at her, spouting the words in a hateful manner that could match Adam Taurus' tone. That made her hair start to light up and the guards watching her and Blake to start moving, in case things got even more heated. They also started gathering some attention from bypassing people.

Blake, observant as always, approached the scene. "Y-Yang, there's no need to make a scene. Let go of him, he's not worth it..." The last thing she needed was to drag even more attention her way. She put her hand on Yang's shoulder, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Please."

Yang looked back at her, hesitantly. She couldn't just let him get away like that, not after what he called Blake. Not after what he said about them. But she also didn't want to put Blake in a position in which she was exposed to even more people like him. Also, the guards were staring at her threateningly, ready to go for it in case she harmed a "defenseless citizen".

"Fine." Yang finally released him, and he slid to the floor, showing how scared he truly was. 'Coward,' Yang thought as she scoffed, glaring at him. "Know that I did this for her, because I love her. For you, I feel only pity that you have a skull filled by these thoughts of superiority. If anything, this girl you call a beast today might be a hero to this world tomorrow." She smiled at Blake softly, love and care in her eyes. "I know she already is to me." Yang then glared back at the shocked man. "So you put yourself on a leash before going around, saying shit like what you just said."

Blake took Yang's hand on her own, and they turned their backs to the man. Blake then looked over her shoulder, smirking mockingly. "Have a nice evening." She sarcastically wished.

The duo kept walking, until the place was no longer in their view reach. Yang let out a long sigh. She was feeling awful after the whole thing. How dare that bastard direct such words at Blake? The faunus girl was kind, good hearted, selfless... and she was beautiful, inside and out. The ears on top of her head didn't take away her beauty, they made her even more stunning! Why would people see in them a reason to make Blake's life a living hell?! Racism is such a pointless, unreasonable thing that it made her body heat up in rage.

"Yang, you're hurting my hand." Blake warned, as Yang's grip unconsciously tightened even more. The blonde let go as if the words burnt her left hand.

"S-sorry, Blake!" The blonde looked at Blake in an apologetic way. She hurt Blake. She hurt her, and she made a scene, and she exposed the girl. She acted like a brute, like a... like a beast.

Blake noticed the distress in the other's face, and wordlessly pulled her to sit on a bench. She kept looking at Yang, as the brawler looked at her own hands, not meeting the raven haired girl's gaze. Blake put her hand on Yang's left one, the one that was gripping on her own a while ago. Yang jumped in surprised and almost pulled away. Only then did she look up at Blake, only then did Blake notice the tears on Yang's eyes, threatening to spill.

"Hey, Yang, it's o-"

"Don't. It's not." Yang interrupted. "I... I messed up. I made a scene even when you told me to let it go. I put you in an uncomfortable position because of a guy who's clearly not worth it. And then, I physically hurt you. I-" Yang was going to continue, but she choked on her own words, tears spilling from her eyes. "A-and it is so dumb, that I am the one crying when you're the one who suffered the most from it all."

Blake brought Yang's left hand to her lips, kissing it lightly. Yang, as expected, blushed under the waterfalls of tears. "Your actions were out of hand, yes. There were many other ways to address the issue." Yang looked down in shame, and Blake put a hand on her cheek, rubbing the tears away and making Yang look up at her. "But beating yourself over this won't get us anywhere." Her tone was soft, comforting. "He did start it, though. And your words might burn through his thick skull. Hopefully."

Yang smiled, grabbing the hand that was on her cheek and kissing it. She brought the other one, the one that was holding her own on Blake's lap, to a kiss as well. Blake giggled and looked at her questioningly. "I'm kissing them better," Yang answered the question Blake's eyes were asking her. Blake giggled some more, affectionately. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I promise I won't do it again. I'm really, really sorry."

"I forgive you, Yang." Blake kissed her cheek. 'You are not him.' She thought the last part, not wanting to bring Adam to such a light, reassuring moment. It was not worth it. "I think we should get going, or our reservation might get canceled."

Yang nodded in response, and they got going. They were heading to a faunus friendly seafood restaurant. It was in the unofficial faunus district of Atlas, where the small population of faunus that didn't live by the mines lived. It was said an incredibly rich and traditional faunus family from Mistral bought the whole area of the district, and then distributed it to the homeless families in need. It had a lot of security, only letting in humans who were accompanied by faunus. It was like having a city in another one.

As they entered the district, Yang's mouth dropped. It was beautiful. The buildings reminded her of the ones in the city of Haven, mixed with the high tech looks of the city of Atlas. She wondered how they budgeted all of that, since the people who initially lived in this part of the floating island were homeless.

"At some point, Atlas Academy started allowing faunus to train there. The things there seem to be different from the rest of this place, it's the only chance of social ascension that any faunus has here. So people started entering and putting a lot of effort on the military life. As they rose to prestigious positions, so did their salaries. And as expected, they decided to make this place drop jaws and prove that civilization was possible for faunus." Blake explained.

"Wow..." Yang let out. "It didn't work, did it? I mean, if people like that guy still treats faunus as animals, then as amazing as this place is... it isn't enough for the racists to respect y'all."

"Exactly. And that's one of the reasons the White Fang started to lose its point in the first place. We did everything in our power, we did things the most pacific way we could... and yet, it wasn't enough. Places like this one, even they're breathtaking, end up reinforcing the segregation." Blake sighed. "You see, if I were to walk alone outside this district, I would probably be in the mines right now, working as a slave."

Something seemed to tighten in Yang's throat, as if a hand were choking her. "They just capture people like that...?"

"Well, they have to. No one will willingly work like that, Yang." There was an edge in Blake's voice, and edge that sent a freezing wave down Yang's back. "People are either captured, or born into that life already."

"Adam... uh... he had a brand. On his face." Yang gulped, remembering the scar on the man's face.

"His family lived up here." Blake sighed. "When he was around thirteen years old, he wandered too far from the district when he heard some cries for help. He was captured, along with the girl he meant to save. In one of the White Fang diplomatic missions, my father ended up, somehow, going down into the mines. He saw Adam being beat up by some supervisors. And... he took Adam in."

"Good gods..." Yang muttered. She felt no empathy for the person he became, but the imagining him as a child, being captured and marked by hot iron over the eye... Adam as a man was spiteful and cruel, but Adam as a boy suffered more than any child should endure.

"He blamed the world for what happened to him. At the beginning, he was scared as any kid my parents rescued. He wanted kindness, too, but there was always an edge to the way he spoke as he grew older. And as he began being fueled by Sienna Khan's more... radical ways, he showed his true self. I let myself be influenced, he offered me a place to be after my parents left the group. But in the end, it was all about his wish for the control he always wanted to have over others."

"It's... crazy. Thinking about it." Yang creased her eyebrows. "How many people are down there, as we speak right now? Having their lives ruined, having their minds filled with thoughts like Adam's..."

"And that's why I hate this place. I'm walking up here, like I'm superior to my own people. This air of privilege disgusts me. I feel like I'm betraying everything I fought for my entire life!" Blake sighed.

Yang looked at their intertwined hands, and then back at Blake's face, and smiled affectionately. "Hey... you're not betraying them. You have no choice but to be here, because of our mission. But I bet as soon as it's all over with, you'll be going around, fighting for their rights and their freedom!" Yang smiled, nudging Blake's shoulder. "And so will I!"

Blake's eyebrows rose, and she looked at Yang with a big smile. "You will?" Her voice was full of adoration, and a bit of surprise. She knew Yang was against racism, and that she would defend her no matter what, but she never expected Yang to engage with the actual cause.

"Of course! I mean, ever since I was young, dad and... well, Summer, taught me to be kind and help people as much as I can. So I kind of always, you know, contributed to the causes. There was this organization in Patch that rescued abused faunus kids. My dad and I always donated, and since around the time I became fifteen until I went to Beacon, I helped in some rescues. Ruby did too."

"Yang, that's... that's fantastic!" Blake almost beamed in admiration. "How come you never told me anything about this?"

"I didn't feel the need to. I wanted you to know I was being nice to you because I saw you as a good person, not because it was some sort of duty. Actually, I never wanted anyone to think that I viewed what I was doing as a duty. I did it all because I think my parents were right, and people deserve kindness regardless of their race."

Blake's heart beat even faster, Yang was such an endearing person, and she felt like she fell in love with the girl every single day, over and over again. "So, this time it seems we'll get human support too. Active human support."

"Yep! Count on me. And I'm sure Ruby will be in this too!" Yang smiled. "Oh, and Weiss! I mean, we'll find a way to get her on the family business again, right? Then she'll introduce a new state of mind to the Company!"

"I doubt it will be that easy..." The faunus said, deep in thought. "The SDC has some questionable business partners."

"Um... Blake, do you know Weiss?" Yang raised an eyebrow, laughing. "She pushes her way through stuff, no matter how hard things are! And I bet these partners need this partnership muuuuch more than the Schnee Dust Company does. I mean, some companies are large, but none of them compare to it."

"We shall see." Blake hummed. "But... knowing that this new brotherhood has the support of the three of you is already refreshing to me. It shows that we can walk beside the human race. It shows that the biggest victory we can achieve is through justice and kindness."

"Yeah!" Yang exclaimed excitedly. "Kick 'em racists' butts with kindness and justice and love for each other! Fuck you racism!" Her voice and her fist rose in the cold air, and some people stared at her and Blake, puzzled looks in their eyes. Blake laughed at the girl, as the prosthetic arm lowered and she scratched her head in embarrassment.

"You're such a dork." Blake commented, leaning closer to Yang and giggling. Yang smiled sheepishly and kissed Blake's head on the space between the cat ears. The same people who were some seconds ago confused, now smiled at them with looks of endearment and a glint of surprise. Their love was a true flower of hope for the faunus, that blossomed in the cold environment of Atlas.

Chapter Text

The girls walked a bit more, admiring the buildings and talking. They were happy to be together in a place where they could actually be comfortable. No snarky remarks, no malicious glances. The territory seemed to engulf them with a metaphorical warmth that made them almost sigh in relief. When they finally arrived their destination, they were almost disappointed to not be able to keep admiring their new favorite place in Atlas.

"Katt's," Yang read the letters, narrowing her eyes. "That name is oddly familiar."

"Welcome!" The receptionist said. He was a tall, brown haired young man. Everything in him seemed quite human, except from his cat like eyes, which were emerald green and had vertical, growing pupils as the evening fell. "My name is Blaze Bastet. Do you have a reservation?"

"We do." Blake answered. "Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. Table twelve, in the outside, please."

Blaze's hands skillfully typed on the scroll in front of him, finding their reservations. When he found them, he smiled at them. "You may go inside, and there one of our waitresses will be waiting for you. She'll guide you to your table and will be serving you for the night. Enjoy your date." He winked at them, and they blushed, rushing in.

When they entered, they couldn't help but let their mouths fall at how stunning the place was. It had a big chandelier hanging on the top, lighting up the main room. In the center, many tables were scattered in a very organized pattern. It was rectangular, and the contour of it was a corridor with many artworks placed on the walls, lighted by small lamps on the bottoms. They were mostly paintings of the mountains of Solitas, the Forever Fall forest and the beaches of Menagerie. There was big glass door across from them, giving them the view of the outside part, which had even more tables.

"Oh, it's the top heavy girl!" A cheerful voice said, approaching them. The pair looked at the source, finding a orange haired girl. She was dressed in black and white waitress wearing, but kept the skates, and her tail wiggled playfully as she got closer.

"Neon!" Yang recognized her. "Wow, never thought I'd find you in a place like this." Yang shook the other's hand with her prosthetic, not letting go of Blake for a second.

"Well, duh, my family owns it. As if the name doesn't give it away." Neon laughed, teasing Yang for her lack of perception skill.

"It did sound familiar." Yang muttered.

Neon and Blake laughed at that, and then proceeded to shake each other's hand. Then, the three young women headed to the outside, with Neon guiding then.

"Where's your icy friend, though? Heard she ran away from daddy's house." The cat faunus asked, sounding slightly, but genuinely, concerned.

"It's a secret, but she's in a hotel with us." Came Blake's brief answer. There was no need for details, Weiss wouldn't want rumors to be spread. They reached their table, and the black and yellow duo sat across from each other.

"Cool! Tell her Flynt is still holding onto that promise, that the four of us will hang out some time!" Neon said as she handed the menus to Blake and Yang. "Or... five, since now you seem to have this bottom heavy date around." The orange haired girl smirked and winked.

Yang narrowed her eyes, frowning. "What is it with you and these 'heavy' remarks?"

"Aw, c'mon! Just look at that booty! Or should I say... Bellabooty?" Yang gritted her teeth at that, while Blake just blushed and hid her face, fueling Neon's laughter. "Well, well, teasing aside, please make yourselves comfortable. Anything you need, I am a buzz away!" The waitress said, showing them the button on each side of the table. Then, the girl skated away, going back in.

Blake and Yang were silent for a moment, checking the menu. They stole some glances at each other, eyes meeting some times, making shy smiles take their faces. Yang looked over the wine section of the menu, analyzing it and had absolutely no idea about which one to order. Meanwhile, Blake was basically drooling over all the fish options she could order. Grilled menegerian salmon, salt cod stew... and the list went on.

"These all seem delicious." Yang broke the silence, making Blake look at her.

"Yes, they do. I didn't even know there were this many of them!"

"I know, right?" Yang scratched her neck. "I don't even know which one to order."

"Well, I guess I will get the grilled menagerian salmon." Blake hummed, looking at her own menu. Yang was confused for a second. Just what was she talking about?

"Huh?" Yang tilted her head. "Blake, are we looking the same thing?"

"Uh... I am looking over the fish part." Blake furrowed her brows, getting as confused as the girl in front of her.

Yang suddenly let out a laugh, confusion leaving her expression. "I was looking for something to drink, but I don't know much about any of the brands here..."

"Ohh," the cat faunus said in realization.

"It seems we weren't on the same page, huh?" Yang grinned, proud of the pun. Blake stared at her for some time, trying to process what just happened. Then, she face palmed, giggling.

"Why am I even laughing at this?"

"Because you love my jokes as much as you love me!"

"Impossible."

"Huh?"

"Impossible, I cannot love anything as much as I love you as whole." Blake smiled. Yang blushed, her mouth opening and closing as the one of a fish out of the water.

"Smooth, Belladonna." Yang finally managed to get out. "Very smooth of you. Expect a come back."

"What? The 'hot daughter of the hottest teacher' can't even... light a spark to match that?" Blake smirked cockily.

Yang gasped, right hand going dramatically to her chest. "Blake Belladonna! You have learned your way into the amazing land of puns!" She reached for Blake's hand. "I am so proud of you!"

Blake laughed at that, squeezing Yang's hand in her own. Her eyes closed in laughter as she brought her free hand to cover her mouth. Yang observed her with soft eyes, smiling at how precious that girl was. She made a mind note to always protect that smile, until her heart beat for the last time. No matter what, she wanted to bring such joy to the faunus until their last days.

"Well, well love birds, do you have your orders?" Neon came back, smirking at them.

"Uh... I was looking over the wines, but I don't really know any." Yang said, smiling. "Do you recommend any?"

"Oh! We have this north Sanus one. It's very nice, and it never fails to please our clients. It's called Queen Bee."

Yang looked for it in the menu, finding it as the last one of the page. The price was no surprise being apparently a renowned brand. She bit her tongue, but decided to go for it. It was a special ocasion, after all. It was her first date with Blake, she could afford to spend a bit more on a wine bottle.

"So, Blake, watcha think?" Yang inquired, making the faunus, who seemed to be reflecting on the same as she was, look at her. Blake smiled and gave a small nod in agreement.

"Ok, Queen Bee coming soon." Neon scribbled the order on a small notepad. "Anything else?"

"I'll go for the shrimp pizza!" Yang smiled at Neon, who wrote her order, nodding.

"I thought you were looking over the wine?"

"I'm an efficient lady, baby." Yang smirked, winking at the raven haired faunus.

"Oh? And just how efficient are you, sunshine?"

"Hmm, that you'll have to find out." Yang's smirk became a grin.

Blake blushed, but smirked back. "And how do you suggest me to do that, huh?"

"Girls? I'm still here!" Neon teased, making both look at her, and then at the ground, blushing. "Tell me, Blakey, what's your order?"

"Oh! Uh... the menagerian grilled salmon seems fantastic. I think I'll have that one." Blake ordered politely, still blushing. Neon nodded and winked at them, before skating to the inside part of the restaurant to ask for their orders.

The pair chatted a bit more, sharing jokes and stories, drinking their wine. When Neon finally delivered their meals, the chatter came to a stop, and they started eating. Yang could pinpoint the second Blake fell in love with the salmon. The cat ears stood tall in surprise, showing that it tasted even better than expected. Then, they relaxed and went down a bit as Blake closed her eyes, a low moan sounding from her throat. Yang chuckled lightly, before attacking her pizza. Blake's reaction to the salmon didn't do justice to how good the food tasted. Lilac eyes widened as she chewed slowly, not wanting it to ever end.

"I've never had sex, but if it's as good as this pizza, I am down for it." Yang said under her breath, putting more food in her mouth. Blake almost choked on her salmon, laughing silently at Yang's... eccentric and spontaneous remark.

After that, they were too busy to even say something. While they did appreciate talking to each other, the food was too good. They ate delightfully until the last bite. After they were over with it, they kept drinking and talked a bit more. Blake insisted on paying the bill, but...

"No, you are not paying on your own. We're splitting." Yang's words were firm, as she looked at the woman across from her.

"Yang..."

"Look, Blake, I get it." The blonde sighs, expression lightening a bit. "But you don't have to make an impression on me."

"That's not- I'm not- You-" Blake gritted her teeth. Then, she closed her eyes and sighed in defeated. "Fine."

Yang smiles at her, and Blake feels her own heart melt. Yang gets her wallet, taking a card from it, and then pays her part. Blake is next, and when they're done, Neon is escorting them to the exit.

"Welp! Hope you two had fun!" Neon smiled brightly at them, her cat tail switching side to side. "And don't forget that Flynt and I are still up for some night out whenever y'all can! Let's have a blast!"

"We won't forget." Blake assured, and Neon hugged her goodbye. Then, she and Yang shook hands before the energetic faunus went back to duty. "She and Nora have a lot in common, huh?"

"Yeah... I feel like if they ever meet, the world will explode on spot out of energy overload." Yang stated, making Blake chuckle. Then, she took the faunus' hand as they started walking mindlessly. They didn't have any real plans after eating at Katt's, so they decided to just explored a bit before heading back to the hotel. They wanted some alone time, away from the rest of the group and from the imminent necessity to come up with something to save the world. Not that they didn't like being with the others, but there were times it all became too much.

They stopped walking when they found a small park, with trees covered in snow. They decided to go in and explore the new location. It was beautiful, and had a big statue of a man, with a fox tail, in the center. He was kneeling, his hand extended as if offering help to the people who came in. As the girls approached, they could see the warm smile captured by the sculpture. Their mouths dropped at the beauty and detail of it, as bronze shone in the silver light of the shattered moon.

"Wow," Yang gasped, tempted to take the hand. "This is awesome."

"It truly is." Blake smiled, arm around Yang's waist as the blonde had her left one over her shoulders. She recognized the man from stories and descriptions from her time at the White Fang. "Joseph Taurus, is his name. He was the one to buy and donate this district."

"Taurus...?" Yang sent her an interrogation face, frowning. Blake chuckled and rested her head on Yang's shoulder.

"One's family should not be judged for his actions, Yang. Adam was... well, Adam. But that doesn't mean his whole family is like him. Cruelty and spite are not inherited. They comes with time, with life, just like kindness and love." She kissed Yang's neck softly, with care. "You are the perfect example of that. Your mother... well, she left you. She leads a tribe of bandits, who rob and murder. And you... your heart... you are nothing like her."

Yang kept staring at the statue, a smile on her face. Then, the smile fell. "Well... according to dad, I have a lot of her in me. I'm stubborn, and hot headed. And I-" the words caught in her throat. "I... I killed. I killed, too, Blake."

They were silent for a minute, neither knowing exactly what to say. Then, Blake held her tighter, burying her face further into Yang. "You didn't have a choice..." it was barely a whisper, and Yang wouldn't have heard it if had she not been paying attention.

Yang rubbed Blake's arm, and kissed her head. "Yeah. I didn't... neither had you. But... uh, let's not talk about it right now! This is our first date, right?" She grinned at Blake, who nodded. Then, they headed to a nearby bench. The cat faunus held Yang with her two arms, pressing against the blonde's side. Yang's left arm was around her waist, caressing her side, and making her sigh contentedly. "Hey?"

"Hm?"

"W-what are we?" That made Blake's ears twitch up in surprise. She looked at Yang, with her mouth agape and eyes a bit wide in shock. It got the blonde nervous, and she tried to elaborate. "I-I mean... uh... we, you know... we kiss and we are having a date- a great date, I am loving it!- and we... uh, we make out, and that's good. It's great, you kiss well. Not that I would know, I'm not that experienced... but well, I mean... even if I had experience I guess I would know... ugh, this is so hard! Help me..."

Blake chuckled. She dared to chuckle. 'She-devil,' Yang thought. "You are a dork. An adorable, sweet dork."

"I-it's not my fault! You are out there full of experience with your novels and even though Adam was a douche you still were in a relationship and I-" Yang let out an exasperated breath, making Blake laugh.

"Take your time, sunshine."

"Blake Belladonna, will you be my girlfriend?" The words left Yang's mouth so quickly that they could match Ruby's semblance.

"What was that?" Blake teased, although she had caught up with every single word that left Yang's mouth.

"Come on, I know you heard it." Blake giggled as Yang devilishly poked her ribs. "You are a little devil, Belladonna, you know that, right?"

"Yes, I know I am." The cat faunus kissed the brawler's jaw. "And yes, Yang Xiao Long, I will be your girlfriend."

Yang bit her tongue at the feeling of warmth spreading through her body. It started in her chest, her heart beating faster, and then it went up her neck, following up to her cheeks and ears. She could hear her own heartbeat, and hugged Blake tight with both arms. "Girlfriend." The word danced in her tongue, tasting sweet and good. "Girlfriends. We are girlfriends now. Gods..."

Blake looked up at her, lovingly. If someone ever asked her, she would say Yang was her first everything, because it felt as if this was the first time she had been in love. Yang was her sun, her day, her light, her everything. She loved the three girls in her team more than she ever thought she would love anybody, but Yang... gods, she loved that blonde more and more every single day that went by. And she wanted, so much, to kiss her that instant.

"Yes, we are." Blake smirked, leaning closer. "And as your girlfriend, I claim the right to be kissed. Right now."

"I dunno... should I? Even after all that teasing?"

"Yes, you should."

"Why, though?"

"Because you love me." Her patience was wearing slightly thin. "Now kiss me, Xiao Long."

Yang chuckled lightly, and kissed her girlfriend. The kiss was sweet, slow, and calm. There was no rush to it, just their lips together and her hearts beating in synch. They didn't notice the children's laughter, she didn't notice as people smiled at them, they didn't notice anything. Their eyes were closed, and for them time stopped right there. Damn, Salem could show up then and there that... well, they wouldn't ignore it. They had to defend the people. And run for their lives.

But still, this moment was theirs. It felt like their souls were merging and, when they pulled away to look into each other's eyes, they felt like they had opened their eyes for the first time. They felt like it they had never seen yellow nor purple. It felt like gold and amethyst were foreign jewels, something from another world.

"Blake..."

"Yang..."

"Gods, I'm so in love with you."

"I love you so much." They kissed again, more passionate this time. "I'm yours, you're the only one for me."

"And I am yours too. Always have been, always will be."

"Have you ever heard of-"

"Soulmates?" They said in unison.

"Yeah." Yang answered. "I thought they were stories. I thought they were only fairytales, but... gods, Blake, that's the only way to explain this." She caught the faunus' hand with her prosthetic one, intertwining their fingers.

"With all the crazy things we found that were actually true... the Tale of the Two Brothers, The Four Maidens, The Lost Fable... you and I, being soulmates, doesn't sound as insane." Blake kissed her girlfriend's cheek. "Somehow, meating you... it seemed as fate. Everything. And how I'm drawn back to you every single time I run..." Blake sighed. "Do you believe in destiny, Yang?"

"Pyrrha and I talked about it once. She told me that, when she was a child, her grandmother would tell her these tales that taught that when you're destined to something, there's no going back. You can't change it." Yang held Blake even closer to herself. "I believe her, now. You are my destiny, Blake."

Blake had to hold her tears back. Yang wasn't the most eloquent person she knew, but gods, did she have her way with words when she tried. "Yang... gods, I don't... I don't even know what to say..." the tears she was holding back left her eyes. "You are my destiny, too." Her voice was small, almost a whimper. "I love you." She buried her face in Yang's hair. "I love you, Yang."

Yang pushed her away gently, by the shoulders. One hand went to the faunus' right cheek, wiping her tears away. The other rubbed her shoulder as they put their foreheads together. "I know you do, baby. And I love you, more than anything."

They stayed like that for some time, exchanging kisses and sweet words. When silence came upon them, it was comfortable. Blake's head was on Yang's shoulder, eyes closed, and she left soft kisses on Yang's neck. Yang kept one arm around her, the other holding Blake's hand. She sighed from time to time, when her girlfriend kissed her neck a little harder or got bold enough to leave a small bite.

After some minutes, something caught the taller girl's eye. A movie theater, across the street, and... "Tryst in the Myst!" She excitedly exclaimed. "Man, that's my favorite book, ever!" She let go of Blake's hand to point at the poster.

"Huh?" Blake lazily lifted her head. She looked where Yang was pointing, and smiled. "Wanna watch it?"

"Can we?" Yang looked at her, eyes of a puppy staring at a treat. Blake chuckled in endearment.

"We sure can, my dream." She leaned enough to kiss Yang's forehead.

"Awesome!" Yang grinned bright enough to light an entire kingdom. They left the park and headed to the theater. Yang was so excited that she just paid for the two of them already, making Blake get slightly mad at her, but she couldn't keep it up for long. How could she be genuinely angry at this girl?

(And Yang let her buy them the popcorns and soda.)

They watched the movie with no kisses. Yang was too into it to start anything, and Blake wouldn't take this moment away from them. They weren't the make-out-in-cinema kind of couple, they actually wanted to watch the movie. And the story was interesting, about a forbidden love, a cursed house on top of a waterfall, and a flower. Blake had read the romance before, and it was in her top five, so she enjoyed herself. But what she enjoyed more was the way Yang reacted to each scene. Laughing, getting emotional, having excitement all over herself when ger favorite parts came... Yang Xiao Long was a show greater to watch than any movie.

When they got out, Yang was talking excitedly. "Oh, gosh, this was great! Like, the part where she beats that fucking asshole's ass when he tried to keep her from going back to Yin! Like, gods, I felt that!"

Blake chuckled. "I like the part in which they kiss and break the curse together. The power of love, I like that."

"Wow, you are so cheesy." Yang laughs, and Blake lets go of her hand to slap her shoulder lightly.

"You like it too, don't lie to yourself."

"I do, I do." Yang chuckled, grabbing the other's hand, and they kept walking. They talked about the movie the whole walk until they reached the end of the faunus territory. The blonde tightened her grip on Blake's hand lightly as they walked past the limit between the district and the rest of Atlas. She sighed, coming to a stop and looking at her girlfriend. "Are you sure you wanna go back like this? I mean... we could still get the bus, you know?" Her eyebrows creased in concern as she looked into golden pools, searching for something.

Blake smiled, grateful for her girlfriend's thoughtfulness. "Yes, I am sure. As long as I have you by my side, Yang Xiao Long, I feel there's not a thing that I'm not able to do."

Yang smiled at her, pecking her lips. They then started walking through hell, together. But, as long as they were with each other, there was no place they would rather be.

"Katt's," Yang read the letters, narrowing her eyes. "That name is oddly familiar."

"Welcome!" The receptionist said. He was a tall, brown haired young man. Everything in him seemed quite human, except from his cat like eyes, which were emerald green and had vertical, growing pupils as the evening fell. "My name is Blaze Bastet. Do you have a reservation?"

"We do." Blake answered. "Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. Table twelve, outside, please."

Blaze's hands skillfully typed on the scroll in front of him, finding their reservations. When he found them, he smiled at them. "You may go inside, and there one of our waitresses will be waiting for you. She'll guide you to your table and will be serving you for the night. Enjoy your date." He winked at them, and they blushed, rushing in.

When they entered, they couldn't help but let their mouths fall at how stunning the place was. It had a big chandelier hanging on the top, lighting up the main room. In the center, many tables were scattered in a very organized pattern. It was rectangular, and the contour of it was a corridor with many artworks placed on the walls, lit by small lamps on the bottoms. They were mostly paintings of the mountains of Solitas, the Forever Fall forest and the beaches of Menagerie. There was big glass door across from them, giving them the view of the outside part, which had even more tables.

"Oh, it's the top heavy girl!" A cheerful voice said, approaching them. The pair looked at the source, finding an orange haired girl. She was dressed in black and white waitress wearing, but kept the skates, and her tail wiggled playfully as she got closer.

"Neon!" Yang recognized her. "Wow, never thought I'd find you in a place like this." Yang shook the other's hand with her prosthetic, not letting go of Blake for a second.

"Well, duh, my family owns it. As if the name doesn't give it away." Neon laughed, teasing Yang for her lack of perception skill.

"It did sound familiar." Yang muttered.

Neon and Blake laughed at that, and then proceeded to shake each other's hand. Then, the three young women headed to the outside, with Neon guiding then.

"Where's your icy friend, though? Heard she ran away from daddy's house." The cat faunus asked, sounding slightly, but genuinely, concerned.

"It's a secret, but she's in a hotel with us," came Blake's brief answer. There was no need for details, Weiss wouldn't want rumors to be spread. They reached their table, and the black and yellow duo sat across from each other.

"Cool! Tell her Flynt is still holding onto that promise that the four of us will hang out some time!" Neon said as she handed the menus to Blake and Yang. "Or... five, since now you seem to have this bottom heavy date around." The orange haired girl smirked and winked.

Yang narrowed her eyes, frowning. "What is it with you and these 'heavy' remarks?"

"Aw, c'mon! Just look at that booty! Or should I say... Bellabooty?" Yang gritted her teeth at that, while Blake just blushed and hid her face, fueling Neon's laughter. "Well, well, teasing aside, please make yourselves comfortable. Anything you need, I am a buzz away!" The waitress said, showing them the button on each side of the table. Then, the girl skated away, going back in.

Blake and Yang were silent for a moment, checking the menu. They stole some glances at each other, eyes meeting sometimes, making shy smiles take their faces. Yang looked over the wine section of the menu, analyzing it and had absolutely no idea about which one to order. Meanwhile, Blake was basically drooling over all the fish options she could order. Grilled Menegerian salmon, salt cod stew... and the list went on.

"These all seem delicious." Yang broke the silence, making Blake look at her.

"Yes, they do. I didn't even know there were this many of them!"

"I know, right?" Yang scratched her neck. "I don't even know which one to order."

"Well, I guess I will get the grilled Menagerian salmon." Blake hummed, looking at her own menu. Yang was confused for a second. Just what was she talking about?

"Huh?" Yang tilted her head. "Blake, are we looking the same thing?"

"Uh... I am looking over the fish part." Blake furrowed her brows, getting as confused as the girl in front of her.

Yang suddenly let out a laugh, confusion leaving her expression. "I was looking for something to drink, but I don't know much about any of the brands here..."

"Ohh," the cat faunus said in realization.

"It seems we weren't on the same page, huh?" Yang grinned, proud of the pun. Blake stared at her for some time, trying to process what just happened. Then, she face palmed, giggling.

"Why am I even laughing at this?"

"Because you love my jokes as much as you love me!"

"Impossible."

"Huh?"

"Impossible, I cannot love anything as much as I love you as whole." Blake smiled. Yang blushed, her mouth opening and closing as the one of a fish out of the water.

"Smooth, Belladonna." Yang finally managed to get out. "Very smooth of you. Expect a come-back."

"What? The 'hot daughter of the hottest teacher' can't even... light a spark to match that?" Blake smirked cockily.

Yang gasped, right hand going dramatically to her chest. "Blake Belladonna! You have learned your way into the amazing land of puns!" She reached for Blake's hand. "I am so proud of you!"

Blake laughed at that, squeezing Yang's hand in her own. Her eyes closed in laughter as she brought her free hand to cover her mouth. Yang observed her with soft eyes, smiling at how precious that girl was. She made a mind note to always protect that smile, until her heart beat for the last time. No matter what, she wanted to bring such joy to the faunus until their last days.

"Well, well love birds, do you have your orders?" Neon came back, smirking at them.

"Uh... I was looking over the wines, but I don't really know any." Yang said, smiling. "Do you recommend any?"

"Oh! We have this north Sanus one. It's very nice, and it never fails to please our clients. It's called Queen Bee."

Yang looked for it in the menu, finding it as the last one of the page. The price was no surprise being apparently a renowned brand. She bit her tongue, but decided to go for it. It was a special occasion, after all. It was her first date with Blake, she could afford to spend a bit more on a wine bottle.

"So, Blake, watcha think?" Yang inquired, making the faunus, who seemed to be reflecting on the same as she was, look at her. Blake smiled and gave a small nod in agreement.

"Ok, Queen Bee coming soon." Neon scribbled the order on a small notepad. "Anything else?"

"I'll go for the shrimp pizza!" Yang smiled at Neon, who wrote her order, nodding.

"I thought you were looking over the wine?"

"I'm an efficient lady, baby." Yang smirked, winking at the raven haired faunus.

"Oh? And just how efficient are you, sunshine?"

"Hmm, that you'll have to find out." Yang's smirk became a grin.

Blake blushed, but smirked back. "And how do you suggest me to do that, huh?"

"Girls? I'm still here!" Neon teased, making both look at her, and then at the ground, blushing. "Tell me, Blakey, what's your order?"

"Oh! Uh... the Menagerian grilled salmon seems fantastic. I think I'll have that one." Blake ordered politely, still blushing. Neon nodded and winked at them, before skating to the inside part of the restaurant to ask for their orders.

The pair chatted a bit more, sharing jokes and stories, drinking their wine. When Neon finally delivered their meals, the chatter came to a stop, and they started eating. Yang could pinpoint the second Blake fell in love with the salmon. The cat ears stood tall in surprise, showing that it tasted even better than expected. Then, they relaxed and went down a bit as Blake closed her eyes, a low moan sounding from her throat. Yang chuckled lightly, before attacking her pizza. Blake's reaction to the salmon didn't do justice to how good the food tasted. Lilac eyes widened as she chewed slowly, not wanting it to ever end.

"I've never had sex, but if it's as good as this pizza, I am down for it." Yang said under her breath, putting more food in her mouth. Blake almost choked on her salmon, laughing silently at Yang's... eccentric and spontaneous remark.

After that, they were too busy to even say something. While they did appreciate talking to each other, the food was too good. They ate delightfully until the last bite. After they were over with it, they kept drinking and talked a bit more. Blake insisted on paying the bill, but...

"No, you are not paying on your own. We're splitting." Yang's words were firm, as she looked at the woman across from her.

"Yang..."

"Look, Blake, I get it." The blonde sighs, expression lightening a bit. "But you don't have to make an impression on me."

"That's not- I'm not- You-" Blake gritted her teeth. Then, she closed her eyes and sighed in defeated. "Fine."

Yang smiles at her, and Blake feels her own heart melt. Yang gets her wallet, taking a card from it, and then pays her part. Blake is next, and when they're done, Neon is escorting them to the exit.

"Welp! Hope you two had fun!" Neon smiled brightly at them, her cat tail switching side to side. "And don't forget that Flynt and I are still up for some night out whenever y'all can! Let's have a blast!"

"We won't forget." Blake assured, and Neon hugged her goodbye. Then, she and Yang shook hands before the energetic faunus went back to duty. "She and Nora have a lot in common, huh?"

"Yeah... I feel like if they ever meet, the world will explode on spot out of energy overload." Yang stated, making Blake chuckle. Then, she took the faunus' hand as they started walking mindlessly. They didn't have any real plans after eating at Katt's, so they decided to just explored a bit before heading back to the hotel. They wanted some alone time, away from the rest of the group and from the imminent necessity to come up with something to save the world. Not that they didn't like being with the others, but there were times it all became too much.

They stopped walking when they found a small park, with trees covered in snow. They decided to go in and explore the new location. It was beautiful, and had a big statue of a man, with a fox tail, in the center. He was kneeling, his hand extended as if offering help to the people who came in. As the girls approached, they could see the warm smile captured by the sculpture. Their mouths dropped at the beauty and detail of it, as bronze shone in the silver light of the shattered moon.

"Wow," Yang gasped, tempted to take the hand. "This is awesome."

"It truly is." Blake smiled, arm around Yang's waist as the blonde had her left one over her shoulders. She recognized the man from stories and descriptions from her time at the White Fang. "Joseph Taurus, is his name. He was the one to buy and donate this district."

"Taurus...?" Yang sent her an interrogation face, frowning. Blake chuckled and rested her head on Yang's shoulder.

"One's family should not be judged for his actions, Yang. Adam was... well, Adam. But that doesn't mean his whole family is like him. Cruelty and spite are not inherited. They comes with time, with life, just like kindness and love." She kissed Yang's neck softly, with care. "You are the perfect example of that. Your mother... well, she left you. She leads a tribe of bandits, who rob and murder. And you... your heart... you are nothing like her."

Yang kept staring at the statue, a smile on her face. Then, the smile fell. "Well... according to dad, I have a lot of her in me. I'm stubborn, and hot headed. And I-" the words caught in her throat. "I... I killed. I killed, too, Blake."

They were silent for a minute, neither knowing exactly what to say. Then, Blake held her tighter, burying her face further into Yang. "You didn't have a choice..." it was barely a whisper, and Yang wouldn't have heard it if had she not been paying attention.

Yang rubbed Blake's arm, and kissed her head. "Yeah. I didn't... neither had you. But... uh, let's not talk about it right now! This is our first date, right?" She grinned at Blake, who nodded. Then, they headed to a nearby bench. The cat faunus held Yang with her two arms, pressing against the blonde's side. Yang's left arm was around her waist, caressing her side, and making her sigh contentedly. "Hey?"

"Hm?"

"W-what are we?" That made Blake's ears twitch up in surprise. She looked at Yang, with her mouth agape and eyes a bit wide in shock. It got the blonde nervous, and she tried to elaborate. "I-I mean... uh... we, you know... we kiss and we are having a date- a great date, I am loving it!- and we... uh, we make out, and that's good. It's great, you kiss well. Not that I would know, I'm not that experienced... but well, I mean... even if I had experience I guess I would know... ugh, this is so hard! Help me..."

Blake chuckled. She dared to chuckle. 'She-devil,' Yang thought. "You are a dork. An adorable, sweet dork."

"I-it's not my fault! You are out there full of experience with your novels and even though Adam was a douche you still were in a relationship and I-" Yang let out an exasperated breath, making Blake laugh.

"Take your time, sunshine."

"Blake Belladonna, willyoubemygirlfriend?" The words left Yang's mouth so quickly that they could match Ruby's semblance.

"What was that?" Blake teased, although she had caught up with every single word that left Yang's mouth.

"Come on, I know you heard it." Blake giggled as Yang devilishly poked her ribs. "You are a little devil, Belladonna, you know that, right?"

"Yes, I know I am." The cat faunus kissed the brawler's jaw. "And yes, Yang Xiao Long, I will be your girlfriend."

Yang bit her tongue at the feeling of warmth spreading through her body. It started in her chest, her heart beating faster, and then it went up her neck, following up to her cheeks and ears. She could hear her own heartbeat, and hugged Blake tight with both arms. "Girlfriend." The word danced in her tongue, tasting sweet and good. "Girlfriends. We are girlfriends now. Gods..."

Blake looked up at her, lovingly. If someone ever asked her, she would say Yang was her first everything, because it felt as if this was the first time she had been in love. Yang was her sun, her day, her light, her everything. She loved the three girls in her team more than she ever thought she would love anybody, but Yang... gods, she loved that blonde more and more every single day that went by. And she wanted, so much, to kiss her that instant.

"Yes, we are." Blake smirked, leaning closer. "And as your girlfriend, I claim the right to be kissed. Right now."

"I dunno... should I? Even after all that teasing?"

"Yes, you should."

"Why, though?"

"Because you love me." Her patience was wearing slightly thin. "Now kiss me, Xiao Long."

Yang chuckled lightly, and kissed her girlfriend. The kiss was sweet, slow, and calm. There was no rush to it, just their lips together and her hearts beating in synch. They didn't notice the children's laughter, she didn't notice as people smiled at them, they didn't notice anything. Their eyes were closed, and for them time stopped right there. Damn, Salem could show up then and there that... well, they wouldn't ignore it. They had to defend the people. And run for their lives.

But still, this moment was theirs. It felt like their souls were merging and, when they pulled away to look into each other's eyes, they felt like they had opened their eyes for the first time. They felt like it they had never seen yellow nor purple. It felt like gold and amethyst were foreign jewels, something from another world.

"Blake..."

"Yang..."

"Gods, I'm so in love with you."

"I love you so much." They kissed again, more passionate this time. "I'm yours, you're the only one for me."

"And I am yours too. Always have been, always will be."

"Have you ever heard of-"

"Soulmates?" They said in unison.

"Yeah." Yang answered. "I thought they were stories. I thought they were only fairytales, but... gods, Blake, that's the only way to explain this." She caught the faunus' hand with her prosthetic one, intertwining their fingers.

"With all the crazy things we found that were actually true... the Tale of the Two Brothers, The Four Maidens, The Lost Fable... you and I, being soulmates, doesn't sound as insane." Blake kissed her girlfriend's cheek. "Somehow, meeting you... it seemed as fate. Everything. And how I'm drawn back to you every single time I run..." Blake sighed. "Do you believe in destiny, Yang?"

"Pyrrha and I talked about it once. She told me that, when she was a child, her grandmother would tell her these tales that taught that when you're destined to something, there's no going back. You can't change it." Yang held Blake even closer to herself. "I believe her, now. You are my destiny, Blake."

Blake had to hold her tears back. Yang wasn't the most eloquent person she knew, but gods, did she have her way with words when she tried. "Yang... gods, I don't... I don't even know what to say..." the tears she was holding back left her eyes. "You are my destiny, too." Her voice was small, almost a whimper. "I love you." She buried her face in Yang's hair. "I love you, Yang."

Yang pushed her away gently, by the shoulders. One hand went to the faunus' right cheek, wiping her tears away. The other rubbed her shoulder as they put their foreheads together. "I know you do, baby. And I love you, more than anything."

They stayed like that for some time, exchanging kisses and sweet words. When silence came upon them, it was comfortable. Blake's head was on Yang's shoulder, eyes closed, and she left soft kisses on Yang's neck. Yang kept one arm around her, the other holding Blake's hand. She sighed from time to time, when her girlfriend kissed her neck a little harder or got bold enough to leave a small bite.

After some minutes, something caught the taller girl's eye. A movie theater, across the street, and... "Tryst in the Myst!" She excitedly exclaimed. "Man, that's my favorite book, ever!" She let go of Blake's hand to point at the poster.

"Huh?" Blake lazily lifted her head. She looked where Yang was pointing, and smiled. "Wanna watch it?"

"Can we?" Yang looked at her, eyes of a puppy staring at a treat. Blake chuckled in endearment.

"We sure can, my dream." She leaned enough to kiss Yang's forehead.

"Awesome!" Yang grinned bright enough to light an entire kingdom. They left the park and headed to the theater. Yang was so excited that she just paid for the two of them already, making Blake get slightly mad at her, but she couldn't keep it up for long. How could she be genuinely angry at this girl?

(And Yang let her buy the popcorns and soda.)

They watched the movie with no kisses. Yang was too into it to start anything, and Blake wouldn't take this moment away from them. They weren't the make-out-in-cinema kind of couple, they actually wanted to watch the movie. And the story was interesting, about a forbidden love, a cursed house on top of a waterfall, and a flower. Blake had read the romance before, and it was in her top five, so she enjoyed herself. But what she enjoyed more was the way Yang reacted to each scene. Laughing, getting emotional, having excitement all over herself when her favorite parts came... Yang Xiao Long was a show greater to watch than any movie.

When they got out, Yang was talking excitedly. "Oh, gosh, this was great! Like, the part where she beats that fucking asshole's ass when he tried to keep her from going back to Yin! Like, gods, I felt that!"

Blake chuckled. "I like the part in which they kiss and break the curse together. The power of love, I like that."

"Wow, you are so cheesy." Yang laughs, and Blake lets go of her hand to slap her shoulder lightly.

"You like it too, don't lie to yourself."

"I do, I do." Yang chuckled, grabbing the other's hand, and they kept walking. They talked about the movie the whole walk until they reached the end of the faunus territory. The blonde tightened her grip on Blake's hand lightly as they walked past the limit between the district and the rest of Atlas. She sighed, coming to a stop and looking at her girlfriend. "Are you sure you wanna go back like this? I mean... we could still get the bus, you know?" Her eyebrows creased in concern as she looked into golden pools, searching for something.

Blake smiled, grateful for her girlfriend's thoughtfulness. "Yes, I am sure. As long as I have you by my side, Yang Xiao Long, I feel there's not a thing that I'm not able to do."

Yang smiled at her, pecking her lips. They then started walking through hell, together. But, as long as they were with each other, there was no place they would rather be.