Work Text:
Yang’s head fell onto Blake’s shoulder with a thump as her partner fumbled to find the right key to jam into their dorm’s door handle. The Faunus’ skin was warm against her forehead, the heat radiating from her friend’s body to her own. Wasn’t she supposed to be the fiery one? Blake’s chilled fingers finally found the right key and shoved it in the lock, twisting to the left and unlocking the door. The sound was sharp in the hallway and her tail twitched at the loud ca-click of the steel bolt sliding back into the door.
Yang was tired, really tired. The team had been out busting Grimm ass all morning and well into the afternoon. It was already 4:00pm and the only thing she had eaten since breakfast was a gritty-tasting protein bar. Her stomach grumbled lowly at the thought of a meal… but getting food required energy. She’d just ask Ruby or Weiss to bring them dinner later. The pair were still at the showers and wouldn’t be back for a while, seeing as the team leader and her partner were attending the mission briefing this evening.
Blake grasped the handle and pushed down, pulling the door open with a sigh. Yang, begrudgingly lifted her head and opened her eyes, blinking then squinting in discontent.
Blake’s shoulder was such a nice head rest, she was sad to see it go. The two of them were like that ever since the.. incident. Always so close, always touching each other in some way—whether it’s the brush of a hand or an arm around a shoulder, they always an excuse not to leave the other’s side.
Their friends were used to it.
Yang’s left hand came up and she rubbed the sleep out of her weary eyes with her thumb and forefingers. Her lilac gaze glided across the room taking in the dim atmosphere from behind Blake. It was quiet, nice. Though, who closed the blinds before her team left this morning? She couldn’t remember—not that was early enough for the sun to be beating through their windows anyways.
Her and Blake had just gotten back from the showers, hair damp and bones aching. They were in comfort clothes, fully planning to not leaving their dorm until dinner at the earliest. Blake had on a pair of dark gray sweatpants with “Beacon Academy” in lettering down the side. She had also stolen one of Yang’s black t-shirts with her fiery emblem in embroidered on the left breast. The back of Yang’s yellow tank top was slightly darker than the front, damp from her wet hair, her baggy black shorts doing the bare minimum to keep out the cold.
The drained blonde and her partner stepped through the door and into the dim room.
“I’m glad that’s over.” Yang arms rose above her head and she leaned back in a long stretch, stepping out from behind Blake. Blake’s left ear jumped to the source of the quiet pops that echoed out the door and into the hallway. She hummed in agreement. The pair had been on the offensive today, taking the role of scouting and breaking through the first waves of Grimm. For some reason, Jaune came up with the wonderful idea keep a tally of the Grimm they killed and made the whole day a big competition. Yang being Yang… went a little overboard. By the last half hour of the fight, her aura was in the red, much to her partner’s distress. It’s fine. Team RWBY won all thanks to Blake and Yang’s valiant efforts and badass fighting skills.
“I think.. I need a nap.” Yang muttered through a yawn, her hair was heavy, flowing around her slumped shoulders in clumps of curls that hadn’t quite dried yet. Unlike her own, Blake’s hair was almost completely dry. It dried so fast ever since she cut it short, Yang rarely got to see her best friend with her hair wet. It probably wasn’t comfortable for the Faunus to have it wet for long, who would want their ears all heavy and waterlogged? No wonder cats don’t like water.
With a sigh, Blake turned and clicked the door shut. They fumbled to take off their boots and left them on their side of the room next to the door. With her shoes off and in the corner, the Faunus leaned against the door and thumped her head back with a sigh heavy. Eyes closed and head tilted backwards, the girl loosely crossed her arms. Her shoulders slumped and her ears relaxed.
Yang looked up from her long-discarded boots and took a step towards her partner. The wooden floor was cold against her sock-covered feet which were drawing her nearer to Blake. She stopped in front of the Faunus and slid her hands up her arms to rest loosely on the girl’s shoulders. The Faunus let out a soft breath.
“Tired?” Yang tilted her head to the right with pout, interlacing her hands behind the Faunus’ neck, they weaved through the hairs at the base of her skull. Blake hummed softly in confirmation, her partners hands were gentle in their ministrations, pressing into the sore muscles at the base of her skull.
Yang felt the same, she took a step back, her mechanical hand trailing along the girl’s arm. She gave her partner’s arm a squeeze then turned. Making her way towards the bookshelf between the two sets of bunk-beds.
Right, her arm. Yang’s prosthetic had been acting up all day, it happened whenever she wore it for too long. Unfortunately she couldn’t take it off earlier because needed both arms to wash her hair. It didn’t help that her aura was so depleted from the fight—the connection to her prosthetic had been a little spotty. She’d have Ruby take a look at it later
She shuffled up to the shared bookshelf-desk where her yellow and black helmet and keys sat and turned her attention to the prosthetic clinging to her arm. She reached over to the buckle above her right elbow and unlatched the clasp, releasing the airtight seal and loosening the sleeve’s grasp on her damp skin. Her aura disconnected from the prosthetic and she fumbled the hunk of metal off her stump. Relief.
The prosthetic had taken some getting used to, but she made it work. Much to her sister’s pleasure, she let Ruby upgrade the thing so she wouldn’t have to wear Ember Celica on top of the false limb. Being constantly armed wasn’t originally on the forefront of her mind, but it certainly came in handy in a pinch.
Something shifted behind her, before she could turn to investigate, warm arms wrapped around her midsection. Yang froze, prosthetic in hand. Blake’s chin came to rest on the taller girl’s shoulder, her eyes closed. Warmth flooded through her body. Blake’s arms tightened a fraction around the blonde, her hold steadying and her breath warm on her shoulder.
Yang’s ears grew warm and she let out her breath After she made sure her prosthetic wasn’t going to tumble off the desk and onto the floor, she leaned into her partner. Her left hand raised from the desk and found the arms wrapped around her waist to rest atop them. She pulled the Faunus a smidge closer then relaxed her upper body against her partner.
Yang loved this Blake, the soft Blake. Even though they were all a lot closer as a team than they used to be, this is the side the Faunus reserves only for her best friend. Blake was not a fan of all the “physical affection” when they first met. But over the months, that claim didn’t seem to hold true—at least when Yang was involved. Yang’s just.. hard not to love. She’s the kind of person to take one look at you and steamroll through all your walls without even realizing it. That’s her problem isn’t it? She never realizes.
The blonde let out a sigh, turning around, her left hand slid along her partner’s right forearm and around her waist, slowing to a stop at her lower back. She tucked her chin and pressed her forehead against her best friend’s shoulder.
Calm.
The smell of Blake’s shampoo flooded her nose and drowned her senses. Vanilla and.. something warm. Yang sighed and lifted her head.
Blake was.. grounding. Wherever Yang was, if she needed her, Blake would be there. The Faunus had made sure to not go back on her promise, not leaving the blonde’s side in any time of need, or at all really. Yang only sometimes took advantage of this, batting her eyelashes and asking Blake to trek all the way to the kitchen with her to grab her an egg salad sandwich. Blake conceded.
Egg salad was worth it.
Yang inhaled again, shifting so her chin was on the shorter girl’s shoulder. She shivered and shifted her arm-and-a-half back around her partner. The Faunus dipped her head press against the blonde’s damp curls. Her hands had maneuvered their way down around Yang’s waist and were gently playing with the drying tips of her hair, the curls weaving through the Faunus’ slow fingers. Yang was comfortable, warm, and didn’t want to move.
Unfortunately, her partner did.
After a deep sigh, the Faunus gave her midsection a squeeze. She pulled her head back and bumped her forehead against the blonde’s, amber eyes settled on lilac with an apologetic squint. Relaxing her arms and retracting herself from Yang, she took a step backwards then turned around, retreating to the warmth of her own bed.
Yang, feeling colder than she had a second ago, rubbed her upper arm with her left hand. Her stump had goosebumps from the sudden change in temperature and her tank top wasn’t providing much warmth to the equation. She glanced up to her own bed…the top bunk. With little hesitation, she followed her partner to the bed below hers, the much more convenient option.
Yeah.
Convenient.
The dark-haired girl sat on the bed, scooting back towards the headboard leaving just enough room for Yang to sidle in beside her. Peering up at her partner with an inquisitive look, her head head tilted, ear flicking sideways impatiently. The cat Faunus grew impatient and huffed, turning, ready to take a nap.
Yang had a different idea.
Her left hand reached out and slid against the comforter towards the Faunus, the blanket soft under her touch. There was a quiet rustle of fabric as her right knee came down onto the corner of the bed, kneeling with one knee and climbing to the center of the mattress, pushing Blake to shift a little closer to the edge of the bed than the girl was comfortable.
It’s not like they never cuddled or anything, they were friends, friends cuddled. She used to cuddle her sister when they were younger. Hell, if Ruby asked her to now, she would probably say yes. But.. it was different with Blake, everything came so naturally. It was just a matter of whether Blake was in the mood to be perceived. Even then, if Yang wanted anything, Blake was never very reluctant when it came to her and her antics. Sometimes she was even a co-conspirator.
“Really?” The Faunus’ head turned over her shoulder with an amused eye roll. She pushed herself into a sitting position and leaned back, tucking her legs in and resting her hands in her lap. She stared at the blonde expectantly. Yang sat back, crossing and uncrossing her legs trying to get comfortable. She settled, her legs sticking straight out in front of her. Turning her cheeky gaze to her friend, she clicked her tongue.
“That’s what I’m forgetting!” Feigning innocence, Yang threw open her one and-a-third arms with a brazen smile. Blake’s eyes stilled on hers, an unreadable expression filtering across her face. “Come here.” The blonde rolled her eyes with a smile, arms still up, beckoning Blake closer. She sat there for three silent seconds.
Neither of them moved.
Her beaming smile dimmed and her arm dropped a few centimeters. This isn’t okay then. Okay, for sure. That’s fine. Yang let her arm drop to her side, heat rising up her face and ears like a flash flood. With an awkward cough, she readjusted herself with her left hand, scooting to the edge of the bed and standing up.
A hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her back down to the bed. She didn’t have time to stay off balance when two arms circled her shoulders and steadied her. The blonde sighed. She wished the girl would make up her mind sometimes.
That’s one thing she didn’t understand about Blake. She was an amazing person with such a kind heart even if it was buried under a few layers of mistrust and scars. But she never knew what she was thinking. She was hot and cold. One second her and Blake would be having a grand old time, the next, the Faunus would barely acknowledge her presence. Was it something she did? If so, why hadn’t Blake told her? But if it was something she was doing wrong, she could just stop whatever it was and everything would be fine. Yeah, good plan.
Blake released her grip on the blonde’s shoulders, allowing her to turn back around on the bed. The Faunus’ eyes were sleepy and with another emotion that Yang couldn’t really read. That’s okay.
Yang scooted back to her original position on the bed, except this time, she pushed herself farther down, her head coming to rest on Blake’s pillow.
Blake’s droopy eyes followed her. Once the blonde was settled, she unceremoniously laid herself on top of her partner, slithering up Yang’s body and nuzzling her face into the crook of her neck. Her favorite spot, even if her ear was pressing against the side of Yang’s face. The Faunus let out a contented sigh, her left arm sliding underneath and around the blonde’s shoulder. The shorter girl was warm, sleepy, and so cozy. Yang’s legs bracketed hers, a cocoon of warmth. They were comfortable.
The hot air on her neck made Yang’s hair stand on end the goosebumps traveling down her one and one-fourth arms. She endured. She breathed. She’d do anything for the girl who was current attempting to cover every inch of her body with her own. Yang lips curled into a soft smile, left arm coming around to rest on Blake’s mid-back. Her muscles twitched every once in a while with the swish of her tail.
They laid like that for a while, the exhaustion settling into their bones. Yang’s hand had made its way to Blake’s upper back, drawing random patterns, skittering between her shoulder blades. Eventually, her arm got tired and she brought it back down to her mid back. She hugged the Faunus just a little tighter drawing a small motoring noise from the girl.
Yang held her breath and kept her eyes closed. Blake was out like a light and the blonde was now wide awake. Blake was... purring? Like for real, full stop, purring. Oh my gosh. This is actually the cutest thing. Yang wished she could record a full body experience.
She kept as still as she could, trying to savor the experience, but Blake’s soothing rumble eventually
lulled her to sleep as well.
————————————
Blake was tucked into her partner’s side when the door’s lock slid out of place and slowly opened, flooding the room with light. The sun had set sometime when the pair were sleeping. Blake lifted her head, eyes squinting at the offenders.
“You didn’t come to dinner,” Weiss offered, taking off her shoes with one hand, two plates balanced on the other arm. Blake let out a noncommittal grunt. Weiss sighed quietly and placed the plates on the desk next to Yang’s prosthetic, sparing the two a glance. Ruby, who had snuck in behind the heiress, closed the door after taking off her boots, plunging the room back into welcoming darkness.
“Thank you,” the Faunus mumbled, settling her head back onto her partner’s shoulder. Back to the warmth.
————————————
When Yang awoke, light was filtering through the shutters, assaulting her eyes via horizontal stripes. She opened her eyes to see that someone threw a blanket over her last night, but she was alone in Blake’s bed. The blonde pushed herself off the bed with her left arm and glanced over to the other pair’s bunk. Still asleep.
She sighed and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was already awake, might as well start getting ready. As she stood up and slid her sleeve for her prosthetic on, she pretended that she didn’t get that weird achy feeling in her chest.