Archive of Our Own ^beta

For two weeks in a row, Yang ran this particular route. It wasn’t even because it was her favorite or even a difficult route. No, nothing like that. She was running this course because of a girl. But not just any girl; this girl seemed full of mystery.

Every time Yang saw her, she was reading. It wasn’t even the same book! It was always something different. Every time Yang would pass her, she would see the girl peak up from behind the book and watch her. At first, Yang had paid no mind, but it wasn’t until the second time she ran by, Yang nearly fell on her face. Her eyes…they were the most beautiful shade of gold she had ever seen. She had managed to correct herself but didn’t slow her pace.

Maybe she should have.

So, during those two weeks, she would continue to run by the same bench and each day was no different from the last. Today though, today would be different. She was going to stop right in front of the park bench to do her mid-run stretches. Maybe, this girl would talk to her. Hell, maybe Yang would be the one to break the silence.

She was rounding the corner when the bench came into view; the dark-haired girl was sitting there, her face hidden behind her book. The only thing visible was her large black bow. The girl still hadn’t looked up yet, so Yang took this time to slow down. She finally came to a complete stop a few feet away from the bench and she began to slowly stretch her right arm and then her left. She began to stretch out her waist and when she did, she could see that the girl on the bench was now looking straight at her. Yang was pretending not to notice that she was checking her out as she adjusted the headphones that she was wearing.

Bending down, she began to stretch out her legs. Looking up from switching her legs, she saw that the girl had all but put her book down and was now very obviously staring right at her. Once Yang was done, she stood straight up and gave her a smirk before stretching her arms once more. Deciding then that today wasn’t the day to break the silence, Yang began to slowly walk past her – giving the girl the chance to chat, if she wanted – but once she passed by her, the girl only stared. Lilac met gold and the girl sitting down gave her a smirk of her own before going back to her book. Yang let out a small laugh before she picked up her pace once more, intent on finishing her run.

What she did happen to miss, was the way the girl had set her book down again and stared after her, her jaw dropping at the laugh she let ring out.

~*~*~*~

Blake honestly had no idea what the hell she was doing. Her insomnia was beginning to affect her ability to make smart decisions. Why the hell else would she find herself at a park at six in the morning just to watch the hot blonde runner go by? She was absolutely going out of her damn mind.

It had started about a month ago. Sometimes her sleep schedule would be normal, going to bed before eleven, waking up at seven thirty each morning. And then bam; she would be awake at three in the morning, running on two hours of sleep and wide awake. Her roommate was beginning to get annoyed with her erratic behavior.

“For the love of the gods, please go to sleep early.” Weiss had complained one morning as she found Blake sitting on the counter eating leftover takeout. She had a cup of tea next to her and she was staring at Weiss as if she had been caught, which she technically had been. “Please, I’ll even pay for you to visit a doctor if they can get your sleeping habits better.”

That resulted in Blake leaving the house before Weiss would even get up out of bed. She didn’t want another fight to happen. That was how she found herself in the park on a random bench, reading one of the many books she had ordered one night when she couldn’t sleep. Blake could still remember the first time she saw the blonde woman running by. The girl was only wearing a sports bra and some spandex shorts. Seriously, who the hell dressed like that to go running? The girl had looked over briefly but didn’t slow her pace, not as if Blake had expected her to. The interaction literally lasted seconds but as Blake stood up from the bench thirty minutes later, she was still thinking about the blonde woman who had gone by.

The next day, she went back to the same spot and yet again, the blonde woman went running by. This time, Blake lowered her book enough to see over the top and she watched as the woman looked at her again and nearly tripped, righting herself at the last minute. Blake hid a smirk behind her book and watched her as she ran by.

For two weeks, this happened. Blake was finally enjoying the insomnia episode she was suffering through and Weiss was finally off of her back since she was out of the house instead of just staying all day indoors. Blake did have a job, of course, but this was much more fun than looking over people’s chapters.

As Blake sat there pretending to read, she heard the familiar steps of the blonde woman running. She was prepared to finally talk to her, she even had something that she wanted to say. But thoughts of that went out of the window when the woman stopped a few feet away from her and began to stretch. Holy fuck…Blake couldn’t take her eyes off of her even if she wanted to. As she began to stretch out her waist, they made brief eye contact before the girl twisted around the other way, messing with one of her headphones. Was she pretending that she hadn’t noticed Blake staring at her?

The blonde woman bent over just then, and Blake almost dropped her book. She could see directly down her sports bra and holy fuck; she was such a bisexual disaster. Once she had finished stretching, she gave her a knowing smirk before she began walking closer to where Blake was sitting. Meeting a pair of lilac eyes, Blake gave a smirk of her own before the woman began to run again, letting out a laugh as she did.

The soft sound was like music to the Faunus’ ears and it was definitely something that she would never forget. Picking up her book and placing her bookmark in between the pages, Blake stood up from the bench and kept staring in the direction the girl had run. Maybe next time she would speak with her; maybe next time she’d find the courage to finally be happy.

~*~*~*~

The next few days, Yang hadn’t been able to run since it was raining like crazy. Instead, she did an at home workout, frustrated that she couldn’t really do the exercises that she wanted. Ruby insisted that the rain would let up tomorrow, and she was really hoping that her little sister was right about that.

As she began her cool down, Yang once again thought about the dark-haired girl from the park. She should have spoken to her instead of just running off the way she did. Maybe she’d get a chance to do so tomorrow if the rain finally did stop.

Her workout finished, Yang took a quick shower before dressing for work; once she was done, she headed towards the front door, being sure to grab her umbrella. Today she would be taking a cab to work since she couldn’t drive her motorcycle in the rain, which was a damn shame since she loved riding Bumblebee. Stepping outside, she opened up her umbrella and walked down the short flight of stairs and onto the sidewalk. It didn’t take long for a cab to go driving by and she quickly haled it, sliding into the dry car and rattling off the address to her place of employment.

Yang had been working at the Schnee Dust Company for three years now and she absolutely loved every minute of it. Granted all she did was answer calls all day and assist people with whatever issues they had, but she honestly wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. The pay was excellent, and the benefits were great. Not to mention that the hours she worked were perfect; nine to five, Monday through Friday. The cab finally came to a stop right outside the building and she handed him some lien, telling him to keep the change before stepping out and heading towards the building. She worked on the fourth floor and once she made it passed security, she got into the elevator along with some other employees and made it to her workstation right on time.

Waiting for her on her desk was a large coffee that she knew for a fact had two creams and two sugars, courtesy of her cubicle neighbor, Pyrrha Nikos. She gave her a polite smile and a wave which Pyrrha returned with a smile of her own before sitting down and setting her purse to the side. She had five minutes before she had to start answering calls and she intended to use those five minutes to drink her coffee and catch up on some of her personal emails.

Once her five minutes were up, she put on her headset and waited for her first call. It didn’t take long at all and as she hit the button to connect her, she popped her knuckles before speaking.

“Thank you for calling SDC customer service, this is Yang, how may I assist you today?” she said cheerfully into her headset. Looking down at the clock she sighed with a smile.

Only eight more hours to go!

Turns out, they were a brutal eight hours. Most of the time, Yang was more than happy to assist whoever was on the other line, but today, it would seem as if she had been connected to all the assholes in all of Remnant. On four different occasions she had to pass the call along to her supervisor and each time after that, she removed her headset for a few seconds to inhale deeply before letting out a breath. I can do this, Yang thought to herself as she put her headset back on. And she did…but it didn’t mean that she wasn’t frustrated.

The rain had finally stopped at some point during the day and as she walked outside, she looked up at the sky to see that there were still a few fluffy clouds of gray, but nothing that looked too serious. Deciding then, she began to walk the six blocks that it would take to get to her apartment. Once she was three blocks away, she called her sister to check and see how she was doing, even though she had technically talked to her yesterday. It was hard not living with her sister, but she understood that Ruby wanted a place to call her own, even though that meant she now lived on the other side of town closer to her own work.

They chatted for the rest of her walk and once she reached her apartment, she hung up, promising to call her the next day in the evening. As soon as Yang walked inside, she let out a sigh she hadn’t been aware she was holding. Looking around the empty apartment, she began to feel the first pangs of loneliness. Maybe she should get a cat or something. She let out a small laugh as she leaned her umbrella against the wall and slid off her heels. Yeah, right, she thought as she headed towards the kitchen. Like that would ever happen.

Deciding on pasta for dinner, she pulled out a box of spaghetti and a pot, filling it up with water before setting it on the stove. As she was doing this, her mind began to wonder towards the girl from the park. How was it that some random person that she had never even talked to managed to wiggle themselves into her personal thoughts? It was completely mind blowing to think about. Reaching inside her fridge, she pulled out a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass, sipping the liquid before sighing heavily; she was such a useless lesbian. Thinking back, she realized her last serious relationship had been during her last year of high school; that relationship ended two years after they graduated. At least it ended on good terms, Yang thought as she added the pasta to the boiling water.

Twenty minutes later, she was sitting down eating her dinner and watching videos on her scroll that Ruby had sent to her throughout the day. She laughed at some and cringed at others before replying to Ruby, letting her know that she had watched them all. With dinner done, she headed back towards the kitchen and cleaned up whatever mess she made before pouring herself another glass of wine. Yang stared out into the kitchen, looking beyond the dining room towards her front windows where she could vaguely see people and cars going by. It was definitely time for a change, she thought as she took a large drink from her glass. And what better way to start a change then going and talking to the girl from the park.

Smiling to herself, she quickly downed the rest of the wine before loading it into the dishwasher which once that was done, she started it before walking towards her bedroom to change out of her work clothes. Putting on her robe, she went into the bathroom and flipped on the lights, staring at her reflection for a moment before grabbing her makeup wipes and removing what little she had on. Tomorrow would definitely be the day she would talk to the mysterious girl. The only question now was would the girl be there, and would she want to even talk to her? Yang seriously hoped that she would.

~*~*~*~

“This is such torture!” Blake said to herself as she stared out of her bedroom window.

Usually she loved rainy days; they were the perfect way to spend the day in bed reading a book or even writing her short stories and poems. Today though, she was not feeling any of those things. She had really wanted to talk to the blonde runner who was starting to take over her vivid imagination. Her once unbiased stories were now staring a lean and attractive blonde female and Blake was all about ready to rip her hair out. Seriously, what was it about this girl that she found so mesmerizing?

Working from home had proved to be difficult for the cat Faunus, but she absolutely hated going out in the rain unless necessary. So, she had all of her files emailed to her where she was trying and failing to work on the few chapters she did have. It honestly shouldn’t have been that difficult, but with her mind swimming with a certain blonde, she was beginning to feel like working was pointless.

Sighing heavily, she slammed her laptop shut and stood up, stretching out her back and arms. Heading downstairs towards the kitchen, she pulled out the kettle and began making herself a cup of tea. Her favorite author once said that everything always seems better over a cup of tea, and she was inclined to agree with her.

Once her tea was finished, she went and sat down at the breakfast nook and looked outside of the window, observing what little she could see. Weiss’ apartment was absolutely gorgeous, but since it was on the sixth floor, it made people watching difficult. She simply shrugged her shoulders, sipping her tea in the peaceful silence.

A few minutes later, she was back upstairs with her second cup of tea and she finally felt relaxed enough to actually do some work. The day passed by her as she went through all of the chapters she had been sent, highlighting typos and making comments in the margins to be sent back to the writer so they could correct them. Stretching, she noticed that it was one in the afternoon. Reaching for her scroll, she dialed Weiss’ number and waited for the heiress to answer.

“What do you want?”

“For you to tell me what you want for dinner so I can make it.”

“Baked chicken with a side salad and loaded baked potatoes.”

“Wow, you didn’t even have to think about it.”

“One of the temps mentioned how she was making that tonight and it sounded really good.”

“I’ll be sure to make that for us then. What time will you be back?”

“My last meeting isn’t until three thirty so I’m guessing I’ll be home about five.”

“I’ll have dinner waiting for you.”

“Thanks, honey.”

“Anything for my Ice Queen.”

Weiss scoffed and hung up, not even bothering to say goodbye. Blake smiled and set her scroll down beside her. Stretching one more time, she quickly got to work on finishing the last of her chapters before starting dinner.

Five o’clock came sooner than she expected, but just as promised, she had dinner waiting for Weiss as soon as she walked in the door.

“Welcome home, dear.” Blake teased as she served Weiss a glass of red wine.

“Shut up, I’m too tired for your sass.” The heiress mumbled as she kicked off her heels and walked into the dining room. She quickly took a seat and let out a long sigh before reaching for her wine glass. “Don’t let me have more than two glasses tonight.”

“Of course.” Blake sat down diagonally from her and watched as Weiss all but swallowed the bitter liquid at once. “Bad day?”

“Not bad, just stressful. I don’t know how much more I can take of my dad and Whitely.”

Blake only nodded her head sympathetically. This wasn’t the first time Weiss would complain about her father Jacques or her little brother. Even though Weiss was technically the next in line to inherit SDC, her father like to keep her on edge with whether or not he was going to let her take control or leave it all to Whitely. It was something that stressed her out more than what she should be, but Weiss handled it fairly well while she was at the office. It was only once she had returned home that she would truly let her feelings be known.

“I know he’s only doing this because of my coming out. I know it didn’t help any but there was no way I was going to marry that loser.”

A few more minutes of silence as they ate their dinner, both of them content enough to not say anything. Dinner ended with Weiss standing up from the table and clearing out the dirty dishes, taking them to the dishwasher where she began to load them into the trays. Blake was still sipping on her own glass of wine, her mind wondering once again to the blonde runner. The weather app on her scroll said that it was supposed to be clear of all rain. Maybe she would finally be able to see her again.

Smiling to herself, Blake took another sip of her wine. Tomorrow was going to be the day that she spoke with her. No matter what.

Blake was more than surprised that she managed to sleep more than two hours. Even so, she woke up at four in the morning, wide awake and ready to head to the park, even though she knew the blonde woman wouldn’t be there until at least six. Still, she shot out of bed and quickly pulled out the outfit she had visually planned on wearing. Black leggings with a deep purple long sleeved dress paired with her favorite black boots. It was her favorite outfit and she knew that it was perfect.

Heading towards the bathroom, she took a quick shower to get rid of whatever sleepiness she still had. Once that was done, she took the time to blow dry her hair before grabbing ahold of her black bow; she wasn’t used to not wearing it, and it was only now that she thought, what if this girl had an issue with Faunus? Blake really hoped that wasn’t the case as she sighed before tying it around her cat ears. She quickly put on some undergarments and her outfit before applying a bit of makeup. She slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse and book and headed out of the door and to the elevator.

The walk to the park was uneventful and dry. A small smile tugged on her lips as she continued on her way down the familiar path that would take her to the bench she always sat at. As she was rounding the corner, she came to a sudden stop. Someone was in her seat; but not just any someone.

The blonde girl was sitting there, and she only knew it was her because of the familiar golden hair. She couldn’t see her face, but she knew without a doubt that it was her. What was she doing? Shouldn’t she be farther up the path, getting ready to run by her? Was it possible that she had the same thoughts that Blake had had? A smile made its way to her lips as she inhaled deeply and walked over to the girl sitting down on the bench.

“Excuse me,” Blake said softly. “I believe you’re in my seat.”

The blonde woman was quick to turn and look at her, and once their eyes met, Blake knew that this was someone that she wanted to know; that she needed to know. The blonde’s lips curled into a smile, her lilac eyes never leaving her golden.

“I apologize.” She replied, scooting over to the other side of the bench. “There you go.”

“Thank you.” Blake said. She sat down next to her, her book resting on her lap. Neither one of them knew exactly what to say, instead, they kept sneaking glances at each other until finally Blake cleared her throat and turned to face her, taking in her blue jeans and yellow plaid shirt with a simple black V-neck underneath, before extending out her hand. “I’m Blake Belladonna, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Yang Xiao Long, it’s nice to meet you too.” The blonde – Yang – said in return.

As soon as their hands touched, there was a sudden pull – a sensation so indescribable that Blake was having difficulty forming coherent thoughts. Yang must have felt it too, because instead of retracting her hand, she kept ahold of Blake’s fingers, almost as if she would let go, Blake would suddenly disappear.

“Would you…like to grab a coffee?” Yang asked breathless.

“Yes,” Blake replied. “I know a place not too far from here that has really great coffee and tea.” Yang smiled at her and it felt as if Blake were freefalling; she couldn’t help but smile back.

“That sounds perfect.”

~*~*~*~

Suddenly, everything made sense in the world.

It was almost as if they had been destined to meet; destined to know each other. From their first time at the coffee shop, it felt natural for the two of them to be together. At least, that’s how it felt for Yang.

They had both stood in line at the shop and neither one of them knew what to say. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence though, more like a “we’re not sure what to say to each other” kind of silence. Once they ordered and got their drinks, they went and sat down at a table by the window. Yang couldn’t help but stare at the girl sitting across her. Blake was absolutely beautiful. Her long black hair was hanging loosely around her and reached all the way down her back; it was almost as long as hers, if not the same length. And her eyes…she could seriously get lost in the beautiful amber color, so warm and full of secrets and mischief. She could see it clear as day from the look she was giving her as she studied her.

“It’s rude to stare.” Came Blake’s response.

“This coming from the girl who stared so hard at me a few days ago that she almost dropped her book to the ground.” Yang teased.

“Oh, so you were watching me?”

“It’s kind of hard not to. You’re really beautiful.” She said as she propped her cheek against her closed fist.

At her words, the dark-haired woman tried to hide her blush behind her tea cup, but it was done in vain, Yang had already seen the blush travel all the way to the tips of her ears and she couldn’t help but smile widely.

“I think you’re beautiful, too.” Came Blake’s shy response as she set her cup down. Yang could feel her own face warming up at her words.

“So, Blake, tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

Yang learned a lot of things that morning about the girl sitting across from her. Little things that Yang found completely interesting. She learned that Blake absolutely loved to read; her own personal library included over five hundred books that she had all read. Yang admitted that she didn’t read much and laughed as she admitted that she only owned less than a dozen books. Blake laughed at her too, saying not everyone could be as articulate as her. Yang only smiled, not minding at all that Blake was teasing her. They had sat there for nearly two hours before Yang reluctantly let her know that she had to leave for work. Blake looked disappointed but immediately perked up when Yang asked for her number. The dark-haired girl was happy to give it to her, and as Yang stood up and gave her a goodbye smile, she could feel her eyes on her the whole entire way out of the coffee shop.

The days blended one right after the other as the two women began to get to know each other. They text and called each other constantly as well as video chatted when they got the chance. Every morning, Yang still went for her run and every so often, Blake would surprise her by sitting there at the same bench with a bottle of water waiting for her. Yang would always stop and sit down with her, even though Blake insisted she could finish her run; she never did though. They would sit there and talk about anything; it usually ended with Yang letting out a sigh and saying she had to work. It was on this particular day that Blake asked her what she did.

“I work at Schnee Dust Company answering calls. I actually really like it there.”

“Wait, you work at SDC?”

“Yes, where do you work?” Yang asked curiously. Blake’s expression was still frozen in shock. “Blake?”

“Sorry! I work at Vale Publishing as a book editor.” She paused for a moment. “You really work at SDC?”

“Yeah…is that so hard to believe?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.” Blake let out a nervous laugh and Yang stared at her curiously. “I actually know the Schnee’s. Well, one in particular; I know Weiss Schnee.”

“You know the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company?” Yang asked shocked. Blake nodded her head and the blonde whistled. “It’s a small world.”

“Have you ever met her?” Blake asked curiously.

“I met her once, formally. Other than that, I’ve seen her a few times throughout the building. The first time I met her was on my second day of working there. She always seems really busy and always looks pissed off.”

Blake laughed at that. “That’s just the way her face looks. But I promise, she’s really nice once you get to know her.” she paused for a moment before smiling at Yang whose heart began to pick up its pace. “Who knows, maybe one day you’ll meet her.”

“Are you inviting me over?” Yang asked with a smirk.

“I will eventually once I have Miss. Schnee’s approval. She is my roommate after all.”

“Wait, Weiss Schnee is your roommate?!”

~*~*~*~

“What’s her name again?”

“Yang Xiao Long.” Blake spoke over her scroll. She technically wasn’t supposed to be on it since she was working in office today, but no one was around to witness her.

“Hmm.”

“Weiss, you aren’t actually looking up her employment information are you?”

“And why would you think that?”

Blake scoffed. “Because I’ve known you for over fifteen years and that is exactly the kind of thing you would do.”

“I would never.” A pause. “I see why you like her; she’s absolutely gorgeous.”

“Weiss!” the cat Faunus growled into the speaker. Leaning back into her chair, she pinched the bridge of her nose as the girl she was currently annoyed with began to laugh.

“She is totally your type. How did you two meet again?”

Blake sighed as she began to tell Weiss the story of how they came to be friends. Weiss was only slightly mortified that she met a complete stranger while sitting at a park early in the morning and watched her run by. Blake rolled her eyes as she listened to Weiss vent about how dangerous that could be, especially in that particular park. Blake brushed aside her concern and continued on with her story on how they finally started speaking and how they went to grab coffee that first time.

“We’ve been speaking for a little over a month now and honestly, I haven’t felt this happy in such a long time.” Blake sighed.

“I’m glad to hear that Blake, I truly am. Maybe I’ll go down and introduce myself to her again.”

“Weiss—”

“I don’t mean it to sound threatening. It’s just if she’s going to be spending time with you I want to get to know her as well. I have a feeling she’s going to eventually show up to my apartment. Speaking of which, when are you getting your own place? No rush, obviously.”

“I’ve been looking at a few places that aren’t far from VP, but nothing that really speaks to me. I made an appointment to look at one though later on this week.” She paused for a moment. “It’s actually this really nice townhouse; it even has a garage so I can park my car.”

“That’s always a plus. Oh, I got to go. My next meeting just arrived twenty minutes early. That fucking prick.”

Blake laughed at her but promised to text her later to see what she wanted for dinner. They both hung up and she leaned back into her chair, a small smile gracing her lips. Her scroll still in hand, she opened up her message thread with Yang and sent her a quick text.

Me: Good morning; I hope you have a great day today.

She knew she wasn’t going to get a response right away, so she set down her scroll and began to read the chapters that had just been emailed to her. It didn’t take her long to finish editing them and minutes later, she was sending it back with all her notes attached to the file. Checking her scroll, she saw a message from Weiss, saying that she wasn’t going to be home until after seven and for Blake to just get whatever she wanted. Biting her bottom lip, she hit back on her scroll and went to her messages with Yang. Fuck it, she thought to herself.

Me: So, I know I only messaged you an hour ago, but I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner with me tonight? If you don’t have any plans. If you do that’s okay.

Setting down her scroll, Blake let out a long exhale before rubbing her cheeks and returning to work. Waiting was definitely going to be torture, but she knew that Yang wouldn’t message her back until her lunch break at noon. Glancing at the clock, she sighed when the clock read ten fourteen. This wait just might kill her.

Thankfully, it didn’t, and noon came before she knew it. The clock read twelve oh one and she still hadn’t received a text…which made her feel weird. She was never one to get like this, so she furrowed her brows and stood up from her desk, stretching out her arms. Walking out of her cubicle, she headed towards the breakroom so she could get her lunch from within the refrigerator. Blake had packed some leftovers from the night before and reheated it before going back to her cubby where she began to eat her lunch and read the book she had brought from home. Hearing her scroll vibrate, she all but dropped her book onto the floor just so she could grab hold of it. Calm down, she scolded herself. Blake inhaled deeply before setting her book down – her bookmark in place – and picked up her scroll.

There was a text waiting for her from Yang.

Yang X.L.: R u asking me on a date? ;)

Blake felt her face grow red as she read Yang’s text again. She hadn’t meant it to be a date…but she definitely wouldn’t mind if it were. But then again…she had already figured that all of their little impromptu meetings had been dates, but none of them had been called that. What the hell, Blake thought. It was Friday and she didn’t have work the next day and she knew that Yang was also off from work.

Me: I hadn’t originally meant to, but yes. Would you like to go on a date with me?

Yang X.L.: I’d love to.

Blake felt her heart began to beat a mile a minute and she had to cover her mouth to try and stop the squeal that was trying to escape her. She inhaled deeply again before she began to form her own response. She offered to pick Yang up and the blonde accepted; they agreed on six thirty and with that being set, she placed her scroll down and let out a small laugh. Blake had just asked Yang on a date.

Now all she had to do was figure out where to take her…and what to wear. Blake sighed heavily as she leaned back into her chair, but she couldn’t help the smile that graced her lips. Six thirty couldn’t come soon enough.

~*~*~*~

Six thirty was definitely coming way too soon. Yang had just finished jumping out of the shower and when she looked at her scroll, she cursed at the time; it was already six o’clock. She dashed back into her room where she already had her outfit laying out on the bed. She had decided on a simple white halter style dress and a pair of white sandals. Normally, she would have just worn a nice pair of jeans and a blouse but for some reason, she wanted to wear something nicer…something that she knew would make Blake’s attention stay on her.

Work had definitely been a bitch today. She had more calls than normal (at least, Yang thought so) and by the time lunch came around, she was feeling super stressed. Not even the reassuring words of Pyrrha could help lift her mood. The red head had offered to buy her lunch, but Yang declined, saying she had brought a salad and was going to go enjoy it in the breakroom they had. By the time she had grabbed her food and sat down, she had finally pulled out her scroll and was pleasantly surprised to see two text messages from Blake. It was the second text that had Yang nearly hyperventilating.

Blake had asked her to dinner.

She reread that simple text numerous times before finally replying. A date with Blake; that was just what she needed; what she wanted. After they had confirmed that Blake would be picking her up, Yang had rushed through her lunch and went back to work, hoping to speak to her manager about leaving work a little early so she would have enough time to get ready. Her manager had approved but as fate would have it, she got stuck on a call that hadn’t ended until five thirty. Yang had rushed home and straight into the shower and that’s where she found herself now. Trying to towel dry as quickly as possible so she could do her makeup and get dressed.

Thankfully, she chose not to wash her hair since that would take way too long to dry. She put on her undergarments before going back into her bathroom to brush her teeth and apply some mascara and grab her favorite shade of lipstick. Her scroll dinged and when she saw Blake’s name on her screen, her heart began to flutter.

Blake B: I’m on my way. My GPS says I should be there in eight minutes.

Me: Be careful! C u when u get here :)

Her message had been read but there was no reply; she figured Blake was already driving. She took her hair out of her bun and watched as is cascaded down her back, falling in soft waves all the way down. She styled it to her liking before exiting the bathroom and going straight to her dress that she slipped on. She put on a subtle perfume before checking her reflection one more time. Not too bad, Yang thought before slipping on her sandals and heading out into the living room to wait for Blake.

The blonde couldn’t sit still though. She kept twitching her leg and shifting on the sofa. Finally, she just stood up and went to the mirror in the dining room to check her reflection one more time. Was the dress too formal? She honestly had no idea where Blake was even taking her; for all she knew it was going to be super casual and the dress would be too much. No, Yang thought, you look fine! She went back to the living room and grabbed her small clutch purse, making sure once again that she had her scroll, house keys, and cards. Yang pulled out her scroll and checked to see if Blake had messaged her yet, but nothing so far.

Taking her purse with her, she went back to the dining room and checked her reflection one more time. Her makeup still looked perfect as did her outfit. Yang suddenly came to a realization that Blake hadn’t really seen her dressed up before. She was usually always wearing workout clothes except for that one time when they had actually met. Even on the few times Yang would meet her at the coffee shop, she was still wearing workout clothes because she had just finished running. Yang smiled; she was going to knock Blake off her feet with how good she looked.

There was a knock on the door and Yang almost dropped her purse at the sudden noise. It must be Blake, she thought as she straightened out her hair and fixed her dress once more before heading towards her front door. She didn’t even double check to see if it really was Blake, she just knew it was her. Swinging open the door, she was about to greet her but as soon as she saw her, all the air left her lungs.

Blake looked absolutely stunning.

The dress she was wearing was lowcut in the front and had an unsymmetrical cut at the bottom. The dress was a deep purple – almost black – and fit her curves perfectly, accentuating her body in the best way possible. Her hair was down but she had curls along the bottom and on top of her head was a blue bow. Yang finally looked up at her face and realized that Blake had also been checking her out.

Any witty response she had formed had clearly gone out of the window and instead, she heard herself saying, “Hi.”

Blake’s attention snapped up to Yang’s eyes and she gave her a smile. “Hello, Yang. Sorry, I know I’m a little early.”

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine! Um, would you like to come in for a little bit or did you want to go ahead and head out?”

“As much as I would love to see the inside of your home, we should probably head out. I didn’t make any reservations and while I know at this particular place they’ll be able to seat us once we get there, I’d rather not take a chance.”

Nodding at her explanation, Yang quickly stepped outside and locked her door. They walked down the stairs together and the blonde could see Blake looking around, her eyes zeroing in on one apartment specifically. “Do you know someone else who lives here?”

“No, I don’t actually.” Blake reached forward and opened the door for Yang and the blonde let out a small giggle, making the dark-haired woman smile. Blake finally joined her in the car before continuing. “I actually have an appointment to come and look at that apartment on Monday.”

Yang blinked at her in shock before letting a smile tug at her lips. “So, we’re going to be neighbors?”

Blake rolled her eyes before tugging on her seatbelt. “I haven’t even signed a lease yet. Or looked at the apartment.”

“I bet you’ll get it though. I don’t think you can resist staying away now that you know I live a few doors down from you.”

She started the car, staying silent for a moment before turning her golden gaze onto Yang. The blonde visibly swallowed. “You just might be right. Now, put on your seatbelt.”

“Yes ma’am.”

No more words were exchanged as they both sat in comfortable silence on the drive to wherever Blake was taking them. Yang tried to think of different places but honestly she didn’t mind the mystery behind where Blake was taking her. She wouldn’t even care if she took her to a fast food restaurant, as long as they were both spending time together, Yang wouldn’t mind. They were headed downtown though, so she figured it was something a little nicer.

As they pulled up to a beautiful looking building, Yang’s jaw dropped as she realized exactly where they were at. Blake pulled up to the valet parking and Yang got out in a daze as she stood near the front door, the smaller woman coming to stand next to her.

“You can close your mouth now.” Blake teased as she grabbed her elbow to pull her closer to the door.

“Are we seriously going to eat at Le Lapin en Chocolat?” there was no way Yang could hide the awe on her face.

“Yes, I know the owners.”

“Wow.” Yang said breathless.

Blake only smiled as she escorted her to the hostess stand. Yang was too busy looking around that she hadn’t even realized they had stopped briefly before Blake was once again practically dragging her farther into the restaurant. The blonde finally snapped out of it enough to actually focus on where she was going and bent the arm that Blake was holding so that it looked as if she was escorting her instead. They were finally sat at a fairly private table in the back; Yang made sure that Blake sat down first before taking the seat in front of her. Yang’s gaze was still looking around before she finally settled her eyes back onto Blake who was staring at her with an amused look on her face. Before Yang could speak, the hostess set down some menus in front of them.

“Your waitress will be with you both soon.” The woman said with a smile. “Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you.” The blonde said cheerfully as she turned to look at her. It was at this moment that she realized the hostess was a Faunus; a dog Faunus from what she could tell from her ears. Yang looked at another table a few spaces down and noticed that their waiter was also a Faunus. “There are a lot of Faunus here.”

“Is that okay?” Blake asked nervously.

Yang turned to look at her, taking in her appearance. Blake looked as if she was trying to make herself smaller almost. She gave her a warm smile. “Of course, it’s okay. It was only a comment.”

The girl in front of her didn’t seem too convinced, but she relaxed enough to reach in front of her and grab the menu so she could look through it. Yang did the same and began to look through all the different food choices. Everything sounded delicious and she was having trouble figuring out what she was going to eat.

A waitress came by a few minutes later and asked for their drink order. Blake ordered herself a glass of chardonnay with a water and Yang ordered a glass of pinot noir. She left a little later and when Yang returned her gaze to Blake, she saw that she was fidgeting in her seat. She could vaguely hear the sound of her high heel bouncing on the floor and she was curious to know why she was so nervous.

“Are you okay?” Yang asked curiously. “You seem really fidgety.”

“I’m…” Blake let out a sigh, closing her eyes and resting her elbows on the table.

She opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted when someone who Yang thought was their waitress came back to the table. When she looked up, she saw a Faunus woman with long brown hair and long rabbit ears. She had soft brown eyes and was looking at Blake affectionately.

“Blake! It’s so good to see you!” the rabbit Faunus said warmly as she reached over to give Blake a hug. “I hope you’re doing well.”

“I’m doing great Velvet, thanks for asking. How are you?” Blake asked as she returned the hug Velvet gave her.

“I’m doing great, thank you.” Velvet turned towards Yang and smiled at her, extending out her hand. “Hello, I’m Velvet Scarlatina Adel, one of the owners.”

“Yang Xiao Long, it’s nice to meet you.” Yang replied with a smile of her own as she shook the other woman’s hand. “This place is amazing.”

“Oh, thank you. I’m sure my wife will be thrilled to know that; I know I sure am.” She gave her another smile. She turned back to Blake and spoke to her. “I just wanted to come out here and greet you. Coco said she’d be out here later to say hello.”

“Thanks, Velv. I really appreciate you both.”

“It’s no problem. I’m afraid I have to go but I’ll try to come back around to say goodbye, yeah?”

Blake nodded her head before the rabbit Faunus gave them both a smile and a wave, leaving them both alone once she walked away. They didn’t get another chance to speak as a waitress brought out their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. Yang nodded her head and looked to see Blake also agreeing with her. The blonde gestured at her to go first and she listened as she ordered seared salmon and roasted rosemary potatoes with a side salad. Yang ordered a steak with mashed potatoes as well as a salad.

Once the waitress left, Yang watched as Blake picked up her wine glass and held it up to her. “Here’s to…”

“Us,” Yang answered quickly. “Because I’m going to be really blunt, I definitely want to spend more time with you. I enjoy every moment that we have together and I’m looking forward too many more nights like this.”

Blake’s face began to turn red and Yang knew her own face was also red from the words she had spoken, but they were the truth. They clinked glasses then, Blake taking a sip from her cup before setting it down onto the table.

“I hope this place isn’t too fancy or over the top. I just…wasn’t sure on where to go.” She admitted while breaking eye contact with the blonde.

“It’s perfect.” Yang said with a smile. “I’ve been here once with my sister for her birthday two years ago. The food was amazing then and I’m sure it’ll be amazing now.”

From there, conversation shifted, and Yang heard herself asking how she knew both of the owners. Blake looked off to the side and said that she had first met Velvet in college; they both had a class together and they became quick friends. Not too long after Blake met Velvet’s then girlfriend, Coco, and even they were fast friends. Yang eventually pieced together the words Blake was saying and felt her jaw drop open as she realized the Coco they had been talking about was none other than Coco Adel, the famous clothing designer as well as model. Blake went on to tell her that even though they both owned the restaurant, someone else managed it.

“Velvet’s a photographer and she takes all the pictures of their dishes for their menu as well as the website.”

“Wow, that’s so amazing.” Yang admitted. Their food was brought out not long after and they were both silent once again as they cut into their food and took a bite. “Oh, this is even better than last time.” the blonde happily took another bite of her steak and chewed happily. When she looked over at Blake she saw that the girl had nearly finished all of her fish. She let out a small laugh. “You really like salmon, huh?”

Blake cleared her throat, grabbing for her water glass before taking a deep drink from the cup. “Yes, it’s definitely my favorite.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever made salmon before, but I’ll have to give it a try.” Yang said while grabbing a forkful of potatoes. “What else do you like?”

Yang listened intently as Blake began to talk about her favorite foods. She noticed that most of them were seafood dishes. Before she could ask why she liked seafood so much, Blake asked her what her favorite foods were. The blonde admitted that she wasn’t very picky when it came to foods and she would try anything a few times before she decided she didn’t like it. Although, she did admit that sushi just wasn’t for her and refused to even look at it. Blake laughed at that and said that she loved sushi and would eat it at least twice a week for lunch. Yang shuddered dramatically, causing Blake to laugh. The smile on the blonde’s face wasn’t ever going to go away if she got to hear that laugh all the time.

Their dinner was finished, and the waitress came by clearing their plates and asking if they wanted dessert. Yang remembered seeing cheesecake on the menu and asked for a slice of the chocolate cheesecake, when she turned to look at Blake she noticed the face the girl was making.

“You don’t like cheesecake?”

“No, it’s gross. Why would you want cheese on a cake?”

Yang laughed. “I don’t like sushi; you don’t like cheesecake. I’m not sure if we’re right for each other.”

“You’re probably right.” The amused look in Blake’s gold eyes was enough for Yang to know that she was only joking.

Yang’s dessert came out and once it was set in front of her, she took a bite and did a little happy wiggle in her seat. She completely missed the look Blake was giving her, the soft smile that was on her lips as Yang continued to devour the cheesecake in front of her. Once the small slice of cake was finished, she sighed happily before looking at Blake who was staring out of the window, an almost pained expression on her face.

“Hey, are you okay?” Yang asked while extending her hand out to gently touch the top of her hand that was laying on the table.

Blake jerked from Yang’s touch but didn’t move her hand. “Yes, I’m okay.” She gave her a small smile. “Were you finished? If you’re feeling up for it, we can go for a walk.”

Even though Yang was certain that Blake had something that she wanted to say, she gave her a smile before trailing her finger along her hand. “I’d follow you anywhere if you wanted me to.”

~*~*~*~

Not long after, Coco came by the table and gave Blake a quick hug. The cat Faunus had to hide her laugh as Yang sat there staring at the tall brunette in awe. Blake introduced her and Yang shook her hand enthusiastically, telling her that she was a fan of her work and owned a few of her clothing pieces.

“Wow Blake, this girl has really good taste if she owns some of my clothes.” Coco commented. She slid down her signature glasses and eyed Yang up and down. “Also, because she’s here with you.”

Blake groaned and covered her face with her hands before looking over at Yang who had laughed, a huge smile and blush on her face. Coco didn’t stay at the table very long and soon parted from them, giving Blake another hug while kissing both her cheeks. She even gave Yang a quick hug before heading towards another table to greet other people that she knew.

“Wow, I can’t believe I just met Coco Adel. Ruby is going to freak out.” Yang said with a laugh. “So, uh when –”

“Did you both need anything else?” their waitress asked. They both said no, and she gave them a polite smile before bowing slightly. “Mrs. Adel has wanted me to inform you that she has taken care of the check and for you to enjoy your night. Thank you both for coming!”

Blake watched the waitress walk away before her eyes zeroed back in on Coco who had lowered her sunglasses and winked at her before walking towards another table towards the center of the restaurant. She turned to Yang who had a shocked expression on her face but ultimately shrugged her shoulders in defeat before standing up from her seat, pulling out some lien and leaving it on the table as a tip for their waitress. She walked the short distance over to Blake and she extended her hand for her to take.

“Shall we go then?”

“Sure.” Blake answered while grabbing hold of her hand and standing up as well.

They left the restaurant and began walking towards Blake’s car, still holding hands. She knew her face was red, but she couldn’t find it in her to pull her hand out of the other woman’s. Instead of stopping, she continued down the street and down another block where there was a small park with a fountain sitting in the center. Blake guided Yang towards the fountain and sat down on the concrete that held the water within, Yang joining her.

“This is a nice little park.” Yang commented, her hand still holding onto Blake’s.

Blake nodded her head in agreement but didn’t say anything. She was thinking about what she had been thinking about driving over to Yang’s apartment. While she had been getting dressed for their date, she was staring in her reflection, eye liner stopped halfway up to her eye. Her ears were still twitching from her shower and she suddenly realized that Yang had never seen her without her bow. Her previous thoughts from earlier came back to her then, wondering if Yang would accept if she was a Faunus and she instantly became nervous. She finished up her makeup and went to the collection of bows she had and selected a blue bow that would match her outfit. She could feel her ears trying to twitch from beneath the material and she knew she would have to take it off soon. Even though she had been wearing the bow for years, her ears often became uncomfortable the longer she wore them. But would Yang reject her if she knew about her Faunus heritage? She supposed there was only one way to find out.

“Blake? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I…” Blake sighed heavily before turning to face her, causing their hands to separate. “Remember how earlier you made a comment about how I really like fish.”

“Yes, I remember.” Yang said slowly. She stared at Blake curiously, waiting patiently for her to continue.

“Well…there’s a reason why.” Blake cleared her throat. “I know you’ve mentioned before that you’re originally from Patch before you moved permanently to Vale. I had said I was from Anima but that wasn’t true. First, I want to apologize for lying about that, but I only did because…I’m actually from Menagerie.” Blake paused for a moment before continuing. “I moved to Mistral when I was eighteen and stayed there for a few years with my ex-boyfriend before we broke up and I moved here to Vale. With that being said, it brings me to my other piece of news.” Blake sighed before reaching her hands up and grabbing her bow. She carefully removed it and took the ribbon into her hand, letting it rest on her lap. Her ears were twitching with their newfound freedom and when she looked at Yang, she saw that she had a smile on her face. “As you can see, I’m a Faunus. And I don’t know if that’s going to be something that you aren’t interested in, but I knew I had to tell you the truth.”

“Blake?” Yang spoke once Blake had finished.

“Yes?”

“I knew you were a Faunus.”

“You…what?” the cat Faunus asked confused. “How did…”

Yang turned to face her, grabbing hold of her hands and bring them up to her mouth, kissing the back of both of her hands. “I first suspected that you were on the first day we started talking. Your bow twitched a few times and at first I just figured it was the material settling or something. It wasn’t until the next time we hung out that I realized you just might be. But later on, that same day, I looked for you on social media and in one of your pictures I saw your cat ears.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Blake asked breathlessly.

“I figured it was something you were waiting to tell me, and I didn’t want to take that away from you. I knew it was a personal choice of yours to not tell me right away, and I wanted to respect that.” Yang leaned closer to her, letting their foreheads touch. “It doesn’t change the way I feel about you, Blake.”

She wanted to cry, but instead she let out a laugh as she realized she had worried over nothing. Yang let out a laugh of her own before she let go of her hand and cupped her face. Blake’s heart sped up as her breathing hitched in her throat. She could see the look in Yang’s eyes, the adoration and trust in those lilac orbs. Blake didn’t hesitate as she leaned in and captured her lips with hers.

The feeling of Yang’s lips on hers was almost exactly as she expected it to be. Her lips were soft, and it almost seemed as if they were made for kissing her. Yang’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer, their bodies touching and sending an electric current through the dark-haired girl.  They pulled away a little while later and when she looked into Yang’s eyes she just knew she was supposed to be with her.

Almost as if they had been destined to meet. As if they had always known each other.

It was a little strange that they hadn’t known sooner.

“I’m happy that I decided to sit at that park bench all those months ago.” Blake whispered.

“And I’m happy that I didn’t face plant the day that I first saw your eyes. It would have given a new meaning to the phrase of being swept off your feet.”

Blake laughed. “You are such a nerd.”

“I’ll gladly be your nerd, if you’ll have me.”

“Yes,” Blake answered while kissing Yang again. “Always yes.”