148

"Yaaaaaaang! Stop hogging the bathroooooooom!" Ruby cried, slamming her fist against the door of the third year dorm that Team RWBYP had been relocated to, groaning and squirming around as she continued to impatiently shout at her older sister. "I gotta goooooooooo!"

"You don't piss, Rubles, I know you just wanna be in here so you can play around in the tub!" Yang shot back through the door, voice muffled from the distance. "Go kiss Penny or something, gods! I'm busy in here!"

"No you're not, you're just putting on makeup! Let me iiiiinnnn!" Ruby pouted, thumping her head against the door and groaning loudly. She knew damn well that Yang wasn't doing anything in there, she could smell the scent of perfume and makeup and knew Yang was just going out with Blake and Weiss and was dressing up all nice despite the fact that they were just going to the club. "Come ooooonnnnnnn I wanna cuddle with Penny in the hot tub!"

"It's just a regular bathtub, Rubles. I don't get why you're so excited about it, we have one back home," Yang grumbled, rolling her eyes as she pushed open the door and returned to her position in from of the mirror where she had been in the middle of tying her hair up into a ponytail- a feat which was markedly more difficult for her than most because of her hair catching fire when she used her Semblance or flared her Aura at all, which required Huntsman grade fireproof hair ties and a lot of finagling to get her thick mass of curls to cooperate. "I mean I guess it's got jets but still. It's not that cool."

"It's cool because me n' Penny get to wear frilly swimsuits and sit there for hours without anyone saying we should leave or asking if we're okay!" Ruby huffed, walking into the bathroom as her new outfit shifted into an utterly adorable rose themed one piece, Penny walking in a moment later in an equally spring themed swimsuit and blushing green as she walked past Yang. "I don't know why everyone gets so weird about not staying in a hot tub for more than half an hour…"

"Because usually people get heatstroke. Also, gods, I'm still not used to the new 'do, Pennster. Looks good on you, though!" Yang gave Penny a friendly shoulder bump as the shorter girl walked past, grinning a little and watching as both Ruby and Penny opened the faucets to the tub (which, because they were going to be third years soon, had jacuzzi jets) and waited eagerly for it to fill with an appropriate amount of water. 

"Thank you! Your new hairstyle suits you as well! I did not know you also had a forehead tattoo like Ruby's!" Penny stated, grinning brightly as she and Ruby cuddled up on the edge of the tub, the two of them sitting shoulder to shoulder while Ruby leaned her head against Penny's and their hands sat entwined between them. "It looks lovely on you, though!"

"Haha, yeah, I decided I wanted a little bit of a change from the normal stuff, y'know? Honestly… I might try an actual haircut for the first time in… gods, I have no idea how long it's been anymore," Yang muttered, running her hands through her silky smooth tresses as she trailed off- her hair was different now, ever so slightly. She'd parted her bangs differently, went from the three distinct sections to something a little more interesting, a little more… tropical. It was nice, but also still weird. "Y'know?"

"... You're gonna change your hair?" Ruby blinked, frowning awkwardly at Yang and seeming quite confused. "I mean, I know I changed my hair when I woke up, and Penny changed hers… and Weiss changed hers before the dance… and Blake's hair is way longer now too… but like… you've had your hairstyle since we were kids! You haven't changed it at all since then… why now?"

Yang shrugged, hopping onto the counter and taking a seat as she pulled her scroll from her pocket and began flipping through the web browser and searching for cool hairstyles she could use. "Just felt like it, y'know? New year's coming up soon, and like… well. I did spend nearly a year with Blake and Weiss on Menagerie. I kinda feel like starting fresh- new year, new me… leave behind a lot of the shit that was going on in the past."

"... Is it because of me?" Ruby asked quietly, her voice taking on a sudden insecure tone, her mood drooping slightly as her ears flattened out. "Because I was stuck in a coma for so long?"

"Wh- no! Rubes- no no no, it's not because of that, okay? I promise. It's not your fault or-" Yang paused, shaking her head and rushing over to Ruby's side to wrap her sister in a tight, tight hug- holding her as close as she could while her Aura pulsed with sudden panic. "No- it's not your fault. I mean- yes, I wanted to change it because of you, but it's- I made a promise, back on Menagerie. I wanted…"

Yang sniffled slightly, squeezing Ruby in her arms gently. "For my whole life, ever since you got turned into a half grimm, I've always wanted to be your protector. I wanted to be someone who you could depend on, who wasn't a colossal fuck up, who could make sure that nothing would ever hurt you again- because I would stop it before it hit you. And… I couldn't. At first I wasn't strong enough to go on Hunts with you and Uncle Qrow, and then I thought you were safe at Signal… and then you came to Beacon, and then you got hurt at the Docks, and then Salem mind controlled you, and then you got put in a coma for half a year and… I know you've been trying to help me through all of this but… It's just a part of me now. But… I promised myself that I'd stop beating myself up about it. That… even if I'm not strong enough to shield you from the world, I can do everything in my power to stand beside you and make sure that you have the support you need to make it through any challenge you face. And… I wanted to change my hair, to represent that. Because you're my baby sister and you deserve better than an older sibling that just wants to coddle you and keep you bundled up in a blanket where it's safe."

"Yang… I…" Ruby sniffled a little bit as well, smiling ever so softly as Yang pulled back from their hug. "I get it. Thank you. I- I mean… I wouldn't ever mind if you said you wanted to protect me, because you're my big sis! But… I get it. And… I'm happy for you, really. You deserve to live your life without it revolving around me. But I'm really happy that you're by my side too, Yang."

"I am also glad, Yang!" Penny grinned, bumping her shoulder against Ruby's again as Yang pulled back, giving the blonde a big thumbs up of support as she held Ruby in a one armed hug. "You seem much happier than you were the last time we met, though I am also aware that it was not a good time for the majority of us at that time. You also recovered from your injuries extremely well!"

"Haha, yeah… had a good doctor and a lot of time to rest in Menagerie… still need to work back up a little, but that'll go away in a bit," Yang chuckled lightly.

"Wait- injuries? You didn't tell me about any injuries!" Ruby spoke up, surprised at the thought that anything could hurt Yang- even in the harshest of conditions, Ruby had never seen Yang's Aura break before, but to break so hard that she actually took serious injury? "When was that!? Wait- was that during the Cataclysm you guys were all talking about!? The one that I was- y'know… uh…"

"Yeah. Broke my Aura and my arms punching out a Deathstalker, and when it tried to kill me while dying I threw myself back and… well. It turns out Ember Celica's gotten a little too strong and an Aura-less leg isn't made for taking that much propulsion force," Yang grimaced, rubbing her ribs lightly and remembering just how painful waking up had been. "So… clean breaks all around, thank the gods, but… broke my arms, my leg, some ribs… got a concussion… Aura fixed up fine after a few months but god did it suck. Had to use the lighter versions for a while on Menagerie."

"... Well… I guess there is an upper limit," Ruby muttered, scratching her head a little before shaking her head and sighing. "Well… at least you're here now. Sorry I missed all that."

"Hey, it's fine, Rubles. You were recovering after saving the city and probably the entirety of the Vale territories from a giant dragon thing. I'm just glad you're here now. And also that you're actually awake for your birthday this time," Yang snickered, giving Ruby's head a final pat. "Anyway, I'm going out with the girls and CMNE. You guys want anything while we're gone?"

"Cookies!"

"Yeah, that tracks."

And with that, Yang walked out of the door with a casual wave, while Penny and Ruby finally clambered into the tub so they could cuddle in the closest thing their dorm had to a hot tub.

And then-

"Wait oh my gods my birthday's in a few days! I missed so much!"

Notes:

a sort of return to happier times...