38

Chapter 38

Blake took a long walk through the forest. The morning was quite cold but it was actually helpful to clear her head.

What the hell happened last night?

Waking up topless on the floor with Pyrrha sleeping on the couch above her. Pulling out small glass shards out of her back and cleaning up the place with a major headache.

She came back shortly before noon. Compared to yesterday, the house was almost completely quiet and the only person she saw was Pyrrha sitting in the kitchen at the table and cradling her head in her hands.

Blake sighed, took out a can of soda from the fridge and sat down next to her. "So… wanna talk about what happened last night?"

Pyrrha groaned something inaudible.

"I may have better hearing than humans but not that much better." Blake commented with a raised eyebrow.

She slowly raised her head but didn't even look at Blake. "I confessed." She quietly admitted.

"Huh?" Was the only reaction Blake was capable of at the moment. She sat completely frozen for a few seconds before she managed to form a full sentence. "And what did she say?"

Pyrrha hollowly chuckled. "She looked at me like a deer in the headlights before running to Yang."

They stayed silent for some time, simply sitting there and trying to understand how exactly they got to this point.

"We are both complete idiots, aren't we?" Pyrrha asked with a sigh.

Blake could only nod and gave her a tired smile.

-BBW-

Yang got dragged away by Ruby into the forest, so her sister would have the privacy for the 'emergency sister meeting'.

"What do I do?" Ruby earnestly asked after giving Yang a disjointed recount of what happened with Pyrrha.

"So… Do you like her back?" If she did, then everything would be solved quite fast.

"I don't know?" Ruby clutched her head between her hands. "How do I figure it out?"

"Hmm…" Yang thought about it before answering. "That's up to you." She said with a smile and ruffled Ruby's hair.

"Huh?" Ruby looked at her in confusion.

"This is something you have to figure out on your own. Relationship and love-life is your own responsibility and while I love you, it's not… in that way." She gave her sister a reassuring squeeze. "So go and see whether you want a girlfriend or not."

/

"I love you but only like a sister." Weiss giggled as she walked up to Yang. "We both know that if she wanted a romantic relationship with you, you'd break up with me in an instant."

Yang raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh don't give me the whole silent treatment." Weiss rolled her eyes. "She has you around her pinkie."

"At least she doesn't have an inferiority complex when it comes to me." She shot back with a smirk.

Weiss pouted. "Let's just go." She grabbed Yang's hand and started dragging her out of the forest. "You promised to show me around and I doubt Ruby would have time to work today."

-BBW-

Ruby slowly walked into the guest room. Both Pyrrha and Blake were inside.

"Uh, Pyrrha?" Ruby awkwardly spoke up. "Could we talk?"

The two older girls shared a look and Blake stood up. She gave Pyrrha an apologetic look and turned to Ruby. "Actually, I… I am interested as well. I mean that- damn it." She fumbled. This is harder than I had thought.

"What she is trying to say-" Pyrrha decided to offer a hand. "-is that she also likes you. In a romantic way. At least I think so." She could have let Blake embarrass herself but… they were still friends and she really didn't want to live up to the saying about women breaking friendships. And after yesterday… Yang's words reappeared in her head. If it takes both of them to make Ruby happy, then so be it.

"Why?" Ruby asked after a few moments. "I just don't understand. How did that even happen?" her eyes were switching between Blake and Pyrrha and she was starting to panic again. "I thought we were friends…"

"And we are but…" Blake answered with a soft smile. "Maybe we could try to be something different?"

She kept looking at them before gulping. "I-I need time to think." She burst into petals and was gone within a second.

/

Porn. Divorce. Porn. Porn. One-nighters… It was surprisingly hard to find any adequate relationship advice. Like how to start one or what to do when you get two confessions in one day. How does she answer that? How to figure out which one she likes more? How to know whether she even likes them in that way?

Okay, let's try a scientific approach… How do I calculate liking?... Dating, so… we go out and, uhm, with whom I have more fun would be the one I like more? Wait! If I choose one then the other one will get upset! So… should I choose Pyrrha so the team stays stable?

This was going to take some time…oh well, not her first all-nighter.

-BBW-

"Weiss, can I come in?" Pyrrha knocked on Yang's room.

"Finally!" She heard Weiss call out. "I mean, yes of course." After Pyrrha entered she continued. "I'm sorry for the outburst. I was just grateful that somebody actually knocked instead of bursting in."

I knocked because I didn't want to walk in on you and Yang… Pyrrha accepted the praise(?) with a strained smile. "I wanted to ask you something."

"If it's within my abilities I'll answer you in the best way I can." Weiss replied.

Pyrrha looked towards the door, checking if it was still closed before turning back to Weiss. "I…need some advice."

Weiss blinked before sighing. "It's about Ruby isn't it?" She got ready for another incoming headache, that would be blamed on their leader. "Let me guess, her running around and screaming was somehow your fault?"

"Yes." She admitted. "I kindo of confessed to her."

"Figures." Weiss rolled her eyes before blinking and staring at Pyrrha with wide eyes. "Wait what? You finally got over yourself?"

Pyrrha felt quite insulted by the question but didn't dwell on the issue. "Yes."

"And? Did you get turned down or are you two a thing now? And what about Blake? And-"

"Stop!" Pyrrha cried out in the middle of the barrage. "She didn't give an answer yet… Blake confessed too. I think she is trying to figure out what to do now."

"Huh." Weiss gave it a thought. "Then what do you need from me right now?"

"Well, you and Yang work so…" Pyrrha nervously poked her fingers. "I wanted to ask how to make it all work out."

Weiss leveled an odd look at Pyrrha. "No."

"What? Why? What about helping out partners?"

"I'm saying no, because Yang isn't Ruby. You wouldn't be able to just replicate it."

Oh really?" Pyrrha crossed her arms. "Then please tell me how it is so different?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Fine!" She gestured towards the chair in the room. "Take a seat, it can take some time." She waited for Pyrrha to sit down with a curious and slightly worried expression. "To begin with, what do you know about their family?"

"Well, they're living with their father and… they have an uncle." Pyrrha stopped because that was about all she knew. Ruby talked quite often of Yang, their father, occasionally uncle and sometimes about the island but she never talked about her family too much.

"Yes, actually, they are half-sisters. Yang's mother left almost immediately after she gave birth. Oh, and before I forget. Don't you dare tell Yang that I told you that. She says she is over it but you will stay quiet nonetheless." She fixed Pyrrha with a withering glare. "Anyway, Ruby's mom later married Tai and was raising both of them. Then she took a wrong mission and never came back."

Pyrrha looked like she swallowed something very sour. Her family wasn't the greatest but both of her parents loved each other and were still alive and mostly together. Her father was traveling a lot.

Weiss continued. "Their father broke down after his marriage falling apart two times in a row and Yang had to pretty much raise Ruby herself while their uncle was trying to bring their father around. That's why she is so attached to her. Honestly, if Ozpin had put the two of them into different teams, Yang would probably ignore the decision and just switch with whoever was closest for grabbing and throwing away. The reason why Yang and I work is because when we are together, I can make her enjoy the life of a teenager and not a teen mom. I'm certain that Ruby has some gears missing on her own but that's for you to find and deal with."

-BBW-

Blake used her time differently. While most people would enjoy the holidays by spending time with their families, Signal had the same boarding policy as Beacon. Yang's class had obviously graduated but Ruby's…

She was a second away from jumping down from the tree just so she could give some brat a piece of her mind for calling Ruby autistic. She should have counted herself lucky to be able to catch them in the exact moment as they were talking about her but what she had learned…

No friends to speak of, Yang's protective nature going through the roof and both students and teachers treating her as untouchable thanks to her father being a staff member.

It sounded almost like she was being bullied…

Then it clicked. Ruby was being bullied, not physically of course, she wasn't above self-defense and Yang would probably annihilate everyone who touched her but psychologically. And yet Ruby showed no signs of it. She probably didn't even know it was happening. Even at Beacon, she spent almost all of her time either surrounded by people who she saw as friends, at least to an extent of what she understood as friends, or she was stuck in the smithy.

No wonder she was so out of it when both of us tried to make a move… Blake came back shortly after sunset. Weiss, to no one's surprise was doing something that looked suspiciously like schoolwork and Yang was lightly dozing off at the couch next to her. Pyrrha was in the guestroom and Ruby was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe-" Pyrrha spoke up when she saw Blake enter the room. "-we could talk about what happened yesterday…"

Blake lightly blushed but didn't lose her composure. "We both know what happened. I blame alcohol and Weiss."

Pyrrha gave her a flat look. "Is that all you can say about it?"

"Oh I can say much more!" Blake smirked. "Like for example, for such a prude, you were quite daring."

Pyrrha made a good impression of a tomato and turned away. "I don't know what you're talking about. "She said quietly.

"Oh, so it wasn't you who was nibbling at my ears?"

"You bit me!" Pyrrha shot back. "And your tongue felt… weird."

"Cat faunus, duh." Blake rolled her eyes. "Compared to how handsy you've got with my bu-"

"Blake!" Pyrrha shouted out, face crimson red. "Just stop! It's not what I wanted to talk about!"

"Can you two stay quiet!? I'm trying to focus!" Weiss' voice carried from the first floor.

Blake turned to the door and shouted back. "You are the last person in this house who can fault others at being too loud!"

"Both of you shut up!" Yang called out. "Have you ever woken up because somebody was testing a mortar in the backyard? No. So don't complain!"

Blake and Pyrrha shared a confused glance.

"Wanna make a bet that Ruby or Yang will blow up Beacon before we graduate?" Blake offered her hand.

Pyrrha thought about it for a second. "What are we betting?"

"The loser pays for the bail."

"Sure."

"I bet on Yang." Blake announced.

"On Ruby. The stuff she has in our dorm would probably be enough to do it already."

-BBW-

Ruby woke shortly before noon. Ugh…Yang's gonna be mad… Her sister really didn't like when she slept in her lab. Or on the floor. Her 'research' into the relationships didn't give her as many answers as she would wish but she had at least some idea of what to do and… She still didn't know how to feel about it all but they could always just be friends and everything would be fine. Totally. She did some actual work. One being a more detailed draft of what she had in mind for Weiss and the other being the first prototype for Pyrrha's THSU heavy weaponry. Hopefully they would be able to test it here, the thing was a bit too large to carry into Beacon without Goodwitch making a fuss.

She decided to take a more scenic route home to enjoy the fresh air and attempt to organize stuff in her head. By chance she ended up near her small old lab. "Maybe I should clean up… sell the old stuff…

/

"Yang! I've been robbed!" Ruby hollered at the top of her lungs as a torrent of red petals enveloped the entire building.

"WHAT?!" Yang shot up, eyes blazing. Who dared?!

"Somebodybrokeintomyoldlabandtookeveryth-"

"... Okay, I barely understood what you just said." Yang sweatdropped. The three other girls nodded as well.

"My old lab! It's all gone!"

Yang blinked and turned her semblance off. "Huh? I thought you took everything out yourself."

"I only took the important stuff."

"So what's the problem? Isn't it a good thing that the old things are dealt with?"

"B-but what if I still need it?"

"Ruby," Yang sighed. "You haven't been there for over a year. If there was anything you needed, you would've already taken it."

Weiss decided to add her own opinion on the matter. "Well, my sister is around and she could help but… the stuff you had there wasn't exactly legal, wasn't it?"

"Hey! I paid for it." Ruby objected while Yang made a so-so gesture.

"Ugh, fine!" Ruby stomped and turned around. "I go clean up. And this time I mean it."

Fifteen minutes later they heard a distant explosion and saw the smoke rising on the horizon.

"She is going to be moody for a few days now." Yang commented, not bothered or even surprised by Ruby's idea of cleaning up. She looked to her girlfriend and then to the two girls that couldn't make a step without falling on their faces when it came to her sister. "Double date."

Pyrrha and Blake looked at her in confusion and a bit of panic. Weiss on the other hand…

They all already know. Winter is on the mainland and there is no way in hell that father has eyes and ears on some small island.

"...There is barely any decent place to go to…"

We can always go to Yang's yacht after the fact.

"Hmm… fine, but I'll be taking the wheel during the date."

Just don't start anything in public…

"Sure. Could be fun."

-BBW-

"Guys? Are you here?" Ruby walked around the house looking for Pyrrha and Blake. Finally she found them in the backyard in the middle of a light spar. Moments like these were quite scarce but she would always be reminded that she is two years younger then them. Her sister didn't count because the way her chest grew seemed to defy some laws of nature. Instead in front of her were two girls that were both taller and more developed than her. Her chest didn't matter that much but she really wouldn't mind a couple of extra inches. It would make carrying her darling much easier.

After a while they noticed that they had an audience and decided to pause for a while.

"Ehm, hi." Ruby awkwardly called out. "Can we talk?"

Blake took the initiative. "Ruby, I'm sorry if I caused you any discomfort with my…behavior."

"And I do as well." Pyrrha chimed in. "I- we shouldn't have sprung this on you so sud-"

"Just stop already!" Ruby shouted at them to the older girls' surprise. They watched with wide eyes as Ruby took a deep breath. "I- well- Let's say that I'm not the most social person. And… I needed some time to figure out…what to do." She gave them a shy apologetic smile. "I have no idea what you are executing or how it should be like. My own research…wasn't very informative."

Blake and Pyrrha shared a confused look, neither understanding where exactly Ruby was going with her speech.

"What I'm trying to say- we are friends and I don't mind spending more time together." Ruby continued. "And, well, if something happens then it's a good thing right? And if not then we can go back to just being friends and everything will be fine." She gave them a wide shining smile. "So… I don't really know what I'm doing so I will be in your care."

/

"Well, this was somewhat more mature than I had expected." Ivory commented. She was listening in on the…resolution(?) from the second floor window. Mostly so her and Yang would be able to intervene if Blake and Pyrrha were starting to go overboard with their spar.

"She is socially awkward, not stupid." Yang lightheartedly spoke up and rested her head atop Ivory's. She honestly didn't care that much about what she said about her sister, she was just proud of her for being able to figure it out. "Think she will be on board with the double date idea?"

Ivory pressed herself into Yang. "Please, she would go along just because it is a team activity." She said with a warm smile. "The question is, if they will ask for privacy halfway through." She chuckled as she felt Yang's body temperature skyrocket. "Oh calm down. With how long it took them to even start, I think you don't have to worry for at least a year, maybe more."

"Fine… but if Blake moves into our dorm, I'm going to have a few words with them." Yang huffed but calmed down.

The two descended into a comfortable silence, enjoying the view of Pyrrha and Blake trying to figure out what to do with Ruby's response to their confessions.

"Yang?" Weiss spoke up, a bit of trepidation in her voice. "My sister is on a mission with your father…"

"Hmmm, and?"

"If they come here, what are we going to do?"

Yang hugged Weiss tighter. "Is she going to be against us?"

"... I don't know…" She answered. "But I would like for you two to get along."

"Then I'll do my best. Whenever we meet."

/

/

/

Damn… what a shitty weekend. To my readers from Europe. Ehm ehm, fuck the heat wave. 38C ffs. I'm pretty sure a part of my brain had melted off…

Replies

To Kyunin9: The only thing that can make Tai suspicious is if took a look at his hunting log and saw that he took several missions when he was a fool-time teacher. Otherwise he doesn't know a thing about what they were really doing.

To TYPE-RWBYFanatic64: Yang has it. Well, it's in Ruby's giant locker but it's Yang's. Ruby can also make a bastardized version by overcharging her semblance with lighting dust