at least it was here

by usoverlooked

Summary:

Everyone moves in the second day of August. Someone orders pizza and Weiss announces in no uncertain terms that they’re going to have a party on Saturday, and everyone needed to mark ‘attending’ on her Facebook invite.

“Is this what college is like?” Ruby asks.

“There’s more alcohol and crying,” Nora says

Chapter 1: AUGUST

AUGUST

So the eight of them move into a house on Beacon Avenue. It’s the color of a peach, with a tiny garden in the back, and two bedrooms on the bottom floor. Somehow, those end up being Jaune and Pyrrha’s. It means that every time some drunk lost soul ends up on their front porch, one of those two have to convince them that no, this is not where you live, please continue on your walk. Everyone else has rooms on the upper floors. Yang and Ruby split the room with the fire escape, while Blake takes the tiny room in the attic that smells permanently of bread for some reason. Weiss gets the room that has a window that won’t shut, nearest the stairs to the attic. Ren and Nora split the master bedroom, with a set of bunk beds and one old queen sized mattress on the floor. Everyone moves in the second day of August. Someone orders pizza and Weiss announces in no uncertain terms that they’re going to have a party on Saturday, and everyone needed to mark ‘attending’ on her Facebook invite.

“What if I’m going to be out of the country?” Blake asks, not looking up from her book. Yang’s got her feet in Blake’s lap and she kicks one. It should bump the front cover of the book, but Blake moves it up and out of reach just before it can. Yang sticks her lower lip out in a fake pout.

“Blake, I don’t know why you think you’re funny,” Weiss says. There’s no real sharpness to it, they’re all too worn out from moving furniture.

“I’ll Skype in,” Blake comments as if she hasn’t heard Weiss. Tiredly, without looking over, Weiss flips Blake off. The corners of Blake’s mouth twist up as she continues to read.

“Is this what college is like?” Ruby asks. She’s perched on a high stool from the kitchen, dragged in for her by Jaune, which made Ruby blush. She’s looking out at the crowd.

Yang’s playing Tetris on her phone and occasionally trying half-heartedly to bother Blake, who is reading. Weiss is curled in an armchair, scowling at Blake. Nora and Jaune are playing some racing game on the shitty Wii someone contributed. Pyrrha is working on a crossword puzzle, head in Nora’s lap and Ren is knitting in the ancient La-Z Boy next to the lamp.

“There’s more alcohol and crying,” Nora says, just before elbowing Jaune. He tips over onto his side and on screen, Princess Peach slides off the track on-screen. Nora shrugs as she zips past the finish line. “In my experience, at least.”

---

Weiss doesn’t mean to glare at Yang’s sister. She seems fine, hasn’t brought anyone home or come home stumbling drunk in the first week of living in the house. But she just - she takes up space in a way that makes Weiss itch. It’s not even really Ruby’s fault, Weiss knows this is her own issue because no one else is bothered by it. The space isn’t even real it’s just - Weiss can’t stop thinking about her when Ruby’s in the room. Weiss watches her the evening before the party. It’s not creepy because Weiss is also supervising Nora’s punch making. Nora attempts to pour a second bottle of rum into the punch and Weiss clicks her tongue, resulting in a stare off. They end up like this often because when they argue it gets pointless fast because the only person as stubborn as Weiss in the house is Nora.

“So is it okay if I invite someone else to the party?”

“We had fifty people on the Facebook invite,” Weiss snaps without looking away from Nora. Nora’s head tilts like she might try to pour the rum in anyways and Weiss crosses her arms. She can hear Ruby shuffle next to them.

“Right, so, it’s just - she’s a freshman and I know that you guys said-”

“You already landed a girlfriend?” Nora asks brightly, blinking over at Ruby. Weiss smirks, takes the rum from Nora. Nora hisses at it but does nothing more, accepting the loss.

“What - no, I - no, Penny’s a friend, we work together at the front desk. She’s just - I don’t know, she doesn’t know people and she’s fun, so,” Ruby finishes with a little nervous laugh. Weiss really should find that annoying but it makes her smile instead. She thinks of her father and the look he’d given her this summer when she had said no, no boyfriend, yet again, and the smile slips off her face.

“Just bring her,” Weiss says and it sounds sharp even to her own ears. “It’ll give you someone to talk to so the rest of us-”

Weiss stops because it’s too far and Ruby just looks young when Weiss looks over. Weiss sighs, considers saying she was kidding. Instead, she just moves around Ruby to stick the rum in a cabinet. She can hear Nora try to explain it, like, oh that’s just Weiss. She’s awful anyways, Weiss imagines her saying. It feels like it might be right.

---

Jaune hates his job. Most of the group works – which, is everyone but Weiss and well, Ren and Nora just make Vine videos, but still – and somehow Jaune is the only one who hates his job. He could probably find something else, but the diner pays well enough and it’s entertaining, at least. He was supposed to get off work at nine-thirty, but Katt didn’t come in until ten, so he’s late getting back. He’s rewarded by walking in just as Yang climbs onto the coffee table with a bottle of Andre in each hand. It’s good to be home.

“Everyone,” Yang yells. She clacks the bottles together. It has no effect. Jaune moves towards the sound system, but Pyrrha beats him to it, turning the dial down. Pyrrha smiles at him and Jaune tips his head up in hello in return.

Everyone quiets. Yang grins. “We’re going to play drinking games in the kitchen, if you want to join. If you don’t, make fun choices.”

She whoops, then hops off the table, landing with a thud. Jaune smiles at her and is unsurprised when she pushes through the small crowd to reach him. He’s a little surprised when she hands over one of the bottles of champagne. It’s unopened and he looks at her quizzically for the fact.

“It’s supposed to be Pyrrha’s, but she’s been drinking the Schnee-snobby booze,” Yang explains with a shrug of her shoulder. She tucks her own Andre under her arm, takes the bottle from Jaune. The top twists off easily and Yang chucks it over her shoulder. Someone yelps like maybe it hit them but really, a party with Yang as host, they should expect projectiles.

Jaune dutifully holds his bottle out to cheers her, then takes a long drink of it. Yang wanders off and Jaune looks out at the crowd. He recognizes most of them as his friend’s friends. Most of the people he truly likes are already here, living in this house, so he’s not looking for anyone he won’t see later. It’s just - something about big things, parties and road trips and group dinners at crappy restaurants - it always makes him want to catch Pyrrha’s eye about it.

The hand on his arm makes him jump. Turning, he finds Pyrrha. As if he summoned her. She smiles, warm as ever, and he holds out the Andre.

“Oh no, I’m drinking the fancy stuff Weiss bought. But thank you.” She holds up a solo cup full of something caramel colored. Her cheeks are a little rosy, but otherwise she seems sober enough. Not surprising. Pyrrha’s responsible, Jaune knows. Still, it’s nice to see her looking tipsy and happy.

“What’s not fancy about six-dollar champagne?” Jaune asks. He takes another drink while she laughs, the sound of it bubbly.

Someone opens the door, so Jaune steps more into the room. It puts him in Pyrrha’s space, close enough to smell the vodka in her drink. Pyrrha smiles at him. They’re the same height and Jaune thinks maybe it should bother him but he likes it. In almost any room, he can just look out and catch her eye, easy as anything. She’s the right height. He remembers her mentioning once that a guy was weird about it, about her being tall, but Jaune can’t agree.

“Want to go watch Yang lose at Never Have I Ever?” He asks, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Pyrrha nods.

It’s crowded enough so he grabs her hand to tug her through the crowd. Her hand’s softer than he expected. Not that Jaune thinks about her hands a lot. The amount of thought he devotes to them is probably a normal amount. But still, she lifts weights and does the ropes course at the school rec, so he’d expected more calluses. But her hands are soft.

Pyrrha drops his hand as soon as they reach the kitchen doorway. Most of the rest of their roommates are seated on the floor, along with Sun, a few people from their floor last year, and a girl Jaune doesn’t recognize. Sun’s technically their weed guy, but less technically, their friend.

“Neptune’s at home reading tonight,” Blake announces to Pyrrha and Jaune. Neptune’s is Sun’s boyfriend. Her tone makes it impossible to tell if she’s saying this enviously or judgmentally.  With her there’s an equal chances of it being either.

Pyrrha settles next to Blake, leans against the counter. Jaune sits in the space next to her, beside Yang’s sister. Ruby, he reminds himself. She’s pretty but Jaune can’t see much of Yang in her looks. Then, she smiles as Nora slides into the room, nearly tipping over onto the table in her socks, and he can see it. That smile is a repeat of Yang’s.

Ren trails in after Nora and Yang takes this as a cue to begin the game. She peels a beer off the six-pack on the table and sets it in the center of the group.

“Go over the rules for Ruby and Penny.” Blake instructs. Penny must be the other girl then. She looks small, so Jaune figures she has to be a freshman.

“You draw a card, you have to do something.” Yang begins.  She reiterates the rules but Jaune tunes it out. Most of them have been friends for nearly three years now, and playing drinking games for just as long.

“How many fingers do you do for never have I ever?” Sun asks when Yang finishes. Yang makes a face.

“I start with seven, everyone else starts with five, and shut up.” Yang says, sounding sour. Weiss snickers. It was a necessary rule change, the only way to keep Yang from having to drink every time a ten was pulled.

“Youngest draws first,” Pyrrha points out when it looks like Sun might respond. Sun leans back while Penny and Ruby compare ages.

Ruby ends up pulling a two and makes her sister drink. The next few cards go easily enough, with Weiss getting out on rhyming and Nora picking Jaune to be her partner for drinking. The latter earns a look of relief from Ren.

“He needs to catch up,” Nora says, as if Ren is instead offended and needs an explanation. Ren gives Jaune a look that conveys pretty clearly that he is not in the least envious . Jaune figures Ren is probably feeling something a lot closer to pity right now. Then Nora takes a long gulp of her drink. Jaune follows suit.

The next few cards are number cards and they’ve nearly made it the whole way around the circle before they draw a ten. Pyrrha’s the one to pull it and she wrinkles a nose. Everyone holds up a hand, and Yang holds up two fingers on her second hand.

“Never have I ever gone skinny dipping.” Pyrrha says. She gets most everyone with that, save Penny and Weiss. Penny blushes red with it while Weiss preens.

“Uh, crap,” Jaune says upon realizing it is his turn. Weiss rolls her eyes at it. Weiss rolls her eyes at most things Jaune does. He’s accepted it as part of his life at this point.

“Never have I ever dyed my hair.” Jaune says finally.

“Nora dyed your hair for at least two of Pyrrha’s soccer games last year,” Ren points out, quick.

“That was hairspray with color!” Jaune attempts. Several of his loving friends boo him. He takes a drink. “Fine, never have I ever had sex.”

“Wait, really?” Nora asks.

“Does it have to involve a dick?” Yang asks over her.

“Put a finger down.” Several people say in answer to Yang. She flips off the group at large before doing so.

“I mean, I’ve been in the ballpark, I just haven’t, y’know, slid on home.” Jaune makes a vague motion with his hand and both Weiss and Blake look disturbed. He drops his hand. “Whatever.”

“I really hate that metaphor,” Yang points out.

“You have a shirt that says ‘save a cowboy, ride me’,” Blake says. Yang tsks.

“That’s different.”

Blake shuts her eyes for a long moment then takes a drink. Not really in response to the question, but more to Yang, Jaune knows.

“Uh, never have I ever taken off someone else’s pants,” Ruby says, blushing.

The next few are unexciting enough – though there is a mild argument about whether or not Weiss got kicked out of IHOP or left voluntarily.

Jaune was there. It was not voluntary. But Pyrrha intervenes and declares that Weiss left voluntarily as no one physically pulled her from the restaurant. No one can really argue with Pyrrha - both because she’s technically right and because it’s Pyrrha . On the next finger, Yang goes out. She takes a long swig of her drink.

Jaune draws a four and all the girls drink, along with Jaune, thanks to his card hitching his wagon to Nora. He looks over at Pyrrha as Ruby draws – a three – and her expression is odd.

“What?” He asks, voice low. The group has started arguing about the rules to question master at Penny’s queen.

“I was just surprised. By your – by what you said.” She says. Her cheeks are red from the vodka and maybe more so from the subject. Sex is one of the few things Pyrrha and Jaune don’t really talk about. Not that Jaune would have much to say on it. And not that Pyrrha talks about it with anyone really. She’s pretty private about that sort of thing.

“Haven’t really had the chance, I guess,” Jaune says. She’s about to say something but the group quiets. She turns back to the group, ponytail swishing over her shoulder. Jaune stares at her a beat too long after, but the only one to notice is Nora, who smirks. Nora takes a drink then and Jaune glares back as he does the same.

Nora draws an ace, earning a groan from everyone who has played before.

“Nora can chug like a monster.” Jaune explains to the freshmen.

Nora preens at the comment. Then she promptly proves it to be true. By the end of it, Jaune’s bottle is close to empty and most everyone with a mixed drink has to get a refill. Sun takes Pyrrha’s cup to refill, partially to be kind and partially because it is well known that Pyrrha always makes her drinks too weak. Jaune was about to offer to fix it for her if Sun hadn’t.

“We’re going to get another ten soon,” Blake predicts. She’s watching Yang fix both of their drinks, Yang’s Andre now empty and proudly displayed atop the fridge. She smiles a little when Yang isn’t looking, same way Blake always has.

“I hate never have I ever,” Pyrrha says quietly. Jaune nods to that and looks over. She’s got her knees pulled up to her chest, chin resting on one. “I always feel like I haven’t done enough.”

“Yeah, I feel the same.” Jaune says. He pulls an arm around her shoulders, the affection of it easy. Pyrrha leans against him. She smells like cinnamon. “We could always work on them together.”

Pyrrha freezes, he can feel it, and then he realizes how it sounds. And oh boy, that’s too much and he’s just glad it’s not Nora because Nora would die of laughter. Not that he’d say it to Nora either. Jaune can feel himself blush.

“Oh, I – like how you’ve never gone on a road trip or been in a fist fight. I’ll fight you, anytime.” Jaune says. He’s very glad most of the group is in the living room fixing drinks because there’s no way they’d let him live this down. Pyrrha laughs.

“You’d fight me?” She asks, pulling away from him enough to look him in the eye. Jaune attempts to look serious.

“I’d even try to lose with dignity.”  He affirms. Pyrrha smiles, laughs again. It sounds a little nervous or embarrassed and Jaune’s just glad she’s kind enough to not comment on any of it.

The rest of the group returns soon after. Sun hands Pyrrha her drink then makes excuses and leaves. He climbs out the kitchen window and no one comments on it. With Sun, it would actually be weirder if he left through the front door or explained where he’s going. Even Penny and Ruby just kind of blink after him for a moment before accepting it.

As predicted, the next card is a ten. The first few are innocuous enough and Jaune would guess some of the upperclassmen feel weird about freshman being around for the weird sexual ones. Then it gets to Blake.

“Never have I ever fingered someone in a Denny’s.” She says. Next to her, Yang sticks her tongue out and puts a finger down.

“Like you wouldn’t given the chance, B,” Yang says. Blake turns to her, smirks. It’s a predator look. Pyrrha coughs then and Jaune would guess she’s covering a laugh.

“Nikos, keep it moving,” Yang says. She takes a drink, eyes still locked on Blake’s.

“Never have I ever given a blow job.” Pyrrha says. She’s probably blushing but Jaune somehow can’t look over at her. Yang whoops at it, glad to be safe on one. Then, Ruby puts a finger down across the room and Yang makes a face like she’s been shot.

“I had to learn about you getting to third base in a breakfast eatery!” Ruby shrieks. Nora laughs the loudest, but Weiss is a close second.

The tab pops on the next card and the game ends with that. Jaune heads out into the living room. He talks to a few people from classes. Sage starts student teaching in a few weeks so Jaune comforts him over that for a while, all while trying not to panic about it himself. Being an education major seems like a great idea until the reality of being in charge of about twenty teenagers comes crashing down.

Jaune is about a minute away from really freaking out about the whole big future when Pyrrha catches his eye and nods to the back porch. There’s only a few people left, it’s late enough in the night, so when he joins Pyrrha, the porch is empty otherwise.

“So, I had an idea.” Pyrrha says.

She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and Jaune’s still tipsy enough to just focus on that. She has nice hair. He likes her hair. And her ideas. So he waits.

“We should have sex.” She says.

Jaune thinks maybe he had a stroke. Like, right in the half a second between her saying ‘have’ and the next word. That would make more sense. So he just squints at her and she blushes, rosier still with the alcohol in them both.

“It doesn’t have to be some big deal! I just think - I would like to have sex and I don’t want to just meet some guy who might be bad or mean and -” Pyrrha trails off. She takes a drink from the Solo cup in her hand, looks out across the porch. Jaune’s still processing, all of it, when she starts to chew her lip and he really hopes she doesn’t say anything for a minute because her saying sex so many times and then biting anything is, well, effecting him.

“So we just have sex. Like once?”

“Well, I mean, I want to get good at it.”

Jaune blinks his eyes shut. It’s just - it’s a lot to deal with. Pyrrha makes some noise and he knows that means she’s embarrassed.

“Alright.” He says. He opens his eyes and her face is blank. It takes a moment and then she grins. For a moment, she looked so surprised he thinks maybe she was joking and he almost retracts but she tosses her arms around him. Her drink sloshes out, lands on his shirt and arm and she smells like vodka and that perfume she always wears.

“We should make out then. For y’know, practice.”

“And so Yang can stop staring me down and doing ‘never made out with anyone at a party’ during every fucking never have I ever,” Jaune adds. It is getting annoying honestly. It’s not his fault Yang’s so bad at not having done things.

“Oh my god. You’re a genius . We’ll do the stuff that makes us lame for Never Have I Ever!” Pyrrha jumps a little, happy with it and Jaune smiles. This is a bad idea probably, he thinks as she grabs his arm.

But he’s always wanted to thread a hand into her hair, always wanted to know if it’s as soft as it looks, and this is as good an excuse to do that as anything. So he slides his hand into her hair, the other just going to her waist like it belongs there. The few girls he’s kissed before - well, and Ren - were all shorter than him by a lot. Pyrrha barely even has to move to kiss him, as if the only reason they aren’t always kissing is purely the space, which seems so stupid and small when she closes the gap between them.

It’s a bad idea, probably, but Pyrrha tastes like vodka and something sweet. He stumbles forward, the hand at her waist ending up part ways up her shirt and - it doesn’t seem real. One of her hands pulls at his hair and the other traces his chin and it’s just good . It’s Pyrrha and it’s him and he thinks, stupidly and drunkenly, that it can only get worse for him after this. And then she makes this noise in the back of her throat and he figures worse can’t really be all bad.

The door opens and Pyrrha shoves at him, steps back herself. Jaune spins to find Ruby. Ruby blushes red, stammers for a moment.

“Don’t tell. Especially not Nora.” Pyrrha says. She moves around Jaune to hold Ruby’s hand, pleadingly. Jaune hadn’t really figured this was the type of thing that they would announce to people. If Pyrrha wanted to date him, she’d just ask him out. But it still stings a little, that she doesn’t even want Nora to know. Nora’s probably her best friend. Well, if Jaune isn’t. Maybe Jaune is her best friend - he was her first option for friend sex.

“I’m just avoiding watching Yang take body shots!” Ruby yelps, jarring Jaune from his thoughts. She folds her arms over her body. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know you guys were out here!”

“It’s okay.” Jaune manages. He gives her a thumb’s up. Ruby’s still - well, red enough her name seems apt.

“I’m not - I wouldn’t tell anyone stuff you don’t want them to know. I promise! I’m cool. Not like - god, I don’t think I’m cool , just I won’t - I’m not a jerk.”

“Nobody thinks you’re a jerk.” Pyrrha says.

“Weiss said I was being a bit much.”

“That’s Weiss, the day she says anything nice, it’ll be a marriage proposal.” Jaune says easily. Pyrrha clicks her tongue at him as if it’s untrue. It’s not! He likes Weiss - well, not like that, not anymore - but she’s harsh.

“Ruby, that’s not on you. Weiss just has her way of talking to new people.” Pyrrha says delicately. She glances over her shoulder to give Jaune a look. He knows that look, though it’s usually reserved for Nora. It’s a reminder that being nice or at least shutting the hell up is always an option.

Ruby’s shoulders drop in relief.

“I think I’ll head up to bed. It’s late.” Pyrrha says after a moment. She moves around Ruby easily and doesn’t even really say goodnight before she heads back into the house. Jaune stares at the door for a moment after she’s gone.

“You aren’t going to go with her?” Ruby asks. Jaune startles at that and it must show on his face because Ruby makes a noise in answer. “I don’t mean to assume!”

“No - that’s - it’s. I’m going to go inside. And drink water. You should drink water too. We all need water.” Jaune then proceeds to run into the door before managing to open it. He stops in the doorway and makes a face at Ruby. “This conversation was a disaster.”

“That happens to me a lot.” Ruby says with a shrug. She doesn’t say it like she’s actually sad about it, but more like she’s just accepted her lot in life. Jaune appreciates that. He relates to it.

“We’re gonna get along well, Ruby.” He declares. She grins. He looks into the house. “Oh, and don’t come in here, your sister just threw her shirt on the ceiling fan..”

He catches the beginning of a sigh before he lets the door shut behind him. Ignoring the disaster that seems to be Yang and Nora discussing getting a tattoo together - he can deal with that in the morning, with Pyrrha’s support and everyone’s collective hangovers backing him. Jaune fixes two glasses of water. When he knocks on Pyrrha’s door, she answers already in pajamas. Her rather fancy outfit is gone, replaced with a t-shirt and her older glasses. They’re huge and Nora calls them her librarian glasses and now he’s thinking of her dressed as a librarian which is bad and he realizes he’s just awkwardly standing at her door.

“I don’t think we should do anything more tonight.” She says, sounding almost like she’s going to spook him with this. Jaune just holds up the glass. Pyrrha nods her thanks before taking it.

“You always get headaches when you forget to drink water.” He says simply. It doesn’t really need to be explained - everyone needs water when they’ve been drinking - but he’s way more aware of the fact that her t-shirt is a little see-through than he ever has been before and saying something is a good way to stop thinking about that. Pyrrha smiles, soft.

She leans out into the hallway. The party has died down for the most part, with the last few guests heading for the door. So when she grabs his shirt and tugs him into her room, no one notices.

“We could make out?” Pyrrha suggests, in exactly the same way she once suggested eating pie for dinner after finals. Like it’s not the greatest idea anyone’s ever had and she’s nervous he might say no to it.

He had kinda wanted to kiss her for the pie thing. So he’s pretty glad that this time, that’s a totally acceptable answer.

---

Yang tosses an arm easily around Blake’s shoulders as the two head up the stairs. She’s warm and smells like cigarettes, even though she stopped smoking freshman year. Yang saw her go out front with Sun for a while, keeping him company while he smoked. It made her twist a little because before - well, before , it had been Sun and Blake as a unit. But then there was Neptune and everything that happened last semester happened and it wasn’t - Yang knew it was dumb, that it was not her place. Still, she was glad when Blake came inside and bounced around, dancing to a song with Yang. There was a certain look of ‘you owe me’ that often accompanied convincing Blake to dance, but this time she just grinned and even thinking of that now, hours later, warmed Yang.

Yang attempts to figure out how to say all to Blake without saying too much. Somehow, she settles on just kissing Blake’s cheek. It’s easy and Yang gets affectionate with alcohol - even just twenty minutes ago, she had curled up around Nora, promising to get a tattoo of a tiger somewhere along her ribs.

“You smell nice.” Blake says as they reach Yang’s door. Yang laughs, actually tips her head back and laughs. For a moment, it feels like the disaster at the end of the semester last year never happened.

“I was just thinking that about you.” Yang admits. Blake rolls her eyes as if that will help the compliment slide away, the way she always does. Yang almost brings it up, but instead she just fumbles for the doorknob. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too.” Blake says. She looks like she might say something else so Yang waits. She thinks maybe, all hopeful, and then remembers she should know better. Still, Yang’s never been good at knowing better.

Blake starts towards the stairs then stops. “You look beautiful. I meant to say that earlier.”

The last sentence slurs together a little and Yang can’t tell if that’s booze related or nerves. Either way, she smiles, shrugs.

“Amazing what some good makeup and bad lighting can do, right?”

“That’s not it.” Blake challenges. Yang blinks at her and Blake turns to go back up the stairs. “Night, Yang.”

“Night, B.” She manages to answer. It would be stupid to say anything else but god does she want to. Yang heads into her room, leans against the door.

“Am I gonna barf in the morn’ng?” Ruby calls out from her bed. It jars Yang from her thoughts and she grins. She bounces onto Ruby’s bed, earning a yelp. Ruby smacks her legs with a pillow.

“Oh for sure.” Yang answers. She flops onto her side next to Ruby. She hopes Ruby can see her smirk in the dark. “Welcome to college, kid.”

Chapter 2: SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER

The thing about being in a group this size and this close is that there are few secrets. Or at least, few things that stay secret for long. Sure, Jaune may not know how Pyrrha feels, but everyone else does. The fact that Ruby sometimes sings in her sleep is one that she may be unaware of, but the rest know all too well. The fact that Pyrrha and Yang hooked up a few times is rather common knowledge, as is the fact that nearly everyone in the house has kissed Ren - even Weiss . But Yang figures everyone in the house probably has one thing - one tiny piece of their lives - that is still hidden. At least, that much is true for her.

It was the end of sophomore year and Weiss had already gotten a taxi to the airport. It was one of those things she always insisted on - not letting anyone drive her to the airport - but Yang’s pretty sure someone will be able to wheedle her down this year. She tries very hard not to think about the fact that the person will be her kid sister. But Weiss left and since it was just the three of them - her, Weiss, and Blake - in an apartment that year, it meant that she was alone with Blake. The three of them rented an apartment two floors down from from the other four - with Ruby, of course, still finishing up high school - and it was a nice enough place. The sink dripped and the neighbors blasted music until two in the morning every single Tuesday, but it was close to campus.

So it was mid-May, just before everyone began to peel off for the summer. Weiss had an internship at her father’s company that she would work too hard at to prove herself. Pyrrha would go back home, to training and that rather see-through grimacing grin that she wore when she was home with her mothers for too long. Jaune would go home and come back with a little more twang in his voice until Nora lovingly bullied it out of him. Nora and Ren were planning a road trip and a vlog series. Yang would go back home to work shifts at the diner while taking the last of her gen-eds at the community college about twenty minutes away. And Blake would disappear as she had the year before. There was a strange comfort in all of it, knowing where everyone would be, at least vaguely.

Nora threw a party for all of them on a Thursday, before Pyrrha caught a plane. Sun - a self-proclaimed townie and thus there for the summer - and Neptune came by, as did Katt, and others and it was all in all nice. The spring semester had been tough on all of them and so there had been a rather impressive amount of parties in the past few weeks, so for all intents and purposes this party should have faded into obscurity or melded in with any of the others that preceded it. And it would have. If not for Blake.

Yang got tipsy, then stopped drinking because she planned to pack in the morning and the mere thought of doing so hungover seemed too much to bear. As it usually went, she ended up on the couch next to Blake. Blake had a glass of wine with her, but she was even closer to sober than Yang. And then, easy as anything, Blake dropped her hand onto Yang’s knee.

There were a million things Yang could’ve said and maybe just as many she should’ve said instead of what she did. But Yang was Yang.

“Want to get out of here?” Yang asked. She expected some joke - some, ‘what kind of girl do you think I am’, but Blake stood, as if she had just been waiting for Yang to ask.

They practically ran up the stairs and Yang knew it was pure luck that none of the group saw them when they left. Blake fumbled with her key when they reached the door and Yang couldn’t help herself. She traced a hand up Blake’s arm, pushed hair over her shoulder to get at the spot at the crook of her neck that took up too many of her thoughts.

By the time Blake got the door open, there was a flush running up her neck, coloring her cheeks. She curled her hand in Yang’s shirt, then pulled her in and boxed her in against the door. Yang remembers the smile then, first Blake’s and then her own. Bright, happy, and it hurt like pushing on a bruise to remember what came next. Blake had kissed her.

Everyone assumed they had done that before. She knows that - that everyone assumes Yang’s kissed most every woman she’s wanted. But the one woman she truly wanted to kiss - the one she had been wanting for months, maybe even a year at that point, if she were honest - Yang wasn’t even the one to kiss her first. It was all Blake, closing that small distance. Blake, who never drew first blood, who never volunteered for anything first, who never put it out in the open what she wanted, not the way Yang did. She kissed Yang. Blake tasted of wine and her lips were soft, even as Yang bit at them. Her hand stayed fisted in Yang’s shirt, while the other found her hip. Yang kept her own hands wrapped in Blake’s hair.

It had become quickly evident that the hand in Yang’s shirt was there in part to get it off her and Yang was - still is - never one to deny a reasonable request like that. She turned them so that Blake’s back was against the door. She yanked the shirt over her head, then reached for the buttons on Blake’s. She followed the buttons as they unlatched, tracing the length of her with her mouth.

“Come home with me this summer,” Yang had said against Blake’s ribs. Blake’s hand tightened in her hair and Yang righted herself. “Never mind.”

But it was too late. Blake dropped her hands from Yang.

“I thought this is what you did.” Blake said, voice small. Yang took a step back.

“What,” her voice flat and sharp. She felt her heart drop to somewhere near her toes and Blake wouldn’t look at her. Yang watched Blake’s shoulders fold in, almost trying to hide herself.

“I shouldn’t - this was a bad idea.”

“I don’t want just a hook-up. Not with you.” Yang said, because she could never stop herself from saying things, even when someone so clearly didn’t want to hear them. She remembered, suddenly, Raven holding her face in between her hands when she was younger, after she’d smarted off to Raven. Raven proclaimed that she could thank Qrow for that big mouth of hers. It had hurt, the way most things Raven said did. Somehow this felt worse, the way Blake wouldn’t look at her, the way she held herself like she wanted to be as far from Yang as possible.

“Yang-”

“Right,” Yang said before Blake could finish it. She couldn’t stomach it, whatever would come next. “I get it, I’m not - I’m not the girlfriend type.”

“It’s not that.” Blake said. Yang didn’t bother to ask what it was then because - well, she didn’t believe Blake. Not really.

Blake’s head dropped back against the door, expression some strange smile that didn’t match with the way she was tearing up. For a moment, Yang had the stupid hope that Blake had changed her mind. Then, Blake muttered an apology, clutched her shirt together, and slid out the door. Yang listened to her run down the hall.

Blake didn’t come back that night, or the next, and when Yang left for the summer, it was without seeing her best friend again. Yang spent the summer taking statistics and biology at the junior college and working overnight shifts at the diner. She went out with people from high school that she only vaguely liked and sent Snapchats of herself dancing with ladies, taking bodyshots off women, even one of her playing suck and blow with a woman from work. She posted them all on her story, then tried her hardest not to check if Blake had viewed it. Blake always watched it, and Yang always checked. It was all they ever communicated. Then, August came and Blake had tried to bring it up, just before they were all supposed to move in. She seemed like she might apologize. So Yang just pushed on, acted like it never happened. If it never happened, that was better. Sometimes Yang thought Blake might still bring it up. But Blake was a lot of things and pushy was not one of them. So it never came up.

Still. Yang was surprised that no one knew about it. Sometimes she thought about it, if she’d kept her big mouth shut, if Blake wouldn’t have been spooked. She thinks about Raven touching her cheek and refusing to claim even that piece of Yang, refusing to be responsible for this innate part of her. She thinks about all of it and tries not to hurt when Blake looks at her for a moment too long, like Blake’s trying to figure out if she should feel bad for wanting something else, and Yang always wishes she were a little bit less. It doesn’t happen often. But it does happen. And that’s a bigger secret than any of the rest of it.

---

Ruby has trouble feeling comfortable in the house at first. It’s not that anyone does or says anything. Almost everyone is really very nice! Pyrrha even makes her tea! And then Nora says that Pyrrha doesn’t drink tea but Yang said Ruby likes tea and so she made it for her. Ruby’s never really had a mom but that seems like something a mom would do, so she likes Pyrrha right off. Plus, Jaune’s funny and watches the same stupid tv shows as Ruby, Ren’s just very sweet when he’s around and Nora is funny, and - well, of course, Ruby loves Yang and she’d met Blake last spring so. That just leaves Weiss. Who is nice! Really! Just a little less - well - warm than the rest of the group. Ruby isn’t going to mention that to anyone though. But she knows that Weiss is paying more of the rent than the rest of them, so she feels like she needs to be nice or convince Weiss to like her or - or well, anything .

So she’s decided to make some pie. Pie doesn’t require baking so she won’t heat the house up. It’s an easy enough recipe and she’s halfway through it before she realizes that there’s no pie tin. Like, unless someone has one stowed in their room, there’s no pie tin. So Ruby has all the cream filling in a bowl and some crushed graham crackers in another bowl and she’s not exactly panicking, but it’s something very close to panicking.

Yang walks in with Blake, takes one look at the mess and grabs Blake’s arm and moves both of them upstairs before Ruby can explain. That’s probably for the best. Yang lit two of their microwaves on fire when they were growing up. Pyrrha and Nora walk through the living room, their voices carrying, and Ruby figures Ren is probably with them too. She ducks her head out and nearly bumps into Jaune. He smiles at her widely. Then he notices the kitchen.

“Oh boy.” He says simply. It’s a pretty apt statement. Ruby realizes she’s still holding the bowl of pie filling.

“Does anyone have a pie tin?” She asks a bit frantically. His brow furrows.

“Not unless someone has one in their room. Nor, do you have one?”

“No. Why would I have one?” Nora asks from the stairs. A few stairs below her, Pyrrha looks worried.

“You own a tiki mask and one of those inflatable things you see at car lots, it’s not a ridiculous question.” Jaune says. Nora shrugs, point accepted. Ruby’s kind of excited about the inflatable guy. She’s going to ask about that. Later. After this minor crisis.

“Do you want me to go out and buy one for you?” Pyrrha asks.

“I mean, well, I don’t want to cause any trouble! If you guys were in the middle of something, you don’t have to.” Ruby stammers. She shifts the bowl in her arms. “I have money!”

“We get to eat the pie, right?” Jaune asks. “If we’re eating it, you don’t need to pay.”

Pyrrha joins him in the doorway, leans towards the bowl.

“It’s lime! I figured lime is good. People like lime, right?” Ruby says.

“I love lime.” Jaune says brightly. “Most of the house does. Except Ren and Weiss and - uh what’s Blake’s opinion on it?”

No one answers him and Ruby’s too stuck on the first part of his statement to really even get to that.

“Weiss hates lime?”

“Yeah, she’s not big on citrus in general. It’s a rich people thing.” Nora says. She’s now braced herself between the two walls that encompass the stairs, so she’s basically floating.

“It’s not a rich people thing. I don’t know why you want to start that rumor so badly, she just doesn’t like citrus.” Pyrrha corrects gently. “Oh, Ruby, was this for Weiss?”

“No - well - I just, I thought I should do something nice for everyone in the house, y’know? And it - I mean, it stinks that she can’t enjoy it when she - I mean.” Ruby stops, sighs. She groans. “I also used the last of the milk.”

“Make no-bake cookies.” Ren says. Ruby looks up at him and he shrugs. “Weiss really likes them. They can get you some milk and a pie tin.”

“Yeah, not a big deal.” Jaune says, giving a thumb’s up. Ruby brightens.

“Can you guys pick up some whipped cream too?” Nora asks. Pyrrha pulls out her phone, clearly typing up a list. Ruby feels a great deal of affection for her. If she weren’t holding a bowl of pie filling, she would absolutely hug Pyrrha. Jaune leans over the phone too, something almost absent in it. It would seem more natural if Ruby didn’t notice the blush blooming on Pyrrha’s cheeks.

“Soy milk?”

“For Blake.”

“Right,” he snaps his fingers. “You need anything else Rubes?”

“I’ll text Pyrrha if I do?” She says. Pyrrha nods, tucks the phone into her pocket.

Ren comes over to the kitchen as Pyrrha and Jaune head out. He reaches atop the fridge to pull down one of the two ancient cookbooks there. It only takes him a few moments to flip to the page for no-bake cookies.

“These are one of her favorites. Mine too, but,” he smiles at the admission and Ruby smiles back. Should she make a list? She might need a list of what people like. There’s seven people to keep track of! What if she needs to make treats to cheer up any one of them?

“Thanks Ren.” She says, because she decides making a list right now in front of him is weird, probably. She scans the recipe and finds that she might need some wax paper. She shoots a text to Pyrrha and gets a thumb’s up emoji in response. “Hey, how long have they been together?”

“They aren’t and it’s very ridiculous,” Nora says. She makes a face to fully accentuate how ridiculous it is. Which it probably is! Ruby doesn’t really have a good barometer for ridiculous but this seems like it would be it.

“Oh, I’m just - I can never tell if people are dating. I mean, last year, when I met Blake, I thought she was dating Yang!” Ruby laughs then stops short when Ren and Nora exchange a look. “Wait, were they dating?”

“Not that I know of,” Nora says. That’s a rather cryptic response. But Ruby just nods like it is exactly the answer she wants. Nora nods up at the clock above the sink. “You only got about an hour before Weiss gets back, you might want to hurry with the no-bakes. They’ll be back with the wax paper by the time you need it.”

“Thanks,” Ruby says. And then because she can’t stop herself. “Like, for all of it. You guys are just - you’re cool and fun and I really like living here.”

Nora grins. “Duh. We like you too.”

Ruby grins at that, finds that she can’t stop it, and still is as she makes the cookies. Jaune and Pyrrha get back just about exactly when she needs the wax paper. Jaune hands the groceries over while Pyrrha heads upstairs.

“She’s going to the gym because she likes to study while on the treadmill. That’s strange, right?” Jaune says when he catches Ruby looking up the stairs. There’s something really very fond about the way he says strange that makes Ruby feel a little bit like an intruder. Like she knows too much or has seen into a room she shouldn’t, but Jaune seems oblivious and that - somehow that almost makes the feeling worse. Like she knows something about him that he doesn’t.

“I think I’m going to have to study too much to do that.” Ruby says, when she realizes Jaune’s waiting for an answer. He laughs.

“Yeah, I get that. Listen, second slice of the pie, I call dibs, okay?”

“Who gets first piece?”

“The chef, of course,” Jaune says. Ruby likes him, she decides. Maybe more than the others, not that everyone else isn’t great.

 

By the time Weiss gets home, the cookies are almost done cooling, and the pie is in the fridge. The kitchen is still a mess and Ruby’s unsurprised at the pinched look on Weiss’s face when she sees that.

“Don’t worry! I just - I wanted to make some treats because - y’know, starting the school year, and as a welcome here thing, and I’m cleaning it now! It’ll be clean soon,” Ruby wrings out a paper towel in her hand as she talks. Weiss blinks at the towel and Ruby freezes, somehow embarrassed by that.

“Okay,” Weiss says after a long moment. And then she just stands there, leaving Ruby feeling very off-kilter. She had expected Weiss to be upset or happy or well, something , but Weiss is just sort of standing there. Like, impossible to read and in the doorway.

“The cookies are almost done if you want one! I heard you like these.” Ruby spins and motions to the cooling no-bake cookies. When she turns to Weiss again, Weiss is finally smiling. It slips off her face quickly but Ruby caught it. Success!

“I didn’t know anyone knew that I like these.” Weiss says. She walks to the counter to take a cookie. She smiles again. There’s something there that solidifies it for Ruby, the fact that Weiss is going to be her friend. Maybe it’s the strange way it makes her feel like she’s not the only one not totally at home here yet. Maybe it’s the fact that Weiss smiles at the cookie like she’s forgotten Ruby is in the room. Whatever it is, Ruby’s decided. She’s keeping Weiss around.

“I’ll help clean up after this,” Weiss says.

“Oh, you don’t need to.” Ruby starts but Weiss rolls her eyes.

“I doubt you’d get it clean enough.” She says.

Ruby’s trying to decide how offended she should be when Weiss eats some of the cookie and then smiles.

“This is good.” She declares.

Ruby decides she’s not that offended anyway.

---

 

Nora is as used to being vaguely internet famous as anyone can be. Like, she’s never going to be one of the Hemsworths or Angelina Jolie or any of those people who need bodyguards. But occasionally, people will do a double-take when they see her on campus or at the grocery store. Nobody really approaches her, which is cool, but she still feels eyes on her more often than she had ever planned for her life.

“You don’t have to work.” Ren says when she starts to glare at a pack of teenagers who are eyeing her while they eat dinner.

“I know.”

“And my resume looks really good for videography.”

“I know .” Nora swipes one of his fries. Ren cocks his head. Nora sighs. “People keep asking if we’re dating on Twitter.”

“So.”

“ So it’s annoying.” Nora says. Ren shrugs. Nora makes a face back. “I know, I know. But I don’t want to just tell them.”

Ren lifts his chin up and Nora leans back to make room so the server can set down the steak.

“You know the drill. Eat it in an hour, it’s free.” The server says. Her eyes flick between Ren and Nora. Ren pulls out his phone.

“Nora, tell the people what you’re about to do.”

“I’m going to eat this steak and then probably never eat steak again because I’ll barf this up like ten minutes after I finish it. But my name is going on that wall and I’m getting that free shirt.”

“That’s my girl.” Ren says.

Nora doesn’t say anything in response, because there’s steak and a time limit. She winks instead.

An hour and five minutes later, when she’s barfing up the majority of the steak - while wearing her new free shirt - Nora curls one hand into the front of his shirt and not just for balance.

“You know, right?” She says, when he brings her a water bottle. Ren smiles and she thinks again that his smile might be her favorite.

“Of course I do.” He answers. And then he holds out a pack of gum.

Their picture ends up on Twitter that night with new rumors - “Vine star - PREGNANT?” - and she laughs herself nearly sick again when he retweets one of them with a winky face. Everyone thinks she’s trouble, and they're not wrong. But everyone seems to forget that Ren's right there for all of it too. She doesn't though.

---

 

The house slopes a little to one side, a matter that only causes issues in the kitchen, which occasionally sends apples tumbling to the floor. Still, it's almost good because it gave Weiss something to grumble over when they all moved in.

Now, in early September, Blake is curled up in the booth against the wall of the kitchen, watching Ruby and Nora experiment with this fact. Ruby's trying to figure out if certain cans - fruit vs vegetable, mainly - fall faster. Nora approaches the matter with far less scientific value, instead just trying to send things sailing as far across the kitchen floor as possible. Blake is - admittedly - a little hungover, enough that doing much more than curling around her mug of tea and observing the two seems like a bit much.

"Is this too loud?" Ruby asks after a can of mandarin oranges nearly lands on Nora's toe. Nora runs off, likely bored. Blake makes a face to demonstrate how little it bothers her. Ruby smiles in response and Blake's struck by how much she looks like Yang.

Their looks are dissimilar enough that she doesn't always remember that the two are sisters, but then Ruby will slug someone in the shoulder easily or she'll phrase something a certain way and it becomes obvious. Her smile looks the same too, apparently.

"My uncle always says the best cure for hangovers is hair of the dog, do we have any of that?" Ruby asks. Blake blinks at her as she attempts to puzzle out if that's a joke or not.

Ruby's smile falters, the way it does occasionally when the rest of them start to act too cliqueish. There's a level of familiarity that comes from being close for nearly three years that puts other people on the outside of it, even accidentally. Blake hopes it doesn't happen too often, but she's sure it happens more than any of them realize.

"Hair of the dog means drinking more," Blake says. Ruby blushes, then as if she's decided not to be ashamed at not knowing, she laughs.

"Makes sense with my Uncle Qrow." She says fondly. It's always struck Blake how warm the Xiao-Long, or apparently Xiao-Long-Rose, family seems. It's never something she has figured out how to articulate to Yang, but Ruby cocks her head like she just might see something of this on Blake's face. "He'd like you, I'm surprised Yang's never made him take you guys out for drinks."

"I never let Qrow near my pretty friends."

Blake startles at that, turns to find Yang leaning against the doorframe. She scratches at her stomach sleepily and Blake tips her chin towards the coffee pot. Yang nods a gratitude in response, an old shorthand acquired from countless shared mornings. Yang pours a cup, pads to the table. Blake slides down the booth and Yang moves in, leaning on Blake's shoulder almost immediately.

"He's not that bad," Ruby says, half admonishing Yang, half reassuring Blake.

"Am I not pretty enough for your uncle?" Blake can't resist. She feels the slight shake of Yang's shoulder against her own.

"No - I didn't mean that! You're very pretty. He - I just mean - not that way !" Ruby actually wrings her hands one point in that, and Blake cracks a smile, peering into her tea cup to avoid giving it away.

"Too late, you've mortally wounded Blake's pride now." Yang says. She yawns, then takes a sip of her coffee.

Ruby looks more distressed at this and Blake's about to give her an out when Weiss walks in.

"Weiss, you met Qrow, didn't you?" Yang calls. Weiss pushes her glasses up with the side of her hand, peering at the three of them for a moment. Ruby blushes at this for some reason, Blake notes.

"Yes," Weiss says finally, clearly aware this is some sort of trap. Still, her tone makes clear exactly how much she likes the man in question. Yang grins.

"See, that proves my point about who to let Qrow near." Yang says before taking another sip of coffee. Weiss makes a face, either annoyed or confused, Blake has never been able to tell the difference between the two on Weiss. Then, she moves to the fridge to pull out her creamer - some nasty Girl Scout flavored thing that not even Nora will touch.

"Uncle Qrow hit on you?" Ruby sounds outraged.

"What, now Weiss isn't pretty enough for Qrow?" Yang says, grinning. Blake pinches her arm, earning a yelp. Ruby ignores them both.

Weiss leans up out of the fridge, shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

"I was at a bar with my sister. Qrow was there with Yang, who disappeared, likely to cause trouble on her own. So he was alone and came over to Winter and I. He insisted on buying her a drink, said something about old time's sake." Weiss says. She crouches at the counter, slowly pouring nearly half a cup of creamer before adding any coffee. This is apparently a matter that requires her full attention because she goes silent until she stands again. "So my sister poured the drink on his head and I had to leave behind a perfectly fine gin and tonic after that."

"Well, it sounds like he was just being friendly." Ruby says, pleased with the story's end. Blake laughs to herself at that.

"I have a feeling he and Winter weren't just friends." Yang says. She winks after, which is really unnecessary with the tone she had.

"Don't be disgusting, Win's better than him." Weiss takes a drink of her - well, Blake figures it's coffee on a technicality, if nothing else.

"According to who?" Ruby yells.

"Anyone who has known the two of them for upwards of five minutes," Weiss returns heatedly.

"My uncle is one of the best-"

"Sleazes?"

"He's not sleazy !"

"Tell that to the gin and tonic I had to abandon," Weiss shouts. She sets her coffee mug on the counter, hard enough for some of it to slosh out. "He can be a good uncle and also be not good enough for my sister."

"Maybe your sister isn't good enough for him!" Ruby yells.

"Could you guys hold off on the screaming match until like - maybe two in the afternoon?" Jaune says as he comes around the corner.

"Put a shirt on!" Yang demands.

Jaune holds up both hands as if one of them pulled a gun. It's then that Blake notices the trail of small bruise-like marks along his collarbone.
"Seriously, put a shirt on." She says, thinking of Pyrrha and that hopeful look on her face she gets sometimes when looking at Jaune. Jaune blinks at Blake, something like betrayal on his face. Sighing, she taps a finger against her own collarbone meaningfully.

He turns red quickly, stammers a few things, then moves out of the doorway so fast, Blake's surprised there isn't an outline of him in dust remaining when he's gone.

"Were those?" Yang trails off instead of finishing the question. Even Ruby nods in response. Yang makes a face. "Shit. Should somebody tell Pyrrha?"

"Tell me what?" Pyrrha asks. She stretches in the doorway, one arm nearly touching the ceiling as she does.

"That you better hurry if you want the last of the coffee Ruby made." Blake lies easily.

"Oh, sorry I didn't wake up earlier, I usually make it before my run." Pyrrha says, because only Pyrrha would apologize for not making coffee for the rest of the house.

"I was on coffee duty at home for years, I like making it." Ruby says brightly.

"Should I stop making it? I can if you'd like to make it from now on." Pyrrha says as she pours herself a cup. She adds a spoon of sugar then sips it. "Oh, this is much better than mine."

"It's just Folgers," Yang says lightly. Pyrrha shrugs.

"I added cinnamon," Ruby says. "Dad's trick."

"It's a good trick," Pyrrha says.

Pyrrha pours another cup, adds a bit of sugar to it as well. She transfers the spoon from the cup in her hand to the cup on the counter quietly. Before anyone asks who it's for, Jaune walks through the doorway. His shirt has a clown on it for some reason, but at least he's wearing it, Blake decides. Pyrrha hands the cup on the counter to him, the whole exchange rather absent, as if they’ve done this a thousand times. It's halfway to his mouth before she places a hand on his arm.

"Just poured it." She says simply. She pats his arm before walking back into the living room with her own cup. He blows on the coffee in lieu of drinking it.

Jaune gives a little salute to her retreating figure, then turns to the four in the room. Blake is glad to find the others are also glaring at him. He makes a face in response.

"You guys are angry today," he says before following Pyrrha.

The group of them stay silent until the tv can be heard faintly. It's One Tree Hill, which means Pyrrha has the remote at least.

"Anyway, men ain't shit." Yang says decisively. Weiss raises her mug in agreement and Blake her own approval. Ruby's staring out through the doorway. Then, she sighs and nods.

"I can't argue there."

---

 

Pyrrha clicks around on Netflix before quickly settling on One Tree Hill. Her head's throbbing too much for anything with a real plot. She's a little surprised when Jaune settles onto the couch next to her. Most mornings, he's talkative and so she figured he'd stay in with the bigger group.

"Was it just me or were they being weird?" He asks quietly. She cranes her neck, catches the general glare coming from the other room.

"What'd you do?" She whispers back. He holds his hands up in a shrug, nearly spilling coffee as he does.

"By the way, thanks for these." Jaune tugs the neck of his shirt aside to reveal a trail of hickeys that leave Pyrrha blushing. He lets the shirt go, covering them again. "Are you part vampire?"

Pyrrha kicks one leg out onto the coffee table. She pulls the leg of her shorts up high enough to reveal an even darker hickey about an inch below the juncture of her thigh and hip. She's blushing as she does it and has one eye on the kitchen doorway, half hoping to be caught.

"Well that's - alright, fair. Call it even." Jaune says. He shoves at her hand gently, then moves the short around to cover even more skin. Pyrrha almost feels embarrassed about it, like maybe she overstepped, but she catches the quick bob of his Adam's apple. Not embarrassment then. It warms her and she takes a drink of coffee to hide her smirk. She must not catch it all the way because Jaune leans over and flicks her arm. She grins fully then, jabs a finger in his side back.

"Truce," he yelps when she gets near a rib. He grabs her hand when she moves to poke him again and it feels - well, Pyrrha knows it's silly but it almost feels dangerous. She remembers that if people knew he probably wouldn't want to keep doing this. It'd make it too much like dating she figures, so she pulls her hand away.

For a few minutes, they drink their coffee in the quiet. Pyrrha keeps waiting for it to feel awkward between them. Or if not that, then she's waiting for Jaune to realize that he doesn't want this. The other shoe hovers over them, but as he yawns next to her, then rolls his eyes at something on the tv, the concern fades. Pyrrha knows he'll stop wanting this eventually, long before she does, but maybe it'll take longer than she had figured. That's something, at least.
"Sorry you missed your run." He says when the episode ends. It wasn't entirely his fault - though, she would've actually got out of bed this morning if not for him. Still, she doesn't fault him for it.

"I was active this morning." She says coyly. He laughs, head tilting back with it, revealing those hickies again.

"Pyrrha Nikos," Jaune says her name like she's a marvel. He shakes his head, then stands. He takes her empty mug from the coffee table, takes it into the kitchen to wash.

Pyrrha hears the way he said her name, repeats it in her head over and over, in hopes that she can have that even when she loses the rest of it.

Notes:

As ever, I want to know your thoughts! I'm on tumblr @masonjo and on twitter @legsluthor so if you want to bug me places other than here too, feel free.

Chapter 3: OCTOBER (pt i)

Notes:

This is a teensy bit shorter than other chapters because October is going to have a second chapter! Mild warning for mentions of past abuse - nothing graphic.

The cold is creeping in when Weiss comes back from a dinner date. It’s later than anyone had really expected of her. Most of the house is asleep or at least cordoned off in their own rooms. Yang’s settled on the couch in the living room, blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She nods at Weiss without looking up from her textbook as Weiss peels off her scarf and jacket.

Weiss tugs off her boots and stands awkwardly for a moment. Yang looks up then.

“It went well?” She asks. It’s halting. Yang and Weiss have been edging around each other lately, something awkward between them. Yang’s not sure why, but she’s noticed that Weiss always looks like she’s contemplating fleeing when Yang’s in the room.

Weiss shrugs, chews her lip for half a second.

“I’m going to get a cider.” She says. She pads into the kitchen and Yang watches her go.

“You’re being weird.” Yang calls after her. Weiss doesn’t even flip her off over her shoulder, which is even stranger. Yang sits up straighter. “Weiss.”

Weiss comes back in with a cider, drops onto the couch next to Yang.

“How did you know?” Weiss asks, playing with the label of her cider. She shrugs up a shoulder. “That you’re gay, I mean.”

Oh, Yang realizes dully. The whole thing clicks into place with that.

“The pink Power Ranger. I was a kid and I decided I was going to marry her.” Yang says. Weiss doesn’t look up, just takes a sip of cider. Yang leans back. “It wasn’t something – I never questioned it. I’ve never wanted guys and nobody’s ever wanted me to want them. It’s that simple.”

“But it – it makes it different, right?” Weiss asks. Her voice is smaller than Yang thinks she’s ever heard it.

Yang’s dealt with a couple assholes about it. Nothing serious, nothing actually scary. Her dad always knew that any Alex she brought home would be an Alexandra and even Raven’s occasional visits made clear it didn’t matter to her. So Yang doesn’t get it, save for the fact that she’s known Weiss for nearly three years now. So she understands that this is big for Weiss.

“It’s not a bad thing.” Yang says, finally. Weiss smiles at that, the tight bitter thing that Yang recognizes from her family pictures.

“Not for you.”

“Weiss.” Yang starts but Weiss stands. She sets the cider on the coffee table.

“He was too short. That’s probably the issue. I mean, I’m short and he was only a few inches taller than me.” Weiss says, definitive. Yang blinks up at her.

“That’s not it.” Yang says.

Weiss looks at her. There’s a beat where Yang considers pushing it, telling Weiss she’ll never be able to convince herself. But Yang thinks Weiss already knows all that. Weiss sighs.

“Don’t you have to go for a run in like four hours with Pyrrha? You’re going to be all whiny tomorrow,” Weiss says. She rolls her eyes. “Honestly, Yang, you never take care of yourself.”

Yang knows her line, that she should tell Weiss to fuck off or flip her off. She misses it though, just stares at Weiss. Weiss falters with it, then shakes her head. She stalks off to her room. Yang watches her go and feels like if they were different people, she’d follow Weiss. But they’re the people they are, so Yang just goes up and goes to bed instead.

---

 

Pyrrha blushes a lot when she drinks. Like, if her face isn’t at minimum rosy, then Nora knows she needs to press a beer into her hand. Now, for example, Pyrrha’s cheeks are about the same color as the ideal pink unicorn. Nora can’t help it, she just reaches up and grabs Pyrrha’s face, tugs her down to kiss her forehead.

“I miss you,” Pyrrha says loopily. Pyrrha is always kind but drinking makes her looser about it in a way that makes Nora want to curl her up in blankets and never let the awful world touch her. Pyrrha loops her crazily toned arms around Nora’s shoulders.

“I can’t believe you had your lady loving experience with Xiao-Long and not me,” Nora says, nearly yelling to be heard over the music. Pyrrha’s face splits into a grin.

“She’s everyone’s lady loving e’sperience!” Pyrrha kisses her cheek warmly. “And I do love you, lady.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Nora says but she’s not actually upset by any of it. “You’re really happy lately.”

Pyrrha giggles. Nora pulls back a little, looks up at her friend. Pyrrha’s the worst liar in the world probably. Nora hasn’t had the time to do a conclusive study on that. Evidence points to yes though. So when she sees Pyrrha’s face, Nora gasps and tugs her friend out onto the back porch. Sun and Neptune are making out there.

“Out, you have an apartment or two for that,” Nora says, flapping her hands at the boys. Sun lazily flips her off while Neptune tries to apologize. Still, Neptune pulls them both back into the party, one hand around Sun’s wrist. Sun winks at Pyrrha and Nora just before the door shuts behind him. Obnoxious.

“You’re getting laid.” Nora crows the second she hears the door latch. Pyrrha’s mouth drops open and for half a second it looks like she might consider arguing. But it’s Nora, and Nora herself knows that Pyrrha is aware - even drunk - of how well she can lie to her friend.

“Don’t tell anyone.”

“Who would I tell?”

“Uh, you yelled across a lunchroom that time Jaune asked Weiss to the movies.”

“Yeah, to call him an idiot, not to announce secrets.” Nora says. She can’t believe that needs explained. Except with Pyrrha, it’s possible she’s unaware that Jaune is pretty dumb. Like, Nora loves Jaune, really, but she’s pretty sure that he needs an instruction manual for women. And she’s the closest thing he has to that. It’s her duty, really.

“Right,” Pyrrha says. She leans back against the door and smiles to herself. “It’s...it’s good.”

“Is it Yang still?” Nora asks. Pyrrha is usually pretty perceptive, so she guesses it isn’t Yang. Not with whatever nebulous thing that she has with Blake. As Nora expects, Pyrrha shakes her head.

Pyrrha chews at her lip as Nora stares at her, hoping to earn the answer through a piercing look and silence. Before she can, the door pops open, sending Pyrrha nearly tumbling over.

“Oh shit.” Jaune says as Pyrrha rights herself. Nora glares at him and loops an arm around Pyrrha’s waist.

“We’re talking.” She says. When she looks up, Pyrrha has this look on her face. Nora is a good friend so she pinches Pyrrha’s side. Sometimes, too much genuinity is a bad thing and when it comes to Pyrrha and Jaune, that’s sometimes Nora’s sure of.

Except while Pyrrha is yelping from the pinch, Nora looks at Jaune and he’s also kind of smirking. Which, Nora preferred not to think of Jaune as a sexual being. It does wonders for her mental health.

But that is a look of someone who is having sex. And he’s giving that look to Pyrrha. And Nora is trying to figure out what the chances are that she’s woken up in a hell dimension where two of her wonderful best friends are dumb enough to try to be friends with benefits. Pyrrha’s smart! Nora is about eighty percent sure Pyrrha’s smarter than that. So she lets Jaune give apologies and stumble back inside.

“Was he looking for you?” Nora asks Pyrrha. Pyrrha is just smiling at the door. It takes her a moment to catch the question. When she does, her face does something that is probably meant to convey confusion or surprise. Nora flicks her arm.

“Ow, why would he be looking for me?” Pyrrha tucks hair behind her ear and Nora gasps.

“You are not .”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Pyrrha Penelope Nikos! You’re sleeping with Jaune Arc!”

“That’s not my middle name. And I don’t - I - why would you say that?”

“Is it - are you dating him?” Nora tries not to be hurt that Pyrrha wouldn’t tell her this. She’s not succeeding at all, so she’s glad when Pyrrha shakes her head, too quick and too hard.

“No! Look it’s. I mean, it’s just fun.” Pyrrha sounds sheepish and Nora has a quick mental image of a much younger Pyrrha getting caught stealing dessert from the fridge.

“Is the fun part where you’re in love with him and he doesn’t know or where you guys should just date and aren’t?”

“I’m not in love with him! I had a crush on him ages ago, but-” Pyrrha runs a tongue over her teeth and sighs. She sinks against the railing. “I like him. But he doesn’t want to date me, I know that, and this is a good - it’s fine. I can handle it.”

“He’s the stupidest man alive if he doesn’t want to date you. Which, I had already been considering as a possibility.”

“Nor.”

“I mean, he’s my favorite stupid man. But, still.” Nora leans her hip against the railing too. Pyrrha leans her head on Nora's shoulder and seems just tired. Nora snakes an arm around her, kisses the crown of her forehead. “He would date you if you asked. You guys are best friends having sex. That’s all dating is supposed to be.”

It’s more than that too, Nora knows, but at the root of it, dating really is just that. She thinks suddenly of Ren, who last she saw, was dancing with a rather angry looking Weiss, at Nora’s insistance. Possibly just normal Weiss, but Weiss usually looks at Nora either suspiciously or angrily. Honestly, jump out of someone’s moving car one time and you get judged for life.

“He doesn’t want to date me. Just, can you be happy for me for this? It’s good sex.” Pyrrha runs a hand through Nora’s hair and looks at her imploringly. Which, Nora’s never been good at saying no to. She gets the feeling people said no to her a lot as a kid, because Pyrrha rarely asks for much now.

“Promise I don’t have to hear about any of his anatomy. Let him remain a Ken doll in that aspect to me.” Nora says after a moment. Pyrrha snickers into her shoulder at that, then nods against it. Nora rubs her back. “I’m still gonna keep an eye out for you. You can’t stop me from doing that.”

Pyrrha kisses her cheek in response, her face impossibly open. She looks at people like this sometimes, this just honest love in her face, and Nora thinks the only one who doesn’t see it is Jaune, who probably needs to see it most.

She loves them both, Nora really does. Still, when Pyrrha drags her into the party, she decides that if Pyrrha’s heart ends up broken, it’s going to take an incredible amount of restraint to keep from murdering Jaune. Except, Pyrrha slips away from her and goes to Jaune’s side. His whole face lights up in a way that Nora doesn’t remember it doing before. And she thinks maybe, maybe, maybe, this won’t end that badly.

The thought makes her grin and she watches the two of them, heads ducked together in conversation, for a moment before she joins the pack of dancers in their living room. Ren finds her eventually, an arm slipping around her waist.

“Why are all our friends wonderful but also very dumb?” She yells over the music. Ren raises an eyebrow and she knows what he means. She sticks her tongue out in response. It’s all she really needs to say to him.

---

 

Yang has been promising to teach Blake to ride her motorcycle for about as long as they've been friends. The problem is, eighty percent of the time when Yang remembers and wants to actually try, it's finals week or midterms. Blake figured out a while back that distracting others was Yang's favorite way of distracting herself. So, she's a little surprised when Yang comes down on Tuesday night, midway into October, and dangles keys over her nose. Blake blinks up at them, still a little sleepy from reading another article on the issues that trans* immigrants face. It's a huge deal and Blake regrets not giving it full attention but that's the cost of taking eighteen credits. Well, okay, eighteen credits and working nearly thirty hours a week, and supporting as many bad habits as she does with her friends.

So Blake thinks she should reread the article. There were hints of a quiz on this week's readings too, but Yang feels more important at the moment. Things have been off-kilter between them since Blake nearly ruined it all last semester. She’s still kicking herself - for every part of it, except actually finally for half a second having the guts to kiss Yang. So she takes the keys and feels herself melt a little when Yang grins. It is truly a good thing that Blake’s had years to school her expression into staying solemn.

Yang's bike is a thing of beauty. Ruby mentioned once, off-hand, that Yang basically built it, used money from her job as a waitress and somehow charmed her way into somebody at the shop teaching her how to do it. Ruby had said it as if this was a normal thing for girls to do in high school. Maybe it was. Blake spent most of high school doing things she regrets with people she regrets, so she's not a good barometer for it. Still, it seems impressive.

"Ruby said you built her." Blake says. Yang tosses her a helmet, shrugs.

"What else was there to do? Study?" She wrinkles her nose. Blake can't help it, feels her mouth quirk up. Yang grins back, tugs on her own helmet. "I'm not book-smart like you, lady. So I got street smart."

She nudges Blake's elbow. "Get it? Like, literally street smart."

Blake gives a look that conveys exactly how much she appreciates the pun. Yang practically glows. Blake pulls her helmet on then, it's as good a way of hiding as anything.

Yang's way of teaching is basically to yell go and stop as Blake putters down their alleyway. She's settled on the back of the bike, hands behind her, leaving Blake entirely at the controls. In some way, it's nice, the amount of control she's giving Blake with what might be her most prized possession. If she chose to put her arms up around Blake to reach the handles too, Blake doesn't think she could find it in herself to complain.

It takes a few rounds, with Yang forcing Blake to hop off at the end of the alley so she can turn the bike around, but finally Yang offers to teach her how to turn.

"Okay, so I learned on a racetrack so it took me a while to remember you don't have to try to like - go the fastest you can. So this is hard for me to teach not that way." Yang says. She's hopped off the bike, brow furrowed in concentration. Her helmet is next to the bike and she piles her hair up in a bun atop her head, squinting at the wheels of the bike, as if that will divine something.

"Isn't it just going while turning the handles?" Blake has to ask. Yang's eyes flick up to her for a moment, the only acknowledgement that she's heard.

"You have to lean with it. Like, almost like your body is part of the bike." Yang says after a few minutes. She stands, shakes out her shoulders. "God, I've been riding for so long, I don't remember what to tell you. Sorry, I shouldn't have pulled you out here. You were reading about LGBTQ-et cetera immigrants."

"You know what I was reading about?" Blake's honestly shocked. She didn't really think anyone knew her class schedule, much less what she was studying in the classes. Yang blinks at her like the question is ridiculous.

"Of course I do. You have your syllabus on the corkboard." She says, as if it is that simple. Blake chews the inside of her cheek to keep from saying something stupid about how nice that is. Because Yang acts like it isn't a big deal so. It isn't. So sayeth Yang, so sayeth the world.

Yang decides the best way for Blake to learn to turn is for her to try it out, going slowly, with Yang off the bike watching. Blake gets a turn the first time and takes the side street around to the front of the house. Two turns down and she's fine. The street's slow enough since it's the middle of the day, so she keeps going. Yang whoops from the front porch as Blake passes, and Blake turns to look at her. Yang's beaming, both arms up, extended in that old 'rock star' salute she loves to do. Blake's so charmed by it that when she hits the end of the block, she nearly misses the turn. Panicking, she turns sharp, the way you would in a car. The bike nearly lands on her leg before she gets control of it again, stuttering to a stop moments later. Her heart beats in her throat, sharp as hell. The bike stalls when she tries to start it up again and she can hear Yang pounding down the sidewalk.

"I'm so sorry."     

"Are you okay?"

Both fall silent when they realize the other was speaking. Blake swallows, reminds herself that this is Yang. There's nothing to be scared of here. Yang's frozen about a foot away, a strange look on her face. Blake feels a bit like she's under a microscope as she steps off the bike, pulls off the helmet to look at Yang.

"M'sorry, I think I hurt the engine, but I can - if it's anything major, I can figure out how to-"

Blake trails off when Yang reaches her. She starts, flinches back. Yang barely notices, her eyes dancing up both her legs.

"You're okay," Yang says, seemingly as much to herself as Blake. Blake nods, but Yang's still looking at her body like she's expecting a leg or arm to fall off suddenly.

"Yang, I'm fine." Blake says. She reaches out and it feels awkward to her, as affection always does, but she grabs Yang's elbow. Yang looks up and smiles tightly, almost embarrassed.

"I've seen some crashes," she says, faint, like she’s still not sure that Blake’s really alright. Then, without anything else, she practically dives in, tosses her arms around Blake's neck. Blake can smell the hairspray - some coconut thing - that Yang always uses, and Yang's warm and her sweater is soft and Blake wants to just stay. Just stay there, holding onto Yang for some time. So, she does just the opposite.

Yang smiles when they pull apart and Blake's expecting some joke about how she's part cat because she hates affection. That's the usual bit, a Nora original actually. Instead, Yang's smile fades.

"Did you really think I'd be mad?"

The answer is more complicated than yes or no. Blake had thought that it was something to be mad over. That this was worth anger, but not that it's something Yang would be mad about. Yang gets mad, often actually, but not over this sort of thing. Yang gets protective and fights on people's behalf and demands more from people and this isn't - this is just a bike. Blake knows that. Yang doesn’t ever get scary when she’s mad either, Blake's never actually been scared of Yang. It's all just the ghosts that rattle around, chasing after Blake. Blake knows Yang but she also knew Adam for a long time before and old habits are hard to break. Because she knows exactly what Adam would do and say and it wouldn’t even be about the bike fully, but the fact that he could be mad at her.

She means to answer Yang, to puzzle out something coherent from the fucked up way her mind works. But she can't figure something out. Blake looks up at Yang and just hopes. It's a rare thing for her, but when she does hope, it's usually with Yang.

Yang seems to get it, at least a little, because she pulls Blake in to hug her again. This time, Blake tucks her head into Yang's neck and stays there. Blake smiles against Yang’s hair.

“You still have to get back on the bike again. No quitters, B.” Yang says. She doesn’t pull away though.

“Sure, just give me a minute to get out of your hair.” Blake says. She groans at it internally but Yang jumps back and it proves worth it. Her face is pure child-at-Disney-World levels of joy.

“Blake Belladonna, I am so proud of you.” Yang looks as if she might actually tear up. Blake smiles.

“Alright, I take it back.”

“No take backs. You’re one of us now.” Yang grins and it feels like sunshine. Blake pulls the helmet back on, afraid she might do something stupid otherwise. Stupid or brave, she’s never been that good at telling the difference anyways.

---

Pyrrha fiddles with the ends of her skirt as she waits for Coach Ozpin. Her phone buzzes several times and when she leans over to check it, she finds two Snapchats from Jaune and three text from Nora. The texts she opens, the Snapchats she figures aren’t exactly safe to open in public.

From: Nora plz come back im dying and i almost hung out with jaunito but even he is apparently texting YOU and i hope not SEXTING :x  i’m so BORED.

From: Nora ok I checked find my friends why tf are u back in that athlete building??

From: Nora GYM THAT’S WHAT IT’S CALLED.

Pyrrha grins at her phone for a moment before replying. She’s just sent the text when Ozpin walks up. His face is rather grim and Pyrrha shoves her phone into her pocket when he sits down next to her. Not even at his desk, just in the student chair next to hers.

“Ms. Nikos, I’ll be upfront with you. I understand that you were previously not interested in continuing to play soccer at our university, but I would very muchly like you to reconsider.” Ozpin says. “I feel that you would be a strong asset to the team. We have been having some... issues with a girl on the team currently and we really need to put our best foot forward in the future.”

“Can I ask what has changed that has you making this request now? The season’s nearly over.” Pyrrha asks.

It makes her skin itch to even consider saying no, regardless of what she actually wants, but something about this entire meeting feels off. Besides that, she has her suspicions who Ozpin is talking about. If Cinder’s anything like she was the past two years, Pyrrha knows she’s likely starting fights on the field.

“Well, it’s a great opportunity for you and the school,” Ozpin smiles. “The Olympic team is hoping to see our best and brightest out there. And we believe that’s you.”

“What?” Pyrrha hears herself ask, the word escaping without really a thought. There’s no way she can say no to the Olympics. Ozpin misunderstands her question. He claps a hand onto her shoulder, smiles warm and bright.

“Ms. Nikos, how would you like to try out to play in the Olympic games?”

She really wouldn’t like to do that at all. But she’s Pyrrha Nikos, and so instead she smiles bright.

“I’d be honored.” Pyrrha says.

Notes:

You might be saying "do they really recruit soccer players from college for the Olympics" and my friend, please, just suspend belief for this fic, thank you. As always, I'm also on twitter @legsluthor or tumblr @masonjo.

Chapter 4: HALLOWEEN

 HALLOWEEN

Jaune was relegated to staying at the house for the party there, rather than go to the party that Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora went to. It is, if he’s being entirely honest, somewhat warranted. Nora decided back in August that she was going to go as Harley Quinn and thus, Pyrrha would go as Poison Ivy. Nor had declared that no one else could do a couple’s costume as cute as them. So obviously , Jaune had to defend his main guy Ren, and point out that he and Ren could go as something just as cute. Ren had walked out of the room and Pyrrha was half-asleep so somehow, Jaune had ended up agreeing to go as Captain America.

So anyway, the point is, Jaune bought a Captain America t-shirt and a mask and Ren made an entire metal arm that actually works and got several thousand upvotes on Reddit and Nora got mad that Jaune didn’t even try and declared that he couldn’t go to the party with them. Whatever , but also the three of them did look really good, so like, Jaune gets it. Nora looks legitimately like comic book Harley, with the full red and black headpiece with bells. Ren looks dead-on for Winter Soldier and his arm could maybe actually stop a bullet, for reals. And of course, there’s Pyrrha. Jaune’s somewhat glad he’s not at the party because Pyrrha doesn’t want Nora to know about them and Jaune knows that with Pyrrha looking the way she does, he’d be really fucking obvious. Like, he almost wrecked the car dropping them off because he kept seeing Pyrrha’s legs in the passenger seat. It’s ridiculous.

Nora texts him eventually and since he’s only had a beer and otherwise been bullshitting with Ruby on the porch, he heads over to pick them up. When he gets there, he finds Nora and Pyrrha on the porch.

"How much did she drink?" Jaune asks. He's not even - it's not an accusation or anger, it's pure awe. In the three years that he's known her, he's seen Pyrrha get drunk - well, not often, but regularly enough. But not this much, not for a long while. The last time he can think of would be either her twenty-first birthday or Nora's. Although, for Nora's he's not entirely sure what happened past about three am, but there was rumor of an actual circus, so - Pyrrha could've been actually drunk then. The point is now, she is truly, actually drunk.

Like, she's holding herself up on a column on the porch of someone's house party, nearly doubled over giggling at something. Nora's sprawled on the porch at her feet, laughing just as hard. Half the green body paint is gone from Pyrrha, with a few marks of green lipstick on Nora’s cheek and lips. If it were anyone else, Jaune might feel weird about it, but it’s Nora .

"Is there - was it a whole keg? Did someone just hook an IV of merlot to her?" He asks Ren.

"I have no idea." Ren answers. "I was - otherwise occupied."

"With Nora?" Jaune asks because there’s a bright red lipstick mark on Ren’s collarbone that he’s pretty sure would match Nora’s lip color.

"I was - uh - smoking with Sun in the backyard." Ren makes an 'oops' face. Jaune can't really be mad because he'd have done the same and has more times than Ren. Ren's the best babysitter of the lot of them, so he ends up being DD more often than not.

"How high are you, exactly?"

"Like - " Ren trails off. Jaune waits.

He waits another moment.

Finally, Ren nods.

"Go get in the backseat." Jaune says, because honestly he's not sure what else to say at that point. Ren does a finger gun at him and dammit - somehow that still looks cool from Ren. Jaune tried to do finger guns once and Nora called him Tex for a week.

"Can either of you manage stairs?" Jaune asks the girls. Nora sits up, very fast, which gets them both laughing again.

"I don't have feet!" Nora says, holding up a hand like she's waiting to be called on.

"Not that," Pyrrha says, then laughs. Nora snorts.

"I mean feet - shoes, shoes are gone." Triumphant, Nora turns her hand to Pyrrha. Pyrrha attempts a high five and it's, well, Jaune would never say anything about Pyrrha is pathetic, but that high five comes close.

Jaune heads up the stairs.

"I have to carry you." He tells Nora. Nora blinks at him for a moment, and he leans over, figures maybe she can't hear well over the music and her drunkeness.

Nora takes the opportunity to climb over his shoulder and sort of - move herself into a fireman's carry.

"Oh you actually do have nice shoulders. That's so - that's weird."
Jaune stands, decides to take that as a compliment regardless of what she meant it as. He looks at Pyrrha, means to tell her he'll be right back but -
Her expression is just so warm. He pulls out his phone, takes a picture, ignoring Nora's half-hearted fists pelting against his back. Pyrrha's face breaks into a smile.
"No, that's going to be so embarrassing." She moans, turning her face into the column that is - honestly, probably the only reason she's standing. "I'm so drunk."
"You look happy." He says, because it's a lot simpler than - god , he doesn't even know what to say about the look on her face in that picture. It's just such a Pyrrha look - all warmth for her friends.

Nora starts to squirm with a bit more feeling so he moves down the stairs.

"Don't disappear."

"I don't have anywhere to be," Pyrrha calls back.

Jaune basically drops Nora onto Ren's lap. He stays there for a moment, watches as Nora rearranges herself. She moves one of Ren's hands onto her head and he breathes out a laugh before he starts rubbing slow circles onto her scalp. Nora kicks a foot at Jaune.

"Go get the girl, dummy."

"Promise me you aren't going to dive out the sunroof while I'm gone."

"I already did that, doofus. Things aren't fun if you keep doing them." Nora says this as if it is very obvious.

Jaune is somewhat sure that Ren says something along the lines of 'but people are', though he's already shutting the door before he can really process that.

When he turns, he's a little surprised to find someone dressed as the Tin Man talking to Pyrrha on the porch. Not that he should be surprised - people love to talk to Pyrrha. But whoever it is has settled against the column too and it's - look, she's drunk and they're standing close. That's the only reason for the twinge in his gut.

"Jaune," Pyrrha leans away from the column, loops an arm around his neck. "Jaune, Merc'ry has the best name for me and Nora."

"Tequila twins," Mercury says. His eyes trace Pyrrha before he tilts his chin up at her. "You really want to leave? You were having fun."

"Oh, I don't want to throw up here, I want to do it at home," Pyrrha says brightly. Jaune loves her, he truly does. He's never been happier she's his best friend, he decides as Mercury's face goes from leering to disgusted.

"You heard the lady." Jaune says as a goodbye. He scoops an arm under Pyrrha's legs, at which she squeals. She's too tall to really carry any other way, though her hair practically touches the ground even in a bridal carry.

Pyrrha tucks her head into his shoulder, laughing.

"That was so dramatic." She says, sounding proud. When she speaks, he can smell the tequila. It should be gross. It should be, but instead it’s just kind of amusing.

Jaune struggles with the passenger door for a moment before Pyrrha decides to crawl into the window. She nearly kicks him in the face before managing it, but dammit, she does. When she rights herself, she turns to grin at Jaune.

He thinks she might have the best smile he's ever seen.

They make it a full half block before someone - Nora - starts demanding Taco Bell. Jaune rolls his eyes, more at the idea that he ever thought they'd make it home without it.

"I'm being very exciting tonight. I did a body shot off someone."

"I'm someone!" Nora pips up.

"Put on a seatbelt," Jaune calls back. He listens as she kicks - in this order - the back of his seat, the window, Ren's cheek (punctuated with a slap on her leg back), Ren's waist (on purpose), a foot on the middle console, all before the sound of a seatbelt clicking.

"Nor, you're so safe. I'm exciting and you're safe." Pyrrha pats Nora's foot excitedly. Nora's toe is bleeding. Jaune decides to leave that problem for the morning, it looks minor enough. Plus, it's Nora.

"You're exciting, Pyrrha." He says, focusing on the trouble at hand.
She blows a raspberry dismissively, then flaps a hand at him.

"You don't really think that."

"Yes, I do."

"No, if I was exciting, I'd be sexy and we'd be - ow, No-ra!" Pyrrha maneuvers herself to be pressed against the doorframe to avoid Nora's foot.

They pull up to a stoplight and Jaune turns to look at Pyrrha.

"What were you saying?"

"Just - " she blinks wildly, looking almost trapped.

"Is this about that Mercury dude?" He asks. He regrets it as soon as he does. That guy seemed pretty douchey and - Pyrrha's never really told him about any crushes she's had, but she seems like she wouldn't have great taste in guys. Like, Pyrrha definitely doesn't know how awesome she is.

"He was very interested in Pyrrha." Nora says, sounding very serious about the matter. "He gave us an unopened bottle of tequila."

"What a gentleman." Ren adds. Jaune's pretty sure it's sarcastic. Probably.

"He liked me?" Pyrrha asks this as if she needs to make sure they all know how ridiculous this sounds. Which means if Jaune had just shut up, she would never have considered that jerk. Her nose wrinkles as the light changes.

"He smokes and he's not - no, ugh." Pyrrha mimes vomiting. Jaune smiles, keeps his eyes on the road. It startles him when Pyrrha leans over and touches his hair. She's very close and he can smell the tequila, as well as the last remains of her perfume. If anyone else has ever worn that perfume, he's not sure. It'll always be Pyrrha's to Jaune.

"I want Taco Bell," Nora says. Pyrrha ruffles his hair one more time, then leans back into her seat.

It takes more than an hour to get their food and get home. Nora hops onto Ren's back to head inside, the bag with the last remains of their food - most of it decimated during the car ride - in one hand. Pyrrha's already asleep.

Even tipsy, she gets a little more like a koala - all for keeping one limb wrapped around the nearest person she knows. So it's really not surprising when she basically curls into Jaune's chest when he lifts her to carry her in. He's surprised that she fits there, just about perfectly. It's nice for carrying purposes, he decides, that's all.

When they get to her room, he pulls off her shoes, as well as the doodad in her hair, then moves to leave. She stirs.

"Don't make fun, okay." And then Pyrrha shimmies out of her costume. His first, rather stupid thought, is that it must be a new bra. His second is that it's a very nice one. His third thought is one someone should never have about their best friend and then he spins on his heel.

Unaware of it all, he listens as Pyrrha stumbles to her dresser. He lets her struggle with a t-shirt for a moment before deciding that he's been cursed in some way and goes to tug it down. He keeps his eyes solidly on the ceiling.

"Jaune." She says, still drunk, but sounding more like herself. He bites his lip.

“You need - uh, you gonna put on pants?”

"I don’t want to wear pants."

Jaune considers, briefly, if he crashed the car. This seems like heaven or hell. Then, Pyrrha snorts.

"We've been - you've seen me naked!" She says between giggles.

"Well, not when you're drunk." He protests.

"I look the same," she says. He smiles at that. She kisses the corner of his mouth.

"Stay in here. For the night." She says. There's reasons he shouldn't, probably. Except, this is something they've done in the past. Just stayed in the same bed together, when it's been a shit day or they're both drunk.

"Pyr, you're drunk. You became a tequila twin tonight."

"No, I'm not - I just want to go to bed but," Pyrrha opens her mouth, closes it. He can practically see the words rolling around in her head, jumbled by the drink. She's always so careful to speak, the exact opposite of him.

"I get lonely without you." Pyrrha says, finally. It's the kindest thing he thinks anyone's ever said to him. She's lonely without him . Not just lonely, but he is a factor in it. Jaune figures he could count on his hands how many people would miss him if he like - got stuck on Mars or something.

So he pulls a pair of his own sweats out of the second drawer of her dresser, changes into those. Pyrrha settles on the bed and he can just make out her smile in the dark as he pads over to her.

"Be honest, Nikos. You just want me here so you don't puke alone in the morning."

"No," she says, indignant. "If I wanted someone to puke with, I'd crawl into bed with Nora."

She sounds rather proud of the logic, and rightly so, Jaune thinks. He rolls onto his side to face her. He tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I love you, Pyrrha." He says, because she's his best friend. He doesn't say it enough and sometimes - well, he knows Nora might be her best friend and that's fine just, she should know. She's probably his favorite person.

Oddly, her face goes inexplicably sad for a moment before she smiles back.

"I love you too." She says. She rolls onto her back and he watches her for a moment. He's missing something he realizes. He can't puzzle out what.

"I really am going to puke in the morning." She adds.

"Oh yeah, you're going to feel really awful." He says brightly. Pyrrha smiles.

"Good night, Jaune." She says. She shuts her eyes and nods off quickly.

Jaune leans over to plug his phone in, sets an alarm for himself. He opens the picture of her on the porch. On impulse, he sets it as his background. Just for the inside home screen, but it's enough to have him smiling until he falls asleep.

---

The party at the house is in full swing. Ruby's dressed as Big Bird, leading a congo line across the front lawn, ignoring the cold. Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren all ended up at another party somehow. Jaune’s in the living room, pouting that he isn’t with them. Weiss is Cinderella, currently observing the chaos, looking amused. Blake’s the only one unaccounted for, but Yang figures she’ll turn up eventually. Blake’s not huge on holidays.

Yang has one arm looped easily over the shoulders of Katt, an old hook-up from years past. Yang herself feels rather proud of her costume - Super-Girl. Katt, on the other hand, has on a costume that is befitting of her name. She’s Cat-Woman, complete with a whip on her hip. Yang teases her about it as they dance, Katt's hands on her hips.

"Stop being rude and make me a drink," Katt says, shoving at Yang. Her tone - as always - makes it hard to tell if she's kidding. Yang figures probably not. She finds she does not really care either way. Katt's like this often - particular and tetchy. It would be frustrating if Yang had any real commitment to this, but as it is, it's just something to manage.

Still, a drink sounds good, so Yang untangles herself from the mass of dancing bodies, weaves her way to the kitchen. Yang makes it not two steps into the kitchen before she nearly slams into Blake. Blake grabs her arms, steadies her just before they collide.

For a moment, they stand, locked like that. One of Blake's thumbs moves in a small circle on Yang's arm. Just that, just that small thing, and Yang's infinitely more aware of it than anything she's felt when dancing for the past hour. Blake drops her hands, steps back a bit awkwardly.

"You decided to stop by," Yang teases.

"I do live here," Blake answers, an eyebrow raised. There's a note in it that rings funny and Yang tilts her head at it.

"C'mon, I promised you a dance." Yang says, a beat too late. She did, ages ago but it feels awkward, following the silence. Blake shakes her head, then juts her chin up towards the crowded living room.

"I'm sure you're already fighting them off with a stick in there. Wouldn't want to get in the middle of it." Blake says. It's one of those things other people in the house say. It's not something Blake says. She pushes past Yang, heads towards the stairs to the rooms upstairs.

Yang follows her, maneuvers around to reach the door first. Blake sighs when Yang leans against the door. Yang fixes her with a look and - for a moment, she thinks this can go on as unsaid. That Blake will understand. But it feels big then, in this small space between them.

"Tell me to stop it. To stop with these other girls. I'll do it." Yang says. She keeps her voice low, studies Blake's eyes as she talks. There's a scar in Blake's left eyebrow and she wants to run her thumb over it.

Blake looks back. Her expression wavers for a moment before she smothers it, hides it away. Yang hates how good she is at that. Then, Blake leans back, just slightly, just enough.

"I don't know why I would do that." Blake says. It's a proclamation and Yang feels it like a fist tightening in her chest.

"Yes, you do." She says. Then she smiles, a one-side tipped up look. "It's alright. I can wait."

Yang moves away from the door, returns to the party. She dances with Katt more.Neither of them think it means anything more than it is - just a dance.

Blake, for her part, stands at the door to the stairs for a moment longer. She watches Yang. Watches the light of her smile, the way heads turn to her as she moves through the crowd. The magnetism in her that scares and charms Blake in near equal measure.

Blake watches all this and wishes that she were worth having someone like Yang wait for her. With a pang, she knows that she is not.

Notes:

For the record - other Halloween outfits:
Sun & Neptune - Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy
Penny - Ms. Frizzle
Cinder - Britney Spears a la Toxic
Emerald - Scarecrow (planned separately from Mercury if you ask her, planned together if you ask him)

Anyway, thanks to Dicey & Mori for coming up with costumes for the crew.

Chapter 5: NOVEMBER (pt i)

Notes:

TW: the "d" slur for lesbians, mentions of past abuse

NOVEMBER (pt i)

The weekend after Halloween, Sun comes by with brownies and Neptune. While Neptune comes in the front door, Sun climbs through the window in Yang and Ruby’s room, then gathers up the rest of the house like a weed Pied Piper. Ren even pauses in knitting to eat a brownie.

“Remember the time Weiss ate one and didn’t know there was weed in it?” Yang recounts as Weiss returns from the kitchen and settles onto the couch between her and Pyrrha. From the futon, Ruby yelps.

“These have weed ?”

“It’s Sun , we’re lucky he doesn’t just exhale and get us all second-hand high,” Blake says from the rug at the foot of the couch. Yang’s feet rest on her stomach. No one seems to find this weird. Blake holds up a hand. “No offense, Weed-kong.”

“Nah, you’re good, Belch-adonna.” Sun responds from his spot next to her on the rug. Neptune sighs from the La-Z-Boy but when Sun holds up his hand for a high five, Neptune gives him one.

“Wait, never have I ever had sex while high,” Yang says. Several people groan around her and she smacks her hand on the couch. “Guys, I don’t have a lot of these. I need everyone to remember this one so I have one to say next time!”

“No.” Blake, Weiss, and Ruby all say as one. Blake does finger guns at the other two. Jaune groans.

“Oh so when she does that, it’s cool.” He says. From above him on the futon, Ren pats his head comfortingly while Nora calls out ‘nerd’. Pyrrha swats Nora’s arm and then for a few moments it’s quiet.

“Never have I ever thought anything Sun brought into this house was drug-free.” Neptune says. A few people groan.

“Remember when Weiss used to be too good to get high with us?”

“I’m still too good for you Nora, eat me.”

“Don’t write checks body cash.”

“That’s not a sentence!”

“ You’re not a sentence.”

“Never have I ever driven stick shift.” Pyrrha pipes up. Nora flicks her ear and Pyrrha smacks her leg.

“Do tractors count?” Jaune asks.

“Aw, farm boy.” Yang coos. “Never have I ever seen a chicken.”

“Wait, really?”  “Yang, what the fuck?” Blake and Nora say at once.

“I mean, like, yeah, in pictures .” Yang motions with one hand. “That’s normal.”

“No, she’s right, that’s normal.” Weiss says. Yang makes a face.

“God dammit, I must be wrong.”

“Fuck you.”

“Be nice,” Ruby says, petulant. Everyone goes quiet until Nora starts giggling.

“Never have I ever eaten peanut butter.” Nora says between laughs.

“You’re allergic that barely counts.” Ren points out as he gets up and turns on the television. He turns on the Wii and passes out controllers without any further talk.

“It counts.” Pyrrha decides.

“Never have I ever slept with anyone in the house right now.” Ruby says proudly.

“Alright, we don’t even have drinks in our hands, why are we doing this?” Sun points out. Mario Kart loads on the Wii.

“Because - it’s - okay, y’know how many people would that have got?” Ruby asks. The room goes quiet and everyone avoids eye contact with each other. Ruby gapes as Mario speeds past on the title screen. “Oh my god .”

“Listen.” Yang begins, pointing one finger shakily. “I think that, for science, I should be taken out of the equation because I am kind of promiscuous.”

“Have you had sex with anyone here besides Pyrrha?” Ren asks. He nods, remembering. “Well and Nora. If that counts.”

“Oh, it counts.” Nora and Yang both agree. They then lean around Pyrrha to high five, but Nora falls from the arm of the couch and into Pyrrha’s lap in the process. Pyrrha strokes her hair.

“Wait, what?” Jaune yelps. “So is the only ones who haven’t had sex with anyone here are like - Blake, Ruby, or Weiss?”

“Jaune, you have?” Yang asks.

“I have standards,” Weiss puts in. Nora boos.

“Oh, Sun and I used to bang all the time actually.” Blake says over that. Sun pumps a fist.

“Bisexual bed buddies.”

“Yeah and then he started calling it that, so I couldn’t feel any level of attraction for him.” Blake says. Sun flips her off and she sighs. “Plus, he fell in love with Neptune and we decided to be friends.”

“Gross.” Nora says from Pyrrha’s lap. Yang sticks her tongue out at her. Nora does the same back.

“Can we get back to the fact that Yang has hooked up with everyone on that couch?” Neptune points out.

“Ew, not everyone.”

“Ugh, not me.”

“Okay, how are you both offended by that?” Jaune asks Weiss and Yang. The two shrug.

“Does anyone want to lose at Mario Kart?” Ren says. Nora makes grabby hands and Sun passes back his controller.

“I love you guys.” Pyrrha says as the title card comes up.

“Ha, nerd.” Sun says. Someone pelts him with a piece of brownie. He quickly snatches it up and eats it. “You guys are my favorite house.”

---

Pyrrha hesitates to tell anyone about rejoining the soccer team. It isn't some big deal for most of them but - Jaune and Ren and Nora all know that she got tired of dealing with a lot of personal drama for it towards the end of the season last year. More than that, they knew how hard it had been for her to tell her moms she was quitting. So she waits until Jaune offers to make a liquor store run. She hops in the car with him, as usual, but asks him to just cruise for a little while first. That's not typical for them.

"So, if I rejoin soccer I might go to the Olympics." She says as he pulls out of city limits. Jaune nods, takes it in.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Pyrrha continues. It really is, she knows that, and it’s so silly to feel otherwise. In the driver’s seat, Jaune remains silent. Pyrrha fiddles with the sun visor. “It’s just so incredible and I never thought I’d get the chance to compete again.”

“It is great,” Jaune says then. He keeps his eyes on the road and Pyrrha watches him.

The sun’s starting to go down, the light a distractingly pretty golden-pink. He pulls onto the highway easily. Jaune always drives like it’s of no concern to him. Pyrrha hates driving, always worried that she’ll cut someone off or drive too close behind someone or any of the million other offenses that are possible while driving. Growing up in the city never helped matters. She can recall easily at least two distinct occasions of being yelled at while trying to merge into traffic. So it’s nice, really, that Jaune doesn’t mind driving. He’s always careful enough, unlike Nora whom Pyrrha can barely ride with, but he also doesn’t mind if Pyrrha changes the radio station or anything. She just like being here, especially now.

“Pyrrha,” he says. Then, he shakes his head, like he’s decided against saying something. Her stomach twists up, just a little. He speeds up to maneuver around a mini-van. “It’s – you like doing it right?”

“Huh?”

“Soccer, I mean.” He says. He glances over at her for a moment before looking back at the road. “You never really talk about it so, I just, I don’t know.”

“Oh,” Pyrrha manages. She looks out the window. It’s not an easy question. All she can remember of the first eighteen years of her life is soccer. The question seems almost impossible – like asking if she likes the sun. It doesn’t matter if she likes it, it’s part of the reason she is . Besides that, disliking it feels disloyal or rude. The few academic sponsorships that she has would be pointless if not for the money her mom and Angela had saved up from her winning soccer matches as a teen. How can she hate something that got her here, to this life she really does love?

“Anything you have to think that long about, you don’t love.” Jaune says, interrupting her thoughts. Pyrrha can feel herself blush and she stammers. Jaune drops a hand onto her shoulder, and really, she knows he doesn’t know, but that is not helpful to the blushing. “It’s okay to not like stuff you’re good at.”

“I’m not going to waste all the training and support I’ve had over the years just because I don’t – because I haven’t competed in a while. That’s all it is, I’m sure.” Pyrrha says. She tries very hard to believe it. She pulls her legs up, knees to chest. Jaune’s hand drops as she does, for which she’s grateful. Sometimes, she thinks she could forget what they really are. “I’m being silly.”

Jaune stays quiet. Pyrrha tips her head, rests her cheek onto her knees to watch him. He pulls onto an off-ramp. He drives only a short bit on the road there before pulling over onto the shoulder. Jaune scrubs a hand over his face and it’s stupidly charming. Pyrrha tucks her face into the crook of her arm so he doesn’t catch her smile at it.

“You shouldn’t go trying out for the Olympics just because you think you have to.” He says. He tosses both arms up, like this is such a compelling argument he has nothing else to say. Which, honestly, as arguments go, Pyrrha’s heard worse – mostly from him, but, he has other strengths.

“That’s not why I’m doing it.” Pyrrha says. He quirks an eyebrow and she smacks his arm, gentle. “It’s not . Besides, even if it was, is that so bad? It’s the Olympics .”

“Yeah but you have to practice with Cinder again. The only woman that Yang once called ‘scary’ and not ‘scary hot’.”

“She called her scary hot too!”

“Yeah, after specifying that she’s mostly just scary.”

“Well,” Pyrrha stammers for a moment. There’s really no other argument she has. She had been planning on taking the semester off, which her mom and Angela were both against. But Ozpin asked her and she can’t say no to that. It feels rude and wrong. She lets out a breath.

“Y’know how I was on Sports Illustrated for my high school stuff?” Pyrrha says finally. She traces a finger along the seam of the seat of the car.

“I saw the poster Weiss had, yeah,” Jaune answers. Pyrrha breaths out a laugh.

“The photoshoot for that? It’s the one time my mom ever said she was proud of me. Angela says it sometimes, about school and that sort of thing but, Angela didn’t come along until I was thirteen and - and my mom never says it. She said it that one time. And part of me, if she’ll say it for anything else, it’s the Olympics, right?” Pyrrha keeps tracing the seam in the seat until Jaune’s hand covers hers. She thinks maybe if she says anything else, she’ll cry, so she stops. Nobody likes a crier, an old coach taught her that. Sometimes she cries anyway, if she’s really happy, because no one’s ever been upset about that.

“Pyrrha,” Jaune sounds hurt, and Pyrrha pulls her hand away, fiddles with her hair.

“It’s ridiculous, I know.”

“Yeah, it is.” Jaune says. She looks up and realizes very suddenly that he’s mad. Pyrrha shifts in her seat. It’s stupid, she knows, to get caught up on something so minor, but she can’t help it. Jaune blinks at her then shakes his head. “No, jesus, not you . It’s ridiculous that your mom doesn’t say she’s proud of you all the time! It shouldn’t take getting to the Olympics for her to say it, my mom said she was proud of me for just passing anatomy last year. Hell, if I told my mom that, she would start texting you every two weeks to say she’s proud of you for something.”

Pyrrha stays quiet because anything she says feels like it might be too telling. Jaune leans over, kisses her forehead.

“You’re awesome, you know that, right?” He says as he starts the car back up. It sounds nearly casual, if not for the way he glances at her like she might bolt out of the car. And Pyrrha’s heart sinks a little because maybe he knows her feelings and is afraid she’ll take that the wrong way.

“Thank you, Jaune.” Pyrrha says and it feels like a beat too late but he smiles as he pulls back onto the highway. She sinks back in her seat, rests her cheek on her knee again. “You’re a good friend, Jaune.”

For a second, it almost seems like Jaune’s smile flickers away, like that upset him somehow. But Pyrrha can’t imagine why and it’s probably just something on the road, because he nods his thanks as they merge into traffic. He turns on the radio and some old song about getting the girl comes on and Pyrrha hums along until Jaune out and out sings. She joins him. They’re both off-key. It’s nice anyway.

---

 

Blake comes downstairs to find Weiss half-asleep on the couch. Most people in the house sleep on the couch - along with the myriad of visitors who somehow end up there. In fact, it’s almost strange to come down and not have someone asleep on the couch or futon. Except it’s never Weiss. Blake settles onto the Ea-Z-Boy and stares at Weiss for a long minute.

“Weiss.” She says and the girl jolts up. Her ponytail is askew, half atop her head. Blake smiles at it and Weiss looks close to murderous.

“Don’t give me that look, your stupid ex-boyfriend has fallen asleep here more times than I can count.” Weiss snaps. Blake rolls her eyes.

“I never dated Sun.” Blake says. Weiss straightens the hem of her shirt without responding. Blake eyes her. “You okay?”

Weiss considers the question. “I offered to teach Ruby how to dance.”

Blake waits and true to form, Weiss rolls her eyes.

“Ruby’s going to this stupid big dance with that Jenny-”

“Penny?” Blake inserts, though she’s fairly certain Weiss knows that.

“-like I care,” Weiss says haughtily, which means she did know. “And she was panicking because it’s apparently a gala with Penny ’s father’s company and somehow it turned into me offering to teach her how to waltz.”

“Well, that makes sense.” Blake concludes. Weiss squints at her and Blake shrugs. “You panicked about her going to a dance with a girl she might like. We’ve all been there.”

Weiss squawks in response.

“That’s not it! I don’t care about her going to a dance. I just didn’t want her to look stupid at some important event and end up on YouTube or something.”

Blake waits, but Weiss just crosses her arms.

“You know none of us would care, right? If you were jealous of Penny. I mean, Yang might, but that’s because it’s her sister.”

“I don’t even know what you mean.” Weiss says, but her cheeks blush red.

Blake almost tells her about the first time she kissed a girl. Adam had said it was alright, that Blake could try it, see if she liked girls too. He’d left her at the party after, said she could find her way home if she was going to be some dykey whore. She knows Adam meant it to be a deterrent but it became the opposite, one of the first pieces of herself she held onto and kept from him. She was sixteen then and so alone, except for him. It feels strange, to think of it now, while sitting on a chair in a house full of people who matter to her.

“You look sad.” Weiss says, breaking Blake from her thoughts.

“I was thinking about who I used to be and the people I used to - how I used to let people control me.” Blake says. Nobody else in the house gets it, she thinks. Pyrrha never talks about her mom and step-mom in a way that seems purposeful, sure, but they’re not close. Everyone else gets along with their parents except maybe Weiss.

“You used to let people control you?” Weiss asks. And it’s half-smart ass and half-surprise. Blake nods. Weiss smiles, a tiny thing. “Can’t picture it.”

“That’s your lack of imagination.” Blake says. “It’s a rich people thing.”

“Fuck off, you sound like Nora.” Weiss responds easily. She lets down her ponytail. “Anyway, if you were still letting people push you around, I’d tell you to hurry up and ask out your stupid girlfriend so the rest of us don’t have to watch the goo-goo eyes.”

“Goo-goo eyes?”

Weiss clicks her tongue. “I was at Halloween. I saw her look at the door every time it opened looking for you, and I saw you look all longingly from the staircase. Just ask her to dinner, it’s embarrassing.”

Blake smiles to herself and Weiss clicks her tongue again. It’s on the table, Blake thinks. She should probably explain to Yang what happened between them last year at some point. Or talk about how she spent the whole summer trying not to look at her Snapchat or Instagram because it was always other girls and Blake knew why, knew on some level that Yang was waiting for a sign to stop, but Blake couldn’t give that to her. Not yet. Now though, she thinks maybe.

Nora comes in the front door, vaults onto the couch and lands with her head in Weiss’s lap.

“Weiss, scale of one to ten, how confident are you that I could shoot something while sky-diving?”

“No.” Weiss says. Nora pouts. Weiss stands. “And I’m going to go tell Pyrrha you asked that.”

“Tattle-tale!” Nora calls at her retreating figure. Weiss flips her off without turning around. Nora watches her go then smirks. “She’s gonna walk in on something she doesn’t want to see.”

“Jaune and Pyrrha having sex?”

“They told you?” Nora nearly topples onto the floor in shock. Blake shakes her head.

“Found them in the laundry room two weeks ago. Why did you think Jaune bought me that ice cream cake?”

“Honestly, I figured it was a white guilt thing.”

“That’s fair, actually.” Blake concurs. Nora grins and kicks off her shoes. Blake nudges her with the toe of her sock. “Hey, so, if I say that Weiss just gave me solid relationship advice, you’d say…”

“Look, two of my idiot best friends are hooking up, Vine’s shutting down, Ruby wouldn’t do fire extinguisher jetpacks over the lake with me, nothing about the past month makes sense.” Nora says. She pulls the sock off Blake’s foot. “But if the relationship advice was about me, you’re cute, but you’re not really my type. Too mean.”

Blake tries to figure out if Nora’s kidding or not. She gives up, decides it’s impossible to tell.

“Hey, hold up, did you just admit that Jaune’s one of your best friends?” She asks finally. Nora looks horrified. Finally, she holds out her pinky finger to Blake.

“Please, please don’t tell anyone.”

“Sure. Going price for that is an ice cream cake.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

Notes:

The November chapter kept growing and getting ridiculously long so it's going to be three shorter chapters instead. This isn't a super exciting update I know, but more is coming - maybe even this week if I get really ambitious.

Chapter 6: NOVEMBER (pt ii)

NOVEMBER (pt ii)

The first time Pyrrha knew she was in trouble was a little over a year ago. She had always had a - well, maybe a soft spot was the right word for it - but a something for Jaune. He had a big mouth and a bigger crush on Weiss, so it wasn’t really something she gave much thought. Then, she was brushing her hair, one eye on some awful action movie with Jaune, Nora, and Ren.

“I should cut it,” she had said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. It was long then, even longer than it is now, to the point where she had to move it when she sat to avoid landing on it. Nora had just hummed something in approval, but Nora had recently been contemplating getting a buzzcut so her opinion seemed skewed. Ren paid no mind because for some inexplicable reason, he loved action movies, the cheesier and more explosion filled, the better. Then, there was Jaune.

“You can’t cut it.” He had basically yelped. Then, he shook his head. “I mean, obviously you can. You can do whatever you want! But your hair is so great, you should keep it.”

“You think my hair is great?” Pyrrha had asked. He nodded, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world, and Pyrrha’s heart fluttered and she thought ‘oh’. Before soccer became this complicated, all-consuming thing, there had been a brief time when it had been the thing she loved most. The thing that made the most sense in her life that included a single, gay mother who raised her on frozen dinners and strict deadlines. Pyrrha remembered it then, the way it felt the first time she landed a kick - really, truly landed it - and landed it square in the goal. The rest of the night, Jaune devoted most of his time to trying to get Weiss’s attention. It stung, but Pyrrha understood two things. First, it would never be her. That would’ve been fine, if not for the second thing. That was this - she was never going to be able to shake Jaune, not if he kept smiling at her like she was the sun.

The thing is it’s only gotten worse. And Pyrrha’s held onto the fact that she’s not in love with him for so long. She’s let herself love him because she loves all her friends, and she’s let herself want him because she can’t quite work out how to stop that, but all of it combined with the sleeping with him has made it bad. Like, really bad. And that’s why she’s been wringing her hands over each other for the last half hour.

“We should stop.” Pyrrha says when Jaune leans in to kiss her. He didn’t even say hello, which really threw her off, because originally she had a better opening line. But he came back from work, smelling like the diner, and she’s been looking at the poster on his wall that is from the art class he taught this summer - all ten year olds who adore him - and it’s just  a lot .

Jaune rears back, confused and Pyrrha just freezes.

“Oh,” he says. He opens and shuts his mouth a few times. “If that’s what you want.”

“I think it’s for the best.” Pyrrha says because saying it’s what she wants would be a lie. What she wants is this, but more and she can’t have that. Jaune nods, once and he doesn’t quite look at her. Pyrrha wrings her hands again. “Not - it’s nothing about you .”

“No, I’m not - no worries. We’re still friends, right?” Jaune asks. He smiles but it falters a little and Pyrrha thinks her heart might be breaking. It’s not - she doesn’t want to say it and be dramatic but. It sure as shit hurts.

“Of course. You’re - we’re just going to go back to being normal friends. Who don’t have to buy Blake ice cream cakes or dive into the closet to avoid Weiss.” Pyrrha says, trying for a laugh. It takes a moment for Jaune to smile at it but he does. They’ll be fine. Pyrrha might hurt for a while but she can keep him as a friend. And she’d rather have that then see this all go up in flames.

“Okay, this is weird and feel free to say no but - last time was when you, um, kicked me like right in the arm.”

“Oh, that wasn’t great.”

“No, and like, our last time should be good, right? End on a high note.” Jaune says. He holds his arms out like this is the most obvious point he’s ever made and Pyrrha can’t really argue with it. Her heart does a ridiculous flutter and she nods.

“That’s just, it’s like, what if Yang does ‘never have I ever ended a relationship with bad sex for the last time’.” Pyrrha makes a face. “Or whatever, I know she’d have a better phrasing of it.”

“No, good point.” Jaune says. He holds his hand up and she high fives him for it. He holds onto her hand, pulls her in.

It’s different. He leaves a pair of hickies on her neck and they’ve never been obvious like that before, but Pyrrha doesn’t say anything. Pyrrha lets him kiss the top of her head before he leaves her room. She could text Nora about it or Ren, because if Nora knows then Ren surely figured it out. But the thing is, the only person she wants to talk to about it is Jaune and that hurts on another level. Its for the best, long term. Pyrrha keeps reminding herself that. He would’ve moved on anyway, so at least this way they can be friends.

---

Ruby drops her other hand easily onto Weiss's waist. Weiss wears a crop-top, a choice she is now regretting as it means she has first-hand knowledge that Ruby has a callus on her thumb. She must wince or something because Ruby freezes.

"Don't make a face," Weiss commands. Ruby relaxes at that, something close to a smile settling on her face. Dammit, that's worse.

"So what do you do next?"

"Step back," Weiss says. Ruby does so and Weiss follows. "Now, left. And forward. Right."

"This is it?" Ruby asks, after they've repeated that a few times.

"That's a four-step. It's all you'll probably need," Weiss explains. She doesn't mean the venom that comes with 'you'. There's some part of her that just reacts that way to - god, people in general. Win used to call her a porcupine, all sharp edges. She lets out a breath. "Everything else is just natural, anyways. Let Penny lead and if she wants you to spin just go under her arm."

"Can I put on music?" Ruby asks.

Weiss tries to hide her surprise. She'd expected - well, Ruby knows the basics. She's not sure what else she'd want. Still, Weiss nods. Ruby pulls her phone out of her pocket, switches on some slow song that Weiss knows she will be looking up later. Ruby sets the phone on the coffee table. The sound of it is loud enough in the otherwise quiet house.

Weiss settles her hand on Ruby's waist again. It takes them a moment, to match the speed of the music, but when they do, Ruby surprises her - she moves her arm up for Weiss to spin under. Weiss does, then squints at her.

"You knew how to dance already."

"Dad made Yang and I learn when we were little." Ruby admits. She doesn't seem particularly ashamed that she tricked Weiss and Weiss - well, she's not quite angry. Confused, more like.

"So you let me teach you because…"

"You wanted to," Ruby says, simply. Her cheeks go rosy. "You've never really - I mean, not in a bad way, just - I don't know that you've offered to help with much else. For me, at least, I mean, we haven't known each other that long, but - uh, yeah."

Weiss blinks at her.

"I mean, if you've actually been helping everyone else, and it's just me, then don't feel like you need to-"

"It's not that." Weiss interrupts her. Partially because she's a masochist who needs Ruby to know that. Partially because she's not sure the sentence would ever end if she didn't stop Ruby.

Ruby swallows, nods. Weiss thinks she might catch a smile hidden in the nod but when Ruby looks at her, she looks rather serious.

"So why'd you offer to help me?"

And oh, there's the thing. The reason is really very simple. For a long time, Weiss has been denying to herself what it is. The first time she - the first person she felt like this for was Pyrrha, and something about Pyrrha made it easy to dismiss. Pyrrha is going to be a literal Olympian. There was no way anyone wouldn't find her - butterfly-inducing.

Yet Ruby's no Olympian. She's short and loud and she talks entirely too much and she scares Weiss three times as much as Pyrrha ever did because Pyrrha never - Ruby makes her do stupid things like offer dancing lessons and donate money to on-campus fundraisers and want to say things she shouldn't.

So Weiss has admitted it - to herself. She's gay. She's also decided that it will go no further than herself. This is a decision she is truly regretting now, looking at Ruby.

"Like anyone else could've done it." Weiss says. She tries to make it sound like a sneer, back to that old Weiss. It's a beat too late for it and her heart isn't in it though and she can catch the way Ruby sees that.

"Penny would've." She says, voice soft. It's not an accusation, not from Ruby. It feels like something near it though, even if she doesn’t mean it that way. Ruby drops her hands and the song plays on. "I have an essay I should be working on."

Weiss stares steadfast at the corner of the tv, stomach churning. She tracks Ruby out of the corner of her eye as she turns the music off, moves to the stairs. Weiss swallows and waits.

"Thanks Weiss."

"You didn't even need the lessons." Weiss spits the words out. The anger is sudden and surprising. She spins on her heel, looks at Ruby. There's more, accusations of wasted time and tricking her, but it all dies when she looks at Ruby's face. She just looks young and confused and - Weiss realizes Ruby doesn't know why Weiss is upset. Not really, not all of it, maybe not any of why. Maybe she knows that Weiss is uncomfortable, but definitely not why.

Weiss swallows. "Just, don't embarrass me at Penny's dance then."

"I'll do my best!" Ruby says. She gives a thumbs-up, then practically vaults up the stairs. Weiss can't blame her.

She walks into the kitchen, finds Nora seated on the counter with a bowl of oatmeal in her lap and a banana in one hand. Weiss figures she should be surprised, except honestly, this is how her fucking day is going. Besides, it's Nora. She's never been predictable.

"Don't start."

"That was painful." Nora chirps as she slices the banana into the oatmeal.

Weiss ignores her, opens the fridge instead.

"Honestly, everyone else in this house makes me feel so good about my life choices." Nora says, sounding entirely too smug about this fact. Weiss stands, grabs the banana from Nora.

"My life choices don't include dancing on tables at Taco Bell, so I'd say I'm doing just fine." Weiss says before taking a rather vindictive bite of the banana. Nora sticks her tongue out.

"You and your skewed priorities, Schnee."

Weiss thinks of the girl upstairs and finds herself agreeing. Nora looks at her oddly, like she's caught onto the fact that she's hit a little close to home.

"My proper priorities and I are going to go and study. Enjoy your oatmeal. The tin up there expired in July."

"Expiration dates were made up by the man to waste food!"

---

Pyrrha tells Nora because it’s Nora and she’s Pyrrha and they can’t keep secrets. Nora blinks at her for a few minutes then suggests they bake. It’s not what Pyrrha expected - especially after Nora clarifies that she means bake as in cookies and not get baked. But it does help somehow. Nora keeps trying to convince her to tell Jaune about her feelings but Pyrrha knows better.

“Just bang someone else.” Nora says as she hops onto the counter. It’s the first suggestion she’s had that isn’t some variation of telling Jaune. Her last one was Pyrrha bedazzling a bra with “I like you”, which at least made them both crack up.

Pyrrha is making cookies. Nora is - ostensibly - helping. Except, helping, for Nora, mainly means reading off the recipe and drinking gin straight from the bottle. For some reason, gin is seasonally appropriate.

“Oh, that’s not-” Pyrrha trails off, concentrating on measuring flour. She sighs. “I don’t even know who would be interested.”

“Uh, most of the population of this town. If you want to talk outside that, I can get Ren to run numbers.” Nora says simply. She takes a swig of gin and holds it out to Pyrrha. Pyrrha only debates for a second before drinking.

She winces at the taste as it goes down, then takes a second drink to numb that. “Merc did give me his number.”

“Pyr, I was hoping you would go for someone like - I mean, your league is pretty unattainable. But same sport, at least, c’mon.”

“He was tall.” Pyrrha says. She can’t really say much more for him because she’s never actually met him sober. Which should be embarrassing but well - it’s college and she doesn’t miss training or class or anything. Nora clicks her tongue and Pyrrha takes a long draw before passing the bottle back to her.

The two stay quiet for a moment, the hum of the electric mixer in the background. Pyrrha adds chocolate chips slowly, listens to them clatter against the side of the bowl.

“I don’t want it to be someone who wants Pyrrha Nikos . I want it to be someone actually interested in me and he seems like he is, okay?” She says finally.

It’s more than she’s said about all of that to anyone other than Jaune in a long time. The only other time she can think of mentioning it was back when she asked Weiss to stop being so strange about it all - her cover of Sports Illustrated, the fact that somewhere out there people had jerseys with her name on them. Weiss had blushed deep red, apologized twice, and none of their friends had ever mentioned it again.

Pyrrha’s surprised when Nora touches her hand, just a soft pat against the back of it as it sits on the counter.

“You know anyone would be lucky to have you.” She says, voice surprisingly solemn. Pyrrha looks at her, the counter putting them just at eye level. There’s nothing really to say to that. Pyrrha knows that it’s what everyone thinks, knows there’s no point arguing. She does deserve someone good, everyone does, she knows that. So she just keeps quiet and moves to hug Nora. Nora stops her, holds her arms before Pyrrha can really reach. “Pyrrha, seriously. I know you’ve got - we’re all fucked up about this stuff, but you deserve the world. Ask anyone who knows you.”

Pyrrha tries to think of something to say to that. She finds herself tearing up instead. Some part of her thinks Nora doesn’t just mean dating, that Nora has seen the dark part of her that wants to say no to the thing she’s supposed to want to say yes to.

“You do too, Nora.”

Nora huffs a laugh. “Well, I’m aware of that, I’m just making sure you know it about yourself.”

Pyrrha does hug her then, only pulling back when she remembers that she needs to finish the cookies.

“I want the bowl when you’re done. And don’t start in about salmonella, I have had far worse things in my mouth.” Nora says, with a wink.

Pyrrha looks at the clock. “Seven minutes. We made it seven minutes without an innuendo.”

“Oh, I think that’s a house record.”

---

Ruby's curled up on the couch, finishing up both a movie (Fast and Furious) and her review for a quiz (Chinese II - skipped a class thanks to her dad and Uncle Qrow). She blinks at Weiss, who said something that Ruby missed. Ruby blinks at her and Weiss rolls her eyes.

"So, Penny," Weiss says again. She sits in the armchair, a cup of tea in her hands.

Ruby hasn’t been exactly avoiding her since the dancing lesson but well - it just seemed awkward around Weiss. And not like it had been earlier in the semester when Ruby had a silly crush on her. Not that Weiss ever picked up on it and now there’s Penny and by all accounts, Ruby should really like Penny and it should all just work out fine , even if sometimes Penny can be kind of - well, difficult to be around. Not that Ruby isn’t difficult herself.

"Right, yeah, I - she's just really sweet. And she bought me flowers the other day. Just because she saw them and liked them! No one's done stuff like that for me." Ruby says. She knows she's talking too much - or at least, it seems like she is. Weiss always has this look on her face like Ruby's talking too much or something. Ruby really can't figure it out totally but that's what makes sense.

"You didn't date in high school?" Weiss sounds surprised and Ruby actually laughs at that.

"No way! Everyone just thought I was - I dunno, goofy, I guess. Nobody really wanted to date me." Ruby says. Weiss looks like she might - well, Ruby can't tell if it's feel bad or be judging. So she tosses her arms up.

"Not that I needed a date! I had some good friends and - and Yang was there for part of the time. And I had time to like - to watch movies! And take karate and tae kwan do! And the guy I liked graduated when I was a junior so, I mean, whatever right?"

Ruby laughs without meaning to, traitorous laugh. She sounds boy crazy now, so Weiss will probably think she means that Penny is the first girl to like her. Which she is! But she's also the first person to really like Ruby, aside from a couple creeps in tae kwan do classes. It seems important that Weiss know that but Ruby thinks talking more would be bad maybe.

"People in high school are idiots," Weiss says. It's so concise! Ruby's impressed. And touched. Weiss must've hated high school too. Probably for different reasons. She's pretty sure Weiss was homecoming queen or something.

"Oh, yeah, totally." Ruby agrees emphatically. "You were like the homecoming princess, right?"

"What?" Weiss asks, voice a little shrill.

"Everyone calls you ice princess! Cuz you….I thought you won winter homecoming princess, right?" Ruby attempts to backtrack. Weiss shuts her eyes for a long moment, like she's gathering herself.

"I used to figure skate." Weiss says finally. Ruby gasps and Weiss opens her eyes wide, looking horrified. "Do not start! I know everyone thinks it's so funny that my family is rich enough to have an ice rink, but whatever jokes you have I've heard before!"

Ruby shuts her mouth, deflates. She wasn't going to make a joke. She's not even sure what jokes there are to make about ice skating.

"Well, that sounds... fun," Ruby says after a long moment. It seems safest. Weiss considers this.

"It wasn't," she responds with a sigh.

"Oh, well, you said you used to do it. So at least you don't have to anymore!" Ruby says. Weiss doesn't say anything to that but she deflates a little. Ruby feels like she should apologize for Yang, which is something she hasn't done in a few years.

When the movie ends, not much later, Weiss stands to go.

"Weiss, I'm sorry if - I didn't mean to bring up stuff you don't like. I just figured - you kind of remind me of the girls who won homecoming stuff at my school. There was this girl I had a crush on and - it’s stupid, but she - you just seem like you used to be cool. I mean, not that you aren’t now, but just - consistently cool," Ruby says, all in a rush. She's glad she said it when Weiss smiles. It's soft and Ruby thinks stupidly that Weiss has a very nice mouth. Of course she has a nice mouth! It's a mouth - why would she have a bad mouth? And she thinks now maybe she shouldn’t be thinking about Weiss’s mouth to this extent and definitely should not be looking at it but she can’t really figure out how to stop. Especially because Penny exists.

"Well, you remind me of the girls who had dates in high school," Weiss says. Then it's like she remembers something because her face changes and she sort of straightens up, like she said something wrong.

"Thanks," Ruby says brightly, in case Weiss needed reassurance. Weiss shrugs like it doesn't matter and then heads upstairs. Ruby wonders after her for a moment but then Ren comes out and settles onto the couch next to her.

"Weiss okay?" He asks. Ruby frowns at the question.

"Far as I know. Why wouldn't she be?"

Ren shrugs, leans back on the couch. Ruby squints at him but he's like a hieroglyph or something. If there's a meaning in the way he's sitting or what he asked, she has no idea what it is.

"Can we watch Tokyo Drift next? I have to make some Vines," he asks. Ruby nods and he nods. "Cool."

Ruby falls asleep halfway through the next movie. Her dreams feature Weiss figure-skating while Ruby drives one of the Fast and Furious cars in circles around her. When Weiss sees her, she stops skating and runs off. Ruby figures it probably means something, mentions it to Ren when he wakes her up to tell her to go to bed.

"Yeah, it does mean something," he says seriously. "It means that falling asleep during movies gives you weird dreams."

She sticks her tongue out at the back of his head as she heads upstairs to go to bed. It's the only proper response.

---

Most people in the house do the courtesy of knocking first, or at least poking their head in before they come into Blake’s room. Yang used to do that, at one point, but this time, she just walks in and sits on Blake’s desk. If she leaned back much farther, she’d knock over the picture of the two of them at the lake from last spring break. If she settled more to the left, Yang would bump into the picture of the two of them from last Christmas, perched on Santa’s lap, Yang mid-laugh and Blake looking pleasantly annoyed. On the wall behind her, there’s a picture of the two of them and Weiss, bottles of Andre held aloft. Blake wonders if Yang realizes it - how much space she takes up in Blake’s life. How much more space Blake wants to give her.

“We should get a drink before Thanksgiving break.” Yang says. Blake sets her book aside.

“There should be some wine left, unless Weiss took it.”

“That’s not what I mean.”  Yang says. Her eyes search Blake for a moment. Blake wonders if she can see it, the way her heart has gone to double-time. Blake hopes. It feel dangerous. Then, Yang must see it because she raises an eyebrow. “A date.”

Blake can feel the left corner of her mouth twitch up. She bites down the full grin because it’ll be too much. She nods instead.

“We should.”

“Saturday then. Eight. We can dress up nice, I’ll make all the boys in the bar jealous,” Yang says. It’s decisive and brave and Blake just wants at the words. She nods again.

Yang grins and it looks hungry. Blake starts to stand and Yang shakes her head. “Oh no, you don’t. I know that look. We’re doing this right. I’m going to get you out of this house for a date first.”

“And then what?” Blake can’t resist asking. Yang’s smile grows and Blake wants to taste it quite badly.

“Then I get you back into this bed.” Yang promises. Blake leans back on her bed and gives Yang her very best look, the one that reminds her that the bed is here now. Yang shakes her head, walks back out of the room.

“Yang.” Blake calls after her. Yang turns and pokes her head back in the door. “You should wear that yellow dress. I’ve always wanted to peel it off you.”

Yang gapes for half a second before she shakes her head, looking close to proud. She doesn’t answer, just walks away. Blake grins at the door after her for a moment. Her stomach clenches and she thinks of the last time she let someone buy her a drink. Blake pushes the thought out of her mind, goes to her closet. Time to find something to rival the yellow dress.

Notes:

:)
and there's still more to happen before we even get to Thanksgiving!

Chapter 7: NOVEMBER (pt iii)

Notes:

This is a little shorter because it used to have another piece that I since moved to another chapter. Also Lindsay and Michael are having a baby so I'm Very Emotional.

NOVEMBER (pt iii)

Thanksgiving break begins on Friday, so the Thursday before the actual day, the house agrees to have a dinner. Pyrrha requests that it be formal - and because it's Pyrrha, everyone agrees. Jaune doesn't even bitch about a tie, the way Weiss knows he would if it had been anyone else. If she weren't the pot to his kettle on denying things, she would tell him to pull his head out of his ass and see what a good thing he could have. Nora puts herself on pie duty, which is good. Nora is a disaster in the kitchen at about ninety-nine percent of things, but she can make a damn good pie. Cinnamon rolls and gingerbread too, but she relegates those to Christmas. Weiss has tried more than once to get her to make cinnamon rolls past the New Year, but Nora always just looks affronted at the very idea.

Weiss offers to order catering for the rest of it, and the suggestion is met by vague horror on nearly everyone else's part.

"Can any of us cook a turkey?" Ren asks. "I won't do it."

"You can, but won't?" Pyrrha asks. Weiss is glad she was the one to ask because from anyone else it would sound pissy. Pyrrha just sounds perplexed. Ren nods, offers no further explanation.

"We can cook," Jaune says. His gaze shifts between Yang - who once burned Easy Mac - and Nora. He makes a face like Weiss might have a point, which, duh. He points a finger. "Most of us can cook."

"Yang can make mashed potatoes." Ruby says, clearly aware who the 'most' correction is for. Yang makes a face.

"Weiss didn't know how to make ramen!" She says. "We all just let her get away with rich people stupidity."

"Hey!" Weiss yelps. No one comes to her defense but next to her, Ren pats her shoulder twice. She glares at him. "I can make a very good sweet potato dish."

"How fancy is it?"

"I don't know, I didn't realize a lot of things were 'fancy' until I started eating with you heathens." Weiss says. Down the table, Ruby grins at heathens. Weiss smiles back for a moment.

"The chef always made main dishes, Win and I just got side dishes." Weiss says with a shrug. Ruby and Yang chime in that their father does the turkey.

"I can do the turkey. But I'm not going to carve it." Jaune offers. He glances around the table like he's expecting someone to give him shit for offering to cook for them. No one does, of course.

"I like to carve." Yang says, a bit too excitedly.

"Pyrrha, didn't you say the other day you wanted to carve a turkey?" Ruby asks. It's more of a plea actually. Pyrrha tilts her head in confusion for a moment before she catches on.

"Oh! Yes, yes, that was what I said. I do want to carve the turkey. Unless, if you really have your heart set on it, Yang, I won't.

"I can tell when my talents go unappreciated." Yang says. She slumps in her seat like she's really offended. Next to her, Blake must kick her or something because she straightens a little and glares at her.

"I'll make green bean casserole."

"How the fuck are you here, Sun?" Blake's the only one who doesn't startle at his appearance. Yang and Ruby both shout, Nora actually jumps out of her chair. Pyrrha not only nearly knocks her glasses off as she startles, but she also jumps into Jaune's lap she's so shocked, a fact Weiss nearly misses because she almost smacks Ren in the face as she moves away from the voice just over her shoulder.

Sun leans around her, grabs an apple from the basket in the center of the table. Weiss ignores him, watching Pyrrha rather awkwardly settle herself into her own seat. She glances to see if anyone else notices but no one does - dammit.

"You left a window open and we’ve got plans to watch Ghostbusters tonight." Sun says. He's turning over the apple in his hand, contemplating it.

"No, we aren't." A few people say. Weiss is one of them. Sun blinks up at them.

"That's not you guys?"

Everyone shakes their heads. Sun makes a face, tosses the apple in the air and catches it.

"Then I'll see you guys next week for dinner. Nep can bring rolls." He winks and disappears through the kitchen.

"Wear a tie." Blake yells after him.

"At least rolls are covered," Pyrrha says after a beat. Jaune looks over to her and grins so warmly Weiss looks away, feeling like an intruder.

It takes another twenty minutes but eventually they've planned for enough food to feed - well, probably not a whole army, but close enough. Weiss sips at her wine and feels, not for the first time, very glad she has these weirdos in her life. She almost says it then, that she's gay. It'd be easy enough. The words get stuck in her throat though.

"Should we invite anyone else since Sun and Neptune are coming now?" Pyrrha asks.

"You could invite your vampire friend." Nora says with a toothy grin.

"My what?" Pyrrha asks. She nudges her glasses up with the back of her hand, which means she is very confused. Weiss isn't exactly proud of the amount of time she's spent learning Pyrrha's habits, but either way, they're learned now. The glasses used to be more distracting, so honestly Weiss is making progress. 

Nora jabs a thumb into the side of Pyrrha's neck and Pyrrha jerks away. There's a darker bruise there that Weiss knows isn't from Nora's thumb. Pyrrha blushes scarlet.

"That's not- Nora !" She settles on outrage, one hand coming up to cover the mark.

"I'm proud! It looks recent. Did you end up texting Mercury?" Nora chirps. Weiss isn't really sure who Nora has hooked up with - if anyone - especially since she shares a room with Ren, so she rolls her eyes at the comment about Nora being proud.

“No, it’s not from Mercury,” Pyrrha squawks. Nora leans back, eyebrows raising.

"Wait, who is he?" Yang asks, leaning around the table to try to look at the hicky. Yang then actually climbs onto the table. She only avoids kicking over her tea because Blake grabs it, the motion looking rather automatic. Yang makes a face. "Or she."

"It's not - it's no one ."

"No way, Odysseus, you're not getting out of this that easily. Let me look, maybe I recognize the hickey." Yang reaches for Pyrrha's hand and Pyrrha stands.

"You can't recognize a hickey." Ren says rather calmly. They aren't close, not really, but Weiss has long considered Ren her favorite of the group. He's probably the reason the house hasn't burned down yet.

"Maybe you can't, but my skills are highly tuned." Yang says.

"That's assuming you'd know it. If it's a guy, you're useless. Let me look," Blake says, still sounding close to bored with all this.

Pyrrha pushes the chair back from the table, and it strikes Weiss that Pyrrha is actually uncomfortable with this. Whoever this is, it's a secret and something about that hits close to home. 

"Oh, c'mon, Pyrrha obviously doesn't want you mouth-breathing all over her neck." Weiss barks. The mouth-breathing comment comes from a rather heated argument Weiss caught between Yang and a girl she had been hooking up with so she's not surprised when Yang's glare is particularly close to obliterating when she looks to Weiss.

"What, like she'd want your mouth near her." Blake's sharp with it and Weiss knows two things. First, that Blake doesn't know how Weiss felt about Pyrrha. Or that Weiss is gay. She wouldn't say it then, that's a line Blake wouldn't cross. Second, that coming for Yang means getting Blake, full stop. She’s always suspected as much, but here it is, proof.

"Bite me," Weiss responds with a tight grin.

"Can we return to the bite at hand first?" Nora asks, tilting back in her chair.

"Can you all shut up?" Everyone startles at this. Jaune doesn't get angry often, so when he does, it's usually not done in half measures. This is no exception. Weiss is only a little surprised to find that Pyrrha slipped away in the midst of all that and Jaune's glaring at Nora hard enough that a lesser girl would've wilted.

"What's wrong Jaune, jea-"

"You crossed a line. You know Pyrrha doesn't like jokes about that kind of stuff and you guys basically put her on center stage. She doesn't deserve that." He says. Weiss thinks he'd be yelling if it wouldn't mean Pyrrha hearing.

For a moment, no one even breathes. Then, Yang climbs off the table, looking more sheepish than Weiss can ever remember seeing her. Blake's shoulders slump and even though Ruby had nothing to do with it, she looks about the same. Weiss feels responsible for it too. Ren leaves the table and he probably is the best person to talk to Pyrrha. He's the only one more private that Pyrrha about these things. Well, and Weiss, but that's not - that's different.

When she looks to Nora, she's surprised to find that Nora's still glaring at Jaune, and Jaune's glaring right back. Weiss glances around the table for help and Ruby makes a face that is basically 'what the hell do we do'.

"You're supposed to be her best friend." Jaune says, voice measured.

"Oh, Jaune, I promise. You don't want to play the game of which of us is a better friend," Nora says and that's when Weiss realizes she's missing something in this argument. Jaune opens his mouth to argue when he looks up and stops.

"I burned myself with a curling iron." Pyrrha says. Her arms are crossed too tight across her chest and her gaze is steady on the back wall. She’s in the doorway, like she might still bolt. "That's what - nobody gave me a hickey. That's what's embarrassing, so can we all please stop fighting? Please."

Weiss looks from Pyrrha to Nora to Jaune. Jaune's shoulders are still tense, but he nods, and Nora shrugs.

"Well, good, because I wanted to invite Penny." Ruby says. It's a little awkward as far as moving on goes, but at least it’s a change of subject. Most of the time, fighting doesn't involve Jaune or Pyrrha so this is - awkward, at minimum. Even when the rest of them fight, it doesn't usually get that tense that fast. Well, except the time Blake tried to run away. But, that was more than a year ago so.

"Penny's that girl who keeps beating all of us at Super Smash Bros?" Blake asks. Ruby nods rather proudly. Blake nods approval.

"Cool, because, um, I’m kind of dating her," Ruby tucks a piece of hair behind her ear nervously. Weiss’s heart sinks to somewhere around the floorboards. This is why she’s a bad person, there’s not even a minute part of her that is happy for Ruby. She’s selfish and she thinks somehow Ruby might know because Ruby’s eyes flick to her for a moment before she looks away.

"Aw, Rubes," Yang loops an arm around Ruby and someone else congratulates her while Nora coos at it.

Weiss is glad they're all happy for Ruby. It means no one notices how very sad she is for herself. She turns her attention back to Nora and Jaune, who still look near blows. Pyrrha sweeps in, settles between them, and just like that, both curtail the glares. Pyrrha has that effect.

 

 

---

 

Nora grabs Jaune’s arm after the meeting and tugs him to the front door. He’s still mad, she can tell, but he goes along anyways, even taking his coat and the car keys when she opens the door. Neither of them talk until they get to the car and Nora knows somehow that this is bad.

“I cannot believe you.” Jaune says, voice low and sharp. Nora almost feels guilty at it.

“You’ve had a while to say something.”

“To say what, exactly? You know she ended things with me, she’s clearly not interested.” Jaune says. He laughs once when he finishes and it sounds too bitter, Nora doesn’t even really recognize it.

“Don’t be an idiot, I know that’s hard for-”

“Stop." Jaune snaps. Nora does. Jaune scrubs a hand over his face, leans his head back onto the seat. “God, just for a second, can you stop, I get it, I’m the biggest idiot, I’m the dumbass who fell for a girl so far out of his league it’s stupid . You need to stop fucking - trying to get me to ruin having a friendship with her. It sucks, but I don’t know what I’d do without her in my life, okay?”

“That’s what you think I’m doing?”

“I have no fucking clue what you’re doing, Nora! Do you want me to tell Pyrrha so she feels better about herself? Or is it some fucking - fuck, prank? I don’t know.” Jaune loses steam halfway through, sighs. “I know you wouldn’t - that’s not who you are, it’s not a prank, but I’m miserable and she’s going to fall in love with some perfect guy and I’m gonna die alone and just - whatever.”

“I think you should tell her because when I’m the maid of honor at Pyrrha’s beautiful wedding I want you to be her groom, you dolt .” Nora spits. And she can’t say the rest of it, not without feeling like she’s betraying Pyrrha. Jaune just stares straight ahead, the muscle in his jaw working. Nora turns in her seat. She leans over and grabs his jaw. “Jaune. Seriously. I may think you’re an idiot, but I also love you. I think you and Pyrrha would be good together. You make her happy.”

Jaune turns to look at her and then his eyes bug. Nora spins over her shoulder. Of course, of course, Pyrrha is standing there. Her mouth is agape, and Nora just stares and then it kind of clicks that - oh shit, she’s in a dark car holding Jaune’s weird face. She drops her hand.

“Stay here,” she instructs Jaune with a jab of her finger.

Nora opens the door and spills out of the car. She lands awkward, half on the curb, but pulls herself up and grabs Pyrrha’s arm.

“Pyrrha, please, for the love of god, do not even think this is something romantic between me and the world’s third dumbest human.” Nora says. Pyrrha smiles but it’s shaky.

“No - I, ignore me, I just wanted to -” Pyrrha stops, then waves her free arm around. Nora sighs.

“Seriously, Pyrrha, I love Ren and you both way too much to do this. Plus it’s Jaune.”

“I don’t think you’re hooking up with Jaune!” Pyrrha says a bit shrill. She makes a face. “Well, you are being really defensive about it but no - I just figured you were talking about me.”

Pyrrha looks at Nora, really looks , and Nora catches up. She shakes her head. Nora wouldn’t tell Jaune how Pyrrha feels. She could never.

“I’m sorry. About earlier, with the hickies.” Nora says after a moment. Pyrrha purses her lips for a moment.

“Of course I forgive you.” Pyrrha says and Nora leans up to hug her. Jaune starts the car and rolls down the window.

“Can we all stop being weird and go get Andre and then watch some stupid movie?” He says. He’s looking at the steering wheel like he’s nervous.

Nora remembers, very suddenly, the first time the four of them hung out, freshman year. Nora adored Pyrrha even then, as did most of their dorm, but Jaune was sort of an outlier. Weiss found him annoying, Blake and Yang both seemed to stray away from boys for their own reasons, and Sun was wounded that Jaune wouldn’t blow him. So Jaune had been - well, not alone because Pyrrha was his friend from the start pretty much, but Nora had asked him to go get pizza with them and he’d been almost upset. Like he thought it was a pity invite or something Pyrrha had forced Nora to do. So Nora had done the only reasonable thing and spent the next few days throwing ping pong balls at his head until he stopped being weird about being friends.

“Can we do Fast and Forty-ous?” Nora asks, mostly to get a reaction. Next to her, Pyrrha fake barfs. Nor watches as the corners of Jaune’s mouth twitch from where he sits in the driver’s seat. Nora grins back. He might not be completely happy with her still. But they’re okay.

---

The next morning, Weiss pads downstairs to find Ren playing Super Smash Brothers. She makes herself some tea and comes to join him.

"Why're you playing this at seven in the morning, alone?" Weiss asks him.

"We'll probably play it at Thanksgiving." He says. "Penny's pretty good at it. So I need to practice to beat her."

Weiss isn't vain enough to think he's doing it in her honor in some weird way. At least, not until the match ends and he turns to her and smiles. It's kind of knowing. A few others have figured it out - Yang for sure and maybe Nora. With Ren, it seems safer so she just smiles.

"Thanks." Weiss says, voice small. Ren nods in response, hands her a controller.

"You could win it yourself," he says. "You never know if you can win if you don't try."

He doesn't mean just the game, Weiss knows. She takes the controller.

"You probably can't win this in actuality but, y'know, there's other stuff," Ren says just before his Shy Guy kicks her Daisy off the screen. He smiles at her. "You got a real shot at other stuff."

Chapter 8: THANKSGIVING

Notes:

This has been a LONG TIME coming and I'm not totally pleased with it but c'est la vie. I'm still trying to reply to comments from the last chapter but if I don't get to it soon - know that I read every comment and smile about it for like an embarrassing amount of time afterwards. Comments make my day.
I hope all of you have a good thanksgiving and are around people who are tolerable - and if not, enjoy this and I hope it cheers you up!

 THANKSGIVING

Jaune never has one shining moment of realization that he’s in love with Pyrrha. It’s more like a ton of tiny revelations. He’s always loved Pyrrha - who wouldn’t - but he can feel it happen as he slides into feeling something else.

In September, he learns of her love of old Taylor Swift. Like curly haired, country Taylor, which she sings terribly off-key when she finds the old CD, plugs it into his car. He kisses her and it’s easy, and he has to remind himself of what they actually are.

In October, he gets up at five in the morning to get Pumpkin Spice Lattes with her because she likes to get in early enough to chat with the baristas without holding up the line. He Instagrams a picture of her with the drink, this smile on her face that makes his mother text him and ask if he’s sure there’s no girlfriend he wants to tell them about. He thinks, I wish, and then tries not to think about that much more.

Around midterms, she brings a box of donuts back from her run with Yang, so he spends part of the morning curl up next in bed with donuts and just her , and he listens to her plot out the last of her essays. She never used to ask him for help on that sort of thing and he presses his nose into her neck, burrows away so he doesn’t say something stupid and step on that.

The morning after Halloween, she does vomit - three times, which Nora is oddly proud of - and he brings her Saltines and Gatorade. He rubs her back while she swears off tequila - a false promise, they both know even as she says it - and his stupid brain defaults to some other scenario of her and Saltines and vomit and him and he ends up going to the library for the rest of the day because that’s so far too much, it’s embarrassing.

November rolls around and Pyrrha starts practicing soccer again. Jaune never really had any opinion on the stupid knee high socks and now he can’t get them out of his head. And she’s half-miserable, half-happy about it because she’s so good, and it makes him want to call her mother and tell her as much or just take Pyrrha back to his mom and it’s just - he’s in love with her.

It happened somewhere along the way, and he’s not the least bit surprised when he realizes it. They’re walking around campus with Nora and Ren. Ren’s explaining a new Vine he wants to shoot and Nora’s riding piggyback on Pyrrha. Pyrrha catches Jaune’s eye and smiles and he thinks, I’m in love with her, easy as that.

So, of course, she ends things a few days later. He’s not even upset, honestly. Sad, sure, but she’s Pyrrha. He’s happy he was able to be with her for even a little bit, he never would have dreamed it be permanent. And it’s fine, he can be her friend. He hopes she finds someone who makes her happy, even if it just might kill him. They’re friends after all, and it’s what any friend would do.

---

Sun shows up to the house around seven for Friendsgiving. Of the eight people living there, only three are awake. Pyrrha and Yang are out on a run. Ren’s fiddling with the turkey when Sun comes in the backdoor.

“Don’t wake everyone up.” Ren instructs as Sun sets the rolls on the counter. He’s at least dressed nicely, both in actual suits.

“I don’t think I can deal with XL or Weiss before coffee, don’t worry.” Sun says. Ren blinks at him and he waves his arm dismissively. “Not because she’s tall or could bench-press me, cuz her last name.”

“Right,” Ren says. He’s tired and there’s about a thirty percent chance they’ll have firefighters called to the house today. He eyes Sun as Sun pours two cups of coffee. Thirty percent might be a conservative guess. “Where’s Neptune?”

“Oh, he dumped me.” Sun says, handing over a cup of coffee.

“Wait, seriously?”

“I’ll win him back over, he just needs some time to panic about moving in with me in the summer.” Sun says easily. He shrugs. “Or I made a terrible mistake and now I lost the best thing in my life.”

“He’s the best thing in your life,” Ren says slowly. He takes a long drink of coffee, hoping it’ll help the morning make more sense.

“Eh, like top five at least. I don’t have that impressive of a life, so it’s not a huge accomplishment.” Sun seems completely unconcerned by all of it. Ren figures he may as well follow suit.

The two of them end up watching Friends reruns in the living room, as there’s little to do at seven in the morning even when cooking that big of a meal. Pyrrha and Yang come back before long and Yang makes a point of throwing her sweaty tank top - reading “SCISSORS BEAT COCK” in bright pink - at Sun before she heads to the shower. It takes a while still before the rest of the house wakes up.

From then, it’s a blur of activity. Ren gets power of the kitchen because he’s the only one with all the necessary skills to make a schedule for everyone using it. This was decided long ago, as Ruby, Blake, Yang and Jaune, all opted out of the responsibility on their own. Pyrrha was deemed too nice - not willing to kick someone out of the kitchen, Weiss too harsh, Nora too flammable, and that left Ren. It works well and only one person has to be carried out of the kitchen when they refuse to leave the sweet potatoes alone to bake. Weiss tries to claim that it was unnecessary to be tossed over Ren’s shoulder, but no one really listens to her.

Ruby leaves to get Penny and someone - Ren suspects it is Nora, but no one is willing to outright say it, which makes him doubly sure it’s her - breaks out the booze. There’s a ceremonial shot of tequila for everyone when Ruby and Penny arrive, then another shot because apparently they were all supposed to take a shot when they started cooking but no one did. Then they all finally get their actual drinks.

It’s another twenty minutes before the last of the food finishes, but everything’s good for that period. Ren starts to get nervous because nothing bad has happened so far. Sun and Neptune broke up, sure, but that was before Friendsgiving. Any gathering like this, with these people, and anything close to formal wear has always led to disaster. His senior prom with Nora? Somehow the gymnasium they were in flooded - literally - and he didn’t get the money back on his rental tux. The awards ceremony for athletes last spring, that somehow the rest of them managed to plus-one their way to? Two separate fights broke out and Yang almost broke a guy’s nose. There would be more examples, Ren’s sure, but they aren’t really the type of people who get invited to formal affairs often. And this isn’t super formal, they’re in their own house, but still. He’s nervous. Nora plies him with a second glass of wine - like, one in each hand - when she notices this. He appreciates that.

It takes them another ten minutes for everyone to get their plates made. Ren sits at the head of the long table, and Nora plops down at his right as usual. Normally, Pyrrha sits next to Nora, but today she settles in on Ren’s other side, opposite Nora, and Jaune takes her usual place, so he's next to Nora. It’s strange, and Ren exchanges a look with Nora who rolls her eyes in a way that he knows means she’ll explain later. Weiss sits next to Pyrrha, Ruby on Weiss's other side - which makes Weiss straighten in her seat. Penny, of course, sits next to Ruby. Yang and Blake fill in next to Jaune, which leaves Sun at the other end of the table. It feels strangely right to have him there and Ren holds up his glass in a cheers, which Sun reciprocates.

“We all have to say what we’re thankful for,” Ruby demands just as Ren is about to eat. He might groan a little. Nora pats his hand. Ruby motions with her fork. “And no bullshit ones - you can’t say the food or just the people here.”

“That’s stupid.” Weiss grumbles. Ruby contemplates this for half a second before sticking her tongue out at her.

“I’m thankful that Neptune and I will either move in together in the fall or never speak again.” Sun says holding up his glass of wine.

“I’m thankful for you never being overdramatic,” Blake chimes in, clinking her glass against Sun’s.

“That shouldn’t counts.” Yang protests.

Ruby purses her mouth, considers it. “I’ll allow it.”

“I’m thankful the rules to this are pretty fast and loose.” Nora says. Ruby points a finger in her direction, apparently counting that as well. Yang actually gasps.

“Well, I’m thankful that Sun wore a suit today because we all look nice.” Pyrrha adds.

“What, Ruby, you said no bullshit ones.” Yang jabs a fork over at Pyrrha.

“It’s Pyrrha , that’s not bullshit.” Ruby insists. Yang slumps back in her chair a little.

“Well, I’m thankful that we’re finally drinking the tequila that’s Weiss’s sister brought for us as a housewarming present.” Ren says. He loves tequila

and he’d been eyeing the bottle for some time now. It’s good stuff.

“You’re welcome.” Weiss says, as if she bought the tequila and not her sister. Ren rolls his eyes.

“Are you mad about us drinking it?” Ruby asks.

“What, no,” Weiss says. She blinks at her. “I’m actually happy about it, can you really not tell?”

“I just always assume you’re mad.” Ruby admits. There’s an awkward beat then, with Weiss looking down at her plate and Ruby looking too long at Weiss.

“Well, I’m thankful that Weiss didn’t kill me for singing three Taylor Swift songs at her back when I had a crush on her.” Jaune offers. Everyone laughs.

“I’m thankful you stopped singing Taylor Swift songs at me.” Weiss says. Next to her, Ruby’s eyes are darting between the two like she’s just figuring something out. Her face goes a little red and Ren’s pretty sure she’s come to the wrong conclusion.

“I’m thankful you guys are still friends after dating.” Penny tosses in. Ren had forgotten she was there.

“Oh, god no.” Weiss says. Across the table, Jaune laughs at the very idea.

“No one at this table has actually dated I think, for all our debauchery.” Blake tells Penny. Penny blushes a little. Blake shrugs. “It still counts, we’re lucky Weiss didn't kill him or most of us by now.”

“It’s the long con, I’m going to Gone Girl you.” Weiss says taking a drink of wine. Blake almost looks actually flattered.

“I’m thankful that I live here and not in the dorms.” Ruby says. She points at Yang, the only one not to have said anything.

“I’m thankful that Ruby changed the rules so we could finish this and actually eat.” Yang declares.

“C’mon, Yang, she said no bullshit ones.” Blake says.

“Yeah, I mean, really.” Nora chimes in.

“That was basically what Nora said.” Even Pyrrha adds.

Ruby shakes her head at her sister. Yang flips her off before taking a large bite of turkey.

“I hate you guys, I can’t believe I’m friends with you fucks.” She says around the food.

“You love us.” Sun crows. Sun glares at him before turning back to her stuffing.

“Yeah, that too.” Yang admits.

Later, they all crowd around the television and watch Charlie Brown and then as many old throwback music videos as they can. They break out the tequila and do finish the bottle.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Pyrrha says after about the fifth round of shots. She clutches Nora’s shoulders frantically. “I’ve never had one of those on-fire shots before.”

Sometimes Ren really hates being right. Jaune tracks down a fire extinguisher before the drapes totally go up in flames, so no fireman are actually called. Ren figures it’s a close enough thing anyway. It counts.

---

 

Sun decides to stay the night around the time Ruby and Penny head out onto the porch to wait for Penny’s Uber. He peels off his suit without much comment and Jaune rather tiredly heads to his room to get sweatpants for him. Blake would laugh but she also kind of appreciates it. She curls up between Sun and Yang, half-drunk as they all did elect to finish the tequila.

“I’m happy.” She says sleepily. Yang smiles at her and Sun pats her leg in response.

Before long, Ruby comes back in, so Yang trails after her to their room to tease her about Penny. The rest of the group has headed up to bed, leaving Blake and Sun alone.

“Yang asked me out.” Blake says. Next to her, Sun twists to look at her. He smirks and she shoves at his shoulder. “I was going to, she just beat me to the punch.”

“That’s good. She’s good for you.” Sun says. He rolls onto his side, head in Blake’s lap. “What if Nep’s really done with me?”

“He’s not.”

“Maybe. Maybe not this time, but eventually he’ll figure out that he’s a marine bio major, and I’m a drug dealer who barely got his GED.” Sun says. He sighs.

“Sun, I really hate to tell you this, but everyone knows you’re a drug dealer.”

“Thanks, Belch.”

Blake cards a hand through his hair. “You’ll be fine. He likes you, he just doesn’t want to rush into things and mess up something good.”

Sun looks at her, a little too astutely for as much tequila as they’ve had. Blake considers backtracking, claiming that she and Neptune talk. It’s not entirely a lie, she talks to him on occasion, they’ve had environmental studies classes together, he’s a friend. Instead, she sighs.

“It’s not my fault you dated someone who has the same anti-rose colored glasses as me.”

“I like mean hot people who keep me on the ropes, what can I say?” Sun says easily. He seems a little more relaxed about the whole thing and Blake’s glad. She knows the two of them, knows they’re happy. It’s a setback, sure, but she feels reasonably sure they’ll work it out. And she’s a pessimist.

“Remember when you told me you weren’t going to fall in love with him?” Blake asks. Sun laughs.

“That was around the time you were denying you had any interest in XL, wasn’t it?”

“I think it was when I decided I was going to admit it and then just never do anything about it.”

“That’s right, you were taking that healthy option.” Sun says. He sits up. “Y’know if she breaks your heart or whatever, I’ll kill her, right?”

“Thanks Weedkong.” Blake says. She stands to head up to bed. “I’d do the same for you if you need it.”

“You’re good people, Belchadonna.” He says. He flops back onto the couch, pulls the spare blanket out from the basket beneath the lamp. Sun’s stayed over enough that he’s now self-sufficient. “How pissed do you think everyone would be if I finished off the pie before the morning?”

“Oh, we’d kill you.”

Sun shrugs. “It might be worth it.”

“Sure.” Blake says. She nods to the kitchen. “That’s why there’s a lock on the fridge.”

Sun’s gone in the morning. The lock on the fridge has been picked, but he left the pies. Everyone considers it just shy of a miracle.

 

Chapter 9: NOVEMBER (pt iv)

NOVEMBER (pt iv)

Sun never saw the point of college. Hell, he barely got why high school was important - dropped out when he was seventeen and got his GED shortly after that. College seemed ridiculous because well - he was successful without it. He had the weed business, which, in a college town was obviously thriving. Beside that, he also worked as a bar and made good money. That was success. It had never even occurred to him that success would mean people. And then along came Neptune.

Neptune was one of those guys who Sun knew was too good for him. He had zero visible tattoos the first time they met - and zero anywhere not visible, he found out eventually - and carried himself like he was someone who cared about things. Sun wasn’t really sure how to articulate that, but it was just something about Neptune. Sun had flirted rather shamelessly with him for about a month before Neptune really said anything.

“You’re cute,” Neptune had said, not like it was a compliment but rather like a fact they both knew. Sun had grinned anyway and Neptune just handed the Americano over to him. “But I’m not going to hook up with anyone. And I would only date someone if they really impressed me.”

So Sun had impressed him. He started showing up on campus, walking Neptune to class. At first, it was just to prove he could do it, like a challenge, and then he’d started to feel things about it. Blake gave him so much shit for it, but he already had her and XL’s wedding speech planned so revenge would happen. Neptune studied marine biology, hated Seaworld with a passion, and refused to eat meat. Sun is vegetarian too, a fact he had to get Blake to verify before Neptune accepted he wasn’t just bullshitting him.

It had quickly become the highlight of his day. Neptune had a good memory too, brought a grande Americano with an extra shot for Sun one morning as they walked to Neptune's philosophy class. Neptune is a senior now, but this was back months ago, and as a junior, he had put off taking the gen-eds for long enough that he had to take them now. Sun teased him about it even as he googled Descartes and Aristotle, so he could ask about them.

The first time they kissed, it was a Tuesday. Neptune was at his place, a new development. It was summer, the sticky heat of it assuring Sun never put on a shirt. His shoulders only ever freckled, never turned red. So he was shirtless on his porch, smoking a blunt and waxing poetic about the heat. Neptune had looked at him a moment too long, gaze dropping to his mouth. It was impossible to say which of them moved first, but then they were kissing. Neptune had tasted of chlorine, the effects of his summer job as a lifeguard, and Sun had curled a hand around his neck to keep him close.

Neptune had pulled away. Said again, he wasn’t about to hook up, then apologized and headed back to his dorm. Sun gave up on it for a day before Blackfish came up on his Netflix suggestions and his stomach twisted and god-fucking-dammit, he liked him.

So he did what any self-respecting twenty-three year old would do and got a boombox. The entire apartment complex seemed to look out their window before Neptune did. When he finally did, he looked at Sun first with shock and then it quickly faded into this stupid smile. Neptune didn’t smile like that a lot, it had to be earned. Sun hadn’t known it then but he had known that he liked that smile an awful lot.

It was only a month before he said he loved Neptune. It was too soon probably but Neptune had just grinned at him, that same earned thing. Sun had ducked his head, considered taking it back but Neptune had just settled into his lap and that decided that.

Sun had figured that it would be the same when he asked Neptune to move in with him. It would be easy, they were happy. It was a little soon maybe, but soon was mostly for other people, not them. Instead, Neptune had just stared at him, his Adam’s apple bobbing for a long moment where Sun realized nothing he was about to say would be good.

It went like this - they were moving fast and really, Neptune hadn’t planned on dating anyone in college, especially not really senior year, and he’d have to move to a coast or Canada or Australia for work when he graduated, and it was serious so fast and he was so sorry but - but - but. Sun got it, what he wasn’t saying. That this was temporary, that Sun was temporary. Neptune would never actually say that, but Sun understood it all the same. Neptune didn't call it off, but Sun knew it was just a matter of time. So he did the reasonable thing and broke up with Neptune.

It’s not how he tells it. He give Neptune the credit, makes it sound like he asked too much and Neptune did the smart thing and left. Nobody saw through it, not even Blake. It would be fine. He told all of House Mess (Belladonna’s crew because though they all kept trying to come up with an anagram that worked with their names, none had come up that worked) that it would be fine, that they’d get back together. He was pretty sure they wouldn’t though.

“I’ll be fine,” he tells Scarlet, the only person so far to call him on it. Or well, not call him on it, exactly, but stop Sun from hooking up with him. Scarlet blinks at him for a long moment like he's deciding if this was true.

“I’m still not hooking up with you. You and Tuna aren’t done yet.” Scarlet says, apparently having decided. Sun rolls his eyes. Scarlet shrugs, pays him for the weed. “Sorry, mate.”

“Whatever, I can’t believe being single is killing my game.”

“You never had any game.” Scarlet says gently. He pats Sun’s head before heading to his car.

Sun folds the twenty in with the rest of his money. He grew up poor. He would’ve keeled over at the sight of this money five years ago. It’s success. He’s successful. It’s just that right now, he’s also very sad. It’s that fucking simple.

---

Weiss blames Ruby. Before her, being gay was some hazy thing. She knew she liked Pyrrha, and a handful of other girls before that, but Ruby was the first one she thought maybe over. Ruby woke up early too, hummed as she cooked, remembered the creamer that Weiss liked. She was someone Weiss could - in another life - ask to get a drink. Or god, not that, because she was fucking eighteen, but to coffee. Someone who Weiss could hold hands with on Main Street, and Christ, it was such a little thing, but Weiss wanted it so badly. And it felt suddenly so obvious that she was gay, like she might as well come out because everyone would see it anyways.

So she texts Yang, because no one’s a better lesbian than Yang Xiao Long, just ask her, she'll tell anyone.

From Weiss:

Can I talk to you about something personal?

From Yang:

If u make it snappy i have a [fire emoji] date with B

From Weiss:

Where are you?

From Yang:

kitchen follow the sounds of yonce

Weiss hears Upgrade U faintly as she leaves her room. She sighs because of course Yang blasts Beyonce. Of course. The song’s playing from the speakers in the living room so Weiss turns it down before she goes into the kitchen.

“So, if I’m gay, how do you come out to people?” Weiss asks. Yang blinks at her, wide-eyed. Her look shifts to the kitchen table. A very shocked Jaune sits frozen, a hoagie halfway to his mouth.

“Oh my god.” Weiss groans.

“I thought you were going to ask to borrow a tampon! Jesus, Schnee!”

“I can leave.” Jaune attempts to stand.

“Just stay, oh my god.” Weiss flops into the chair opposite him. She presses her forehead onto the kitchen table.

“Well, I mean, if it helps, you just crossed two people off the list.” Yang says. Weiss groans into the table. There’s a clinking sound. Yang taps her shoulder and Weiss looks up to find a bottle of wine next to her shoulder. She sits up, clutches it to her chest.

“Congrats, lady.” Yang says, voice soft. She smiles at Weiss for a long moment, then tosses her hands up. “Oh, fuck it, I’m going to hug you.”

There’s a lot of blonde hair everywhere and Weiss thinks she should tell Yang to let go but - it’s almost the holidays and she’s never said this before and it feels right.

“You do it like that, for the record, you mostly just fucking say it.” Yang says, her voice quiet, just for Weiss. Weiss smiles to herself. “And fuck anybody who has a problem with you for it.”

“I’m happy for you.” Jaune says when Yang stands up again. Yang’s still got an arm looped around Weiss’s shoulders so Jaune just touches her hand before standing, walking out of the room.

“What was he sad about?” Weiss asks as he goes, shoulders drooped.

“He’s in love with Pyrrha.”

“Yeah, but what’s he sad about?”

“No, like, he figured it out.” Yang clarifies. Weiss makes a face, surprised. She always figured it would take him a lot longer. Like ten years down the road, speech at her wedding longer. In her fantasy, it had been her own wedding too, but whatever.

“Huh,” Weiss says as Yang grabs a wine glass off the dish drying rack, hands it to her. “So, really though.”

“Really, you just say it. People might be mad but not the people who matter.” Yang considers this as she tosses a corkscrew up in the air. She shakes her head. “I mean, your dad might be shitty about it. He’s all NRA and shit, but... if he’s shitty for it then he isn’t someone who matters. You have your people. If he has a problem with who you are, that’s his fucking issue.”

“Is it - if I don’t say it, to him or Win or whoever, for a while, is that okay?” Weiss asks. Yang tosses the corkscrew to her. Weiss catches it easily.

“Tell people when you want. It’s your business.”

Weiss hums a note. Yang cocks her head at her and Weiss crosses her arms. “It’s just - nothing’s different.”

“Did you really think it would be?”

“No.” Weiss says because she means yes. Yang clicks her tongue at her.

“Not with us. You’re stuck with us, you should know that by now. Hell and highwater.”

“The phrase is hell or highwater.”

“I’m being realistic here.” Yang pokes a finger at Weiss’s nose. “We have ended up a lot of places, hell and highwater are gonna happen eventually.”

Weiss rolls her eyes. It all feels so normal. It makes her stomach hurt a little, knowing that it won’t be like this with everyone. Or maybe it’s that she knows she will always have this. Or maybe it’s the wine settling.

“I meant it though, way back. Don’t break my sister’s heart.”

“Please. As if I want to add that level of craziness to my life.” Weiss says. She stands to leave the room, tucking the wine under one arm, and catches the look on Yang’s face. It’s too knowing. Weiss clucks her tongue. “Like you’re one to give romantic advice.”

“Hey, I’m solving my situation. I’m going on a date with Blake. I’m gonna charm the pants off her.” Yang points as she talks. Weiss knows what she’s supposed to do. Tease Yang or dismiss this but it’s the holidays and Yang might be her best friend - christ, what a thought - and so instead she just finds herself smiling. Yang’s expression turns suspicious. “What?”

“You’ve never said it before. You and Blake.”

“Ah, well.” Yang shrugs. “It always seemed a little scary to say.”

Weiss nods. It’s not the same. Not at all. But she thinks about Yang, and herself, and thinks it’s not all that different either. They both have these pieces of themselves they hold onto so tightly, afraid someone will see them if they look too close. Afraid it’ll spook someone off. Weiss thinks of her mother, who left and died, and of Yang’s mother, who left and came back and left (and so on). Weiss thinks maybe this is the first time Yang’s admitted something scared her. And Weiss saw the sky-diving pictures from last spring break. So Weiss leans in, hugs her.

“Weiss, this is gay.” Yang says after a moment.

Weiss sighs, pulls away. Yang grins.

“I made it two whole minutes before making a joke.” Yang sounds proud. Weiss flips her off before walking out of the room. Yang cackles behind her. “I love you too, Schnee.”

Weiss doesn’t say it back. She doesn’t have to. What she does instead is stop at Blake’s door. It’s open and Blake is clearly about to walk out the door when Weiss looks in.

“Don’t tell her I said this. But if you break her heart, I’ll Gone Girl you.” Weiss says. Blake peers at her, adjusting her jacket. Then, she smiles.

“Okay.” Blake says after a long moment. She sounds happy about it, like she’s proud of Weiss somehow. Weiss nods.

“Okay.” She agrees. And then she heads to her own room. The room is dark, save for the Christmas lights she leaves up year round. Weiss looks up at them, smiles. It’s stupid, probably, to smile to herself in a dark room. She can’t help but do it anyways.

---

 

Blake shows up to the bar a little early even though she knows Yang still needs to change. Blake had to sneak by Yang in the kitchen to leave the house. Still, getting there early is an old habit, from years of working two or three jobs and knowing how much being late even once can really screw things up. So she gets there early, aware that Yang might even be late because she usually was. Blake orders a gin and tonic, fiddles with her phone while she sips at it. Someone bumps her arm as they lean around her to grab a drink off the bar and Blake silently forgives them, mood buoyed up by the date. Weiss texts her an eye roll emoji to Blake’s question of if Yang’s left yet, then adds that she held Yang up a little, even apologizes for it. Blake’s surprised by it, figure she’ll get the story.

Nerves help her finish the drink quickly. Blake moves to catch the bartender’s attention, order another, and maybe a dark & stormy for Yang. It’s close enough to eight now. Except when Blake looks across the bar, she sees - and no, it can’t be him. As she blinks to figure out who the man across the bar is, it strikes her that the gin & tonic is hitting her a little hard. Like, absurdly hard. Like, maybe it wasn’t just gin and tonic. The man across the bar grins, toothy, and Blake feels her stomach drop. Of course. This is what hope gets you.

Blake tries to make for the door. She can barely stand when he slides the arm around her shoulders. Some vague part of her brain knows she should push him off. But he’s warm and the world is spinning beneath her and he smells just the way she remembers and – no one told her that you miss the people who hurt you. But you do, and she does, and he’s herding her into a car. She stops him then, stands before he can push her into the passenger door.

“Just get in the car, Blakey,” Adam’s voice looms. She hates that voice, knows she’ll be hearing it in nightmares again. Blake shakes her head, pulls back.

Adam grabs her arm just above the elbow. “Stop being difficult.”

Blake shoves at him, ineffective. The two of them stumble out the front door of the bar as one and Blake nearly tips into the sidewalk. Adam’s grip keeps her upright. His hands tighten on her arms and Blake knows what that means. Yang. In that damn wonderful yellow dress. She’s on the sidewalk, arm half-up in a wave. Blake realizes something must give it away because Yang’s face changes. Blake hates that, hates having Yang see her like this.

“Let go,” Blake says because Yang’s walking closer and there needs to be a limit between them. Who she was and who she is now can’t coexist. Adam just grips her arm tighter.

Yang’s eyes flit between the two of them as she walks up. Blake’s never said it, never put words to what Adam is and what he does, but she realizes in that moment that she was stupid to think Yang hadn’t figured it out.

“I’m giving her a ride,” Yang says. It’s the voice she uses when teaching tae kwan do, no nonsense and firm.

“Then come get her,” Adam says. Blake tugs her arm out of his grasp, but he just slides his other arm around her waist, tight. He’s like an octopus and she knows it now, that he slipped something in her drink, probably bumped into her and her head was so in the clouds she didn't even fucking notice.

Yang shoves him away and Blake nearly topples into the car. Yang loops an arm around her waist, walks her towards the sidewalk. Adam gets into his car, peels off around the block. All of it seems to happen too fast, but maybe that’s whatever drug he put in her system now. Blake folds her arms over her stomach.

Yang tucks a piece of Blake’s hair behind her ear. It’s soft and something about it makes Blake want to cry. Soft has never been hers, not before. She smiles up at Yang. Yang takes a step backwards, towards her bike across the street. Yang pauses there, to wink because she knows it’ll make Blake smile. It does.

The car comes out of nowhere. Time seems to slow. Yang goes up onto the hood, then drops back down onto the road. Blake gapes at her for a split second. Then the car window rolls down and Adam peers out at her.

“I meant what I said when you left, you cunt. Everything you love.” He says.

Blake doesn’t even think, just moves. She grabs Yang, pulls her over to the sidewalk. She rests Yang’s head in her lap, looks at the blood dripping down her sleeve. Blake’s voice shakes when she calls 911.

The ambulance driver asks if she wants to ride with Yang to the hospital. Blake can still feel the ghost of Adam’s hand on her arm. She shakes her head, waits until the lights recede into the distance. Blake vomits, spills the contents of her stomach onto the sidewalk. It clears her head a little, enough that she can walk. So Blake runs, as far away as she can get.

Notes:

So hi hello - a couple things - this is not one chapter away from being done. It is a good many chapters from done. Originally this entire November monster was supposed to be one chapter but it ended up (obviously) not that. So, just ~fyi.
Also - I am going to be doing holiday fics for anyone who wants one - just drop an ask in my tumblr (masonjo.tumblr.com) or request one here and I'll do my best to fill it by the end of 2016. It doesn't have to be holiday related or in this college!verse but it can be if you want. I just would love to write some things that people want to read so hit me with it :)
Finally - I would say I'm sorry this is such a bummer chapter but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .

Chapter 10: NOVEMBER (pt v) & DECEMBER (pt i)

NOVEMBER (pt v)

“There’s a hotel attached. I could book a room for you and your father,” Weiss says. Ruby looks up. She’s thumbing through her wallet and holds out a credit card. Ruby shakes her head at it, honestly confused. Weiss curls the credit card into her hand.

“The house is fifteen minutes away. I don’t need to waste money, plus it’s not like I could sleep.” Ruby admits. She curls her knees up onto the hard plastic chair. Weiss huffs.

“You wouldn’t pay for it.” Weiss snaps. There’s something comforting in that, how Weiss is still acting like Weiss. Ruby can feel Weiss look at her a moment too long and Ruby turns to look. Weiss just stares back. “I’m going to book a room anyway. Maybe your father will be reasonable when he gets here.”

“You don’t have…” Ruby starts, but she trails off. Weiss already has her phone out, dialing the hotel.

The whole process is over before Ruby can even really stop her. At least her dad will have one less thing to worry about. He’d want to stay in the hotel anyway. Weiss hangs up, then avoids looking at Ruby. She takes care to put away her wallet into her purse, then shoves her phone into her coat pocket. Her whole body seems tense, like she thinks Ruby is going to chew her out. And maybe she does think that. Ruby doesn’t really know much about Weiss’s family. She has a sister, Ruby thinks. That’s all she knows and she feels bad about it because Weiss is - Weiss matters to her. She should know more. Then, Ruby realizes she’s focusing on Weiss while Yang is unconscious in the hospital and she tears up. Worst sister ever.

“Thanks,” Ruby says, voice small. She hates how she sounds, the way it makes Weiss look at her. Weiss has this wrinkle between her eyebrows that shows up when she’s worried. Ruby noticed it back in October and it’s there now.

“Ruby,” Weiss says. She stops and Ruby can’t tell if that’s all she wanted to say or if there was more but suddenly the quiet feels like so damn much.

“Can you - I don’t know a lot about you. Like, your family. I know you’re going to work with your dad’s company when you graduate, but that’s it and - and I know I should want to talk about Yang but if I talk about Yang I’m gonna -” Ruby stops herself, hugs her knees to herself. She lets out a breath and it sounds as shaky as she feels. Next to her, Weiss shifts and Ruby is somehow terrified Weiss is going to hug her. She’ll break down if she does and Ruby can’t do that now, not yet, not when no one else is here.

“Win’s my sister. Her full name is Winter Solstice.” Weiss says. Ruby’s mouth twitches at a smile of its own volition. Weiss sighs. “Yeah, it’s ridiculous. My father let my mom name her. That’s why he got to name me, I guess. Anyway, Win’s almost ten years older than I am. She’s awesome. Went to West Point, has run the Boston Marathon twice. Nobody in my family knows this besides me but she has a tattoo on her ribs. She always wears something over it around my father and brother, but she showed me it when we went swimming last year.”

“Your mom doesn’t know?”

“Well, she’s dead.” Weiss says plainly. Ruby gapes for a moment before realizing she should apologize, but Weiss is already waving her off. “It was almost ten years ago. It’s not - I just forget people don’t know.”

“My mom’s dead too.” Ruby says. It comes out a little panicked and Weiss raises an eyebrow. Ruby flaps a hand at her. “Well, she is, I’m not just saying it to make you feel better! She died when I was in middle school.”

“I didn’t think you were saying it to make me feel better.” Weiss says. She crosses her arms. “I was younger anyway, I win.”

“Wha - no way, mine was more recent. I win.”

“My father’s emotionally distant.”

“Sister in hospital!” Ruby bleats as the ace up her sleeve. She claps a hand over her mouth, shocked that she actually said it. Weiss’s face freezes. Weiss has a pretty good poker face and Ruby figures she’s waiting for Ruby to burst into tears. Ruby snorts a laugh instead. “Oh my god, Yang’s in the hospital.”

“She is.” Weiss agrees carefully.

“And not - like not for drinking or like god, it wasn’t even a fight. She didn’t even get in a fight with someone. Or maybe she did because like - look at her! She’s all bruised.” Ruby stops to laugh. The hallway’s stuffy and Ruby tosses off her coat. Standing helps too, so she does that. “I mean, we don’t know what happened because Yang’s the only one here and guess what she is?”

Weiss stares at her and Ruby tosses her arms out.

“Out like a light! That’s what the nurse said because he didn’t think I knew her - because y’know, Yang’s blonde and looks like Yang and I’m - I’m not blonde and look like a twelve year old.” Ruby motions to her body, so much smaller than Yang’s. Weiss shifts in her chair and Ruby shakes her head. “But y’know like maybe she won’t even know because she might have brain damage and her arm might never work and - and - and Weiss, was she all alone? Who called the ambulance and why wasn’t Blake there and she’s my only sister.”

Weiss stands finally. Ruby steps back when Weiss moves for her, arms out. She’s already crying but she can’t - she has to hold it together until her dad gets here.

“I can’t - I only have one sister and no mom and it’s not -” Ruby stops again because she can’t stop crying, which is so ridiculous because talking was supposed to help. She scrubs a hand through her hair. “And Penny and I broke up and I should be sad about that but I’m not, I’m just glad I don’t have to text her about this. But do I need to text Blake because where the fuck is she?”

Weiss stands frozen, arms halfway out. Ruby knows that Weiss isn’t big on criers. She admitted as much on Halloween, after they’d swapped shoes. So Ruby feels bad and like - she would like it if she stopped crying, but it’s just kind of happening.

“And I can’t even - she has a mom, and y’know what? Raven lives an hour away. But I don’t - I don’t even have her phone number and so I have to wait until my dad’s plane lands and I stayed up last night watching Gilmore Girls because I broke up with my girlfriend and my sister wasn’t supposed to go to the hospital and no one’s here and you’re going to leave to go home and I’m not-”

“I’m not leaving.” Weiss interrupts. Ruby reels with it.

“Weiss, you don’t have to.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m staying. You’re - I wouldn’t want to be somewhere else. I already cancelled my flight.”

“Your dad - you said on Halloween that looking like a family is important.” Ruby says, voice small. Weiss has dropped her arms, hands now on her hips. It should be comforting, her looking as Weiss always does. Instead, it just makes Ruby want to let Weiss hug her more.

“Believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what he’s going to be upset with me for.” Weiss says. She shakes her head before Ruby can figure that out. “If you want me to wake up the other four, I can.”

“No, no, I just want to not - god I don’t know. I just.” Ruby scrubs a hand across her face. She’s so tired and it’s not fair because she shouldn’t want to sleep now. She groans. “I mean, do we need to worry about Blake too? Is she like, dying in some alley or kidnapped?”

Ruby can practically see Weiss thinking of how to phrase whatever she’s going to say.

“Just say it.” Ruby yelps.

“Blake hates hospitals.” Weiss says finally. And that’s not all of it, not exactly, but Ruby thinks that’s all Weiss is going to say. She shrugs. “She probably called the ambulance then bolted. She’ll turn up.”

Ruby swallows, nods. She doesn’t want to be mad at Blake. But she is. She is a little. And she’s scared because Weiss could be wrong. Ruby paces the hallway. It’s better than spewing words at Weiss more. Weiss settles back into her chair, watches Ruby. Ruby can tell she’s still worried - that little wrinkle again - but Ruby doesn’t acknowledge it. Pacing helps because if she’s moving she’s less sleepy, but it also hurts because Ruby is tired. She checks her phone. Almost four, and a text from her dad a little while back, saying the flight landed. She tells Weiss as much, figures Weiss will want to head back to the house and sleep.

“As soon as your dad gets here, I’m taking you to bed.” Weiss says instead. She blushes and Ruby can feel her own ears burn red, but then Weiss just waves a hand at it. “You know what I mean. You need to sleep.”

“Thanks. I will sleep when he gets here, I swear, so don't look so worried and - thanks. For the hotel.” Ruby says. Weiss shrugs.

“It’s not even my money. You shouldn’t be on the roads anyway, you might hit-” Weiss stops, mouth snapping shut.

“Can you - I know the doctors haven’t said much but can you just say she’s not going to die? Just so someone will.” Ruby can hear it in her voice, how stupid and young she sounds, but she says it anyway. If Weiss only ever thinks of her as stupid and young for this, it’s fine.

“The only reason the doctors aren’t saying it is that they don’t realize that she’s Yang. If they knew that, they’d know she’s going to live. She’s going to be okay.” Weiss says and it’s sharp, almost like she’s mad at the doctors for not saying it. The doctors have been cagey and busy and there’s hardly anyone on staff this late. Ruby can’t really hold it against them.

“Yeah?”

“Of course.” Weiss snaps. She frowns. “Do you want me to go find a nurse?”

“No, they didn’t really like that when you did it before.”

“Well, it’s their job to-”

But whatever else she’s about to say is lost when Ruby’s dad practically bolts into the hallway. He scoops her up in a hug and Ruby holds onto him for a second. Then, she pulls back

“The doctors wanted to talk to you and I don’t know that much but they think she might have hit her head and her arm’s all twisted or something in it is bad and-” Ruby stops when her dad holds up a hand.

“I’m going to go get a doctor in a second, but are you okay?”

“I’m - huh?”

“She won’t go to sleep.” Weiss puts in. Ruby turns and Weiss is standing there. Weiss holds out a notepad. “I took down what the doctors said. Like Ruby said, it’s not much, but here.”

She looks obviously rich, something in her coat or the boots. Ruby is surprised that Weiss also looks uncomfortable. Weiss fidgets as Ruby’s dad takes the notepad from her. She holds out her hand. “I’m Weiss - Yang’s a close friend of mine, I live with your daughters.”

Ruby’s glad when her dad opts to hug Weiss instead of shake her hand. Weiss seems surprised, but when he pulls away she smiles a little before it drops.

“Could you give Ruby a ride home? Qrow will be here soon to keep me company.”

“Weiss rented a room at the hotel next door.”

“I just wanted to help and I figured you and Ruby would need somewhere to stay that’s close.” Weiss puts in, sounding a little oddly panicked. Ruby watches her dad’s expression go sort of questioning before he nods.

“You girls can stay there, don’t worry about me. I’m going to find a doctor.”

“The nurse’s station is down that way.” Ruby points in the direction of the nurse’s station and he nods. Ruby hugs him again. “You’ll call me if anything happens or if -”

“Ruby, go to bed. I’ll keep you in the loop.”

Ruby looks up at him, trying to decide if she should stay. Qrow could be late. Something could happen. And if Yang wakes up with just their dad around, her feelings might be hurt. Not that they don’t get along! Just, Ruby would want Yang to be there if the situation were reversed.

“You said you’d sleep when your father got here.”

Ruby startles. Weiss holds out her coat in one hand, shakes it at Ruby until Ruby takes it from her. She hugs her father again, makes him promise twice to call if there’s any update. Weiss leads her across the hospital. The hotel is actually connected to the hospital, so it only takes a few minutes for Weiss to get them there. Ruby realizes about halfway there she really is pretty much dead on her feet. Weiss more or less deposits her on a lobby couch while she checks in.

“They only have a queen bed. Even though the website said they had a room with two double beds.” Weiss reports. She says the latter half loud enough that Ruby is pretty sure the worker at the desk is either crying or near it, but she’s too tired to care. Weiss holds out the room key. “So here, I can just drive back.”

“What, no, it’s so late, just stay.” Ruby says. She stands, pushes the room key back at Weiss. “Weiss, please.”

“Okay,” Weiss says. She clears her throat.

Neither of them have a change of clothes. Weiss is wearing yoga pants with a t-shirt, so it works out mostly for her, and Ruby decides she can just sleep without her jeans on. Weiss heads into the bathroom first, washes her face, the sound of it loud in the quiet room. Ruby manages to stay awake long enough to take her turn. Weiss apparently took her bra off, a pretty, lacy pink thing that’s hanging on the hook on the back of the door. Ruby stares at it for a long moment, decides it’s a sign of how tired she is that all she can think is ‘pink’. She peels off her jeans, takes off her own bra. Her t-shirt is long enough that it’s not scandalous or anything and if she were less tired, she’d be nervous about it. But she’s exhausted and her sister’s in the hospital so Ruby just heads out into the bedroom.

Weiss plugs both their phones in, a charger already set up on the wall, as Ruby curls up on the side of the bed closest to the door. Ruby watches Weiss. She’s mad Blake wasn’t around for any of this, but of all her friends, she’s glad Weiss was the one who did come. Weiss is efficient in this way that should probably be scary but Ruby likes it. And not just that. Ruby likes being around Weiss. Weiss turns the sound on Ruby’s phone up before she comes to bed. She settles in on the other side of the bed, close to the edge. After a moment, she sighs.

“I sleep in the middle.” Weiss admits.

“Okay.” Ruby says. She’s half-asleep already.

Weiss grumbles something, then moves into the middle of the bed. Her feet touch Ruby’s. Weiss isn’t a hugger but when Ruby hooks one foot between Weiss’s, she doesn’t move away.

“I might cry. In the morning, when I’m awake.” Ruby admits. Weiss nods, something Ruby can just make out in the dark. Ruby rolls onto her side to face Weiss. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“That you have to deal with - with this, with me.”

“It’s not dealing with you.” Weiss says and she sounds genuinely confused. “I want to be here.”

“What, stuck sharing a bed with me?” Ruby tries to joke. Weiss shifts like she’s going to move away. “Sorry, I’m just - thank you - is what I mean. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you around tonight. You made things easier.”

“You’re smart, Ruby, you would’ve been just fine,” Weiss says. But she doesn’t move away. Ruby shuts her eyes. “I’m glad to have helped.”

Ruby hums agreement in response, she scoots in a little, feels Weiss touch her hair, gentle, just before she falls asleep.

---

 

Thanksgiving comes and goes without much worthy of mention. Yang wakes up the Monday beforehand, but remains relegated to the hospital for the holiday. Weiss stays in the house as do Ruby and her father and uncle, as the hotel proved to be expensive, too much so to stay long. The rest of the house still went to their respective homes, all feeling rather awkward about it for their own reasons. Weiss learns from Sun that he saw Blake at the bus station. He says he has no idea where she was going, just that she looked sad. Weiss keeps that to herself. Still, when she visits Yang, Yang cocks her head.

“She left, right?” Yang asks, voice flat. Weiss nods, once, succinct. Yang clenches her jaw.

Weiss leaves shortly after that because Yang refuses to say anything else.  

---

 

DECEMBER (pt i)

Pyrrha’s soccer game happens the week after Thanksgiving. Jaune shows up at the locker room with flowers. It’s too much, he knows, but he can’t resist. This is the kind of thing that calls for flowers, honestly. Pyrrha’s tugging her hair up into a ponytail when he comes in and she doesn’t hear him. He watches her for a minute. It might be creepy but it feels like - like maybe this is his last chance before things get weird and most likely bad. So he watches her pull a hair tie around her hair, watches her bounce on the balls of her feet - an old nervous habit he remembers from the first time he met her, when they were practicing vocabulary for Spanish. After a few moments, she turns and sees him. Her whole face lights up in this smile and god, he wishes he had a picture of that. Jaune doesn’t think there’s a better smile on earth.

“Flowers,” she says, instead of hello. Maybe Nora’s right. Maybe he’s a bad influence on her. Pyrrha of like, last July, would probably have at least said, ‘hello, flowers’. Probably.

When he hands the flowers over, Jaune’s left with the awkward decision of what to do with his hands. He tries crossing his arms, but it feels like - stern or something - and then he goes to his hips but that seems wrong. Pyrrha watches him quietly, face half-shrouded in the poppies.

“I have to say something.” Jaune says finally. He ends up with his hands in his jacket pockets. Whatever, fuck it, that’s as good as anywhere. Pyrrha sets the poppies on the locker room bench very carefully, like she needs her hands free.

Oh god, she probably thinks he’s dying.

“I’m not dying!” He says. Pyrrha actually sighs at that, as if it’s a relief. He really needs to work on tone if that’s what it sounded like he meant.

His hands come out of his pockets on their own accord or because his stupid mouth only half works without hand motions and he really needs it to full work. So he sort of wrings his hands out and Pyrrha reaches over to hold them, as if that will make him less nervous.

“So, I know I’m probably not your best friend.” Jaune begins. Pyrrha makes a face and so he stops.

“You’re my best friend.” Pyrrha says, sounding as if she’s confused he would consider anyone else to be that.

“Uh, Nora?”

“That’s different.” Pyrrha dismisses with a wave of her hand. “Nora’s my best friend too.”

“What about Yang?”

“Oh, I mean, Yang and I are close, but I wouldn’t say best friends.”

“So I rank as high as Nora?” Jaune asks. He can’t decide if this is better or worse. Either way, he can’t help but grin. Better is winning out for now.

“Yeah,” Pyrrha says and she grins back.

He loses track of what he meant to say for a moment. Pyrrha’s coach comes in and yells at her to hustle, then walks back to his office. Pyrrha pulls her hands away, moves and puts the poppies in her locker - ‘so they’re safe’, she says - and then finally Jaune remembers why he’s there.

They’ve kissed countless times before. So even though she ended things between them, Pyrrha doesn’t seem surprised when Jaune frames her face in his hands and kisses her up against the locker. She smiles against his mouth, then opens her mouth enough that he can taste her. Her hands find the gap between his shirt and his shorts and there will be those wonderful little crescents from her fingernails on his sides later.

A whistle blows and Jaune jerks backwards. Pyrrha smiles at him, her mouth just slightly redder from it.

And then Jaune ruins it, because he can’t keep letting it ruin him.

“I’m in love with you.” He breathes the words out because kissing Pyrrha makes it impossible to think properly. Pyrrha’s face goes pale. And Jaune thinks maybe she’s going to faint.

“You’re what,” she says. It’s not even a question really, just like this statement that has escaped her.

“I know you don’t want to - I know it’s not like that for you, but you’re my favorite person and my best friend and I don’t want to even kiss anyone else. So, I’m in love with you.” Jaune says. It all spills out and for once he’s glad. It’s all going up in flames anyway, so Pyrrha may as well know the whole of it.

Her coach grabs him by the arm before Pyrrha can say anything in response. Jaune doesn’t look back as he gets manhandled - rather kindly manhandled, because Ozpin at least mutters an apology as he shoves Jaune out the door - because he doesn’t think he can stand to see Pyrrha’s face after that. Instead he remembers that smile when he brought her flowers. He pretends that’s how she might look now.

 

Nora saved a spot for him with Ren towards the front. Jaune takes his seat. He doesn’t mean to look miserable, but, look, he is miserable and so he basically slumps down in his seat. Nora doesn’t bug him about it until halfway into the game, which is nothing short of a miracle.

“I told her.” He says when Nora looks over. Nora smacks him on the arm, but he thinks it might be with pride.

“What’d she say?”

Before he can answer, the whole world changes. One second, Pyrrha is a foot away from the ball with Cinder just behind her. There’s debate, later, if Cinder did it on purpose or if it was an accident. It’s fast, an elbow up either to block or push, and then Pyrrha’s down. Her head bounces oddly, wrongly, when she lands and then she just stops moving. The whistles blow and Cinder argues with the referees, but in the end they stop the game. Still, Jaune keeps expecting Pyrrha to stand. She should, by all accounts, stand. She’s Pyrrha. Except, she doesn’t, she just lays on the field, not moving.

The ambulance drives right up onto the field. Jaune doesn’t know a lot about soccer. He knows that’s a bad sign. Still, some stupid, hopeful part of him thinks maybe Pyrrha will get up, apologize for inconveniencing everyone. He keeps thinking it even as they load her onto the stretcher. Then, the back of the ambulance shuts and Jaune realizes just how bad it actually is.

Notes:

oops?
(but also shoutout to all you clever people who were nervous for our girl in the comments last chapter - good call lol)

Chapter 11: DECEMBER (pt ii)

Notes:

School/personal crap have sucked away all my time and motivation so this is very short. It will probably be a while before more updates but please send well wishes as I struggle through my last final and a new boss at my job.

DECEMBER (pt ii)

Ruby walks around the hospital, just for something to do. From the hall, she heard Yang scream at someone - Uncle Qrow or Raven or dad or a nurse, she has no idea. It doesn’t matter who, to Yang, Ruby figures. Not that she can blame her. Yang’s in bad shape. So Ruby’s avoiding her sister for the moment. It’s been days of Yang glaring out the window and snapping at anyone who talks to her. Ruby needs a break from that and studying for her last two finals next week.

So she ends up outside Pyrrha’s room. The room is sterile. Weiss mentioned that Pyrrha’s mom and step-mom wanted the room to stay empty to avoid anything getting in the way of the doctors. Which makes sense. Except, Ruby’s been in Pyrrha’s room. It’s always clean, sure, but there’s also pictures of her with friends all over the place, and some pressed flowers ring her mirror and she keeps ticket stubs from movies and - basically, Pyrrha likes mementos. Ruby thinks maybe just some flowers would be nice. For when Pyrrha wakes up. Ruby tries very hard not to think of the way Weiss said ‘if’ when relaying what the doctors said.

“She’s Pyrrha Nikos though.” Weiss had said simply when Ruby looked stressed. Weiss was the right person to keep everyone else updated on Pyrrha. Weiss always said things like they were fact, even when it wasn’t quite a fact, like Pyrrha being Pyrrha somehow changing whether or not she would wake up.

Ruby leans against the glass next to the door. Pyrrha’s alone, another request on behalf of her parents. Somehow, the group of them were deemed too noisy or rambunctious. Nora’s been pacing around the outside of the hospital ever since, with Ren talking her down when she starts looking murderous. Jaune, on the other hand, has basically set up camp in the chair outside Pyrrha’s door. Ruby goes to sit next to him after a moment.

“Mrs. Nikos says we can go in at four.” He says. He sounds - it’s not even sad . He sounds ruined, honestly, and it makes Ruby feel worse about all of it. Yang’s arm is messed up, but she’s awake and yelling at people, at least. Jaune scrubs a hand over his face. “Only two at a time, so one of us will have to trade with Nora later.”

“Have you been sleeping?” Ruby asks. She wonders if anyone’s asked him that.

Pyrrha’s moms - which, okay, she knows one is a step-mom, but she’s tired and well, whatever - are so worried about Pyrrha, and Pyrrha getting absolutely the best care but - well, her dad’s been forcing muffins on anyone who comes near Yang’s room. Her dad also knows everyone’s majors and is in an on-going debate with Nora about Reese’s pieces vs peanut butter M&M’s. Not that Pyrrha’s moms are bad! Just - she doesn’t think Jaune’s left this wing of the hospital except to change clothes once a day, and she knows that he only leaves for that because Ren somehow makes him. And she doesn’t think Pyrrha’s moms have noticed.

“Sure.” He says. Ruby tries to give him a look. Blake has a really good look, the type where people always fold under it. Ruby’s trying! But Jaune’s about to burn a hole through the glass into Pyrrha’s room and he doesn’t even notice.

“Are - I want to ask something I probably shouldn’t.” Ruby says after a moment. Jaune looks at her finally. Ruby chews her lip, considers backing out. Then, she figures screw it. “Are you and Pyrrha dating?”

He doesn’t answer, just stares at her and somehow looks even sadder. It’s - look, Ruby didn’t think he could look sadder , so it’s bad. She looks away, digs in her bag. There’s a muffin that Weiss didn’t want but couldn’t turn down, because Weiss is weird about saying no to things from parents. Ruby hands it to Jaune. He takes it rather dumbly.

“I’m sorry - I shouldn’t - it’s just - way back, I saw you guys and - forget I asked.” Ruby can hear her voice get squeakier with each word. She cringes at it when she finishes. One side of Jaune’s mouth turns up in a grin at least. He pulls off a piece of the muffin.

“We had a casual thing. I didn’t - I mean, you don’t really think someone like me could date someone as great as Pyrrha.” Jaune shakes his head. He eats some of the muffin and Ruby knows somehow that there’s more to it. Jaune shakes his head again, like he’s trying to clear his thoughts. “We weren’t dating. Pyrrha’s my best friend and I’m in love with her. It’s - I’ll get over it. I just want my friend back.”

Ruby almost says something but then Jaune tosses the remains of the muffin against the wall opposite them. Then, his face crumples and Ruby realizes with a start that he’s trying not to cry. She moves to hug him and he stands.

“It’s my fucking fault. I told her that I - god, I fucking, I should just shut the hell up forever . I told her I loved her and she was so fucking - it was like that never even occured to her. I’m so far off her radar and it threw her off and that’s why she didn’t see Cinder and that’s-” Jaune stops talking and makes this noise . It’s like someone hit him and Ruby hurts for him. She’s not sure if she should hug him or say anything because he just keeps looking at the ceiling, the same way Yang used to do when they were kids and she didn’t want to cry.

Then Nora and Ren come around the corner. Nora doesn’t even pause, just wraps her arms around Jaune. Jaune makes this strangled noise into her hair. Ren touches Ruby’s arm and nods his head towards the pair. So Ruby joins them.

The four of them stand there, hugging, for some time. It should be awkward maybe, because Nora’s sniffling and Jaune keeps trying to say it’s his fault - with Ren refusing to even let him finish the thought - but it really isn’t. It feels right, somehow. Eventually, one of the Mrs. Nikos shows up and the four of them pull apart. Nora ducks out to the bathroom and Ren gets a phone call a few moments later. There’s a few awkward moments where Ruby, Jaune, and Mrs. Nikos are all standing at the window into Pyrrha’s room.

Jaune stoops to pick up the pieces of the muffin that he threw and Pyrrha’s mom gives him this look - like she just can’t figure him out.

“We love your daughter very much.” Ruby says. Pyrrha’s mom looks at her rather startled, like she’s never seen Ruby before. They’ve met twice though. Ruby thinks of how her own father knows that Blake drinks soy milk and that Weiss prefers peppermint to anything else in her drinks. She feels suddenly that she is very lucky.

“Of course you do.” Pyrrha’s mother says and her voice is all angles, all sharp. It sounds nothing like Pyrrha. Pyrrha’s mom straightens up, tugs on the hem of her jacket. “Pyrrha’s special.”

“Pyrrha’s the best person I’ve ever met.” Jaune says. He says it like a challenge, like he expects Pyrrha’s mom to argue the point. Mrs. Nikos just blinks at him and then it looks like she’s worked out the puzzle of the boy. Her face softens, just a little.

“Yes, yes, I would imagine that’s true for many of us that know her.” Mrs. Nikos says after a moment. Jaune deflates with that. Mrs. Nikos does this strange little hand motion and Ruby recognizes it. Pyrrha does the same thing, too often.

“If you’d like, you could go in for a bit. The doctors do say that having someone talk to her might be helpful.” Mrs. Nikos says. Jaune smiles and nods. She looks like she might say more, but Jaune uses the hand sanitizer by the door and practically runs into Pyrrha’s room.

Ruby watches Mrs. Nikos for a moment. Mrs. Nikos watches Jaune. And Ruby knows who Jaune’s watching.

“He’s a good guy.” Ruby says. Mrs. Nikos doesn’t turn to look at her, but she nods.

“I always thought...” Mrs. Nikos trails off. She fiddles with the strap of her purse, then looks at Ruby. “He truly does care about her, doesn’t he?”

“I think that’s putting it pretty lightly.” Ruby says and she has to smile at it, just a little. Mrs. Nikos smiles back, just a hint of a smile. Mrs. Nikos may be all harsh where Pyrrha is soft, but that tiny smile looks so damn familiar. Ruby nods. “You two have the same smile. I mean, duh, she’s your daughter, but it’s totally - oh, god, you probably hear this all the time, sorry.”

“I’m her step-mother, actually. Bethany is her birth mother. I’ve only known Pyrrha since she was eight.” Mrs. Nikos says. “So thank you. It’s not often I hear that.”

At first Ruby thinks maybe she’s being made fun of. But then, Mrs. Nikos smiles that smile again. Family isn’t just blood, Ruby knows, and that smile is all genuine, just like Pyrrha.

Chapter 12: DECEMBER (pt iii)

DECEMBER (pt iii)

A week before Christmas, Weiss comes out to her dad. The two are at dinner, Winter still in Hawaii at work (and, if anyone asked Weiss, so that Winter could caption her holiday photo with “Mele Kalikimaka”), and it just sort of spills out.

Their waitress is a pretty girl, long brown hair down her back, and Weiss realizes when her father blinks at her that she might be staring. Or it might be the fact that she stuttered around her wine choice. Either way, she can see it on his face, the fact that he knows something.

“I guess I have something to tell you.” Weiss says. Her father cocks his head.

“You guess.” He hates terms of uncertainty like that. Weiss kicks herself for using it.

“It seems that it is necessary to inform you that I am gay.” Weiss says slowly. She pushes her salad around the plate for a moment. When she looks up, her father looks puzzled.

“You are dating some woman then.”

“No, not yet. But, it is something that could happen so-”

“Well, it’s only theoretical then. You’ve been only meeting those artsy boys at college, I know a few men from the board with sons your age, those might be more your speed.” Her father pulls out his phone as if he is going to call someone right this moment.
“No, it’s not that.” Weiss says. She sets her fork down. “I like girls. I like girls a lot. It’s not - I realize it is not ideal for the sort of people we deal with in our business, but I am not interested in men.”

Her father looks up from his phone. “No.”

Weiss opens and shuts her mouth once. She nearly says it - nearly takes it back, says maybe she just has not met the right boy yet. She swallows the words instead.

“Weiss, I am very disappointed. Is this some stunt for attention?” Her father sets the phone down, straightens his suit. “What more could you possibly need? I call weekly. Your schooling is paid for. You’re able to visit for every holiday.”

“It’s not a stunt.” Weiss says, the statement nearly bursting out in surprise at his. Weiss shakes her head. “And it’s not about you. It’s just me. I’m gay. I’m a lesbian. That’s it.”

Her father shakes his head. “I urge you to reconsider.”

“There’s nothing to consider.” Weiss says. She nearly says more but his phone rings. Her father stands to take the call.

“Young lady, I will not take this sort of rebellion. Not on Christmas.”

“Then I won’t be here for Christmas.” Weiss snaps. She looks up at him, sets her jaw. Her father considers, then nods.

“So be it.” He walks off to take the phone call. Weiss watches his back as it fades.

Weiss waits nearly a minute before she calls Winter. It’s a near thing, but Weiss manages not to cry until she gets in the Uber for the airport. Then, though, then she truly does cry. It was as expected. She shouldn’t be so upset really. At least Winter will let her stay. It could be worse.

---

A few days before Weiss comes out to her father, Yang finds out that Raven has paid for her hospital stay. She is home now, in the house they all live in, her father occupying Jaune’s room, the whole place feeling too empty. Qrow lets the news slip after he and Yang split a bottle of rum. He also informs her that Raven is staying at the place he’s staying in on the outskirts of town.

Yang goes out to the house the next morning. It’s a nice place, Qrow’s technically housesitting for a friend of his. Yang stands on the doorstep for a good while before finally ringing the doorbell. Raven answers. She has on a suit and a duffel bag under her arm.

“Did you think I was the taxi?” Yang asks. Raven considers her, peering over sunglasses.

“Qrow told you I was still in town.” Raven says. Yang can hear, a little, how she sounds like her. Their voices are just alike. She wishes she didn’t hear it.

“I just wanted to set up a payment plan for the hospital.”

Raven stares at her then huffs out a laugh. She sets the duffel bag down with a thud.

“No.” Raven says. Yang recognizes that too, the look on Raven’s face. It’s all stubbornness. This is already decided as far as Raven is concerned.

“This doesn’t mean I owe you.” Yang says. Raven laughs again. Yang tries to cross her arms, but can’t, and it makes her actually groan, the frustration of it.

“Kid, regardless of either of our feelings on the matter, I am your mother. Your dad insists on paying for most of your school, so let me cover this. I’ll cover whatever they say you need for your arm when that comes around.”

“Why?” Yang can’t help the question. The amount of times Raven has helped her can be counted on her fingers. Not even counting the ones in a cast.

Raven shrugs.

“Maybe I’m getting sentimental in my old age. Maybe I care about your dad. Maybe seeing you yell at doctors reminded me of myself at your age. Take your pick.”

“I’m not - we’re different.” Yang yells. Not that Raven would know it, she thinks. She tries to stretch her arms out, make some motion, but she can’t and tears prick at her eyes. A car pulls up behind her, the tires screeching on the road, obviously late and rushing.

Raven looks at her for a long moment and Yang shoves on sunglasses.

“Just go, jesus, your ride’s here, your fancy government spy job can’t wait.”

“How’d you get out here? I can have them drop you off on the way.” Raven offers. She shoulders her duffel bag again and when Yang doesn’t reply, she jerks up her shoulders in a shrug. “If you got a ride from Qrow, he’s not going to be willing to leave his watering hole already.”

That’s exactly what Yang did and it irks at her that Raven somehow knew that. Still, the walk is probably nearly a half hour. The smart thing to do would be to get in the car.

“I have someone picking me up.” Yang says. Raven smiles like she knows it’s a lie.

“Okay,” she sing-songs before getting in the car. She rolls down the window. “For the record? I wouldn’t have gotten in the car either.”

Then, the car pulls away.

Yang ends up calling Sun. Ruby would ask too many questions, everyone else is out of town, and the only other person who might be in town is Blake which - anyway, Yang calls Sun.

Sun asks no questions, just picks her up in his old beater car that smells permanently of weed and Pop Tarts. Yang tips her head back onto the seat rest as he pulls away from the house.

“She never asks about you either y’know.” Sun says. Yang rolls her head to stare at him. Neither of them need to specify who, they both know. Yang figured that if she was in town, Blake would be staying with Sun.

“What’s there to ask,” Yang says dully. The corner of Sun’s mouth flicks up, something in it knowing. It digs at Yang, after dealing with Raven, after the way her arm aches and won’t move. “Of course you’re happy. Swapped out Neptune for-”

“Don’t.” Sun bites the word out, sharp. Yang stops. The rest of the ride is silent, tense. They pull up to the house and Sun looks at her. “Neither of you ask because you’re both terrified the other one is doing shitty or great in equal measure. So don’t fucking play with me like it’s anything other than that.”

Yang feels the pinch in her shoulder, the bruise on her cheek.

“Well, I’m doing shitty. So if she ever does ask, feel free to tell her.” She says.

“So is she.” Sun says as Yang opens the car door. Yang freezes, then swallows. It takes her a moment to get out of the car.

Sun waits until she gets into the house to pull away. Yang goes to her room. There’s a new flower on her window sill. Yang very nearly pushes it out. It would be easy and feel good - just to destroy this stupid tiny thing. Instead, she takes it in, sets it on her bookshelf, next to the others. Ten flowers. One for each day she’s been out of the hospital. Yang lays back on her bed. She sleeps and dreams of cars and men with red hair. It’s all nightmares, as usual.

---

 

Ten days before Yang goes to meet Raven, Blake learns she has left the hospital. The information comes second-hand from a rather annoyed Weiss, as the group message is silent, what with everything that happened with Pyrrha and Yang (and Blake, by extension). Blake goes to the house. She intends, totally and honestly, to go in and apologize or say hi or - anything. Except, she finds herself frozen in the yard. Blake leaves after a few minutes, coward that she is.

The flowers are more Sun’s idea. Sun is, though he would die before admitting it, a romantic. Like, ‘keep a lock of hair in a locket’ romantic. It’s ridiculous actually and Blake smirks about it every time he does something. He used to go out and gets donuts on Saturday just because Neptune likes them.

“Whatever, B, if you knew the first thing about romance, you’d know what the honeys like.”

“You’re a fucking sap.” Blake says. He tugs his shirt off, tosses it in her direction. It stinks and she makes a face, getting a smug look in response.

“Yeah, and you’re the one mooning over a girl two blocks away, so don’t act like I’m the ridiculous one.” Sun says. He heads into the shower and if things were different or simpler or harder, Blake would follow him. Blake could do it still. Sun’s safe. She loves Sun, but she will never be in love with Sun. Sun will never break her heart. Sun will never make her want to do things like learn to ride a motorcycle or buy flowers.

The sunflowers are a stupid decision probably. She’s out getting groceries because Sun seems to survive on mainly breakfast pastries, as far as food goes. And the flowers are on sale. It’s complete impulse that she picks one up. It’s just that - she remembers, once, Yang talking about sunflowers. How they always look to the sun, how Yang loves them because they can get overgrown and bright and tip over onto the ground, breaking their stem, and still point up to the sun.

After dropping the groceries at home, Blake takes the flower. The fire escape leads into Yang and Ruby’s bedroom. Blake climbs up it carefully. The window’s shut, likely because it is December and ridiculously cold, so Blake just sets the flowers on the windowsill. No one’s in the room and Blake feels tandem pangs of relief and sadness. Either way, she heads back down the fire escape, out the yard, and back to Sun’s before she can change her mind.

The next morning, Blake walks by the house on her way to a final. The flower is gone and part of Blake sinks. She half expects to find it crushed on the ground. Still, Blake goes up the fire escape, figures if she finds it destroyed on the windowsill, maybe it will cement something for her. Instead, she spots the flower inside, on Yang’s bookshelf.

Blake picks up another sunflower on her way back from the final. She leaves it on the window sill again. The sunflower is huge, the biggest in the store. Blake likes to think of it before she bought it, breaking its own stalk just to try to reach the sun. Something about that feels like hope.

---

Five days before Blake gives Yang a flower, something changes at the hospital. Yang doesn’t stop arguing with doctors about her arm. Ruby doesn’t stop bringing muffins to the doctors as an apology. Jaune doesn’t abandon the hospital corridor, eyes glued to Pyrrha’s bed. Nora doesn’t leave the chair next to Jaune’s. Ren doesn’t stop getting those two to occasionally go home and shower or go to classes. Blake does not show up. All of those things remain unchanged. The change is this:

Pyrrha wakes up.

 

Notes:

Happy whatever you celebrate. May you be spending it with people you love and if not, may you have those people anyway. Thanks for a great, great 2016. More soon, I promise.

Chapter 13: JANUARY (pt i)

JANUARY (pt i)

Pyrrha has trouble sleeping. The doctors say that’s to be expected, along with memory loss and a few other things that thankfully have yet to happen. The memory loss though, that does. She knows, vaguely, that she was hurt during the soccer game. But from the days leading up to it, that’s all she’s got. She wakes up most mornings, startled awake with a dream that slips away, the phantom smell of grass rolling around her. Pyrrha knows she is dreaming of Cinder hitting her, that full-body slam that no one will talk about, but she can’t put her finger on any detail of it. Still, it keeps her jittery, her nights spent awake long past the rest.

Ruby notices. Yang and Ruby never left - something else Pyrrha missed, Yang’s arm being mangled and the reason why Blake left, those two things entwined in something that Pyrrha dares not ask about. Nora and Ren are off on a road trip - forced by Pyrrha who swore she’d go home to her mother’s house if they didn’t - and Jaune had to go home because one of his sister’s had a baby. The house feels empty, the ghosts of Blake floating around Ruby and Yang’s room, the ghost of everyone else filling the rest of the house. So it’s hard, being awake at three in the morning, with only the two sisters around. Ruby finds her in the kitchen, sorting through canned goods.

“You can come sleep with me.” Ruby offers. She reddens immediately and Pyrrha does the same. “I mean, if you’re having trouble sleeping. Yang snores a little, but - it’s better than being alone.”

So Pyrrha takes her up on it. It’s not every night, she doesn’t want to be a burden, but every few nights she ducks in, curls up next to Ruby. Ruby sleeps like a rock, Yang as well, and Pyrrha is glad for it. The nightmares still come but with Ruby’s back pressed against hers, it’s much easier to fall back to sleep.

Ruby surprises Pyrrha. She’s always seemed more like - like Nora or Yang, some sort of wild child with a good heart. But she’s more cautious than that. She asks Pyrrha three times if it’s alright to finish the ice cream before she finally does it.

Weiss shows up before long, a sunburn across the bridge of her nose. She tosses a Hawaiian shirt at Yang and a hula dancer for a dashboard at Ruby. For Pyrrha, she hands over some chocolates that look too expensive. Pyrrha blushes, hates the attention, especially from Weiss who she’s always suspected of being - well, being odd around Pyrrha at least, not that she’d accuse her of anything.

So Pyrrha is more than a little surprised to find that Weiss strays away from her for the most part. Instead, she finds Weiss settling on the couch next to Ruby with a book most of the time - always biographies, which everyone else in the house teases her about. Pyrrha ends up hanging with Yang, which feels off-kilter without the aspect of running or sparring.

“Are they dating?” Yang asks, one morning over oatmeal. She’s glaring in the general vicinity of the living room, groggy still with sleep.

Pyrrha looks over her shoulder. Weiss has her book propped on her chest, glasses tilted up to look at something Ruby’s showing her on her phone. And then Weiss smiles. It’s this bright smile that Pyrrha hasn’t seen from Weiss in a long time. Ruby’s head bobs as she laughs while Weiss goes back to her book.

“It would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Pyrrha asks. She knows that Yang likes to tease Weiss, but they’re friends underneath it all. Yang grumbles something that might be agreement.

Neither of them mention it until two days later when Jaune comes back. His smile burns too bright, settles something in Pyrrha. She missed him. She’s missed all of them - Nora and Ren and Jaune - but she always misses Jaune the most. He’s awful at texting and she gets nervous on the phone so - it’s good to see him.

Yang forces them all out to dinner at their favorite divey Mexican place. Nora sends fourteen snapchats bemoaning her absence, then Venmos Pyrrha money for another margarita. Enough time has passed that she’s off medicine, she can drink, but it still feels a little taboo. Still, she would feel rude wasting Nora’s money, so she gets the drink.

“Worst thing that happened to you over break, go.” Yang says, her good hand slamming down on the table. The other comes down too, but not as strong and Pyrrha remembers being drunk on sangria, talking about boxing and how much Yang loved it, the kind of deep-in-your-gut love that spilled over when she talked about it.

“Pyrrha’s going to win,” Ruby points out. She looks at her sister. “Or maybe it’s a tie.”

“Well, I came out to my dad and he kicked me out.” Weiss says. She tosses back a shot of tequila, makes a face. The table stills with the news and she huffs, sending a loose piece of hair away from her forehead. “It sucks, but I just went out to Hawaii to see Win. She bought me a lot of mai-tais.”

“Still.” Yang says and flags down the waiter. There’s a scramble between the four of them aside from Weiss to grab the next round of drinks, but in the end Jaune wins because he points out that his break was spent hanging out with his family, who likes him and all.

A few minutes later, Weiss excuses herself to the restroom. Ruby gets a phone call - which she answers after a pointed look to Yang, which means it’s probably their father and Yang’s been avoiding his calls. Pyrrha’s been around the two of them long enough to read that, but the whole thought makes her laugh and she realizes that she is, indeed, drunk.

Yang leans over the table, crooks a finger at Jaune and Pyrrha. Pyrrha leans in and she hears Jaune sigh before he does the same.

“Weiss,” she pauses, grins. “Has a crush.”

She leans back, proud of her calculations, and nearly tips over in her chair.

“Oh, be nice.” Pyrrha says. Yang makes a face, but next to Pyrrha she can feel Jaune turn. She looks over to him and his expression is puzzled, like she’s said something that has some sort of clue. Before she can ask, Ruby more or less stomps in.

“Dad says to call him.” She says before flopping into the chair. Yang gives Pyrrha a look that clearly means ‘parents’ and Pyrrha would not have agreed prior to the coma. Now, however, she has to check in almost hourly, so she can commiserate a little.

Ruby turns to Jaune for support and he at least nods, as if Ruby is the put-upon one. Pyrrha snorts a laugh at the whole thing because she’s tipsy and she’s missed her friends and Jaune’s arm is slung over the back of her chair like it means something. Weiss returns to the table and Pyrrha forces her into the seat on her other side.

Yang takes a picture of them then. Jaune moves out of frame, sneaky man, so it’s just Pyrrha, her arms looped tight around Weiss’s shoulders, her hair practically covering Weiss. It’s cute, enough so that Nora replies with a heart-eye face on the Instagram post about an hour later. Pyrrha forces Weiss to sit next to her on the ride home. She holds one of Weiss’s hands in both of hers. Weiss looks rather distressed.

“My moms are - there’s two of them and they’re both gay.”

“I did figure that out being as there’s two of them.” Weiss says. On Pyrrha’s other side, she hears a snort from Yang. She ignores it.

“Listen - they - if your dad sucks, you can be in my gay family. Nobody’s straight. Like, like, nobody.” Pyrrha shakes her hands to prove the point. Weiss smiles, nods.

“Thank you, Pyrrha.” She says. Pyrrha accepts it, flopping back to her seat.

“Your moms willing to adopt me?” Yang asks.

“Hey, your dad’s cool, stop hogging cool parents.” Weiss says.

“Jaune, who is prettier, Pyrrha’s moms or my dad and Qrow?”

“I think my sister is hooking up with Qrow.”

“I don’t think any of them are not pretty.”

“Tricky, Arc.”

Ruby honks the horn and the car goes quiet. Pyrrha looks up and finds the house.

“We’re home. And you all owe me for DD-ing as usual.” Ruby says, sounding tired. Jaune pats her shoulder awkwardly. Pyrrha leans up to kiss her cheek, earning a swat on the back of her leg from Yang.

“That’s why it didn’t suck so much when my dad kicked me out.” Weiss says. “This is home.”

“Aw, Weiss.” Yang coos. She jabs a finger over at her. “That’s gay.”

“Bite me, Yang.”

---

 

Blake had been expecting it for a while. Sun had been plotting. She knows the signs. Still, she’s surprised she gets dragged along for it. Sun sucks down a cigarette, offers one to Blake. It’s a bad habit but damn if it isn’t tempting. She moves to take one and he snatches them away.

“Don’t be a quitter on quitting.” He quips. Blake sighs, slumps down in the passenger seat.

“What, exactly, is the plan here?” She asks. Her first mistake was getting in the car with him without knowing the plan. This is how people end up in Canada. She shudders at the thought.

“I’m still working on it.” He admits. His leg bounces with nervous energy and Blake glares at it. He doesn’t notice. “I had this whole plan but it feels - I could just go kiss him. That’d work.”

“Why did you guys break up anyway? Some stupid-ass reason?”

“Listen, if we’re playing that game, I want to be the pot, but kettle’s all yours, honey.” Sun says. Blake would be upset but, really, touche. His leg stops shaking. “I’m going in.”

Blake has no idea what he says to Neptune. She waits in the car, gets a text fifteen minutes later that she can take the car home. So she does that. Sun’s place feels empty and she thinks of the house a few blocks away. Most everyone must be back by now, she realizes with a pang.

The doorbell rings a little while later. Blake is surprised to find Weiss there.

“You gotta come back sometime.” Weiss says. She has her hand on her purse, like maybe someone will snatch it otherwise. Blake gets why, the neighborhood is a little shittier than theirs, but it still prickles at her.

“Do I?” Blake asks. It comes out meaner than she meant it. Weiss doesn’t seem to notice.

“Yeah. You have a lease.” Weiss says, which is a fair point. Blake tries to do the math on whether she can just buy her way out. It’s the coward’s way, but maybe that’s who Blake is at the end of the day.

Weiss pulls out her phone, flips to something then holds it out to Blake. It’s a text from her father and it’s - god it’s mean. Blake’s own parents may have fucked off to god knows where years ago, but this seems mean in another way. Blake stares at the text for a long moment then hands the phone back over.

“He hit my mom once. She left, after that. Then, she died a couple years later.” Weiss says this all like she’s listing facts from a pamphlet. Blake can barely absorb it, just nods numbly. Weiss shifts her weight. “So, I get it. I get what it’s like to have people like that around.”

Blake almost lies, almost says it wasn’t like that. She used to do that. Sun was the first one to call her on it, refusing to let her talk her way out of a flinch when he he tossed her a mug and it shattered on the ground next to her. Weiss’s eyes burn on Blake and she knows she wouldn’t get away with it here either.

“I trusted him.” Blake says. It goes without saying between them. The impossible question of how you trust yourself after trusting someone like that.

“You’re tough, Blake.” Weiss says and it might be the first compliment she’s ever given Blake. “Come home when you can. You’re not alone.”

“You aren’t either.” Blake says. For a moment, Weiss looks like she might make a joke or brush it off. Instead, she nods, smiles.

Blake starts packing that night. She’s not going back just yet. But she wants to be ready when she does.

Notes:

This took way longer than I expected and I apologize! As it turns out, working a full-time job and taking classes can be time-consuming, who knew right? That said, I have about 10k more already written - so updates should be happening more regularly until we close this thing out. As always, thank you guys for reading.

Chapter 14: JANUARY (pt ii)

JANUARY (pt ii)

“I had this dream. A good one, for once.” Pyrrha admits. She tips her head back as Ruby braids her hair. Ruby pauses, uses a hand to move Pyrrha’s head back. Pyrrha moves gently. She seems more breakable lately, which is probably silly. The doctors all say she’s fine.

“You can keep going,” Ruby says when Pyrrha stays quiet for a moment too long. They’re all keeping an eye on her, like if she’s quiet too long or lingers in a doorway for some amount of time, the spell will be broken and she’ll stop being alright.

“It was so - it sounds so ridiculous, but I think it might be a sign. In the dream, Jaune brought me flowers.”

“And then?” Ruby prompts as she folds another piece of red hair into the braid. Pyrrha shrugs, just her shoulders, likely remembering that she needs to keep her head still. Ruby appreciates that, the fact that Pyrrha has a memory of things like that. Especially since she had a chance of never regaining memory.

“Nothing else, just flowers. I said it was ridiculous.” Pyrrha says simply. Ruby huffs a soft laugh. Pyrrha taps her fingers against the hardwood floor. “Do you think it’s a sign I should tell him?”

“Oh - I’ve only ever dated one person, I’m not really the person to ask but - you should, right? Or else you’ll miss out and always wonder. Unless it’s worse to know? Is it worse?” Ruby realizes she’s rattling on and sighs. “Sorry.”

“Both are good points.” Pyrrha, ever diplomatic, says. Ruby ties off the braid with a hair band before switching to the other half of Pyrrha’s hair. “I think I should tell him. Jaune’s kind, even if he’s not interested, he wouldn’t be - I think I could handle it.”

“He’s probably interested.” Ruby says, thinking of the hospital, the shell-shock look on Jaune’s face like he was living a nightmare. She can’t say any of that, not without feeling like she’s telling some secret of Jaune’s. Besides, when she described it to Weiss, Weiss claimed she sounded like she was writing a romance novel.

“How are you after Penny? I feel bad, I should have asked sooner.” Pyrrha asks as Ruby pulls pieces of hair just above her ear into the braid.

“I am totally fine. I haven’t - is it bad if I haven’t really thought about her? Just - with Yang and you and - it just slipped my mind.” Ruby says. She pauses in braiding, looks up to the door. “Is it bad that I don’t miss her?”

“No, of course not.” Pyrrha says, soothingly. Ruby stares at the door, wondering if asking will summon someone. She decides to risk it.

“Is it bad if I like someone else?” Ruby asks. The door, miraculously, stays shut. Pyrrha chuckles.

“As long as it’s not Blake or Jaune, I think you’re fine.” Pyrrha says. She grins, something Ruby can just tell more than see.

“Oh god no. I want to live to see graduation.” Ruby says. She regrets it immediately. “Sorry - not - that feels weird to say.”

“It does?” Pyrrha asks. She turns, nearly ruining the braid. Ruby keeps a hand on it just barely. Pyrrha’s forehead wrinkles in concern or confusion. “Why? Because the coma?”

“Yeah you - I - look, I was there, when the ambulance got there? You didn’t look...alive.” Ruby pauses. She goes back to braiding to have something to do with her hands. It only takes a moment to do the last part of Pyrrha’s hair, then twist a tie around it and release it. Pyrrha watches her for the entirety of the process, silent.

“Who else was there?”

“Well, I was there to see Yang and Weiss was with me. But Weiss was on the phone with her dad for it, so I was the only one who saw you get wheeled in but - at the game, it was y’know, Ren and Nora and Jaune.” Ruby fiddles with the edge of her bedspread as she speaks.

“Which is why they’re avoiding me.”

“I don’t think - no, no they are not.”

“Ruby, Jaune actually tripped over the couch as he ran from the room when I came in Monday.”

“He’s...clumsy?” Ruby attempts. Pyrrha presses with a look and Ruby sighs. “It was scary. And we all thought - we didn’t want to think it, but the doctors made it sound like we should be ready in case-”

“They thought I would die.” Pyrrha finishes easily. She nods. “I know that.”

“So it’s just kind of scary to have you back and - well, mostly normal.”

“Well, it’s hard to come back and feel lonely.” Pyrrha says. It’s nearly snappish and she cringes after saying it. “Ruby, I’m sorry, you’ve been nothing but a friend to me, I shouldn’t-”

“You’re fine.” Ruby assures her. Pyrrha worries at her lip for a moment before standing.

“I should speak with them. Thank you Ruby.” Pyrrha smiles and Ruby can’t help it, she leans up to hug her. Pyrrha always seems surprised by hugs, like she always forgets that’s something people do or are allowed to want. So it takes her a moment, to wrap her arms around Ruby in return.

---

 

“You should tell Weiss too.” Pyrrha says, soft as they pull apart. Ruby can feel her face heat and Pyrrha blanches. “Unless it’s not Weiss! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to assume.”

“No, it is. It’s just - is it obvious? Do I seem like a dumb kid with a crush all the time? Is that it?” Ruby panics, can hear it in her voice. Pyrrha shakes her head rather too quickly, braids whipping behind her. “Pyrrha, you have to be honest.”

“No, no, no. You two just hang out a lot and she smiles at you! Weiss doesn’t do that a lot.” Pyrrha says. She rubs her hands up and down Ruby’s arms comfortingly, though face is still rather frozen in fear. Ruby ducks to hide a smile.

“She smiles at me?”

“Yes, even Jaune noticed, and lord knows he has no ability to notice things.” Pyrrha says. She pats Ruby’s arm one last time. “Try a speech. That’s what I think I’m going to go with.”

---

 

Nora’s upside down, doing a handstand in a sports bra and a tutu when Pyrrha walks in. Her hair is braided back prettily and Nora figures that’s either Weiss or Ruby’s doing. Pyrrha for all her incredible skills, can’t braid worth a damn. There are some who would find this weird, Nora thinks, but Pyrrha just flops onto the bed next to her.

“You’re my person.” Pyrrha says. She’s laying on her back, head next to Nora’s wrist. Nora rolls down to lay on her stomach next to her. Pyrrha tears up and Nora frowns. “You’re my person and I know that I scared you but you can’t stop hanging out with me. Please.”

Nora has a lot to say to that, but it’s mostly just apologizing seventy times, so she settles for rolling half her body on top of Pyrrha’s in a hug. Pyrrha sniffles.

“I’m sorry.” Nora says into Pyrrha’s shoulder. Pyrrha nods, her chin bumping Nora’s head. “You’re my person too, y’know.”

“Ren is. It’s okay.”

“Eh, you’re co-pilots.” Nora decides. Across the room, Ren tosses a thumbs-up over his shoulder before pulling on headphones. Nora loves him, the fact that he gives the two girls space so easily. Nora tips her chin up to look at Pyrrha. “You have to live to about two hundred. No take-backs, promise me.”

“I’ll do my best.” Pyrrha says. “You have to live to two hundred and one then.”

“No, I’m going to die at eighty-five, like a lady.” Nora says in her best Weiss impression. Pyrrha grins.

“My mother and step-mom think you’re a handful.” Pyrrha admits. Nora shrugs. It’s not an unfair statement. She is a handful. Pyrrha sighs. “They also think you’re a good friend and my mom says no to the boxing match.”

“Aw, I almost had her agreeing to it. She said she’d do it if you woke up on a weekend.” Nora sits up, moves her fingers together to indicate how close she was to getting the boxing match. Pyrrha giggles.

Pyrrha tosses a pillow at Ren, who takes off his headphones cautiously in response.

“Thanks.” She says. “You’re the only one of our quartet who hasn’t been avoiding me since I got home last week.”

“Well, I am better than the other two.” Ren says as if the fact is obvious. Nora sticks her tongue out at him and Ren nods at her as if his point has been made. She can’t really argue there.

“That’s fucking rude.” Nora says. Behind her, she can hear Pyrrha laughing. Nora stands on the bed, bounces. “Rude! Both of you!”

She jumps down and turns on the television, then tosses the case of DVDS to Pyrrha. Ren hops off his seat at his desk and curls up on the floor beside the bed. It’s low enough that he can tip his head back onto the bed, and he does, smiling up at Pyrrha.

“Nora cried on Jaune’s shoulder.” He confesses. Nora squawks, grabs the pillow that landed on his desk and chucks it back at him. It misses, smacking Pyrrha square in the face. For a second, Nora freezes because - it seems bad. Hitting Pyrrha, coma queen. Pyrrha’s face seems to stop mid-laugh and then she starts back up again, laughing even harder.

“It’s a pillow.” She shouts between laughs. She shakes her head. “I’m fine.”

“Excuse me for caring about your health.” Nora says but she can’t help grinning back. Pyrrha’s alive, and laughing, and still herself.

“You ate a hundred hot wings last May.” Pyrrha points out. Ren ticks up a finger in agreement.

“Your health matters, you’re a kind gentle bird. I’m built more like a tank or a Dwayne.” Nora says. She retrieves her phone from the side table then flops onto the bed gracelessly, nearly kneeing Ren, who flicks her leg as retaliation. “And by a Dwayne-”

“Dwayne Johnson.” Both chorus before Nora can finish. She grins, finishes her text. These are her people.

“Jaune’s coming up and we’re all going to watch the worst movie Pyrrha can pick.” Nora declares.

Jaune walks in cautiously, eyes darting between Nora and any moveable objects which is - fair. Before the coma, she had been about one bad day short of locking Jaune and Pyrrha in a closet until they actually have a conversation. Now though, she’s willing to let them work it out on their own. If it takes them ten years, she’ll never let them hear the end of it, but she’s not about to butt in.

“Pyr’s going to try to make us watch something that's Jupiter Ascending levels of bad.” Nora announces. Jaune relaxes, rolls his eyes. Nora flops back onto the bed. “She also wants us to stop handling her with baby gloves.”

“Kids gloves,” The other three correct easily. Nora waves a hand, allowing the correction.

“Okay,” Jaune says. He looks at Pyrrha and it’s moments like this where Nora just really wants to handcuff them together or force them to pretend to be married or whatever stupid romantic comedy thing it would take. They’re both so obvious about it, heart on their goddamn sleeve, when they look at each other. Pyrrha misses it though, her attention still on the DVDs as she sorts through them, and Jaune blinks, corrects himself before he settles on the rug at the end of the bed.

“Can we watch Up?” Pyrrha asks, one finger tracing the DVD.

“No.” Jaune says. Pyrrha startles and he tips his head back. “Nora said no kid gloves.”

Pyrrha smiles, holds out a DVD. “Fine, Hancock then.”

“A better choice anyway,” Ren says. Nora smirks at him and he smiles back, both of them knowing why he doesn’t want to watch Up. It’s because he cries about the opening of Up for so long that he misses the first fifteen minutes of actual plot. It’s cute.

“Are we going to play a drinking game?” Jaune asks as Ren puts the DVD in. “Can you drink or are you on medication?”

“I drank last week, at El Con.” Pyrrha points out.

“Right, and then you started proposing to Weiss.”

“That is so not what happened.” Pyrrha assures Nora, who can’t help but crack up.

“You said you wanted her to join your family!”

“Not - oh my god, shush.” Pyrrha settles the matter by kicking at his arm. Jaune laughs. Pyrrha sighs, motions for Ren to start the movie. “No drinking, just enjoying soulmate superheroes.”

Nora lets the movie play, happy to be around them all. She waits until it’s about halfway through.

“Did I ever tell you guys that this movie is-”

“It’s not based on you and Ren.” Jaune says without looking back. Nora makes a face at the back of his head.

“You say this every time.” Pyrrha points out, patting her arm.

“It’s the same amount of true every time.” Ren points out.

“Sure,” Jaune sing-songs. The movie plays on for a moment and then he turns back to look at the three of them. Nora has her head in Pyrrha’s lap, while Ren’s seated on the desk chair, pulled next to the bed. “Y’know you guys are my best friends.”

“Oh my god, Jaune, you missed the sappy part of the evening. It was like an hour ago, get it together.” Nora says. She reaches out to muss his hair but he just grins.

“Pyrrha, Nora cried on my shoulder and hugged me.” Jaune says.

“Well, she does love you. You’re like her brother.” Pyrrha says, trying and failing not to laugh as she says it.

“Jaune might be her favorite.” Ren adds.

Nora blows a raspberry. “You’re all traitors and I’m never speaking to any of you ever again.”

They all ignore her. It’s what friends do.

---

 

Weiss is in the kitchen when Ruby goes down to get a midnight snack. She’s got a glass of wine next to her and some huge textbook in front of her, head bowed over it. Ruby smiles at her in the doorway. She likes Weiss. It’s as simple as that.

“We should get dinner.” Ruby bursts. Weiss looks up, very obviously startled. She shoves at her glasses with the back of her hand.

“It’s eleven at night, I already ate.” She sounds confused.

“I mean - like, date dinner. Like, I like you and you apparently smile at me, and you were the only person who made things even kind of okay when Yang was in the hospital. And my dad likes you and your dad sucks so if you need a family to - whoa, okay that’s a lot, I’m not saying…” Ruby trails off. Weiss is smiling, even as Ruby realizes just how far off-track she got. “I’m saying we should go on a date.”

“I’d like that.” Weiss says. She taps her fingers against the textbook. “I was going to ask you. I was going to wait a little while first, but I had a plan.”

“Oh. Oh crap, do you want me to wait? I can forget this ever happened. Pretend-”

“Too late now.” Weiss says. She’s trying to sound serious but her smile gives it away.

“Well, I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry you asked me out already?” Weiss asks, standing. Ruby puts her hands on her hips as Weiss walks over to her.

“Weiss, you know that’s not what I mean. If you want to ask me out, you can do it after our first date. It’ll still count.” Ruby says. She grins. “But I so beat you to the punch.”

Weiss is right there, all smiles and those stupid glasses that Ruby hadn’t realized until right this moment she really likes. Ruby’s about to lean down that tiny space to kiss her, when Weiss stops her with a hand to her shoulder.

“You’re not stealing my thunder on this one, Ruby Rose.” Weiss says. She rises up onto her toes. When she kisses Ruby, she tastes like wine and oranges.

 

Notes:

Almost to the finish line! Also - I have a job interview today so send good vibes out across the universe if you can.

Chapter 15: FEBRUARY (pt i)

FEBRUARY (pt i)

“You have to stop living here.” Sun says. Blake continues watching an infomercial for a salad spinner. He walks to stand in front of the television and only then does she look up. It’s to glare at him. Sun sighs. “Seriously. You have a house. A whole bedroom.”

“If I go back, I have to talk to Yang.” Blake says slowly, as if Sun does not understand this and that’s the issue. Sun cocks his head to give her a look. Blake rolls onto her back. “If I stay here, I can continue cooking for you.”

“Neptune cooks.”

“Neptune cooks like four things and just eats vegetables and hummus the rest of the time.”

“That’s - okay, don’t insult my boyfriend as a method of letting you stay here.”

“You just like getting to call him your boyfriend again.” Blake grumbles, sitting up. Sun shrugs, an admission if anything. Blake glares. “You’ve already decided you’re kicking me out anyway, haven’t you?”

“Face your fears, seize the day, et cetera and so on, also I am very tired of having to wear pants in my own home.” Sun finishes this last part with a hand motion to imply that this is beside the point, when Blake suspects it is a big part of the point.

“Nobody asked you to do that.”

“You did, repeatedly, when you first started staying here.” Sun says. He pulls a cigarette out, holds it between his teeth.

“Yeah, fine,” Blake says.

Blake gathers her things quickly. Sun watches her, perched on the back of the couch. He smokes lazily, something that she won’t miss. It sticks to her clothes and skin and makes her want to go back to smoking. It’d be easier. Blake resists anyway.

“What if she hates me now?” Blake asks as she curls the bag over her shoulder. Sun makes a face at the question.

“For what - dating an abusive dickbag?”

Part of Blake thinks yes, but she knows that isn’t fair. It also isn’t entirely what she meant. “For leaving her. For not coming back for so long.”

“You’ve met XL, right? Tall, blonde, loyal to the point of like absurdity? Sure, she’ll be mad, but you aren’t getting rid of her that easily.”

“Maybe she’s realized that I’m not-” Blake trails off. She doesn’t really believe herself to be the person Adam convinced her she was. It’s just that sometimes those things seep in. There’s a piece of her that thinks Adam may have known her better than anyone, so maybe he was right. He can’t be, but she still doubts.

“Oh, well, you’ve met you, right? Average height, brunette, smart, funny, good, loyal, great ass, stand-up lady, a pain in the ass in the best possible way?” Sun says. He says it like it’s easy. Blake looks at him for a long moment and then figures she has to hug him. He nearly topples over the back of the couch when she does.

“You’re a good one, Sun.” She says as she steps back from him. He sucks on the cigarette, then rolls his eyes.

“Well, don’t let that get out, I have my reputation to worry about.”

---

Pyrrha decides this is the sort of thing to practice first. Nora rolls her eyes about ten times when she brings it up but because Nora is a wonderful friend she allows Pyrrha to do it anyways. Nora does yoga while Pyrrha talks.

“So I think I should open with saying something about how if the feeling isn’t mutual, that’s fine and I still would like to be friends after some time to move on.”

“Unnecessary, but sure.”

“So I say: I understand you might not feel the same, and if not, that is perfectly fine and we can be friends, but I would like to date you.”

Nora looks up from a pigeon pose. Pyrrha’s mouth flattens into a line. “What’s wrong with it?”

“That’s no Ten Things speech.”

“I don’t want to go too far.”

“You’re giving a speech about how in love you are. You have to go over the top! Go full Harry meeting Sally. Complete You’ve Got Mail. Uh, something something Notting Hill.”

“You lost momentum there.”

“Well rom-coms are your thing and you have no momentum in this stupid speech. I still say you should just go for the kiss.”

“Fine.” Pyrrha sighs. She wiggles on the bed. “I’m in love with you. And if you don’t feel the same, we can move on, but if there’s a chance you do, then I don’t know - Nora said I should kiss you.”

“Well, don’t bring me into things.” Nora stands, moving into a warrior pose. She pauses to stick her tongue out at Ren, who flips her off without removing his headphones.

“Why not? You did say that.” Pyrrha flops back onto the bed. She draws a pillow over her face.

“Speak from the heart. All of this sounds like you’re giving a class presentation.”

“What do I say then? That it might sound ridiculous but I believe in destiny and that some people are meant to end up together and for a long time I thought that for us, we only would end up together as friends, but now I have hope that we’ll be more than that.”

“Wow.” Nora says. She blinks. “You have to say that.”

“No. I say destiny and it sounds-”

“It sounds like you mean it. Like you actually are putting yourself out there.”

“That’s the bit that’s a bad idea.”

“Boy, when Cinder knocked you out she really didn’t knock any sense into you?”

“Nora!”

“Oh, sor-ry.”

Outside, in the hall, Jaune moves away from the door then. He feels like a creep and there’s a real chance Nora would decapitate him if he walked in now. A small, tiny piece of him hopes he knows who Pyrrha is talking about. The rest of him just accepts that at least maybe this will help him start to move on.

---

 

Blake walks into the living room of the house. She drops her duffel bag in surprise. Ruby scrambles off Weiss, dives onto the floor for her shirt.

“Do you knock?” Weiss shrieks, pulling a blanket up around her shoulders. Ruby punches her in the leg by accident as she pulls her shirt on. Blake just stares because she really has no idea what to do.

“I live here.”

“Since when?” Weiss asks and Blake can’t tell if she’s pissed or joking or actually asking. Half the girl’s face is obscured by the blanket, but what she can see is rather pink from blushing.

“August. And five minutes ago when Sun told me to stop whining and come home.” Blake admits. Ruby nods, the top of her head moving, so apparently that’s an acceptable answer.

“Weiss, for the love of god, put a shirt on, I can see your shoulders, fuck’s sake, you have a-” Yang trails off for a moment, frozen on the stairs. Blake looks at her, wonders how much of her heart shows on her face. Yang swallows, then looks back to Weiss. “You have a room. People eat out here.”

Blake keeps her eyes on Yang but she can hear Weiss grumble as she pulls her shirt on. Ruby and Weiss head upstairs. Weiss practically sprints, but Ruby pauses to kiss her sister’s cheek, earning a flick on her arm as she goes.

“So you’re back,” Yang says. Her arm hangs at her side, limp. Blake refuses to more than glance at it. She nods, once, stiff.

“I’m - “ Blake starts, then stops. Yang waits and Blake tries again. She smiles. “So, I now know what kind of bra Weiss wears.”

Yang nods, smiles. Blake stops, feels her own smile freeze. Yang’s smile goes mean, the way Blake’s seen it in pictures from Yang in high school. All sharp edges. She’d never say it, but it makes Yang look like her mother.

“To be clear, we aren’t cool yet. You live here and I live here, but you still abandoned me in the street after I was hit by a car.” Yang finishes with a single finger gun, her other arm still at her side. She turns to head back upstairs. Her middle finger extends on her good hand, up in the air, something almost lazy in it. “You have a good night though.”

---

 

“You know I had a whole speech,” Ruby says. She turns onto her side to face Weiss. Weiss’s heart is somewhere around her throat because there’s a girl in her bed. There’s a very nice girl that she likes staring at her in a bed, and it’s absurd to the point that Weiss is expecting to wake up any moment.

“A speech.”

“It was Pyrrha’s idea! She said I should make a speech about all the stuff I like about you and why we should be together.”

“And what you said wasn’t a speech?” Weiss asks. Ruby huffs out a breath like this is a ridiculous question, then tosses one of her legs over Weiss’s. She tucks her head under Weiss’s.

“I was going to say that Yang said you wanted to date someone taller than you and I am taller than you.”

“Your sister was a main selling point in the speech?” Weiss asks, cocking an eyebrow up.

“You see why I skipped the speech now?” Ruby tilts her head up, chin resting on Weiss’s collarbone. She looks incredibly pleased with herself.

“Well, now I want to hear the whole thing.”

“You have to say why you like me first.”

“I asked first.” Weiss tries, knowing full well it makes her sound about seven. Ruby just waits. Weiss sighs. “Fine. You are the happiest person I’ve ever met. You’re a complete dork. I almost kissed you that time I taught you how to dance because you just - light up a room or whatever.”

There’s a long beat where Weiss thinks she’s said too much. This is why she never has feelings, because they just result in awkwardness.

“You’re the person I like talking to more than anyone.” Ruby says finally. “Not because you’re the nicest-”

“-Thanks.”

“-or anything, but because if I can make you smile it makes my whole day. You act tough but you would do anything for your friends, you’re really brave, you sat and watched all of the Brave Little Toaster movies while Yang and Pyrrha were on meds, you can’t text like - at all - like, it’s like how a grandmother would text, it’s actually kind of concerning. Like, how are you so bad at it - but also - I kind of lost track of what I was saying, I’m really still on that you think I light up a room.”

“Your first speech was better.” Weiss says, because anything else feels like too much. Ruby’s smile practically glows in the dark.

“How about this? I really like you, let’s make out.”

Weiss rolls onto Ruby easily, decides right then, that she quite likes any of Ruby’s speeches.

---

It’s early in the morning when Weiss walks into the kitchen humming. Jaune actually stops with the spoonful of oatmeal halfway to his mouth, frozen in shock. Weiss rolls her eyes. Well, at least he figures that settles that she’s not some weird clone then.

“I’m happy, alright.” She says, eyes narrowed at him.

“It’s - that’s good.”

“I know it’s good,” Weiss says. It’s short but there’s no heat behind it. She leans against the fridge, smiling. “Y’know, you can’t tell anyone this.”

“Sure.”

Weiss scrunches her nose. “I’ve never been this happy about dating someone. And it’s new, and maybe it’s just the whole honeymoon period, but I am really happy about it. I like her. And she likes me. She gave this whole speech about-”

“A speech?” Jaune releases his spoon. The whole thing sinks into the oatmeal. Weiss watches it and points, but Jaune shakes his head as if she’s getting off topic. “She gave you a speech about how she felt like you two should be together?”

“Oh don’t make fun.”

“I’m not, I’m asking a question.” Jaune snaps. Weiss startles, blinks at him.

“God, yeah, she gave a speech. It was cute, what, is that an issue for you?” Weiss asks, tone icy. Jaune pushes his chair out from the table.

“Nope.” He pops the sound of the ‘p’, like there’s something sharp in the word. He tosses the bowl of oatmeal into the sink, part of it sloshing out. “Congratulations.”

He marches out of the room, footsteps stomping all the way down the hall. Weiss stares after him, trying to figure the whole thing out.

Ruby comes into the room, smiles at Weiss. It shouldn’t be that simple, that just Ruby smiling at her makes Weiss happy, but it does.

“You want coffee?” Weiss offers. Ruby shakes her head and sits at the table.

“Not the way you make it, sorry.” The comment has Weiss clicking her tongue in response. Ruby laughs. “Hey, do you know why Jaune slammed his door? I was heading downstairs and heard it.”

“I have no idea. He got weird about me saying that I was with someone.” Weiss wrinkles her nose, takes a sip of coffee. “There’s no way he still has a crush on me right?”

“I never knew him when he did have a crush, but I doubt it. But, still, everyone should have a crush on you though.”

“Cute.” Weiss says. Ruby grins as Weiss settles onto the kitchen bench next to her. “I didn’t tell him it was you. I didn’t know - if you want to wait to tell people.”

“Wait? Do you want to wait?” Ruby asks. She fidgets, fingers playing with the fraying sleeves of her shirt. Weiss drops her free hand onto one of Ruby’s.

“I don’t plan on hiding it unless you want to.”

“Me, hide it? Are you kidding? I’d hire a skywriter if it weren’t expense. Y’know actually, Uncle Qrow might know a guy who could do it for me. Or I could take flying lessons or Nora probably-”

“Do not get Nora involved.” Weiss says. She catches Ruby’s look and elbows her. “Ha-ha.”

“It was funny. I’m funny.” Ruby insists. She pulls Weiss’s arm to loop around her. Weiss tries to hide her smile behind her coffee, but Ruby grins. “You think I’m funny.”

“I think you’re cute, now don’t let it go to your head.” Weiss corrects. Under her arm, Ruby smiles. Weiss smiles back.

“Too late.” Ruby says. “I’ve almost got as much ego as you now.”

“Alright, y’know what-” Weiss tries to sound mad but Ruby leans in to kiss her and she forgets about it anyway.

Someone yelps and Ruby jumps back. Weiss looks up to find her banging her head against the side of the entryway to the kitchen. Yang has both hands over her face.

“You have a room, I am begging you, Weiss.”

“Hey, that’s my job now.” Ruby jokes.

There’s about half a second before Yang gets it. Weiss has to stuff her hand in her mouth to keep from laughing. Ruby runs, tearing out the back door. Yang chases her, yelling about having to stab her own ears. The back door slams after her and one of the windows shatters on impact. Both sisters freeze, then at the same time:

“That’s her fault!”

Weiss grimaces at the broken glass on the floor. Ruby and Yang join her after a moment, Yang pinching her sister twice as they walk up. Weiss ignores it because honestly she doesn’t want Yang to kill her. It seems like it might be on the table.

“Try to convince Nora she did it while she was drunk?” Weiss says after they all peer at the glass for a moment. “She’s got Vine money.”

“You’re a genius.” Ruby declares. She flicks Yang’s shoulder. “Hear that, my girlfriend’s a genius.”

“You’re girlfriend’s going to be a ghost if she doesn’t stop with the PDA,” Yang grumbles. She steps over the glass and walks into the living room. She flops onto the couch gracelessly.

Ruby sticks her tongue out. “Jokes on you, Yang, she’d be a cute ghost.”

“But also, don’t kill me.” Weiss puts in. Yang answers with a thumb’s up. It’s good enough.

Notes:

Well finishing this chapter was an adventure (I posted about it on tumblr but I almost lost most of this chapter!) and I just gotta say thank y'all so much. We're in the home stretch now and I am going to be sad to finish this fic but I think/hope the ending is gonna be good.
(Also - the job interview went well and I'm waiting to hear back but every one of your well wishes made me smile so thank you times a million! I keep smiling @ every comment!)

Chapter 16: FEBRUARY (pt ii) + VALENTINE'S DAY

FEBRUARY (pt ii)

The front door sticks and something about it makes Blake’s stomach twist. She knows that no one would change the locks on her. She knows that they like her. There’s no real reason to feel afraid, to feel like this is intentional. Except dating someone who hits you for two years really fucks with your perception of things. So she panics a little regardless.

The door flies open when it does open, a shiny thin layer of ice spilling onto the uneven floor, skittering before it melts. Everyone in the room looks up. Ruby quickly loses interest, sleepily dropping her head back onto Weiss’s lap. In the La-Z-Boy, Yang’s eyes turn back to the television in a way that feels pointed.

Blake could say it. She could say what happened to her, who she loved. It catches in her throat then. Yang has an ice pack on her arm, apparently sore from just a normal day, and Blake’s eyes catch on the hair loose from Yang’s ponytail, the few pieces dropping over her face. She doesn’t think she’s touched Yang since that night and she wants to now, more than ever. Just brush her hair back, even just that.

“You planning to freeze us out or shut the door?” Yang asks flatly after a moment. Blake shuts the door. She has to put her shoulder into it, push the door up a little. Normally this is something Yang would fix. Yang’s handy. Even just thinking that makes Blake cringe though she knows that’s a joke Yang could - maybe, hopefully - make someday.

Blake’s halfway to the stairs when she hears the finger snapping. It’s Weiss and somehow Blake knows it isn’t for her. Weiss has done this before, when she doesn’t want to be the nice one. Trying to convince someone else to ask Blake to stay. Blake makes it up two stairs before a pillow smacks the wall nearest the stairs. She jumps, she doesn’t mean to, but she does. Her face must tell all because Yang’s face goes pale.

“I’m just going to go to bed.” Blake says, the words practically spilling over each other as she says them. She takes the stairs two at a time to reach the top.

It’s probably ten minutes before someone comes knocking. Blake’s expecting Weiss, honestly. Weiss has been doing better about having feelings and being like - a person lately. Blake would credit Ruby, but she has a feeling it’s also partially just Weiss growing up. All of them growing up.

Blake staggers back when Yang’s on the other side of the door. Yang rocks back onto her heels.

“I wanted to apologize. For throwing the pillow. I wasn’t thinking, I just wanted to get your attention and-”

“It’s fine.” Blake stops her. Somehow the apology, the sheer politeness of it hurts as much as anything. The pillow, the double-tap of her heart then, that was all memory, all unnecessary. This hurts because it’s Yang. The apology is true and something about it feels distant, the way Yang would talk to someone that was - that wasn’t Blake, before all this.

Yang nods once. She looks at Blake, just really looks and Blake steps back. Yang knows about Adam then. Even if Blake can’t say it.

“I’m not mad about him. Whoever he is.” Yang says. She stops and looks away. It takes Blake a moment to figure out why. Yang’s tearing up. Blake freezes then motions for Yang to come into the room.

Yang waits until the door shuts to start again. She leans against Blake’s desk, some half-assed attempt at casual when everything about them feels like anything but.

“I know - you don’t have to talk about it. Whatever happened, whoever he was, but - you - I-” Yang stops. She rolls her knuckles along the desk, stares at it. “I would never hurt you. I’m sorry if I made you think I would.”

“I know that.” Blake says. Yang nods. It strikes Blake, suddenly, how Yang’s sitting. Shoulders drawn in, taking up as little space as possible. Blake recognizes it somehow, the need to shrink yourself. “I loved him.”

Yang looks up. Blake runs her tongue over her lips.

“Adam, his name’s Adam.” She says. There’s more she wants to say. About how it feels to love someone who makes you hate yourself. About how alone she was for so long, about how he was all she had for years. Her chest gets tight. Blake realizes she might cry. Yang moves like she might reach out to Blake then stops.

“I know that you aren’t him. But Adam was someone I loved and he hurt me. I know that I wouldn’t let someone treat me the way he treated me, not now. But even to - thinking of trusting someone again. It makes me…” Blake stops, trails off because it feels big, to say out loud that she’s afraid. Afraid to think that someone else could do that to her, that she would lose herself like that again.

“Brave.” Yang says, voice soft. Blake startles at that, stares at her. Yang looks back. “It makes you brave.”

“Not what I was thinking.” Blake admits. Yang huffs.

“Well,” she says, as if that sums something up. She stands from the desk. “Thank you. For telling me that.”

“You deserve to know.” Blake says. It’s the truth. The whole damn thing nearly cost Yang an arm. Blake should’ve told her sooner, honestly. It feels easier somehow, now that she knows.

Yang nods, then heads to the door. Something in it catches on Blake.

“You’re still mad.” She says. It’s not a question. She knows Yang too well to have to ask this. Yang pauses at the door. Her shoulders go tight, like she’s steeling herself for this.

“I don’t know what I am - I just - we’re not okay. We can’t just go back to - whatever.” Yang says. She won’t turn to look at Blake, but Blake watches her. Yang tries for the door with her bad arm, then winces, a full body thing, opens it with the other.

“I’m sorry.” Blake bursts. Yang looks over her shoulder. There’s a beat where Blake thinks they’ll have the fight. The fight that’s been coming since she moved back home, maybe even before that. Instead, Yang just nods and that just stings. Like the fight isn’t worth it.

Blake could push it. She knows not to try though.

---

VALENTINE'S DAY

Nora rolls over onto her back, takes a long draw off the blunt. She holds it out to Ren, who taps her nose with his finger before taking it. Nora scoots up on the couch to lay her head in his lap. On the floor nearest them, Sun coos fake warmth at them. Nora ignores him.

“The vibe in this place is bleak.” Sun observes. Somewhere upstairs, there’s stomping. Nora stares at the ceiling contemplatively.

“It’s all the bleakness.” She clarifies for Sun.

“Oh, that’s what it is.”

Ren passes the blunt on to Sun, who blows pretty smoke rings up into the air. The three of them sit quiet for a few minutes, the only sound that of the low buzz of the old television. MTV plays silently in the background. Nora watches the water marks on the ceiling.

“I’m really not crashing your Valentine’s Day?” Sun asks. He sits up, pulls the bag of pretzels from under the coffee table and shoves some gracelessly into his mouth.

Nora realizes how desperately she wants pretzels. Before she can move for them, Ren motions and Sun tosses the bag to him. Ren drops a few pretzels onto Nora’s chest before eating some himself.

“Weed never crashes a holiday.” Ren says to reassure Sun. Sun nods in agreeance, takes the bag of pretzels back. Nora sits up so she can eat hers.

“Seriously, even with Ice Town shacked up to little Yang-”

“Oh god, please call her that around literally any of those three.” Nora interrupts with a grin. Sun pauses in rummaging through the pretzel bag to look up.

“I like being alive, thanks.” He says. He plucks a single rather admittedly perfect pretzel out, eats it happily. Nora’s jealous. It’s a good looking pretzel. “Anyway, you should throw a party.”

Ren makes a noise that might be a groan, but Nora’s too busy standing up on the couch to really pay attention. Ren’s fine anyway.

“A party.” She yells. Jumping up once, she lands back on the couch. Ren stares at her. He’s trying to look like he’s not amused but the corner of his mouth twitches. Score. She cups his face in her hands.

“A great big party where we get Pyrrha to kiss a certain boy and you-” Nora pauses, still keeping her full attention on Ren, to motion at Sun with one hand. “You’re going to get the saddest gays together.”

“Blake’s the saddest bi, actually, but I’ll do what I can.” Sun agrees.

“I was using an umbrella term.” Nora says. She taps her fingers against Ren’s face. He smiles against her hands. “Next weekend. Lots of tequila, lots of truth. We’ll knock this out.”

Nora holds out her hand. Sun reaches her, does their rather complicated handshake. Sun stands then. He kisses first Ren’s head then Nora’s.

“My wonderful boyfriend is about to get off work so I’m about to get off.” He holds up hands for high fives. Nora shrugs then figures the joke’s good enough. She reaches to high five him, but Ren does it before she can. Both men look entirely too pleased with themselves.

“Have a good Valentine’s Day,” Sun says as he pulls on his jacket. He winks.

“Sorry I thought you came here to try to convince us to have a threesome.”

“No big, sorry I had to turn you down!”

Nora blinks at the front door as it shuts behind him.

“That’s not what happened and we both know it.” Nora says. She pats Ren’s chest. “We know it.”

Ren stands, turns around. Nora hops on his back easily. His hair smells of papayas, which means he’s been stealing her shampoo. She could be mad. She’s not anyway. Ren walks them both towards the stairs.

“Y’know it did kind of sound like you were upset when he said he wasn’t here for a threesome.”

“Alright, y’know what, I’m going to move to Jamaica.” Nora says. Ren laughs, easy and bright. Nora doesn’t know what Sun means. The house is plenty happy. He’s just not looking in the right places.

 

Notes:

I only have about two scenes left to write which is nuts. I can't believe we're almost done! As always, thank you all for the comments :) y'all make my day.

Chapter 17: FEBRUARY (pt iii)

FEBRUARY (pt iii)

Nora calls a house meeting on the Friday after Valentine’s Day. The group’s usual arrangement around the table is thrown into mild chaos. For some reason that Nora can’t figure out, Jaune insists that Weiss take his spot and sit next to Pyrrha. Ruby awkwardly hovers around that side of the table until Blake settles on Weiss’s other side, leaving Ruby to take a seat next to her sister at the other end. Nora snags the spot at the head of the table, Ren settles opposite her, and Jaune somehow ends up next to Yang. Before anyone can comment, there’s a clatter from the kitchen. No one seems surprised when Sun careens into the room two seconds later, or when he bypasses them all to open the front door and let Neptune in. The two of them pull up chairs near Ren. Nora exchanges a look with Ren about the entire mess that is their friends. He nods in understanding.

“We’re throwing a party,”  Nora informs the group. There’s a long pause where normally someone would be excited or Blake would suddenly remember she has to move to Aruba. Nora drums her fingers on the table. “This is why, you’re all being weird.”

“You tried to duct tape yourself to the ceiling last week.” Weiss says. Nora realizes, with some degree of discomfort, that Weiss might be doing the best out of anyone in the house. Nora stares at the other girl for a long moment. Weiss shrugs, elaborates. “Pot, kettle, all that.”

“I would be being weird if I were not being duct taped to the ceiling, Schnee, get it together.” Nora says. Weiss holds up a finger like that makes a point.

The room lapses back into silence. Nora waits. Pyrrha keeps looking at Nora like Nora’s insane. Jaune keeps looking at Pyrrha then Weiss, then frowning. Blake won’t stop staring in Yang’s direction, and Yang’s glaring at Sun. The only normal one is maybe Sun, who has no pulled some Wheat Thins out of his fanny pack and taken to eating them as if this is a normal thing to do. Nora does her best to express how insane this table is being, but Ren’s just looking around the room like he’s trying to solve the puzzle too.

“A party could be fun.” Ruby says finally. She shrugs. “We haven’t had one in a while.”

“Was the last one Halloween?” Sun asks. He tosses a Wheat Thin at Neptune, who bats it away. The cracker slides across the table. Sun pops another Wheat Thin in his mouth, undisturbed. “We could throw a ‘we lived’ party for the half the group that spent the holidays in the hospital.”

“Dude.” Jaune mutters, at the same time that Blake cuffs Sun on the back of the head.

“It would be nice.” Pyrrha says. She’s now sitting on her hands which Nora recognizes is a bad sign. It means Pyrrha is going to cry in the next hour, unless something changes drastically.

Nora texts Ren under the table to ask him to google puppy pictures. He answers with a thumb’s up and Nora smiles at her phone, almost misses Yang’s nod in agreement. She catches the last of it and shoots a finger gun at Yang in response. She smiles back, though it doesn’t quite look genuine.

“Can’t be this weekend, I have a thing.” Blake says, quiet. She’s seemed smaller since she’s come back, the way Nora remembers her from freshman year. If Nora hadn’t pinky-swore to Yang last winter to stay out of that, she would seriously contemplate locking the two in a closet together. Yang makes Blake better and vice versa, Nora can’t believe the two of them don’t see it.

“A thing?” Ruby asks. She asks it rather flatly, like maybe she’s trying to be mad. Nora’s not sure she’s ever seen Ruby mad. Blake nods, doesn’t elaborate.

Weiss glares at Blake, which ordinarily would invoke some reaction from Yang. Yang, this time, just stares at the table. Blake takes a break from looking at Yang to stare back at Weiss. For a moment, Nora thinks maybe she’s finally going to win the ongoing bet she has with Ren about if those two will ever actually fight.

(Ren says no, because Yang would kill them both for it, but Nora has more faith in Weiss’s lack of self-preservation.)

“My family’s in town next weekend and I don’t want anyone puking at brunch this time.” Jaune says. He glances at Nora for that one. Nora flaps a hand.

“I’m just making you look better the more messy I am around them.” She says. Jaune’s mouth flattens like he’s trying not to smile at that.

“In theory, except actually you’re just making my mom more concerned for your health. She still texts me to make sure you’re drinking enough water.” Jaune says. Nora grins. Mom Arc is basically the best. Jaune’s eyes slip over to Pyrrha again and the smile drops from his face.

“First weekend in March then?” Weiss asks.

“Fine by me.” Blake says.

“Great,” Jaune says. He stands. “That’s settled then, I have work.”

He more or less runs out of the house then. Nora glances at the clock. It’s nowhere near his usual shift, but she figures he’s been picking up shifts lately anyways and it’s not worth fighting him on this. She’s preparing for a much bigger argument with that particular dumbass.

“Do it Saturday.” Yang says before she also stands and leaves.

Yang rubs at her arm absently as she walks out and Blake shrinks just a little smaller before she heads out the back door of the kitchen. The plastic over the broken window flaps as she slams the door behind her. Sun whistles low under his breath at that.

“Well, we have a date.” Weiss says, standing. Ruby grins, does the same. “My rent check’s in the cookie jar, by the way.”

Nora can’t hide the surprise. Weiss admitted over the groupchat that she might be short this month because her father hadn’t spoken to her since Christmas and she wasn’t sure if her sister would be able to help her out. Apparently Weiss had even applied to jobs to help the situation. Nora was still trying to wrap her mind around Weiss working during the school year - it just didn’t quite compute.

Weiss lets Ruby loop an arm around her shoulders as she rounds the table. “My dad put money into my account. Maybe it’s progress?”

“That’s good.” Pyrrha says, soft. Weiss smiles, nods.

Weiss and Ruby head out and Nora hates that she’s actually smiling at Weiss Schnee. Her life has not ended up where she expected it to be.

“Well, I was told there would be food here.” Sun says, jumping to his feet. Next to him, Neptune rolls his eyes. He’s smiling though, like he’s happy about this ridiculous man.

“No one said that.” Ren points out. Sun taps his finger against Ren’s nose, then hops onto Neptune’s back.

“We’ll bring some vodka to the party.” Neptune offers. Nora nods her thanks before the two of them leave.

Nora watches Pyrrha smile after them, then chew at her lower lip. Nora meets Ren’s eyes, then jerks her head to the kitchen. He goes, in search of the Ben & Jerry’s that Nora hides in the empty bag of pea in the freezer.

“So did you tell him and I need to kill him?” Nora asks, moving to stand next to Pyrrha. Pyrrha breathes out something close to a laugh, shakes her head.

“He avoids me now. I think he knows, I probably said something the day of the concussion or when I was all looped up on pain medicine and he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings.” Pyrrha leans her head onto Nora’s stomach. She sighs. “I can’t tell him now.”

Nora readies the speech about fighting for what you love or how Jaune is definitely head over heels, bonkers in love with her. But she looks down at Pyrrha and the droop of her shoulders and remembers. She remembers Pyrrha at eighteen, so sure that Nora was asking her to eat with them in the dining hall as some weird joke. The way the only person Pyrrha trusted - for whatever reason - was Jaune, until Nora and Ren won her over. Ren comes in with the ice cream, slides it across the table with two spoons. Nora tries to imagine losing Ren, alienating him, and she gets it, what Pyrrha is so damn scared of.

“No rousing speech?” Pyrrha asks as she pries the lid off the ice cream. She passes one spoon up to Nora.

“Tomorrow you get a rousing speech. Today we can pretend he’s stupid enough to not want you.” Nora says. Pyrrha smiles.

“Thanks, Nor.”

Nora scoops a chocolate fish out of the ice cream. She sets it onto the ice cream lid, slides it across the table to Ren. He smiles, pops it into his mouth before he heads upstairs.

“Sure, Pyr. What are best friends for?”

---

Blake hides out on the back porch for fifteen minutes before she hears someone walking in the kitchen. With the window broken, there’s no privacy to the kitchen. She doesn’t look but even just by sound, Blake knows it’s Yang. Yang always stomps, heavy footsteps that stand out in the house. Blake listens, tenses up as the footsteps pause at the door before it opens.

Yang pulls a joint out from behind her ear. Blake silently pulls a lighter out of her pocket. It’s an old habit, part from formerly smoking, part from staying with Sun for as long as she did. Yang doesn’t comment on it, which is unusual, but just lights up.

“Look, I know you’re avoiding me or the house or whatever, but-” Yang pauses, takes a hit. She holds up her hand, the big surgical scar practically glowing in the porch light. It’s unseasonably warm, which would normally be what Blake loves. But now she finds herself wishing there was a need for jackets. “Jaune’s Jaune, Pyrrha is being hogged by Nora-Ren, Nora won’t let me do anything dangerous with the arm and I’m getting so damn tired of being third wheel to my baby sister and Ice Town.”

Yang ticks each of these off on her fingers and Blake smiles at her. The world feels cottony and warm and Blake wants to tuck herself under Yang’s wildly moving arm. She squelches that wish, just takes another hit instead.

“Alright.” Blake manages. She squints at the yard because looking at Yang feels like too much. She’d overshoot the olive branch Yang’s offering because she wants the whole tree.

“So friends?”

“We’re good at friends.” Blake agrees. Yang holds her fist out for Blake to bump. Blake does so.

They can be friends. Blake can live with that, she thinks. Then, Yang stretches and her t-shirt - emblazoned with “Too Great to Be Straight” in faded type, a long ago gift from Nora - rises, revealing a few pale inches of stomach. Blake blinks her eyes shut too tight. Friends is fine. It’s just also a little awful.

---

 

Ruby skips a rock across the pond. It bounces once, twice, three times before it falls in. Next to her, she can feel Weiss’s eyes on her. They aren’t fighting. Not quite, or not really, Ruby thinks.

“You could call him again.” Ruby says. She reaches for another stone, crouching. When she looks up, Weiss has this expression that’s just - it’s bad. Ruby doesn’t get it until she remembers August and the girl she was so sure hated her. Her stomach turns and Ruby feels her ears get warm, the way they always do before she cries. “Or not. Whatever - obviously, you - it’s your dad. You know what to do.”

“I did call him.” Weiss says. It’s flat, sharp, something meant to end the conversation. Ruby reads that, but she can’t bring herself to heed the warning.

“And?”

“And he said he was glad to hear Winter and I had a good Christmas and that he was looking forward to hearing if I would come home for spring break.” Weiss says. Ruby blinks at her, the unsaid pieces lost on her. If her own father said that, it would be good, but she knows it’s different for Weiss.

“That seems good.”

“Ruby,” Weiss stops, laughs. She shakes her head, tilting it back. Sometimes, she looks too pretty and it frightens Ruby. The way she looks so serious in her beauty, like someone who shouldn’t be out skipping rocks because the weather’s nice.

“Well, how should I know what that means?” Ruby says and it comes out with a whine that she meant to keep hidden. Weiss makes a face but finally looks at her.

“I couldn’t do it again. I couldn’t tell him again that I’m this disappointment.” Weiss motions between the two of them. “He wants me home for spring break, he’s never wanted that before.”

“So, what, he thinks you’re not gay?” Ruby asks. Weiss sucks in a breath, audible in the lake front’s quiet. Ruby stands. “How do I factor into that?”

“Ruby, I couldn’t-”

“You said you weren’t ashamed. You said you wanted to tell everyone, so what, everyone but your family?” Ruby stuffs her hands into her hoodie’s pocket. She chews the inside of her cheek, ears burning too hot again.

Weiss looks away which is answer enough. Ruby nods, steps back.

“I’m the disappointment then.” Ruby says. Weiss’s face goes like she’s been slapped.

“God, no. No, Ruby it’s not - it’s not you. It’s him and me plus the fact that I need to pay rent and I have a year left of school and it’s just-” Weiss stops. She cups Ruby’s face in her hands. “I will tell him about you and about us. But I need time. I thought he - I thought he accepted it and cut me off. I have no idea what this means now.”

“I just need a little time to figure out how to talk to him again. If you can’t wait-”

“I can wait.” Ruby interrupts. Weiss smiles. She leans up to kiss Ruby’s forehead. “I will have to cancel a sky-writer.”

“Just postpone the sky-writer. And the Facebook post. I’m sorry.”

“You’re the one with the crappy dad, it’s okay.” Ruby says. Weiss smiles again, shakes her head.

“I can’t believe I’m smiling about that.” She says. Ruby pumps a fist in the air.

“I’m funny.”

“Occasionally. Don’t let it go to your head.”

---

 Jaune comes home late, the stink of grease and sweat hanging around him as he walks from his car up to the house. It was a shit day at a job that he’s tired of. Kat kept teasing him about every little thing he did and that Mercury guy who had hit on Pyrrha way back at Halloween showed up. Worse still, he had recognized Jaune, mentioned that Sun’s boyfriend had invited him to the house party in March. Jaune knew it didn’t matter - Pyrrha was dating Weiss either way, but it still irritated him.

The front door still sticks because the only person who knew how to fix it was Yang and no one felt comfortable asking her with the arm. It finally swings open and Jaune startles at seeing Pyrrha on the couch. She’s got a tank top that he thinks was his at one point, and some pajama pants, but more than that she looks bone-tired.

“Did I wake you?” He asks. Pyrrha shakes her head, stands.

“I wanted to -” Pyrrha starts. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other. Pyrrha smiles. “I keep having these dreams where Cinder - where I don’t wake up.”

Jaune hears some weird noise escape him. He should be embarrassed but Pyrrha just nods, like she gets it, before he can be.

“So usually I go in with Ruby or Weiss or Yang, but they’re all gone. Well, Yang’s here, but she was snoring tonight so.” Pyrrha finishes with a smile, this gentle thing that clearly means she finds Yang’s snoring charming.

It reminds Jaune that Yang and Pyrrha used to be, well, something , even if it was something casual. And he’s not jealous because he has no right to be, but his heart does do this awful sad yearning thing.

“So now you’re sleeping on the couch?” Jaune asks. He shrugs off his jacket, sets it on the coat rack. When he turns back to Pyrrha, her cheeks are rosy. It takes him a moment. “Were you waiting for me?”

“Oh I - I can sleep out here, that’s fine. I just - it used to be nice. When we would sleep - not, like - oh boy, I am really just doubling down here, aren’t I?” Pyrrha stops and covers her now red face with both hands. Jaune’s glad because she’d see it, every single thing he feels, the whole thing written in his too big smile. He manages to get his face under control by the time she pulls her hands down to rest on her neck. “It helps to be around people.”

“It won’t upset -” Jaune freezes, can’t say Weiss’s name or the world ‘girlfriend’. Pyrrha’s expression goes quizzical, which is worse. Of course Jaune’s not going to worry Weiss. He’s not even on Pyrrha’s radar. He shrugs. “I don’t know, Nora? She gets jealous if anybody hangs out with you more than her lately.”

“Nora kicks in her sleep, don’t worry.” Pyrrha says. Jaune nods.

“Well, I smell like a french fry after it ran a ten-mile sprint, so I’m going to go shower, but then I’ll join you.” Jaune says. Pyrrha wrinkles her nose, but nods.

Jaune rests his head against the wall of the shower for almost a full minute. If he didn’t have a small sliver of shame left, he would tell Nora about this in the morning to see if she thinks this truly is the stupidest thing he’s ever done. But Jaune figures he couldn’t exactly say no to Pyrrha. He’s never been good at that in the first place, much less when it’s something that helps her like this. Plus, he wants to sleep next to her. If this is all he can get, he’ll take it.

Pyrrha’s curled up on her side in his bed when he comes out of the shower. For a second, he just stands in the doorway. He could say it, right now. Not that it would change things. But it would be honest, maybe. But he resigns himself, right in the moment as she waves two fingers at him without opening her eyes, that he will be her friend. If Pyrrha will never love him, that’s fine. He’ll move on or always want her. Either way, he’ll be her friend through it.

“Cold feet,” Pyrrha mumbles as he climbs over her to sleep on the side closest to the wall, as he always used to.

“Sorry,” he says. She shakes her head, hair moving against the pillow.

“S’okay. Observing, not complaining.” Pyrrha says. He smiles at the back of her head until she rolls over, at which point he manages to school his face into something close to neutral. Pyrrha sighs. “Are you avoiding me?”

“What makes you say that?” Jaune asks, careful. He can’t see in the dark but he can imagine the ensuing eye-roll.

“I never see you. Or if I do it’s when Nora or Ruby forces everyone to get together.”

“I’m just working more. I picked up a lot of shifts,” Jaune says. It’s an answer, even if it isn’t the full truth.

“Did something happen with your scholarships?” Pyrrha asks. She sits up, plants a hand on his chest. “Your sisters, are they okay? Amanda didn’t have to get braces, did she?”

“No, not yet at least. I just - okay, you have to promise not to apologize.” Jaune holds up his pinky finger. There’s a moment of fumbling before hers hooks around his. “I had to pay cancellation fees for my plane ticket and then to get another one when you were in the hospital.”

Pyrrha actually gasps. Jaune drops his pinky from hers. He can practically hear the wheels turning as Pyrrha tries to figure out how to apologize without breaking the sacred pinky promise.

“I can help you-”

“Nope. No dice. I’m pretty close to having it paid for anyway, so you’re too late.” Jaune says. Pyrrha flops back onto the bed, sighs. Jaune has to smile at that.

“My moms totally would’ve paid the cancellation fee at least.” Pyrrha grumbles.

Jaune laughs. “Sure, for Ren. Not for me. I comfort myself with the fact that they wouldn’t pay it for Nora either.”

“They would have. You guys are the first real friends I’ve had.” Pyrrha says. It’s quiet.

“Well,” Jaune waits, tries to figure out what to say to that. He can’t imagine Pyrrha not having friends, even though she’s mentioned it in the past. It just doesn’t fit, the idea that so many people never saw her for how amazing she is. “It felt good to be able to do it by myself anyway.”

Pyrrha hums in agreement. Jaune rolls onto his back, ready to actually sleep since Pyrrha seems settled. Or at least like she’s not going to press him on why he’s been avoiding her any further.

“Thank you.” She says. Jaune glances over at her.

In another time, he would’ve been able to pull her over to him or hold her hand or anything. As it is, he just looks at her as best he can in the dark.

“It was worth it.” He says. In the dark of the room, he can just make out the smile that forms on her face. Jaune smiles up at the ceiling in response. “Very definitely worth it.”

Notes:

Did I write this last part so I could advertise this chapter on twitter/tumblr as "arkos sleeps together"? I'll never tell!
Thank you for any/all comments. You guys unfailingly make my day/week/whatever.

Chapter 18: MARCH (pt i)

MARCH (pt i)

 

The party’s well underway by the time Yang finishes her bottle of Andre. It’s a decent party. Jaune’s still at work - something that had Nora glaring at the poor guy for twenty minutes this afternoon when he announced it - but otherwise everyone here seems happy. Pyrrha’s dancing with some taller guy, looking rather tipsy. Nora disappeared a bit ago, but Yang overheard Ren and Sun agreeing to smoke on the front porch. Before they headed upstairs a bit ago, Ruby and Weiss were reigning beer pong champions - by a miracle, the only way Yang can figure it. Yang tried to catch her sister’s eye when the couple pulled away from the pong table, but Ruby kept beaming at Weiss, totally oblivious.

There’s one person left of the eight of them that Yang’s been trying not to watch too closely. She finds her easily now though. Blake’s got a red Solo cup in hand, leaning up against the wall. As usual, without anyone needling at her to do more, she’s just observing. Yang dances over to her.

“We should dance.” Yang shouts to be heard over the music. Blake’s face freezes for a second before she nods.

It’s easy to pretend they’re alright. Yang’s been pretending people haven’t hurt her since she was ten and Raven forgot to even call on her birthday. The real trouble is that Blake hardly ever lets her get away with it. Even now, Blake won’t smile, won’t play along all the way.

Someone jostles Yang from behind and she bumps against Blake. Her good hand goes to her arm, more instinct than anything. Both of Blake’s hands meet there, a soft grip on her elbow and wrist like Blake’s trying to hold the arm steady. For a moment, both of them freeze. They’re too close and Yang can smell the honey in the shampoo that Blake always uses. Her eyes land on Blake’s mouth without really meaning to, and then Blake’s hands drop. The spell breaks.

Yang stomps out of the room, into the kitchen. It’s deserted, save for a passed out guy that Yang vaguely recognizes as Neptune’s old roommate. She heads out into the yard, doesn’t even bother to shut the door behind her.

For a moment, Yang is blissfully alone. Then, she hears the crunch of grass. When she turns, she finds Blake. Her heart jumps into her throat.

“We’re not friends.” Blake says, the words venomous and harsh in the cold air. She squares her shoulders. “You keep saying that and trying to act like it but it’s wrong. You’re still pissed as hell.”

Blake looks out at the yard, past Yang’s shoulder, like she’s looking for an out, which is fucking typical. Yang can feel her eyes water, stupidly emotional and it should make her ashamed but all she can think of is her father saying that Raven’s never cried save when Summer died, and so Yang will take the tears, take that distance from her mother. Blake crosses her arms, shrugs up a shoulder, a jerky motion but so small. Sometimes Blake moves like it’s measured, like she’s watching herself and it just makes Yang want to hold her, take her apart so slow and careful.

“I thought you were dead.” Yang snaps. It’s a too-sharp teethed admission and it draws Blake’s look to her.

Yang sniffles, the sound echoing in the quiet chill of the night. The music from the party can be felt, more than heard, from the house, but out here the only thing is the two of them. The tiny dress Yang’s wearing, the sweater tights, none of it was designed for her to be outside for long, but she’ll be damned if she’s leaving.

“I woke up in a hospital bed alone and no one would tell me where the fuck you were, so I thought he had killed you. Do you get that? That I spent about an hour not even thinking about my stupid arm because all I could think was that you were fucking - that you were gone .”

Blake stands frozen. Yang can see it plainly on her face, the want to run. She’s not sure if Blake wants to run away or to her, but either way, it’s good that she doesn’t.

“I didn’t know that.” Blake says, cowed. She chews her lip for a moment. “I just - I couldn’t be there.”

“Right, so the best option was to leave me in the street like garbage.” Yang holds her arms out, a “voila” gesture. “Makes sense to me.”

“That’s not what happened.” Blake’s mad now, and good, about damn time, Yang thinks. Blake shakes her head. “I called the ambulance, I waited with you. I had one hand on your pulse the whole time because there was blood and you looked - you want to talk about thinking someone’s dead, we can do that.”

“You’re full of shit.” Yang says, practically a dare. She takes a step forward, right into Blake’s space. Blake stands firm.

“Don’t,” Blake says, voice low. She laughs, sharp as knives with it. “You have no idea. I thought he would come back, drag me to wherever the fuck he’s living and you’d bleed out on the street. Fuck, Yang, I stayed away because it was the only way I knew he would stay away too.”

“So that’s why.”

Blake waits, then shakes her head. “It wasn’t just that. You know me. You - I can’t say all of it.”

Yang does know. She knows Blake, knows how hard even just standing here now must be. It’s hard to not push her, to not see how many buttons she can press. That’s how they are, the two of them, Yang thinks, just trying so hard for the other. Yang deflates, lets the rigid line of her shoulders relax just a bit. Blake must notice because her gaze stops skirting around Yang, lands squarely to meet Yang’s eyes.

“I wanted to be someone who was there. I wanted to stay.” Blake says.

“Then you should’ve.” Yang says, as if it’s that simple. She wants to still be mad so badly, to not just feel the ache of waking alone and afraid, reverberating even now weeks later.

Blake nods, an acceptance. That annoys Yang too, that she won’t fight for it. That Blake’s just going to allow them to go back to - to whatever they were before. Because that’s what they’ll become. Yang can see it now, in the quiet of the night.

They’ll be friendly, make jokes that are always an edge away from where they used to be, never too close to something real. They’ll move apart after college and one of them will start to date someone and the other will lose touch and they’ll drift in and out the way Yang does with her high school friends. Someday, years down the line, Blake will say ‘you know I used to have a thing for you back in college’, like it’s some trivial fun fact about her, like her favorite color and not an entire life that could’ve been. That’ll kill Yang inside or it’ll be alright because she’ll be someone else by then, and either way it hurts like hell to think about now.

The back door opens, music spilling out as Pyrrha stumbles onto the porch. She’s crying, arms wrapped around her middle like she’s holding herself together. Yang’s thoughts fall aside as she joins Blake in charging for the porch.

Pyrrha curls easily into Yang’s shoulder, just silently sobbing. Yang nods to Blake, who heads inside, the understanding being that Nora is the best person for this. Yang strokes her hair.

“I kissed him,” Pyrrha says, finally, her voice small. She pulls back, presses the back of her hand under her eyes, an attempt at saving make-up. Pyrrha smiles, watery. “Sorry, I feel so stupid, crying about a boy.”

“Don’t say that,” Yang brushes her hand across Pyrrha’s shoulder. She smiles. “I didn’t even know Jaune had showed up, it’s good to-”

She stops when Pyrrha shakes her head, violent and fast.

“Yang, I kissed the wrong boy. I kissed Mercury.” Pyrrha frowns. She scrubs her hands down her face, flops back against the house. “When did everything get so messed up?”

Yang’s not sure of that herself, so she just loops an arm around Pyrrha’s shoulders, tugs her into a hug. It used to be simpler. She remembers it, vaguely. Her arm still hurts when she wakes up and Pyrrha still can’t hardly sleep through the night. That’s now, not to even mention the pieces with other people.

It’s a few minutes of quiet before the door opens again. Nora has a bruise on her cheek that Yang wishes she knew the story behind. Nora plants her hands on her hips, clucks her tongue.

“I’m gone for ten minutes to chicken fight someone on the neighbor’s roof and you go around kissing the wrong person and then cuddling up to blondie,” Nora says. Yang stiffens, ready to argue, but Pyrrha huffs a laugh. Yang’s never really understood the two of them, but as Nora tips her head up in greeting to Yang, Yang has to admit she’s glad they have each other.

“Yang’s not the one you kissed, is she?” Nora asks. She does a finger gun at Yang. “No offense, lady, but you two have been down that road.”

“It was Mercury.” Pyrrha admits. Nora wrinkles her nose. Pyrrha sighs. “I know. He tastes like mouthwash. It’s bad.”

“Oh, by the way, your girl went up to her room.” Nora says to Yang. Then she rolls her eyes. “I know, I know, she’s not your girl because no one in this house except me and apparently Ice Town have their lives together. Thanks, by the way, to you two for putting me in league with her.”

“That’s on Ruby.” Yang assures her. Something in her gut still twists at Nora’s first statement, the ease of calling Blake hers. It’s wrong and Yang knows better than to hope for anything else. Still, it sounds nice. She lets the words wash over her as Pyrrha extracts herself, moving to loop both arms over Nora. Pyrrha rests her head atop Nora’s.

“I should go tell Mercury I’m not interested.”

“He probably booked it out of here when you started crying. So hey - upside.” Nora says. Yang laughs, can’t help it escaping her.

Maybe she should go upstairs, talk to Blake. But she’s tired and she knows - she knows that talking to Blake will be the end of things. It’s their grand finale and she can’t help wanting to put it off just a little longer.

So instead, she curls up on a couch next to Pyrrha, listens as Nora plays fashion judge for everyone at the party. Pyrrha giggles along, but stops Nora when Nora goes too mean. Yang and Nora usually exchange a look on those occasions, both not sure how someone who has had so much crap thrown at them as Pyrrha has can still be so sweet. Yang really only listens with half-attention, the other half still on the thought of Blake and the look on her face and the way the whole thing feels like a car crash in slow motion. Yang would know. It’s the type of joke Yang wants to make to Blake, to watch her grimace to hide a smile, but she can’t.

Pyrrha falls asleep eventually, head tipping back onto the couch as the last of the party-goers filter out. Jaune shows up a few minutes later, looking worn thin from work. He’s been taking more shifts. No one mentions it, but Yang thinks maybe he’s avoiding Pyrrha. She can’t blame him entirely.

“Don’t wake her up, I can carry her.” He says when Nora moves to shake Pyrrha’s shoulder. It goes more smoothly than Yang expected, like Pyrrha’s lending grace to Jaune in some strange way as he pulls her into his arms. She makes a funny noise, a sort of warm sounding thing, then curls further into his shoulder. Jaune looks caught between wanting to die and being overjoyed.

“Cute,” Nora coos. It sounds mocking, if Jaune’s glare is anything to go by, but Yang thinks she doesn’t mean it that way. Or at least not entirely.

“Nora, not tonight.” He says and Yang realizes he might be worn out from more than work. Nora sinks back onto the couch, looking a little surprised.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, of course not, you never do.” Jaune snaps. He reddens immediately and for a moment, Yang’s sure he’ll apologize.

“Don’t snap at me just because Pyrrha’s kissed someone else.” Nora says. Jaune stares at her and it dawns on all three awake in the room that he didn’t know. Yang sucks in a breath and next to her Nora actually stands. “Jaune, I’m-”

“It’s fine. Pyrrha can kiss whoever she wants. I’m going to put her in her bed.” He says, the words clipped. Nora teeters for a moment before nodding, allowing him to go upstairs.

Yang watches him go, watches Pyrrha’s hair as it drifts over his arm. She looks small, something rare for a girl of Pyrrha’s height. It makes Yang smile though, thinking of all the times Pyrrha half-heartedly complained about boys being uncomfortable with her height. It had never really bothered her, more just made her embarrassed, like she was doing something wrong.  

“I forgot he was at work I assumed he saw.” Nora says. She rubs her eyes with the palms of her hands.

“They’ll work it out, right?” Yang asks Nora. It seems like someone should work it out. If anybody deserves that too, it’s Pyrrha. Nora shrugs.

“They better or I’ll kick both their asses about it. I will dead-ass lock them in a closet if I have to. I will go full meddling kids on them.” Nora declares. She cocks her head. “Do we have ice cream?”

“There’s like eight people living here, it’s a miracle there’s any food at all here.” Yang says. Nora waits. Yang sighs. “I mean yes, there’s some rocky road, if you’re willing to incur Weiss’s wrath.”

“She’s gotten soft since your sister started-” Nora pauses, catches Yang’s warning look. She sighs. “Go upstairs. Jaune’s going to be sad and stupid and you shouldn’t have to see that.”

“You’re a good friend, Snora.” Yang says. Nora waves her off with a hand flap.

The upstairs of the house is silent. Yang remembers, suddenly, a year ago when she was hooking up with Katt - or maybe around then it was Coco back then, during Coco’s brief break-up with her permanent girlfriend. It was easier then. Yang startles as she rounds a corner and nearly runs into Weiss leaving Ruby and Yang’s room. Weiss blinks at her for a long moment, eyes adjusting in the dark.

“You look sad.” Weiss says. She sounds sleepy and her hair is ruffled. Something about the thought of her just falling asleep with Ruby, not even any of the rest of it, makes Yang want to cry. It’s so simple and it’s so stupid how badly she wants that with Blake.

“I think Blake and I are done.” Yang says. She laughs and it comes out shaky. Weiss stares up at her.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Weiss says shortly. Yang’s always appreciated that about her, the way Weiss says things so bluntly, like there’s no point in wasting words. She looks at Yang for a long moment. “You want to be done with her?”

“No. I just want -” Yang trails off. She can’t actually say it, how badly she wants someone to stand and refuse to be moved for her. Someone of her own, not someone like her dad or Ruby who have to because they’re a family, the three of them. Not someone like Weiss even, or anyone else in the house, who would stand with her and are her closest friends but - Blake’s always been different. Blake’s the one Yang wants to impress above all else.

A memory comes. Yang, eighteen with skinned knees, arm-wrestling some frat boy because he’d been flirting with Blake all night. Blake had given her this look, half amused, half something that made Yang want to taste her. Yang had won, partially because she pulled her shirt down far enough that the boy lost concentration and partially because she was fresh off a summer of boxing and teaching boxing lessons. It was that feeling, the way afterwards Blake had watched her with pride, like she’d picked Yang and was proven right. That was what she wanted.

“Whatever,” Weiss grumbles and Yang realizes she’s been quiet for too long. Weiss ambles down the hallways towards her room, still half-asleep if her walk is anything to judge by.

“Weiss,” Yang calls after her. Weiss looks over her shoulder, waits. “I want someone who I don’t have to finish that sentence for.”

“Yeah, well, good for both of us that’s not me, so let me go to my room,” Weiss answers.

“Ice Town.” Yang calls after her again. Weiss rolls her eyes at the nickname, which Yang only used because she knows it truly annoys her. “You can stay in with Ruby. As long as you guys don’t whatever while I’m sleeping in the same room.”

Weiss eyes her, suspicious. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.” Yang tries. Weiss’s eyes narrow further. Yang sighs. “Look, you guys might be the only two happy people in this entire fucking house. I’m happy for you. If you’re going to be like this about it, you can just owe me one.”

Weiss stares at her a moment longer, then nods. She stumbles back into the room and Yang follows. Yang grabs a t-shirt and pajama pants, heads into the bathroom to ready for bed. It feels over, strangely, between Blake and her, despite what Weiss said. She stares at herself in the mirror, contemplates it. Blake won’t even pretend, won’t accept the truce of friendship. That hurts, but maybe it’s for the best. Maybe it’ll be the best way to move on.

Yang goes without setting an alarm as she settles into bed. She glances over at Ruby’s bed, finds Weiss’s face lit up by her phone. Weiss must set her phone back down because it fades into darkness. Yang suddenly wants to cry again.

“She sent you flowers.” Weiss’s voice is soft, like she’s trying not to wake Ruby. Yang stares at the ceiling, listens to Weiss sigh. “Blake doesn’t want to be done with you either. Don’t be blind.”

Chapter 19: MARCH (pt ii)

Notes:

This chapter in particular would not exist without Dicey. Thank you lady.

MARCH (pt ii)

Jaune nods a hello when he comes into the kitchen the afternoon after the party. She’s flexing her arm - the bad one - and watching it. He pulls a banana from the stack of fruit that somehow survived the party - their Chex mix bag didn’t fare so well.

“It’s almost completely healed.” Yang says. She sounds surprised. Jaune never really got fully in the loop on what was happening with her arm - he was a little preoccupied with Pyrrha’s coma in all honesty. So it could be that she thought it’d never get back to full health. Either way, he’s glad.

“Good news. You can get back to teaching kids how to punch each other any day now, right?” He asks. Yang looks up and smiles. She nods.

Pyrrha walks in then. Yang stands, flexes her arm at Pyrrha. Pyrrha’s face splits into a grin.

“That’s incredible.”

“Want to see if I can still bench-press you?” Yang asks. Jaune’s stomach does a knot even though he knows that Yang’s mostly joking - or mostly serious, but not about the innuendo.

“I actually wanted to talk to Jaune. Maybe another time?” Pyrrha asks. She pats Yang’s bicep, avoiding Jaune’s eyes so obviously that even he notices it. Which, for the record, is really obvious.

Yang does a two-finger salute before she walks out of the kitchen. Pyrrha rocks back onto her heels, chews at her lip. Jaune tosses the banana peel into the trash can, then reaches for his keys.

“C’mon, this feels like it requires beverages.” He declares. Pyrrha nods, doesn’t smile.

The whole ride to Sonic, Jaune feels jittery. He can do this, technically. He can be Pyrrha’s friend, he’s done it for years now. It’s just that hearing about whatever’s going on with Weiss is going to be hard. And this feels like something that is about Weiss.

“Root beer float?” Jaune asks as they pull into a stall at the Sonic.

Pyrrha nods, a funny smile on her face like she’s surprised he knew. It’s not a hard thing to remember. Pyrrha hates most soda, but root beer floats are her one vice in that regard. He makes sure to order it with extra whipped cream because she always ends up stealing some of his otherwise.

“So,” he says, a note of question in it. He drums his fingers against the steering wheel. Pyrrha fiddles with the radio for a moment, settles on an oldies station. When Jaune looks over, her eyes are shut, like she’s preparing herself.

“I kissed Mercury.” Pyrrha says. Then she sucks in a breath like she’s been hit. Jaune blanches.

“Oh.”

“It was so stupid and so - I was drunk and we were dancing, not to excuse it, of course.”

“Right.” Jaune says, still adjusting. He’s dated exactly one person even somewhat seriously and that was when he was sixteen. This is a problem that is very out of his abilities. He nods a few times, settling. “Right, so it was like a full make-out-”

“No,” Pyrrha says. She slashes a hand through the air. “No, it was a kiss. Nothing like that but - it was still a kiss.”

“Well, that’s not so bad. I mean, you’ve kissed a lot of people. Not a lot a lot. A perfectly fine amount.” Jaune says. Pyrrha actually smiles a little as he stumbles over it which is good. It’s the first time she’s smiled since they got in the car. “I mean, you haven’t been dating someone when you did it but you just have to tell her and I think it’ll be alright.”

“Oh, Mercury’s dating someone?” Pyrrha asks. Her head flops back onto the seat and for a moment Jaune’s distracted by that juncture of her neck and collarbone that he used to love. Pyrrha lets out a breath. “Is it that Emerald girl? She came with him but I thought she was gay.”

“I have no idea.” Jaune admits. Pyrrha turns to look at him and he shrugs. “How should I know, you’re the one kissing him.”

“You just said I should tell her.” Pyrrha says. She frowns. Jaune stares at her.

“Wait, what?” He asks.

“You said if I tell her it’ll be alright. Who did you mean?”

“I meant Weiss.” Jaune says slowly. Pyrrha’s brows furrow, a tiny crease growing between them. Jaune opens and shuts his mouth, once, then twice.

“Why on earth would I tell Weiss?” Pyrrha asks. She asks it rather gently, like he’s being silly. Jaune stares at her and something strikes him.

“You’re - this is -” Jaune stops himself, rests his forehead on the steering wheel. He sits back up and Pyrrha looks very concerned. “Why tell me?”

“Because-” Pyrrha pauses. She folds and unfolds her hands in her lap, then shakes her head. “You’re my friend, that’s all.”

“That’s all.” He repeats. He watches her, the way her cheeks turn a little red. Jaune bites back a smile.

Pyrrha looks up then. She glances away.

“Pyrrha, are you dating Weiss Schnee?” Jaune asks. Pyrrha looks at him again. She looks gobsmacked. Jaune’s grandmother always used that phrase and he’d never really had a textbook example of it before this, but here it is.

“No.” Pyrrha says. “She’s dating Ruby.”

“Right,” Jaune laughs. He scrubs a hand over his face and when he looks over, Pyrrha looks fully confused. “I’m sorry, I’ve just been avoiding you because I thought you were dating Weiss and I am really very in love with you so it was a little hard for me.”

Jaune looks straight forward. He hadn’t meant to say it like that. Or say it at all. But once it’s out, it feels good to have said it. He expects Pyrrha to question it. Instead, he hears the click of her seat belt undoing. Pyrrha takes the side of his face in her hand, turns it.

Pyrrha kisses him.

Jaune thinks maybe his brain short-circuits for a moment, but he catches up quickly. She tastes of coffee, just the way she always did in his memories.

There’s a knock at the window and Jaune jumps back. He hits his head against the window actually, but it doesn’t matter. The poor carhop is a rather bright shade of red when Jaune takes the root beer float and chocolate shake. Jaune gives the guy a two dollar tip. When he rolls the window back up, he turn to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha’s got the root beer float in both hands and her knee’s still resting on his leg. That might be the best thing Jaune’s ever seen.

“I’m in love with you too.” Pyrrha says. She grins, this beautiful bright thing that Jaune can’t believe is for him. Jaune smiles back. Pyrrha ducks her head. “I had a whole speech.”

Pyrrha laughs, leans into him. Jaune moves his arm around to fit along the back of their seats, then decides to go for it anyway and wraps it around her shoulder.

“Pyrrha Nikos,” he says, trying it out again. She smiles up at him. He has more to say, really, but he loses whatever it was looking at her smile. He just smiles back.

---

 

Raven rolls the ice around in her glass, a Moscow mule. Her daughter sits across from her, slouched in the cheap wooden seat. At first look, Yang looks like her father, all Taiyang’s blonde hair and smile. But Raven sees the rest of it - the sharp eyes, the frown, those aren’t Taiyang’s at all. Hell, Yang even ordered a dark & stormy, one shade away from Raven’s own drink.

“Your girlfriend was the one who called and told me you were in the hospital.” Raven says finally. Yang just stares at her mother, unimpressed. Raven motions with her drink. “You know which one I mean. The dark-haired girl.”

“Really,” Yang says, the word heavy on her tongue. Raven nods and Yang rolls her eyes.

“She told me that the accident might not have been an accident,” Raven adds, careful. Yang just stares back. Raven takes a sip. “Either way, the right people got ahold of that Adam guy.”

“Really,” Yang says, again.

“You’re not a parrot,” Raven snaps. Yang’s eyes narrow.

“Fine. I find it hard to believe you give two shits, all things considered.”

“My boss had been looking for the guy for a while. So you should thank her for pointing us in the right direction.” Raven stands then. Her daughter doesn’t move. Raven cocks her head. “You blame her?”

“No.”

“You’re pouting then.” Raven observes. It gets her a laugh, a sharp awful thing. If she were another person, it’d make her feel bad. As it is, she just walks to the bar to get another round.

Yang sidles up to her.

“Why would she call you?”

“Maybe she thought you’d need help your dad can’t provide.”

Yang studies her face, something Raven can feel more than see. The bartender walks up to them and Yang turns to him.

“Two dark and stormies, doubles, house liquor.” She instructs. Raven raises an eyebrow when Yang looks back to her. She shrugs. “Dad mentioned it’s your drink way back. Don’t bother pretending it isn’t.”

It was her drink, back in college. Raven doesn’t mention that her tastes have changed since then.

“A little advice, since you’re getting this round,” Raven says. Yang makes a face but pulls her credit card from her wallet without further complaint. The bartender seems surprised by it, but he too says nothing. Raven drums her fingers against the side of her glass. “Don’t waste too much time being pissed. Neither of us like it, but you’re like me. Being mad is easy.”

“Really,” Yang says flatly. It’s a challenge, something to try to get Raven’s hackles up. It nearly works even though Raven knows that.

“Being mad is easier than being hurt.” Raven says. Yang startles at it, eyes snapping to Raven’s. Raven shrugs. “It doesn’t mean you don’t miss her when she’s gone.”

“You’re not going to try to convince me that’s what happened with you and dad, are you?” Yang asks after that settles. Raven doesn’t know how much of that story Yang knows. That story is really pretty boring - friends who tried to be something more but quickly realized that didn’t work for them except oops, Raven was pregnant. It was never some epic love story.

“No, not him.” Raven says, thinking of a gravesite she can’t bring herself to visit and someone else’s daughter with the eyes of the woman she loved. Yang looks like she might ask, so Raven downs the rest of her drink. “That’s all the advice one drink will get you.”

“Well that’s all the drinks I’m getting you.” Yang counters. Raven smiles.

“Sounds like it’s time for me to call it a night then.” Raven says.

“Raven.” Yang calls after he as she stands. Raven looks at her, waits. Yang sighs, like she’s not happy to be asking this. “Lou’s. That bar down on eighteenth. They won’t let me in. Was that you or Qrow?”

Raven grins, remembers the night in particular that earned that black mark on their record. That tall, burly bouncer tossing the four of them and Ironwood out on their asses and swearing that never again would a Rose, Xiao-Long, Ironwood, or Branwen would set foot in the bar.

“None of the above. That was almost all Summer.” Raven admits. She shakes her head, clearing the memory from her mind. “Your sister’s never going to get in their either.”

Yang smiles at that, quick like she wasn’t able to stop it. “Small blessings.”

“I’ll see you around kid.” Raven says. It’s starting to rain when she steps outside. She pulls the hood up on her coat, walks down the street.

---

Yang heads to her bedroom ready for the day to just end. Everything with Raven went fine, but that’s the best it ever goes. She flicks on the lights as she opens the door and freezes.

Her entire side of the room is covered in sunflowers. Her desk has vases of them, her bed has flower after flower. Yang stares, possibly even gaping. She doesn’t even notice Blake leaning against the fire escape for a moment. Blake has a single sunflower in her hand.

“It’s too much, right? I know that now. I see it.” Blake says. Yang shakes her head, still awed.

“What is this?”

“I’m showing up. I’m - you want someone who is there, and I’m here. If you’ll still have me. Even if you won’t, I’ll stay and be your friend, but - I like you.”

Blake doesn’t move. Yang watches her.

“My arm’s better.” Yang says. Blake startles at that, clearly not what she was expecting to her. “My arm feels almost completely fine and the only person I wanted to tell about it was you. The only person I want to tell everything about is you. All of it. I’m not good at halfways. If we’re doing this, I’m all in.”

Blake’s mouth quirks up into a tiny mesmerizing smile. She holds up the sunflower in her hand.

“I just bought out all of the sunflowers at three different places here.” Blake says. Yang smiles, steps towards Blake. Blake moves towards her. She loops her arms around Yang’s shoulders, warm and easy. Yang can feel the sunflower catch in her hair. Blake smiles. “All in.”

She kisses her.

Yang pulls back after some time, smiles.

“You want to deflower the bed?” She asks, grinning. Blake’s face does this look that Yang’s all too familiar with - it’s when Blake wants to laugh but hates that she finds whatever Yang’s said is funny. It’s something Yang’s always too proud to see.

“I can’t believe I missed you.” Blake says, finally. Yang laughs, leaning against her shoulder.

“But you did anyway.” Yang says as she kisses Blake’s neck. Blake nods.

“I really did.”

“Good, I missed you back.”

“You didn’t miss my front?” Blake asks. Yang pulls back to gape. Blake rolls her eyes. “I don’t actually think that’s funny I just know you-”

Yang kisses her. It’s the only thing to do.

Notes:

:)
I love every single one of you who has read this and especially people who have commented. I never thought this fic would get this long but here we are. All that I have left is an epilogue.
I've considered writing more in this universe but it's up in the air. Either way, thank you so much for reading. It has made me so happy to have people actually seem to enjoy this.
As always, I would love your thoughts on this.

Chapter 20: SUMMER EPILOGUE

MAY

Blake's leaning against the lone piece left in the living room, the couch, when Weiss sidles up to her. It's early, most everyone still sleeping, curled up in sleeping bags in Nora and Ren's room, one final sleepover before their lease ends.

"You planning to pull a disappearing act again this summer?" Weiss asks. She takes a long sip of milky white coffee, watching Blake out of the corner of her eyes. Blake smiles.

"That's the plan." Blake says. She tips her head up towards the two motorcycle helmets on the floor near the stairs. "She's got company this time around though."

Weiss's face tips into a smile. She nods. Blake never would've expected this - being so happy to have Weiss approve of something. She knows though, that Weiss is looking out for someone. Whether it's her or Yang, Blake's not entirely sure. Blake takes a drink of her own coffee.

Yang bounds down the stairs. She more or less dives past them both to land on the couch. Blake absently tickles at the bottom of Yang's foot. Yang flips over, grins up at them both.

"What are you doing for the summer?" Yang asks Weiss. She sits up, comes to rest on her knees. She pries Blake's coffee from her, takes a gulp.

"Win's got a spare room. It's Hawaii. There's a hotel down there that needs somebody to do event management. It's unpaid, an internship but -" Weiss shrugs. It's dismissive. Blake shrugs back, earning an eyeroll from Weiss. "Whatever, I'm excited about it. My dad's not - he's not going to cut me off, but he's not really talking to me either so this is good."

"He's still a dick." Yang says, definitive. Next to her, Weiss gapes a moment before making a face that clearly admits that Yang's right.

"Least he didn't run my girlfriend over." Weiss says, mostly into her coffee.

"Hey," Yang intones. Weiss looks like she's about to apologize. "I wasn't her girlfriend at the time."

Weiss's apology evaporates and she rolls her eyes. Blake grins. "Ass."

"You're going to miss me this summer." Yang says. She hands the coffee cup back to Blake. "Hey, did you ever think that we'd end up here?"

"I have to admit the pants are a surprise." Blake says, nodding at Yang's pizza print pajamas. Yang rolls her eyes, undisturbed.

"You know what I mean. Freshman year, the two of us living together, Weiss hiding out in the common room to avoid her roommate. Did you ever think we'd all end up - y'know - close?"

"I still can't stand either of you, I have no idea what you mean Xiao-Long." Weiss says without turning. Yang pokes at her side.

"You could end up being my sister. I could buy your children candy for the rest of our lives. I could be buried by you." Yang punctuates each statement with a finger poke. Weiss finally breaks on the last one, moving away with a smile. She attempts to tone it down, but it's a real smile, one of those that can't be stopped.

"I never thought I'd be this happy," Weiss says. She shakes her head.

"Me either," Blake says.

"Wow," Yang says. She stands on the couch. Blake turns around to roll her eyes at that to Weiss. They both know that Yang will start bouncing on the couch in about twenty seconds.

"Well, too bad, you nerds have to deal with this awesome life instead." She bounces on the pillows a few times. "Wanna go get the rest of them up and force Ren and Jaune to go buy us donuts?"

So they do just that.

---

 

MAY

Jaune checks the group chat only when he’s stopped for dinner. The drive back home is long enough that he’s stopping at a Denny’s, grateful to be out of the car for a bit. There’s a seventeen text long discussion of whether not Yang and Nora have to be together to get their matching tattoo that he scrolls through as quickly as he can, as if by speed-reading it, it will remain not his problem.

Then, the chat turns to discussing if they should all live together next year. It might be a little weird, on the level that most all of them are dating now. Except, somehow it makes sense to Jaune that they all would. Weiss brings up that she’s not sure she’ll have the money and everyone else offers to cover her - though Yang does in exchange for getting to name one of Weiss’s children. Pyrrha steps in then, and Jaune is grateful for her all over again.

The bad news comes about four messages later - after a short discussion of who owns the flamingo shirt that Weiss found in her bag. Someone’s bought the house.

Ren assures everyone he’ll find something, if they all are wanting to live together, he’ll do the leg work. Everyone agrees. Jaune sends his confirmation. Three people respond telling him he better not be driving and texting.

He sends back that he’s stopped for dinner at a Denny’s. The bubble pops up that says both Yang and Nora are typing.

His phone rings before either send anything.

“Hi,” he answers.

“Hi,” Pyrrha says back.

“If they aren’t sending dinner spelled ‘d-e-n-n-e-r’, I promise to get a tattoo with Nora.”

There’s a pause and he guesses she’s checking the group chat. She laughs.

“Dodged the bullet again.”

“Darn,” Jaune says. Pyrrha laughs again. He leans back in his seat. “Why does two weeks seem so long?”

“I don’t know. It does though, doesn’t it?” Pyrrha says. Sometimes, when she says things like that, she sounds so cautious. Like she expects Jaune to back out. It irks at him, that it takes so much to convince her that he loves her. Or that he ever gave her reason to doubt or that it took him so long to realize.

“You could always come early. My folks love you.”

“My moms would not be happy. Besides, you’d get tired of me being up there for more than a week.”

“Pyrrha, I’ll never get tired of you.” It comes out a little too earnest. The other end is quiet for a moment. Jaune tries not to panic.

“Well,” Pyrrha says finally. It’s soft, like there’s something much bigger she wants to say but can’t. Jaune gets that. “You should get back on the road. I just wanted to say hi and that I - I know it’s silly and we saw each other a week ago and we’ll be together in two weeks, but.”

She pauses.

“I miss you too Pyrrha.” Jaune says. She laughs.

“Yeah, basically that.” She lets out a breath. “I love you.”

“I love you,” he says. He taps his fingers against the table. “I don’t want to hang up.”

“Me either.”

“Maybe someday we won’t have to. I can just drag you out to my folk’s house for holidays with me and I won’t have to work out here in the summers.”

“My moms can come visit and stay in a hotel and not comment on whether or not I wash my cup immediately after tea.”

“We can get one of those huge dogs you like and it can knock Nora over every time she comes over.”

“We can grow mint inside without worrying about someone trying to smoke it.”

“We can get a ficus. I don’t know what it is but I’ve always wanted one.”

“It’s a small tree.”

The waitress comes by with Jaune’s change.

“Okay, so we get a ficus,” he says. “I really have to get on the road. I wish I didn’t.”

“I’ll be googling ficus care and thinking of you.” Pyrrha says. With anyone else, he’d think it was teasing. With her, he figures it’s a little that, but mostly serious.

“I can’t wait.”

“For me to google ficuses?”

“To have home be with you.” Jaune says. He laughs, nervous. “Is that too much?”

“No. It very much isn’t,” Pyrrha says.

Jaune doesn’t check his phone again until he pulls into his drive. The group chat is exploding about how to pronounce gif - again - and he has a text from Pyrrha. He smiles at his phone for a moment until two of his sisters come bounding out, banging on the truck door.

His mom has a pie ready and his dad slips him a twenty dollar bill once he’s inside for no reason. He misses Pyrrha, he misses the house, but it feels nice to be here too, he decides.

---

 

JUNE

Ruby blinks blearily at Nora for a long moment. The older girl motions wildly with the two pieces of fabric.

"Just pick. It's important and Pyrrha's at Jaune's so I can't bug her." Nora taps the fabric squares. Ruby points to the slightly milder pattern.

"Why do we need a new couch anyway?" Ruby asks. She's currently curled up on the front porch of her dad's house. Most of their belongings from the house are stored in their basement for the summer. The old couch that she thinks really has nothing wrong with it is stuffed between two dressers and, rather inexplicably, a chandelier.

"The things that couch have seen," Nora shudders. Ruby wrinkles her nose, then reconsiders.

"Hey, I was involved with some of those things."

"Yeah," Nora says, making a face. Ruby glares. Nora leans down, kisses her forehead. "Thanks, Red! Tell your girlfriend hi for me on your next Skype call."

---

JUNE

Pyrrha curls her hand around the handle of her duffle bag. She had never been to Jaune's family home before. At least she had already met his parents and most of the sisters - the youngest was the only one she hadn't met yet, a fact largely due to Len's fear of flying.

It takes her a moment to find him in the crowd. The huge rose bouquet held aloft helped, and she grins at it a moment before she follows it down to Jaune's face. He's smiling back and Pyrrha can't imagine ever getting used to that - the bright smile being all for her. Not that she's going to complain about it.

Pyrrha lets the crowd move around her for a moment before she walks to him. He holds the flowers out but she misses it, tossing her arms around his neck instead. The flowers end up squashed between the pair of them awkwardly, until he shimmies his hand out to the small of her back. Pyrrha breathes in against his shoulder, smells that familiar scent of his shampoo and the hint of sweat that he always has in summer months.

"Wait, we have to take a picture." Pyrrha says as she pulls back. Jaune nods, attempts to look serious. She tucks hair behind her ear, suddenly oddly nervous. She takes the roses in one hand, then fiddles with her purse to find her phone.

Jaune's hands cup her face, draw her back to him. He kisses her. It's been nearly six months and it doesn't stop surprising her, how easily he does that. Jaune kisses her like it's second nature, like it's something he's always just been forgetting to do until he realized he could do it.

"People are supposed to kiss in airports,” he informs her. Pyrrha nods, smiles. Jaune holds out his phone. "Now text Nora the picture of me in overalls so Ren can win that bet."

"You aren't supposed to rig the bets for him." Pyrrha says with a click of her tongue. Jaune raises an eyebrow, nods at her dress. Pyrrha shrugs. "I didn't wear floral because Nora bet I would, that's unrelated."

"Sure," Jaune says. There's an extra spray of freckles across his nose from the summer sun. Pyrrha makes a note to kiss them all later.

Pyrrha smiles at the phone camera. Jaune leans in to kiss her cheek the moment before they take it. It makes them both a little blurry, something about that making them look even more happy. It's a good picture.

Nora sends back seven barf face emojis and then one pink heart emoji. Pyrrha laughs as she relays the information to Jaune in his truck, the windows down and the radio on some pop song. Summer with her moms always feels stifling, especially this year after the coma. As Pyrrha slides her sunglasses up her nose, one of Jaune's hands resting on her knee, it feels like being home for the first time in a while.

---

JULY

Yang flops back on the bed. Her running shoes end up kicked halfway across the room, bouncing against the opposite wall. The cheap motel comforter scratches against her bare back and her sports bra sticks to her skin with sweat. She can't remember a time she's ever been happier. The early morning sun glints in the window. On Yang's left, Blake groans and pulls a pillow over her head.

Yang tugs her phone out, checks her notifications.

"Hey, Nora's having some party in August. She says we have to dress nice and RSVP."

"Tell her we'll be out of the country." Blake's muffled form says in response. Yang checks "going" on the Facebook invite, then tosses her phone onto the nightstand. She crawls under the covers, pulls Blake to her.

"You're all sweaty," Blake says, more observation than complaint. She pulls her head out from under the pillow, tips her chin onto Yang's collarbone. "Good run?"

"It's beautiful here."

"I told you you'd love New Mexico."

"Maybe I just love you." Yang says. It comes out without a real thought. She freezes for half a second after it's out there. She's known it for so long. Maybe they both have, but they've never said it.

Blake leans up, kisses her.

"I love you too."

---

JULY

Weiss tosses her clothes into the wash. She can feel her sister’s eyes on her as she works. When she pulls away from the washer, Winter taps the spot next to her on the couch.

“He’s probably never going to be okay with you. He won’t ever say it or be upfront with it but-”

“He’s done with me. I get it.” Weiss says. Winter nods, takes a sip of wine. Weiss shrugs. “I’ll be okay.”

“Of course you will be. You’re a Schnee.” Winter takes another drink of wine. “We get our tough from mom and fortunately most of our looks too.”

Weiss huffs a laugh. Winter stands, heads out to her balcony. Weiss pours herself a glass of wine than follows. Winter grins, a look that once resulted in Weiss losing her front two baby teeth in an unfortunate incident with some stairs.

“So, more importantly than that.” Winter says. She leans over, pours some of Weiss’s wine into her glass.

“What is that?” Weiss asks, suspicious.

“When do I get to meet the tiny girlfriend?” Winter asks. Weiss takes to chugging her wine to avoid answering. Winter clicks her tongue. “C’mon, Qrow says she’s great, that you two are cute.”

Weiss nearly drops her wine glass. “Why are you talking to him?”

Winter shrugs. “A woman has needs.”

“Ugh.”

“Not sexually, god. He’s my weed guy. A good weed guy is indispensable.”

Weiss thinks of Sun, who she realizes might actually be her friend. It unsettles her to think that, but she gets what Winter means.

---

 

AUGUST

Ruby cocks her head at the house. Weiss, Pyrrha and Jaune all pile out of the car after her, then stare up at the house as well.

"I'm not having a stroke, right? The words I think I'm reading are the words I'm reading?" Jaune asks. "Maybe this is hell."

Next to him, Pyrrha's makes a sound like she clearly agrees with the plausibility of this.

The four of them are still standing there when the motorcycle roars up to them. Yang hops off the back, pulls the helmet off. She drops it onto Ruby's head without comment, then looks up to the house.

"Huh." She says. Yang jabs a finger at Blake, who sets her own helmet in Ruby's hands. "You owe me ten bucks."

"For what?" Ruby asks. She pauses in staring at the house to set both helmets in the window of the car. Blake leans around her to reach for Weiss's purse. Weiss smacks her hand away.

"Hi," Pyrrha calls from the other end of the line of people. Blake and Yang call back greetings. Jaune waves with the hand around Pyrrha's shoulders.

"You going to stop this?" Yang asks, pointing at the house. Pyrrha looks truly flattered at that.

"It's really sweet that you think I could stop Nora."

"You stopped her from buying all those turtles."

"That was mostly Ren. If Ren's on board with this, then it's a done deal."

"Ren's on board."

All six of them jump about a foot in the air. On the other side of the car, Ren waves. He's clad in a tuxedo.

"Oh good, you all dressed up." He smiles. It's disarmingly bright. "Thanks."

"Yeah, you - it was on the Facebook invitation." Ruby says. She holds her own dress out from her body. "So we all did it! You look the most dressed up - you look - I mean, just great."

"Thanks." Ren says. The whole group falls silent for a long moment. Ren walks around the car. "It's all set up out back."

"Ren, real quick, can you promise this isn't a Carrie-type situation?" Jaune asks. Down the line, Weiss snorts. Ruby elbows her girlfriend.

"You're safe. I don't think Nora's thinking of you at all tonight."

"Thank god." Jaune mutters.

They all filter into the backyard. The tiny space is different, somehow feeling larger than it has before. There's lights all over, both candlelight and twinkling Christmas light strings. There's a flower bouquet nailed to the tree. There's a speaker playing something old and bluesy on the porch.

"Pyr, I think Nora wanted to see you before everything started." Ren says. He adjusts his cufflinks. Yang's jaw actually drops a little at the sight of cufflinks on someone under the age of fifty.

"Sure." Pyrrha says. She heads up to the kitchen. The glass on the door is still broken. She finds Nora sitting at the kitchen table.

Nora stands at the sight of Pyrrha. Her dress is simple - white and short, just above her knees. There's a spray of flowers in her hair.

"I know I do crazy things. I do but this isn't one of them." Nora says as Pyrrha reaches her. Pyrrha tears up. Nora leans up to hug her. "Also, hi."

"Hi." Pyrrha says. She pulls back, squeezes Nora's hand. "You're sure?"

"He's my guy. I love him. I would've married him when I was eighteen if he didn't want me to really think about my choices and dumb stuff like that."

"Yeah. He's your guy." Pyrrha says. She looks at Nora. "Wait, you need something borrowed and something blue and something-"

"Hi," Yang leans in through the window. She holds out a flask. Nora steps forward to take it. "This was my step-mom's."

"Something borrowed."

"Nope, something old. That's yours for keeps." Yang says. She moves away from the window.

Blake moves to the window. She holds out a bottle of vodka. The bottle clicks as Nora opens it, clearly new.

"For the flask and you can keep the rest." Blake says. Nora clutches it to her chest.

Weiss steps forward. It's possible this happens after a nudge from Ruby, who grins behind her. Still.

"Here," Weiss holds out a bracelet. Nora reaches for it and Weiss retracts it. "I want it back. Do not lose it or break it or lick it."

"Aw, Weiss." Nora says. Her eyes gleam. With mischief or tears, it is impossible to tell. Either way, Weiss hands over the bracelet.

Weiss steps away from the window. There's a long pause before Ruby leans into the window.

"You look really pretty." Ruby says.

Nora smiles. Ruby looks over to something outside, then moves out of the window.

Jaune holds out a set of flowers. They're blue.

"In true Nora fashion, I stole these from a house about a block down." He says. Nora smiles at him.

"Loser," she says, but it comes out soft. Jaune smiles back.

"Jerk." He says, just as gently. He points over his shoulder. "I gotta go be the best man."

"That's just because Sun's officiating." Nora calls. Jaune shakes his head, does finger guns. Nora laughs. "You're still not cool enough for that."

Nora waits a second, then turns to Pyrrha. Pyrrha smiles.

"You ready to get married?"

"Very much so."

---

 

AUGUST

Ren barely hears any of what Sun says. He has a feeling this might be for the best. He doesn't care though, if Sun's saying something ridiculous or embarrassing. He doesn't care if anyone there is crying - likely both Jaune and Pyrrha - or any of it. All he cares about is that everyone's there and he's marrying Nora. Nora, his best girl, in a white dress and a pair of glittery pink shoes she got at Goodwill because she got tired of not having glittery shoes.

The bit he does hear is when he needs to say I do. So he does. And by some miracle Nora says it back.

Then, the best part comes. He gets to kiss his wife.

Nora cheers the second they pull apart. He kisses her temple.

"By the way," Ren says as everyone crowds around them. "We’re living here again. Nora and I are the ones who bought the house."

Notes:

As you may have noticed, I delayed posting this for a while. Part of that was being busy, bust mostly it's just been weirdly emotional to finally finish this monster of a fic. It would not have happened without Dicey & Mori getting me here - so again, thank you and I love yall.
Also - I am so fucking happy about every comment/person who has read this/kudos/anything. Even knowing I have other RWBY things in the works, it is so hard to end this story. This fic has been a labor of love (I started writing it back in July! Here we are months later) and it means so much to have people enjoying it.
I have a twitter (@legsluthor) and a curiouscat (curiouscat.me/legsluthor) so feel free to come talk to me about RWBY/this fic/whatever on those.
Anyway - thank you.