5

Chapter 5: Thaw

Wow…

Blake stared up at Yang's bunk as the memories flooded back. A smile grew across her face.

That… really happened. She turned her head to look at Yang and Weiss, still slumbering in the morning light. She gazed down at Ruby, who shifted a little, nuzzling Blake's chest, making her blush.

I wish I could remember.

One problem with dealing with her heat as she did was that her memories got hazier as the night went on. Everything past that first kiss with Yang was a blur.

A hot, happy, blush-inducing blur.

A flash of white appeared in her memory. She looked down at Weiss, who snored softly, her unkempt hair hiding half of her face. Like Ruby, she moved a bit, finding a comfortable place atop her blonde pillow.

I wonder how that happened? she thought, her last clear memory of Weiss being her hiding in the bathroom. Still, the sight made her smile. Seeing those two, usually at each other's throats, embracing each other in such a way left a warm feeling in her chest.

"...hmm…"

Blake looked down at Ruby's little noise. Instead of waking up like she'd thought, Ruby just raised her head slightly, giving Blake a view of her sleeping face, her lips curled in a smile.

A random thought entered her mind, and for once, Blake acted on it. Hesitantly, Blake gently placed her hand on Ruby's head, running her fingers through the girl's short hair. Seeing the smile widen at her touch, Blake kept it up, gently massaging Ruby's scalp, as soft smile on her lips.

"Enjoying yourself, Blake?"

Blake froze. She slowly swiveled her head towards the voice.

Yang just grinned smugly at her, eyebrow raised above her open eyes.

Blake blushed at being caught. "I… um…"

Yang's grin faded to a reassuring smile. "Relax, kitty-cat," she whispered so as not to wake their still sleeping teammates. "I'm just messing with ya. You feeling better now?"

Blake relaxed, now assured that Yang wouldn't put her through a wall for touching her little sister. "Yeah, I feel much better now."

That was an understatement. Blake felt incredible. Most mornings after her heat, she'd wake up with a stiff body and a pounding head, like a bad hangover. Now, though, she felt amazing, warm and content in the morning light.

Yang nodded. "Good," she said softly. "That's good." Her gaze dropped a little, her smile growing slightly melancholy as she looked at Ruby, still snoring away.

Blake followed her gaze, noticing that she still had her hand on the leader's head. She removed it, before turning her attention back to the blonde. "Yang? Something wrong?"

Yang blinked rapidly,breaking from her trance as she looked back to Blake. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing, just…" Her eyes fell back to Ruby, smiling again. "I knew Ruby was going to grow up someday." She let out a brief chuckle. "Just didn't think I'd get a front row seat when it happened."

Blake's eyes widened, regret worming into her chest. "Yang, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't even try it, Kitty-cat," Yang interrupted, a serious look in her eyes. "You didn't do anything. It was her choice." Then a grin formed on her lips. "And weirdly enough… I'm kinda proud of her. How screwed up does that sound?"

Blake tried to smile back, but now doubt was working its way into her mind. She glanced to both Ruby and Weiss. Worrying thoughts formed in her head. She turned to Yang. "Um… I didn't… hurt any of you last night… did I?"

Yang gave her a shocked, then a very confused look. "What, you don't remember?"

To her surprise, Blake shook her head. "When a Faunus gives in to their heat, we pretty much go off of pure instinct. I remember everything up to… well… our first kiss," she blushed slightly, "and then it's all a blur."

Yang frowned. "Well, that sucks. You don't remember anything?"

Blake thought hard. Brief glimpses of lips and touches flashed by, but nothing lasting. However, she did feel one thing.

"Happy," she said with a smile. "The whole night I remember being really happy."

Yang snorted. "That's an understatement," she muttered, causing Blake to blush deeper. Obviously, her memory was just fine. "No, you didn't hurt any of us. If anything, you were kind of… timid."

Blake's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Yang thought for a moment. "Well, it was kinda like you were just following our lead."

Blake's ears folded back a bit. "How so?"

"Like, with me, you were kinda aggressive, you didn't hold back and neither did I." Her cheeks tinted slightly at the mental image. "But with Ruby… you were hesitant… you wanted for her to do something first, then you did the same. Does that make any sense?"

Blake thought for a moment. Then…

She pulled her lips away from Ruby's. Her ears folded back, a frown forming as she felt the uneasiness rolling off of Ruby.

Ruby looked up at her from the bed, her throat moving as she swallowed nervously.

Blake tilted her head, then she smiled. She grasped Ruby by the shoulders and fell on her side. With a small huff, she pulled Ruby on top of her.

Ruby blinked, suddenly finding their positions flipped. She looked down at Blake questioningly.

Blake just leaned up and rubbed her cheek against Ruby's. She laid back down, placing her arms on her side.

Ruby's eyes flickered to the side. "Wha-what do I do?"

Yang's voice came from off to the side. "Whatever you think would make her feel good, Sis."

Ruby hesitated, before bringing her lips to Blake's neck. Blake let out a small coo at the feeling. Ruby pulled back quickly, concerned. "W-was that okay?"

Blake just smiled, nodding. She showed her neck in invitation.

Ruby smiled back nervously, before kissing Blake's neck again.

Blake smiled at the memory. "Yeah, I think it does." She turned her attention to the head of white laying on Yang's chest. "So, how did that happen?"

Yang followed her gaze, a soft smile forming. "Well…"

I'm going to sue whoever made these earplugs.

Weiss stared down at her scroll, having read yet another article on Faunus mating habits. Just like all the others, this one was just a reworded version of the exact same information. She started typing again, searching for more information-

"Ooohhh, Blaaaake!"

Weiss' neverending blush deepened yet again.

Yes, definitely suing. Every single infernal Lien they have.

For what felt like hours, Weiss had tried to tune out the muffled cries and moans coming from behind the wall. Emphasis on tried. Even with the simple earplugs she'd found in the medicine cabinet, she could hear every sound, every time the moan of Blake's name alternated from Yang to Ruby. And it was starting to get to her.

I wonder what it's like, she thought, not for the first time.

Yet again, she felt the impulse to open the door, to give in to curiosity, and yet again, she forced herself to stay sitting, her father's voice echoing in her head.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she returned to her scroll. Maybe if I reword the question…

Click!

Weiss was jolted from her thoughts as the bathroom door creaked open. Turning in surprise, she looked up at the intruder.

Yang stumbled into the bathroom, a dopey smile on her face. Her hair was disheveled, as was the tank top she'd haphazardly thrown on. Blake's towel was wrapped around her waist.

Weiss blushed at the look on her face, before turning away. "Yang, what are you doing in here?"

Yang blinked at her voice, looking down. "Ah, geez, sorry Weiss. Kinda forgot you were in here."

With a frown, Weiss pulled out the useless earplugs. "What do you mean you forgot?" she hissed indignantly.

Yang rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Well, I was kinda… preoccupied."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "I'm well aware of that," she muttered. She looked at Yang from the corner of her eye. "So, um…" she started nervously, "Are you three… finished?"

The question surprised Yang. "Uh…" She poked her head out of the bathroom, her eyes falling on Blake's bed. Blake and Ruby were curled up together, the blankets just barely hiding their modesty. Ruby was humming softly as she scratched lazily at Blake's ears, who just lapped up the attention. Feeling her gaze, Blake slid one eye open, a hungry look in her slitted eye as she smiled.

Yang grinned back before returning to Weiss, closing the door. "Nah, we're just taking a breather. I thought I'd just take a quick rinse-off." She made her way to the shower. "That okay?"

"Um... " Weiss stuttered before turning away as Yang discarded her tank-top. "S-sure." She kept her eyes to the side as she heard the towel hit the floor and the water turn on.

Weiss was fully intent on just keeping her head down the whole time, until Yang started talking. "So, what have you been doing in here?"

Weiss chanced to look up, and was thankful that Yang had closed the shower curtain, leaving only a fuzzy outline of her body. "Just… waiting for you all to get done," she muttered.

The outline tilted its head. "Oh, so that's a 'no' on joining in?"

Weiss shoved down an indignant splutter, settling instead for feigned indifference. "You all seem to be doing fine on your own."

Even blurred, Weiss could just feel Yang roll her eyes. "Ugh, fine, I'll shut up."

A minute or so passed, the only sound that of falling water. Weiss tried to focus on her scroll, but without meaning to, her eyes kept straying towards the shower.

"So, uh…"

Weiss closed her mouth with an audible click! The words had fallen out without a thought, and Weiss didn't even know what question she'd been about to ask. She just hoped that Yang hadn't heard her.

"Yeah?"

Drat.

"Um…" Weiss struggled for a thought, many questions popping into her head as she tried to find one that wasn't inappropriate. Though given the circumstances… "Is everything… going okay?"

Yang chuckled behind the curtain. "I think so. And from the way Blake looked just a bit ago, I think she'd agree with me."

Weiss blushed. Well, I knew that. Stupid earplugs. "And… Ruby? She's doing okay?"

Yang's form froze for a second before giving an odd laugh. "Yeah, she's fine. Quick learner, too. A little too quick…" She muttered the last part before trailing off.

A sudden thought struck Weiss, suddenly feeling as if all of her blood had rushed to her face. Pushing it away, she instead asked, "Isn't it a little… awkward… y'know…"

"Doing it with my partner while my little sister watches?" Yang supplied as she shut off the shower. "Yes, Weiss, it's awkward as all hell."

Weiss fell silent, guessing Yang was a bit more volatile at the moment than she thought. "Sorry…" she mumbled.

After a moment, she heard Yang sigh. "It's not your fault. I'm just… coming to grips that my little sister ain't so little anymore."

Weiss swallowed down her nerves as Yang reached out of the curtain searching for her towel. "But… she is alright, right? Like… she's enjoying herself?"

Yang stopped at her tone. She poked her head out of the curtain and looked at Weiss. Weiss was still sitting against the wall, staring off to the side. Her face was beet red, but her expression… rather than embarrassment like she'd figured, Weiss seemed more nervous and curious than anything else. "Why do you ask?"

Weiss shifted her weight a little, looking uncomfortable. "Well… she said this is her first time, and… I was just… making sure it was going… well…"

Yang frowned. This was new. Weiss always spoke very clearly whenever she had something to say. The only times she didn't was when she was flustered or really angry, and in those instances, she was always loud. But this… Yang had never heard her stumble over her words like this, especially with how quiet she was, almost mumbling.

Making a quick decision, Yang wrapped herself in the towel and stepped out. Weiss didn't notice she was moving until Yang sat down on the floor right next to her. "Yang, what-"

"Spill."

Weiss flinched at the commanding tone. "Wha-what-?"

"Something's knocking around in that high-class head of yours," Yang said with a raised eyebrow. "So if you want to talk to somebody, now's the chance. So, spill."

Weiss stared at her before turning away, indignant. "I have no idea what you're…"

She trailed off when she saw Yang's unimpressed look out of the corner of her eye. After a moment, her resolve crumbled. "It's… stupid," she sighed.

Yang let out a soft chuckle. "I'll be the judge of that. So…?"

Weiss was quiet, staring down at her hands as she twiddled with her fingers. "Is this… normal for you?"

Yang couldn't help but scoff. "Uh, a three-way involving my sister? Yeah, Weiss, totally normal."

To her surprise, Weiss just shook her head, her face scrunching up in concentration. "No, I mean... " She glanced at Yang before averting her gaze. "...being with a girl."

Yang blinked. Ooohhhh… "For me? Yeah, pretty much."

Weiss was taken aback by her bluntness. "R-really?"

Yang shrugged at her. "Well, yeah. Boys never really held an interest for me, y'know? I mean, they're fun to hang out with every now and then, but attractiveness? Eh."

"Oh," was Weiss' only answer, staring back at her hands in thought.

Yang watched her for a minute, watching the nervous energy roll off of her. "So… what about you?"

Weiss swallowed. "It's… complicated."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Yeah, see, everyone always says that until they actually say things out loud. Talk to me, Snowflake, you into chicks or d-?"

"Just-!" Weiss cut her off with an indignant squeak before deflating. "Look, I just… can't be."

Yang was confused. "'Can't'? Can't be… what?"

Weiss huffed, looking away. "I can't be… gay," she whispered.

Yang's frown deepened. "Okay, never heard that one before. 'Yes', 'no', 'I don't know', but I've never heard someone say they 'can't' be gay. Something wrong with liking girls?"

Weiss shook her head, frowning. "No… at least… I don't think so…"

Yang hummed, another piece of the puzzle clicking into place. "But, someone else does," she stated.

Weiss started, cursing her slip of the tongue. After a moment, she closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath through her nose. Well, I've gone this far. "It's… it's my father."

Yang stayed quiet, sensing a touchy subject. Instead, she just dipped her head towards Weiss, motioning her to continue.

Weiss hesitated, before continuing. "He's… very conservative. To him, there's the status quo, and that's it. Humans before Faunus… men with women. Anything that strays just a little bit outside the lines…"

Yang watched her as she fell silent. Then she looked around. Not seeing anything, she placed her hand above her eyes, squinting as she moved her head side to side.

Weiss looked at her like she was crazy. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for your dad," Yang said matter-of-factly. "Weird, I don't see him."

Weiss scowled at her, looking away. "I actually thought you were taking this seriously…"

She was cut off when Yang lightly (for Yang) bopped her on the head. She whipped around to see Yang frowning. "I am being serious. He ain't here. In fact, and correct me if I'm wrong, he's on another freaking continent right now, right?"

Weiss nodded, completely lost.

Yang smiled at her. "Well, then, he ain't here to tell you what to do. Complication un-complicated."

Weiss blinked, her face softening a bit. A look of hope crossed her features, before being smothered by a scowl. "Maybe in your world," she muttered.

Yang grimaced. O-kay, strike one. She thought hard, looking for another way to make Weiss open up. "Well… how about this: hypothetically-"

"Ooh, big word," Weiss said mockingly.

Yang glare. "Shut it." She continued. "Hypothetically, let's pretend that your dad wasn't in the picture."

Weiss sighed. "Yang, he-"

"Ah ah ah!" she blocked her. "Pretending!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, relenting.

Yang went on. "If your dad wasn't a factor in this, whatsoever, which do you think you're attracted towards? Guys or girls?"

Weiss turned away, fully intending to ignore the question. As the silence stretched on, however, she glanced back at Yang. Rather than being frustrated like she'd assumed, Yang was simply looking at her, patiently waiting for an answer.

Weiss tried to ignore her, but as the seconds ticked by, the question kept repeating itself in her head. Finally, she gave up. Closing her eyes, she dipped her head down. "I… I never really thought about… I never let myself think about it," she clarified. "Not until tonight…"

Yang hummed at her words, hard at thought. "What about tonight?"

Weiss gave her an 'are you stupid?' look. "You three! We were having a normal night and then… Blake goes into heat and you and Ruby just… you made it seem so… simple."

Yang snorted, much to Weiss' surprise. "Yeah, wouldn't exactly call it simple. Mind explaining?"

"You just... " Weiss struggled to put her thoughts into words. "You and Ruby argued, but… the fact that Blake was a girl… you didn't even mention it. You made it seem like such a non-issue."

Yang could only shrug. "Well, it kinda is… at least to me. Ruby too, apparently."

Weiss shook her head, bemused. "Well, it's not to me. I mean… I don't even know if I'm attracted to girls or boys or… I just don't know!" She nearly screamed in frustration.

Yang frowned at Weiss' outburst. Geez, this is really messing with her. How the heck do I-

Ding!

Yang blinked. Huh. That could work. Or make things ten times worse… Eh, worth a shot.

"Hey, Weiss?" The heiress looked up, finding Yang smiling down at her. "I can think of an easy way to know if you like girls, at least."

Weiss gave her a wary look. "What?"

"Well…" Yang droned, leaning against Weiss a bit. "You could kiss me."

…

"What?!"

Yang flinched away, ears ringing. "Ahh… simple 'no' woulda worked!"

"You, I, you, eh, uh… wha?" Meaningless sounds tumbled from Weiss' mouth as her eyes bugged out at the blonde.

Yang raised a brow at her, massaging her stinging ear. "It was just a thought. A quick kiss just to see if you were comfortable with a girl."

Weiss stumbled over her words for a reply. "B-but… me? Kiss you?"

Yang frowned a bit at her tone. "Well, you don't gotta say it like that."

Weiss' cheeks tinted. "S-sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I just… you want to kiss me?"

The blonde paused at the nervous quiver in her voice. "Well… yeah, I guess. Why, something wrong with that?"

The red darkened. "N-no, not really. But, um… why?"

Yang tilted her head, much like Ruby would. "Uh… why not? I just thought it would be a way to help you out."

Weiss frowned. "How would you kissing me help me in any way?"

"Makes sense to me. You don't like it, you don't like it. But if you do…" Yang shrugged. "What, is there something wrong with me? I could ask Ruby, if that'd make you more comfortable."

Weiss blushed deeper at the thought, pushing down the flustered feeling building inside her. "No, it's not you…"

"Then what? The thought of kissing a girl?"

"No, it's…" Weiss hesitated, then sighed. "It's because… I've never kissed anyone before. Ever."

Yang blinked. "Ever?"

"Ever."

"Oh," Yang said, turning away. She drummed her fingers on her knees. "Awkward," she mumbled.

The room went silent. Weiss' mind was a jumbled mess as she sifted through her thoughts.

Kiss Yang? Preposterous. The very idea… although… no, it wouldn't work… though it might… what if I don't like it?... what if I do?... what would that mean?... Ah, ridiculous! How could one kiss mean anything anyway? It's not as if I feel anything for her…

She glanced over at Yang. When Yang glanced back, she quickly turned away.

Well… that's not entirely true… she's kind… if abrasive… she's protective… if a bit smothering… she's…

She thought of the arm-punches, the fist bumps, the one-armed hugs Yang would subject her to on occasion, usually right out of the blue for no apparent reason. Her lips quirked a bit.

She's affectionate… in her own way… and accepting… trusting…

Her eyes flicked to Yang, to her lips.

Maybe… just once…

"Well!" Yang said suddenly as she moved to stand up, startling Weiss from her thoughts. "Sorry I wasn't much help to you, Snowflake. I better get back in there before Blake gets restless."

She was almost to her feet-

"Wait!"

Yang froze. Looking down, she saw Weiss' hand wrapped around her wrist, the heiress holding her head down so she couldn't see her eyes.

"Weiss?" Yang questioned.

"...just one kiss?"

The words were so soft Yang almost missed them. A smile slowly spread across her face. "Yeah, just one."

"...and if I say I don't like it… you'll stop?"

Yang slowly sat back down, moving her arm so Weiss' hand fell into her own "Just say the word."

Weiss swallowed nervously, turning to Yang. Her eyes shined with trepidation. "H-how exactly…?"

Yang laughed softly. "Just lean forward a bit. I'll do the rest."

Weiss hesitated, before leaning forward slowly, ever so slowly, closing her eyes.

Soft. That was surprising. Everything about Yang screamed strength, but when their lips connected, all Weiss could think about was how soft Yang's lips were against her own. Soft and warm.

Well… it doesn't feel bad, Weiss thought as Yang moved her lips against her. She pressed forward slightly against the blonde. Actually, it's… rather nice.

Yang let out a small chuckle when she felt Weiss lean further into the kiss. I wonder if…

Weiss tensed when she felt something poke lightly at her lips. It took her a second to realized it was Yang's tongue, asking for entry.

Nerves almost made her break the kiss, but… after a moment… curiosity won out.

Weiss parted her lips slightly, and Yang's tongue darted in, gently brushing against her own. Hesitantly, Weiss pushed back, Yang acting in kind.

Seconds ticked past as Weiss lost herself. By some mutual understanding, they broke apart slowly, Weiss only then noticing the heat in her cheeks. She opened her eyes, finding Yang smiling softly at her.

"Well?" she asked quietly.

Weiss stared back, before clearing her throat awkwardly. "Well, um… it wasn't… unpleasant."

Yang raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

After a moment, Weiss relented. "Okay, it felt… nice… very nice," she said, her blush deepening.

Yang's smile grew. "Good to know." She glanced at the door. "I wasn't kidding, ya know. Blake's still raring to go, and I don't really like the idea of Ruby dealing with that all on her own."

Weiss blinked, suddenly remembering the whole reason this had started in the first place. She nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. You should probably check back in."

Yang gave her a long look before getting to her fee, towel still wrapped around her. She put her hand on the doorknob, but stopped. She turned to Weiss. "Y'know, the offer still stands."

Weiss looked up at her, fully aware of what she was asking. She hesitated. Kissing is one thing, but… do I really want to…?

"...could we stop?" she asked nervously. "If I don't like it?"

Yang just nodded, understanding. "If you feel uncomfortable, Weiss, ya just gotta say 'no'. I don't wanna force you to do something you don't want to do."

Weiss still hesitated. She felt nervous.. No, if she was honest with herself, she felt scared. She was so far out of her element, so out of her depth. She had no idea what would happen, and she hated that.

But… She stared into Yang's eyes, looking back at her with warmth and acceptance. So much in those lavender orbs that she'd never received from anybody.

I trust her. Weiss was surprised by how unexpected that revelation was.

Hesitantly, Weiss raised her arm towards Yang. Yang's smile grew even further, pulling the smaller girl to her feet.

"I'm trusting you," she said softly.

"I know, Snowflake."