24

Act II

Fights, Plights…

Chapter 24: A New Day

Blake groaned. She blinked sleepily, turning her head to get away from the evil sunlight glaring down at her. She buried her head into her pillow, breathing in the scent of roses and sugar.

...wait. Since when does my pillow smell like…?

Blake opened her eyes, squinting against the harsh glare coming from the window. Throwing up a hand to block the light, she lifted her head from her pillow, looking closely at what she'd been cuddling against. A smile spread across her lips.

At some point in the night, Ruby had rolled over to face Blake. Her head was tucked into Blake's neck, her arms brought up against her chest. The leader let out a small sound of discontent at the loss of Blake's warmth, shifting closer to the Faunus in her sleep.

Blake laughed softly, wrapping her arm back over the smaller girl. She put her head back on top of Ruby's, the leader letting out a happy sigh as she did so.

"Blake?"

The Faunus blinked at the soft whisper. She looked over Ruby's head towards the other bodies laying in her bed. She smiled softly at the sight.

Yang had her arms wrapped protectively around Weiss' chest, one of the blonde's hands pressing against the heiress' stomach. Somehow, she'd intertwined their legs, Yang's right leg wrapped around Weiss' left. A soft snore passed her lips, proving the brawler to still be asleep, a peaceful expression on her face.

Instead, Blake focused on Weiss' face, her grin widening at her reddening face as blue eyes met amber. "Comfortable, Weiss?"

Weiss glared pitifully, her blush darkening a shade. "Very funny." Despite her words, she lifted one of her hands away from her chest, laying it over the one Yang had on her stomach. A small smile formed on her lips. "I've felt worse," she admitted.

"Mm-hmm," Blake hummed, giggling a little. Her smiled lessened a bit as a thought hit her. "Seriously though, do you feel okay?"

Weiss frowned at her, looking confused. Then, to Blake's surprise, she smiled softly. "Blake, have you checked the Link yet?"

Blake's brow lowered, confused herself. "No… why?"

In response, Weiss moved her hand from Yang's, reaching across to the arm Blake had draped over Ruby. She gripped Blake's hand, intertwining their fingers. With an encouraging smile, she said. "Check it."

Still confused, Blake did as she was told. She took one last look into Weiss' crystal blue eyes, then closed her own. She gave her Aura the tiniest push outward-

Her breath left her.

"Oh… oh, wow…"

It was so… clear. It was still a black void, nothing to see save the Auras around her, but… the Auras had… changed. There were no more formless clouds of Aura where each of her Mates were. Now, the Auras had taken shape. Human shape.

Laying across from her were two wispy bodies, one a muted yellow, the other shining white. She could clearly see where Yang's arms wrapped around Weiss, the dull yellow separated from the white by a near non-existent space. Very faint trails of Aura came from their heads, vaguely forming the shape of their hair.

Most shocking were the eyes. Not literal eyes, of course, but on the head of Weiss' Aura were two spots of crystal blue, looking right at her. They suddenly shrunk and disappeared for a fraction of a second, before reappearing.

She blinked, Blake realized.

But, no matter how amazing it looked, all that came secondary to what she felt.

She didn't have to focus anymore. Just a quick look, a single glance at their Aura, and Blake could feel exactly what they were feeling. Even in their sleep, Yang and Ruby both felt happy, content, with random flashes of other positive emotions spiking as they dreamed. And Weiss… happy, content, amazed, awed, proud.

Blake's eyes slowly slid open. She met Weiss' gaze smiling.

Weiss smiled back, before letting out a soft sigh. "So.. what now?"

Blake frowned slightly, giving Weiss' hand a squeeze. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Weiss sighed again. "How is this going to work? All four of us, romantically involved? Do we try to keep it a secret, or… just be open about it?"

Blake sucked in a slow breath. She knew this question was coming, but she didn't have any idea how to answer it. "Do you want to keep it a secret, Weiss?" She finally asked, hesitantly.

Weiss bit her lip nervously. "I… I don't know. I… I want to be happy about this. I am happy about this," she clarified, chiding herself. "I don't want to keep this a secret, but…"

"But…?" Blake questioned.

Weiss swallowed. Her eyes briefly left Blake's as she moved her free hand, placing it over the one Yang had pressed against her stomach. After a moment, she said. "There's no way for me to say it without sounding… vain."

Blake chuckled briefly at the reminder, then let out a small huff. "I'm just worried that… what will everyone think of this? Of us?" When she saw the brief flash of surprise on Blake's face, she quickly clarified. "I'm not ashamed of what we've done! Being Mated feels… amazing. Being this close to you all… knowing what you feel, both for me and for each other… I've never been this… open with anyone before." A wide grin had spread over her face as she spoke. "It's an amazing feeling, something beautiful." Her face quickly fell. "I'm just worried that… other people won't see it that way."

Blake hummed in thought. She wanted to say something to make Weiss feel better, to ease her worries, but nothing came to mind.

"Forget 'em."

Blake and Weiss started at the sudden voice, their hands slipping apart. They both looked up as Yang inhaled deeply, her lavender eyes sleepily fluttering open. A lazy grin spread over her face. "Morning," she murmured.

Weiss craned her neck to try and look at Yang's face. "Did we wake you, Yang? Sorry."

Yang gave a soft laugh, silencing Weiss by squeezing her gently around the waist. She rested her chin on top of Weiss' head. "S'okay. There's worse ways to wake up. Anyways, like I said, if people want to see what they want to see, screw 'em. We know what's going on."

Weiss huffed in annoyance even as she pressed her back closer to Yang's chest. "I wish it were that simple, Yang. When… certain people… find out that we're Mates…"

Yang snorted. "By 'certain people', I'm going to take a wild guess and say you mean your dad, right?"

Weiss stiffened in Yang's arms. After a tense moment, she sighed, melancholy rolling off of her in waves. "Yes. Any one part of our relationship he would take issue with. Me being with a girl, being with a Faunus, being with more than one person; all of it together… he might actually disown me."

Blake's eyes widened. "It wouldn't be that bad… would it?"

Weiss shook her head minutely. "When my sister joined the Atlassian military, rather than work for the company, he cut her off from the family fortune. That was years ago."

Yang winced. "Ouch." Then she blinked, looking down at the top of Weiss' head. "Wait a sec… you have a sister?"

Weiss lifted her head, meeting Yang's confused stare with her own. "You didn't know that?"

Yang shook her head. "No. Why would I? You haven't said much about your family… though, now that I think about it, I haven't really asked before. My bad." She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

Weiss frowned. "My family is the most well-known in the Kingdoms. Our pictures are everywhere. I assumed you knew about them already.

Yang chuckled. "Small town girl from the little island of Patch here, Snowflake. We didn't get much news about the outside world there, and even when we did, I didn't pay much attention to it. Heck, Ruby and I didn't even know who you were until we came here to Beacon. Speaking of which-" Yang lifted her arm and put it on Ruby's shoulder, shaking her little sister. "Hey, Rubes, wake up, important talk going on here."

Blake glared at the blonde in reprimand, feeling Ruby squirm a little in her arms. "Yang, let her sleep if she wants."

Ruby suddenly let out a large yawn, nuzzling against Blake's chest. The Faunus blushed deeply at the action, warmth filling her chest.

Yang's eyes narrowed. "Ruby…"

The little leader let out a small groan. "Too early…" She muttered, pressing closer to the blushing girl holding her.

Yang rolled her eyes. "You can snuggle later, Ruby. We're talking about something important right now."

Ruby huffed, a small whine escaping her. She pulled back a bit from Blake, blinking at the Faunus. She smiled at her, before turning over in Blake's arms, facing Yang and Weiss. Her cheeks puffed up in annoyance. "What are we talking about?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Whether or not we want to hide the fact that we're Mates now."

That got Ruby's attention, the small teen fully awake as she lifted her head slightly. "Hide it? Why?"

Yang chuckled a little. "Well, I guess we know your answer. And honestly, I agree. Blake, Weiss?"

Weiss grunted a bit as she shifted, Yang giving her a little more room to move. "I… I'd like not to. I'm just worried about how other people will react. And not just my father, Yang," she added quickly when she felt the blonde's exasperation spike. "Faunus might not find it strange, but… everyone else…"

Blake nodded, understanding. "Same-sex relationships are one thing, but a group relationship? Humans that don't know about Faunus mating will probably find it… odd, to say the least."

Ruby shrugged. "I'm fine with that."

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Besides, we're Huntresses. It's not like someone could tell us what to do."

"And if someone asks us about our relationship?" Weiss asked, equal parts hesitant and curious.

Now Yang shrugged. "We explain it to them. They don't like it, oh well."

Weiss huffed out a laugh, smiling faintly. "That simple, huh?"

Yang nodded, giving Weiss a squeeze. "It's only as hard as you make it, Snowflake. So we get some funny looks, a couple morons run their mouths. We'll deal with it as it comes."

Weiss just hummed in response. Blake smiled at the interaction, before looking between Yang and Ruby. "So… you two really have no problem being public about being Mates?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope."

Yang did the same. "Not a bit. Heck, I'll scream it from the rooftops if you want. I think Nora has a megaphone I could borrow- Ow!"

Weiss reached up and smacked the side of Yang's head the second the blonde actually started sounding serious. "Don't even think about it. Either of you," she added when she saw Ruby's mouth open.

Ruby stuck out her tongue at the reprimand. "You're no fun."

Surprisingly, Weiss responded by blowing a small raspberry at the sniper, getting a shocked giggle out of Yang and Blake. The heiress then turned her blue eyes upwards. "What about you, Blake? You said most Faunus show their Marks off as something to be proud of, right?"

Blake stiffened at Weiss' question, all humor bleeding out of her. She unconsciously pulled Ruby closer to her, making the younger girl look up at her, questioning. "Blake?"

The three humans suddenly felt a barrage of emotion from their Faunus counterpart. Worry. Sadness. Curiosity. Frustration. Hope. Indecision.

"You're right," she murmured, not looking at any of them. "Faunus are proud of their Marks. I'd love to show mine off, especially with how impossible it was for me to have gotten it. But…" Her ears wilted against her head, almost in shame.

A new feeling came off Blake, one that made Yang and Weiss frown in concern, not recognizing it. Ruby did, though. She might not have ever felt it as she was now, but she recognized the tone of Blake's voice. Blake had hit a point where she was uncomfortable to keep speaking. Had it just been the two of them, Ruby would have given Blake a reassuring smile and moved away from the subject, but Yang and Weiss made it clear that they were waiting for an answer.

Ruby glanced around the room, trying to think of something to take the attention off of Blake. She got it when her eyes landed on the wall clock.

And suddenly, helping Blake became a secondary worry.

"Hey, guys?" Ruby asked hesitantly. When all three of her Mates looked to her, she asked, "It's Friday, right?"

Yang blinked, confused by the sudden question. "Yeah. Why?"

"Don't we have classes at eight?"

Now they blinked. Rolling over, Yang looked behind her at the clock, Weiss doing the same. Blake looked over them to see the time as well.

7:16

It took less than a second for them all to realize.

"Crap, we overslept!"

Yang released Weiss, scrambling out of the bed and running to her dresser. Weiss was right behind her, frantically looking through the closet for a clean outfit.

Ruby moved to follow them, but before she pulled herself out of Blake's arms, she turned her head to face the Faunus. Blake gave her a thankful smile, hugging her briefly. Ruby smiled back, then leaped out of bed and started hunting for her cloak.

Blake slowly brought herself to sit on the edge of her bed, watching her Mates (Yes, she thought to herself, they're actually my Mates) run around the room, trying to get ready for the day. Blake decided to let them all finish first, since it wouldn't take her that long to get ready. She kept all her things nice and organized so she could be ready at a moment's notice. Socks, stockings, and underwear in the dresser's top shelf, skirt in the drawer below it, right next to her jacket, and sitting on her bedside table…

A cold feeling started in Blake's stomach. Her eyes drifted to the side, lingering at the long stretch of fabric. Slowly, she reached over, pulling it into her hands. She held it, staring down in thought.

A simple black bow. That's all it took to fool every human at Beacon, the headmaster notwithstanding. The other Faunus knew what she was, there was no fooling their sense of smell, but none of them seemed to care…

Well… she thought grimly, None of them have said anything… until now.

Kojak's words echoed through her head.

Blake shook her head, willing the thought away. This had nothing to do with Kojak. The thought that other Faunus looked down at her for her choice hurt… but they were allowed to think what they wanted. Blake couldn't change that. She'd made what she'd felt was the right choice at the time, and despite her doubts, she stood by her decision.

Except… now things had changed.

Keeping the bow clenched in her left hand, Blake put her right hand on the space where her shoulder and neck met, fingertips running over her Mark.

The fact that it existed at all was a miracle. To her knowledge, no Faunus had attempted what they had. A human, not just one, but three humans, combining their Aura through a dead Mark from a failed Mating? She couldn't believe it worked. It shouldn't have worked. What they had done went against everything she'd read, everything she'd known about Mating. And yet, there it was, their four symbols combined on her skin, each one connected to each other in a blaze of color. It encapsulated their bond perfectly.

And Blake wanted people to see it. She could feel it, that bursting sense of pride as she looked at her own Mark. She wanted people to know it, to know that she'd found someone who loved her. Not just someone, three wonderful, beautiful girls who had filled a void in her soul she had not even realized was there. Like any Faunus, Blake wanted to bare her Mark proudly.

There was just one problem. And she was currently holding it in her hand.

For Ruby, Yang, and Weiss, it wasn't that big a deal. The three were born human, so them showing off their Marks or hiding them wouldn't be that outstanding (well, maybe for Weiss, but no Faunus had taken issue with her having an initial Mark, one rude bear notwithstanding).

But for Blake… she'd put herself into a corner. A cat-eared Faunus would show her Mark with pride. A bow-wearing human would not. The humans in the school might not be able to tell, but the Faunus…

What do I do? she thought worriedly, panic starting to seep in. If I show my Mark, but hide my ears, what kind of message does that send? That I'll take the good of being a Faunus, but hide from the bad? I could cover my Mark, but… Dust, no, that would make it seem like I'm ashamed of it! But what else could I do?!

The answer popped into her head an instant later. It was simple, terrifyingly so:

Don't wear the bow.

Blake could feel the anxiety build in her chest. Not wear her bow… her every instinct screamed "wrong!" at just the thought. She needed her bow. It was the only thing that kept her from being looked down on by every human out there. With it, she was normal…

...normal. Blake frowned at the word. Normal… what exactly was normal? By human standards, normal was only having two ears and no tail. Normal was only loving one other person.

Without meaning to, Blake's hand clenched around her bow, squeezing it in her fist. The instant she realized what she did, she opened her hand, staring down at the wrinkled fabric, feeling lost.

"Blake? Hey, you okay?"

Yang's voice startled Blake out of her thoughts. She looked up at the blonde in surprise, finding a worried expression on her face. Ruby was looking at her from across the room, pausing as she tried to stuff all of her textbooks into her bag, frowning slightly. Weiss was in the process of putting her hair into her side-ponytail, sending troubled glances Blake's way as she did. All three had finished dressing, clad in their identical Beacon uniforms, making Blake wonder just how long she'd been sitting there thinking.

Blake opened her mouth, then immediately shut it, swallowing down her instant attempt at reassurance. She couldn't lie to them, not anymore. Becoming Mates with them ensured that, the three now able to know when something was troubling her. That thought alone added a whole new layer of worry. There was a lot of things she'd yet to tell her Mates… and a few that she'd told them wrong. She had to remedy that soon, it was only right.

But first…

"I'm… thinking."

Yang sat down beside her, draping an arm across her shoulder. "Obviously," she said, the barest hint of humor in her voice. Blake's lip twitched, granting a grin from the blonde. "What about?"

Blake stared into the blonde's eyes, then panned across to meet Ruby and Weiss'. All three looked back at her, wanting to listen. Wanting to help.

Blake bit her lip. She stared down at her hands, at what they held. After a moment's thought, she asked them.

"Should I stop wearing my bow?"

Surprise and shock spiked across the room, Ruby actually dropping her book bag as her mouth fell open. Weiss' head jerked back as her eyes widened. Yang's mouth hung open for a few seconds, before she snapped it shut with an audible clack. "What brought this on?" she eventually asked, concern in her voice.

Blake let out a sigh. "I want to show off my Mark." When she received no form of surprise, just a soft urging to go on, she continued. "I'd like people to know that we're Mates. The problem is…" She trailed off, unsure how to phrase her words.

"Yes…?" Weiss urged, curious and concerned.

Blake huffed. "The problem is that… I've been hiding what I am for so long. If I showed my Mark, but still hid that I'm a Faunus… what would people think of that?"

Yang suddenly frowned, her agitation getting all of their attention. "Wait, this isn't about that Kojak guy, is it? Blake, you shouldn't let him get to you like this."

Blake shook her head, letting out a groan. "No, it's not just him. I… I'm happy about what we've done. Proud of what we did. I want people to know that, how proud I am. But, if I keep wearing my bow…"

Weiss hummed, understanding. "It muddies the message you want to send."

Blake nodded. "Yes. I just…" She groaned in frustration. "I don't know what to do!"

She fell silent, glaring at the bow in her hands. Of all things, she couldn't believe that a simple stretch of cloth could cause her so much strife, at least not like this. She ground her teeth as she thought and re-thought the situation in her head. To make matters worse, the clock had continued to tick away. If they didn't leave soon, they'd miss breakfast and be late for class.

Emotions washed over her from all directions, snapping her out of her thoughts. Concern. Helplessness. Frustration. A want to help.

It was the last one she focused on. She had to remember, these three weren't just her friends, her team, anymore. They were her Mates. And Mates help each other through their problems. She'd only really thought about how she'd be there to help the others, but… the reverse was true, too.

Hesitantly, Blake lifted her head. She glanced at Ruby and Weiss, the two looking back in concern, then focused on Yang. She leaned into the blonde's embrace as she whispered, "What do you three think? Do you think I should just… stop hiding?"

Yang held her stare, looking puzzled and conflicted. "You want the honest answer?"

Blake nodded. "Yes, Yang. I want to know."

Yang looked at her for a moment, then let out a long breath. "Honestly, Blake… I don't think you should anymore."

Blake felt her heart jump into her throat. She'd said she wanted to know Yang's thoughts, but she hadn't expected the blonde to say it so bluntly.

Weiss apparently agreed. "Yang!" the heiress cried out in reproach.

A hint of red crept up Yang's neck as she defended herself. "Hey, she wanted my honest answer, and I'm giving it to her!" She turned back to Blake, her tone softening. "Look, Blake, I get why you chose to wear it when you first came here, but I think you'd be okay to take it off. The only people who are gonna care that you're a Faunus are jerks like Cardin, but they're not worth your time anyway. If a couple morons want to judge you for what you are before they even know you, let'em. Everyone who matters will be fine with it."

Blake could only nod numbly at her words. Yang didn't think she needed her bow. She… didn't know how to feel about that, honestly.

She slowly turned to her other Mates, her eyes landing on Ruby first. "Ruby?"

Ruby thought for a moment, looking down. "I'm… not sure," she said quietly. "I'd like for you not to have to hide your ears, but I don't want you to get picked on either. Although," She perked up suddenly, smiling as she looked Blake in the eye. "If you did stop wearing your bow, you'd have us supporting you the whole time!"

Blake blinked at the younger girl's answer. She… wasn't wrong. It wasn't like when she first started at Beacon, all alone with no help. Now she had her team, her Mates, at her side. She hadn't really thought of it that way before. Lastly, she turned to Weiss.

The heiress looked back, biting at her thumbnail as she thought. She sighed. "I don't know, Blake. I'd like to tell you that you have nothing to worry about coming out as a Faunus, but…" She sighed again, her voice lowering. "I kind of disproved that sentiment myself. Still, it's not my choice. Ruby's right, Blake. If you choose to do this, we'll support you." She finished with a kind smile, giving a small nod.

Blake sat there, taking all of their words in, as well as the feeling of support they were each sending her. She looked between each of them, being met with smiles and kind eyes.

She tried to picture it: walking the halls of Beacon with her ears uncovered, her status as a cat Faunus plain to all who saw her. Combat practice, trips to Vale, just sitting in class, ears free to the air, being stared at by everyone. It terrified her.

Then… the image shifted. Walking down the hall, her team by her side. Training with her team, enjoying a day out with them, all without having to hide. It was wonderful.

She bit her lip, staring down at her bow. Slowly, she nodded.

She'd made her choice.

Betaed By Covert Weapon

Old A/n: Welcome , my friends, to Act II of Linked in Life and Love. This is where things start to expand a bit. Be warned: I might switch a few things up in the RWBY canon history. I hate to do it, but I had big chunks of this story set in stone months ago, before Volume 4 decided mess everything up. Still, I'm not discouraged. Whatever RT comes up with for the show, it just gives me more to work with here.

One more set up chapter, and then we jump feet first into MY version of Volume 2. Only took me a whole year!

See you all then!