13

Chapter 13: Morning After

Grey eyes blinked open. With a grunt, Ruby pushed herself up, rubbing the lingering sleep from her eyes. Another grunt, and Ruby swung her body around, dangling her legs off of her bunk.

"Morning, girls," she yawned.

…

Ruby blinked again. Her gaze drifted across the room. Yang lay sprawled across her bunk, arms wide and one leg hanging off the bed. Below her, Blake was curled up under her cover, one of her cat-ears flicking in her sleep. Ruby looked down, spotting Weiss' familiar white hair on her pillow, soft snores reaching her ears.

That's… weird… I'm the first one up? That's… never happened before. At least Blake's usually up by…

Ruby's eyes turned to the wall clock…

And immediately bugged out.

6:30?! I'm never up by 6:30! Heck, I'm never up by 7:30! The only times I've ever been up this early is when I'm really excited or…

A groan sounded below her. She glanced down to see Weiss roll over in her sleep. Her nightgown shifted when she did, revealing a small, purple bruise surrounded by teeth marks on her left shoulder.

...nervous. Ruby pulled at the collar of her t-shirt. Tipping her head, she looked at her own mark on her shoulder, same as Weiss'. She let out a sigh as the memories came back, her collar snapping back as she released it. She hugged herself as she thought.

That's right. Blake's going to explain all this today. Ruby bit her lip slightly. Explain how we're her… Mates.

Ruby gulped. She wasn't… scared, necessarily, more… worried. Yesterday, she'd been so focused on making sure everyone was okay, she'd never actually stopped and thought about what exactly Blake had done… and what it meant.

Blake wanted… a relationship. Not just as teammates or friends or, in Yang's case, partners; she wanted an actual, true romantic relationship.

Though I think this might be a bit more serious than Yang's past relationships… and a lot more complicated.

Blake wanted Ruby to be her Mate… and she wanted the same for Weiss… and Yang.

Ruby let out a groan as she flopped back on her bed, throwing an arm over her eyes.

It was… weird. Not bad, just… weird. Ruby tried to picture herself with Blake…

And blushed as the memories of the other night flooded back.

Not helped that for every one of those memories, she had another just like it with a certain heiress. Then, her brain decided to play both memories at the same time, Blake on one side of her, Weiss on the other, and, wow, is my heart supposed to beat that fast?

Ruby shook her head, clearing away the mental images. She pushed herself back up, her eyes drifting across the room, landing on Yang.

And it wouldn't just be me… Yang would be with them too… ugh! Ruby groaned again. I really hope Blake can explain this stuff.

Ruby glanced back at her pillow. She briefly thought about going back to sleep, but sighed a negative. A major downside of her chipper, hyperactive attitude: once you're up, you stay up.

With a small grunt, Ruby leapt down to the floor, the ropes holding her bunk creaking as the bed swung slightly. She took another look around the room. Awake way before I should be on a Sunday morning… what to do?

A soft hum grabbed her attention. She looked just in time to see Blake roll onto her back, the Faunus' lips forming a slight frown.

Ruby tilted her head. She blinked, her eyes widening as a thought came to her. She hesitated for just a moment, before closing her eyes and focusing.

The room fell away, a void replacing it. Ruby looked around herself again, taking in the wispy clouds of yellow, white, and violet-clad black that took the place of her team. Unlike her previous times doing this, each of her teammate's auras were dim, only the faintest glow coming off of them. Ruby thought it odd, but pushed it aside, adding it to the list of questions she had for Blake.

Remembering what she had done with Blake and Yang the day before, Ruby pushed out with her aura, a trail of red reaching for Blake's black.

When the two auras touched, Ruby frowned. Blake's emotions felt… fuzzy. Hazy and unfocused, changing so quickly that it was near impossible to tell one from the other.

Maybe it's because she's asleep? Ruby thought to herself. Another question for the list.

Ruby focused a bit more. Despite the somewhat randomness of Blake's emotions, certain ones kept repeating enough for Ruby to pick them out. Nervousness… doubt… fear…

Ruby pulled away from Blake's aura, her frown deepening in concern.

Still worrying about this even in your dreams, huh, Blake? I really wish I could help somehow….

Blake's ears twitched again as she mumbled in her sleep, Ruby paused, before a smile spread over her face. She tiptoed across the room and knelt beside Blake's bed. Very slowly, she placed her hand on Blake's head, her fingers cupping around her fur-covered right ear. She gently ran her nails across its base.

"...hmm…" Blake's lips curled upwards. The hum quickly turned into a light purr as Blake's body relaxed under Ruby's touch.

Ruby smiled. She closed her eyes and reached out again. Blake's emotions were still jumbled, but the negative ones had faded, leaving what Ruby could only describe as contentment.

Her smile grew. She stopped her scratching, instead just rubbing lightly at Blake's hair.

This… I like this. Maybe… maybe everything will be alright.

Ruby stayed like that for a few minutes until she was convinced that Blake was sleeping calmly. She removed her hand, pushing herself to her fee. She looked at the clock.

6:40… ugh, what to do…

A growl sounded through the room.

Ruby jumped, her arm reflexively going behind her back to grab Crescent Rose… which she quickly remembered was stored away in her locker. Then she heard - as well as felt - a second gowl.

She looked down, her cheeks heating as she blushed in realization.

Right… no dinner last night, she thought with an embarrassed giggle. Then a thought struck her. She looked around at her team. Actually… with the whole Mates thing… I don't think any of us ate last night.

She blinked.

That's what I can do! Breakfast! Everyone wakes up, has a nice meal, everyone will start off in a good mood… perfect!

Quiet as could be, Ruby snuck out of the bedroom and into the living area, shutting the door softly behind her.

She tiptoed her way to the kitchenette, her mind filled with thoughts of a large breakfast feast.

Let's see… Yang would want toast, sausage, scrambled eggs, orange juice… Weiss, some sugared oatmeal with blueberries and raspberries… Blake, hmm… omelet, maybe? With a tall glass of milk…

Ruby opened the refrigerator, ready to get to work…

...and quickly slumped where she stood.

Empty. Right… we never really use the kitchen. We always eat in the cafeteria…

Ruby shut the refrigerator door, crossing her arms and glaring at it like it had offended her.

Well, so much for that idea. Maybe I could run to the cafeteria… except it doesn't open till eight on Sundays. Maybe someone else has food I could use and I can pay them back later… except, no one would be awake this early in the morning. Heck, I shouldn't be awake this early in the morning! What kind of person would…

Ding!

Ruby's head jerked up. Her eyes panned across the room to the hallway door.

Maybe… well, I might as well try.

Quiet, so as not to wake her team, Ruby made her way through the dorm and out into the hall. She looked left and right, but, of course, there was no one around. She crossed the hall, stopping in front of the opposite dorm. She reached out to knock, but hesitated.

What if he's not up? I don't want to disturb anyone. But… She took a deep breath. Okay… here goes!

*Knock-knock*

Ruby waited, rocking back and forth on her heels. She jumped slightly when the door opened.

A set of violet eyes stared down at her.

"Oh, um… good morning, Ren!" Ruby greeted, suddenly nervous.

"Good morning, Ruby," Ren replied with a nod. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of dark green sweatpants. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well, um…" Ruby hesitated, her old instincts kicking in. She just now realized how little she had actually spoken with the stoic member of Team JNPR, and while she did consider him a friend, the sudden one-on-one brought back her aversion to speaking to new people.

Ruby tried to ignore the feelings, making herself meet Ren's eyes. "I was actually wondering if I could ask you for a favor, Ren."

Ren blinked. He raised an eyebrow. "What do you need?"

Ruby couldn't help the slight fidget in her shoulders. "Well… there's some personal, emotional stuff going on back in my dorm…" She trailed off, trying to think of what to say.

"Is everything alright?" She stared at Ren's question, concern in his stoic voice.

"Oh, yeah, everything's okay… kinda… just, some things happened yesterday, we're planning to talk about it this morning once everyone wakes up. I woke up a lot earlier that I usually do, so I thought I'd try to make breakfast for everyone, but, um…" she trailed off again, her nerves acting up.

Ren's brow raised higher, the corner of his lips quirking. "Take your time, Ruby," he said patiently.

Ruby blinked up at him, gulping. "Well… we don't have any food," she said bluntly, her cheeks tinting in embarrassment. "And, I remembered Nora saying you made really good pancakes…"

Ren nodded in understanding. "And you wanted me to make some for you."

Ruby's cheeks grew redder. "Sorry," she murmured meekly, her eyes falling to the floor.

"So what kind do you want?"

Her head snapped up. To her surprise, Ren had pulled a pen and a pad of paper from somewhere, looking down at her expectedly. "You… you'll do it? It's not too much trouble?"

Ren shook his head, a kind smile on his lips. "Not really. Nora has asked for pancakes at stranger times. It's not a problem. Do you want regular pancakes, or would your teammates want something added?"

"Um…" Ruby blinked, stunned by Ren's generosity. "What do you have?"

Again, Ren's eyebrow raised. "Ruby, I usually make pancakes for Nora. If it can go in a pancake, we have it."

Ruby blinked. "Really?"

Ren stared down at her, expressionless. "Eggplant."

Ruby's eyes widened, before grimacing. "Eww…"

Ren shrugged. "Nora liked them. So…?"

"Oh! Well… Weiss would probably want blueberries in hers…" She paused as Ren put pen to paper, the sound of writing unnaturally loud in the empty hallway. "Blake…" Ruby thought for a minute. I've never seen Blake eat pancakes… what would she like? "...apples and cinnamon?" Ren's only answer was to continue writing. "And Yang… peanut butter chips. Topped with powdered sugar."

Ren smirked a bit as he wrote. "You know your team well."

Ruby blushed at the praise. "I try."

The hall fell silent. Ren looked up from the paper, staring at Ruby expectantly.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"...do you want any for yourself?"

Ruby blinked again. "Oh! Oh, um… chocolate chip… if it's not too much trouble."

To her surprise, Ren let out a small chuckle as he set the paper down behind the door. "None at all. It will be about twenty minutes or so. That okay?"

Ruby nodded, smiling brightly. "Yeah! Thanks Ren!"

"No problem. I'll bring them over when they're done." He went to close the door, before turning back. "Ruby?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know I would be awake at this time?"

"Oh! Um…" Ruby fidgeted a bit at the question. "I overheard Jaune saying how he got up for a glass of water one morning, and you scared him by already being in the kitchen."

Ren nodded, an amused smile on his lips as he closed the door. He turned around to head to the kitchen…

And nearly ran into a wall of pink.

Nora Valkyrie stood not a foot away from him, clad in a pink t-shirt and shorts, her hair sticking out at odd angles… and her eyes still closed, drool dribbling from the corner of her mouth as she snored, her head tilted to the side.

Ren resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead gently grasping his partner by the shoulders, turning her around, and guiding her to the kitchen as she mumbled in her sleep.

"Reeeeeennnn-Caaaaakessss…"

"So where did you go?"

Ruby jumped as she slipped back into her dorm room. She looked to the side to see Yang sitting backwards in the desk chair, her head resting on her folded arms. A quick glance at the rest of the room showed Weiss and Blake still asleep, light snoring coming from the left side of the room.

Ruby gave Yang a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, I thought I'd make breakfast for everyone, but since we don't have any food… I asked Ren to make us pancakes."

Yang raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? Cool. Sounds good." The sisters fell silent, Weiss's snores being the only sound in the room as Ruby stood awkwardly by the door. Yang let out a sigh. "So… you gonna tell me why you're up so early?"

Ruby sighed in return. She leaned against the door and slowly slid to the ground. "I dunno. I just… woke up and didn't feel like sleeping anymore."

Yang nodded. "Same," she whispered. She jerked her head towards Blake's bunk. "Excited or nervous?"

Ruby's lips quirked a bit. She shrugged. "Both. You?"

Yang smirked too. "Yep."

Silence reigned. Neither girl spoke as the minutes ticked by, just listening to their partners' breathing.

"I did the emotion sensing thing with Blake," Yang finally said. "After you and Weiss went to bed."

Ruby perked up, hope in her eyes as she looked up at Yang. "Yeah? And?"

Yang took a long, deep breath. "And… you were right," she admitted, a soft smile on her lits. "She really does… feel that way. She… loves me. Like, actually loves me."

Ruby beamed, crossing her arms. "Told you," she teased.

Yang let out a chuckle. "Yeah, you did." She paused. "She loves you, too."

Ruby stiffened a bit, her crossed arms turning into a self-hug. "Y-yeah, she does," she agreed quietly.

Yang just nodded. "And if last night was anything to go by, she loves Weiss just as much as us."

"...this is weird, isn't it?"

A true laugh escaped Yang's lips. "Oh, extremely." She turned back to Ruby, her smile falling at seeing Ruby's distress. She straightened up in her chair. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Ruby shrugged, eyes on the floor. "I dunno…"

She jumped as she felt a muscled arm wrap around her shoulders. She looked up to find concerned lavender eyes meeting her own. "Uh uh, no clammin' up. What's eatin' at ya, Sis?"

Ruby hesitated, before leaning against Yang's shoulder, hanging her head. "Do you think this could work? Me, Blake, and Weiss, and… you, Blake, and Weiss?"

Yang didn't say anything for a few seconds. Then she leaned back her head, hitting the door with an audible thump. "Honestly, Ruby? I have no freaking idea."

Ruby couldn't help the slight snort that escaped her. "Well, that's helpful."

Yang responded by lightly slapping Ruby's side. They sat in silence for a moment, Yang eventually breaking the silence. "I want to be mad at you right now."

Ruby flinched a bit, looking hurt. "Why?"

Yang gave Ruby's arm a light rub, calming her. "Because… last night, when we… shared emotions… I felt how much you care for Blake and Weiss." She met Ruby's gaze. "You love them, don't you?"

Ruby shifted, her cheeks tinting. "I think so… that makes you mad?" she asked worriedly.

Yang shook her head slightly. "It should… 'cause I think I feel the same way. But… I'm not."

Ruby blinked. "Why not?"

Yang huffed out a laugh. "Because it's kind of hard to be mad at you when I know exactly how happy they make you."

Ruby nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. "...they make you happy, too."

Yang hung her head, a smile playing on her lips. "Yeah… yeah, they do." She suddenly threw back her head, covering her face with her free hand. "Dust, this is so messed up."

Ruby smiled, leaning her head on her sister's shoulder. "Yang, our whole lives have been messed up. Why should our love lives be any different?"

Yang snorted with laughter. "Ain't that the truth." She pulled her head back up. Her eyes panned across the room, finally stopping on a certain heiress. "So… when exactly did you start crushing on Weiss?"

Ruby stiffened, before sighing. "Honestly? Since I first met her."

Now Yang blinked in surprise. "Really? That early?"

Ruby nodded, blushing. "When I first saw her, I kept thinking how pretty she was. And after we became partners… I dunno. The more we got to know each other, the more I liked about her.'

"Such as?" Yang asked, a sly smile on her lips.

If Ruby noticed, she didn't care. "She's really smart… way smarter than me." Ruby ignored the disapproving smack against her head. "She's dedicated, loyal… and she's caring, though she tries to hide it." She turned to look Yang in the eyes. "You ever notice how she doesn't take praise well?"

Yang chuckled. "You mean how when you compliment her, she'll do that cute little blush, then act like she doesn't care?"

Ruby laughed with her. "Yeah… why do you think she does that?"

"I really don't know, Rubes. Though I do think she tries to act tougher than she is sometimes."

Ruby nodded. "I wish she wouldn't, though. I think she'd be happier then."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

Another nod. "I think Weiss could be a really sweet, kind person if she just let herself. We'd just have to…"

"Dig through ten feet of ice to find her?" Yang supplied, grinning.

Ruby gave her a half-hearted glare, her own smile still in place. "Something like that. So… when did you start having feelings towards Weiss?"

Yang let out a long breath through her nose. "Can't really pin down an exact time, Sis. And trust me, I've been trying to since yesterday. Something just… clicked when I woke up yesterday."

Ruby nodded. Her eyes drifted away from the heiress, instead moving to the other girl in the room. She hesitated, before turning back to her sister. "Yang? I know you know that Blake loves you, but… do you like her?"

Yang stiffened. She turned her head away from Ruby, not really looking at anything. After a few moments, she glanced back at Ruby. "Honestly?"

Ruby nodded.

"...I was going to ask her out next week," Yang said, her cheeks tinting.

Ruby blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Yang gave a small nod. "Yeah, I was going to take her to a nightclub or something, just to see if there might, might, be something between us." She chuckled a little. "Guess that'd be kinda pointless now." She gave Ruby a sidelong look. "Soooo…"

Ruby huffed, already knowing the question. "I don't know, Yang. I never really considered me and Blake being a couple. At least not until…" She trailed off, feeling her face heat up. She gave Yang a nervous look. "Blake's a really good kisser."

Yang snorted out a laugh. "Yeah… yeah she is," she agreed, a bit more red entering her face at the memories that came back. She gave Ruby a sly grin. "Weiss ain't too bad either."

Ruby's cheeks darkened further, a fond smile creeping onto her face. "No… no she is not." her eyes went back to the heiress. She frowned. "Yang?"

"What?"

"Do you think Weiss likes us… like that?"

Yang let out a long breath. "I really have no idea, Sis. We'll just have to ask her and find out."

Ruby gulped. She squirmed a little where she sat. "But… but what if she doesn't- Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing the side of her head.

Yang fixed her with a reproachful look as she pulled her arm back to herself. "Don't start with the 'what-ifs' again. You always work yourself up when you do that."

Ruby huffed as she rubbed her head. "Sorry," she mumbled. She looked across the room at her sleeping teammates, looking thoughtful. She let out a sigh, leaning her head back. After a moment, Yang did the same.

Silence fell, only the sound of deep breathing breaking the dead quiet.

"Yang?" Ruby asked quietly, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hmm?"

"I love Weiss."

Yang nodded, still looking up. "Yeah, well… I love Blake."

"...I love Blake."

Yang let out a defeated sigh. "And.. I love Weiss."

The sisters turned to each other. They held each other's stare for a few seconds.

Ruby snorted. Yang did the same. They both hung their heads, their foreheads touching as they descended into giggles.

"We're hopeless," Yang laughed, a large grin on her face.

"Completely," Ruby agreed, her smile just as big.

The two sat there, each embracing the other's weirdness, when…

Surprise. Shock. Happiness. Fear. Denial.

Ruby stiffened, feeling Yang do the same. She lifted her head, meeting Yang's eyes.

"Yang, do you feel that?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah."

"That wasn't you, was it?"

"Nope."

"And it wasn't me…" Ruby slowly turned to the rest of the room, at the two people still in bed. Her eyes narrowed, before closing.

Yang's mass of yellow was right next to her, bright and glowing. To the right, Blake's black and violet was glowing faintly, dim and dark, just like before. On the left was Weiss' white aura.

Glowing.

Brightly.

Ruby opened her eyes, looking to Yang just in time to see her do the same. They shared a knowing look, before turning to the left side of the room.

"Weiss," Ruby called out, just loud enough to be heard.

The form under Weiss' covers stiffened, but didn't move.

Yang snorted. "We know you're awake, Snowflake."

It was quiet for a few seconds, before a large sigh sounded. With a muttering of "drat," Weiss slowly pushed herself up. "G-good morning Ruby, Y-Yang," she greeted politely, her eyes down, refusing to look at the sisters.

Yang was having none of it. "When did you wake up?"

Weiss fidgeted a little. "A few minutes ago."

Yang nodded. "How much did you hear?"

Weiss gulped audibly, her crystal blue eyes flitting up towards Yang, then Ruby, then back down at her hands. "E-enough," she stuttered out.

Yang looked at Ruby, who nodded, a bit of worry in her eyes. Yang turned back to Weiss. "Weiss, come over here."

Weiss' head snapped up in surprise. "W-why?" she asked, wary.

Yang resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Weiss, either you come over here, or we'll come over there. Which do you prefer?"

Weiss held her stare for a moment, before letting out a huff. She slowly got out of bed, glancing briefly towards the Faunus sleeping in the next bed, then glided across the room, stopping a few paces from the sisters.

She went to sit down across from them, when Yang suddenly scooted away from Ruby, leaving a person-sized gap between them. With a kind but commanding smile, Yang patted the floor next to her.

Weiss hesitated. Any other day, she would have just rolled her eyes, passing it off as Yang being her brash self. But now…

Ruby scooted over a bit herself, leaving more room between Yang and herself. Her grey eyes looked into Weiss' blue, bright and hopeful as always.

With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Weiss sat between the two. She crossed her arms, determined to handle the situation with calm and poise.

Poise which was shattered once Yang opened her mouth.

"So, Weiss… wanna be our girlfriend?"

Weiss could feel her face turn a shade of red that should not be humanly possible. Her head snapped to the blonde, who, despite the cheeky grin on her face, had an expression that said Yang was serious.

"Ah ah ah, I-I-I-I... " Weiss just babbled as her brain tried to pick itself up after being hit by Yang's bluntness.

"Yang!" Ruby hissed, mortified.

"What?" Yang challenged, grin still in place.

"You don't just… ask someone that!"

"Why not? I said we'd have to ask her."

"Well… yeah, but… you could have… I don't know, eased her into it or… something."

"Hold it!" The sisters stopped their bickering when Weiss suddenly threw her arms up, nearly hitting the girls at her sides. "Both of you, stop! Just… stop!" Weiss rubbed her temples, the beginnings of a headache forming. Not helped by her still-inflamed face. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She turned to Yang, face stern. "Yang… why?" Whatever emotion she had tried to muster up burned out in an instant, leaving Weiss' question as a confused, tired moan.

Yang, grin fading to a gentle smile, merely shrugged. "We were going to ask you at some point. I figured we should get it over with now. Sooo…?"

Weiss shook her head. She looked to Ruby, hoping for some support, but instead found Ruby, while blushing and embarrassed, waiting for an answer as well. She looked between the two, baffled. "Be your girlfriend. To… both of you?"

The two paused. They leaned around Weiss, having a silent conversation with their eyes. They shrugged to each other, smiled, turned to Weiss, and nodded.

Weiss looked at them like they were crazy. "H-how?! How could I d-date both of you? A-and what about Blake?"

"We'll… definitely have to work on the details later," Yang stated awkwardly, Ruby nodding in agreement. "As for Blake, well… that's kind of why I'm asking you."

Weiss stared up at her, taking another deep breath. "Explain," she said evenly.

Yang sighed in exasperation. "Okay, look, I know things got kind of… uncomfortable before we all… split up yesterday, but, do you remember what Blake said?"

Weiss grimace. "You mean about… Marking us?"

Yang shook her head. "After that."

Weiss' brow scrunched in thought.

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed, drawing the other two's attention. "She said the bond would be equal… right?"

Yang poked her on the nose. "Bingo. And right after that, before someone needed some air…"

"Hey! I was just… overwhelmed…" Weiss defended, though her head dipped down in shame. She was brought out of it when Yang bumped her shoulder, an understanding look in her eye.

"Hey, you weren't the only one. I took off right after you did." Weiss' eyes widened at her. Yang cleared her throat. "A-anyway, right before that she said something: that none of us would be less important that the others. No less…" She trailed off, embarrassment stealing her words.

"Loved," Ruby finished with a smile.

Weiss and Yang shared a blush, glancing at each other. "Yeah," Yang agreed. "I don't think she just meant with how she'd be with us. I think she also meant that we, the three of us, would be that way with each other."

Weiss seemed to shrink in on herself, cheeks ablaze. She glanced awkwardly between Ruby and Yang. "I-I don't know…"

A familiar warmth spread over her as Yang draped her arm over her shoulders. "Well, you don't have to answer right this second."

Weiss fixed her with a look of shock. "You… you just asked if I wanted to be your girlfriend!"

Yang stared at her, perplexed. "No I didn't."

Weiss scoffed in disbelief, jabbing a finger at Yang's nose. "Yes you did! You used those exact words!"

Yang's eyes widened in realization. "Well, yeah, but I didn't mean become our girlfriend, like, now, just… if you were okay with the idea of it."

"That's not what you said!"

"Well, that's what I meant!"

"Guys!" Ruby hushed. The bickering two turned to her, finding her pointing towards the missing member of Team RWBY.

Blake let out a grunt in her sleep, murmuring incoherently, before turning over, facing away from them.

The three let out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding.

"I'm surprised she slept through our talking," Weiss whispered.

"And arguing," Yang added.

"She was really stressed yesterday," Ruby said, earning curious stares. "I think it made her really tired."

Yang nodded in agreement, then turned back to Weiss, still held in her arm. Weiss felt her eyes on her, meeting them reluctantly. "What?"

Yang just raised her eyebrow a fraction.

Weiss realized what it meant: Yang wanted an answer. Weiss exhaled. "Yang, I… Until yesterday, I never even considered pursuing a romantic interest." Her head dipped down again as she added quietly, "Let alone with my own gender…"

Weiss suddenly felt another arm wrap around her, this one smaller, cooler, more slender. Ruby scooted over so their hips were touching. "Would it be a bad thing… being with us?"

Weiss heard Ruby hesitate, feeling that she'd substituted her words at the last second. She hated the sudden feeling of helplessness she had at being so utterly lost. "I… I don't…"

"You heard me and Yang talking, right?"

Weiss' blush was all the answer they needed, though she tried anyway. "Y-yes?"

"A lot?" Ruby questioned.

"E-enough," Weiss muttered, not looking at her leader.

"Enough to know how we feel about you?"

Weiss swallowed, her eyes darting between the girls holding her. "I… heard you, but… I don't…" she lowered her head as she whispered, "How? How could you…?"

Ruby frowned. She looked over Weiss' head at Yang, seeing her sister doing the same. In the same instant, they came to the same decision.

"Weiss?" Ruby murmured into her ear.

Weiss inclined her head slightly. "What?"

Yang gave the heiress a light squeeze, whispering to her, "Close your eyes, Snowflake."

Blue eyes widened in shock as Weiss realized what they intended. Her head snapped to the left, then the right, only to be met with soft, reassuring smiles. After a few deep breaths, Weiss closed her eyes, with no small amount of apprehension.

She could see it. Their auras side-by-side, so close that only a sliver of space separated them. In the next instant, that space disappeared. Weiss gasped.

Comfort. Care. Respect.

Affection. Adoration. Trust.

It all rushed over Weiss in an instant, so fast and so strong that she could barely tell which emotion came from which sister.

Protectiveness. Sympathy.

Happiness. Concern.

Lo-

Lo-

"Stop!" Weiss nearly screamed, holding her head in her hands. "Stop, please, just… stop," she pleaded desperately.

A dual sense of remorse washed over her as Ruby and Yang removed their arms, instead moving in front of her. "Weiss!" Ruby panicked. "Oh, geez, I didn't mean…"

Yang wasn't much better. "Sorry, Snowflake! Oh, man, we shouldn't of…"

"Stop! Please, just…" Weiss practically buried her face in her hands, taking shaky breaths as her eyes stung. "First Blake, now you two… I just don't…"

"Don't what, Weiss?" Ruby asked, grey eyes flooded with concern. "Please, tell us what's wrong."

After a long, quiet moment, Weiss sniffed. "I don't get how you… any of you, could… love me." The last two words sounded like they took all of Weiss' energy to say.

Yang scooted forward so her and Weiss' legs touched. "What do you mean, Weiss?"

Weiss lifted her head, meeting Yang's eyes, looking so, so lost. "How could you love me when… when I haven't done anything?"

"Done anything?" Yang repeated, utterly confused.

Weiss sniffed again, tears visible in the corners of her eyes. "How can you love me when… when I haven't done anything to earn it?"

Ruby and Yang blinked. They turned to each other, more concerned than confused. They turned back to Weiss, Ruby speaking up. "Weiss… you don't have to… earn love."

Weiss looked at her, eyes crinkling in confusion. "W-what?"

The leader scooted forward, taking Weiss's hand in her own. "Weiss… we don't love you because you did something to make us. We just… like who you are."

Weiss shook her head, not comprehending. "I don't…"

"Weiss," Yang said sternly, taking Weiss' other hand. "We love you because you're you. That's all there is to it."

Weiss looked between them, taking wavering, ragged breaths. Her gaze drifted downward, at her hands held tightly by each of the sisters, all while unaware that her jumbled emotions were open to the girls before her.

Confusion. Denial. Hope. Desperation. Longing. Fear.

That was all Ruby could take. With her free hand, she grasped the side of Weiss' head, lifting her chin with her thumb. Before Weiss could react, Ruby surged forward.

Weiss' eyes shot wide, before slowly sliding closed. Ruby's lips were soft, hesitant. Clearly, she had no idea what she was doing, but it didn't matter. Because the whole while Ruby's lips worked against Weiss', Ruby poured every positive emotion she had across the Link.

Yang sat back, watching the… unique sight of her sister and… well, one of her newest love interests kiss. She couldn't help the small, sharp jolt of jealousy that shot through her at the sight, but strangely… it burnt itself out almost immediately. There was no heat to the kiss, no passion… at least, not the kind that she usually saw. But at the same time…

Yang smiled as she saw Weiss relax, the tension in her shoulders fade away. She felt Weiss grip her hand as the kiss deepened.

And… she could feel it. The bond… the Link between them. Yang had no doubt that, had she closed her eyes at that moment, she would see their auras glowing so brightly the red and white light would look pink…

As odd as it was… seeing Weiss and Ruby kiss just felt...right.

But… as right as they looked together, Yang couldn't help but feel… left out.

Which is why, once Ruby and Weiss separated, Yang gently turned Weiss' head towards her, and captured her lips for her own kiss.

Surprise. Nervousness. Disbelief. Relief.

Tenderness. Reassurance. Caring. Satisfaction.

Happiness. Contentment. Joy. Humor.

Blake's eyes blinked open. She arched her back as she stretched out her arms and yawned, chasing away the last bits of sleep. She frowned in confusion,

That was… strange, she thought as she pushed herself up. That dream was so vivid. Almost like…

Blake's thoughts came to a halt as she sat up, the sight before her making her mind go blank.

Across the room, her teammates… her potential Mates… sat across from each other. And from the looks of it…

Are Weiss and Yang… making out?

Yang was leaning over Weiss, lips locked as the heiress was pressed against the door. Though given the way Weiss' head was pushed forward, it seemed the heiress was giving as good as she got, or at least trying to.

Beside them, Ruby sat watching them, her cheeks reddened in a deep blush. She had her free hand pressed against her lips, like she was trying to hold back giggles.

That was another thing Blake noticed: despite the rather heated kiss she was having, Weiss had each of her hands held by one of Ruby's and one of Yang's.

Pushing aside the shock, Blake closed her eyes, pushing out her aura. Her breath caught.

Their aura… All three clouds of aura were glowing so brightly it was almost blinding. But the more shocking was the space between them, where tendrils of aura were touching, mixing together into an orangish-tan color.

Blake felt her heart swell, her eyes opening as they watered. This was… so much more than she'd hoped. It was almost like… well, like they were Mates.

Blake opened her mouth, ready to call out to them and let them know she was awake…

The door knob turned.

Weiss fell back as the door swung open, pushed by her weight, her and Yang's lips separating with a wet pop! A metallic clang! echoed throughout the room and the hallway as Weiss' back hit the hallway floor. She looked up, blushing crimson, to see…

Pyrrha Nikos, clad in her Pjs, four Semblance-covered metal serving trays hung suspended in the air above her, one spinning and wobbling where it hovered.

Pyrrha stared down at Weiss in confusion, before taking in the rest of the room.

"Um... " she hummed awkwardly. "Breakfast?"

Betaed by Covert Weapon

A/n: Yes, I'm evil. Sorry. I didn't really want to stop, but this one was running long. Next chapter shouldn't take too terribly long… maybe… hopefully. I got, like, three other story ideas my muse keeps throwing at me and they all really want to be written. We'll see what happens.

Also, I'm thinking of starting a Tumblr page connected to my Fanfiction writing. Something that I could post some ideas or writing updates on, something like that.

Would that interest anyone?

Later!