21

"Yang! Come on, come on! Hurry up!" Ruby bounced around the room full of poorly contained excitement. Meanwhile, Blake rested on her bed with her back turned to the sisters.

"Okay, okay! Jeez, Rubes, you're so impatient." Yang said as she finished packing her bag.

"I'm sorry, Yang, but it's been so long since we went home and spent time with dad!" Ruby whined as she defended her hasty nature.

"I'm excited, too, Rubbles, but you don't see me bouncing from wall to wall, now do you?" Yang poked fun at Ruby who stuck out her tongue in reply. "Alright, let's go." Yang said as she picked up her bags and made her way towards the door with the little terror following happily behind. The crimsonette looked back to wave goodbye at Blake and wish her the best for the holidays, but halted when she saw the faunus curled up into a ball on her bed. She caught a brief look of the depressed expression on Blake's face, and she could've sworn she saw a small, dark cloud rumbling over her head.

"Hey, Yang, what's wrong with Blake?" Ruby asked softly to her sister.

"I'm not too sure. She was fine, until she found out we're leaving for the holidays." the brawler peeked over to her partner worriedly.

"What about Weiss? Can't the two of them spend some time together for once?" Ruby didn't feel right leaving Blake alone in the dorm by herself, especially with the mood she was in.

"Weiss left yesterday with Winter to see their father." Yang answered, shooting down her idea.

"What about JNPR?"

"Nora and Ren already left, don't know where, but Jaune's also going to see his family."

"Pyrrha?"

"I don't think she planned anything."

Ruby looked back at Blake and noticed she looked even more miserable than a few seconds ago, and if it were even possible, the dark cloud over head had began to rain on her. Ruby handed Yang her bags. "I'm going to cheer Blake up, mind going ahead?"

"Fine, but hurry up! The airship ain't gonna wait forever!" Yang called out as she left the dorm.

Ruby nodded and walked over to her depressed faunus teammate. She softly sat on the bunk as to not startle the ebony haired girl. Ruby rested her hand Blake's head, and as soon as she felt the young girl's touch, she turned her head to look at her. "Hey, Blakey... why so sad?"

"Because, you're leaving and I wanted to spend Christmas with you..." Blake almost mewled.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Blake." Ruby apologized as she pulled Blake's upper body onto her lap and hugged her. "I'm only gonna be gone for a few days, so if you can wait until then, I'll spend time with you for as long as you want when I get back."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Alright, have a safe trip." Blake delivered a tender peck to Ruby's cheek. Ruby noted how her mood seemed to brighten a bit, and chuckled a little before she stood up.

"I'll see you in a few days, Blake, and if you're feeling lonely, I'm sure Sun and Velvet won't mind spending some time with you." Ruby waved, which earned her a weak wave in return before she closed the door. She spun around, ready to bolt after her sister when she saw Jaune leaving his room. The boy looked up, his eyes widening in relief when he Ruby.

"Oh, thank goodness you're still here, Ruby! I was just about to go see you." Jaune said, stepping over to Ruby.

"What's up, Jaune?"

"I was wondering if you could check on Pyrrha for me. She got all gloomy yesterday for some reason I can't figure out. I tried to cheer her up, but nothing I did worked. I'm running late right now, so that's why I'm asking you." Jaune begged, clasping his hands in front of him.

"Sure, I've got enough time." Ruby agreed.

"Thanks, Ruby! You're a lifesaver!" Jaune gave her a quick hug before he darted off.

Ruby entered JNPR's room and was greeted with the sight of Pyrrha curled up in the same foetal position Blake was in moments ago. 'Yeesh, why's everyone all sad today?' "Hey, Pyrrha, Jaune said you were in a funk and asked me to check on you. You alright?"

Pyrrha visibly perked up once she heard Ruby's voice. "Ruby? I thought you would've left already." Maybe she'd decided to stay.

"Actually, I'm just about to leave." Ruby saw Pyrrha's face go from happy to sad in less than a second. "Alright, what's got my favourite champion in the dumps?"

"You're leaving, and I wanted to spend time with you."

'Oh, boy, the same problem as Blake, too.' Ruby thought. "I have too. It's been a long time since I've seen my dad. But, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"I don't know..."

"Here, maybe this will cheer you up." Ruby walked over to Pyrrha's bed and sat next to the girl. She then leaned down and lightly pecked her on the cheek. "I don't like it when my champion feels sad. Feeling better?"

Pyrrha let out a small smile. 'She cares about me so much, I'm glad I met her.' "I don't know, maybe if we-" Pyrrha was interrupted by Ruby kissing her cheek again.

"That's all we're gonna do. I'm afraid if we get carried away, I'll miss my ride to Patch." Pyrrha pinked slightly and giggled before she waved goodbye to Ruby.

Ruby took out her scroll to check the time, nearly dropping the device when she realized she had only five minutes to reach the docks before the airship for Patch left without her. She used her semblance and sped through the hallways in hopes of beating the clock.

Having reached the docks just in time, she was met with a rather disgruntled Yang shoving her bags in her hands. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, I had some things to see to." apologized Ruby.

Yang grunted, accepting the apology before she boarded the airship with Ruby in tow.

Patch

Once they reached Patch, an announcement from the captain allowed the passengers to know they would be disembarking in approximately five minutes after the ship landed. With the airship now on the ground and safely docked, Ruby and Yang picked up their bags and stepped off the airship.

"Cool! Patch hasn't changed a bit!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Tell me about it. Come on, let's head home." Yang said.

Ruby and Yang strolled down the streets of Patch while Ruby took in every sight to the smallest of details, making sure she didn't miss any little changes if there were any. Twenty minutes of walking and sight-seeing later, the two siblings stood in front of the old house they stayed in when they were younger. Ruby and Yang stared at the house, a rush of memories coursing through their minds like a flowing river; both good and bad. They looked at each other, smiles slithering onto their lips as they recalled the fun they had in the past. The door swung open as the main person they came to see was about to leave the house.

"Dad!" A huge smile lit up Ruby's face as she ran over to her father and gave him a flying hug.

Taiyang whirled around in time to catch his daughter. "Whoa! Ruby! Is it really you?" Taiyang spun with his daughter in his arms, an ear-to-ear smile stretching his lips as he laughed before he put Ruby on the ground. He gazed down at Ruby, a splitting image of Summer. Oh, how his heart cried out for Summer. Taiyang missed her, and still does to this very day. The day he received the message of her passing, his whole world fell apart and so did Ruby's. It took so much to get her to smile again, and then it took even longer because of her mental breakdown. What an emotional rollercoaster that had been. It was a blessing that Yang was there to help her along the way. And despite Qrow's sarcastic and cynical behaviour, he, too, played a part in Taiyang's own recovery. Then his eyes moved to his eldest daughter, another clone of his first significant other. His heart ached somewhat as he remembered Raven. It'd been so long since they'd seen each other, however, she was still away on important… business, and wouldn't be coming back for a while. Taiyang's silence made Yang and Ruby worried, but before they could utter a word, he smiled at Yang to save face and called for her. "Yang? Could it be? Come give your old man a hug!" Yang responded in kind by dropping her bags and striding over to her father before she wrapped her strong arms around him. "My, how you two've grown." He said tenderly.

"Yup! But, we didn't come here for you to see how much we grew, even though I have milk to thank for that." Ruby smiled, and Yang rolled her eyes. "We came to spend the holidays with you!" She squealed before hugging him a bit tighter.

Taiyang frowned and sighed, he'd already made the atmosphere somewhat morose with his moment of quiet reflection, and he feared he would kill whatever spirit his daughters had left when he told them the news. "I'm sorry, girls, I know you two were excited about spending the holidays with me, but an urgent mission came up yesterday that I need to oversee." Taiyang apologized.

"What?! B-B-But, you have to stay!" Ruby cried.

"Yeah! You promised us!" Yang shouted, backing up her sister.

"I'm sorry, I really am." Taiyang hated being the bad guy when it came to his favourite girls.

"Fine!" Ruby suddenly bellowed, startling both Yang and her father. "I didn't want to have to do this, but you've left me no choice!"

Taiyang raised an eyebrow, quickly steeling his resolve when he realized what was about to happen. Ruby's bowed her head and looked up at her father, lips pouting and trembling as little teardrops formed in the corner of her silver eyes that looked a bit bigger than usual. It was Ruby's secret weapon; her puppy dog pout. "Could you live with the image of your daughter's sad face forever imprinted in your mind, and whenever you look back to the holiday you could've spent with her, all you'll see is this dejected face?" Ruby sniffled. "You'll stay, won't you?"

'My sister… she's more evil than I thought.' Yang thought to herself as she watched Ruby.

Taiyang felt his resolve falter instantly when he looked at his daughter. It was too adorable to say no to. "No, I couldn't live with that." Taiyang let out another sigh. "Fine, I'll send one of my associates in my stead until I can get there."

"Yay!" Ruby cheered excitedly, her face back to normal.

Taiyang opened the door for his daughters as they carried in their luggage. The moment Ruby set down her bags, she was attacked by something warm and fuzzy. "Zwei! I missed you so much!" Ruby started giggling when Zwei barked and started to lick her face. "Hehe, Zwei, stop it! That tickles!"

Zwei stopped and turned his furry little head over to Yang and let out a playful bark. Ruby placed Zwei on the floor where he ran over to Yang who crouched down to pet him. "Hey, buddy! Did ya miss me? I know I missed you!" Yang cooed as she scratched the underside of his chubby neck.

When they were settled in, Ruby sat on the couch in a pair of red shorts and a black tank top, the remote control in her hands as she searched through the channels while her father and Yang were working in the kitchen, preparing the food for later. Ruby shut off the TV in boredom since she found nothing of interest to watch. She looked over to the two hard workers in the kitchen, specifically her sister who was in her favourite yellow tank top and black shorts that hugged her toned thighs just right. Ruby's eyes drifted to Yang's arms, her biceps relaxing and contracting as she rolled out the dough. Ruby felt her face heat up a bit when Yang caught her looking, and sent a wink and smile her way. She turned back around, hoping Yang hadn't seen her blush and tucked her knees under her chin. 'Bad, Ruby! I shouldn't be thinking of my sister like that, even if she's the frickin' definition of sex on legs!'

In the kitchen, Yang smirked to herself when she saw Ruby face away from her, probably hoping she didn't see the pink colour on her cheeks. 'Aw, Ruby is just too cute! Checking me out and hiding so I won't see.' Mischief pranced around in lavender eyes. 'Looks while we'll be having some fun.'

A knock on the front door caught Ruby's attention. She stood up and went to answer it since the others were a little preoccupied at the moment. She opened the door and was greeted by her uncle. "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby rejoiced and latched onto him.

"Hey, kiddo." Qrow smiled as he ruffled her hair. "I see the plan was a success."

Ruby let go of Qrow. "Yup, a complete success!"

"Good, blondy needs to learn to take a break, maybe your sister could teach him a thing or two." Qrow joked. "Let's head inside, I brought some new games for us to play."

"Woo!"

Ruby, along with her uncle, sat on the couch and played the game console in their living room while they waited for the food to be done. Ruby was mashing the buttons on the controller, trying her best to beat her uncle, but the man wasn't holding back one bit as her aura bar went to zero almost instantly. She wasn't going to give up, though, and Qrow noticed this as she went into overdrive, bringing out all sorts of combos. He decided to entertain her little, allowing his aura bar to drop into red zone, and getting the young Rose's hopes of winning up. Ruby smiled as she saw Qrow's aura bar dip into the red zone, thinking this was the match where she'd finally emerge victorious. That hope was swiftly squashed as Qrow smirked, tapped a few buttons, and finished Ruby's character off with a single blow. For some malignant reason, Qrow was very good at this game despite his age.

"Noooooo!" Ruby hung her head in defeat as the announcer in the game shouted 'Defeated!' She glared defiantly up at her uncle. "How is someone who's drunk and out on missions most of the time so good at this?"

"Better luck next time, Ruby." He said flippantly, waving the controller back and forth.

"Arg! One more game!" Ruby demanded.

"Maybe after we eat, that way, I'll be food drunk enough to give you a handicap," Qrow stretched as he stood, "ya might even beat me this time."

"I will! This, I swear!"

"Oh, yeah? I'd like to see ya try."

"Dinner's ready!" Taiyang called out.

"What'd I tell ya?" Qrow said, slicking back his hair.

They all sat around the table eating, talking, and enjoying each other's company. Ruby always enjoyed this time of the year. She didn't have to worry about school, missions, or killing Grimm, all she had to do was kick back, relax, and have as much fun as possible with her family.

Everyone let out sighs of content with their stomachs full, even Zwei gave a small burp before he walked over to his doggy bed and fell asleep. Not long after they finished eating, Qrow felt a small hand wrap around his arm and pull him out of his seat, dragging him back to the living room where a controller was shoved into his hand.

"Couldn't wait for another butt whooping, could ya?"

"Quiet, old man." Ruby sneered, picking her character.

"Old… man," Qrow repeated, before his eyes gleamed red. "Oh, it's on, now!"

Taiyang and Yang laughed at the two as they cleaned up the table and put away any leftovers. Afterwards, they both sat down on the couch to a loud shout of 'fiend!' as they watched Ruby and Qrow duke it out. "So, mind bringing your old man up to speed? Usually I try to keep in touch with you two as much as possible, but I've been busy as of late."

"Sure, pops. What do ya wanna know?" Yang rested her hands on the back of the sofa and leaned back.

"Well, for starters, how's Ruby doing in school?" Taiyang positioned his elbow on the sofa arm, placing his head in the palm of his hand.

"Rubes' doing great in school," Yang brightly grinned, "she's top in our class and almost the most skilled student in our year."

"Ya don't say." His eyes strayed to his youngest child, a small smile on his lips. "Well, that's good, I was worried my little girl wouldn't be able to keep up with her studies, but I should've known she would pull through." 'She is Summer's daughter, after all. Determination runs strong in her blood.'

"Yeah, our resident Ice Queen can be thanked for that."

"What do you mean?"

"Our teammate, Weiss Schnee. I'm sure you recognise the name."

"You have a Schnee on your team?" Taiyang's eyes widened. "And she actually helped someone?"

Yang snickered at her father. The thought of a Schnee doing something for someone that wasn't for their own self gain baffled him. "Yeah, we got off to a rocky start at first, but she's not a bad person, just a bit frosty around the edges from her upbringing. She's also the reason Rubbles is doing so good now. Whenever Ruby starts to slack off, Weiss is always there to whip her back into shape."

"Hm, who would've thought, a Schnee helping someone. Well, I guess it's true what they say about judging a book by its cover. I'll have to thank her in person if we ever meet." Taiyang said, relieved his daughter had dependable teammates. Suddenly, his face went serious. "Now, for the main issue at hand. Is she dating anyone?"

"H-Huh?" Yang unintelligently said.

"Come on, Yang. Ruby's getting to be around that age, and I'm just a little worried for her. I don't want her to experience the heartache I went through." Taiyang pleaded, doing his own less deadly version of Ruby's puppy dog pout.

And, like her father earlier, Yang's heart melted instantly. "They're not exactly dating, but she does have an interest in someone."

"Really?" Taiyang said in an unusually high pitched voice. "Who?"

"Pyrrha Nikos." Yang said with ease. "And I think Pyrrha likes her back too."

"Pyrrha Nikos? As in the Champion of Mistral, Pyrrha Nikos?!"

"That's the one."

"You mean to tell me, that my little antisocial Ruby, who's been known to pick weapons over making friends, is interested in the youngest skilled huntress known throughout the kingdoms, and that said huntress also shares similar feelings for Ruby?" A sage like nod was his answer. "Wow, she's really changed since I last saw her. I'm so proud of her."

"Oh, but that's not the best part." She crossed her arms behind her head.

"Hm, what do you mean?"

"I get the feeling my partner, Blake, likes her as well." So far, she was competing against two of her good friends for her sister's affection. Not a problem, Yang knew where she stood on the love pyramid, and that was near the tippy top. Besides, a little competition never hurt anyone.

"What makes you say that?"

"Not gonna say much, but she was way too affectionate and protective of Ruby. I don't mind, honestly. It's good Ruby has someone to watch over her when I'm not there, but the things she did made me sure of my suspicions."

"Things? What do you mean by 'things'?" Taiyang leaned forward in his seat, his eyes narrowing as a list of 'things' played in his mind.

"Get your mind outta the gutter, dad. Yeesh, you're like a pervy old geezer." Yang jested, punching her father on his shoulder. "Nowadays, Blake's always near her. Clinging onto her arm at every opportunity she can get, looking at her with that look in her eyes, blushing whenever Ruby smiles at her. You know, all the signs of two people going out together." Yang stared at her sister's back, a tender smile set on her lips.

"Huh, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're jealous." Taiyang teased.

"Oh, please. It's no competition for me when it comes to Ruby's affection." Yang scoffed. On the carpet, Ruby blushed, glad that her back was to her sister. In a way, Yang was right. She needn't try to hard to get Ruby's attention. They were together since they were kids, and they were always affectionate with each other. It was only when they entered their teenage years that the affection evolved into something more serious.

"Hahaha! I suppose you're right." Taiyang laughed, fondness twinkling in his eyes. "Still, I can't believe Ruby-Roo has two girls who like her."

"Remind you of anyone?" Yang playfully motioned to him with her eyes.

"I guess it does. I didn't even know Summer felt that way about me until…" Yang noticed the pained look that took over her father's face. It was understandable, his pain, that is. The topic was a very sensitive one for her to talk about years ago, but for both her father and Ruby, it was still unbearably painful.

"Yessssss!" Ruby's loud cheer broke them for their conversation. "Victory is finally mine!"

Qrow stared at the screen, legitimately surprised that he'd lost. Qrow chuckled before he turned to his niece. "Well, kid, I suppose you earned this. Originally, I was gonna give you this tomorrow because I need to leave early in the morning, but think of it as a prize for winning." Qrow dug around in his pocket before he pulled out a small container, opening the cube to display its contents. "Here, some rare powdered Dust since I know you ain't into that girly stuff."

"Awesome!" Ruby beamed as she grabbed the small container of gold Dust, but frowned when he told her he had to leave in the morning. "Do you really have to leave?"

"I'm sorry, kiddo, but I have to." Qrow apologetically ruffled Ruby's mussed up locks.

"Before you leave, we have to put up the Christmas tree!" Ruby announced as she turned around and faced her father. "Dad! Where's the Christmas tree?"

"Erm, about that." Taiyang felt sweat run down his back as Ruby's stare on him became suspicious.

"What'd you do now, dad?" Ruby asked flatly.

"I… may have burned down… the Christmas tree…" He covered his head, waiting for the beating that was about to come his way.

"What?!" Ruby leapt up and snatched up a pillow from off the couch, and started mercilessly pounding away at her father. "How. Did. You. Even. Do. That!" She enunciated with each blow.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I accidently spilled red Dust all over the tree! Ow!" Taiyang cried. "I didn't expect it to burn when I turned on the lights!"

"Grah! How have you even survived this long on your own?!" Ruby placed her hands on her hips and stared firmly down at her father. "You're going to go out and get one. Now."

"What, why?"

"Because it's not Christmas until we put up that tree! Now, get going!" Ruby pointed at the door. Threateningly raising the pillow when he tried to protest.

"Alright, alright! Get your butt in gear Qrow, you're coming with me." Taiyang sent a nasty glare over at his past teammate before he could protest. "Let it be known it's partly your fault for me spilling the Dust."

"Tch, specifics, specifics, everyone's all about specifics these days." Qrow grunted as he stood up and walked out the door after Taiyang, leaving the two sister by themselves.

"Honestly, those two are like kids." Ruby muttered. "So, what do you wanna do, Yan-eep!"

Ruby was yanked onto the couch, the back of her head hitting the sofa arm as she was pressed into the sofa. She felt something warm and firm rest on her thighs. Opening her eyes, she saw Yang sitting above her, grinning a cat-that-just-ate-the-canary smile down at her.

"Finally, I thought they'd never leave." Yang breathed out, leaning in close, so that her face was near her sister's.

"H-Hey, what's the big idea?" Ruby stammered red-faced. Yang was way too close for her health.

"The 'big idea' is, I caught you staring earlier." Yang crooned, running a finger down Ruby's jaw. "Like what you saw."

"I don't know what you-oooh." A heated palm brushing over her breasts brought forth a low moan from her throat.

"Still sensitive as always, aren't we?" Yang husked, gently rubbing the lump of flesh in her palm as her free hand toyed with the hem of the tank top.

"Yang," Ruby gasped out, "we can't do this here. What if dad and Uncle Qrow come back?"

"I planned ahead for that. There's gonna be a snow storm heading our way in about," she glanced up at the clock, "ten minutes. They'll be stuck for a while before they can get any type of transport." Yang peppered feather-like kisses along Ruby's clavicle. "Which means we have time to have some fun." She softly sucked on skin beneath her mouth, drawing circles on the exposed surface of her sister's well toned tummy.

"But, our n-neighbours-a-ahh," Yang grounded her hips into Ruby's, moving her mouth up to her neck where she bit down on her pulse.

"Any more objections?" Yang rasped, putting her knee between creamy legs, and nudging it towards the inside of Ruby's thighs. She delighted in how the muscle twitched and spasmed under her ministrations.

"None." Ruby managed to squeak out before Yang's lips found purchase on her own. Something primal roared in Yang's chest as Ruby squealed into her lips almost breathless. The kiss became heavier until the point both of them had trouble breathing, struggling to breath through their noses, so they wouldn't break the passionate lip lock. When they finally broke, a strand of saliva hung between their lips, clinging to their chins when it snapped.

Yang nipped her earlobe, molten electricity pooling in the pit of her stomach as a carnal moan pushed up from Ruby's throat and past her lips. 'Dust,' she needed to hear more. Her chains of restraint broken, Yang dove in head first, ready to devour the delicacy that was her sister.

It was fortunate for them that the whole house had been soundproofed, because if it wasn't, the whole neighbourhood would be alerted by Ruby's pleasured cries of:

Deeper, deeper, deeeeeeeper!