Of Kittens, Rosebuds, And A Snowflake - NicJamesWulfe (2024)

Chapter 1: Sterling Silver

Chapter Text

Ch 1: Sterling Silver

Anxious foot taping of a combat boot could be heard in the small waiting room. A gentle hand reached over and rested upon the knee, holding the leg still. Silver eyes glanced up into icy blues along with a big nervous smile. Ruby nervously rubbed the back of her neck with an apology as Weiss gave a light squeeze to her knee before removing her hand from the younger woman’s knee. They were the last people in the waiting room before the office closed for the day.

“Ruby, relax. Really, you aren’t even the one seeing the doctor. If anyone should be so nervous, it’s me,” Weiss spoke calmly but she carried the usual expression she gave when she was trying not to be annoyed.

Ruby chuckled nervously. “Yea… I suppose you’re right Weiss. Sorry.”

Weiss sighed, turning towards the woman next to her and reaching a hand to Ruby’s cheek, “You dolt, it’s fine. You’d think after being the main force defeating Salem, this would be a breeze for you.”

She got another shy chuckle in response as Ruby leaned into her hand, “Come on Weiss! This is way different and you know it!”

The white haired woman rolled her eyes slightly, thumb rubbing Ruby’s cheek, but before she could say anything, a nurse popped her head out a door, “Weiss Rose? The doctor will see you now.”

The two got up, Ruby taking a deep breath before Weiss took her hand and they followed the woman back to an examination room. Weiss took a seat on the patient bed and Ruby took a seat in the room as they waited. The nurse did the usual checks on Weiss’s vitals and everything before leaving the room. Ruby’s leg was bouncing again.

“Ruby… are you sure you are ready for this? We don’t have to do this you know…” the younger woman heard spoken to her from the bed.

She snapped her head over to look at her wife who was looking at her with a sweet but serious expression. This made the scythe wielder feel quite guilty. They had to travel all the way to Vacuo to see this specialist. The doctor used to work out of Atlas but even in the two years since defeating Salem and since the fall of Atlas, a lot of the great minds from the fallen city were still within the desert town where they had set themselves back up. She had married Weiss about a year ago but the woman had been very interested in this visit.

Long talks had happened for the past few months before Ruby finally felt she could make this step with Weiss. The woman had never pushed or forced Ruby of course. The scythe wielder was younger and it was a big decision but that didn’t change the fact Weiss really wanted this and Ruby knew that.

It did make her feel better knowing her sister and Blake were also currently having the same discussions, “Weiss no. I’m nervous but that doesn’t mean I want to back out of this. I was serious when I told you I’m ready for us to be parents, but of course it’s going to make me nervous! Really, I can’t understand how you can be so calm.”

Weiss gave Ruby a look before rubbing her own arm, “Please, of course I’m nervous! But I really want this with you Ruby. So I’m also just really excited.”

The white haired woman felt Ruby’s hand touch the one she was rubbing her own arm with and she flashed a genuine, loving smile, “Me too Weiss.”

As they exchanged smiles, the doctor entered, “Well hello ladies! I hope you are both well!”

Ruby was standing near Weiss as the doctor and her wife exchanged pleasantries. This wasn’t their first visit of course. They had been in town several times for visits leading up to this one, making sure Weiss was viable, checking her ovulation cycles, getting DNA from Ruby for the process, etc. Today would be the big visit day. The doctor slipped out for a moment while Weiss got the gown on and when he returned he did what he needed to do to check that everything was in order.

When he finished, he slid away on his rolling stool, removing his gloves, “Everything seems to be in order Weiss. Now,” he rolled over to a small cooling container in the corner and pulled out two cups, coming back to the couple and handing them each one, “you will each need to go ahead and drink this. Then, in a few hours you will both be ready to take the next step. You’ll know when it kicks in. You’ll both feel a change in your arousal pretty significantly. Once it kicks in, you’ll only have a two hour max window to get the next step done. I recommend not waiting though as the best results yield the closer to the starting time once it kicks in and the longer you wait the faster the chances of it taking drastically decrease.”

Ruby was staring down at the cup full of a thick liquid that resembled some sort of gel. The idea of drinking it felt sickening but she glanced over at Weiss, whose concoction was just as thick but a different color. Weiss glanced over at Ruby before downing the unpleasant drink to reassure her wife she was not losing any resolve. With a scrunched up nose, Ruby too downed the gross substance. The taste was gross but the way it felt going down her throat trumped that. It almost felt like choking and it was slow moving, Ruby choking once it was finally down. If it wasn’t a full one cup measurement worth of liquid maybe it would’ve been easier to swallow down.

The doctor chuckled as he took the cups from them, “Yes I know it’s not fun but this is the best method for two women to have their own biological children that Remnant has currently. My apologies ladies.”

He tossed out the cups and turned to a drawer, pulling out a box and handing it to Ruby, “Now you’ll be needing that when the moment to conceive comes around. Now, the best positions we have learned have the highest success rates are ones where the hips are higher than the chest. We assume gravity helps there but you can really use any position and it should work so go with what’s comfortable.”

Ruby looked stressed trying to keep track of all the information as well as dealing with feeling like she was just smothered from air due to the drink. Weiss noticed and reached out to take Ruby’s hand. When silver orbs glance up at the woman, her thumb runs across Ruby’s knuckles and she turns to the doctor, “Is there anything else we need to know beforehand Doctor? If not, would it be alright if we got going? I think some air is needed.”

He glanced over at Ruby and nodded, “Ah yes sorry. Sometimes all the instructions do get a bit overwhelming for first timers. There isn’t much else to share really. No need to return the item in the box. Feel free to keep it or toss it out if you like. The use of it is going to be really unpleasant for you Ruby so I highly recommend you let Weiss help and you be sure to relax. And with that, that’s what you’ll need to know for now. I’ll give you some privacy and when you are ready you can stop at the front desk to schedule the followup.”

He left and Ruby held her head as all the information mixed with nerves and anxiety and her head felt like it was spinning. When her wife finished getting back into her own clothes she felt that sweet hand on her cheek again, “Are you alright Ruby?”

The younger woman took a deep breath and nodded, touching Weiss’s hand, “Yea I’ll be alright. We should probably get a move on so we can get back to our hotel in time right?”

She fidgeted with the box in her hands before following Weiss back out to the lobby. Once the next visit was scheduled, the couple left for their hotel. Weiss had gotten them a very nice suite in town. The two got dinner into their bodies before settling into the couch in front of a screen to watch anything they could find that was interesting enough to pass the time. Ruby held Weiss close as they cuddled up, playing with her wife’s hand in her own as they got comfortable.

As a movie played, Weiss watched Ruby’s fingers idly playing with her own as she leaned her head against Ruby’s chest. The two were quiet for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. In truth, they were barely paying any attention to the movie, simply having it on as background noise to fill the silence. It was a comfortable silence, both lost in thought. By the time the movie was coming close to an end, the room suddenly felt hot.

Ruby was now hyper aware of how close Weiss was snuggled into her. She felt her cheeks flush and warmth shoot straight to her lower body, fidgeting a bit with the hand locked with her own and squirming some. Icy eyes looked up at her, cheeks also warm but a pleasant smile on her face, “Ruby? Is it…”

Ruby nodded, grinning shyly, “Yea… you too?”

Weiss grinned more and leaned up, kissing along Ruby’s jaw to her ear and whispering in a seductive tone, “Yes. Do you have the box?”

The younger woman felt shivers shoot down her spine and nodded, pulling the box from the table beside the couch where they sat. Weiss slid her hand along the box to touch Ruby’s fingers and gently took it, “Ruby… just lay back and relax ok? I don’t want you to waste anything so I’m going to try to get you ready as quickly as I can. The more you relax, the easier it will be ok?”

Ruby just nodded, swallowing hard. Weiss kissed her lips in response to the slightly worried face Ruby was giving her. The kiss soon shifted to one full of desire and passion as Weiss leaned her back in the kiss until Ruby’s back hit the couch. Her slender fingers traced Ruby's sides down to her hips, removing her skirt softly but swiftly, her leggings and panties following soon after.

Weiss was usually the dominant one between the two, which would make this rather tricky since she had every intention to follow the instructions to the tee. She didn’t waste effort or take extra risks. Part of her felt bad for what she had to do next as she sat back and stared at Ruby’s bare waist before looking at Ruby’s flushed face that was shyly glancing away as her thighs rubbed together, her wife’s breathing deepening.

The way the serum they drank worked for Ruby, any fluids her body created from her sex while it was in effect would be potent with sperm to impregnate Weiss but it would also create a lot more secretion. Since women didn’t generally have any force behind their release, anything wasted would run the risk of not enough build up to actually get where it needed to go. This meant to add the device to Ruby, she would have to skip any foreplay if she wanted to save as much as possible.

Inside the box was what looked like a strapless strapon except the end that would need to anchor within Ruby was wider than usual by quite a lot and was open on the end, basically acting as a funnel into the length provided. The anchor was also not very long. The length was made to simulate the ability to help push the fluid along much like the way the real thing worked as best it could. The dick portion was also quite girthy and long, meant to actually be able to invade the opening of the cervix to get the source as close as possible and also help avoid overflow. Likewise, Weiss and Ruby had agreed on the optional knot at the base to help keep everything where they wanted it to be.

Getting it inside Ruby however was going to be uncomfortable for her wife with Weiss’s intentions but it was something they had agreed on. She grabbed the item from the box as well as the lube that was provided with it. She watched Ruby carefully, her wife’s nervous expression making her worry. As she applied the lube to the portion that she needed to get into her lover, she leaned forward to block Ruby’s view of the wide item and kissed at her cheek and lips, trying to help her relax, “Ruby please… trust me ok? If you really need to, we can always stop ok?”

The younger woman nodded, trembling at Weiss’s attention being given as she tried to relax herself. Already she was getting wet from the arousal of the medicine and how Weiss was tenderly loving her which she was trying hard to resist, “W-Weiss… I can’t help what’s…”

“You sweet dolt,” she was silenced by a loving kiss as Weiss pressed her lips to Ruby’s, her hands gliding along Ruby’s thighs to spread them as much as they could comfortably. The kiss deepened, Weiss’s tongue sliding past Ruby’s somewhat chap lips to within her mouth, tongues engaged together in a dance of desire. As Weiss distracted her with the kiss, she took her lubed fingers to Ruby’s core, applying the slippery substance along her entrance before sliding two fingers into Ruby.

A sharp breath was caught in the kiss from Ruby, her legs trembling at the sudden intrusion. At least the medicine’s effects helped with how wet she already was and rapidly increasing so it didn’t hurt but it was sudden and a bit uncomfortable at first. She focused on Weiss’s tongue and lips in the kiss to distract herself until she felt the fingers working and spreading apart within her in a way that easily brought wonderful sensations to her body.

She released a moan into Weiss’s mouth, back arching up into Weiss as her hands held her wife’s cheeks. The older woman broke the kiss and they both caught their breath, leaning into Ruby’s hands on her face, “I’m going to place it inside you now. Try to stay relaxed and let me know if you want to stop.”

Ruby simply nodded beneath her, closing her eyes and kissing Weiss again, welcoming a distraction as the device anchor was pressed to her entrance after Weiss removed her fingers. She gasped against Weiss’s lips when it began to press into her, forcing herself to relax through the uncomfortable pressure and pain as it stretched her out like she was being split.

If not for the lube, medicine and some of Weiss’s attempts to help, it would not have been bearable, however as it seated into place and her body adjusted to it, she could only feel herself growing more aroused at the aspects to come. When Weiss felt her relax again and the shiver running through her, she smiled, sitting back and taking in the sight of Ruby.

Ruby panted lightly, cheeks bright red as she looked over at Weiss as a smirk spread across her face, “Take me to bed, you dolt.”

Ruby sat up, shivering any time she felt a shift from the object within herself before getting up and looping Weiss bridal style in her strong arms, carrying her eager wife to the bed. She set down her wife on the soft sheets, trying not to grow submissive under Weiss’s sensual gaze. The older woman beckoned Ruby with her finger and as Ruby compiled and crawled over her, she began to notice Weiss’s state. The woman was breathing heavily and rubbing her thighs together hungrily, a light sheen covered her pale skin, eager hands moving to remove the clothing covering Ruby’s upper half.

God did Ruby want this woman right now. Timid hands reached and relieved Weiss of her clothing before kissing her hungry with desire, lips pressed hard together as Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby’s shoulders and pulled the younger woman down on top of her as they fell to the bed. The younger woman let out a surprised yelp but her face flushed deeply as Weiss cupped her cheek, “Ruby, I want to do this to the exact best chances. I know it’s not really normal for us but…” she leaned to Ruby’s ear with a husky needy voice and light pant, “f*ck me you dolt.”

Ruby felt her entire body squirm at Weiss’s words. She let out a light whine as the sensation made her feel the strong desire to give her wife everything she wanted and needed. Quickly, she slid the pillow below Weiss’s waist, the woman lifting for her as she did, to get Weiss’s hips higher than her chest before she leaned in closely, pressing her body to the older woman. Her lips trailed down to Weiss’s chest, kissing the supple mounds as Weiss trembled at her touch, “Anything for you Weiss.”

With that, she pulled one of her wife’s nipples into her mouth, her hips pressing down against the other’s and sliding the length against her drenched folds as she sucked at the hardening nipple, her tongue teasing the bud. She brought a hand to the other, lavishing the breast and nipple with attention from her kneading hand and fingers as Weiss moaned and gripped her arms around Ruby’s head.

“Ruby… don’t tease… I don’t want to waste any time…” Weiss pleaded through labored breaths as Ruby switched her mouth and hand, sucking the other needy nipple.

She could feel Weiss tugging at her shoulders and she pulled back with a wet pop, staring at her wife’s half lidded eyes and agape mouth. She gave a sweet but sexy smile to Weiss. She had to admit with the serum coursing through her she too didn’t really want to wait, the pressure the device applied to her own insides with each stroke against Weiss’s core was definitely not helping. She leaned forward and lightly kissed Weiss as she lined the tip up with Weiss’s needy entrance, “Ok princess. I’ll gladly give you anything you want.”

With that she kissed Weiss deeply, her heart racing as she pushed the large length into her wife. The sensations were delectable. They had never really used a toy like this before and Ruby wasn’t prepared for how much she could feel herself. A deep moan released against Weiss’s lips, met with one from the white haired woman as well, her legs hugging Ruby’s waist as inch by inch stretched her insides and buried deep inside her.

Ruby’s name rolled off her lips as she pulled from the kiss, eyes closing tight. This only gave Ruby more confidence and desire, sending electricity down her spine as she began to thrust her hips, not able to wait for Weiss to be ready, “Weiss… I can’t…”

Soft lips placed quick loving kisses along Ruby’s brow, nose and cheeks, “It’s ok Ruby. Just… don’t stop please.”

Ruby could only nod. She knew from previous visits with the doctor that the serums would also turn them into a needy mess for one another and she could definitely feel it as every inch of herself yearned to please the beautiful woman beneath herself, her nerves like live wire to every touch and her insides super sensitive around the anchor of the toy.

Her weight pressed into Weiss as her hands moved to grasp at the woman’s hips, holding them steady as her pace steadily quickened and her thrusts grew in force. Weiss too felt like she was on fire with how badly she needed Ruby right now. Every thrust was met with her own hips pressing forward towards each push in, moans and whines leaving her lips against her lover’s ear as she begged for more.

Ruby kissed her neck, her own moans pressing against her skin, “Oh Weiss…”

At this point, Ruby’s hips were rapidly pounding into Weiss, both moaning and panting as they grew closer and closer to release. A hand slid from a hip over to Weiss’s cl*t, rubbing circles into the bundle of nerves as her own insides were filling the large excess of her wetness through the device. Weiss nipped at her neck and earlobe between moans, her next words were a gamble but it was how she truly felt, not really knowing what effect they would have on Ruby, “Please… I want your children Ruby… please give me one.”

The younger woman’s body tensed and it felt like lightning traveling her body at Weiss’s plea, having no idea it would turn her on this intensely. Her hips jerked rapidly and she whined in response, unable to form any response in words. With a hard thrust forward, the tip pressed past Weiss’s cervix to her womb and the knot popped into her as Ruby let out a deep groan, twitching as she came hard, the serum having created an incredible amount of fluids that funneled through the toy and leaked heavily into Weiss with nowhere else to go.

The overwhelming feelings of it all tipped Weiss over the edge as well, gripping tightly to Ruby as she was thrown into a powerful org*sm herself. Heavy breathing filled the room as they both came down from the high, bodies twitching from the ghosting sensations still fading away. Ruby collapsed against Weiss, head resting on her shoulder as their breaths calmed. Those slender fingers running through Ruby’s hair lightly.

Her hands left Ruby’s hair down to her shoulders then to her chest, tracing along the sweaty skin of Ruby’s breasts. The younger woman groaned, “Again? This stuff in my system has me worn out right now Weiss… I don’t think I can…”

A finger pressed to her lips and she opened her eyes to look at her wife, Weiss giving her a commanding smile before she was rolled onto her back with a squeak of surprise. Weiss sat up, the toy still buried inside herself as she straddled Ruby’s waist. Ruby blinked up at her, feeling her arousal strike again at the sight of Weiss’s naked form and hungry gaze sitting on top of her.

“I just want to reward you for how good you were,” Weiss’s words were dripping with her desire as her hands kneaded at Ruby’s breasts, her hips starting to roll along the toy still knotted inside of herself.

She let out pleased whimpers as Ruby reached up and gripped her hips moaning Weiss’s name. They were both still so sensitive that it didn’t take long of Weiss grinding along the device between them for them to both reach another release. Now both worn down from the serum in their bodies, Weiss stayed her hips in place and leaned forward into Ruby’s arms, both closing their eyes and resting.

—-----------------------

Their next appointment was scheduled for three weeks after the last one but Weiss found herself full of anxious impatience. At two weeks since their attempts, she didn’t want to wait to know. While Ruby was off on a short search and destroy mission of a few weak Grimm not far from Beacon that morning, Weiss sat on the edge of their large tub staring at a pregnancy test she had just taken.

The wait was driving her crazy, her familiar annoyed glare fixed on the stick as she waited. She was glad she was doing this while Ruby was out. If it gave an undesired result she knew she would be in a very dark negative mood for a while and didn’t want to take it out on the very supportive and caring woman.

Her hands rested on her knees, gripping them tightly as she sat there, frustrated with the nerve wrecking wait. Her foot tapped with her impatience and nerves. The fifteen minutes felt like an eternity, “Honestly! Why does this take so long?! How ridiculous!” she said sharply to herself, vailing her fears with her irritation.

She leaned her head back and rubbed her neck, trying to calm herself. Closing her eyes, she listened carefully for the timer on her scroll. What would she do if it was negative? She’d done her best not to get her hopes up knowing the success rates were fairly low. It was still a new process after all but even still, deep down she couldn’t help how hopeful and excited she had been at the prospect. She would be devastated really and she knew that. Devastated and alone for a while. Maybe doing this without Ruby here wasn’t the best choice even if she did get crabby.

She frowned, scolding herself, “Come now Weiss. You are better than this. Calm yourself.”

The timer went off, interrupting her. She was afraid to look at first, fear and anxiety gripping her. She took a deep breath and bit her lip, shaking hands grabbed the stick and finally willing herself to look down at the results, slowly opening her eyes.

—-----------------------------------------------------

Ruby was exhausted as she walked inside. It was just before lunch. While she wasn’t gone long, the task still took a bunch out of her. She set Crescent Rose down on the stand by the door that Weiss insisted on having for moments like this. As she rubbed her face and dragged her tired feet through the room she called out, “Weisssss? Can we maybe order lunch in today? I’m way too tired to cook and…”

She stopped, Weiss standing in front of her in their living room with her hands grasping something Ruby couldn’t see. She blinked at her wife who was trembling, “Weiss? Are you ok?”

She moved closer, hands reaching out for her ice princess to try to check on her when the woman threw herself into Ruby’s form, “Ruby!”

Ruby embraced her though still quite confused, “Weiss? I’m happy to see you and all but it was really just a simple mission there’s no reason to have been worried…”

“You dolt! It’s not about that!” Weiss shouted slightly as she lightly hit Ruby’s shoulder.

Ruby loosened her embrace, hands on Weiss’s forearms as she laughed embarrassedly, “Ahah… sorry princess. What’s up then?”

Weiss looked like she had been crying. She was staring down at the hidden thing within her hands as she slowly opened her fingers. Ruby’s eyes scanned over the revealed object before she felt her breath catch in her throat, quickly looking at Weiss’s face, “I-is this for real?! Weiss… really?!”

The white haired woman that owned Ruby’s entire heart and soul nodded, tears forming on her face again as she felt Ruby pull her tightly into those strong arms, “Yes Ruby! W…we are going to be parents! I…I’m so happy!”

Ruby held her wife tightly before she lifted her off the ground and spun them, her own tears starting to form. Her heart felt like it was swelling with immense joy and she couldn’t help but giggle some happily, “Weiss! This is so amazing!”

Weiss moved her hands to Ruby’s shoulders as her wife stopped spinning them, still holding her lifted off the ground. Her legs came up to wrap around Ruby’s waist to help hold herself up in her love’s arms, her smile so big it looked foreign on her face but Ruby didn’t care. Weiss was always beautiful even when she was angry at her. She slid a hand up to wipe Weiss’s tears away as their foreheads pressed together, eyes locking with one another, “This calls for a celebration!”

Ruby began to walk off towards their bedroom. As Weiss realized what was happening she frowned slightly, “Wait…Ruby! Is now seriously the time for this!? Put me down you dolt!”

The younger woman chuckled but did not relent, able to see the blush on Weiss’s cheeks and knowing from years of being around her that she wasn’t being serious, kissing her neck with the biggest brightest smile ever, “Hmmm nope! I don’t think I will! This is the perfect time after all!”

They disappeared into their bedroom and Ruby closed the door with her foot. They could discuss what to do next and who to tell when later. For now, she just wanted to spoil her wife for the lovely life they had ahead of them that could not be if not for the woman who was in her arms.

Chapter 2: Forging Gold

Chapter Text

Ch 2: Forging Gold

On the way to a mission, Yang dropped Blake off to spend time with Weiss, Ruby grabbing Crescent Rose and kissing Weiss goodbye as she rushed out, “Hey Blake! Weiss is inside!”

Blake was still within the brawler’s arms nuzzling into Yang before receiving a rather lively kiss farewell. Ruby stuck out her tongue with a sour face causing Yang to laugh before Yang released the faunus and Ruby joined her sister on the bike to help with the mission. They sped off and Blake went inside to look for Weiss.

The white haired woman was nowhere to be seen as Blake walked through the door and into the living room. Cat ears twitched around at the sounds of the home before she heard a muffled call from her friend indicating where she was. Soft ears flicked into that direction and she followed the sound to the kitchen where she found Weiss standing there pouring them each a cup of tea.

It had been about a week after the followup appointment, Ruby and Weiss having decided to tell Yang and Blake first as they wanted to make sure the information the couple were also hunting for got to them. Blake took a seat as offered at the counter across from Weiss and accepted the cup handed to her, letting the steam carry the smell of the tea to her nose.

Weiss sat across from Blake, picking up her own cup, “So, how was your last mission? Are you able to share details yet?”

Blake had taken a rather secretive mission out in Menagerie as a Huntress that has been leading a group that actively focused on Huntsmen tasks that aid in faunus protections. She had recently returned and could now discuss the details, “We were looking for Siena Khan’s daughter but we were worried about her safety. Siena had been hiding her since she was born for various reasons but some people who still followed Adam’s beliefs were looking for her. Now she’s being taken care of by Ilia and her wife. They had the space and Ilia is quite formidable should any further of his delusional followers show their faces.”

Weiss took a sip from her cup, listening carefully before speaking, “Was it… difficult to be faced with reminders of Adam?”

Blake set her cup down and sighed, “I was worried it would be, especially since they really hate me. But, I’ve been away from all that for so long now and Yang has always been really great about it. All I could think about was how great my life is now and I just wasn’t bothered. Anyway, Yuki Khan is actually a really adorable little white tiger. She’s 10. It’s so strange to think all that time I was with the White Fang, Siena had a baby hidden somewhere. The timeline sort of lines up really. I think it has a lot to do with why she got so serious about the state of things so fast. I think she just really wanted a better world for her daughter.”

Weiss raised a brow with a light smirk as she watched Blake’s body language when talking about the little faunus. Blake had a gushy smile on her face and her fingers were fidgeting with the cup, her eyes almost stary, “You loved watching that child didn’t you Blake?”

A blush crept over Blake’s cheeks and she glanced away, raising her cup to occupy herself, “W-Well of course I did! She was very polite and full of energy and excitement! I… honestly wish I could’ve taken her myself but I didn’t feel right taking her from her home and the land her mother is buried in.”

Weiss covered her lips as she chuckled lightly, the cat giving her a questioning look, “Oh Blake. I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you, I promise. It’s just really cute how much your desire to have children shows all over you. Your feelings are betraying you, which is quite a sight for you of all people.”

Blake sighed and stared at her cup, shifting it between her fingertips, “Well… I have always believed in family. I don’t know Weiss, you know I want this so badly. Why must you tease me?”

Weiss smiled at her friend, taking another sip before setting down her cup, “Please, you think you are here just for a normal visit? I know how many times we have talked about this during our visits.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a card, sliding it across the table to Blake who gently took the card, “That’s the name of the doctor. I know that his services have only recently become available to everyone. He did a lot of research. It’s pretty expensive but Ruby and I are more than happy to help if you and Yang need it. Not charity, just helping our family.”

Blake turned the card between her fingers, biting her lip. Inside, her heart fluttered with excitement at the idea but she was well aware of the fact it was a very, very low success rate as the science stood now and wasn’t sure if she could actually handle that sort of disappointment. A gentle hand touched hers and she looked up at Weiss, the woman giving her a very calm and gentle smile, “It worked for us you know.”

Blake’s eyes lit up and she felt her lips curl into a smile, “Weiss, your…?”

Weiss nodded, her other hand reaching for her lower stomach, her eyes full of the joy her polite and calm outer self couldn’t hide. “That’s wonderful news Weiss!” Blake couldn’t help but hug Weiss.

The two shared a moment of joy before Blake sat back down, staring at the card. “What do you think Yang will do to Ruby when she tells her?” Weiss asked the hot headed blonde’s wife, a devious grin on her face.

It was no accident Weiss made sure the information would be shared with the other two while Ruby was with Yang by herself, not wanting to receive even the tiniest of Yang’s rage, even if it ended up being playful. Blake chuckled and smirked at her friend, “Oh I’m sure she will find a way to make sure Ruby feels the fire.”

The two shared a laugh, “Seriously though, I’m really happy for you both Weiss and I’m sure Yang will be too. She loves kids you know. Even though she likes to play the protective tough big sister still, she has always gotten excited about the idea of eventually being the ‘cool aunt’.”

“Oh please. If she even tries to help my child get away with anything crazy I will have her learn the meaning of fierce and protective,” Weiss sternly said with a glare before relaxing at Blake’s giggle and rolled eyes.

“Duly noted Ice Queen,” Blake spoke, receiving a ‘Hey!’ in response before continuing, her soft words returned Weiss to a more friendly demeanor, “Mind if I step out for a moment?”

The white haired woman rested her chin on the back side of her hand as she leaned into her arm propped up on the table, her fingers waving off as she smiled, “Absolutely. I think you’ll find the back porch a perfect place for a phone call at this time of day.”

She received a glare in response but didn’t waver as Blake went out back.

—-------------------------

The mission they were on was rough. They ended up separated from the others but managed a success. The sisters were scattered far out with a storm starting. Tired and fairly injured, the two hunkered down in a cave to wait out the rain and help one another with wounds.

Ruby sat infront of Yang after they got a fire going to keep warm and have some light. She got her cloak and shirt off to reveal a bad slice through her upper back near her right shoulder blade. Her sister knelt behind her, stitching up the wound. Ruby frowned and winced, “OW! Geez Yang can you be a bit more gentle!?”

The blonde frowned, whacking Ruby over the head gently, “Uh no! It’s a needle Ruby not a pillow! Maybe if you didn’t go rushing off trying to kill that alpha borabatusk by yourself I wouldn’t have to stitch you up!”

She rubbed her head and glared over her shoulder at Yang, “I thought you had it properly distracted! How was I supposed to know it knew I was there!?”

Yang growled at her a bit before going back to the wound. Yang wasn’t in need of any stitches herself but she had gotten a tusk through her metal arm due to Ruby’s poor judgment, the prosthetic struggling to function and occasionally twitching wildly. Because of this, she was using her natural hand for the needlework. Other than these injuries, they were both bruised and scratched all over but otherwise fine.

The chase of the alpha was what had separated them from the other Huntsmen who no doubtably were in actual shelter or even headed back home after handling the herd of minor borbatusks. Ruby bit her lip as she heard Yang sigh, “God Rubes, you never make these kinds of mistakes. What’s got into you huh?”

Closing her eyes, she tried to let the warm fire help her relax. ‘ Dammit Weiss, you could’ve at least helped me with this one,’ she thought as she frowned briefly.

She remembered that morning when Weiss told her this would be the perfect time for them to tell the two. Ruby had protested knowing Yang was going to give her the worst time but Weiss insisted. In truth, her icy wife had convinced her with a good point at the time, though thinking back on it Ruby knew that Yang wouldn’t actually do anything to a pregnant woman. Weiss would’ve been fine, Yang would’ve just scared her a little.

“I guess this is the best time to say it as I’m gonna get huh?” she mumbled to herself.

She waited until Yang was on the last stitch, thinking she was safe, “So uh… would you prefer to be called Aunt Yang or is Auntie more your style? Eheh…”

A sharp pain entered at her wound and she tensed upright quickly, jerking away from the thumb Yang had harshly buried against her and the slightly too tight final knot in the last stitch. “YANG!”

“Ruby! If that’s a joke it is so not a good one!” Yang warned, her eyes burning red.

Ruby jerked away from her, grabbing her shirt and throwing it back on, frowning at Yang, “It’s not a joke! Me and Weiss decided to go see that specialist and it worked ok?!”

Her sister stood up looming over Ruby as she pointed at her, “Are you serious?! Ruby you are barely out of your teens! This is a really big decision you made! You’re too young for this!”

Gritting her teeth, Ruby stood, jabbing her finger into Yang, “Oh shut up! You’re only two years older than me and you and Blake want kids too! I’m not a little kid anymore so stop treating me like one!”

Yang was about to protest with just as much anger but her prosthetic twitched wildly and sparks shot off around the hole. She grunted and gripped the wrist of it, willing it to relax. Ruby calmed and reacted quickly reached out, tapping a few spots to release the arm before pulling it from her sister and tossing it to the side as it blew up in a tiny explosion and smoke rose from it.

The two watched it before Ruby went to stomp out the fire, Yang letting out a deep breath watching her sister, “Ruby…”

The younger woman stopped and stared at the mini bomb that almost hurt Yang, knowing if Yang hadn’t been busy fussing at her she too would’ve noticed the coming explosion, “Yang… with everything we have been through in our lives, one thing I’ve learned for certain is that time owes us nothing. We could be gone before we are even 30… I don’t want to have regrets about living my life the way I want to… the way that feels right. I want this, I want this with my wife , with my family . Weiss and I talked about it a lot and trust me she wouldn’t let me agree until she was sure I was fully aware of what I was agreeing to but Yang no one made me do this and I am happy about it. I know you have this whole big sister thing you are still hung up on but I thought you’d be happy for me.”

Yang locked her eyes on her devastated prosthetic. Ruby had just saved her from a very serious injury. She closed her eyes and walked closer, wrapping her arm around her little sister, “I’m sorry Ruby. I was just worried about you. It’s hard you know, watching you take another step in your life away from me. I basically raised you and now you are going to be raising a kid of your own? Can you blame me for freaking out?”

Strong fingers touched Yang’s arm and a loving sweet voice responded, Ruby tucking her head against her sister’s arm, “Geez Sis… you’re crazy if you think I’m not going to need you anymore. I don’t know anything about raising kids. Of course I’m going to need you.”

She turned to face her sister, Yang staring at her, “Besides, you did a great job with me. Who else would be best to be someone I can get advice from?”

Yang smiled, feeling a bit teary eyed but grinned massively, “Well you definitely can’t expect Dad to teach you anything.”

They shared a laugh and got comfortable to wait out the storm. Watching the fire, Yang rubbed the back of her head, glancing over at Ruby, “Soooo… that specialist you saw… think I could get the info from you?”

Ruby chuckled and noticed the rain coming to a stop, turning to smile at her sister, “Weiss is already wayyyy ahead of you Sis.”

—------------------------------

With Weiss’s help, and some sway from money promised to aid the research of course, Blake and Yang managed to get in to see him by the end of the week. Sitting in the room the doctor entered, “So, everything from your physical looks in order Blake. Now some good news is, as a faunus, there’s a lot of steps we can skip that humans have to do so really you will only need one more visit after this.”

Blake’s brows furrowed, “What…does that mean exactly?”

Yang gripped her hand, trying to keep Blake from getting riled up, “Let’s just hear him out ok Kitten?”

He rubbed his neck, “I promise I tried everything but we discovered through all our research that the methods only work on faunus women one way. Trust me, I’m married to a faunus and I have deep respect for all walks of life but we had intense trials and years of research and we couldn’t find any other way it works.”

Yang glanced at Blake who looked a bit uneasy, looking back at the man, “Just tell us what we need to know Doc. Trust me you will not like her when she’s feisty.”

Blake gripped her a bit too tight and gave Yang a warning look before forcing herself to relax to keep an open mind. She wanted this more than anything and so far this was going to be the only means to have this with Yang, which was the only way she wanted to do this. The doctor turned to send the nurse station instructions to prep things to pull what he needed from Yang in the event they moved forward, “So, we only ever had any success with faunus woman if they were in heat. Every other attempt had a success rate of zero percent. We have developed medicines to help trigger that for you if you don’t want to wait…”

“No,” Blake’s voice was sharp and her eyes were piercing. She was about to move to get up off her seat on the bed before Yang pulled at her to stay, “Blake… can we at least talk about this for a moment?”

Glaring eyes shot at Yang briefly before looking at the doctor. He glanced between them and then excused himself, “I’ll just… give you two the room for a moment.”

When he left, Blake got up, getting changed, “There’s nothing to discuss Yang. We’re leaving.”

Yang let out a deep sigh. Blake’s back was too her and she knew why. Blake seemed mad sure but Yang knew she was really just hurt and disappointed, “Kitten… come on… can we at least consider it?”

Blake almost hissed, ears flattened, “No! I… I still can’t even be with you during my heat cycles without it making me feel sick and disgusted with myself! How would I be able to agree to this?!”

Yang could feel the hurt in her voice. The last attempt to be together during her wife’s heat ended in Blake becoming an emotional mess at herself the moment her mind cleared momentarily and locked herself away from Yang. It had taken quite a while to help Blake get over how she felt about herself because of it. Sincere eyes locked onto Blake’s trembling shoulders and the blonde reached out. At first, when her hand came in contact, Blake jerked away but Yang refused to relent and soon pulled Blake into her embrace, warm body soothing her faunus before the woman could get too upset, “Ok Blake. We can leave if you want. I’m also ok with giving it a try without the supplement too if you want to. He didn’t say you had to in order for us to continue. I’ll do whatever makes you happy.”

Blake’s intense distaste with how her heats made her feel was deeply rooted in Adam’s abuse in her youth. There were still hidden scares along her body from some of the things he had done to her in her weakest hours to sate his sad*stic twisted desires over the cat. Yang never wanted to cause her any pain like that ever again no matter what that meant for them. Blake’s fingers gripped into those strong arms and she nodded, “If he will let us… we could try it… but… Yang I don’t think I could handle failing at this…”

The blonde nodded, rubbing Blake’s back lovingly, placing a sweet kiss between her cat ears and watching them flutter in response, “Let’s just go home then ok Blake? Maybe one day we can find another way or… we could always try a donor system if…”

A slightly less than gentle headbutt came to Yang’s chin to shut her up, “You already know better than to bring that up Yang. I told you I don’t want this if I can’t do this with you, just you .”

Yang nodded and didn’t say anything more about that route. The doctor knocked and they let him back in. They convinced him to move forward without the heat inducing supplement despite his heavy recommendation against it.

—------------------

After the needed time and visits to get everything ready, still getting priority appointments from the original grant they had received from SDC on Weiss’s behalf. They got through their first try. However, before their first follow up, things went wrong.

Yang entered their home, a small apartment within the city of Vale. It was dark and quiet inside but she knew Blake was home. It wasn’t like Blake to be home and have everything off in the middle of the day like this. Sure everyone took naps but when Blake did, she always napped on the couch with the shades open for the sunlight, claiming it reminded her of Yang’s warmth and helped her rest.

Now though, all the shades were closed and Blake was nowhere in sight from the open kitchen and living room, “Blake?”

At first Yang wondered if her wife stepped out but that didn’t make sense either. Her boots were still by the door. While contemplating in silence who of Blake or Yang’s enemies might be involved when a faint sound alarmed her protective nature, “Blake!”

She dropped the pillow she had picked up from the couch and rushed to their room. Once inside, the sound was coming from their bathroom, the door ajar. Yang went to it quickly but once she gripped the knob and swung it open she was greeted with a sight that made her heart break.

Blake was sitting on the floor against the tube, curled up on herself, arms wrapped around her knees and face buried with drooped ears as she sobbed. “Kitten…” Yang said softly, carefully stepping over.

Blake didn’t respond. The blonde knelt next to her and reached out, slowly pulling Blake close into her arms. Yang looked around for a moment and noticed the products in the small trash can indicating what she knew was wrong. Sitting down with her legs crossed, she pulled the faunus into her lap and held her tightly against herself, her warm body wrapped around the cat as she rubbed her back, “Blake… I’m here now… I’m so sorry you were alone…”

She continued to softly soothe Blake for what felt like an eternity. The ache in her own heart was miserable knowing there was nothing more she could do. Finally, Blake started to go quiet, clinging to Yang’s shirt, “It… didn’t work Yang… I just… had this feeling nothing was happening and I didn’t want to find out there… and be stuck in that office with the man who knew it wouldn’t when I found out…”

Yang shushed her sweetly. She also had concern with the knowledge they were told this was inevitable but she wanted to support trying for Blake’s sake. They both knew now that even if they didn’t like the truth, it was unfortunately the only truth of the situation. Yang carried Blake to bed and went to make the tea that helped Blake relax. When she got back, she slid in next to her wife and the two tried to find peace.

Wrapped in Yang’s arm, leaning against her as the evening came, Blake stared at her lap, “Yang… today made me realize something… I wanted this… so much more than I thought. When we go in for the next visit… let’s get the supplement and do this the only way we can…”

Yang looked at her, “Blake you don’t have to do that. We’ll figure it out..”

Blake nuzzled up into Yang’s cheek stopping her, “No… I want to… I trust you Yang I know you won’t hurt me… please… call the doctor and let him know?”

She let out a breath and nodded, kissing the top of Blake’s head, “Anything for you Kitten.”

—-----------------------------

They wanted to be at home for this. They took the flight back after the visit with the doctor even though it would be cutting it very close with timing even with Weiss getting them the fastest ship she could get her hands on. The supplement to induce Blake’s heat worked faster than the gross serum Yang had to drink. Fortunately, Blake only had to deal with one uncomfortable portion of all this without a serum to swallow down.

Sitting in the airship, half an hour out from home, Blake began to sweat. She squirmed in her seat as the fog began to cloud her brain, thighs pressing tightly together. Her sense of smell swarmed with the scent of fresh cedar and bonfires. The scent alone was sending intense tremors down her spine and causing her to become quickly saturated at her core. Her breathing deepened and her eyes squeezed tightly closed, ears folding sharply.

Yang’s name weakly left her lips quietly and the woman next to her turned her attention over to the cat, taking in her heat-ridden state. Blake’s mind was rapidly filling with memories of some of the most intimate moments shared with Yang. The cat nibbled on her lip, gripping her seat as she slid her thighs against each other, panting. Her mind was quickly leaving her, desperate for relief to the ever growing burning in her lower body scorching her insides.

Yang didn’t want to touch Blake yet, not wanting to risk anything plus in the open like this she knew Blake would be mad later, “Blake. Just hang on. We’ll be home in no time.”

“ Yang I don’t… know if I can…fight it…” Blake nearly whined, her voice laced with desire and need.

It sent a jolt through Yang that lit her libido on fire even without the serum’s help. She licked her lips with a grin, leaning close to Blake’s cat ear and whispering in a lust filled husky voice, “Oh I think you can. Be a good girl and wait til we get home for me and I’ll reward you Kitten.”

A needy gasp and whine left Blake’s lips as she tensed up before she bit her own lower lip hard, doing her best to stay present, teeth drawing blood from her lip and her knees shook, “Dammit Yang….”

The blonde smirked, staring at the flushed cheeks and trembling form of her wife, “Mmm you look so delicious right now Kitten.”

Blake whined louder against her teeth, body twitching sharply, her brain barely present. Yang’s grin grew and she dared to nibble at Blake’s cat ear, instantly pulling a sharp moan from Blake as the faunus’s body jerked all over in response to the incredibly sensitive area, chest rumbling in a light purr. Blake would normally be embarrassed but she was a little too far gone to care at the moment.

Yang knew Blake was going to kill her later but she couldn’t resist. With a glance around them to be sure they were still undisturbed in the ship, she smirked and pulled Blake into her lap, pressing her chest into Blake’s back as her hands slid around Blake’s waist, lips placing hungry kisses along Blake’s neck, a teasing whisper in her wife’s ear, “Someone’s purring.”

Whimpers and sharp breaths were still spilling from Blake’s lips as she managed to speak, “ Yanggg … you a-are so dead… ugh t-touch me… now… it hurts so much Yang…”

The blonde chuckled against her skin causing the faunus to deeply shiver, “No Kitten… you know you have to wait… you can do it. Just a bit longer.”

Even with her words, her hands taunted Blake’s hot skin from her waist down to her thighs, playing her fingers across Blake like someone at a piano. Blake squirmed harshly, nails gripping into Yang’s thighs. The second Yang nibbled her ear again she couldn’t stand it, trying desperately to turn around even as Yang held her from doing so.

When the airship began its desent, Yang was distracted for a mere second but it was long enough for Blake to twist quickly around, legs falling to Yang’s sides as she pressed her body into the blonde’s, nails gripping her jacket, a deeper purr emitting from her throat as she ran her tongue along Yang’s neck. Her ears folded back, her body shaking intensely as she managed to catch Yang off guard for a moment before her hot headed blonde gripped her hips and slid the cat on her lap away from her body, “Tsk tsk Kitten, what did I say?”

Blake groaned and whined sadly, trying to pull back to Yang against the blonde’s stronger grip unsuccessfully. The soft jolt of the ship allowed Yang to grip Blake up into an arm prison, forcing Blake into her grasp and ceasing all her needy advances. The cat squirmed, “Yang… why… don’t you want me?”

Playful chuckles left the blonde, “Oh Kitten…” she bit the furry ear eliciting a squeal from the horny faunus, that husky voice practically destroying the cat’s senses, “you have no idea.”

Blake panted, mind completely gone moments ago, trying to get free in order to latch back onto Yang needily. Yang just chuckled, throwing Blake over her shoulder to carry her off, Blacke scratching at her back, “Haha, hold on Kitten, just a few more minutes and you’re all mine.”

They didn’t live too far, perks of living in the city meant you were often close to most things. By the time they made it into the door, the serum had hit Yang hard, not that the woman needed any more arousal than she already had. The door closed behind them as Blake managed to finally wiggle free to cling to Yang’s torso, frantically nipping and kissing Yang's neck and jaw with a tight grip on her wife’s jacket.

The blonde groaned, holding Blake by the waist as agile legs wrapped around her own waist, hips needily grinding against Yang’s firm stomach. The blonde sighed, trying to get them to their bed, “Kitten… calm down or it will all be a waste. I… need to get the toy.”

Blake was practically crying now. It hurt so much and she was desperately needy, arousal gripping every inch of her and chewing on her nerves like a wild animal. Yang had had the mind to stash the device in their nightstand after the last time, knowing this time she would be lucky if Blake would let her get far once everything kicked in.

The blonde leaned Blake onto the bed and used her strong grip to grasp Blake’s wrists, pinning her down, “I need to get ready Kitten or this will be wasted. This heat your in only lasts a short time. Relax and behave for me for just a moment.”

Blake was fighting against Yang’s grip unsuccessfully but Yang’s words burned at her brain and she submitted to the best of her ability, panicked cries escaping her lips as her hungry eyes watched Yang’s every move. With a smirk, Yang took in Blake’s feral state, “I’m going to let you go now so you can get out of your clothes for me while I get ready. I want you right back here when you are done, understand Kitten?”

The cat nodded frantically, nearly moaning in response. It drove Blake crazy on a normal day when Yang was this dominant over her but in this state it was practically destroying her in the most delicious way. As Yang stood, she pulled her hand away, Blake eagerly stripping down to nothing as fast as her shaking fingers could manage, eyes never looking away from the blonde as she striped down as well and grabbed the device from the drawer. Blake was mewling and whining as she forced herself to lean back again, fighting every impulse to reach for Yang as the blonde knelt between Blake’s knees on the bed, maneuvering the device anchor into herself with a rough grunt.

It was taking everything Blake had to keep her hands above her head, biting at her own lip, eyes teary from her internal struggle and the intense pain building within her lower body screaming for aid wordlessly. Yang’s eyes were burning red and her grin devious as she ran her gaze hungrily up and down her wife’s glorious form, hands tracing up her shins to her knees and spreading them wide to get a good look at just how soaked Blake was.

“Y-Yang…please…” Blake pleaded, voice nearly cracking as a tear left her eye.

The blonde leaned forward and kissed her deeply, tongue running along Blake’s within her willing mouth and teeth clanking needily as they engaged in the desperate kiss. While she had Blake distracted, her hands slid to grip Blake’s hips, rubbing circles into them as purrs met her own lips in response. When they parted, Blake was flipped onto her hands and knees so fast she took a moment to even realize what had happened.

Yang was leaning over her back, a hand moving to press Blake’s shoulders down into the bed as teeth bit at Blake’s nape, listening to the eager moan in response to that carnal display of claim even if Yang wasn’t a faunus. Strong knees pushed Blake’s own far apart, the faunus’s drenched folds dripping fluids down her thighs as Yang pressed her hips close, running the length agonizingly slow back and forth against Blake’s sex, “You’ve been a good girl Kitten. Tell me what you want and I’ll give you anything you desire.”

Furry cat ears tightly folded, fur frizzing on end as Blake whined, more tears falling, “God Yang… f*ck me please! I need you so badly!”

Blake’s unraveled form was driving Yang insane. Hot hands gripped at Blake’s hips tightly as she bit Blake’s neck a bit harder, large breasts Blake loved pressed into the Faunus's back, pressing the tip of the length into Blake’s sopping wet entrance. A deep moan left the faunus and her hips tried to press towards Yang except Yang’s grip held her steady, “Unf… no Kitten… you’ll hurt yourself. Relax.”

Blake was squirming like crazy. Yang couldn’t take it anymore ,”Fine… if you insist.”

She tightened her grip on Blake’s hips, nails digging into the skin pulling a happy whine from Blake as she pressed her hips into Blake’s suddenly. She dug her teeth against Blake’s neck to help along with her nails to distract Blake from any possible pain. Eyes squeezed tightly closed as the cat felt the electricity shoot up her spine and back down, fingers gripping the sheets as Yang’s hips settled almost fully against her own.

She felt incredibly full, Yang giving her no time to adjust as those strong hips began to rock back and forth, the length pulling almost all the way out before quickly pressing back in. Yang hadn’t been a fan of how much stamina the serum stole from her but it made sense. Time was not on their side after all. She could already feel herself struggling and Blake in heat didn’t help. The effect it had on her was intense but she was glad she wasn’t also a faunus or she might make very poor choices in response. By the way Blake was responding to her, the faunus was also losing the stamina race.

Yang refused to finish first, she always did. She loved to bring Blake to her peak so much more than any feeling her own org*sm brought her. Her tongue ran along the bite marks so slowly she could feel Blake’s goosebumps against her tongue, the gorgeous woman beneath her moaning over and over and finally pushing her hips against Yang’s grip to meet each of Yang’s thrusts. The feeling of Blake’s response drove Yang further, the blonde groaning into Blake’s ear as it fluttered against her breath, pumping faster and harder into Blake, “f*ck Kitten…. unf… you’re such a good girl for me… keep moving just like that and I won’t last long. Mmmm that’s what you want isn’t it?”

The increased trembling against Yang’s front as she spoke and pressed closer into Blake made the woman twitch, Blake whining her name and begging, “S…so close… please… d-don’t stop…”

It was almost too much for both of them, Yang’s eyes screwing closed tightly as she resisted the tight burning coil threatening to snap within her lower being, moaning deeply against Blake’s skin as her hips snapped and thrusted fiercely, teeth grazing teasingly along the fur of her lover’s ear, “take it Kitten and cum for me.”

Blake’s back arched in response to the order and her grip on their sheets tightened roughly but everything tipped her over the edge in sheer bliss as the tip shoved past her cervix and the knot popped into her roughly. Like molten lava erupting from a dormant volcano within her, Blake's own org*sm burst forth, screaming Yang’s name as her body tensed and rocked through the feeling. The sight and sound of Blake’s release pushed Yang over the edge as well, the strong body gripped tight against the cat and the device funneled the excessive fluids it created out of Yang into Blake's womb, the heavy amount filling Blake hotly, “Oh f*ck Kitten! Such a good girl… unf!!”

As they both came back down and their bodies relaxed, Yang did her best to roll them to the side to not crush Blake. She wrapped her arms around the faunus and nuzzled into her as their breaths evened out and Blake’s panting was slowly replaced with gentle purring at Yang’s now gentle affections. The blonde smiled and relaxed at the vibrations and soothing sound of Blake’s purring. Every fiber of her being loved this woman to the ends of Remnant and back and every cat-like quirk made her heart soar as well.

Tired fingers brushed Yang’s arms around her as Blake smiled, her brain fog clear now, “Yang… why are you so amazing?”

The blonde hummed happily, eyes still closed, “Because I am and you love me. Ugh… I hate how weak this stuff makes me after just one round. It sucks.”

Blake just chuckled weakly, her own body exhausted due to the after effects of the heat supplement, body dragging her into sleep slowly, “Let’s just rest… you wore me out too.”

—-------------------

The two sat in their bathroom, Yang on the floor cross-legged and holding Blake’s hand as she sat on the toilet lid, the test sitting behind her. Yang was watching the time but refused to let Blake look to keep her from stressing herself. The minutes ticked away miserably. Yang could see Blake was a nervous wreck and rubbed her thumb over those beautiful fingers to try to reassure her with her presence.

The dark haired woman gripped her fingers in her hair with her free hand, letting out a weak exhale when Yang leaned her forehead against their interlocked hands, “Relax Blake. No matter what happens, I’m right here.”

Yang always made her heart swell with how much love that hot headed woman gave her. It always made everything ok even when it wasn’t. She smiled despite herself which brought that goofy big grin to Yang’s face and warmed her even more. After a long sixteen day wait to even take this test, what was a few more minutes really? As she took a deep breath, Yang kissed her fingers, her voice soft and sweet, “You can check it now Kitten.”

Blake opened her eyes and met loving lilacs, all the support ever spoken silently in those lovely eyes, giving her the courage she needed to reach for the test and look at it. Yang was anxious but more for Blake, worried if it didn’t work that she would be even worse than last time. She watched the faunus’s face carefully, hiding her own nerves behind the confidence Blake needed from her, “What’s it say Blake?”

The brilliant, simple smile and tears given back in response were all Yang needed to know as her own lips curled into the biggest smile ever, yanking Blake down into her arms.

Chapter 3: Emotional Blizzards

Chapter Text

Ch 3: Emotional Blizzards

It was a nice day outside and both inhabitants of the home were off for the day. Ruby was sitting on the couch with the sun beaming in, messing with some game on her scroll online against her uncle. She really didn’t play many video games anymore but she still enjoyed it from time to time with Qrow. Weiss had been in the study working on a few things before getting a message on her scroll.

She shut everything down and began heading towards the living room, “Ruby. She’s almost here.”

She rounded the corner and frowned at the younger woman, folding her arms, “Are you sticking around this time or are you planning to miss her again?”

Ruby glared at Weiss. It was not a good look for the usually cheery woman and it was definitely foreign on her face. The younger woman sat up and closed her scroll before standing, “I think I’ll go with just missing her again thanks.”

Weiss sighed and closed her eyes so Ruby wouldn’t have to see how upset she was by this. The older woman looked tired, having skipped any makeup today. Her dark circles and sickly pale skin made her look very ill. Ruby stopped next to Weiss, her face switching to one of concern as she touched Weiss’s cheek, “Weiss, are you doing ok today? Maybe you should cancel and go back to bed? I can make you some soup. Have you reached out to the doctor yet about it? I can call if you need.”

Pale fingers touched Ruby’s briefly before she moved away stubbornly, “I most certainly will not! I want to see my sister, I need to see her. I would think you’d understand. I already called the doctor and that’s why I’ve been home so much. If it gets worse we can worry but for now I just need to relax until the next appointment.”

Ruby bit her lip. She was torn about Winter but she understood what Weiss was saying about needing her sister. She looked over all the telltale signs of the fact Weiss was pretty sick but didn’t want to rile her up and make things worse, “If your…”

She was cut off by the front door. With their families, they generally created a common understanding to knock when you arrive then let yourself in. Ruby turned her head towards the knock and door opening, her distaste showing again on her face. Weiss was about to say something to her when Winter stepped into view, in her arms a young girl a bit over a year in age smiling and clung to Winter as the two different colored eyes glanced towards her aunt.

“Winter! I’m so glad you made it!” Weiss said with a bright smile, relaxing her body into something less frustrated.

Ruby forced a smile, which wasn’t exactly done smoothly or subtly, as she walked towards the front door as Winter greeted her younger sister in return before watching Ruby pass her, “Hello Weiss. It’s good to see you again. Ruby… are you leaving? I had hoped to spend time with you as well.”

Ruby shrugged, “Ooo sorry Winter but I have somewhere to be and I was just leaving. Shoot maybe next time.”

A brow rose from the woman as Weiss frowned unseen from Winter, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Winter watched Ruby at the door, “Bye Weiss, I love you! I’ll be back tonight!”

A frustrated sigh left her wife, “Yes I love you too you dolt. You’d better go finally give the news to your father!”

Ruby limply waved at Weiss as she closed the door, her wife grunting, “Ugh… that woman…”

Winter chuckled a bit, “She still hates me I see.”

Weiss closed her eyes before relaxing her body and smiling when she opened them again, walking over and taking the child that was happily reaching out for her, “She… just hates that you won’t tell her uncle about this whittle cutie here.”

The child giggled as Weiss hugged her close with a grin. When she looked back at her sister, her face saddened. Winter looked torn between annoyance and sorrow, a look that ran in the family one could assume, “Winter… It’s your baby and your choice but it’s her family too. She won’t say anything but that doesn’t mean she will like it. Ruby and Yang are still pretty irritated by your decision but they respect the fact that it’s not their place to say anything. I think she’s just… really doesn’t want to feel involved with it all. She feels like she’s betraying him.”

Winter just nodded, hating how it felt to talk about it all and quickly adjusting to change the subject, “I assume we are going to be having decaf today all things considered?”

The two went out back to the back porch after Winter made them a pot of coffee while Weiss entertained her niece, “I still can’t get over her hair and eyes. It’s pretty incredible. Strong genes on both sides I guess.”

Winter didn’t respond. Her daughter, Dove, had a bright blue left eye and a red right eye, her hair was white on the left and black on the right. It often made Weiss wonder what her child was going to look like. Of course she wasn’t silly enough to think it would be the same situation. Dove’s physical traits were incredibly rare. But would her child have her hair or Ruby’s? Or would they be a blonde like Ruby’s dad? Would they have silver eyes too? What about the Schnee family semblance? As she lazily tickled Dove, Winter broke her from her thoughts with two cups of hot coffee in her hands, “Let’s go sit shall we?”

They went out to the back porch and they took seats, Winter handing Dove a favored toy to give Weiss a chance at a free hand for her coffee. She observed her sister’s ill state, face softening, “Weiss, are you alright? What did your doctor say?”

After a short sip from her coffee, and a mild frown at still not being able to adjust to decaf, she rubbed her tired eyes, “He wants me to keep a close eye and if it gets any worse he wants to see me right away. I don’t want to worry Ruby so please don’t say anything. I kind of made it sound a bit more… light than it is. She just gets stressed so easily. And that won’t help anyone.”

Winter gave Weiss a sincere look, “Just… she’s your wife Weiss. Don’t keep her in the dark about anything serious alright? She may not like me right now but there’s no one I’d trust could take care of you better than she can.”

Winter was met with a soft smile and nod as Dove nibbled on the toy watching them from Weiss’s hold. The older woman watched them for a bit before smirking over the brim of her coffee cup, “So, almost out of your first trimester… when are you going to tell Mom?”

The sounds of choking came from Weiss as she set the cup down and covered her mouth, frowning at Winter as the woman snickered once Weiss was ok, “Winter! Ugh see that’s actually what I wanted to discuss. See I’m in a bit of a situation. Mom and I have really been repairing things over the years. I want to tell Klein before Mom but I know if I do, Mom is going to be very hurt. Would Mom be upset if I just told them both at once?”

Winter rolled her eyes, causing Weiss to frown and glare, “What?! I’m serious!”

Winter was laughing now, “That’s why it’s so charming Weiss. I just really admire the woman you have become. We have both grown so much away from Father’s corruption over the years, or brother too. If you’d have asked me when you got accepted into Beacon that you would become who you are today, any of us really, I would have found it utterly preposterous, insulting even. And now, you found love in a woman who adores you, you are going to be a mother. You even changed your last name, something I thought you would never do. I think Mom and Klein will be happy just to know, no matter who you tell first. Mom isn’t naive. She knows Klein basically raised you and Whitley. I think she will understand so long as you don’t keep her in the dark for too long. And I’m sure she would love to know that you were considering her feelings when deciding.”

Weiss felt a smile creep onto her lips as Dove giggled at her, “Thanks Winter. I’ll be sure to do that.”

The baby yawned and squirmed restlessly. Dove wasn’t much of a cranky baby, rather calm when tired and could fall asleep anywhere anytime. As she leaned into her aunt and closed her eyes, she quickly drifted off, causing the two women to beam happily. Weiss stood gently, “I’ll go lay her down for a nap and we can have lunch before you leave?”

Winter nodded, watching Weiss carefully. She had to admit, her little sister always did so well with her daughter. When Weiss was out of view into the house, she gathered their dishes and brought them in to wash them. The two settled on cooking something simple together, Winter elbowing her sweetly, “For the record, I think you are going to be a great mother Weiss.”

Her younger sibling smiled at her, her hormones having her teary eyed and emotional as they prepared food. After they ate and Dove woke, Weiss saw Winter off. Once alone, she sent Klein a message asking him to get her mother and call Weiss.

She sat on her couch, nervous to tell her mom and the man who basically raised her like an actual loving parent the news. When the scroll rang and she answered, their joyous greetings quickly shifted to concern, “My dear, you look ill. Is everything alright?”

She took a deep breath, “As alright as a pregnant woman can be I guess?”

The two were stunned then the rest of the call was just filled with details, congratulations and catching up. She let them think she was just tired so that she wouldn’t worry them either. When Weiss hung up, she took a deep breath, feeling worn out, and laid her head back on the back of the couch, closing her eyes and trying to keep herself from suddenly being swallowed by worry while sitting in the house completely alone, her head dizzy. Even though she wanted to trust she was ok, she felt even worse by this point today, “Ruby…”

—-------------------------------

Yang was currently at her father’s for dinner when Ruby had left her house. When Ruby gave her a call, Yang stepped away to her old room, “Hey Rubes! What’s u… oh hey are you ok?”

Ruby’s grumpy face had caused the blonde to go from grinning to a frown and raised brow. If Ruby was calling her with such a sour face, it had to be related to Weiss in some fashion, even if it didn’t happen very often. The younger girl nearly growled in irritation, rubbing her face to try to relax it, “Ugh… I’ll be fine… Winter is just at the house and I don’t want to talk to her.”

The blonde’s face also went sour almost instantly. She was even more disinterested in the woman and baby than Ruby, if that were possible, “Oh. Oof. Yea I get ya. Well hey! I’m over at Dad’s. Want to come join us for a meal?”

Ruby poked her finger into her cheek in thought before shrugging, “Yea alright. That could be fun! Oh hey Yang, have you… ya know told Dad yet about Blake?”

“Uh… no not yet. I was actually going to do that tonight at dinner. Have you?” Yang responded. So far, they hadn’t told anyone but they had tickets to actually go visit Menagerie to go tell Blake’s parents via boat first thing in the wee hours morning.

Ruby got a nervous expression and rubbed the back of her neck as she climbed into her and Weiss’s car, “Eheh I was actually hoping to tell him right after you that way he’d be too excited to treat me like you did.”

Yang frowned, her metal hand resting on her hip, “Ruby… I’m not your scapegoat you know!”

If her life was an anime, Ruby would be visibly sweat dropping right now, “Yannnggggg! You know how Dad can be!”

Her sister glared a bit longer before she broke and started to laugh, “Yea ok. Well hurry it up over here then!”

Ruby made her way to her father’s home. By the time she got there, Yang and Tai were just finishing up cooking and were setting the table. Tai gave her a warm smile as he walked over to hug his youngest when she walked in, “Hey! There’s my little hero! Yang said you were coming too!”

His hug was nice of course but his affections tended to make his daughters feel a bit like he was too much. A frown tugged one side of her mouth and she glared lightly at him, “Dadddd! I’m not little!”

Yang was laughing at them, “Give it up Rubes! He did the same thing to me. You can’t win.”

The younger woman managed to wiggle free of the prolonged embrace, her father giving a joking whine, “Aw come on girls! A father can’t be happy to see his girls?”

That made the sisters chuckle as everyone settled down into their seats. During the meal, Ruby checked her scroll. There was a reminder to tell her father from her wife, making her sigh slightly internally. It’s not like her Dad had a right to be mad at her, he was her age when Raven got pregnant with Yang after all. Even still, he had this overbearing way of treating Ruby in particular that annoyed her that he didn’t even have with Yang.

Her sister noticed her behavior, Ruby starting to pick at the small remainder of food with her fork. She rolled her eyes briefly before she finished up her last bite, clearing her throat, “So Dad, I have some big news to share with you.”

When their father perked up and looked at Yang with interest, Ruby noticed Yang give her a reassuring wink before she indulged the now curious man, “Me and Blake are going to have a baby.”

His eyes widened, confusion lit them at first but then he grew the biggest smile not worried about the details of such a feat and stood, stepping over to Yang and smothering her in a big hug, “That’s great! Though, I feel a bit young to be a grandpa!”

Yang gave a playful punch to his arm when he let go, “Oh get over yourself old man!”

Even Ruby was snickering now, watching them cut up about the good news but she didn’t miss Yang eyeing her and giving subtle head nods to their father. Ruby took a breath and gave a smile of her own, “Well… I’m glad you’re excited to be a grandpa because Weiss and I are also having one too.”

At first, she had succeeded in catching him off guard and he stepped over to hug her tightly as well. But as the seconds passed, his face changed and he went still, arms moving to fold across his chest. He was giving her a look of disappointment and was about to speak when she frowned, “Oh come on!”

“Ruby. Aren’t you a bit young?”

“You were my age when you found out about Yang! And I’m at least married!” Ruby argued, staring at her dad as she stood up.

His disapproval didn’t falter, if anything she seemed to have struck a nerve, “You’ve only been married for a year! My life doesn’t mean it should be your life!”

His oldest frowned. This almost felt like he was calling her a mistake. She also couldn’t stand when anyone other than herself gave Ruby a hard time, even if it was their father. It’s not like he had done a great job himself so what room did he have to talk? She watched the two practically squaring up and stood up slamming her hand on the table, “That’s enough! Dad, Ruby isn’t a kid anymore and I’m not that much older then her. She;s right, you were her age when I was conceived and I turned out fine! And it’s not like Ruby just happened to accidentally get her wife pregnant like you did with a girlfriend. They had to plan for this and take tons of steps. In fact, if not for the steps and efforts they made, me and Blake wouldn’t be having a kid either! So back off and be happy for her just like you were for me. It’s going to be fine.”

The younger woman placed her hands on her hips and both women gave Tai an expecting look waiting for him to get over himself. At first he didn’t cave but after a moment, he let out a deep sigh of defeat, “You’re right Yang. Ruby, I’m sorry. Come on let’s all sit back down for dessert yea? I want to hear all about it, for both of you.”

His girls nodded and the air relaxed. They spent the rest of their visit answering his curious questions, though leaving out the more intimate details of the processes, and helped clean up before they left.

—------------------

It was really late when Ruby got in so she wasn’t at all surprised that the house was dark and quiet. She was surprised however to find her wife asleep on the couch sitting up, her head awkwardly lulled over to the side. A loving soft hint of a smile graced the younger woman’s face. She kicked off her boots and left them at the door along with her cloak before quietly walking over to Weiss. The woman looked so exhausted. Ruby gently moved hair out of Weiss’s face before kissing her forehead lightly as those tired blues lightly looked at her, Weiss waking a bit at the affection ever the light sleeper since she got pregnant, “R…Ruby? What time is it?”

Ruby smiled a bit more, eyes glowing with her love for this woman as she gently scooped Weiss into her arms, looking down at her and lifting her up, “It doesn’t matter. Shhh go back to sleep. You need it. I’ll take care of you Princess.”

Weiss over the years had grown to love that pet name from her red clad owner of her own heart. Her heavy lids closed again and she leaned her head on Ruby’s chest as the woman carried her to bed, whispering, “You cheesy dolt…”

She was so tired and every inch of her body felt weak and ached similar to how one might feel with the flu even though she knew she was in the clear for something like that. Those strong arms felt so safe and Ruby’s calm heartbeat in her ear was so soothing that she was struggling to stay awake for the short walk. Luckily, Ruby’s light chuckle at Weiss’s words shook her enough to help. She wanted to talk to Ruby plus her hormonal emotions had her missing this woman all day something fierce. A weak shaky hand reached and touched Ruby’s cheek lightly, “Did you tell your father?”

Soft bedding greeted Weiss’s back as Ruby laid her down, humming positively as her response before kissing Weiss’s forehead again. She was glad she could tell with the kiss that Weiss didn’t have a fever or anything. That was good, meant she wasn’t sick right? Weiss tried to sit up but Ruby didn’t let her, rubbing the shoulder she held down gently but firmly before getting a slightly annoyed sigh in response.

As her wife covered her eyes with her arm, Ruby worked on getting her out of her clothing and into the woman’s usual nightgown. Her hands were committed to the task but sweetly delicate. Once Weiss was properly dressed for sleep, Ruby got herself changed then aimed to go put their clothing into the hamper to not leave a mess Weiss would be mad about later, “I’ll be right back Princess, please just rest.”

When she turned, those slender pale fingers of her loved one wrapped around her wrist and her ears picked up of sad sniffling, “Ruby please… don’t go…”

When she looked, she instantly submitted to the plea, seeing the emotional tears on Weiss’s face and those longing beautiful orbs staring at her begging Ruby to comply. She had gotten used to the fact Weiss’s emotions were a mess already and knew it wasn’t going to change for now but she had also really stepped up to being good about dealing with it, shrugging off any unjustified rage and consoling any unexplained sadness.

The blankets pulled back and Ruby tucked in close to Weiss, gently holding the woman who was curling into her and softly crying, “Alright Weiss… I’m not going anywhere I promise. Now please try to rest. I know you’re tired.”

Weiss softly cried herself back to sleep clinging to Ruby, her mind troubled with the fears that something more could be wrong then anyone or the doctor thinks. It was scary but she wouldn’t talk to anyone about it, worried if she spoke it out loud she would only make it true. When Ruby felt Weiss’s grip slack and could hear the breathing even out she reached a hand to wipe Weiss’s wet cheeks and just watched the love of her life sleep for a bit.

She knew Weiss had a rampage of something going on in her head that she wouldn’t say but she didn’t dare ask again. The last time she did, Weiss was quickly spurred into a hormonal anger and had put Ruby in a literal and metaphorical dog house, forcing the woman out into the pool house for the rest of the day and night until her mood swung back into neediness the next morning.

That was definitely not something Ruby ever wanted again, especially when she was worried about keeping an eye on Weiss’s current health. She tucked her forehead against her wife’s and let sleep take her over with a quiet sigh.

—------------------------------

Weiss woke in the early hours of the dark morning feeling absolutely awful, sharp pain radiating from her lower abdomen. It immediately spun panic inside her. She pulled loose of Ruby’s arms and stood, her legs screaming at her not wanting to hold her up. Stumbling, she made it to their bathroom connected to the room and closed the door enough to leave a small crack before flipping on the light.

Just in case it was nothing to be too worried about, she didn’t want Ruby waking up. It wasn’t like it was the first time something hurt but it was the first time it was this severe. She leaned herself against their massive clawfoot tub and panted, legs shaking. Another intense sharp spike to her pain came like the one that woke her and she grunted, her grip on the edge of the porcelain turned her knuckles ghostly white.

As she looked down to the area in question, she could feel how terrified she was now. Her heart was racing and she was sweating even though it was cold in their room and bathroom. When she willed her eyes to search her own body, everything in her brain triggered all the alarms in her thoughts and all she could do was scream out for Ruby.

The younger woman woke quickly at the sounds of Weiss screaming her name with more need and fear than she had ever heard come out of the usually well composed woman she was in love with. It made her fly into action before she could even think, flying through the bathroom door with her semblance leaving petals in her wake.

When she stopped and looked at Weiss her eyes widened and horror filled her every fiber of her being, causing her to freeze for the briefest of moments before panic gripped her. Blood. So much blood all over Weiss’s thighs and the floor she was sitting on by their tub, her hip area of her nightgown saturated with a blotch of it. Weiss’s hands bloody from the floor she clearly had leaned against judging by the smeared prints in it but were now wrapped around herself as she was hunched over in her pain.

She was sobbing loudly and frantically pleading over and over again for Ruby’s help, “Ruby! Ruby help me. Please help. Ruby, it hurts so much! I’m scared please do something please!”

In a flurry of petals, Ruby grabbed Weiss into her arms and darted outside, not even bothering with shoes or keys as her semblance could get her to the nearby hospital so much faster than the roads and car. Weiss was shaking violently in her arms, still frantic and crying as Ruby rushed them to the hospital, flying into the doors and to the counter causing a scare in the nurses.

Her face was intense as she leaned over the desk, “I need help now! Please, it's my wife, something's wrong! She’s pregnant and there's blood everywhere, please do something!”

In seconds the nurses flew into action, getting Weiss into a bed and getting a doctor to her. Sadly, they had kicked Ruby out of the room for it, needing the space and ability to focus on the task at hand despite both women shouting in resistance. The younger woman paced madly outside for the longest time before eventually sitting in a chair outside the door, her leg bouncing rapidly as she gripped her face and leaned into her elbows rested on the arms of the chair, grunts of impatience constantly being aired. She had tried to call Yang to get some support while she waited in agony but Yang was already far enough out on the boat with Blake to not have signal for a while, which caused Ruby to toss her scroll across the hall and shatter it only adding to her frustrations.

After what felt like an eternity, the doctor stepped out to see Ruby, the young woman flying to her feet and instantly bombarding the man, “Well!? Is my wife ok?! Is our baby ok!? What happened to her!?”

Chapter 4: This Will Be Tough

Chapter Text

Ch 4: This Will Be Tough

“Calm down Mrs Rose. Let me explain,” The doctor said, calm hands held up in surrender.

Ruby forced herself to at least look calm and the doctor continued, “Your wife is going to be ok, she will just need bed rest and a little time. As for her pregnancy, one of the babies is weak but will be fine currently.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion at him. That couldn’t be right they had seen their doctor and they weren’t having twins or anything. She interrupted him, “B…babies? As in… more than one? That…can’t be right…”

He nodded, “Well, it’s likely your doctor didn’t see the other. It was an ectopic pregnancy. Meaning the egg was not in the womb like it should have been. It’s very common to be missed and was the reason she was bleeding. Unfortunately, in those situations, it is always medical practice to terminate the pregnancy. We can’t move the egg elsewhere and it won’t succeed in coming to term. In your wife’s case, it was in her fallopian tube right near her ovary and caused a fairly severe rupture. We went in and closed everything up but the ovary was also very damaged and we had to remove it. She’s going to be tired and sore for a while but Weiss and the baby in her actual womb should pull through just fine. I’m sorry for your loss of the other baby.”

Ruby was struggling to swallow all this information and it made her head spin overwhelmed. They had two babies and they lost one they didn’t even know was there all because the baby was growing somewhere it wasn’t supposed to be? She held her head and took a breath. Right now, she needed to focus on Weiss and the baby they had been planning for. She couldn’t let herself think about the lost one right now or she might actually feel the devastation creep in, “Does she know yet?”

He shook his head, “No, she hasn’t woken up yet from the procedure. We will go over it all with her once she is awake and coherent enough to process the information but you are welcome to go in and see her now. Can I assist you with anything else before I go? We called her doctor and he should be coming to do a check on her and the baby by the afternoon.”

Ruby felt the urgent pull to go be at Weiss’s side but first she got a pen from him and took a piece of offered writing material and scribbled a name and number down, handing it to him, “Please, call this number and let her know what’s going on. I would call but I sort of broke my scroll.”

She didn’t wait for a reply before running through the room door. She closed it softly behind herself and stepped closer, her eyes taking in Weiss’s still, sleeping form on the bed, the gentle beeping of her heart rate in the silence mixed with her wife’s shallow, even breaths. Carefully, she pulled a chair close to the bed and held Weiss’s hand, body trembling and resting her forehead against it as her shoulders began to shake. She was finally feeling the adrenaline and stress wash off enough for her fear for Weiss and the baby hit her full force without having to stay strong for anyone in this moment, allowing herself to be vulnerable while she didn’t feel the pull to hide it in order to give Weiss support.

Tears of relief that her wife was going to be ok, whimpers at their weak baby inside her, crippling sadness at the loss of one even though it was news it was there at all, swallowed the younger woman as she let herself feel as quietly as she could. Weiss was going to be so upset when she found out about another baby and that it was gone and about the state of the one they still had and if she didn’t let herself cry now she was not going to be able to be strong for her.

—----------------------------

Weiss had managed to sleep into the afternoon. With tired, worn out eyes and a body feeling full of lead, Ruby stepped out for a moment while a nurse came in, desperately needing something to keep herself awake. If it wasn’t a hospital she would use her semblance so she could get back quickly but since it was she didn’t want to risk a disturbance or any damages.

Luckily, there was a vending machine right at the end of the hall. She got a fruity energy drink from it, not desperate enough yet for coffee, and walked back. Even though she was gone for only a few minutes, sitting outside the room was Winter, the person she had asked the doctor to contact. Even if Ruby didn’t want to see her, Winter and Weiss were extremely close and she knew Weiss would want her sister here.

She pushed her personal feelings about the woman aside and walked over. Now that she was closer, she could see the worry all over Winter, reddened eyes from crying before this moment and her fingers wringing together. Winter looked up quickly when Ruby came into her peripheral view, standing, “Ruby thank you for having me called! I…”

Ruby gave Winter’s shoulder a light squeeze to calm her, not able to really be a support for this woman as well and wanting to conserve her energy to be prepared for when her wife woke and needed her, “She’s going to be ok. I’m going back in. She’s only allowed one visitor at a time and I want to be the one there when she wakes up but I’ll let you know when she’s awake and we have seen her doctor, ok?”

Winter nodded and sat back down. She wouldn’t try to argue with Ruby, knowing Weiss would want Ruby there when she woke, not herself, but it didn’t help who she felt right now. She tried to occupy herself with something while Ruby went back into the room and sat back down next to Weiss. The younger woman chugged the drink and was about to set the can aside when the thought of Weiss not liking that hit her. She didn’t want Weiss to be riled when she woke so she got up and threw it away in the can near the door.

She came back to her seat and sat down heavily, resting her arms and head on the bed beside Weiss and rubbing her eyes and face, ‘I just need to close them for a second… it’s painfully bright in here and they sting…’

Silver orbs were covered by heavy lids as she rested her chin on her folded arms and simply listened to all the subtle noises in the room. It was a struggle but she managed to keep them closed without falling asleep, but barely. What brought her to return to full alertness was the feeling of a weak hand rest on the top of her head and softly tangle in her silky dark hair, slender shaky fingers lovingly and lightly scratching along Ruby’s scalp as the woman’s name was whispered into the air.

Her eyes shot open and she turned her head to look at those beautiful blue eyes, her own hand reaching and pulling Weiss’s into her own, lacing their fingers together, “Weiss… you’re finally awake. Thank goodness. I was beginning to really worry.”

A loving and simple kiss was placed on the back of Weiss’s pale hand and the older woman let out a shaky breath, her barely open lids felt so heavy and the room was only just barely in focus in her daze, the medicine in her IV keeping her lightly under sedation to deal with any pain, “Ruby…”

The scythe wielder instantly stood and held Weiss, hearing how dark and sad her tone was, knowing Weiss was only thinking the worst right now because she hadn’t been able to get any news about herself and their baby yet. Fingers gripped into ruby’s shirt behind her shoulders and the older woman began to shake, burying her face into Ruby’s neck, Ruby holding her tightly against herself and giving soothing sounds as she kissed at Weiss’s hair sweetly, succeeding to calm Weiss down enough to be able to let go and pull back.

Resting their foreheads together and holding Weiss’s cheek, Ruby returned the sincere touches along Weiss’s scalp and listened as she sniffled and tried to stop sobbing, “Just tell me Ruby… please…”

A gentle shake of her head was returned and her words were so gentle, even Weiss couldn’t be irritated, “Not just yet Weiss. I think we should wait for your doctor. He’s just waiting at the nurse’s station for you to wake up.”

Before Weiss could even try to muster up the ability to argue, Ruby reached and pressed the call button. When a voice came through the small speaker, she let them know Weiss was up and they said they would send her doctor right away. In the time it took Ruby to lean back down to her chair again, hand entwining again with Weiss, her ob-gyn doctor walked in, “Hello there Weiss. I’m sorry we are seeing each other under these circ*mstances. Before we talk about anything, I really want to check on your baby and I’m sure it will also help ease your worries.”

The woman just nodded, biting her lower lip. He was rolling in a simple ultrasound machine. Ruby helped get the sheets out the way and helped her pull her gown out the way before taking her hand again. The cold gel was applied as he spoke, “Alright. Let’s take a look and listen alright?”

Weiss was scared but the fact he was checking in gave her some confidence that the baby was at least still there. As the device slid along the gel, the whirling sound of a weak heartbeat filled the room when he located the baby, “There’s your baby, weak but very much alive.”

Weiss couldn’t help the wave of emotions that swept over her and tears ran down her face. She was worried about the way the heartbeat sounded but so relieved the baby was alright. The doctor gave her a light smile, “Would you like to know the sex of your baby? I can tell you if you like at this point.”

Weiss eagerly nodded, balled up fists rubbing at her crying eyes. If not for the nature of the situation, Ruby would have found it a bit of an adorable sight, but she knew there was still more information to come and she knew it was going to wreck this woman she loved so dearly. He turned the screen more to them and pointed out the small body, “That’s your baby Weiss. It’s a boy.”

Weiss’s arms hugged around herself as her lips tried to curl into a weak smile, still crying, “A…boy… and he’s ok?”

Her doctor smiled and patted her hand with a nod, “He’s going to be fine Weiss. You can relax about that.”

The woman was so relieved she could barely keep it together. Though, she got very confused and concerned when she glanced over to Ruby, “Ruby he’s g… Ruby? What is it?”

Ruby was definitely glad their son was ok, or rather ok enough to not be too worried at this present time, but her mind was saddened with the news Weiss has yet to be told, her mind wandering, was that baby also a boy? A girl? Should she rip the proverbial bandaid off and tell Weiss or let the doctors do it? ‘I… can’t… I don’t want to… she’s so happy right now… I don’t want to be the one that brings her happiness crashing down… I can’t do it,’ her mind was racing, not even realizing her expression was darkened with the ache in her heart, nibbling on her lower lip roughly and looking in Weiss’s direction but would not make eye contact.

“Ruby… say something please… you’re scaring me… what’s going on?” Weiss could feel her tired body tensing as her wife looked away and rubbed her own arm, seeing the obvious heartbreak on her face as she heard the pained whisper, “I… I can’t be the one to tell you…”

Hands moved from around her lower body to gripping around her shoulders and clinging to herself, her trembling returning as her voice took on some of her old Schnee dominance, “Ruby Rose you tell me what’s going on right now.”

The doctor cleared his throat, “Weiss, you should know, all that bleeding was rather serious. You ended up in surgery to take care of the issue. They ended up having to remove a damaged ovary, repair a ruptured fallopian tube, and terminate your other baby because it was growing undetected in your fallopian tube very close to your ovary.”

Ruby’s eyes scrunched closed and she bit into her lip harder, a bit of blood drawn. She was too scared to see Weiss’s expression but the suddenly elevated breathing she could hear told her she was right about how it would affect her wife. Weiss was staring wide eyed at her doctor, tremors gripping her body and her arms cling tighter to herself, a hand sliding to the medicated dull pain area, “I… had another baby... and it’s gone… but… you never told me I had two…”

She was currently in shock, a ever growing painful throbbing in her chest that was causing her to suddenly breathe heavily, lungs responding to a panic that had not consciously set into her yet as her world around her felt like it had just slapped her into some surreal experience that she could not connect to, mind disassociated with the reality of the words. He gave her a sympathetic look, “It's easy to miss due to the location. But I could not have done anything for the baby Weiss. Those pregnancies have to be terminated because it is not possible to fix or bring to full term and it can be dangerous. I’m very sorry.”

As her mind spiraled into a deep depression and her consciousness tried to grasp it all, her doctor stood, “I hate to do this now but I must be going Weiss. You have my number if you need anything. Your doctor for the hospital should be around in the morning to discuss your aftercare. Try to get rest and not get too stressed alright? Good evening.”

When he went to the door, a cracked sorrowful voice asked, “D…did they say what it was…?”

He sighed, “Weiss, I don’t think…”

“Tell me! Please…” She croaked out, fighting the crushing realizations as it finally poisoned her awareness fully.

He turned to her and answered before leaving, “It was a girl…”

The room was unpleasantly, uncomfortably, suffocatingly quiet beyond the noise of the machines and Weiss’s emotional state. It was too much for ruby to handle, her heart crushing even further at the messy sputtering sobbing sounds coming from her wife who looked so broken and helpless where she sat, knees weakly pulling up to her chest and hugged into her body, face buried in them.

Ruby reached for her but Weiss jerked away, her voice sharp and full of agony that caused Ruby to flinch away, “Don’t!”

The hand fell to Ruby’s side once it had recoiled back from the verbal pain in Weiss’s voice, as if cut by it, “Weiss I…”

Weiss tightened in on herself, anger starting to seat in with pain in her voice, “I can’t believe you! You… you knew this whole time and couldn’t even tell me?! Do you know how much harder that is to hear from someone else when my wife is sitting here and knows the whole time!?”

Ruby shrunk in her spot. It had been so long since the days Weiss made her feel so…small, barely able to speak up, “I couldn’t…”

“What were you just going to let me go on not knowing until a doctor was available?! What’s wrong with you…” at this point, Weiss’s shoulders shook heavily and she couldn’t bring herself to look up or at Ruby right now. It was all just so much to deal with and this just added to her already awful state of being and hormonal distress.

Ruby frowned, no longer fighting the tears from her own eyes as she stood up, “That’s not fair Weiss! That was my baby too in case you forgot! You think it was easy for me either? I have spent hours so worried about how much this was going to hurt you! Hurt us! I was so worried about you I didn’t, no I couldn’t give you the bad news! But I sure would have figured it out if your doctor wasn’t already ready to see you as soon as you woke up! Hell Weiss I don’t even really fully understand it. How can you expect me to tell you and not mess something up and make it worse!? Weiss, my heart is breaking too and even more so for you seeing you like this.”

She tried to move close again but Weiss’s body flinched sharply and Ruby pulled back, her own tears blazing her hot cheeks. She felt so useless and insecure right now on top of everything else she was experiencing that she could already feel that painfully numb emotional rawness taking over her, protecting her from having to deal with all this hurt right now.

Weiss rolled to her side as she laid down, back to Ruby, a shaky voice losing its resolve in her anguish, “I can’t do this right now Ruby… please… can you just… go away for a bit please… I just… I can’t right now…”

Ruby swallowed hard, choking back more pain and nodded even though Weiss couldn’t see her, “O-ok Princess… I’ll be right outside…”

When Weiss heard the door close behind Ruby, her body curled into itself and she gripped her gown over her burning chest, eyes squeezed tightly shut as she sobbed deeply, letting go now that Ruby was gone.

Winter stood when Ruby came back out, panicked by the woman clearly filled with misery, “Is everything still alright? Are you alright?”

“No… I’m not. Not at all. Weiss is also a mess right now but you can see if she’ll see you, she… kicked me out…” Ruby mumbled, dropping herself into a chair and pulling her knees up to hide behind.

Winter was confused. Weiss had not been cold like this to Ruby in years for the most part, aside from when Ruby’s antics sort of had her asking for it but that was rare. She turned and considered knocking but instead just went in. At the sight of Weiss coiled up so sadly, Winter moved closer and slipped into the bed behind her sister, holding her close and stroking her hair, neither saying a word but Weiss was more than willing to accept her sister’s loving care, needing it so badly from someone she trusted who wasn’t making her feel so betrayed.

Weiss didn’t have to tell Winter what happened. The military veteran had already squeezed it out of the doctor on his way out. Her heart bled for her little sister, unable to imagine the depths of her sadness and badly wanting to be there for her. Weiss choked out past her whimpering cries, “Oh Winter… I… it hurts so much….”

“Shhh Weiss. I know, I know. But you need to try to rest or your distress will hurt your baby…” Winter comforted, holding Weiss tighter carefully and staying with her until she wore herself out and back to sleep.

Chapter 5: Cat's In The Cradle

Chapter Text

Ch 5: Cat’s In The Cradle

The trip by boat was long. It Took a few days and in that time, Yang and Blake’s scrolls had died. Yang didn’t see much point in charging hers as it was useless over the water anyway. Blake decided not to charge hers either. Her family didn’t know she was coming and without their scrolls, they could enjoy the trip with just the two of them, almost like a much needed vacation.

The crew and captain remembered Blake from when she saved the ship from a Sea Feilong with Sun years ago. They were more than happy to give her this trip for free. Blake gave Yang the story of course.

It was the last night on the boat. Yang and Blake were curled up together on one of the beds in their cabin. They had forgotten about the other bunk from the start, simply using it to store things. No way were they going to sleep separately. Yang had an arm tucked behind her head, the other was wrapped around the cat faunus who was comfortably cuddled into Yang’s body, laid on top of Yang. The bed was very small after all and it was really the only way they both fit.

The cat ears flicked and fluttered each time Yang exhaled, the air brushing against the soft fur. Blake’s ears were always sensitive and this was making her spine tingle. She gave a warning nip at Yang to try to get her attention and the blonde giggled, kissing between the ears and turning her face a bit to redirect her breaths, “Sorry Kitten. It’s a bit cramped, you know.”

The amber eyes rolled and she turned to give a glance at her brawler, “Maybe I should get up then.”

Yang instantly gave a pout at her wife’s taunt, holding her more tightly to herself, “Blake that’s not funny! Don’t you dare.”

A sweet smirk turned Blake’s lips and she nuzzled Yang’s neck, laying soft kisses along the skin for a moment feeling Yang’s body shiver beneath her before she stopped. The blonde groaned but she knew it was simple pay back and didn’t let herself get excited. It would be difficult to enjoy intimacy in this cramped bed anyway. Regardless, Yang gave a sort of warning whine of her wife’s name and Blake just chuckled a bit and tucked her face into Yang’s neck, letting her eyes close.

It was cold in the room from the chilled sea air and Yang’s body was so comfortably warm for the faunus. The strong but gentle hand rubbing back and forth mindlessly on her back was also comforting and warm to the touch. Yang’s eyes watched Blake for a while before she glanced out the window to the night sky, “Hey Blake, how do you think your parents will take the news anyways? I know your dad wasn’t my biggest fan when we got married and all…”

She remembered how Blake’s father, Ghira, had given her a scare when they first met and he didn’t exactly seem fully happy at their wedding. Blake laughed lightly, rubbing her hand into Yang’s bicep, thinking of when her father met Sun compared to when he met Yang. While he did take Yang off to have a one on one that Yang came back pale from, he had never said anything directly about disliking her.

“Trust me… if he didn’t like you nothing would stop him from just saying so out right. He is just looking out for his only child so don’t worry too much. Plus, my mom loves you so she would never just let him do anything serious to you,” the faunus said playfully though her voice evened out as she continued, “He was just worried at first. You are the only human I’ve ever been with after all and he has just seen a lot of prejudices in his years. You can’t blame him for worrying about his little girl. Faunus get very protective of their litter, more so even than humans.”

Yang’s eyes turned back to the cat and she couldn’t resist the urge to lighten the mood, “Litters huh? So, you do relate to animals then.”

When teeth bit her arm harder than she would like, Yang flinched and quickly apologized for the tasteless joke. Her arm slid down to wrap around Blake’s lower back and rest her hand on the portion of her stomach that it could reach. Inside, she was really excited to see Blake be protective like that over their own kid. It reminded her of how Summer had been with her and Ruby as children. That thought suddenly made her a bit sad, thinking of Summer now.

The feeling of soft fingers sliding along her cheek and gently holding her face pulled her from her distraction and her lilac eyes looked down to meet ambers gazing at her full of love and calm and only then did Yang realize she was a bit tense. Blake didn’t need to say anything for Yang to know she was giving her love and reassurance.

She clasped her hand over Blake’s and kissed her head again, enjoying the subtle floral smell of her hair mixed with a saltiness from the ocean air. It didn’t take the faunus long to fall asleep even though Yang stayed up for a while after just watching the love of her life sleep peacefully, Blake’s slight weight comforting on top of herself. She was glad that Blake seemed ok tonight, having been dealing with morning sickness off and on a lot lately.

When the sun came in and showed Yang’s face, the blonde groaned, rolling to the wall. A gentle shift on the bed from pressure on it happened behind her and in front of her all at once, a gentle nibble coming to her neck and ear before light touches tucked loose, wild blonde hair behind Yang’s ear, a soft voice humming gentle words against the skin, “Yang… wake up. We will be docking soon.”

A big smile stretched across the blonde’s face with eyes still closed as she swiftly reached up, pulling Blake down into her arms so suddenly the woman didn’t have time to react and let out a yelp of surprise. Yang nuzzled into her cheek, strong hands holding Blake tucked tightly to herself. She lavished the faunus with sweet kisses across her jaw and cheek, “Mmmm join me for five more minutes Kitten?”

Blake rolled her eyes but she smiled and laced her arms around Yang’s shoulders, fingers lazily stroking the bare skin around the base of the back of her neck exposed by the tank top the heated brawler slept in, her lips laid a peak on Yang’s nose, “ As long as it’s only five minutes.”

Finally, Yang peaked her eyes open slightly and nodded, responding before placing a loving kiss on Blake’s soft lips, “Promise.”

Blake moved a hand to run through Yang’s hair along the scalp softly, adoring the hums of approval Yang released. When time was up, Yang went to get up but Blake groaned this time, holding her there, “No…”

A playful chuckle came out of the blonde as Yang kissed her wife’s forehead, “Come on Kitten. We have to get our things together.”

The faunus whined but got up, “How can you always make things so irresistibly comfortable?”

Yang wiggled her eyebrows with a giant goofy grin at Blake, “Guess I’m just an expert at making sure you get all the yang for your buck.”

Blake frowned, eyes narrowing as she quickly got up and moved away from Yang, “And… moment ruined.”

Yang tried to protest but when Blake wouldn’t bite she snickered and let it go. Shortly after they got their few things together, the boat docked and they made their way off of it. With intent, they wasted little time heading to the chief’s home. It made Blake’s heart swell a bit seeing Yang more nervous than herself. She loved that her wife cared so much about what her parents thought. Fingers laced with Yang’s and the woman was pulled from her trace to glance at their owner, Blake’s gentle expression calming Yang’s nerves almost instantly.

As long as this wonderful woman was by her side, Yang knew she could tackle anything. When they got to the door, Blake put a hand on the knocker and looked at Yang, who took a deep breath, “I’m ready.”

The faunus pulled the knocker, beating it lightly a few times to make their presence known. When the door opened, her mother, Kali, was standing there. The warmest smile graced her lips as she stepped out happily, arms looping around her daughter, “Oh! Blake! Yang! What a wonderful surprise!”

Blake hugged her mother back with a smile before Kali hugged Yang, feeling Yang’s slight tremble and pulling away holding her hands, worried eyes looking at those lilac orbs, “Yang dear you are shaking. Is everything alright?”

Blake chuckled as Yang pulled a hand to rub the back of her neck, “We’ll tell you when we get inside Mom. Is Dad around?”

Kali led them inside, curiosity clear on her face, leading them to the study, “He’s in here. Come.”

Yang only seemed to tremble a bit more, Blake grabbing her hand again and giving a light squeeze as Kali opened the doors, “Ghira you will never guess who was at the door.”

As they entered and she closed the doors behind them, the large panther looked up from his desk at the visitors and grinned massively, “Blake! And Yang too I see. What a treat! Why didn’t you let us know you were coming? I could have had tea ready!”

He was walking closer as he spoke. Yang seemed to try to step away from Blake so her father had space to greet his daughter without Yang interfering but Blake held her hand more tightly and refused to relent. The man towered over them and looped them both into the same tight hug that lifted them off the ground.

Yang grunted a bit quietly but Blake quickly reacted in time to shift herself so his firm grip avoided her vulnerable center. After a moment, he set them back down, and ushered everyone to take a seat at his couch and chairs. Kali had slipped away and was already returning with fresh tea. As she served them cups, Ghira looked over at the couple settled next to each other on the couch, “So, what brings you two here? It’s a fairly long trip and with no warning to just be a simple visit.”

Yang bit her lower lip and her eyes glanced to Blake who rubbed her thumb over the hand intertwined with hers, the other hand coming to hold Yang’s as well as she rested them on her own leg, “Sorry to say you are right Dad but, we wanted to come tell you this in person.”

In response to her parents’ confused looks, Blake gave a warm smile, squeezing Yang’s hand to remind the brawler to breathe, “You see, Yang and I are going to have a baby.”

By the wide eyed expressions cast their way, Blake could tell this was probably the last thing they expected to hear. To their credit, it was probably not a science the island even remotely had or even knew of yet. Even donors with IVF was barely a concept here yet after all. While Blake was confident in the presented information, Yang could feel her heart racing like crazy. Ghira and Kali shared a glance at first before Kali’s face lit up with the biggest smile and she lept up, pulling Blake into an embrace, “That’s wonderful news! Although, I really don’t understand how that works, I’m very excited for you two!”

Ghira was still staring and his head tilted. Yang laughed nervously as he locked eyes with her and frowned, “What sort of strange thing did you do anyway?”

Yang was about to panic but Kali swooped in and saved the day, standing behind the couple and placing a kind hand on Yang and Blake’s shoulders, “Now Ghira, relax. Isn’t it about time you start showing this young woman how much you actually like her?”

He huffed and Blake chuckled. He softened, realizing Yang was full of worry, “Sorry I didn’t mean to frighten you I just… this is safe and you are both prepared yes?”

Blake nudged Yang, giving her wife the chance to impress her father by being a bit assertive in this moment. Yang let out a breath and smiled, looking at Ghira and summoning some of her blind confidence, “It’s absolutely safe. It’s being overseen by a very skilled medical professional who also is not only well versed with humans and faunus but is a faunus alley as well! And with all due respect sir, this is something we both really want, so I can promise you we have been doing all we can to be prepared for this through every step. I would never risk Blake’s safety or put her in any bad position.”

Blake gently leaned into Yang, the blonde able to feel the very subtle adoring purr she was emitting. Ghira observed and nodded, relaxing with a smile, “Good. Then I'm excited for you both. Blake, I hope you won’t stay away so much once our grandchild comes to the world.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled, “Yes but it is a big trip Dad. We’ll do what we can but Yang still has to work you know? Can’t raise a baby with no income.”

He grunted and folded his arms but nodded, Kali leaning on the back of the couch to look at the two, “Then at least call more often dear. We have been looking forward to this happening one day.”

They got through tea and Blake tried to give them more information about the process before Yang and Blake went to her old room to settle in with their things. They got their scrolls charging, Yang turning to Blake and pulling the woman to her with a grin, “I can’t wait to tell Ruby how well this went!”

Blake nodded, nuzzling into Yang before pulling away and grabbing her hand, “Come on. Let’s go out for a bit. I want to introduce you to that kid I saved and we can visit Ilia too.”

They left the scrolls charging and went out, grabbing some food in the village on their way to Ilia’s home on a beach. The chameleon faunus welcomed them and they all went out on the beach with the young tiger, Yang sitting with Ilia as Blake played with the child on the edge of the water. Or at least she did until she was hit with a swing of nausea. She excused herself quickly and the tiger came over to Yang and Ilia, “Will one of you come help me? I was going to build a sandcastle with Mrs Blake but she wasn’t feeling good…”

Yang chuckled and nodded, “Let me go make sure she’s ok first then I’ll help.”

Ilia just patted Yang’s arm, “Nah I got this. Go take care of Blake.”

Yang went inside and slipped into the bathroom with the faunus with a glass of water and sat with her, rubbing her back and making sure she was alright. They got through the bout of sickness then joined the other two for a bit longer until it got close to dinner time. The couple made their way back to Blake’s parents’ home.

As they walked into their room, Yang smugly grinning at Blake as she reached and pulled the woman’s back against her front, arms holding her and sliding her hands over her abdomen as she kissed between her ears, “It was absolutely adorable the way you played with that kid you know.”

Blake blushed slightly as her own hands slid over Yang’s, ears flicking from the attention between them, enjoying the affections, turning in Yang’s arms and giving Yang a look that made the woman shiver as she backed her up until she fell onto the bed, climbing into Yang’s lap and nuzzling into her wife’s warm embrace, “You can’t talk like that to me right now and think nothing will happen Yang.”

Blake had been more cuddly than usual since getting pregnant, a faunus instinct to be close to Yang and causing a desire for her loving protection and affections constantly tugging at her brain. The faunus nuzzled into Yang’s neck as she clung close to her, purring lightly when a warm arm looped around her and held her tightly. The blonde chuckled at Blake’s affections, “Maybe that was my goal Kitten.”

She reached for her scroll to turn it on while Blake nibbled at her collarbone and neck lovingly. The blonde twitched a bit beneath her wife’s affections but controlled herself. In these two months she had gotten herself used to Blake’s pregnancy affections being non sexual despite their arousing effect on the blonde. It had definitely not been easy but after Blake got upset with her a few times about the misunderstanding Yang did not want to make that mistake again.

As Blake settled down into her embrace finally, Yang’s scroll fully loaded and she looked at it over Blake’s head, the missed calls from Ruby rapidly popping up from the day they got on the boat. Concern riddled her face and she grew tense, drawing Blake’s attention, “Yang? Everything alright?”

“I’m not sure. Ruby called me like… 10 times in a row the morning we left but there’s nothing else from her since. She sent a message before the final call…”

Yang opened it and read over Ruby’s frantic sounding message about Weiss and the blood. Blake watched her eyes grow wide and moved as Yang shot to her feet, “Blake! Weiss is in the hospital! She was bleeding a lot! W…we need to get back!”

The faunus got to her feet and moved to the door quickly, “I’ll see what my parents can’t do to get us there as soon as possible. Get our things together ok? Call Ruby back.”

When the faunus left, Yang tried to call Ruby but it went straight to her voicemail every time. At this point, Yang was becoming riddled with worry and guilt for not being reachable at the time when her sister clearly needed her. Blake’s parents were able to get the ship leaving that evening to wait for the couple. When Blake came back she looked at her worried wife, “Did you talk to her?”

Yang’s eyes were watery and she shook her head, “no answer. Blake… I’m really worried. I… How could I not be there for her?”

Her wife touched her cheek as she grabbed their things, “This isn’t your fault Yang. We are going to get there as soon as we can, I promise. Let’s go.”

They quickly made their way to the boat after swift goodbyes and headed back home.

Chapter 6: Fire And Ice

Chapter Text

Ch 6: Fire And Ice

The second day Weiss was in the hospital, Ruby grew ever annoyed that Winter was still around and Weiss was still being… well Weiss-y. Or at least, Weiss acting in a way the woman hadn’t in years. Weiss had remained angry with the younger woman and while Ruby understood why and tried to be accommodating, she was getting mad herself by being constantly punished for it.

Sitting in the hallway, she growled a bit under her breath as she waited for Winter to leave so she could be the one to sit with her wife. Her arms were folded and she was slumped in her chair, knees pulled up with her feet on the edge of her seat, her face twisted into the most annoyed and irritated expression. She wished she hadn’t destroyed her scroll, at least then she’d have something to preoccupy her mind other than her frustrations.

When Winter walked out and saw Ruby, she sighed, “Ruby I…”

Ruby looked away from her and stood up, heading for the door, “Don’t you have a child to raise or something? Your own family to mess with? Must you ruin mine?”

Winter frowned at her but didn’t say anything as Ruby entered Weiss’s room. Weiss was awake and propped up. She glanced over at Ruby and frowned but let out a sigh. She patted the spot next to her on the bed with her eyes diverted away. Ruby calmed herself to hopefully not expose her negative feelings. She was just glad Weiss was giving her an opening to be close again.

As she sat next to Weiss, she took in how exhausted she still seemed. It softened her face with concern. Weiss rubbed her face, still looking a bit angry as she leaned over into Ruby’s side. When the younger woman wrapped an arm around her, and Weiss sighed again, “Ruby… I’m still mad at you but…”

Ruby felt tears falling onto her body and gently held the woman tighter to herself, burying her face into Weiss’s mess of unkempt hair, “Weiss… I love you, it's ok. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but can we just let that go and move on? It’s really killing me not to be with you right now. I need to be here for you.”

Weiss pressed her face into Ruby harder and her hands tangled into Ruby’s cloak, “I can’t deal with this anymore either. I don’t want to do this without you Ruby and I’m in pain and my heart aches and I don’t know what to do without you here with me.”

As Weiss cried, Ruby held her close, placing loving lazy kisses upon her hair and forehead every so often as her stress melted away. She was so glad Weiss was letting her back in, rubbing her wife’s trembling back and just letting Weiss cry as she needed to. When Weiss seemed to be all out of tears and slumping weakly, Ruby leaned her back and wiped her face with her thumbs as she held her pale cheeks in her own hands, “Better?”

The white haired woman stared at those silver eyes and leaned her face into Ruby’s loving touch, “IF you’re here… always…”

She settled into Ruby’s arms and they talked about how she would be discharged in the next day or so as long as she continued good recovery. Ruby resisted being annoyed by not being told sooner, wanting to avoid any further arguments. Ruby played with a lock of her red tipped hair as her gears turned in her head. It did not go unnoticed, “Ruby… what is it?”

She looked away. She didn’t want to rile things up again. A finger poked into her cheek and she glanced over at Weiss’s glare, “Ruby Rose what is on your mind? Out with it.”

Ruby sighed deeply and frowned, “Fine but remember you insisted and don’t get mad at me! When we get home I’d really like it if Winter wasn’t there for a while…I just… I should be the one taking care of you. And with everything right now she just makes me feel… replaced? I don’t know, I'm sorry it’s stupid…”

Weiss turned Ruby’s face to hers fully. Her eyes were narrowed into her powerful glare but her mouth stayed neutral, “Ruby. She’s my sister and I need her too but she could never replace you. If it would help your insecurity on the matter then I can do that for you for a bit but eventually I am going to want her around too. My sister means as much to me as Yang does to you. I didn’t lose a parent like you two did but my parents didn’t raise me either. I was a pawn for my father and my mother disappeared into herself. Klein did his best but Winter was the only blood that gave me love and looked out for me. I know the situation is rough for you and you hate how you feel like you are betraying your uncle with her around but can you please put that aside for right now while I’m not well? For me?”

Ruby gave a reluctant smile, speaking in her slightly cheery voice, “How could I ever say no to you Princess?”

The older woman rolled her eyes before booping Ruby on the nose and leaning back into her weakly. That evening Weiss had been released on light duty and bed rest while she healed. Weiss was wheeled out the building but when she didn’t see anything around to bring them home she gave Ruby a glare, “ Ruby … Don’t you dare…”

Ruby chuckled, scooping Weiss into her arms and nuzzling her face, “Oh Weiss… don’t act like you don’t find it adorable.”

Weiss’s cheeks flushed but before she could say anything, Ruby took off with her semblance, petals left in her wake. When they got home Weiss’s eyes were wide and she frowned, weakly punching Ruby’s arm, “Ruby Rose you dolt! I’m supposed to be taking it easy not being jerked around!”

Ruby flinched and winched at Weiss’s shrill fussing but walked her inside regardless and set her down on the couch, arms going up defensively as Weiss continued to fuss, “Weiss calm downnn I just really wanted to get you home quickly!”

She sighed with annoyance before taking a deep breath and pushing hair out of her face, folding her arms and staring at Ruby, “Don’t lie to me… you just wanted to try to charm me didn’t you? Wouldn’t be the first time you have done that in order to try to make me swoon.”

Ruby giggled and tucked her hands behind her back, leaning cutely towards Weiss, grinning brightly and watching Weiss blush and look away shyly, “Annnddd it works every time doesn’t it?”

Weiss scoffed and huffed and changed the subject quickly, her cheeks burning red, “C-could you just make some dinner for us already? I’m eating for two you know.”

Ruby giggled and reached out, her hands resting on the back of the couch on either side of Weiss’s shoulders to support herself as she leaned in and kissed Weiss sweetly and simply on the lips. The kiss was warm and made Weiss’s heart swell, bringing her blush even deeper before Ruby stood up and walked off to go make them dinner, “Yes yes Princess. I got it.”

Weiss nervously played with her messy hair before realizing quickly just how much of a mess her entire appearance had become. She groaned and rubbed her tired eyes. She knew this experience was going to be rough but she really hated how unfair it all felt so far. Losing a baby, strain on her body and injury, not to mention having to balance her relationship with her wife and her sister and make that all stressfully work.

It didn’t make her worries go away for the remaining baby but she knew she couldn’t keep these thoughts to herself anymore. Really, she wasn’t looking forward to that conversation with Ruby and was a t least glad her wife hadn’t brought it up yet. Leaving Ruby out of her concerns didn’t help anything and it was only going to make things worse not better. And her doctor made it clear to her before she left the hospital that the stress would make things worse.

When Ruby returned to sit by her wife with a simple stew meal, she noticed her wife lost in her thoughts. It just reminded her of how much Weiss tended to keep to herself. She bit her lip, but had to finally talk about it with the woman, “Hey Weiss, I know you don’t want to talk about it but… can you please stop being so secretive about what goes on in your head? I know you think you are protecting me or something but… how can I support you if I don’t even know you are dealing with something?”

Weiss poked at her stew some but then sighed and closed her eyes to keep from the crying that her body was swinging her mood to, “Ruby I… I’m so, so sorry. I just didn’t want you to worry or freak out and I was already so worried and I knew if you got as worried as I was it would only make me more scared. I… I wanted to keep you from my fears but I also was trying to convince myself it was ok and if no one else panicked then I could easily do that.”

She didn’t look up but she did feel her tears slip free, raising her palm up to rub her face and then she felt her wife’s hand on hers at her face before Ruby’s body slid against Weiss’s side, “Weiss, we are in this together and all I want is to take care of you and be here for you. It was so much more terrifying to be surprised like I was by you in that situation than to be prepared for potential problems because you were open with me. Of course I’m going to be scared too Weiss but at least then you wouldn’t have to suffer alone. We could be there for each other.”

Weiss nodded, leaning into Ruby’s body and getting her food into her body. When she was done, she tilted her face into Ruby’s neck and took a deep inhale of how Ruby smelled, having always found Ruby’s natural scent wonderful, “I promise I’ll be more open Ruby. I’m sorry, really.”

Ruby responded by wrapping Weiss in a loving embrace after setting the empty dish to the coffee table. Weiss relaxed into Ruby’s hold and felt herself slip into sleep, still so tired from everything. The younger woman brushed hair from Weiss’s face with a weary smile, worry filled in her eyes. She really had never seen Weiss so frail looking in her life. Even when they weren’t sure if they would survive when they defeated Salem and were in some sort of magical explosion, Weiss had looked so calm and strong and sure. Seeing Weiss now, she wanted so badly to make it better.

She kissed Weiss’s forehead gently, whispering as she picked her up to bring her to bed, “I’m gonna help the best I can Weiss and we will get through this together, I promise I won’t let you down. I’m gonna be the best partner ever this time.”

She felt Weiss curl into her and nuzzle close, whimpering softly with a slight grin, “You dolt… I love you…”

Ruby chuckled lightly and got Weiss into bed, crawling in next to her and felt Weiss weakly wrap herself up around Ruby’s body and limbs, “I love you too.”

—--------------------------

Several days had passed. Ruby finally got another scroll. While Weiss had not minded sharing her own for now if it meant Ruby didn’t leave her at home, Ruby was not able to resist her irritation anytime Winter’s contact popped up whenever the younger woman was borrowing the device. To compromise, she had ordered a new one and it arrived within a day.

Today, Ruby was on her monthly chat with Nora who currently resided in near Haven with Ren and their small child, both parents were teachers at Haven Academy. The baby was already walking everywhere with slight wobbles and Ren was constantly following her in case she fell or got into something again. It always amused Ruby, though didn’t surprise anyone, that Ren was more the worrying parent while Nora was more energetic about letting the kid forge forward into whatever mess she wanted to, believing children needed to learn the world around them themselves and if she got truly hurt they were right there.

Their general call was already wrapping up. Ruby had given Nora all the updates and vice versa. When Ren fell over chasing the reckless baby with pink hair and pink eyes, catching Nora’s attention from the call, Ruby watched the baby sitting on his back patting his hair and laughing along with Nora. She had Nora’s smile and laugh. Nora turned back to the call, “I gotta go Ruby! Someone needs a break from our little lord of mischief!”

Ruby said her goodbyes with a giggle and hung up the call. When the silence took the room, Ruby’s ears caught the sound of keys clicking muffled by a door and she sighed with a frown. Getting up from the couch she made her way to the study and opened the door slowly, leaning on the frame with her arms folded as she peered at Weiss’s back. The woman didn’t notice Ruby's intrusion, an oddity really. To Weiss’s credit, she had such keen awareness of her surroundings at this point in their adulthood that normally Ruby was lucky if she could sneak around the kitchen rooms away without getting caught.

This only proved how off and distracted Weiss truly was right now. A brow raised on the younger’s face. She considered her first instinct to fuss and complain but decided better of it. If this was what Weiss wanted to do with her time or if it felt this important to the woman, then Ruby’s usual reaction would only strike the fires of a scolding from the older woman.

‘ Yeaaaa no thanks, ’ Ruby thought, not wanting to ruin a day that had started well so far. Instead, she opted to clear her throat, watching Weiss suddenly tense and flinch in surprise, turning to the door, “R..Ruby! W…What are you doing here?”

The younger woman grew a frown to accompany her quirked brow, arms folding tighter, “I could ask you the same thing. Weiss the doctor said you have to rest. Why on earth are you here working? You should be propping up your feet and relaxing.”

Weiss met Ruby’s confronting gaze with narrowed eyes and a frown, “I can’t sit around doing nothing anymore Ruby. Besides, I don’t consider this to be rigorous work. I’m literally sitting in a chair with my feet up on an ottoman for god sakes!”

“ Weiss, ” Ruby gave a warning whine of her wife’s name as she moved into the room, stooping low next to Weiss’s chair and gently looking up into the woman’s face as she placed her hands over the pale hand of her wife’s that was rested on the chair arm. She watched as Weiss’s expression quickly shifted through stages, from annoyed to angry to flushed and finally landing on what looked like the same sadness that had been swallowing Weiss for days.

“Talk to me Weiss, what are you really doing in here? I know for a fact your brother hasn’t sent you any work while you are on leave, I called myself and personally talked to him about it. We both want you to rest. So what’s this really about Princess,” Ruby asked with that sweet gentle voice the woman carried that held so much tenderness that Weiss couldn’t ignore her requests.

The older woman sighed, sad eyes gazing off away from her wife as she turned her hand and let it be captured up in both of Ruby’s, her wife feeling the light tremble in those slender pale fingers as they anchored into Ruby’s strong ones, as if a looser grasp would cause her to come untethered from safety. Ruby’s concerned eyes softened further as she leaned to try to lock them with Weiss’s averted beautiful blues, “Weiss… you promised… please. I’m here for you, please talk to me.”

Ruby heard the defeated shaky sigh and watched Weiss raise her free hand to hold her face, hiding her eyes from Ruby, her shoulders trembling, “Do…do you know the statistics on if our son will make it or not at this rate? I… can’t stop worrying that I’m going to lose him too, Ruby. I just couldn’t take it anymore and really wanted to find something solid and proven to give me some solace that everything will be fine. But everything just keeps saying that his weak heartbeat is a really bad sign… I… I just was trying not to panic Ruby but now I just feel even less sure. I’m so scared I can’t take it. I keep having nightmares… and I know the stress is bad for him but I… I can’t… Ruby I can’t…”

She was cut off by strong but gentle arms wrapping her in the most grounding and anchored embrace, soft voice trying to soothe her as a hand rubbed down her hair in loving strokes. Weiss couldn’t take it and the tense feeling inside herself snapped, body going limp in Ruby’s embrace except for the hands gripping into Ruby’s clothing as her emotions fell apart and she could do nothing but cry the deepest wails and sobs. Her face buried deep into the younger’s embrace and her whole body shook madly. While Ruby was glad Weiss caved and let her in, her heart was breaking watching how much this was affecting the woman she loved and at the fact of knowing these feelings were keeping Weiss way too worked up for their son’s or Weiss’s safety.

She scooped Weiss from the chair and sat on the floor, leaning her back into the desk as she held Weiss close to herself, setting the woman in her lap and just holding her, kissing at her hair desperate to help her get through this pain that Weiss needed to get out, “I’m here Weiss, I have you just let it out. I’m sorry if you felt like you had to bottle this up. Just let it out, I got you. I’m never letting go, I promise no matter what happens. I’ll do everything I can to make sure you both are safe and healthy, so just cry if you need to, don’t hold it in.”

She felt Weiss’s grip move around her neck and her face pressed tighter into Ruby’s chest as her shoulders shuddered violently. After what felt like forever, Weiss’s body started to go slack in her arms, hands sliding down Ruby’s torso to rest weakly against the younger woman and her face turning slightly to tuck into Ruby. Ruby glanced down at the woman in her arms and watched as she relaxed, all cried out, her body calming and her breathing returning to normal as she sniffled. The younger placed gentle kisses against the sweaty forehead before resting her cheek upon the top of Weiss’s head.

“It’s normal to be scared right now, you know? Everything you’re feeling is normal Weiss. I’d be more concerned if you weren’t scared. I'm not taking any missions until you are 100% in the clear so if you need to share the burdens it’s ok, that’s part of why I’m staying home right now. So, next time you have a nightmare or you feel scared or need to cry, just wake me up or come find me before it makes you so restless ok? Let me be strong for you and our son ok?”

Weiss nodded, nuzzling into Ruby’s chest, breathing in deep the scent of a fruity floral smell that Ruby often used in her hygiene routines that always made Weiss feel so calm and safe, “Ruby… I just have a terrible feeling about things. Am I being too paranoid?”

The soft chuckle caused Weiss to open her eyes and lean away from Ruby a bit to stare at her, her wife raising a hand to her cheek to caress the skin that had still not replenished any sort of healthy glow, “Sorry I wasn’t laughing at you I swear. I don’t think you’re being too paranoid though. They say mothers can just sense things even while they are pregnant. We have a visit with the doctor in two days but he promised if you felt like you needed to be seen sooner to just call and he will make time. So if you think we need to go sooner, even if it turns out to be nothing, I don’t mind. I’ll take you everyday if it gives you peace of mind and reassures us he is doing ok.”

Weiss couldn’t help the slight smile on her lips. Ruby always had a way of eventually melting her into this subtle grin. She leaned her forehead to Ruby’s and nodded, “Thank you. I’ll let you know. For now I think I can wait for the appointment. I don’t feel like anything else is worse, I'm just…scared something will happen.”

Ruby just nodded and moved her hands tenderly along Weiss to try to help her relax even further. The two sat there like that for hours, Ruby and Weiss just sharing their worries and fears and reassuring each other, all their words in soft whispers as if saying them too loudly would speak them into existence.

It wasn’t until Ruby squinted and flinched a bit when she shifted some and realized there had been a drawer handle digging into her this whole time. This caused Weiss to stand up and urge Ruby to do the same, fussing at her lovingly for not saying something sooner. The younger woman stretched and rubbed the sore spot, laughing nervously as she was playfully scolded, knowing easily how to tell the difference between Weiss actually mad and when Weiss was embarrassed by something.

With very little fight, Ruby got Weiss to rest on the couch and made her promise before giving over the woman’s scroll that she would not use it to do any more research that could upset her. So instead, Weiss messaged Winter. Ruby had agreed to be civil if she needed her sister and honestly she really wanted to talk to Winter. Sure Ruby was being an amazing support but Winter had been pregnant before and Weiss just felt she needed advice from someone who could relate, someone who knew what it was like to grow another person inside you who could help her relax.

“Ruby, can you make enough for an extra person at dinner?” She called out to her wife who had gone to prepare some food for the meal, biting her lip.

She heard Ruby pause for a moment before she got a response, “Why?”

“Ruby please, you know why. You said you would play nice for me and I need this. Please?” she responded, thankful for the walls between them making this easier to discuss without it becoming a fight.

It was quiet again for a while and then Weiss heard Ruby return to cabinets and the fridge. She knew this meant Ruby was grabbing extra ingredients and she already heard her grab some before. Ruby long ago had stopped not grabbing everything she needed at the start when Weiss got annoyed with how often she would open and close things just to grab more stuff.

The lack of any verbal response was a bit frustrating but Weiss would take it if it meant Ruby was at least agreeing in some way. She pulled a blanket over herself, snuggling into the fluffy fleece and inhaling, the blanket smelling like Ruby as it was a blanket she kept wrapped in most the time since Weiss preferred the house a bit cooler then Ruby did. She let her eyes flutter closed and her body relax in the blanket feeling like Ruby was wrapping her in warmth.

Ruby was grumpy in the kitchen but she couldn’t ask Weiss to try to meet her requests if she wasn’t going to do the same. The best she could do was not say anything as she complied, knowing she wouldn’t be able to keep her voice from exposing her irritation. As she got things pulled out, it made her realize how much she still needed Yang herself. Now that she had a scroll again, she sent a message to the blonde, hoping it would reach her.

As she was finishing up chopping vegetables and the chicken, her scroll displayed a message from Yang. Wiping her hands first, she reached for the notification and opened it.

‘We just broke land in the area. I’m so sorry I couldn’t get here faster. We are coming over right away.’

Ruby let her know they were back at home and turned, grabbing more ingredients to make a larger meal for her sister and Blake as well. When she turned back to the counter, Weiss was weakly standing in the archway looking at her confused, “Are we… expecting anyone else?”

Ruby didn’t look up, cutting up the rest to add to the pan, “Yes.”

After getting the pan in the oven to bake everything, she stood up wiping her hands on a towel and looking at Weiss’s tilted, waiting face, knowing she wanted more information than that. Ruby sighed, “I need my sister too and her and Blake are back.”

Weiss' wide eyes that quickly shifted into a glare made Ruby almost weaken her resolve, almost, “Ruby… you know that’s a terrible idea! Yang and Winter can’t be in the same room!”

Ruby shrugged, not willing to be that forgiving on the subject, “As long as she doesn’t bring Dove with her you know Blake can make her behave.”

Weiss folded her arms, “ Ruby Rose … I swear if this turns into a fight I will not forgive you.”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door and then Winter entered, leaned a bit to hold Dove’s hand as the little one walked in with her, the baby pulling from her to quickly stumble her way awkwardly to Weiss who knelt down and hugged her niece sweetly, eyes sneaking a menacing glare at Ruby. Winter looked at her sister-in-law with apologetic eyes, “I hope it’s alright, I couldn’t find anyone to watch her this evening.”

Weiss was first to respond, Lifting Dove in her arms despite Ruby’s warning looks, a bit of venom in Weiss’s words as she shot them directly at her wife, “It’s perfectly fine Winter. There’s plenty of room here and no reason you should have to unload Dove on anyone. She is welcome here after all.”

Ruby stealthily rolled her eyes but she did flinch at Weiss’s lethal tone. Before she could say anything for everyself, the sound of Yang’s bike screeched to a stop aggressively in their driveway, obviously she had sped over beyond any legal speed limits. Ok, Ruby suddenly did feel bad as Weiss glared at her, seeing a bit of hurt in her wife’s eyes. She had been a bit of a jerk inviting Yang at the exact same time as Winter. She couldn’t pretend she didn’t do it a bit spitefully.

She could’ve waited. Weiss was the one who lost a growing person in her own body and was healing from a severe situation after all. She felt a bit guilty at the childish action. She did need Yang but a call would have sufficed until Winter’s visit was over. She knew Winter had a very high chance of having to bring Dove with her and even if she didn’t have to, Weiss loved her niece and it was cruel to expect Winter not to bring over the child that would easily put a smile back on Weiss’s face through all this gloom.

‘ Oh I am so dead when everyone leaves… Weiss is going to kill me ’ she thought as Yang quickly came through the door.

Yang’s eyes turned red at the sight of Dove and Winter, Blake tried to grab her arm to get her to chill but the arm yanked sharply away from the faunus, finger raising to point at Winter and her teeth gritted, words hissing through them. Rationally it was a no-brainer that Winter would be there for Weiss just as Yang would for Ruby but the woman had so much animosity for this woman keeping her uncle’s daughter a secret from him that she never thought rationally in the presence of the two, “What the hell are you doing here with that ?!”

Chapter 7: A Dragon, A Maiden And A Tower Of Mistakes

Chapter Text

Ch 7: A Dragon, A Maiden And A Tower Of Mistakes

The air was very tense. Winter frowned at Yang but Weiss was the first to speak, tucking her hand over Dove’s ear and shielding her face as if Yang’s mere presence would harm the baby, “Yang! We are not doing this today!”

The brawler glared at Weiss but growled out a frustrated breath, “I came here to check on both of you and she’s here with that… that…”

Winter’s anger flared as the blue formed around her eyes, “Don’t you dare finish that sentence you hot headed...”

“Oh you wanna go?! I don’t care if you are a maiden! We can take this outside right now!”

Weiss was fuming, the baby in her arms was starting to cry at all the aggression in the room. Ruby could feel the daggers of Weiss’s angry disappointment stabbing into her as she ducked down to hide, pretending to check on the oven. Blake was still trying to calm Yang down but the woman was ignoring her, red eyes blazing deeper as her hair practically began to glow.

When Ruby peeked back over the counter, Weiss was giving her the darkest look she thought the icy woman ever had, the baby wailing as the white haired aunt tried to rock her softly. Weiss groaned slightly in frustration as she took Dove to another room to try to calm her down first before she would clearly have to be the one to handle the situation, “It’s ok my little turtledove. No one’s going to hurt you, I promise. You want to watch something fun with me?”

She turned on a children’s show she knew her niece loved and sat with her on the couch, still rocking and bouncing the baby while she tried to calm her crying, tiny hands gripping into her shirt tightly. It seemed to be working, the baby sniffling and getting distracted by the bright moving colors. Good thing too because rocking and bouncing her was causing a sharp pain in Weiss’s body where she had been stitched up inside. Dove was probably just barely a bit too heavy for her to have been holding in all honesty but bouncing her weight around definitely was too much.

Either why, Weiss wasn’t going to let the little girl be scared and upset even if it did hurt. It’s not like Ruby would take the baby and everyone else was the problem, Blake not so much but the woman was still stuck behind Yang outside the doorway. The tired woman rested her head back on the back of the couch listening to the chaos in her home as Dove became fully engrossed on the screen leaning back against her aunt.

In the kitchen, Yang’s fists were clenched, “How can you even show your face around Ruby knowing what you are doing!? I know Qrow isn’t the most responsible but he deserves to know!”

Winter grit her teeth and stood tall, poking her finger angrily into Yang’s chest, “I’m here for my sister just like I assume you are! It’s none of your business what happens here anyhow! You do not live here! I was invited to be here! And you need to get your nose out of business that doesn’t involve you, you brute! It’s not your business if I tell that worthless scoundrel or not about my dau..!”

Winter was cut off by Yang’s growl and fist flying into her face and catching her cheek. The older woman grunted and her power flew from her shooting Yang back out the door, the precision careful not to damage the house. Blake stepped out of the way just in time to not basically be cannonballed by her heavy wife. Ruby flinched, ‘oh no… I am not only dead, Weiss is going to bury me somewhere no one will ever find me… I did not see this coming…’

Blake was shouting at her wife, trying to get her attention as the two women scuffled around the yard yelling at each other. Fists were flying and the words were hard to make out with how the two were smashing into each other. At a certain point, Blake was frowning so deeply she could burn that look into the ages, but she didn’t feel it safe for herself or the life inside her to try to physically separate the women. Unfortunately, that was probably the only way anyone was going to get through to Yang long enough to cool her down.

Ruby stared at the open front door before slinking into the archway of the living room, watching Weiss as the woman kept the baby distracted. She could see the tears on Weiss’s face and instantly the little guilt she felt flared into a full forced regret that made her cower, her voice coming out meekly, “Weiss I…”

She was cut off by Weiss’s shaking voice, clearly able to hear the way it caught here and there in her throat in her sadness and fury, the woman doing her best to not scare her niece, “Ruby shut up. I just needed my sister. How dare you do this. You knew when you had Yang over that it would be a mess. I can’t… believe you right now. Is it really that bad for you to have my sister around without you feeling like you have to punish her?! Now, I feel like I’m having to choose between my family and the family I married into. I can’t even go settle things because I can’t leave you to watch your niece so I can fix this mess you made. I… I can’t do this if you can’t figure this out Ruby… I should be able to have the support of my wife and my sister. She’s the only family I have living close enough to lean on… please… do something right and watch Dove so I can stop this nonsense.”

She set Dove on the couch and gripped at her painful area still healing with a squint in one eye as she moved to pass Ruby. God Ruby felt so stupid right now. She wanted to reach out and make sure Weiss was ok but the way her wife shoved past her she knew she couldn’t. Weiss didn’t deserve this. She was right. Ruby should be able to put this pettiness behind herself at least long enough for Weiss to have her family. She moved to sit with the baby who was staring up at her now shyly, shrinking into herself.

Ruby had always refused to know this baby, so now the two sat here as strangers. Dove didn’t know who Ruby even was. The scythe-wielder looked down at the nervous baby and suddenly she felt so awful about herself. She had treated this child like a burden and a plague but it wasn’t this child’s fault she existed. It was terrible to treat a baby like they were the worst thing ever when all she did was be born. She had no control over who her parents were or how it turned out, no more than Ruby had control over her lost daughter.

Ruby tried to think about why Winter was stubborn about telling Qrow again, having done so once before but her bias had clouded her judgment. Now she thought about her uncle. He really was still a mess. He didn’t have his own real place, still drifting around as he worked. He was constantly gone and constantly chasing women, using them for pleasure before ditching them. He also had returned to drinking after Salem was defeated. His sister was also a terrible woman, constantly after a quick buck and vile in general. Hell, she had kidnapped the baby’s aunt that actually loved her! On top of all of that, there was the fact Winter didn’t love Qrow. She didn’t even really like him. They had made a drunken choice during Ruby and Weiss’s wedding reception that Winter just wanted to forget the moment of weakness and how easily Qrow had taken advantage of her loneliness.

While Ruby still thought it was wrong, she could see why this was a tough choice for Winter. She wasn’t sure if she would do better if she was in the woman’s shoes honestly. It would be terrifying for someone like Qrow to suddenly want to have even particle custody all things considered and if she was a woman like Winter she could only imagine how the woman would feel about it.

Her eyes watered. Ruby felt so bad as she leaned her hand out, forcing herself to speak sweetly, “Hi there Dove. I’m sorry we hadn’t really met before but I’m your Aunt Ruby.”

Dove watched her cautiously for a moment and Ruby glanced over at the cartoons and gave a smile, wiping her tears away, “I love cartoons too. Can I watch it with you?”

After a while of the baby curiously considering Ruby, the baby crawled close and leaned close to Ruby’s side, watching the TV, “Otay…”

—---------------------------

Outside, Weiss leaned in her doorway and looked at Blake who was growling and shrugging, “I can’t get my idiot to stop! I’m so sorry Weiss. If I’d known Winter was here I would’ve made Yang take us straight h…”

Weiss sighed and shook her head, “It’s not your fault Blake. This was bound to happen sooner or later.”

Blake noticed how Weiss gripped at her pained abdomen and reached to support her when she stumbled out into the front porch. She refused to let Blake say anything about it, holding up her hand as she stared at her sister and sister-in-law locked shoving each other around the yard, both covered in dirt. She grit her teeth and took a deep breath, her all too familiar tone filling her as she yelled at them, “THAT’S ENOUGH!! This is ridiculous and childish! Yang, what my sister chose for herself and her baby is her decision! You can either get used to it or never come here again! Your choice! I love you both but I’ll be damned if this is going to continue for even another second in my home! Winter, I swear this behavior is so beneath you. I don’t care if she did insult your daughter or your pride, I have been in my living room making my niece stop crying because her own mother helped scare her and no one else seemed to f*cking care including you! Now you two can stop this madness and find some sort of ground to be peaceful while you are both here or you can both get the hell out of my house! Either way, I’m going back inside! Ruby cooked good food and I’m hurting and so f*cking over this!”

The two women stared at Weiss quietly, eyes blinking in shock as the recovering woman turned to Blake, voice a forced calm, “Blake… can you help me back inside please? I think I might have popped a stitch or something. It hurts pretty bad.”

The cat nodded, giving Yang a glare that shook the blonde to her bones and reminded Yang of Ghira’s glare before the women disappeared inside. Blake helped Weiss to a chair at the table and knelt by her feet making sure Weiss was ok, the timer on the oven going off, “I’ll go get Ruby. Hold on ok?”

When she received a nod, Blake stood and went into the living room, noticing Dove asleep tucked next to Ruby. She stepped over and helped scoop the child so Ruby could stand, “Weiss might have hurt herself trying too hard. The two idiots outside have stopped but I think the food is ready. I’m sorry about all this, I really didn’t think it would escalate that far or I’d have made Yang leave somehow…”

Ruby shook her head as she stretched out the tweak in her back from the odd angle she was sitting in and her saddened expression spoke volumes to Blake, “No… this was my fault. I was so annoyed about the whole Winter thing I let you both come here knowing she was coming. I was being stupid and childish… I’m going to go check on the food.”

Blake said her name disappointment but softness in her voice but Ruby ignored it, getting the food out the oven before turning it off and stepping over to Weiss who refused to look at her. She sat on her knees at Weiss’s feet as tears went down her face, “Weiss I’m so so sorry. What I did was stupid. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was just… it doesn’t matter. I messed everything up and I’m so sorry. I realize now how much of a mess I’m making all this when it doesn’t even involve me. I know you are mad at me right now but can you please tell me if you are ok? Do you need to go be seen?”

Weiss was holding her face in her hand and struggling to tell whether she wanted to cry or scream or both. She was still gripping her side but the pain had gone down to just throbbing from time to time. She wanted to stay mad at Ruby, needed to stay mad, but she just couldn’t. This was all such a disaster and she emotionally was topped out. She just needed support right now. Ruby could see her wife’s shoulders tremble and her hands rub at her face and temples as she let out a shaky frustrated sigh, “Ruby… it’s subsiding. I think it’ll be fine. Can we just…eat and go to bed? I can’t anymore with today.”

Ruby nodded and stood, getting food prepared on plates. She gave Blake one and handed Blake some of Dove’s packed food when Blake offered to make sure the baby ate before going outside with two plates. In the yard, Winter and Yang were talking. She couldn’t tell about what and neither looked particularly happy but they seemed to be finding some sort of compromise with each other. From here she could see the bruises and burns on them both. She waved until they noticed her and she set the plates on the porch table, making sure they saw it before she went back inside and sat with Weiss and Blake at the table.

Blake had Dove in her lap and was trying awkwardly to feed her. Weiss was about to take over to help when Ruby reached out and took the spoon, “Please… let me help. You both just focus on getting food in you.”

Weiss eyed her for a moment but felt the pleasant shock absorb on her face as Ruby acted so kind and sweet to Dove, getting food into the baby. When she finished and brought her back to the couch to watch her show, she returned to Weiss watching her carefully, no anger on her face. Ruby shrugged, “What?”

Blake chuckled lightly and they all chose to say nothing about it though Weiss gently touched Ruby’s hand for a moment, thanking her wordlessly for trying. Blake watched the women outside from the window. At this point the two were eating their food in what seemed to be silence, sitting several feet from each other. The cat sighed, resting her head on her palm, “Well, I think we can try to come back another time. I’ll get Yang moving. Next time Ruby, don’t pull this trick again. I get that all of this is hard for you two, you are both so honest and just but really, please try not to add to the fire again ok? If you need, I’m always willing to be a neutral party to listen.”

Ruby nodded and Blake thanked them for the food before she hugged Weiss farewell and went outside. From the window, the couple watched Blake grab Yang by the ear and drag her off back to the bike before they drove off. Weiss stood, wincing for a moment, “I’ll get Dove to bed…”

A gentle hand gripped her wrist with the strength of someone who constantly carries around something heavy and she turned to look into pleading silver eyes, “Weiss, let me. You really need to stop pushing yourself.”

“But… you don’t know her… you don’t even know what she needs to get to bed… how are you…” Weiss protested. Winter was coming back inside staring shamefully at the plates in her hands as Ruby got Weiss back in the chair, “Just trust in me ok? I can do this. You sit.”

A heavy sigh was all Weiss gave in permission and Ruby walked off as Winter came into the room fully and set the dishes in the sink. The youngest woman found Dove already passed out on the couch and smiled, the baby was actually very cute now that she let herself really look. She scooped her up and got her into the guest room, leaving the door ajar.

In the kitchen, Winter took a seat next to Weiss, “I’m sorry I just snapped with how she was talking about my baby but we worked it out. Can you find it in yourself to forgive me Weiss?”

Her younger sister stared at Winter for a moment before rubbing her face and nodding, “Of course I will so long as this stops. I really don’t need all this stress and really it’s been a year of this chaos. It needs to rest.”

Winter nodded and the two moved away from the topic as if it never came up, their usual way of handling this situation, “So, your message had said you needed to talk with me specifically?”

Ruby was in the room gathering the dishes to wash them after putting leftovers away. Weiss watched her for a moment and when she could tell Ruby was being respectful she nodded, “I… I know you didn’t really have much trouble with your pregnancy so it’s not really the same but… I just feel like I need someone around for a bit who knows what it’s like to have a being growing inside them. Ruby is doing a great job despite this hiccup at being there for me but I feel like I’m alone sometimes because she couldn’t possibly relate.”

Ruby bit her lip at the sink, her back to the two. She didn’t want to take it personally but she still felt like she was failing Weiss in some way. This stupid situation tonight didn’t really help that feeling either. Now that she heard why Weiss wanted Winter here right now, she also felt another sway of guilt for being mad about it. It completely made sense what Weiss was saying, not that her wife should need a reason to want family around right now.

As the sisters talked, Weiss spilled her worries to Winter, Ruby glad to hear it was all things Weiss had also shared to herself, and Winter did her best to reassure Weiss, “The best thing I can tell you is even healthy pregnancies can be scary. I was worried often even though I had no reasons to be. It’s best to listen to what your body tells you. I mean in the end Dove’s birth had complications because the umbilical cord was wrapped around her when I was delivering and I had been getting an odd feeling when I went into labor that something was off. Your body will tell you if something is wrong. And even if it’s all fine, better to listen to your worries and discover it’s fine than to ignore it and end up in this situation again, agreed?”

Weiss nodded, feeling a bit better now that she heard that and felt less paranoid about her own experiences. Winter’s hand rested on her shoulder with a light squeeze, “And you should continue to depend on your wife. She really is trying her best and I think she’s doing a great job, all things considered.”

The two shared a laugh that eased the tension. Ruby was already in the process of walking off to the living room before Winter spoke about her. Weiss leaned in her seat and watched through the archway the younger woman turn off the screen and start to fold the fleece Weiss had been laying with to flop it back on the back of the couch. Winter had gotten up and headed to the guest room with a soft goodnight.

Weiss felt her emotions shift into her hormonal swing again as she teared up but smiled watching that silly woman. When Ruby was done smoothing the blanket the way Weiss liked and stared at her work with her hands on her hips and a proud smile in herself, her eyes caught sight of Weiss watching her. She blinked and blushed, waving bashfully at the white haired woman.

Weiss lifted a hand and coiled her finger, beckoning Ruby to her. Ruby playfully pointed at herself as if questioning it and looked around pretending to make sure Weiss meant her. When her wife pouted and rolled her eyes Ruby giggled and came over, daring to loop her arms around Weiss’s shoulders from behind and nuzzle into her neck, “Hi there cutie. I couldn’t help but notice you from across the way.”

She heard Weiss huff but saw her smile and felt those soft fingers wrap around her own arms, “Help me get to bed you dolt.”

Ruby gave a goofy salute, “Yes Princess,” then scooped Weiss up, careful of her sore side and brought her to bed.

As they got settled into bed, Weiss pulled Ruby into her own arms and held her head loosely to her own chest, fingers playing with the short soft hair. Strong arms looped around Weiss’s waist and pulled them closer together. She could hear Weiss whispering against her hair, “I’m still a little disappointed in you for this evening but watching you take care of that little girl really made my heart race.”

Ruby smiled and placed sweet kisses against Weiss’s chest, sliding her lips down along the shirt to her stomach and lifting the hem lightly, kissing over the skin that hid their son beneath as Weiss watched her, fingers tangled in her hair. Ruby snuggled into her belly and held onto Weiss tightly but carefully, softly whimpering as she drifted off, “I’m going to take care of both of you and never let anything else happen I promise. I love you both so much.”

Weiss couldn’t help her eyes glazing over and she held Ruby close to herself, getting the first night of peaceful sleep since the hospital.

Chapter 8: Aftermath

Chapter Text

Ch 8: Aftermath

The door slammed closed after the couple walked into the apartment. The blonde felt the chill run down her spine from the sound, afraid to turn to the faunus who had closed it. She didn’t have to look to know that inherited, amber glare of intense judgment was boring into the blonde so sharply it could kill. That wouldn’t do.

While Yang was very aware that Blake was without a doubt very much the one who ruled the home, Yang refused to go down easily when she felt she was right. She summed the only strength she had left and frowned, standing tall and taking herself to the freezer to grab ice for her bruises. That glare followed her and it was taking everything in her to maintain her resolve.

Blake folded her arms, eyes angry and locked on her wife in the archway of the small kitchen. The longer Yang ignored her, the more her temper rose. The blonde didn’t turn to look at her as she got an ice pack set up, knowing the moment she did she would lose this battle of dominance in the room, “I don’t want to talk about it Blake.”

Blake responded in almost a hiss, causing Yang to flinch, “You don’t have a choice if you want to sleep in the bed tonight Yang .”

Yang turned finally, seeing how serious Blake was. Her wife knew how to snag her in her snare, knowing Yang’s weaknesses, “Blake… that is my uncle’s child and he doesn’t even know she exists. How the hell can you expect me to just be ok with that, especially now?”

Yang flopped into a kitchen chair and held the ice to her bruised face with a wince. Her resolve was melting and she looked defeated, a look that was rare for Yang and struck the faunus’s heartstrings. Blake let out a sigh and softened slightly though her anger was still present and walked over. She leaned into the table and rested her hands on the edges, watching Yang’s thought-ridden eyes for a moment before reaching and tangling her fingers into Yang’s hair, “Yang, I know this is hard for you. I know your uncle means a lot to you. But try to see it from her end. No offense but your uncle took advantage of her inhibitions while they were both drunk at Weiss and Ruby’s wedding. It’s… not good Yang. If I were her, I’d be so full of shame and embarrassment at the situation and I don’t even know what I would do if I found out I was pregnant of all things because of it. I think she is just trying to make the best of her moment of weakness. And to be fair, your uncle is definitely not someone I’d let care for a baby as he is now.”

Yang sighed, the sound full of frustration, “I… I know… I know! I just… I didn’t know my mom existed until Summer died. It was the most awful thing to learn after losing someone I thought was my mother. I know the situation is a bit different but… I can’t help that it bothers me.”

Blake massaged her fingers across Yang’s scalp as she ran them through her hair, easily pulling calm out of the agitated brawler. It was such a difficult situation on all fronts and a child involved certainly didn’t make any of the choices any easier. Yang leaned into the chair back, staring off in the room, “We came to an agreement. I’ll stay out of it and leave them alone so long as she at least tells the kid about her father and doesn’t pretend he doesn’t exist. And I promised to be neutral as best I can so we can both support our sisters.”

Blake leaned over and placed a soft kiss upon Yang’s bruised temple, “I’m sure Weiss would really appreciate that. You two put her under a lot of stress tonight and that’s really not good for her right now.”

Yang twitched at the contact but reached out and pulled Blake onto her lap, holding her loosely, testing if it was ok right now. When Blake didn’t seem to feel the need to punish her by getting up, she rested her chin on Blake’s shoulder, her voice caving in to her wife’s whim, “I’ll call her tomorrow and apologize.”

The faunus’s fingers in the blonde locks gripped hold and her other hand moved the ice out of the way on Yang’s face as she pulled her close to her own face with a gentle purr, emotions softening back to her instinctual need to have Yang close at all times, “Mmm good.”

Yang shivered and their lips met, gently nibbling at Blake’s lower lip and pulling a content needy sigh from the cat. The ice pack was tossed to the table as Yang looped Blake tightly to herself during the kiss, taking advantage of the parted lips with Blake’s sigh and sliding her tongue along the slightly rough surface of Blake’s more cat-like tongue, the prickly abrasive sensation stirring the blonde’s insides.

Before Blake knew it, Yang was lifting her up and taking the woman with her to their couch, resting her back into the much more comfortable seating as Blake slotted her knees on either side of Yang’s lap, pressing their torsos close together and hands both now buried in the wild blonde hair. Tongues danced together and Blake panted and mewled into her wife’s lips as Yang’s hands traveled along her back and under her shirt, massaging into the tense muscles of the cat’s back before rubbing into the firm but soft plump of Blake’s covered ass.

A whine left Yang’s lips as Blake moved her hands from Yang’s hair to grip Yang’s wrists, pulling them away from her rump, panting lightly for air as she rested her forehead on Yang’s, “No… not tonight. I will not reward your behavior just because you resolved it.”

Yang whimpered, shifting uncomfortably in her rising arousal under Blake’s hips, “But… I can tell you want me too Kitten… why torture us both?”

She pulled her hands from Blake’s grip and slid them tightly along toned thighs, thumbs rubbing into the inner sides as she snaked them back up, watching Blake tremble and squirm in her grasp. Blake was clearly trying hard to fight it. Yang could only assume she was struggling against a hormonally driven arousal that Blake never seemed to want to cave to since she got pregnant and Yang was tired of them both suffering from this denial.

Of course if Blake really didn’t want to she would back down, but she could tell the cat was struggling. Before her hands made their way under her shorts to the prize that Yang could smell dripping from here, Blake grabbed her wrists again with weak shaking hands, “Yang no… I… really can’t. I’m having trouble not thinking about Weiss right now.”

The hands stopped, her face nuzzling into Blake’s chest as she took in a deep breath to calm herself down. Blake could feel her needy tremble beneath her and gently held her head as the woman made herself relax. Blake was also forcing her body to calm down from the reaction it was having to Yang that she wasn’t actually in the mood for.

Her mother had warned her that pregnant faunus were quite frisky even if they weren’t actually aroused but she didn’t expect this feeling of her mind versus her body in such a conscious way. She had only ever experienced anything similar during her heat but that usually had her brain fogged and unaware. It was definitely weird to be hyper aware during a similar feeling.

When Yang’s Hands returned to just holding Blake and her breath evened out, Blake kissed her head, “Apologize to Weiss tomorrow and make sure she is ok and I’m all yours.”

Yang’s spirits rose and she grinned brightly, kissing Blake's chest above her shirt, “Deal.”

It pulled soft purrs from Blake and the two turned in for the night.

—---------------------------------

First thing in the morning, Weiss received a call from Yang. The golden brawler was sitting on her couch, Blake still in bed and trying not to disturb her. When Weiss answered, she sounded tired and groggy, “H..hello?”

Yang chuckled, “Rare for me to catch you in the morning and you are not already awake Weiss.”

Instantly, the sleepy tone started to have a sour sound to it which made Yang soften, “What do you want Yang? I’m trying to rest.”

“Weiss… I’m sorry I was being a jerk last night. I promise I’m going to do better. Are you… Blake said you weren’t doing so great with it all. Are you ok?”

It was quiet for an uncomfortable stretch of time. Yang bit her lip. She could hear Weiss breathing so she knew the call hadn’t dropped since it was lacking the usual video component. In that time, Blake’s ears had twitched from her spot bundled in blankets and the woman had gotten up, listening to Yang’s voice.

The cat got up from bed and crept to the doorway wearing one of Yang’s oversized shirts and underwear and nothing else from her slumber. She leaned in the doorway as Yang waited for a response and watched her wife as her face grew worried.

“Weiss?” Yang asked finally, starting to feel worried.

“I’m still here,” Weiss’s voice came curtly before she sighed heavily, “I’m better than I was last night and I appreciate your apology but I don’t really want to talk to you right now. I just want to go back to sleep.”

Before Yang could say anything, the call ended. The blonde frowned at her scroll but sighed. Blake was proud of Yang for trying and the faunus knew Weiss would come around. The icy woman had a habit of punishing people for stints of time to get her point across. Blake did not forget her words to Yang last night and, as Yang had not noticed her, grinned. She reached and slipped the panties off her body and held them balled and hidden in her hand as she walked over into her wife’s view.

Yang was staring at her scroll as Blake climbed onto her lap, straddling her wife’s powerful thighs, the oversized shirt easily hid her bare regions from her unsuspecting blonde. She leaned her head against Yang’s shoulder with her face towards Yang’s neck and she gently pulled the scroll from Yang’s hand, “She hung up on me…”

Blake purred against her neck as she set the scroll aside, her other hand running up Yang’s other arm over strong muscles, fingers still closed around the hidden article of clothing, “She’ll come around you know how she gets when she wants to be difficult… She answered so you already know she forgives you.”

Yang finally honed in on Blake fully and nodded, her lips curving into a grin. She loved the way Blake looked wearing one of her own large shirts, usually big even for Yang but swallowing the more toned lean woman easily. Her hands reached down to grasp Blake’s hips and pulled her closer but a shiver shot through her as Blake’s rough tongue slid along the base of her neck, her name softly falling from Yang’s lips made her grin.

Blake was stirring inside with need for her lover’s touch, more than happy to keep her word from last night and also very curious what it would be like to give into these hormonal attractions. She knew Yang would be easy to tease, having had no sexual contact since Blake got pregnant which was a very long dry spell for them specifically, her blonde beast having a very high sex drive.

Her ears flicked as she listened to Yang’s breath becoming more ragged the more her touch ran against her skin, beginning to purr as Yang’s hands massaged down her hips to her thighs, squeezing and rubbing into the lean muscle as those strong hands worked their way slowly up and under the shirt hem that rested at Blake’s mid thighs.

With her empty hand, she pressed her palm against Yang’s breast, only the thin layer of her tank top covering the large mound, listening to Yang groan against her fluttering ear, “Kitten… you’re driving me crazy…”

Blake moaned against her skin in response, delighted in how sensitive her deprived wife was to every advance. She moved her tongue across the front of her throat and slid it up to Yang’s chin before moving along her jaw and to her ear, nibbling on the earlobe as she raised her hand, letting her panties dangle from her fingers revealed before Yang’s eyes teasingly before dragging the article along Yang’s lips. She could feel Yang tremble all the way down to her core and listened to her gasp, taking in a deep breath of the smell of the wetness the article held.

The way Yang reacted and her hands tightened was making Blake weak, her hips twitching and pressing close to Yang’s roaming hands as they drew closer, the shirt sliding higher on her hips the more her legs parted to accommodate a person between them. She whined torturously in Yang’s ear, teeth pulling lightly on the lobe as her ears flattened, releasing Yang’s ear and whispering, her voice husky and needy, “Mine.”

The word had the desired effect on Yang that Blake wanted. The woman under her jerked almost in response, her grip on Blake tightening as she tugged the faunus to herself instantly, latching her mouth over a fuzzy sensitive ear and applying just the right amount of painful pleasurable pressure with her teeth that pulled an instant deep moan sharply from Blake’s lips. The faunus kneaded Yang’s breasts hungrily in reply to Yang’s dominant reaction, palms drifting and grazing over hardened nipples. If Yang was going to go for her weakest point then so would she.

Yang panted, her breath hot against the fur of Blake’s ear as Yang bit, nibbled and sucked at it, making Blake squirm and whine, melting to Yang’s will, hands massaging Yang’s breasts more desperately. Her back arched towards Yang as those strong hands rubbed along her skin over to her bare ass and squeezed. She was becoming soaked, pressed into Yang’s bare midriff and grinding into her as she whimpered and mewled, hands eagerly working under Yang’s skirt to tweak and rub Yang’s nipples to encourage her blonde goddess to give her more.

The cat ear was released from Yang’s lips before she shifted her face and locked her lips into Blake’s, pushing her tongue roughly against Blake’s that had been peeking past her lips already, one of her hands moving to Blake’s core and stroking along the folds and cl*t. Yang was so pent up that she could already feel the tight coil threatening to violently snap in her low abdomen, and with the way Blake was unraveling rapidly to her touch she knew Blake was suffering the same state.

The moans and whimpers from the faunus being devoured into Yang’s lips spurred the blonde further and she slipped two fingers into Blake’s achy needy core, curling into the front wall and stroking against that sweet spot as they thrusted quickly, the cat twitching and whining wildly. Half lidded, lustful eyes stared into Yang’s as their lips parted, Blake’s tongue still poking out some as the string of saliva stretched and snapped between them, hot pants and whines flowing from those swollen lips as Yang worked her insides with fervor.

Hungry hips rocked and rode Yang’s fingers wanting release so badly, Yang’s toothy smile only making her feel more weak to this woman, “Y..Yang please… I need it… I need you…”

Lilac orbs stared into Blake’s hungry soul and the cat’s heart melted as she fell over edge hard when Yang’s hips bucked with the motions of her fingers and her voice dripped sinfully into her cat ear, “I got you Kitten, let go for me.”

Her org*sm was so intense her vision blurred and her fingers gripped Yang’s breasts still in her hands tightly, body tensing and snapping against Yang with eyes screwed closed as the deep moans left her lips, Yang’s fingers carrying the cat through her climax and refusing to relent until Blake came down and was twitching away from her in oversensitivity instead of towards her.

Yang’s chest was heaving in deep breaths and a whine left her on lips as Blake twitched in her aftershocks against her, her own sex sopping with need. She was so close just from watching Blake in the throes of delicious pleasure. Her dripping fingers slid into Blake’s mouth and Yang moaned as the rough tongue coiled and wrapped around them, sucking them clean. Once sucked dry of Blake’s fluids, the hand gripped Blake’s chin and held her in the woman’s gaze, thighs trembling below Blake as she forced her voice as steady as she could, “Why don’t you put those gorgeous lips to better use for me Kitten?”

Red dusted Blake’s cheeks and she nodded, scrambling off Yang’s waist and kneeling on the floor between her knees, fingers eagerly gripping the waistband of Yang’s boxers the woman usually slept in and pulling them to her ankles teasingly across the skin, tensing at Yang’s drawn out groan. Strong thighs parted in need and a hand laced into the hair between Blake’s cat ears as Yang pulled her head to her own core with a mix of rough and gentle that Blake loved.

The rough texture of her tongue slid along Yang’s cl*t and the woman’s hips jerked, pressing into Blake’s touch and gripping her hair. The blonde really was teetering on the edge already and Blake loved it, wasting no time and latching her lips around the bundle of nerves, torturing it with her tongue as it curled and stroked the nub, causing deep moans from Yang’s chest to bubble up as her hips bucked towards the sensation.

It didn’t take long for Yang to succumb to her org*sm, hips f*cking Blake’s willing face as the cat slid her tongue down into the woman to drink it all in. When Yang relaxed, Blake licked her lips and squeaked as the blonde pulled her suddenly up into a warm embrace. She snuggled into Yang. While normally they could easily fill their day with rounds of pleasure, the two were just too sensitive from the long wait and all they wanted was to be close to one another now in the afterglow.

Blake sweetly scratched her fingers along Yang’s scalp as she looked into her eyes, a sweet smile on her lips. Yang eyed the coated chin with her release and smirked, “W-wow Kitten…”

The faunus nodded in agreement but pressed a finger to Yang’s lips, quickly stopping any awful pun or joke, “Don’t ruin it.”

A chuckle tickled her finger and they snuggled up to get through their morning together, Blake and Yang sharing sweet nothings with each other.

—-----------------

When Weiss hung up her scroll her eyebrow was twitching angrily. How dare Yang ruin her comfortable morning. She turned back in bed to her wife, still peacefully asleep snuggled into her abdomen and the anger melted away. A light drool at the corner of Ruby’s mouth made Weiss’s face scrunch for a moment before she sighed softly, her fingers tracing down Ruby’s loose bangs to her ear, along the shell and down her jaw before gently rubbing the saliva away.

Ruby squirmed a bit in her sleep in response, her brows knitting together as she whined in protest, holding Weiss tighter and nuzzling into her more, grumbling sleepily, “ten more minutes…”

Weiss rolled her eyes, watching Ruby sleep so lovingly and protectively wrapped around her, her heart swelling at the thought of her wife’s desire to keep herself and their unborn child safe, as if just holding them could keep any and all risk away. She let herself ignore the logic of it and simply enjoy the thought. When ten minutes had passed she gently brushed Ruby’s cheek, “Ruby… I need you to wake up and take me to the doctor please.”

Her voice was so calm at first Ruby didn’t understand the request. When the words sunk in, she shot upright, Weiss wincing at the shift in the bed around herself. Silver eyes took in Weiss’s pained expression widely and she flew out of bed, tossing clothing about to get dressed. Weiss sat up in bed watching her and resting her chin in her hand, a bit of a smile curling on the corner of her mouth as she watched Ruby frantically darting around to find Weiss some clothes before speaking up kindly, “Ruby. This isn’t a need to rush to a hospital. I just want to go get seen because it’s still hurting since last night. You can calm down some. I don’t think we need to be that rushed. It’s not worse than it was, if anything it’s calmed since.”

The rosy woman stopped, blushing a bit embarrassed as she looked over at Weiss who was clearly amused. She moved back over, holding some clothing she knew Weiss liked but would be comfortable in, “Can you stand?”

Weiss considered herself for a moment then shook her head, “My back is pinched in the area and it’s making my legs tingly and numb and it hurts to move around too much where I’m healing so I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

In truth, she probably could if she took it slow but she loved when Ruby carried her and she knew Ruby enjoyed it too. So why deny them that luxury? It’s not like Ruby found her heavy to carry. Ruby helped her turn in the bed to drape her legs over the edge and helped get her changed. She walked off to their bathroom and returned with a hair mousse and brush. Settling in behind her wife, Ruby applied the product and it helped the brush run cleanly through the long white hair without catching in tangles.

Weiss closed her eyes and let out a content sigh as Ruby got her ready, a guilty pleasure in how tender and loving every bit of it was from the woman she loved. It was helping calm her nerves and keep the worries at bay. As long as Ruby was here for her, she could get through this. Ruby kissed her head and braided the hair before going back to the bathroom and grabbing a warm damp washcloth. When she came back she sat before Weiss and gently washed the tired face.

“Ruby… I can do that myself…” Weiss weakly protested, a blush across her cheeks.

A cheeky smile graced Ruby’s lips and she poked Weiss’s nose, “Yes you could buuttt we both know you secretly love this Princess.”

Weiss rolled her eyes but blushed darker and pouted, folding her arms, “You dolt…”

Ruby snickered and kissed Weiss’s nose. That insult had long long ago become the easiest way for Ruby to tell she was making Weiss’s heart turn happily and Ruby loved it. Once they were both ready for the day, Ruby helped get Weiss to the kitchen to get something light into her and get her the desired coffee when they came across Winter already making it.

The moment was tense for a second before Ruby took a breath feeling Weiss eyeing her and spoke as kindly as she could, “Good morning Winter. Is that the decaf?”

Winter nodded and let herself relax. It wasn’t cheery how Ruby talked but it was clear she was making an effort and that made the oldest woman glad for some sort of step in a good direction. She nodded, “Yes. I figured Weiss might want some at some point.”

Weiss let out quiet words of thanks as Ruby moved to make her a cup. She set it down before her wife before going back and getting some of the eggs on a plate that Winter had made, watching the sleepy baby clinging to Winter that was being held in one arm this whole time. In one of the child’s hands was a bottle of milk that the baby was drinking from. At her age, it was probably the milk from the fridge but many babies still found comfort in milk from time to time even once they were weaned from formulas and mother’s milk. The youngest woman could only assume it was part of a morning routine to soothe any crankiness the baby might have.

While Weiss ate her breakfast despite a lack of appetite, Ruby watched Winter with Dove. The woman had seemingly mastered the skill of getting through her routines even with one around occupied with holding a baby at the same time. It must have been hard to do it all alone, Ruby herself was already unsure how she was going to adapt and she had a lovely woman with her that would share the experience and efforts, she couldn’t imagine making it alone while also still supporting a job and being available for a sibling.

“Yes?” Winter asked, catching Ruby staring in her peripheral vision as she made the rest of breakfast.

Weiss watched them carefully as Ruby rubbed her own neck, “S-sorry I just… I think it’s pretty impressive how you have managed alone.”

Slender fingers reached and laced into Ruby’s and she looked down to see Weiss holding her hand sweetly, proud of her, as Winter let out a sigh, “It’s not easy and I’m still learning but… I just want Dove to have the best life I can provide, one happier than mine was. For now, if that doesn’t include her father then that’s what it is.”

As she got her plate set up and one for Ruby, she turned and handed it to the young woman, “If it makes you feel any better, I never intend to hide information about him from her, even if I don’t want him involved. I told your sister that too last night.”

Ruby nodded, taking the food. Winter sat down, Dove refusing to be anywhere but her arms evident with a cranky whine when Winter tried. Winter stared at her plate as she spoke, “Not that I owe you this explanation but… I didn’t want to do that with you uncle. I just wanted to feel like I mattered enough to someone in that moment and he noticed. I’m sure it’s hard for you to see him in such a light but I was intoxicated and vulnerable and lonely. I had given so much of my life since I was a teenager to Ironwood that I never was able to make a meaningful connection with anyone. Seeing Everyone so happy while I was so drunk made me just… willing to accept any sort of affections from anyone willing. But I’d have never chosen Qrow if I was in my right mind. I’m very embarrassed by what happened and the way he has talked to me since makes me feel sick, like he finally won some sort of game I was unaware I was playing with him. I still carry a piece of shame for what I allowed myself to do that night but Dove gives me some grace and I do not regret deciding to have her. So I’m sorry I can’t tell him. Had the situation been different, I would but I just don’t want him to be a part of my life in any way, it’s too much. And I worry if I let him in her life, she will not have everything she deserves and she might end up like him. I wanted to tell you about it all but you always avoid me.”

Weiss knew all this already of course, being her sister’s greatest confidant as much as Winter often was hers, but Ruby had never really known the intricate details of what happened. Weiss and Winter had never told her or Yang, not wanting to ruin the image they held for someone so important to their life. Finally hearing it all, Ruby didn’t know what to think or say. She glanced at Weiss who gave a nod that the information was true.

Blake had been the one who stumbled across Winter, a crying mess the next morning and had let Weiss know what was going on which would line up with the call Weiss got at the airport that morning that made the woman so irritable at the start of their honeymoon. So the two women from her team had always known and bore the knowledge from the sisters to protect their connection to Qrow. Had either known things would turn out this way, Weiss probably would’ve aired it all from the beginning.

Ruby swallowed hard, trying to wade through the shock as the image of her uncle was slightly shattered by this information. She had always known he was a sort of tramp with women but had never considered he might be a bit dubious in his chases as well. She breathed in deeply and sat at a chair near Winter, “I’m sorry for how I've treated you. I’m going to do my best to be better family for you two from now on.”

Winter just waved it off, not wanting to live in the story any longer or receive any pity. Weiss cleared her throat in the silence of the room once everyone was done eating, “Winter you are welcome to let yourself out when you see fit or stay but Ruby and I are headed to Vacuo so I can see my doctor. I think I might have hurt myself last night. I just want to be sure.”

Winter nodded and Ruby got Weiss up, taking them outside. Before she could use her semblance, Weiss gripped her chin a bit painfully and made them make eye contact, “No. We take the car to the airship. I am not in the mood to be rose petals today.”

Ruby nervously chuckled and nodded, getting them to the station and onto the ship headed for Vacuo.

Chapter 9: Growing Pains

Chapter Text

Ch 9: Growing Pains

The doctor got them in fairly quickly. Once Weiss was settled in and ready to see him, their doctor came in, “Hello ladies. I see you are a day early. Your call to the desk said you had some concerns?”

Weiss nodded, “Well, I’m in a bit of new pain where I was damaged and I’ve been dealing with losing sleep with worry lately. I just want to be sure everything is ok.”

He nodded and gave a warm smile, flipping through some paperwork to refresh his memory on the exacts of her procedure, “Absolutely. Mother’s comfort equals baby’s health after all!”

While he got the ultrasound machine ready he inquired, “Did you do something that might have caused the new pain?”

Ruby didn’t have to look to feel the sharp glare Weiss was giving her and shrunk in her chair, poking her fingertips together embarrassed as Weiss’s harsh tone gave response, “Well I had to soothe a crying baby because someone thought it would be a good idea to invite over chaos and make my niece cry. Ended up having to comfort her with soothing motions and I think maybe she was a bit too heavy for me to be doing that right now.”

He hummed in agreement, “I’d say that is more than likely correct. On the plus side that sort of motion is only really bad for your stitches internally at this point, not so much your baby but since we need to see how he’s doing anyway we can at least get some answer that will hopefully combat the worries and nightmares.”

The cold gel on her body made her wince but she ignored that and watched and listened longingly as he ran the device across. She could feel herself holding her breath, fingers clenching and opening constantly wishing she had a hand to hold and felt some relief as Ruby reached and snaked her fingers into Weiss’s and gave a squeeze.

When the slow whirring sound was heard and the doctor’s face scrunched a bit in concern, Weiss felt her heart drop. Another tight but shaky squeeze of Ruby’s hand reminded her to breathe but her breath was swallow and shaky, her free hand clenching the bed beneath herself. Still, seeing what she knew from before to be her son on the monitor and hearing at least some form of proof he was at least alive kept her tears at bay for now.

“Hmm well… it doesn’t seem to be any worse and it is definitely his heartbeat but we should probably be alert that it’s still so weak. It could be that he just hasn’t quite fully bounced back yet from the trauma your body and baby experienced, still a bit early to tell but until it improves I think you should see me weekly so we can at least keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t decline at the very least,” he was putting the machine away now and handing over something for Weiss to wipe her skin with.

Weiss couldn’t will either of her hands to move, as if releasing Ruby or the bed would drop her into the depths of an unanchored terrible reality. Ruby instead grabbed it in her free hand and gently wiped Weiss's skin of the gel. She could feel the tremble in Weiss’s body both in her clasped hand and against the wipe. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t also terrified right now but she did her best to hold herself together for Weiss, “W-what happens if it doesn’t get better doctor?”

He rubbed his chin and sighed, “Well, a multitude of health issues could present themselves but so long as he doesn’t get worse you shouldn’t lose him. Let’s not focus on any of that right now though, the unnecessary stress isn’t good for any of you. The good news here is he’s alive and he hasn’t declined. If by next week he doesn’t improve we can discuss the potential things you can expect, alright? And again, Weiss, if you feel like you need to come sooner don’t hesitate.”

He stood up and walked over, “Now, I’m going to have a nurse bring you for a scan to check your injury to make sure that’s all in order after the exertion. Hopefully you are just sore. If you popped a stitch it should be ok so long as there’s no excess blood and it’s only one or so.”

Weiss could only really hear muted noise, her mind unable to focus on what he was saying, wrapped in the dark fears of what was happening and consumed with worry that nothing was going to be ok. When she didn’t respond, sitting there staring at the floor, Ruby acknowledged him and watched him leave. She turned fully to Weiss and gently rubbed her thumb over the pale fingers in her hand, “W... iss… eiss… Weiss?”

Her ears were finally taking in information around her as she began to make out her wife’s gentle voice trying to get her attention. Her eyes slowly turned to Ruby in a bit of a depressed daze, eyes glossy and slowly tears were running on her face, Her hand not in Ruby’s slowly lifting to touch the wet on her face as if in disbelief that she was even there.

Ruby sucked in a sharp breath and leaned her forehead down against Weiss’s, her free hand wrapping with their already intertwined fingers and holding it close to her lips, kissing lightly across Weiss’s fingers as her own hands fought not to shake. She could see that Weiss was detached from reality right now, possibly disasociated with reality to coop.

No words left Ruby’s lips, unsure what to even really say at first as she gathered her own thoughts. After a moment, she spoke gently, her voice close to a whisper, “Breathe for me Weiss. Just focus on breahting calmly. There’s still hope. We need to try to focus on that alright? We can’t give up on him.”

Icy blue eyes disappeared behind drooping lids and Ruby listened to Weiss take several deep but shaky breaths, meek and sad words barely audible choking out, “I’m really scared…”

Ruby bit her lip and moved a hand to wrap around Weiss and pull her close, her own tears dripping slowly, “Me too. But I’m hopeful he’ll be ok. I have faith he’s strong like his mom.”

Weiss whimpered, the ache in her chest lurched and she gripped Ruby tightly now but willed herself a slight smile at Ruby’s words, “I hope you are right…”

The nurse entered but waited once she saw them, letting them take the moment they needed. Even with everything, the couple were still among a low precentile of people that even succeeded this far with the process at this time so the staff had gotten fairly used to seeing sadness. After Ruby noticed her and gently pried Weiss from her shirt so she could step away, the nurse got Weiss scanned and checked out. Just a stitch had popped but no bleeding or anything of note to worry about so she was once again adviced to bed rest and light duty before they were sent home.

The trip back was solem and quiet and Weiss spent it tucked into Ruby tightly to help ground herself in the present but also Ruby’s excess hope that she herself did not have nearly enough of right now. Luckily for her, Ruby always had enough optimism for several people combined.

Weiss was actually glad Winter had decided to leave when they got home to an empty house. She didn’t want to have to explain anything right now. In fact, all the woman wanted to do right now was go to bed. Ruby made some soup and made Weiss eat for her and their son’s sake before she helped Weiss tuck in. It was still a bit early to go to bed herself so as soon as Weiss was comfortable enough, she went back to get a few chroes done to keep herself distracted.

After finishing rounds of laundry, folding clothes and laying out hangables, and washing dishes and areas of the house, she finally gave herself a break on the couch, rubbing her own tired face. She pulled out her scroll and dailed Yang. When her sister answered, Ruby’s hand was over her mouth and her shoulders slumped and shook, muffling her sobs as she broke, trying not to be too loud not wanting to risk waking Weiss.

Yang’s brows scrunched in concern as she watched Ruby through the video call, “Rubes! Wbhat’s wrong? Hey, talk to me.”

Ruby took several deep weezing breaths and rubbed her arm across her eyes. She told Yang finally what all had happened that led to Weiss in the hospital along with the news they got today, her sister listening with her full unwavered attention even when Blake came into view sitting next to her.

When she finished, she slumped even further over, the scroll barely in her grasp as her arms weakly hung across her lap and her body slacked over, tears falling. Yang’s voice pulling her attention, “Ruby… I’m so sorry all that is happening. It sounds like all is not lost though so I know once you’ve had a chance to get a good cry out you can totally help Weiss and yourself stay positive. Sounds to me like it’s all you can really do for now.”

Ruby sniffled and nodded, not looking up. Yang grew more worried, “Ruby are you going to be ok?”

Ruby sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, sitting up straight and collecting herself for a moment before forcing a weary smile, “I…I’ll be fine. I just… needed a moment. Thanks for listening Yang. I’m gonna go check on Weiss.”

Yang didn’t believe Ruby for a second but didn’t comment on it, “Ok Rubes. Call me anything ok?”

Ruby nodded and they ended the call. She let her scroll drop from her hand to the floor as she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged hold of herself, burying her face in her knees and just focusing on breathing as she tried to calm herself. She flinched in surprise when she felt lean weak arms wrap around her and the couch dip next to her.

A glance out the side of her eye proved Weiss was next to her, wrapping Ruby in an embrace and pulling her close weakly, the pale face tucking into Ruby’s shoulder and soothing sounds left trembling lips between sniffling, “Weiss… you should be resting…”

She felt those fingers full of tremors running back and forth along her back and soft cool lips against her neck as Weiss spoke weakly, “Shush Ruby. Even you need to cry sometimes. Don’t be dense… we can take care of each other. You do not have to bare everything alone all the time either.”

When Ruby’s body shook harshly in Weiss’s arms and the sounds of her heartache could be heard in weak sobs, Weiss tightened her grip on her wife as best she could and cried right along with Ruby. They sat there for what felt like hours just holding each other and letting the tears run their course until they didn’t feel like they could shed any more tears.

Ruby leaned back on the couch and gently held a hand out to Weiss, pulling the woman on top of her into her arms when Weiss took her hand. She reached for the blanket on the back of the couch and fluffed it out over them, holding Weiss closely, “It’s not our bed but…I just don’t have the energy to move right now. Sleep here with me Weiss?”

Her wife nodded against her neck, tucking her hands between them and resting her knees around Ruby’s hips as Ruby wrapped her in strong warm arms, letting the sounds of Ruby’s heartbeat and breathing lull her to sleep. Ruby breathed in deep the smeel of Weiss’s hair and salty tears and let her eyes close, exhausted from her emotions.

—-------------------------

Every day until the next appointment carried out much like the last, the mood in the house doing it’s best to stay positive while nights generally ended with sadness and clinging to one another for the only hope they could muster up together.

The next appointment wasn’t much better. Still, their son’s heart rate had not changed. At this point, the doctor put the machine away and sighed, “So, once again the good news is he is alive. I’m going to get you on some medications that will help make sure this doesn’t affect his development or his nutrient intake. Now, let’s discuss my biggest concerns. In this situation, the longer this goes on, the higher his health risks. The common things that can happen are that he will have an immunity disorder, he will be under devloped, his nueral development could suffer into some permanent abnormality or disorder. These things can range between minor to major defects and there won’t be much in knowing until he greets the world.”

Weiss’s jaw was tight trying to steel herself. Ruby rubbed the back of her head, stress welling up inside herself, “What are the less common possibilities?”

No one wanted to discuss those, but someone had to bring it up. She and Weiss needed to be able to prepare for all possibilities. The doctor let out another sigh, “Well, he could suffer more severe underdevlopments like blondness or deafness, could have severe internal issues or… well he could not make it at all. We can see the gradual changes in the fetus so we know he’s alive and growing to a degree so it’s not like we are hearing some sort of residual of Weiss’s heart rate. Not going to lie to either of you though, from here on out things are going to be tough. Weiss will still need to come every week so we can monitor him and the amount of suppliments and medicines i’m going to need you to be on Weiss to make sure he has the best chance are going to increase as we get closer and closer to the end goal. But the best thing to do right now is to try to stay positive. It’ll go a long way in giving him the best chance.”

They both nodded though Weiss seemed to stressed to cry this time. Truthfuly Ruby was unsure how she could continue to take so much all the time but at least her wounds inside had healed and the stitches desolved so that was one less thing to worrk about.

The hardest thing to swallow was that unlike them, Blake’s pregnancy was going amazing though the two had the same doctor and for the most part same procedure all things considered. Weiss was of course happy for them but a small part of her couldn’t help but feel it was unfair, like the universe had decided to torment only them, but she kept that feeling to herself. It was irrational after all and she knew that.

They had decided to work with the doctor’s partner office closer to Vale to avoid having to go into the desert any further on the doctor’s request considering how frequently she was going to have to start seeing him. It wasn’t something he normally did but he too was concerned about the amount of debre she might be inhaling at this point. He was planning to make a full move there eventually anyway for these very reasons for his clients now that he had the income to do so.

When the two got home, Weiss just wanted to rest alone for a while, unable to handle any more stimulous right now. Ruby went about the process of putting herself on official leave from duty until further notice, not wanting to leave home right now. She took on all the house work and cooking, made the needed calls to Weiss’s family so they knew what was going on, and tried her best to be as accomadating to her own and Weiss’s feelings right now. No need to call her own father, she knew Yang was keeping him posted and honesty he would just be annoying and over bearing right now if she called herself.

—--------------------------

Throughout the rest of Weiss’s second trimester, the two became fairly used to the stress and made the best of their worries. So far everything the doctor gave her was helping even though his heart beat still didn’t improve.

Almost 4 weeks since the horrible hospital nightmare, Weiss was sitting in their living room, her belly had started to swell visbly, all good signs they were told. She rested and missed with her scroll, handling some bills while Ruby was getting some lunch ready. While Ruby got sandwiches together, she heard Weiss make a weird noise, making her stop what she was doing to listen, “Weiss?”

Where Weiss was sitting, she had felt the odd sensation of a sharp sudden jolt within herself. It was surprising and admittedly painful, causing her to squeak a bit and reach a hand over the area of her stomach. At first, she was scared, with everything going on with her and the baby she didn’t know what to make of it. But as her hand rubbed the area, she felt it again, this time, she could feel the pressure against her hand along with it and while she winced, she felt her cheeks flush.

When Ruby called out to her, she was quick to respond, “Ruby come quick!”

The sound of silverwear dropping and Ruby’s feet shuffling madly along the floor could be heard as the younger woman rushed in with a flurry of rose petals to Weiss’s side, panic painted on her face, “What is it what’s wrong?! Where’s my scroll I’ll call the doctor! Can you..”

Weiss cut her off with a light chuckle making Ruby look at her with a ton of confusion. Weiss reached and grabbed her hand, pulling Ruby down to the couch with her, “It’s nothing like that. Here, you have to experience this with me.”

Ruby’s brow furrowed in her continued confusion as she sat facing Weiss until her wife placed her hand over her belly, “Weiss I don’t under…oh!”

Her eyes widened and she quickly looked from Weiss’s belly to her eyes as she felt the sudden pressure come and go against her hand. She blinked, mouth a bit agape in her stunned expression as Weiss smiled at her, “He’s kicking Ruby… he’s actually kicking…”

Ruby’s lips curled into her own smile as she rubbed her hand back and forth a bit over their son’s active kicks while they lasted, her other hand lacing behind Weiss’s neck and holding her close as she leaned over to place excited kisses all over the woman’s face. Her lips brushed over the happy tears leaving Weiss’s eyes, “Oh my god Weiss this is amazing!”

With everything they had already been through and were still going through, neither of them had thought he would be this active at any point and had completely forgotten that this was something they could experience together with their baby. The surpise was such a welcome change that for the first time since everything went wrong they both felt a renewed sense of hope for their son.

Weiss welcomed Ruby’s affections and nuzzled into her face with her own, her hand laying over Ruby’s on her stomach as she reached her other hand up, gently wiping away the few tears Ruby had that the younger woman hadn’t noticed on her own face. Weiss was too scared to say anything else and risk jinxing it, and they enjoyed the moment until the baby tired back out. It didn’t surprise either of them that it was a brief moment considering how weak he was but they would take what they could get.

Ruby leaned forward and kissed Weiss’s stomach over the area once their son stopped, smiling with so much love as she whispered softly, “Thank you little one. We have been so worried about you. Me and your mom really needed that. It’s good to know you are fighting too. I can’t wait to meet you.”

The display made Weiss’s heart melt, loving the way Ruby was acting and making her feel so safe and loved and secure. The calm had Weiss blush a bit in her adoration for the woman against her. She twirled Ruby’s short hair in her fingers, tapping her scalp. When those silver eyes looked up at her she beamed and her heart swelled at that smile, her voice needy, “Ruby… kiss me.”

Ruby’s brow quirked up but her smile widened and she leaned back up, pressing her lips against Weiss’s eagerly, the kiss full of all her love and passion for the icy woman carrying their baby, Ruby’s cheeks growing pink as Weiss returned the kiss with just as much fervor. It had been so long since they had shared a kiss that warm and delectable, both catching their breath when they parted. The younger woman simply held Weiss close and the two gushed about the refound joy as Weiss stroked her fingers lightly against Ruby’s arms that were so sweetly wrapped around her.

If only moments like this could last.

—------------------------

That this point in time, Blake and Yang were getting home from a check up. They had discovered their baby was a girl and Yang was so full of pride and excitement that Blake couldn’t stop beaming even if she wanted to, her own joy intense in herself as well. As they had gotten settled, Yang called out to Blake, staring at her scroll, “Hey! Our nephew was kicking today! Isn’t that awesome!?”

Blake came back out their room, having changed into something more comfortable, smiling at the blonde, “That’s such good news. They really deserve a break like this with everything they are dealing with.”

Yang nodded, looping Blake into her arms as the woman grew close, enjoying the gentle purr the cat was emitting. She peppered kisses along Blake’s neck before nuzzling the skin, “I can’t wait for that to happen with you two. You are what? A month or something behind Weiss right?”

Blake nodded, “Close… something more like 5 or 6 weeks behind her. I sometimes get fears that everything will just suddenly go south soon just like it did for her.”

Yang’s strong arms pulled Blake tighter to herself, her front pressed firmly into Blake’s back before a hand reached up and turned her face enough to look into those amber eyes, “Don’t. Don’t even think that over yourself. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Eyes closed and Blake hummed an agreement as she pressed into Yang’s hand. The brawler’s other hand moved to brush over the barely existant signs of baby existing under the skin and Blake mewled lovingly in response, “Alright you. Cool it. What are we eating tonight?”

The blonde snickered at Blake’s attempts to calm Yang’s fiery libido and rested her chin on Blake’s shoulder as both hands rested over her belly, “Well I was considering baking some fish and veggies, just the way you like them.”

Blake felt her mouth water and slipped from Yang, eager to help her meal prep which only made Yang laugh. The two worked together to get food prepared and once it was in the oven Yang couldn’t resist sneaking a breath of hot air against the soft fur of Blake’s cat ear, pulling a surprised squeal out of the faunus before the woman smacked her, “Can’t blame a gal for trying.”

Amber eyes glared into her, “Not tonight. I’m tired and my back hurts.”

Yang pretended to be slighted but then chuckled and kissed Blake’s cheek, “As you wish Kitten. Let’s go relax until the food is ready.”

They lazily cuddled in the couch and Yang massaged the aching areas of Blake’s back to help relieve her wife until dinner, enjoying the delighted groans of ease that Blake released as Yang was soothing the pain. Once food was finished and consumed the two turned in for a hot soak in the tub, Blake sitting infront of Yang, her cat ears folding as Yang continued to work out her sore lower back in the hot water.

Yang of course was just glad to be of help, ignoring any physical response her body gave to Blake’s noises of comfort but she was fine with it if it meant Blake wasn’t hurting as much.

—------------------------

When the time came around that Blake could begin to feel their daughter kicking, she wished she couldn’t. The first moment was of course special and Yang and Blake enjoyed all the thrills of feeling the kicking child growing inside the faunus. However, Blake quickly learned that their healthy daughter was incredibly active.

Blake was practically bed-ridden with how much pain the baby was causing her. If she wasn’t flinging her feet at Blake’s stomach she was stomping into Blake’s organs and diaphram, making the faunus curl up most days in pain, practically pleading with the baby that couldn’t understand her to give her a break more often.

Sadly, in conversations with Ruby, Yang had learned the Rose baby had barely made himself known since the first time, the most Weiss got these days was occassional feelings of him shifting slightly. The cat often grumbled about wishing she could split the difference with her friend.

The doctor had assured them some babies were just like this and gave his reccomendations of warm baths and quiet environments to try to help the pain and possibly give less stimulus to the baby in hopes it would calm her down some. Yang had to practically carry Blake out his office when the cat got annoyed at his unhelpful advice and nearly lunged at him.

Meanwhile, Weiss’s own health seemed to attract every possible negative occurance of being pregnant. She was now dealing with blood pressure issues, digestive issues, trouble sleeping, and they were concerned she might develop gestational diabetes. Both women were miserable for different reasons but at least in their pain and misery they were able to message each other about it, something their beloved wives couldn’t relate to that gave them a sort of new level to their friendship.

All of Blake’s baby’s activity caused her mood swings to often put Yang into the dog house, getting blamed for the energy the baby had clearly coming from Yang, as if that were her fault. The blonde did her best to take it in stride and not be hurt by it. If she could make the baby chill out she would in a heart beat to bring Blake relief but that was sadly not how it worked. Though, internally she was filled with pride at the fact that their baby might be like her.

“Yea… I’m sleeping on the couch again. Though I’m sure come 3am like clock work she’s going to be whining for me to come cuddle. Rubes if I could make our daughter stop I so would! Kid’s already basically boxing in there! I feel bad for Blake but it’s cool to think she might have my energy, don’t tell Blake I said that though,” Yang shared staring at Ruby’s face on her scroll as she fluffed a pillow on the couch and leaned back.

Ruby chuckled. Yang could see Weiss sleeping next to Ruby in the screen rested on Ruby’s lap as her sister stroked peacefully through her hair. Weiss looked sickly but that was what she expected all things considered, Ruby teasing Yang quietly to not wake her slumbering wife who needed any sleep she could find lately, “Yang… if she’s blaming you know you have a death wish if you are gonna be in the delivery room with her. She is totally going to claw your eyes out.”

Yang just laughed. Ruby was glad she had earphones on or it might have woken Weiss up with how hearty it was, “I’m strong I can take it! Like hell am I not going to be there! Anyway, her mom is supposed to arrive in a day or two so I can start working again. She’ll be so needy to see me I’m sure she’ll start to give me a break.”

Ruby frowned, “Yang… we told you we could help…”

Yang cut off her sister as she worked off her prosthetic to give her arm a break, “Ruby while I appreciate that and I’m more than happy to accept the help with the doctor stuff, I can’t let you both do that. Blake and I are trying to buy a place before Blake starts nesting and it’s something we need to do ourselves. It’s important to us to feel like we can provide for our own family. Plus, Weiss’s bills can’t be cheap right now with how often she has to be seen and the amount of medication she needs. Put that money towards taking care of your wife and son.”

Ruby was about to protest and remind Yang that Weiss was basically one of the richest people in all of Remnant but Weiss had stirred, reaching for Ruby and mumbling for her to come to bed already. Yang saw the pale fingers grip Ruby’s shirt and heard the annoyed but needy words, “Ruby… put that away and hold me already…”

The older sister smirked as Ruby gave a sheepish smile to her, “Go on. She needs you more than I do right now. I’ll talk to you again soon Sis.”

Ruby thanked Yang and they shared I love yous and goodbyes before Ruby hung up and set her headphones and scroll to the side, sliding down into the blankets with Weiss clinging against her, wrapping her arms around the older woman, “Alright Princess, I got ya.”

Weiss grumbled as she fell back asleep, “Finally. How dare you keep me waiting… you…dol…”

—--------------------------

Yang watched the screen go blank and sighed as she tucked her arm under her head and held her scroll to her chest, “Cuties both of them.”

She let herself fall asleep and as expected, come a little past three in the morning she was woken up by Blake’s whimpers at her, begging for her to come back and giving Yang a display of clingy needy licks and whimpers when the brawler rejoined her, crying her apologies in Yang’s ever forgiving embrace.

Chapter 10: Blessed By Darkness

Chapter Text

Ch 10: Blessed By Darkness

Kali had been a great help in Yang going back to work, though the woman did tease the brawler anytime she returned from a mission about Blake’s needy behavior. Yang had been taking crazy amounts of missions though always making sure it didn’t overlap with check ups. She would kill anyone who tried to keep her from being there with Blake as they got to see their baby together.

At first, Blake went through a depressed separation anxiety as her mother expected the pregnant faunus would anytime Yang was gone for large stints of time. Yang was always careful never to accept anything that kept her gone more than a few days max but she hated to admit how much she was loving the attention her desperate cat was giving her when she would get back. Every time she returned, Blake practically devoured her every minute of time in their room, either clung tightly around Yang refusing to let go or in desperate need of other attention more sexual in nature.

Either way, Yang was eating it up, internally of course. She had made the mistake the first time expressing her joy of it in a joke and had to spend the rest of the night reassuring her sobbing wife that she wasn’t trying to hurt her by leaving just for a piece of ass when she got back. She was not making that mistake twice.

After a month of this, Yang had gotten their money set aside to buy their own home to the point where they could make the leap comfortably. Kali waited back at the apartment as Yang and Blake went out to look at a few they liked. All the homes were way bigger than the family to be needed currently but Blake insisted if Yang wanted a big family, which they pretty much both did even if Blake couldn’t admit that right now, it needed to be able to support one.

At the same time, many of their selections got rejected by the mother-to-be once they toured the homes. Blake would have Yang go to the rooms of the house while Blake herself cycled through rooms, making sure she could hear even the simplest of noises from each room across the building. If she couldn’t, the home was instantly a no-go regardless of anything Yang could say about it.

The young faunus refused to live anywhere where she couldn’t be sure her babies would always be safe and she could hear them from anywhere in the house in the event of distress or danger. Considering things with humans and faunus were still very rough and Blake didn’t exactly put less of a target on her back with all the type of Huntress activism she did, Yang understood her wife’s desires.

Blake didn’t ask for anything else but the ability to protect her young and somewhere she could fit a massive bookshelf for her hobby. In the grand scheme of things, Yang was more than happy to accommodate such simple desires.

The issue was of course most homes weren’t built with the idea of “less privacy” in mind. As they were leaving the last place on their list disheartened, Blake staring out the window of a cab, not wanting to ride the bike with her delicate pregnant bulge, Blake shot up, “Stop the car!”

Yang was startled, having passed out against Blake’s shoulder, thrown upward by Blake’s sudden movement. Her body going into defensive mode for a brief second now that she was back to missions again, “What!? Where?!”

Blake reached for Yang’s face, not looking her way as she turned it towards the window before the woman opened the door and got out of the car. Lilac eyes instantly saw the house for sale that Blake seemed entranced with. An arm rose to wipe the drool off her chin before she climbed out after Blake, turning to ask the cab to wait for them.

They were fortunate enough that an agent was finishing up with another couple and she walked over to the pregnant cat, smiling widely, her deer ears twitching at any noises around, “Why hello there Mrs! Would you like to see the house? I’m done with my appointments for the day but I’d be willing to stick around and show it to you.”

She was incredibly polite. The way she was speaking to Blake was so much more wholesome and honest then the way she heard her talking to the human couple that just left. She was polite to them as well but she seemed to want to be more so with another faunus. As Yang caught up to her she gave her just as warm a smile, “Ah you must be the wife. Always happy to see coexistence going so well for the future! Please please come in!”

Through some pleasant exchanges as she showed the house she discovered who their doctor was for the pregnancy and the woman beamed, “Oh! Small world but that’s my husband! I’m so glad his research is helping people! He is always so passionate about it. He has always wanted to just help those who couldn’t find the means without science.”

Blake had found that bit of information enjoyable, now understanding the greeting behaviors they had received. Yang had been blown away when they entered a remodeled kitchen that had a room past it that connected to the dinning area as well, a massive archway in the kitchen that opened to a living room with a door that led out to the yard and a large overhanging lofted hallway that held several rooms and ended with a master bedroom after a full bath in the hallway. The bedroom had its own lavish bathroom that included a separate, very large tub from the standing shower and plenty of counter space for both their beauty products and hair care.

Both the front and the back of the house had a porch and the forest around the home made it feel like where the blonde grew up and it gave her a warm feeling inside. She gently leaned to Blake, “We have to test this place for your needs. It’s beautiful and the price is good because it’s not super close to any major cities.”

Blake had to agree that the home was lovely. She could already spy the huge blank wall in the living room where a bookshelf to her liking could be set. As they tested the rooms, she grew more and more excited with each trail that succeeded her needs until finally she could say with confidence she could hear any room from anywhere.

The deer faunus understood immediately what Blake was doing. It actually wasn’t her first faunus client to have such a desire in the many years in her line of work. When Blake gave Yang the approval that it met her restrictions the brawler practically tripped over herself to get to the agent, “We’ll take it!”

The woman gave a warm smile and even worked down the price for the expecting young family, the couple signing the documents by the end of that week and accepted Ruby’s insistence to pay someone to help them move so that Yang wouldn’t have to do it all by herself.

Good thing too because by the time they were settled into the new home, Blake had already started wanting to bury in blankets and hide out in the room they had decided would be their baby’s room, Yang constantly finding her napping and hiding out in there with no ability to explain why. Kali had assured Yang it was normal faunus nesting behavior and to just let it happen. Blake wasn’t going to be able to relax if her baby’s space didn’t smell like herself and feel safe to her inner beast.

To accommodate, Yang had gotten a very comfortable couch for Blake to have in there so she wouldn’t be in too much pain all the time, even if at first she hated the intrusive object in her baby’s space. Eventually Kali and Yang got her to cave and use it so she wasn’t putting too much stress on her body by convincing her it was somewhere she could swaddle her offspring comfortably when she didn’t need the crib. Though, now Yang had to resist giggling when she would find Blake in the room in a blanket cocoon on the couch with only amber eyes visible.

—-------------------

Weiss did in fact end up with the gestational diabetes on top of everything else and her misery in how awful she felt constantly only increased, Ruby now having to work hard to help keep Weiss from being an emotional wreck all the time but she was doing a pretty good job considering the change in foods in the house was definitely not Ruby’s highlight of the day by any means.

The silver eyed woman was grumpy most of the time with the food she was eating now but if she needed to match Weiss’s diet for ease of cooking and solidarity to keep Weiss from feeling like she was being punished by life for some reason then by god the younger woman would make do and power through it.

In a short time after Yang and Blake moved into their new home, Weiss was only two months away from her delivery date but something wasn’t right. She woke up feeling strange that morning and she couldn’t shake the weird feeling all day, “Hey…Ruby?”

The younger woman turned to Weiss where they sat on their couch, attention locking onto the weird way Weiss’s voice sounded unsteady, “Yes Princess?”

Weiss stared at her pregnant belly and ran her hands over it lightly, “I… something doesn’t…feel right…”

Ruby leaned over concerned, placing a hand over the large stomach and looking into those icy orbs, “Tell me what you need Weiss and I’ll make it happen.”

“I think maybe we should go to the…AH!” Weiss spoke trying to stand before she felt a sharp cramp wave across her from the top of her uterus to the bottom, her back and abdomen beginning to ache.

Ruby jumped to her feet, “Weiss are you ok!?”

Her wife shook her head as her eyes scrunched closed, another wave of pain coming after a while and she cried out again. Ruby immediately took action, grabbing her scroll to call the hospital to tell them they were on their way and reaching to scoop up her wife as another wave hit her, “N…No this is too soon Ruby… it’s… it’s too AH!”

Weiss was crying now. Not because it hurt but because she was scared. She could tell what was happening to her body now and if the baby came now it was extremely unlikely he would be ok. Ruby wanted to rush Weiss there as fast as her semblance could carry them but she worried about what the experience would do to Weiss right now.

Torn, she looked at Weiss who gripped her arm tightly, “Ruby… get me there now!”

That was all she needed to hear, her semblance carrying them to the hospital in no time at all. It made Weiss feel sick to her stomach but she just needed to get there and fast. Once Ruby got her through the doors, a nurse was already waiting for them and had already called Weiss’s doctor.

They rushed her back with Ruby in toe, refusing to let go of Weiss’s hand. Weiss was having contractions and was rapidly dilating, quickly going into labor before anyone could do much to stop it. It was unusual to happen so fast but not impossible especially if it was because something was wrong. The woman was panicking as Ruby stayed by her side trying to do her best to reassure her, “Ruby this can’t happen.. ughhhh… they have to… to stop it! I… I don’t ahhh… want to lose him. I can’t…”

Ruby rubbed Weiss’s fingers and kissed the knuckles that had a white grip on her hand, “Try to calm down Weiss. They can’t stop it. It’s too late. But I'm going to be right here for you and they are ready to do what they can for him.”

It was killing her to watch Weiss cry like this at this moment. Every inch of her mind knew Weiss was right but she refused to let herself think about it. Their baby was coming and he was definitely not ready to be in the world. The young woman was terrified but knowing how scared and desperate Weiss was somehow was giving her the ability to summon all her strength and support for her wife.

She kissed Weiss’s sweaty forehead, “No matter what happens Weiss, I love you and we will get through it. I swear it.”

Everything was happening so fast they weren’t able to give Weiss anything to curb the pain. Nothing they could give her would kick in fast enough to be useful. Ruby figured it was a good thing Weiss never intended to give birth more than once because she was sure the woman would never do it again after all this. The nurse had called Ruby’s prepared contact list which included Yang, Winter, Klein and Tai. These family members also knew who to call down the chain as needed.

The first to arrive were Blake and Yang who were forced to wait in the hallway, Winter showing up shortly after with Dove, unable to find a sitter at such short notice. The baby was cranky but the tension in the group made it impossible to truly soothe her, Winter settling on keeping her distracted. Tai couldn’t be reached so Yang left him a message and Klein promised Winter he, Whitley and Willow where getting on the first transport they could but they were currently out in Mistral so it might be a bit.

While they waited, Oscar entered the area surprising everyone. Yang approached him with confusion, “What are you doing here? I didn’t think you were on the phone tree.”

He shrugged, “I’m not really sure. Ozpin just said I needed to be here so I came right away. I don’t really know what he intends but it must be important. He wouldn’t let me waste any time trying to find out.”

This information made everyone in the waiting room very nervous, Oscar included. If Ozpin insisted so heavily, it couldn’t mean anything good. They all shared glances and the anxiety in the room was now palpable.

Ruby continued to try to encourage Weiss as the woman screamed and tensed at the pain, her mind blurring from how intense it hurt as she held onto Ruby tightly. Nothing Ruby could say was helping calm Weiss’s fears that only seemed to spiral into chaos the more pain she was under. The amount of nurses around as her doctor rushed in to deliver the baby was scaring Ruby. They had been told what to expect and this seemed like an army compared to that in headcount.

All the items around them and some odd chamber on a cart were not helping her fears but she could only assume the team of people had done this before and were just getting ready to help. The doctor seemed focused as he got into place but Ruby could see the subtle tells that he seemed worried too, “Ok Weiss, you need to push.”

“No! I…I won’t! H…he can’t come now! Ruby… please don’t let this happen now…” Weiss cried out, sobbing as she squeezed Ruby’s hand, desperate for support.

The silver eyed woman felt her heart shatter. She couldn’t help Weiss and she was powerless to stop what was happening. She caught the doctor looking at her, knowing no one else could get the stubborn woman to cave if Ruby couldn’t and the younger woman leaned forward. She pushed the damp bangs out of Weiss’s face and rested their foreheads together, speaking as soothingly as her shaking voice could muster, “Weiss, my love, I know you are scared and I know you don’t want this but there’s nothing we can do. Nature has decided it’s his time to come out. They need you to let him enter the world as soon as you can so they can help. Please Princess, you have to do this. It’s time to meet our son whether we are ready to or not. Push my love. For me. For our boy.”

Weiss whimpered but she caved, nodding against Ruby’s head and finally doing as the doctor urged. It was the most painful thing she had ever experienced in her life, and Weiss had been seriously wounded to near death in the battle with Salem. But that didn’t even come close to how this felt as her small frame tried its best to pass a body through it. Ruby didn’t back down, continuing to whisper loving support to Weiss and soon with a final scream their son was born.

What should have been a happy moment with the sound of a cry of healthy lungs was instead full of an eerily quiet with nurses scrambling to orders from a frantic doctor. Ruby was trying hard to be able to tell what was happening as Weiss started to panic, “I…is he ok? Doctor is my son ok!?”

She wasn’t given an answer which only caused her to try to act. The moment she flung herself upright though she was hit with a wave of dizziness and a nurse forced her back down, “Please Mrs. You have a nasty tear they are trying to stitch up so you won’t bleed out you have to lay still.”

Weiss was having none of it however as she struggled weakly, screaming at the staff to tell her if her baby was alright or not. In the end two nurses took to either of Weiss’s sides holding her down and pushing Ruby away as another finished getting her stitched up, the tear in her skin having come from her body just not being able to stretch enough as needed to birth a baby, ripping the skin between both of her lower orifices quite deeply.

What finally got Weiss to calm down some was a warning that if she didn’t they were going to have no choice but to knock her out until they could take care of things. Ruby was angry, yelling at the people getting in her way and keeping her from Weiss. She was gripping at arms and yanking at people trying to get back to Weiss but no one would allow her to. She could hear Weiss calling for her frantically and couldn’t understand why these people wouldn’t let her go to Weiss, proper practices be damned.

In the chaos, the doctor finally gave up on the infant, unable to get any of his attempts to succeed. Ruby’s ears picked up the sound of him telling a nurse to allow Weiss the option to see him before they took his body away. ‘ His….body…no… NO!’ Ruby thought as her eyes flickered with the stress. They wouldn’t end up lighting up of course without Grimm present but the emotion was so strong they were flickering in flashes of very subtle light.

The display caused alarm and a rather large male nurse grabbed Ruby. Before he began to try to escort her out the room, she caught sight of the swaddled unmoving tiny bundle with the thinnest of silver white whisps of hair on the top of the head. She heard the nurse offer her condolences and ask if she would like to hold him before they took him to the hospital coroner. She struggled aggressively against the nurse that was pulling at her as she watched Weiss fall to pieces holding the bundle to her chest.

Ruby was sent into a frenzy, scratching, punching and biting even at the arms trying to force her out the room so the team could properly finish taking care of Weiss, “LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! WEISS I’M COMING I PROMISE! GET THE f*ck OFF ME YOU ASSHOLE! I NEED TO BE WITH MY WIFE!! WEISS I’LL GET BACK TO YOU I SWEAR! WEISS I’M HERE! I’M RIGHT HERE WEISS! LET GOO!!”

As now multiple staff fought to pull Ruby, the young woman constantly slipping through them with her semblance or harming them with her aggressive resistance, Ruby could only watch as Weiss clung to the bundle and refused to let anyone take the lifeless infant from her grasp. She screamed at anyone that tried, even summoning her knight who threw people away from her who dared try to take him as she tucked her face into his form and let out the most heart wrenching sobs Ruby had ever heard in her life.

Finally, a syringe pressed into Ruby, releasing a very mild sedative that wouldn’t knock her out but would weaken her enough to get her out. As the doors flung open, Yang stood at attention and the fighting nurses sent Yang into overdrive, reaching out and grasping Ruby in a death grip. As her sister flailed and screamed to be let go, Yang held her off the ground and locked her in place, Ruby’s weakening fists barely a threat on Yang’s ripped form, Yang’s voice cutting solidly through Ruby’s angry sobs, “Ruby you need to calm down! I’m not letting you go until you do! They are just trying to help!”

When Ruby slumped in Yang’s grip and turned into a crying mess, Yang sat back and just forced Ruby into an embrace like one would hold a crying child, gently rocking her distraught little sister, “It’s going to be ok Ruby. Even if all is lost I promise it’ll be ok. Just let it out.”

Oscar watched everything unfold and approached a nurse before they went back into the room, his eyes flashing before his posture straightened, voice having a slight echo, “May I? I believe I can be of service.”

Something about his calm and resolve convinced the nurse and he was let inside. Weiss was done being stitched and cared for but she was still being guarded by the knight and refusing to release her baby. Oscar stepped closer, hands held up in a form of surrender as Weiss caught sight of him, “Wh…what are you doing here? I won’t let go, you can’t make me! I… I can’t…”

Ozpin’s voice spoke out gently, “My dear I do not intend to take him away from you. I come bearing a gift from the gods. They wish to reward you for the great deed of defeating Salem by offering you the most precious of gifts.”

She watched him carefully but the knight let him pass. As he came to Weiss’s side, nurses all staring in awe, he reached out, “May I?”

Weiss didn’t answer but she untucked her face from the tiny still face of her deceased infant and watched as the hand rested on her son’s head, “The God of Darkness has been observing your plight and feels it unfair to someone who helped save the world. He was the only of the two who could help your son’s soul specifically due to what happened. He wishes to grant your boy a second chance to live but you must be willing to accept it. He cannot promise anything except that your son will live. This has never been done before.”

Weiss whimpered but did not hesitate, speaking through her sobs, “Give me my baby back please… I just want my son…”

Ozpin nodded and his hand lit in a brilliant purple glow. He mumbled something Weiss couldn’t make out as his eyes lit up purple as well.

Chapter 11: Blessed By Light

Chapter Text

Ch 11: Blessed By Light

When the glow faded, the bundle suddenly began to squirm weakly, a frail crying filling the air. Weiss could almost feel her heart stop. She looked down into the baby now moving in her arms. The sheer amount of joy that filled her was so intense she was overwhelmed. Bringing his face close to hers, she kissed at his head and choked on a light hearted laugh of relief as her lips curled into a smile and more tears left her eyes.

Quickly, the amazed medical staff swooped in. Weiss’s knight tried to keep them away and so did her aggressive glare and defensive grip on her baby until Ozpin touched her shoulder, “I’ll talk to them Weiss but if you don’t let them take him for now he is at risk. Your son hasn't finished growing and needs to be placed in special conditions for now.”

Weiss practically whimpered as her hands shook, the knight disappearing as she loosened her grip and let a very kind nurse take the baby. He was set into the chamber that had been in the room and it was sealed and instantly adapted to a proper environment for aiding the rest of his growth.

As the nurse wheeled it out to bring him down to the neonatal ICU. Yang noticed and shook Ruby, “Hey… look there.”

Ruby turned her face, blank with pain and noticed the nurse with the baby and could hear his weak cries. As if energy was zapped back into the young woman she jumped off Yang and watched carefully before following the nurse for a moment, “Hey… hey! What happened? Is… is that…”

The nurse smiled softly at her, “This is your son. I’m not really sure what happened but whatever that young man did it gave life back to your son. I need to get him to neonatal care but I can think of someone who could use you right now.”

She glanced back at the door. Most of the rest of the staff was leaving the room aside from the nurse getting Weiss set up for her stay. Ruby looked to the room then back at the woman, “I… have to see where he is going first. I can’t imagine she is too happy to have let him go with you.”

The nurse chuckled and nodded, letting Ruby follow. When they got to the NICU, she wheeled him back into the nursery area and Ruby was left outside of a big window watching. An echoing voice pulled her from her thoughts as Ozpin stepped next to her, “You should be proud. Wait until you see his eyes.”

He gave her a friendly nudge to her shoulder. She glanced over at him before turning back as the cart and chamber were set into place near her past the window while they got him cleaned up. Ruby raised her hand up and cleaned up her face, giving him a smile, “Thank you. Whatever you did, thank you.”

He raised a hand to stop her, “I simply was a vessel. You two earned that blessing from the Brother all on your own when you stopped Salem. Whatever happens now is out of the God’s hands. He made it clear he wasn’t promising anything and couldn’t help any further. So you need to do your best, you and Weiss both to take good care of your son so that the blessing isn’t wasted. Your boy still has a rough road ahead of him with how premature he is.”

Ruby nodded, “Don’t worry Professor, we will. No way are either of us going to let anything happen to him if we can help it.”

He nodded and his eyes flashed and Oscar was back. Her friend smiled at her and gave her a light push, “You should go be with Weiss.”

They shared a smile and Ruby nodded, the both of them walking back. Oscar hung around for a bit with the others before leaving while Ruby went into her wife’s room. With all the high emotions wearing down, Weiss looked exhausted and drained. Ruby walked over and looked at the woman, leaning to kiss her wet cheek, listening to Weiss mumble as the woman reached and clung to Ruby, “H…he’s alive…Ruby he’s alive…”

She nodded, gently holding Weiss carefully, “I know Weiss. I saw him. He’s beautiful, just like you.”

Weiss gave a light smile and closed her eyes as she teared up happily, “He really is Ruby… I’m so glad he is breathing… I… just want him back in here… I..”

Ruby softly hushed her, “Weiss you need to rest. I know you’re worried about relaxing yet but you are barely conscious… I’ll be right here so get some sleep ok? You went through a lot too.”

Her fingers ran through Weiss’s sweaty disheveled hair and she used her foot to pull a chair close so she could sit by Weiss. The woman tried to argue but with the adrenaline gone, she couldn’t stay awake any longer, easily passing out with Ruby’s presence to give her a sense of security.

Ruby let herself relax and rested her head against Weiss’s bed, wrapping Weiss’s hand in hers while her wife got rest, letting her own eyes close and drifting off a bit herself worn down from all the stress.

—------------------------------

In the waiting room, Yang, Winter and Blake, having seen the baby wheeled out and at least aware he was alive, were able to relax a bit while they waited to be able to see Weiss. They all wanted to see the new addition to the family but refused to for now, believing Weiss and Ruby deserved to see him how they wanted until they were ready to introduce him to the rest. Blake was sitting next to Winter as Yang went to grab something for the three of them to eat.

Blake watched Dove who was whimpering and becoming a handful, the baby bored and frustrated from being forced to stay in place unentertained for so long. Winter was doing her best to keep her calm. Blake reached over, tickling the baby a bit to distract her, getting a few giggles out of her. Winter smiled, “Thank you.”

Blake just shrugged, “Hospitals are tough for babies to be stuck in. There’s not much you can do.”

Winter dug around in the bag she brought and pulled out one of Dove’s toys, handing it to her to hopefully tide her over for now, “I just rushed here for my sister so I didn’t really have a chance to find someone to watch her. To be honest it’s usually very difficult to get anyone to watch her. People always assume just because she’s my daughter that she’ll be a handful but she’s a fairly well behaved baby.”

Blake nodded, watching Dove with her toy, “Well, you are the winter maiden and a highly trained soldier. I imagine people are also just intimidated.”

Before Winter could respond, Blake groaned, rubbing her stomach where her baby was deciding to march around again, “I wish she would stop moving so much in there… ugh…”

Winter chuckled, “Dove was super active too. It was miserable. She moved around so much she kept me nauseous and stuck in bed. Do you think your baby will also be a faunus? Sorry that was probably rude, I just was curious considering Yang is human.”

Blake gave a weak smile trying to rub the fervent kicking in hopes to calm down the energetic baby inside, “Usually the babies are generally still faunus but in some occasions they are human so who knows. Haven’t seen a tail or ears or anything in the imaging yet.”

Yang returned with food for everyone, handing around some to go boxes. When she sat by Blake and tried to be sweet at the sight of her discomfort, the faunus hissed at her a bit and Yang pulled away, “Sorry! But I got you fish… so please don’t be a cranky kitty!”

Oops, bad choice of words. Blake glared at her and Yang could tell she was very unamused. Blake was at least able to settle her baby by shifting some, the new angle seeming to appease the restless offspring within her.

—-----------------------

After several hours, Weiss was awake even if still tired and gently woke Ruby. There was a nurse there waiting to help get Weiss in a wheelchair so she could take them to their baby but Weiss refused to go without Ruby. The younger woman raised her head, rubbing her eyes, “H..huh? I’m up I’m up. Is everything ok Weiss?”

Weiss shook her head, hand holding Ruby’s face, “No but I didn’t want to go see him without you.”

Ruby smiled sweetly and sat up, stretching before standing up and helping the nurse get Weiss in the wheelchair. When they came out of the room, the others saw them but Ruby just pointed and they didn’t bother the couple as they went to see their son. The two entered the nursery, and were led to the baby’s chamber that was helping keep him stable and producing an artificial environment he could finish developing the most necessary aspects in.

Weiss was a bit upset that she wasn’t allowed to hold him but she accepted it knowing it was vital to getting him through. There were gloved inserts built into the chamber and she slid her hands into them so she could reach for him, touching his tiny hand with her fingers. Ruby just watched as the tiny baby squirmed and his eyes blinked open in a squint at the bright lights. Her breath caught as she saw his silver eyes roaming around.

She was leaning over Weiss to watch the two and Weiss pulled a single hand back to rub her wife’s arm, “He has your eyes.”

Ruby reached out, putting her own hand in the now empty glove and made contact with her son for the first time, gently touching his little toes watching his feet jerk a bit in response. Her heart was overwhelmed with a mix of love and joy and her other arm held Weiss around her shoulders, chin resting on her hair as she chuckled happily, “He’s perfect Weiss.”

The nurse came over with a clipboard and smiled at them, “Have you decided on a name? We’d like to put something down so we can get his paperwork figured out.”

Ruby nuzzled Weiss’s hair, giving her consent to anything Weiss wanted. Ruby would be happy with whatever name he had so long as he was breathing so she didn’t mind if Weiss decided. They had not discussed names because it was too hard a topic for them during the whole ordeal. Weiss watched his tiny fingers grip her finger and she stared at those silver eyes, “His name is Sterling. Sterling Rose.”

Ruby kissed her head, voice sweet and loving, “I love that Weiss.”

The nurse nodded and gave them a bit longer with him as she went to get things in order. Weiss looked up at Ruby, “Do you want to go get the others now?”

Ruby nodded, “If you’re sure.”

When Weiss gave her approval, Ruby kissed her hair again and pulled her arm from the glove, “I’ll be right back Princess.”

The young woman went back to where their family was waiting and waved for them to get up as she walked over, “Do you guys want to see him now?”

Yang practically flew to her feet excited before turning to help Blake up. Winter stood up as well though with much more grace, pulling her bag over her shoulder before settling Dove on her hip. Yang grinned at her little sister, “Hell yea we wanna see him!”

Ruby chuckled and led them to the glass window. Weiss was still inside but was talking with a nurse. It looked like they were sorting through a schedule of some sort. Ruby could ask about that later. She nodded her head to the glass and smiled at them, “That’s him. That’s Sterling. He’s really tiny but so far things are ok. He’s really cute right?!”

Yang grinned watching the squirming bundle, “Um yea! He’s adorable Rubes! I love him already! Hey look at that looks like he’s got that signature Schnee hair too!”

She was smirking at Winter, who just smiled, “Well… strong genes I suppose but it looks like he has Ruby’s eyes.”

They all excitedly watched him, Blake placing a hand on Ruby’s shoulder with a soft smile, “Congratulations Ruby. I’m happy for you.”

Her voice conveyed everything she meant best, giving Ruby the encouragement the younger woman needed to feel at ease after all the crazy that it took to get here. Ruby just gave a thankful smile to the faunus.

Weiss was working out a feeding schedule for Sterling, agreeing to a pump schedule to try to use her own milk first. The nurse was also explaining what stages he would have to meet before they could pull him from the chamber more permanently.

—------------------------

Thankfully he took ok to bottle feeding and was cleared to go to Weiss to be fed when needed around his chambered treatments. and Weiss got to actually hold him and feed him by the evening the next day. Ruby just sat there amazed at her new family, finally getting to hold him for a moment while they waited for the nurse to come back after he ate.

Holding him for the first time was an overwhelming experience that flooded her heart with so much love she could hardly breathe. He was so small in her arms and she felt she had to be super careful and delicate with him but she couldn’t take her eyes off him, gently whispering loving words to him. Weiss watched them with a gentle smile, her own heart melting at the sight as Ruby kissed his head, softly touching her forehead to his, “I love you so much Sterling. I’m never going to let anything bad happen to you again I promise. You’re going to have the best life ever with me and your mommy, just you wait and see. She’s the best once you understand her.”

Weiss huffed and rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop her grin, “Don’t go making him think I’m cold, Ruby. I haven’t been an ‘Ice Queen’ in years.”

Ruby chuckled and stuck her tongue out playfully at Weiss as the nurse came back and gently took the baby to bring him back to his pseudo environment.

—--------------

It took almost three weeks but the baby and Weiss were finally cleared to leave. In that time, Weiss’s family and Tai had managed to come by and see the new addition. Willow and Klein cried of course but were very proud of Weiss.

They would have to be really careful with him and what he is exposed to as premature babies are very susceptible to the ills around them but that would be fine. With how clean Weiss liked things and the fact they didn’t really get many visitors, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Getting him home was a happy victory for the young couple. He was doing well with Weiss feeding him and Weiss was getting around well from her own injuries almost fully healed up. Ruby continued to be on leave so she could help care for her new family for now, easily taking up the task of checking on him anytime he cried in the middle of the night so Weiss could rest, motherhood definitely still wearing her out currently throughout the day and Ruby didn’t want her to push herself too hard.

Weiss was thankful, the night was the only time she could get much sleep. The older woman would pump enough milk to allow Ruby to bottle feed him when needed at night so she could sleep and Ruby would get to catch up on rest in the mornings once Weiss was up for the day. Sterling often cried, the baby easily unsettled by just about everything in his feeble form.

Within the first few weeks at home he had ended up sick a few times, his body just lacking pretty much any immunity even with his parents doing their best to keep him healthy and safe. Luckily he didn’t need to go back to the hospital at any point.

He was currently fighting a rather rough cold at only a month old, his congested cry dragging at his parents’ heartstrings. It was almost two in the morning when his sickly cries wailed out. Ruby rubbed her face, exhausted. She had been up now three times already since he was laid down for bed.

Weiss rolled to reach for her, “Ruby… I can get him if you need.”

Ruby just sleepily patted Weiss’s hand, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, “I got it Weiss… just…” she yawned deeply, “go back to sleep…”

Blue eyes watched the younger woman stumble to her feet before wobbling off to check on him. As Ruby entered his room, she walked over to the crib and looked down at his squirming form, ears burning at his cries as she reached down and scooped him into her arms, “Shhhh there there Sterling Mama’s here. It’s ok. Let’s get your nose cleaned out so you can breathe ok?”

She walked over to a set of tubs and pulled out what looked like a tiny bulb with a nozzle, using it to suck the goop from his stuffy nose until it was cleared and sitting in the rocking chair with him, rocking him gently to soothe him as she rubbed his back. It didn’t take long for him to calm down.

When it got quiet but Ruby hadn’t come back, Weiss got up, going to check on them. Ruby had dozed off with Sterling held to her chest in the chair, the both of them asleep. Luckily he was not being held in any way dangerous to him. She leaned on the doorframe just watching the two people who owned her heart for a moment before walking over and gently taking him.

It startled Ruby awake a bit but Weiss just leaned and kissed her head, “It's ok Ruby I have him.”

The younger woman nodded as she passed back out, curling into the chair as Weiss got him back into his crib. She watched her son sleep for a bit, stroking his head sweetly before turning and trying to wake Ruby. When she couldn’t, she smiled and got a blanket, laying it over her exhausted wife and kissing her cheek before she went back to bed, whispering as she closed the door to a crack, “I love you both. Goodnight.”

Ruby ended up sleeping through the night with Weiss tending to any cries the rest of the night, the younger waking confused at her surroundings in the morning as Weiss was getting him ready for a feeding. She stared at the blanket and the other two and rubbed her face, “I’m sorry Weiss. I guess I was super tired.”

Weiss just smiled at her and rolled her eyes, holding Sterling, “It’s fine Ruby. We are in this together after all. Could I have the chair though so I can feed him?”

Ruby nodded and got up with the blanket, folding it as Weiss settled into the chair with him for his morning feeding. He got over his cold after a couple days and they fell back into the easier routine for the time being.

—--------------------------

As Blake entered the last week of her pregnancy, Sterling was now three months old and the couple finally allowed the select few to visit. Her own baby had gotten oddly calm lately. She was still moving around from time to time but she had all but stopped kicking and tumbling around. Blake thought it was weird but she felt confident in the fact the baby was full term and was still at least a little active. She assumed maybe it was just getting too cramped inside for much movement.

She was currently sitting with her mom while Yang cooked dinner as she felt the baby shift just a bit slowly, her face curious. Her mother noticed her face and gave her a questioning look, “What is it dear?”

Blake shook her head, “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about but she has just been really, really calm lately. Don’t get me wrong my organs are thankful she isn’t trying to kick box with them anymore but… well it’s just… she has been so active since she started kicking that it just feels really strange for her to not even so much as throw her foot once these past few days. I don’t know Mom, should I be worried?”

Her mother hummed in thought for a moment, “I’m not really sure dear. I had zero complications with you and that’s the only experience I have but if she’s still at least moving it’s probably a good sign. Have you tried calling your doctor?”

Blake shrugged, “I’m trying not to accidentally trigger panic in Yang. After everything with our nephew she has been really on edge of every little thing.”

Kali nodded, “Is that so bad? It was a very terrifying experience to witness and she just wants to make sure her own little family is safe. I think it’s sweet.”

Blake rolled her eyes, “You aren’t the one she’s hovering.”

Her mother laughed, smiling at her as she leaned on her hand, “No I suppose not but you’ll come to appreciate it later when it’s all said and done.”

The faunus sighed and rubbed her belly, “I guess so.”

When dinner was ready, Yang helped Blake to her feet and walked with her as the cat waddled over to the table. The three of them got through dinner and as they were settling for the night Blake felt the movement of her baby come to a crawling sudden stop. It gave her a terrible feeling but she pushed it down. That night, she had a terrible nightmare that threw her awake with a shout, sweating and gripping the sheets.

Yang stirred awake, her own dreams suddenly invaded with a distantly familiar male voice urging her to wake with a flash of silver light. She looked at Blake, “Everything ok Kitten? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

When she said nothing, Yang sat up, reaching to hold her. Blake’s hand rubbed through her own hair as she tried to calm her racing heart, “I just… had the most vivid nightmare. It… felt so real.”

The blonde tucked Blake into her arms, “Tell me.”

Blake began to describe the dark images and this crazy supernatural shadow that was tearing into her body after the baby, red eyes glowing and what sounded like Salem’s evil laughter than Grimm were ripping through out of her body, the cat sharing the unpleasant experience to the very bloody details, “I could’ve sworn I heard Salem’s voice saying something like… ‘you will all regret what you’ve done’…”

Yang frowned as she listened. Blake was holding her belly with her other hand and leaning into Yang, “I haven’t felt her move since before we went to sleep. Normally she would be doing flips with how much my heart is racing like this… it… it was just a bad dream…right?”

Her wife didn’t respond for a long time, lost in thought. They had seen all sorts of the unexplainable from maidens to magic to gods and other worlds. Would it be that odd for such a nightmare to be real to some degree? Worried words pulled Yang from her thoughts, “Yang… you’re scaring me… say something please.”

The woman released a breath and was climbing out of bed, “I think we should get to the hospital just to be safe.”

Amber eyes filled with worry at Yang’s forced calm and she stood up, “O…ok… “

Yang helped her get dressed and grabbed the prepped go bag, getting Blake to the front door, “I’ll go wake your mom up. Wait right here ok?”

The cat just nodded and waited. When Yang returned with Kali, the three got into a vehicle to head to the hospital. Kali took care of calling ahead as Yang drove. While on the trip, Blake suddenly started feeling movement again but this time it was as if claws were dragging around the womb, making her hunch forward and cry out.

“Are you having contractions?” Kali asked as she rubbed Blake’s shoulders but her daughter shook her head, tearing up as the clawing got more aggressive and intense, “N…no I… I don’t know but AHH! I don’t think so… it… feels like AHHHH! sc…scratching…”

Her mother’s face flashed worry for a moment before her expression steeled itself, turning to Yang, “You need to get us there faster.”

She tucked her head to Blake’s, speaking calmly and evenly, “Just breathe dear. It’ll be alright.”

Yang threw on the emergency lights and floored it, the tires screaming into the overhang at the hospital and staff coming out to help get Blake inside. When their doctor arrived, Blake was in intense pain and doing her best to not panic. None of this seemed right, “Blake… we are going to go ahead and induce you. I think it’s best we get her out and figure out what’s going on alright? Should be fine, you are pretty much due any day now anyway ok?”

She nodded and they got her induced and the epidural for the pain. Kali took care of calling Yang’s list of people so the brawler could be with Blake before the woman called Ghira while she waited.

Ruby came by but Weiss stayed home with Sterling, not wanting to bring him to the hospital because of the health risks of the environment. Tai also showed up with Qrow and surprisingly Raven was there. Ruby gave the woman a glare but she held up her hands, “Yang and I have been in contact and she had asked Qrow to bring me. Trust me it’s strange for me as well.”

The waiting room was less stressful than when Sterling was born but Ruby had to admit being on the waiting end was absolutely not fun either. Tai and Qrow were sharing stories to lighten the mood and pass the time while Raven had set herself up standing by a window and ignoring everyone with a frown on her face. If Ruby didn’t know any better she would assume Raven was being forced to be here. Kali kept herself preoccupied on her scroll with her husband.

Within the room, the injection was taking effect and she could no longer feel much from the waist down. The doctor then gave an injection that rapidly sped the active labor process up so that they didn’t have to wait too long if something might be wrong. Yang stood with her as everything was happening and Blake’s body responded to the medications, ready to begin pushing within an hour.

Oscar had shown up again, which made Ruby extremely nervous in the waiting room, “Don’t… tell me Ozpin had you come again?”

He nodded, “Unfortunately yes. He is pretty sure now that Salem did something to all four of you when you defeated her or that her magic left some sort of temporary residual effect. He just told me to come and be ready so I’m here.”

‘Oh…oh no…’ Ruby thought as she bit her lip and grew anxious waiting.

The process went about as smoothly and normally as it can be expected, the epidural being successful was probably the only thing keeping Yang from being injured by a potentially pain-ridden faunus. When the baby was finally born after the intensive process, there was a slight weak cry before something nightmarish occurred.

As if the dream Blake had was an omen or warning of some kind, the cat caught sight of her baby’s eyes and they were beaming a glowing red before a geist Grimm of all things ripped its way free of the little body with a screech, the room lights flickering and Yang growled, reaching for it and grabbing it’s mask, crushing it in her metal grip furiously, Salem’s laugh echoing out of it as it dusted to nothing.

Their baby’s body went limp and silent the moment the geist had left it. The doctor and nurses flew into procedures to try to help the little human baby but the issue didn’t seem to be in the heart or brain. The doctor turned to Blake and shook his head. Through tears, Blake held her arms out, “I want to see her…please…”

A nurse swaddled the baby and set her into Blake’s shaking arms. The nurses in the room were still a bit shaken up by the creepy situation that had just unfolded. Blake clung to the little blonde babe, her heart broken at the sight of the lifeless form.

Outside, Ozpin took control of the body, “It seems I’m needed now.”

Ruby stood up watching him enter the room. When the doctor saw Ozpin he almost protested but remembered the strange help he gave Weiss and let the man through. Blake and Yang were watching everything unfold, Yang gritting her teeth with clenched fists, angry that somehow the ghost of Salem was still haunting them.

Ozpin moved to Blake, “The God of Light would like to give you his blessing as his brother gave to Weiss. Your baby isn’t sick. her soul was taken and it was in the geist when Yang crushed it. But he wants to give her a new one so she can live, a reward for defeating Salem. Do you accept?”

Blake watched him carefully. She wasn’t sure what this meant for them but she could see Yang switch from angry to broken as she absorbed the information that she was basically tricked into destroying her own child’s soul. Blake could only reach a hand to Yang and nod at Ozpin, “Please… I would do anything…”

His hand reached over the little human infant and it glowed a brilliant gold and so did his eyes as the blessing gifted the small body with part of the god’s soul itself to replace the lost one, the baby suddenly twitching and crying, little dull nibs of dragon teeth appearing in her mouth with the new life.

When he was done, he smiled at them and took his leave. The staff made sure the now faunus baby was ok and got her clean before giving her back to Blake who could only hold her close, pulling Yang’s guilt-ridden form closer and placing her hand on their daughter’s head of thick blonde hair, the little amber eyes roaming around blindly before scrunching closed as the baby cried.

Blake nuzzled her baby’s face and the infant began to calm at the purr Blake gave off, “Yang… you didn’t know… you were just trying to protect us… now come close and meet her…”

Yang knelt closer nodding with wet eyes, “I’m sorry. I…she’s got teeth? Did she have those a moment ago?”

Blake looked over the tiny round nibs in the gums and shook her head, “I… think they came from the brother… sorry Yang… guess she won’t be human after all.”

Yang gave a weak laugh, “I don’t care so long as she’s with us.”

Blake watched the baby go into an instant state of calm at the feeling of the rumble against Blake’s chest as the woman purred, “Yang… back home we have a word, ‘Jin’ that means ‘gold’. With her hair and eyes and that glow that saved her… I think it’s only fitting to be her name.”

Yang just nodded, gently cradling the baby’s head in her hand as she pressed her face in next to it against Blake, “I’m happy with anything, I just am glad she’s going to be fine.”

After being checked over, the doctor let the parents know the results, “It’s strange. She is majorly healthy with a very strong heart but… it’s irregular and the rest of her seems to be in a weird stasis, as if her other functions are trying to keep up. She will be fine but it could cause issues in the future. I’d like her to stay at the hospital for the next two weeks so we can be sure it won’t create any major issues. I also am concerned about the irregular pattern of her heart beat and want to monitor that, see if it levels out.”

Blake bit her lip. It almost felt unfair to get her baby back only for such serious sounding issues to be left over but she nodded. After a while with just the couple and the baby in the room, Blake’s arms felt weak, tired sensation pulling at her eyes and body and she turned to Yang, “do you want to hold her for a while?”

Yang nodded eagerly and took Jin and sat on the side of the bed next to Blake, who watched them lovingly as sleep took over her. When Yang realized Blake was out, she moved to sit in the chair with their baby who was also asleep and just sat there, watching her sleep for what felt like an eternity. She didn’t mind. She felt like she could watch her baby sleep forever and never grow tired of it.

Eventually, there was a gentle knock at the door. Yang softly answered for them to come in. At the door stood Ruby with Raven and Kali behind her. Kali went in and sat next to her sleeping daughter as Ruby walked over to Yang, beaming down at her new niece. Yang smiled at her sister, whispering softly to not wake the baby, “We named her Jin. Isn’t she the cutest?”

Ruby nodded. She wanted to ask to hold her but she wanted to wait for Blake to be able to give the ok. Kali had warned them outside that Blake was likely to be possessive for a while and probably not let anyone hold the baby for a while other than Yang. Ruby didn’t want to get attacked by a territorial momma cat.

Lilac eyes stared up at Raven who was still by the door, not coming any closer. The woman seemed irritated but Yang assumed it was just her mother’s neutral state at this point, “Mom.”

“Yang,” the woman returned, narrowing her eyes. Ruby watched what felt like a tense stare down of dominance in the room growing uncomfortable until Raven finally scoffed and folded her arms, “Well I showed. You're welcome. I’ll be going now.”

As the woman left, Yang grit her teeth but Ruby’s hand on her shoulder made her relax, the baby squirming like she might wake in response to how tense Yang had gotten. Kali was stroking her daughter’s hair as she whispered to Yang, “If she’s a faunus you will need to be careful of your emotions and body language. Faunus infants have a sixth sense until they get to a certain age that is specifically attuned to familial reactions and expressions. It’s an instinctual defense mechanism for being able to tell you from strangers but also gauge their own safety. If it sets your baby off she will start releasing a very specific cry that will trigger Blake into a sort of protective frenzy. Even you could end up in trouble if you make Blake feel like you are putting her baby in danger.”

A tired voice drew everyone’s attention to Blake as the woman stirred and pulled herself to sit up, “Alright mom that’s enough. I can tell Yang about all that later.”

Blake’s ears flicked towards Yang and the baby for a moment before her head turned, “Your mother got you all riled up huh?”

Yang just nodded, fingers of her metal arm fiddling with the blanket ends the baby was wrapped in, her mind seeming far off. The sound of fingers snapping lightly pulled her eyes over to Blake and the faunus was wearing a faint smile, “Yang. You did all you can do to include her in her granddaughter’s existence. You can’t force her to be someone she isn’t. She showed up. That means she cares enough to make time to be here. She will come around if she wants to be involved and if not, well you did your best. It won’t be your fault.”

God she loved Blake so much. The cat reached for her young and Yang handed Jin over, placing a kiss on Blake’s lips softly before whispering, “Thanks Kitten.”

Kali happily leaned to peer at her new grandchild when Blake revealed the baby, but she didn’t reach out because she wasn’t being offered the permission to touch. The new grandmother gushed with joy at the baby while Ruby stepped out to grab Qrow and Tai.

Of course, Taiyang was loud and overwhelmed with emotion, accidentally causing the baby to start screaming and making it worse when he got too close. Bad move. Yang had to grab Blake as the woman bared her teeth at Tai hissing and clutching the crying baby close to her chest. When everything finally calmed down and Blake snapped out of her aggressive behavior, her purr returning to sooth the offspring into a calm again, Qrow chuckled lightly, “Well firecracker, can’t say I didn’t expect something crazy to happen once Tai here was involved.”

Yang grumbled, glaring at Tai, “Yea leave it to Dad to do something stupid.”

Tai deflated, “Yang come on, that's not fair.”

Qrow and Yang shared a chuckle before the man got close enough to see without offsetting Blake, waiting for the invitation to come closer. When granted, he peered at the bundle and smirked, “Heh… she looks just like you did when you were born Firecracker. You two are gonna be fighting suitors off like crazy when she grows up.”

Yang winced a bit. He was being harmless and thought he was giving a compliment of course but it wasn’t welcomed judging by Blake’s slight growl. Everyone was ushered out by Kali, the woman going as well, “Alright everyone I think my daughter has had enough company for now.”

—-----------------------

Jin’s heart rate stayed irregular over the monitoring period though it would fluctuate to regular and irregular in awkward patterns that never were the same. Her body also seemed to weirdly struggle with the rest of her organs and functions but it didn’t seem to be hurting her, or at least not currently and she was eating fine and otherwise ok so they discharged the baby.

Unfortunately, these circ*mstances made Blake super protective, not allowing anyone other than Yang to even come close to touching her baby for the longest time and Kali ended up having to leave because even having her mother around was putting Blake on edge. Her mother was good about it though, not wanting to put unnecessary stress on Blake or the baby.

The very first time Yang experienced the warning Kali gave her was terrifying. She was sure Blake would destroy her. She had gone to check on Jin while Blake was in the shower. While sitting with the baby on the nursery couch that was covered in Blake’s scent keeping the baby calm, a message from Raven came in that was particularly rude in response to a picture Yang had sent of the baby wearing a little red and black onesie Raven had sent, making Yang incredibly angry.

The noise was unusual alright. It sounded like a kicked puppy and was in such a pitch and so loud that Yang’s ears rang painfully, “Wholly…the hell?!”

The sharp yelps wouldn’t stop and the baby flailed in Yang’s arms, the ringing in Yang’s ears and the volume making it impossible for Yang to hear the rapid sound of Blake rushing over and snarling, still wet and naked from flying out her shower as she all but ripped the baby from Yang, a free hand shoving Yang away so harshly the blonde fell to the floor in a painful slam.

She could only watch and back up with her hands raised to show submission as Blake growled, the yelping instantly stopping the moment the baby sensed Blake’s arms around it, “Blake hey it’s me ok? I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare our baby but you know me, I’d never hurt her.”

Blake slowly calmed down, releasing a purr to soothe her infant, “Yang I’m…sorry I panicked I couldn’t stop myself once I heard that sound.”

Yang was standing now that it was safe, straightening herself out, and rolling her shoulder, “It’s fine. It was my fault anyway. God that was a good push Kitten. I think my shoulder’s gonna hurt for a week! I had no idea a baby could make a sound like that. I was really surprised, honestly.”

Blake nodded, “It was a distress call. It’s specific to faunus children and it triggers an instinct in me to protect her. It’s entirely instinct on both ends. It comes from a specific vocal tunnel of cartilage that will dissolve when she gets to a certain maturity. Since you didn’t birth her, you are capable of triggering it even if it’s not easy to do as a biological parent.”

Blake set the now sleeping infant in her crib, “You need to be careful Yang. I could really hurt you by accident if she does that with you.”

Yang rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled, “Yea my bad. I’ll be sure to remember that the Kitten has claws next time.”

Blake glared and groaned, stalking off to go finish her shower, not even a little amused at the joke.

Chapter 12: Black Qrow's White Dove

Chapter Text

Ch 12: Black Qrow’s White Dove

Winter sat in her living room with Dove as she got things figured out for Dove’s upcoming second birthday. She had a planner and a few ideas scattered about her as the baby sat staring at the TV contently. Winter didn’t think a lot of TV was healthy but still allowed it for short stretches of time. She glanced up and watched Dove get excited over a cartoon displaying a rather pathetic grim reaper becoming property of two children over a hamster’s soul.

“Is that really what children think is fun content?” she mumbled confused.

When the episode ended, Dove got up and reached for the stick that went with her toy xylophone and began swinging it around like the reaper had in the show. Winter couldn’t help but watch amused at her child’s imagination, “Dove, come here for a moment?”

The child turned and grinned, scrambling over to Winter and reaching out to her. She was lifted up onto Winter’s lap and the woman moved things away, looking down at her, “You know… your father owns a rather incredible scythe too.”

The child’s face scrunched up in confusion. It occurred to Winter suddenly that the word might be a bit foreign to her daughter. After all, she had no known grandfather and had only really ever been around Weiss and Ruby a lot to which there was no father in that home per say. She thought for a moment, wondering how to explain what a father was to a nearly two year old without an example, “A father would be… ah sort of like Aunt Ruby to your little baby cousin.”

‘Sorry Ruby. I’ll fix that later,’ she thought when it seemed Dove at least understood it to mean a parent of sorts.

As the tiny face stared up to Winter curious, the woman pulled up her scroll and found an image of Qrow. She frowned and zoomed in on just the weapon, showing it to her little girl, the image of the man being a bit unsavory itself so she didn’t want her to see it, “There see? That’s the weapon. Pretty isn’t it?”

Dove’s small hands took the scroll and she looked at it with awe, “oooo”

Winter gave a weak smile. It was going to be rather hard to make sure Dove knew things about her dad but she had promised and she planned to try herself anyway, “He is one of the best to wield one, outside your Aunt Ruby of course. It can take many shapes.”

Dove was still staring at the picture as she listened before turning to Winter, holding it up, “Can see it?”

Winter swallowed hard, “No sweetie, you can’t. It’s dangerous.”

Her daughter pouted, touching Winter’s face, “See it…pwease?”

Winter shook her head, “I’m sorry Dove but I said no.”

Dove flopped back on Winter’s lap and got frustrated, tossing the scroll weakly and starting to cry. Winter did her best to calm her down, quickly finding the child’s favorite plush animal to distract her. It was a little black stuffed bird that Ruby had gifted her when she was born before she knew Winter was still not going to tell Qrow, but Dove loved it more than any other toy she owned.

The child squeezed the bird plush close, nuzzling into it. Her mother hated that it was a crow plushie but if it made Dove happy it was fine enough even if it constantly reminded her of the man. She just kept telling herself it was silly to be so annoyed by a simple toy.

As Dove calmed down, completely forgetting about the scythe in the picture, Winter sighed and glanced around at the mess she had been buried in. Some of it was also work paperwork. She had been asked to come be the headmaster of the newly opening Beacon since it’s fall but she didn’t know how to make something that time intensive work with a little child to care for by herself.

Her fingers traced across the embossed letterhead. She wanted so badly to take the job and feel like she was doing something right for once with her career without blind obedience or doubts. She looked at Dove as the girl looked up at her, “What do you think Dove? Should Mommy run a school?”

Dove just giggled in response and leaned to kiss her mother’s cheek, holding the plushie up to kiss Winter’s cheek as well with a smile. Winter melted. This tiny little family she held was everything to her but she could give Dove even more with this opportunity. “Yes. I think you and Mr. Feathers are very right.”

Dove wiggled down to go play with the plushie as Winter grabbed her scroll off the floor and made a call. When Weiss answered she was glad to see her sister looking healthier, “Weiss, I hope you and your family are well. Can I bring Dove to you for a day or two? I received a rather wonderful job opportunity and I’d like to go look into it but I don’t think she can come with me.”

Weiss gave a smile to her sister, “Absolutely! I assume you’ll tell me about this opportunity when you pick her up?”

Winter just nodded, “I’ll bring her this weekend. That’s when the letter wants me to come out. Thank you Weiss, really. This could be a very big chance for me.”

“Of course Winter. Why wouldn’t I? I love my niece and she’s very good with Sterling. Plus, I’d do anything I can to help you,” Weiss was lifting Sterling from his nap as she spoke to Winter, Ruby coming into view to take him from her as she came out his room, the woman thanking her wife, “Thanks Ruby I should be done soon.”

Winter lightly laughed, “I’ll let you go. I’ll bring her in the morning on Saturday.”

Weiss acknowledged the arrangement before getting off the call.

—------------------------

That Saturday morning, Winter dropped Dove off with Weiss. Ruby was still in bed, Sterling was still asleep and Dove was passed out as she was handed over. It was extremely early but Weiss didn’t mind, preferring to rise early. She gave Winter a thermos cup of coffee to take on her way.

When her sister left, Weiss brought Dove to the couch, smiling at the sleeping child barely clinging to her plushie. She got her settled with a blanket and went to the kitchen to her own coffee, so glad to have caffeine back in her life, as she started making something simple for herself to eat.

A loud yawn came from behind Weiss as Ruby dragged herself tiredly into the kitchen, plopping down at the counter, eyes still closed, “Morning Weiss… did I see Dove on the couch?”

Weiss nodded but then ruffled Ruby’s messy hair and set her plate down for Ruby before making another for herself, her voice low, “Yes. Now shush. She’s apparently been having rough mornings with more of her teeth coming in so don’t wake her up.”

Ruby nodded, sliding the plate closer happily, pushing the toast into her mouth. When Weiss sat down next to her nursing her coffee, Ruby suddenly sat up, “Oh no. Weisssssss!”

Weiss startled a bit and coughed on her coffee, frowning, “ruby! what?!”

Ruby looked at Weiss with worried eyes, “Qrow was supposed to come over for dinner tonight and meet Sterling! What on earth are we going to do with Dove?!”

Weiss looked confused until the memory returned to her about it and she groaned, rubbing her face, “Oh no Ruby you have to cancel!”

“W-what?! No! It’s his only time off before he goes on a very long undercover mission!” Ruby protested, arms flailing.

Weiss rolled her eyes, “Ugh fine I’ll figure something out. Now stop yelling before you wake the girl and the baby. I swear if you wake up our son right now you’ll wish you hadn’t!”

The younger woman squeaked, hands flying to cover her mouth as the two went silent to listen, making sure the house was still quiet. Sterling had just gotten over a sinus issue and was finally sleeping more again. When they were sure neither the baby or the toddler were awake, they each sighed in relief and went back to breakfast. Weiss finished her coffee, “What about seeing if Yang or Blake can help somehow?”

Ruby shook her head, taking their empty plates to the sink, “Doubtful. Yang says Blake still refuses to let anyone near her baby or leave her baby and everytime Yang gets back from missions or town Blake gets real territorial and won’t let her go close to the baby or the baby’s room til she doesn’t smell unfamiliar anymore. I think we would just add stress to the situation.”

Weiss hummed in thought as Ruby washed their dishes, handing her wife the empty cup when she finished, “Well. No way around it then. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission I suppose.”

Ruby raised a brow, shutting off the water and drying her hands, “Um Weiss… won’t winter get really mad if she finds out we told Qrow?”

The older woman frowned and shook her head, “What? No. No, we aren’t going to tell him anything of the sort. But the two of them will end up meeting. It's inevitable in this situation. I’ll just tell him I’m babysitting her. It’s not a lie and he doesn’t need to know who’s child she is. And when we finish eating I’ll take her to play while you introduce our son to Qrow.”

Ruby felt a bit bad that Weiss was going to have to step away from someone meeting their son, “Weiss are you sure?”

“Yes just… please do not let Qrow hold him if he seems like he’s had even a drop of alcohol,” Weiss responded simply, getting from her seat as she heard their son crying, “Time for him to eat.”

They got through the day. Dove loved following Weiss around to “help” with the baby. Sterling was finally at the stages of watching movements and he seemed interested in Dove’s excited behavior though at times it made him reflexively startle. Ruby helped Weiss and even played small peek-a-boo games with Sterling getting bubbles and slight giggles from him while Weiss sat with dove and kept the toddler’s mind engaged with a few games.

When it came time to start to cook, Ruby came down from getting Sterling from a nap and handed the cranky baby to Weiss. It was about time for him to eat so Weiss got Dove settled with some toys as she excused herself with the baby to go feed him while Ruby started making dinner.

When she got everything into the oven she went back into the room with Dove, pulling out her scroll for her routine call with Nora. Dove was watching curiously from the other side of the holo screen as the women talked. In the background, Loki, Nora and Ren’s daughter, was running through the home chasing Ren, squealing what Nora called her battle cries as she swung a plastic toy sword.

Ruby could only laugh with Nora as Ren tried to not end up beaten by the toddler. Dove walked over and pulled herself onto the couch next to Ruby, “Who is?”

Nora was letting out an ecstatic sound at how cute she thought Dove was as Ruby lowered the scroll, “This is my friend Nora.”

Dove shook her head, pointing at Loki who had knocked her father over and was screaming in victory, smacking him with the sword on his butt and giggling, “Nooo, who that?”

Nora leaned the scroll laughing and encouraged Loki with a pumped fist, Ren pleading she not make it worse calmly as she grabbed Loki and tickled her until he could get up even though that only seemed to anger the tot. Ruby laughed, “That’s Nora’s daughter. Say hi!”

Dove tucked her plush crow up to hide her lower face and blushed, looking away and waving lightly as Loki took Nora’s scroll and was running off howling with her sword pointed like a charge, “To battle girl!”

“No you don’t! I’ll take that!” Nora said as she plucked her scroll from the crazy toddler who was bouncing around in a tantrum at the loss. Dove fidgeted with Mr. Feathers and scooted closer to Ruby, hiding half her face. “Shy huh? Guess that makes sense you don’t really see other kids much do you?”

Dove shook her head and gripped Ruby’s cloak. There was a knock at the door and Ruby turned her head before letting Nora know she needed to go. As the call ended and Ruby watched as her uncle became visible in the kitchen, Dove was waving slightly at the screen, whispering, “Bye…”

Ruby was about to call him over when she looked down at the toddler next to her, “Uncle Qrow!! I’ll be right there!”

His gravelly chuckle greeted her in response and he came over before she could even get up, “Come on Ruby I’ve been here plenty of times no need to…. well… and who might that be?”

He had hunched over the couch and noticed Dove. She was staring at him shyly, hiding behind her plushie with a squeak and tugging at Ruby to hide. Ruby bit her lip, “Uhhhhhh Weiss is watching her but she stepped away to feed Sterling so I was watching her for a moment. Yea! She’s um…huh? Uncle Qrow you know you can’t bring your weapon in here! Weiss is going to kill you if she catches you!”

He quirked up a brow and laughed, “Yea I’d like to see the Ice Queen try. Anyway this kid gets it. Hey that’s a cute little bird you have there kiddo. A little crow huh? That’s funny. I swear she looks like someone we know doesn’t she? Weird. A huntsman friend her parent or something?”

Dove had the plush snuggled tighter into her face but then noticed the folded scythe on his back and instantly remembered seeing it before, wanting to touch it. She dangled the plush in her hand as she stood on the couch grasping the back next to Qrow and leaning with her other hand for it, “Can see?”

Ruby was sweating, growing nervous, ‘oooohhhh Weiss is going to killlll me. What do I do, what do I do!?’ “Y-you could say that…”

He laughed and stood back up, watching the toddler get frustrated at him, “It’s not a toy kid. Sorry.”

Man that scowl really looked familiar to him but he couldn’t place it. Oh well he didn’t actually care all that much. Kids weren’t really his thing unless they belonged to someone important to him. He could only find her pout and frustration at him amusing. When the timer to the oven went off he offered to get it and left the room, Weiss returning while he was doing so. Ruby whispered frantically, “Weissssss he came over here!”

Weiss instantly was giving Ruby a very angry glare, “Well what did you say?!”

Ruby squirmed, “I don’t really know, help me!”

Weiss huffed, taking Dove on her free hip while holding Sterling tucked against her chest on the other side, “You absolute dolt! Ugh, make me and Dove a plate to the side and I’ll figure out your mess!”

Ruby whined, feeling like it was quite unfair to call it her mess when Weiss was the one who let Dove over here with the plans already made with Qrow but she wasn’t about to try to say that right now else she might get a worse reaction. She quickly got to the kitchen and set aside Weiss and Dove a plate before getting herself and Qrow set up to eat.

The man took his sweet time eating and Weiss still hadn’t come to get the plates which made Ruby really nervous. Thankfully Qrow didn’t try to hold a conversation while they ate. When they finished, he asked about Sterling and Ruby went to go get the baby, seeing Weiss with a hungry cranky toddler waiting in the living room.

“Weiss… what..” she began to question but Weiss just patted the couch and handed her their son once Ruby sat down, picking up Dove and trying to soothe her fussing, “I’ll let him know you are here. Come on Turtledove let’s get you something to eat ok?”

After a moment Qrow joined Ruby while Weiss and Dove ate at the table. He sat next to her but held his hands up in refusal when she tried to offer for him to hold the baby, “Nah that’s alright kid. I’m good just looking. He’s real cute though huh? Looks like Weiss except for those eyes. Guess you really are submissive to the Queen huh? Seriously I’m surprised you were able to have enough back bone to get her pregnant!”

Ruby turned bright red as he messed up her hair, “Uncle Qrow! Ruuuddde!”

He laughed, “Aw I’m just messing with you kiddo. I’m sure you have some sort of charm somewhere deep down.”

She fussed at him again but then Qrow reached and brushed his hand along Sterling’s fuzzy head, “You know… I still remember when you were born kiddo. You were one cute baby that’s for sure.”

He poked her cheek and she swatted his hand away before smiling. He stood with a groan one makes at tired bones, “Well, I best get going. Gotta be up real early to head out. Bunch of us are going for a long mission to clear up any remaining mess in the kingdoms from all the underground activity that sprung up around the mess with Salem. Gotta be sure I can convince people I want in so I need to be at my best. And hey, maybe Blake will actually let me see their baby by the time I get back huh?”

Ruby nodded, “Thanks for coming Uncle Qrow. Be careful out there.”

He just waved it off and headed towards the door, glancing at Dove on his way out as he picked up his weapon by the door that was placed there when he grabbed the food earlier. She looked over at him and he held a finger to his lips, pointing at the window.

He said his farewells to Weiss and when he got outside, he glanced over at the child watching with rapt attention as she unfolded the scythe in all its glory and gave her something interesting to watch before he was gone with a wave. Dove was excitedly jumping around in her chair making Weiss struggle to get her focus back on dinner.

—-----------------------

Winter came to get Dove the next evening, the toddler fussy from being away from her for so long. Before she arrived, Weiss was trying to keep Dove happy sitting next to Ruby while their son was napping. Ruby bit her lip, “What do we tell Winter?”

Weiss rocked Dove gently, giving over something for her to chew on to soothe her gums that were still harboring her last remaining teeth, “We aren’t going to tell her anything. Qrow didn’t seem to even notice anything and it’s not like he is going to want to chase down some other person’s child. We chalk it up to our own mistake and never let it happen again.”

“Never let what happen again?” Winter asked behind them as she entered causing the couple to jump in nervous surprise.

Dove wiggled free and moved as fast as her untrained legs would take her to Winter, “Mommmyyyy!”

Winter easily lifted her up into her arms and held her close, kissing her head, “I’m sorry sweetie i’m back now.”

Weiss stuttered out, “We just had an issue with dinner last night and burnt the food so I never wanted to let that happen again that’s all!”

Winter seemed unconvinced but didn’t question it. Dove seemed ok with nothing amiss and the surroundings seemed fine so she couldn’t think of anything else it could’ve been, “Well… alright? Thank you Weiss. Because of you two I was able to get the position as the new headmaster of Beacon.”

The couple beamed and congratulated her before Dove got even more fussy and Winter decided to take her leave to get the toddler to bed.

Ruby looked at Weiss when Winter was gone, “This is going to come back to bite us later isn’t it?”

Chapter 13: Don't Bite

Chapter Text

Ch 13: Don’t Bite

A giggle of excitement spilled down the hall though it was accompanied with coughs and a raspy congested sound as Blake was reading in the living room. Her ears flicked and her eyes narrowed, looking up the loft as suddenly Yang came barrelling from a room down the hall on all fours with a toddler on her back squealing with joy and coughing.

“More Mama!” Jin giggled before she froze and gripped Yang, coughing harshly.

Yang stopped and was about to turn to check on Jin when the faunus was already on them, picking Jin up from Yang and hissing, “Yang! You are being too rough! She just got out of the hospital for her lungs a few days ago and her left lung only just started responding again yesterday!”

Yang sighed from where she was sitting on the floor as Blake patted Jin’s back until the cough calmed. She watched them with a soft solemn expression, “Blake… I just want our daughter to smile…”

Jin was squirming and reaching for Yang with little grunts once she stopped coughing. Blake felt a small pang of jealousy but didn’t let it bother her as she handed Jin back to Yang’s waiting arms, “Yang just please… I don’t like going to the hospital almost every month with some sort of organ failure. Can you please not agitate her body? Please, I’m begging you.”

As her eyes teared up, Yang and Jin shared a look before Yang stood and the two reached over and hugged Blake, Jin whimpering, “Don’t cry Mommy.”

Blake choked it back and gave a weak smile to her loved ones. Yang nuzzled her face, “I will try to be more gentle. Just please relax Blake. Better for Jin to have the best life we can give her while we can than for her to be miserable until it ends.”

Blake knew Yang was right of course but her instincts wouldn’t let her allow Yang to play so rough with their toddler. In the almost three years since she was born, they had been in and out of hospitals constantly, almost every time Jin’s heart stopped and she had to be revived. Blake’s heart could hardly take it and she wasn’t sure how she managed to stay so strong except that Yang gave her strength.

After talking with Ozpin, they had come to the theory that the soul she was given was probably too much energy for her little body and was struggling to keep a balance, her body in response constantly “dying” from the dissonance and lack of unity being maintained to the body. If his theory was right, Jin just needed to live long enough for her body to develop enough of its own aura to snap it all into place.

In short, it wasn’t any real illness causing her random organs to stop working at intervals and need time to come back but instead parts of her internal body thinking it was dead and turning off their functions. She was also very scrawny and weak because of this too, unable to have healthy activity like normal children as the raise in exertion seemed to trigger the soul and body to fall out of balance more easily.

Easier said than done though when the toddler loved to rough house with Yang as her favorite way to play, easily bored by any more calm games or tactics. Right now, with snow and winter outside, it was so much harder to keep her healthy.

The cat traced Jin’s face in her hand and the toddler giggled pushing her hand away, “Mommy! Tickles!”

Ears flicked and a smile spread as Blake nuzzled the toddler’s face. Yang smirked, thrumming her fingers into the toddler’s sides as she held her, “Yea? Ticklish huh? What about this?!”

Jin squealed happily and flailed causing Yang to laugh but the faunus gave a warning sound when Jin coughed a bit again, Yang stopping and letting the toddler breathe. Blake sighed, “I’m going to pack the rest of our things so we can head over to Weiss and Ruby’s house tonight. Did you already wrap and store all the g-i-f-t-s?”

Yang nodded, Jin laughing and lying over her shoulder like a captive as Yang bounced her gently, giving gentle pats, “Yea. Can we talk about how lucky that lil nephew of ours is that his birthday is also Christmas? I mean when he was born no one thought about it with the chaos happening but sheesh it’s expensive.”

Blake rolled her eyes and kissed Yang’s cheek, reaching to poke Jin’s nose, “Yes well, I mean it Yang. Not too rough.”

“Ok I got it, Kitten. I’ll be gentle with the litter,” Yang teased as Blake went to pack up.

The blonde leaned her head back, looking at two tiny amber orbs that were watching her, “You’re Mommy doesn’t understand my comedic genius.”

The toddler just giggled and Yang carried her off like a sack of flour making her laugh more. When it was time to leave, Yang grabbed the waist pack and tubing for Jin that she had to wear when outside in the cold thin air to help her breathe right now. Jin wouldn’t sit still for Yang to get it on her, too excited to go, “Come on Jin… help Mama out here.”

Gentle hands snagged Jin as she ran by laughing and snuggled the toddler as she squealed, walking over, the faunus kneeling with Yang and setting Jin down, “Be still for Mama Jin. The sooner you get this on the sooner we can go see Sterling.”

Jin forced herself to be still long enough for Yang to strap the pack to her waist and run the tubing up to her face, attaching it to a little breathing mask and putting it on her face, “There we go. All ready to hit the town!”

Jin climbed into Yang’s arms, “Sterling! Sterling!”

Blake ran her fingers through the soft blonde toddler hair as Yang smiled and they went out to the car, getting Jin strapped into her car seat before they headed to their destination, Jin happily muttering about the snow outside.

—------------------------

Sterling sniffled, showing signs he might be getting sick again. He and Jin spent lots of time together in the children’s hospital when their visits overlapped. Sterling usually got seriously ill every time he got sick at all, which happened often with how little immunity he had. He sat currently in the living room with Dove, the girl watched him, yelling out, “Aunt Weiss! He’s all stuffy again!”

She was patting his shoulder as if it would help. Weiss came into the room with some wipes and knelt down, Winter and Ruby in the kitchen cooking, “Thank you, you’re such a good little helper Turtledove.”

His mother got him cleaned up even though it made him squint and pull away from her hating it. From the kitchen, Weiss could hear Ruby talking to her, “Does he need his medicine again? I can bring it.”

Weiss stood up, “It’s not time yet,” she turned back to Dove, “mind keeping him company a little longer so we can help your mommy finish cooking?”

Dove nodded, grabbing a ball and sitting with Sterling as she rolled it towards him and he rolled it back with awkward lack of coordination. Like Jin, he too was scrawny and weak though unlike Jin he wasn’t taking to growing well, having to have extra nutrients added to his meals along with a slew of medicines to help as best as possible with his immune system.

Weiss turned as the door opened and Yang and Blake entered, Yang carrying Jin who started to squirm madly for freedom. To avoid dropping the little dragon, Yang quickly set her down, “Ok ok! Go on then!”

Before the toddler could run off, Blake snagged her by the back of the neck loosely, almost like grabbing scruff, and began removing the pack and tubing, “not so fast there little dragon. Let’s get this off first.”

Jin gave a whine and let Blake take it off impatiently, “Hurry Mommy!”

Blake just smiled and rubbed Jin’s head when she was done, “Go play.”

Weiss had walked over, watching Jin take off to where Sterling was though the toddler avoided Dove nervously as the older child grunted at her. It seemed weird but Weiss just figured it was because Dove was somewhat of an isolated child and not used to Jin's hyper energy, “We’re almost done with the food. Ruby already set up the dining room. Is Tai not joining us this year?”

Yang shrugged, “Nah. I think he’s spreading it with my mom and uncle this time now that Qrow is back from that mission. I know they have stuff for the kids though.”

Ruby noticed Winter grow tense next to her as they listened to the others. She nudged the older woman, “Hey, you good?”

Winter nodded and forced a smile, “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

They all got through dinner and got the kids to bed, sitting for a bit as they waited for Willow and Klein to arrive. Whitley was stuck at work but sent his best. When they two arrived, Weiss got her mother into the library and Klein in the study and everyone went to bed.

—-----------------

Bright and early, Blake was woken up by Jin crawling into the guest bed with them from the little futon she was on in the room and shaking Blake while wheezing a bit, lungs struggling in the mornings the most, “M…Mommy! Mommy, Christmas!! Wake upppp!!!”

Blake’s ears flicked and she blinked awake, Jin sitting on her bouncing with excitement as she rolled to her back and grabbed Jin, pulling her close as she giggled but coughed. Blake rubbed her back, “Calm down honey so you can breathe.”

Jin nodded and whined as she coughed and wheezed. Blake slid to be propped up in bed and gently pulled Jin over, patting her back softly. Yang was still asleep and snoring next to them as Jin finally calmed down, “That better?”

The toddler nodded and Blake glanced over at Yang with a smirk, leaning close to Jin she whispered, “Why don’t you wake up your Mama so we can go open your presents?”

Jin giggled and hunched over, her body wiggling before she pounced on Yang with a growl. As her tiny body landed on Yang’s gut, the woman shot awake in surprise and groaned in pain, “AH! What?!”

Her wife’s soft laughter could be heard next to her as Blake leaned on her hand facing the two, Jin giggling and poking at Yang, “Mama get up! Presents!!!”

The blonde sat up fully, grabbing the small toddler in her arm and not letting her move, which caused the toddler to squirm and giggle. Yang leaned and kissed Blake’s head, “Ok I’m up. Good morning Kitten. Sicking this little squirt on me I see.”

Amber eyes rolled and a hand playfully pushed Yang away as Jin nipped Yang, causing the woman to let go, “Hey now! What have I said about biting?”

Jin was busy staring at Yang’s nubbed limb curiously. Blake watched carefully as Yang pulled her hand over it to hide it. It made a deep pang of pain inside of Blake as the woman sat up, reaching for their daughter, “Come on Jin. Let’s get you dressed ok?”

Jin was still staring as Blake got up with her and pulled some clothing from a bag, setting her down to get her changed. The faunus was stealing glances at the blonde who had gotten up to quickly put her prosthetic arm on. The toddler watched as Yang flexed her metal hand, “Mommy… why does Mama have no arm?”

The room falls uncomfortably quiet. Blake swallowed hard, glancing over at Yang briefly to see what her reaction was but when Yang looked struck by the question, Blake turned back to the toddler as she finished getting her dressed, “Jin honey. It’s not nice to ask such things. Now let’s go open your presents with your cousins ok?”

The toddler let out a whimper as if she had been in trouble, “Sorry Mommy.”

Scooped up into Blake’s arms, Jin clung to the faunus and watched Yang, thinking she did something wrong as Blake also watched Yang. She still felt guilty for what happened to Yang sometimes, moments like these being one of them. Yang forced a smile and turned to them, “It’s fine Kitten. Why don’t you take her to the tree? I’ll be out in a sec.”

She listened as Blake let out a deep breath and left with the toddler to the tree. Dove was already there impatiently sitting by the gifts as Willow and Winter sat with coffee on the couch, watching as Jin squirmed free from Blake and darted over to the stack. Blake was offered a cup of coffee but she declined as she sat down with the woman, “Oh no thank you. More of a tea person myself.”

Dove seemed disinterested in any of Jin’s excitement, giving a scrunched face to the hyper toddler and pulling her plush crow tight to herself. Jin didn’t seem bothered, too distracted by the gifts. Blake was growing concerned the longer it took waiting for Yang. When even Weiss and Ruby had joined them with Sterling and Yang still wasn’t with them Blake began to fidget but the kids were too restless to wait any longer.

Ruby glanced around and then looked at Blake confused, “Where’s…”

At that moment, Yang joined them, coming from the kitchen with tea to hand to Blake that Klein had made in between making cake for Sterling’s birthday and breakfast for everyone, “Sorry I’m late.”

When the cat took the tea and gave her a very unsure look, Yang just sat next to her and pulled the woman close with the metal arm wrapped around her. While the kids opened gifts and the others enjoyed their happiness, Blake ran her fingers along Yang’s metal ones until Yang took her hand in it, tucking her face to Blake’s ear in a whisper, “I’m fine. Let’s just enjoy our family while we can, ok?”

Blake nodded against her and they watched Jin open gifts. She tried to be friendly with Dove as she tried to show the girl her toys in excitement but Dove didn’t have any interest and focused on Sterling. It made the little dragon pout a bit and stare at her toys, fiddling with them checking if maybe something was bad about them.

Something that did not go unnoticed by Blake who nudged Yang as her own body prickled tensely. Yang whispered a warning as she sat up straight, “Jin. Why don’t you bring those over and show me what you got yea?”

It perked up the little faunus and Jin dragged over a few things to Yang’s leaned forward waiting arms. Her blonde mother lifted the dragon into her lap and grabbed the toys, letting Jin show them to her with enthusiasm.

Weiss and Winter were in conversation as Ruby sat on the floor with her eager son, playing with him with his toys as her scroll went off. She looked over to it before glancing up at everyone, “Dad is outside with Qrow and Raven… they… want to drop off a few things for Jin and Sterling…”

Her sister looked her way, “Well we can’t very well say no especially not if Raven is actually trying to be involved. We could get them dressed and meet outside if we need to.”

Blake frowned, not wanting to drag Jin out into the cold if she didn’t have to but before she could protest, Winter stood, “You don’t need to take sick children out in the snow. I’ll take Dove into another room for now. Do you mind joining me Mom?”

Willow nodded and called Dove over, the girl running to her grandmother happily with Mr. Feathers as she led her to the study. Weiss thanked Winter as her sister followed them. When the coast was clear, Ruby got up to go let the three adults inside.

In the past year, Raven had tried to be nicer about the baby though Blake had easily become super irritable when the woman got close to Jin, all her faunus protective instincts lighting on fire when Raven came around. Raven didn’t bother to be sensitive about Blake’s instincts, almost challenging them most times when Yang wasn’t stopping her.

Jin squirmed away and ran over to them, “Raven!”

Blake frowned but Raven knelt down and ruffled Jin’s hair, “Hello there my little fighter. You look strong today.”

Yang could feel Blake tensing and kissed her head, “Relax Kitten…”

Taiyang moved to see Sterling, Ruby hugging him before he leaned down to see Sterling. Qrow was still standing with Raven as the woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a box, “This is for you little one.”

Jin stared at the box curiously and took it, opening the box. Inside were two spheres in red that were hollow. Raven reached in and pulled them out, reaching over to Jin’s hair and fastening one on each side of the back of her head, pulling the loose hair from her face through them into a half up style, allowing Jin’s face to be fully visible and making her hair look a bit more tame, “There. I carved and polished them just for you. Should make it easier for you to see now.”

Jin watched Raven stand back up as Qrow squatted and held out his own gift. He handed over a gift bag, smiling at her, “Here ya go kiddo.”

The toddler reached into it and pulled out a stuffed lizard. Nothing special but Qrow didn’t really know how to shop for kids and just remembered when he was here last and the little girl had a stuffed toy.

He rubbed his neck standing back up. Raven rolled her eyes at him. Jin hugged his leg before running over to her parents, “Lookie!”

She held up the lizard to Blake happily. When she felt Yang pull her up and look over her hair she laughed, “Am I cute Mama?”

Yang just smiled at her, “Um are you kidding me? You’re adorable!”

Tai gave both his grandkids some fun toys they could enjoy inside. Qrow gave Sterling a stuffed bear. Ruby thought the bear was cute. Weiss looked back at the study before moving to sit by Ruby on the floor with their son, leaning close and speaking softly, “Ruby… I know they are family but… my family is stuck in a room right now waiting…”

Silver eyes glanced over to Weiss. Her wife’s words were sincere and the younger woman felt bad. She looked over, noticing the crack in the door and a red eye watching them before someone moved to close the door and she looked at the others, “Dad. It’s great they got to see you all but… Weiss’s mom and sister are staying here and they are just waiting for…”

Qrow interrupted her, “Don’t worry about it kid. We were just leaving.”

—----------------------

Dove had managed to sneak watching everything from the study at the door. Originally just curious as to why the other kids were getting to stay and not herself until she recognized the man with the dark hair. Winter had continued to try to tell her about her father over the years and she knew even as a small child that it was him.

She hugged Mr. Feathers tightly as she watched him dote on the other little girl before Winter noticed her and reached to close the door. Dove didn’t understand when they all came back out why he was gone now without getting to see him. As the adults talked, Dove moved to the window, watching as the two men climbed into a car driving away and the woman left through a red portal.

Confusion and hurt filled her before she turned back and watched Jin with the stuffed toy, marching around with it riding on her shoulders as Yang sat on the floor with Ruby and the two kids. Her eyes looked around at all the other parents and she wondered why everyone else had two and she only had one. Why did her dad like that other little girl so much and not her?

—----------------

Blake and Yang were getting packed up to head home the next day. The kids were all in the living room while Willow, Winter, Weiss and Ruby were with Klein as he insisted on cooking alone, simply keeping company. Dove watched Jin playing with that lizard while Sterling was curled up with his bear on the couch in a nap.

Jin looked at the girl and then her toy, walking over, “You wanna see?”

She held the toy out to Dove to try to share but the older child frowned and took the lizard, shoving Jin over causing her to hit the floor, “Gimme!”

The fall was painful, the younger girl twisting awkwardly when she fell over and it caused a sharp pain in her wrist. Her eyes welled with tears as she sat there, watching the other girl sadly, “H…hey that not nice….”

Dove grit her teeth, her small hands twisting the lizard toy angrily as she glared at Jin. Why was she someone he liked and not her? What made this girl so special? Did her dad think she was no good and that’s why he liked this girl more? A frustrated noise escaped Dove and she twisted and pulled harder until a ripping sound was heard And the head tore off the toy, throwing both pieces at Jin and they hit the little girl in the face and stomach, her eye getting poked by the impact.

Jin immediately was startled and hurt. The room filled with the sharp painful distress yelps as tiny fists rubbed her eyes. Dove gasped and backed away gripping her ears and Sterling shook awake wailing. The adults in the kitchen were startled by the sharp sounds, Weiss moving into action the second she heard Sterling crying, but not faster than Blake. A door could be heard slamming open as the faunus shot towards her child like a bullet, sliding down to her on the floor and wrapping her arms protectively around the toddler, hissing at Dove darkly until the freighted girl backed far away from Jin and Blake.

Weiss had entered just in time to see Blake’s angry snarl at the child and everyone’s ears were relieved as the noise stopped now that Jin was tucked in close to her mother. Dove took off to Winter, scared of the angry faunus as Weiss picked up Sterling, though he was calming down now that his ears weren’t hurting.

Yang came running, but when she reached for Blake, fangs latched into her hand and the woman wrapped tighter around Jin, Yang snapping her hand back to herself quickly to get it from Blake’s teeth, “Blake what the hell!? Calm down! Jin's ok look at her, she’s fine! Please, come back to me yea?”

Blake started to settle down, her constricted pupils relaxing as Jin’s tiny hands gripped her shirt and the toddler clung to her for security, still crying a bit but now over the broken toy as Blake pulled her into her arms and stood up. It wasn’t the first time Weiss had heard Jin’s signal so she wasn’t surprised by it though it was the first time she had heard it in person rather than over a call, “Everything alright now Blake?”

Amber orbs looked over to Weiss before turning to Yang’s hand that had two small pin prick wounds that drew up a tiny blood droplet each, “Yang I’m sorry. When you reached for me I was still out of it…”

Her wife shrugged it off and looked at Jin’s torn toy, picking the pieces up, “It’s fine. I should know better than to try to touch you when you are like that by now. My aura will take care of it. I guess this is part of whatever happened?”

She held up the torn off head and the body to Blake who frowned as Jin glanced over and started crying, which caused her to wheeze a bit. Blake reached out and took the body from Yang, storming off to the kitchen and glaring at Dove, “Did you do this?!”

Dove tucked into Winter’s legs more to hide but Yang had come around the corner with Weiss, stepping between her wife and the little girl, “Blake! She’s just a kid drop it! Why don’t we just head home? I think you and Jin are really worked up right now and a familiar environment will help you both calm down.”

Blake growled a bit staring at Dove before taking in a deep breath and leaving the room, “I’m getting Jin dressed to go outside. Let’s just go Yang.”

The blonde looked at Ruby and Weiss who were watching her with concern before she shrugged it off as nothing and hugged them both goodbye so that she could just round up her family and leave.

She got them all home, the ride uncomfortably silent, and Blake went straight to the toddler’s room with Jin, settling onto the couch that was saturated in her own scent with Jin. Her chest rumbled with deep purring as she stroked her child’s back as the smells and Blake’s purring relaxed her offspring so much she fell asleep.

Yang leaned in the doorway, “Blake… what was all that about? You can’t behave like that towards a little kid…”

Blake glared at her before her eyes went back to watching Jin sleep, “I’ll behave however I feel I should to keep Jin from feeling like she needs to alert me to come save her. How dare you care so little that some kid hurt her.”

Yang grit her teeth but just released an annoyed sigh and left the room. There was no point arguing with Blake when she got like this.

Chapter 14: Float

Chapter Text

Ch 14: Float

It was a really hot May month this year. Everyone was gathered at the Rose house for Dove’s 5th birthday, having a small pool party for the event. Yang and Ruby were in the water with Dove and Jin. Dove could already swim, Winter having gotten her lessons when she asked for them. Jin had arm floaties on and Yang was holding her as the little three year old happily splashed in the water.

Blake was at the edge in a sun hat sitting with her feet in the water, too nervous to not be close. Jin had never been in a pool before. Ruby was in the water but by Blake at the edge, talking with Weiss trying to persuade her to not let Sterling in the water, worried it would make him sick. Weiss didn’t want that either but their son was becoming cranky and feeling let out. The white haired woman sat next to Blake and let Sterling sit with her, his feet splashing water as Ruby tickled them, “At least let him play Ruby. He’s just a child, he can’t understand that fun will make him sick.”

Ruby caved and reached, putting him on her shoulders to keep most of him out of the water as she lowered herself enough to let him kick his feet, a smile coming to her face when he began to laugh. Weiss crossed a leg over the other and leaned onto her leg with her arms, Blake next to her leaning back on her hands. She watched the cat as the woman’s amber eyes were locked onto Jin’s every move, “Worried too Blake?”

Her ear flicked as she sighed, watching Yang as she let Jin splash around. The woman was careful with their baby even if she was rowdy but it still made the faunus nervous constantly when she had no control over Jin’s safety, “I just… I don't want anything else to happen. She had heart failure two weeks ago but everything’s been…oddly calm since even if she’s been a little sluggish.”

Weiss just nodded, watching her own family in the water as Ruby pretended to take Sterling on a sea journey across the pool on her shoulders. It made her smile though to see him having a good time, “I understand trust me. But you have to admit it is nice to see them happy right?”

The faunus just gave a light smile and the two laughed as Yang crept Jin over and they pretended to be sea monsters on Sterling’s journey, Ruby getting splashed like crazy in the face. Winter was in a chair on the pool side watching anytime Dove wanted to show her anything. They had already finished cake and ice cream and presents so now they were just enjoying the rest of the day.

When Sterling sneezed Ruby took him back over to Weiss, “Maybe too much fun for one day buddy. Go see Mommy now so she can get you dry.”

He whined unhappily but Weiss took him anyway, holding him in her lap as she turned to accept a towel from Winter, playfully wrapping the towel around the fussy boy and tickling him as she dried him off to get him to laugh, “Mommy nooo!”

She laughed as Ruby waded in the water at the edge by them, chuckling, Weiss poking his nose, “Alright Mr. Fussy Pants. If you always make those sour faces you’ll get stuck that way.”

Her wife couldn’t resist the urge to comment, smirking, “Your mommy would definitely know, took forever to learn she could smile.”

Water was kicked over Ruby as Weiss frowned at her, the woman gasping some from the wave that drenched her. Yang was laughing from the pool, mocking Ruby’s near drowned expression, letting Jin hold onto the edge to play while she stayed close but her attention was not on her at that moment. Dove had gotten annoyed with Jin playing happily in the water, not wanting her to even be here but she wasn’t given a choice. She was swimming over, with all the parents distracted she came over to Jin and took Jin’s hand, pulling Jin out towards the water and away from safety, “Come on… swim with me.”

The girl was giving a dangerous grin and Jin felt nervous but wanted badly to have another little girl to play with and nodded, “Okay…”

Dove managed to get her far enough from the edge and Yang before she let go of her hand, the baby squirming insecurely without any support beyond the floaties she was still learning to trust. Dove swam circles around her and frowned, “What’s wrong can’t you do it? Are these things in the way?”

She poked the floatie and Jin wiggled when it caused her to dip, becoming scared, “Stop…”

Dove grabbed one, tugging it off, “Here I’ll help.”

The moment the floatie was removed, Jin’s body dipped and struggled to stay above the water, head dipping under over and over. She panicked, Dove frowning at her, “Just swim silly! Then you won’t sink!”

Dove realized she couldn’t swim, but instead of helping or trying to get help she just watched. She knew it was bad but some jealous part of her was feeling satisfied and it made her oddly ok with the situation even if it was wrong. It didn’t take her long to regret it though as that piercing sound from Christmas happened again and Dove yelled in pain as she covered her ears.

Blake’s ears immediately twitching and her pupils constricting to tight slits. Fangs grew out and so did her nails as they became claws, jumping instantly into motion at the choked and gurggled distress calls. Weiss had to hold Sterling tightly as Blake dove into the pool quickly, knocking into the woman and almost sending her son flying off her lap. Yang too was rushing over and got there first, picking the yelping shaking dragon from the water.

Yang didn’t have the ability to calm the baby to get the sound to stop and her ears felt like they were burning in pain but she didn’t care. She would endure it if it kept Jin safe from drowning. Blake had caught up and was too spurred on by the obvious situation before her, immediately turning on Dove with a snarl that sent fear shooting through the little girl, clawed hands reaching for her, “what the hell is wrong with you!? You could have killed her!”

Before Blake could do anything to Dove, Winter had reached out to pluck Dove out of the water, Dove drifted close enough to be reached easily. The yelping was still making Blake feral as she stared at Winter and Dove, Yang coming over to Blake and reaching the frightened toddler out to her, Blake taking her quickly from Yang with a hiss and moving to get them out the water quickly, Yang frowning, “Blake you need to cool it! That’s a little kid you are trying to mess with!”

Winter knelt to Dove, putting a towel around her, “Dove why would you do that? You really could’ve hurt her.”

Dove rubbed her eyes whimpering, “I just wanted her to swim with me Mommy… I didn’t mean to.”

Winter sighed, “Don’t do that again ok? It’s not safe.”

Dove just nodded and stared at Blake out the water with Jin tight to herself, getting her in a towel to dry her off. Everyone was thankful the yelping had stopped and Ruby went to check on them as well while Weiss came over to her sister and Dove, “Well… I think that’s it for today. I hope I never have to hear that sound again… it’s painful.”

A part of Dove was irritated now, angry she was in trouble because of that girl. She pouted and stamped her foot with clenched fists while no one was looking. How dare that weak whiney mess get her in trouble, ‘What a baby!’

—-----------------------------------

Blake refused to talk to Yang the entire ride home, still mad at her for doing nothing about what happened. Yang just sighed, “Blake come on. It’s a little kid I’m not about to hit her or anything! How could you even expect me to do anything to a child anyway?!”

As they pulled up to their home and Yang got out to get Jin from the car, Blake pushed her away swiftly causing Yang to fall on her ass in the dirt before the cat pulled Jin to her from the car, staring daggers into Yang, “I expect you to care more that your daughter is getting hurt and want to do something to make it stop! That’s what I expect, Yang! Not excuses for a bully!”

Yang still wasn’t sure you could call two incidents bullying. She just sat there watching Blake as her own anger bubbled at the situation. It was intensely frustrating when Blake was mad at her and also very frustrating that she couldn’t just make the distress better like Blake could, making her feel like it wouldn’t matter how hard she tried Blake would still be mad at her for it. Was this harsh treatment faunus behavior too? Did Blake subconsciously expect her to go all feral alpha monster on the problem and destroy it like some sort of pack animal?

Her fists slammed into the dirt as she let out an angry frustrated shout before standing up and dusting herself off, “This is so not ok.”

She shook the weird thoughts from her mind, refusing to think like that about her wife. Blake wasn’t an animal she was just reacting the way her instincts told her to in order to protect her child. Yang had to remember that. Especially with Jin’s health risks Blake was just wound tight with her own fears.

She walked into the house and looked around until she found Blake in Jin’s room on that couch, Jin asleep tucked into her body. Blake was stroking the blonde hair and it wasn’t until Yang watched her wipe her eye that she realized Blake was crying. She stepped into the room but held her hands up in surrender with sharp eyes glanced her way, “Woh Blake… easy.”

Blake took a moment then turned her eyes back to their child which was Yang’s sign she could approach. Yang knelt at Blake’s feet and looked up at those amber eyes she loved, reaching to wipe another tear off her face, her voice kind and soft, “Blake… I love you and our child. I will always want the best for both of you. But I don’t want my fears to cause me to hurt anyone in the process, especially not a kid over an accident. Please… believe me when I tell you that.”

Blake leaned her face into Yang’s hand and just nodded quietly. Yang moved her hand to Jin’s back and rubbed it gently, feeling her calm breathing in her sleep before leaning to kiss her head sweetly. Yang got to her feet and leaned to kiss Blake between the ears next, “I’m gonna go get a shower. I love you Kitten.”

—--------------------------------

The summer heat pressed on as June rolled around, Sterling catching some sort of sickness that also had his throat sore and his ears popping from fluid buildup. He had gotten sick after playing in the yard with Ruby while she was training to stay sharp, having gone back to minor duty for work. He had quickly started having a fever that wouldn’t stop climbing. It was really late at night and he had already been crying for hours and Weiss couldn’t get him to stop, all the pain from his sickness and his fever making him this wailing limp mess.

The woman was worried, holding him and trying to soothe him while Ruby was coming back with a cool rag, “Ruby he’s burning up… we… have to do something…”

As Ruby set the rag on his head Weiss grabbed her shoulder, “Ruby, get the keys. We have to get him calmed down and cooled off faster than this.”

Ruby just nodded. Weiss was better at knowing what to do when he was sick than she was anyway and often a drive around helped him sleep especially when he was sick or cranky. She wrapped Weiss’s hand in hers and dragged her loved ones to the car, not even caring they were in their pajamas. Weiss had gotten in the back once she got him in his car seat and was using her glyphs to conjure ice, setting the ice blocks along his body to bring the temperature down as Ruby started the car, “Where should I go?”

Weiss was distracted with their son who’s cries were sounding odd and his head was lulling around in a scary way, “It doesn’t matter just roll down the windows a drive!”

Ruby didn’t need to be told twice. She slammed her fingers into the switches for the windows to lower them and drove off, riding around deciding the direction of a hospital might be the best course of action right now. As Weiss was trying frantically to cool him off and calm him, his cries bellowing in the small space, Ruby could only try to talk to him, her voice calm but loud enough to be heard, “It’s going to be ok Sterling. Your mommy is right there and she is going to make you all better. Your mommy is the best there is.”

The words were probably the only thing tethering Weiss to her senses in order for her to stay calm enough to do anything. If not for the situation, Ruby’s words would be making her swoon but she didn’t have time for that right now. His little body was so warm the ice was melting against his clothes and he was sweating and shivering. His crying was starting to dribble off but he did not look like he was falling asleep, or at least not properly.

Weiss was in a frenzy trying to replace the melting ice, his head so hot to the touch she was crying herself, “No…no, no, no, no please…”

Ruby peered in the rear view at Weiss, seeing her tears as the boy fell into a sleep with a shaking chest making heavy breaths, “It’s going to be ok Weiss. He’s gonna be ok, we will be at the hospital soon I promise! I know he’ll be ok, no one takes care of him better than you do.”

Weiss tucked her face close to him, her tears falling as she watched his ragged breaths slow and suddenly stop. The rest of what happened then was a blur to her, Ruby’s words of encouragement the only things grounding her as she touched his neck and didn’t feel a pulse. She moved her body to block Ruby’s view, flying into action and mind racing with what she needed to do, not wanting to scare Ruby and risk an accident or worse.

Covering him in a light blanket of ice paper thin, she gave the compressions to his chest the way she had been taught to do for children and didn’t give up, her thoughts pleading for this to work as her ears filled with Ruby telling her he would be fine and she could do anything to take care of him and the words boosted her confidence, tears still falling as she gave a few more motions and his jerked, breathing again.

Weiss kissed his head frantically, glad he was alive as the car screeched into the ER and they flew out the car, getting him seen quickly. The medical staff were able to get the temperature down and Weiss was overwhelmed with relief. Ruby felt like this was her fault, letting him be with her outside playing like he was a Huntsman had been what got him sick. She berated herself mentally and swore never again. She would never let him get sick again because of her and she wouldn’t let him do things that make him sick, especially not because of herself.

—-------------------

When they could finally take him home a few days later, Weiss got him down for a nap, his medicine making him sleepy, and she approached Ruby on the couch, the woman still seeming as lost in herself as she had been since they got him to the ER.

She had been thinking about how Ruby had supported her this whole time and even days later, her heart was fluttering. A gentle smile graced her lips as she walked over, gently sitting to straddle Ruby’s lap, drawing her wife’s attention and touching those blushing cheeks, “Ruby… I can tell something’s been bothering you. Is it about Sterling?”

The younger woman stared into those icy eyes and nervous hands rested onto Weiss’s thighs before she looked away, face saddened, “Yea…”

The woman on her lap clasped both hands around her cheeks and softly turned Ruby to face her, “I know it’s really hard but… you are the reason I can take care of him so well. If not for you, I wouldn’t be the mother that I am.”

Ruby could feel heat rising in her cheeks as they both leaned towards each other, lips pressed together in delicate love chastely. Weiss ran one hand up to run through Ruby’s hair and the other dragged a ghosting touch down Ruby’s side, her smile turning to one of desire that made Ruby swallow hard, “I just set him down for a nap. He will probably sleep for hours…”

Ruby nodded, eyes staring at those blue orbs that were filling with love and desire for the scythe wielder. Honestly their lives had been so nuts since she was pregnant that they had pretty much had a nonexistent sex life for the most part. It was just not something either of them had worried about with Sterling’s health and all but now that Weiss was on her lap like this neither of them could ignore just how much they missed it.

Weiss’s skilled fingers gripped Ruby’s locks and pulled her into a deeper, more hungry kiss, lips pressed hard together and Weiss’s tongue requesting entrance that was warmly granted with a soft moan from her wife beneath her as her other hand worked off Ruby’s corset.

The younger woman’s brain was buzzing in the kiss too much to notice until the corset was pulled away that Weiss was even removing it. She let out a gasp in the kiss, Weiss’s tongue dancing with her own as those talented fingers worked her shirt hem up, the two parting in heavy breaths long enough for Weiss to pull the shirt off Ruby.

The older woman grinned as she took in the sight of Ruby’s chest in only a red bra. She leaned back, locking eyes with Ruby’s as she pulled her own top up over her head in a slow peeled fashion that made ruby squirm beneath her thighs. She tossed it to the side and ran her fingers slowly along her shoulders and towards her back as she arched forward a bit, hands coming to the clasp of her white lace bra and unhooked it. She leaned forward and dragged a finger along Ruby’s jaw, her voice dripping with temptation, “Well… don’t leave me waiting Ruby.”

Ruby’s mouth felt dry and her eyes stared at Weiss’s lithe frame and soft curves as her hands reached forward and took the straps in her fingers, lowering the bra off the woman and letting it drop to the floor, Weiss responding with a hum of approval. Her mouth kissed along Ruby’s jaw to her ear and she nibbed the lobe lightly making Ruby whine as her hands got Ruby out of her bra as well, dusting light touches across pert nipples and reveling in the simple moans from her wife’s lips.

Ruby moved to rub her hands along Weiss’s hips, rubbing her fingers into the skin eagerly as Weiss grasped at her breasts and teased the buds with her thumbs, massaging the skin in the ways Weiss knew Ruby enjoyed. Her soft lips brushed down Ruby’s neck and laid nips and kisses against the crook of her neck which was a sensitive spot for the woman and Ruby jolted a bit with a moan of Weiss’s name, making the older woman smirk.

With an unhappy whine from her wife, Weiss slid back on her lap some, giving herself room to move from the dark spot she had made on Ruby’s neck down to her nipple, her tongue dragging circles slowly around it before latching her lips around it and sucking, drawing long moans from Ruby, a hand still teasing the other. Her other hand pressed down into Ruby’s thigh and slid up under her skirt, pushing the item of clothing up completely in a slow drag along the skin, making Ruby cry out in a whine, “Weiss… don’t tease me please… it’s been too long… I need you…”

That fact was proven by the soaked fabric of Ruby’s panties and the smell of her drenched sex as Weiss ran her fingertips along ruby’s covered core and let out a delighted moan against the woman’s nipple. She loved how ruby trembled and shook under every touch she gave her. Weiss released her nipple with a wet pop, swapping to the other as her hand swapped as well, torturing the erect sensitive nipple with her fingers as her other hand slid Ruby’s panties to the side and ran through the aching wet folds.

As Ruby’s hips twitched and she moaned, Weiss grinned against her chest, pulling her head away and watching the needy mess that was her wife in her grasp. She pulled her fingers away from Ruby’s dripping core and rubbed the slick between her fingers before tracing them across Ruby’s lips, “open.”

Ruby obeyed with a hungry whine, letting Weiss put her wet fingers into her mouth, massaging them across Ruby’s tongue as the woman groaned and closed her lips around them, sucking off her own fluids from them and watching Weiss shiver at the delicious feel of Ruby’s suction. She took a moment to listen and make sure it was still quiet in the house before she slid her fingers out of Ruby’s warm mouth with a wet strand of saliva strung between before it popped. As her face leaned close to Ruby’s, she pressed those sloppy fingers against Ruby's lower lips, so close yet so far from anything that would actually give pleasure, whispering, “Tell me how much you need me, precious flower.”

Ruby was gasping for air. She was so turned on, her hips squirming to try to make contact where she actually needed it but Weiss’s thighs pressed her legs down and caused her to still. She panted lightly, whimpers falling from her lips, “Please Weiss… I need you inside so badly I can’t think straight!”

She was given a pleased hum and smile as Weiss dipped her two fingers into Ruby as deep as they would go, pinching one of Ruby’s nipples as she did and relishing the shiver down her spine as Ruby moaned her name in response. Her thumb brushed and circled the excited bundle of nerves as her fingers thrusted, curling inside against Ruby’s best spot, her lips pressing to Ruby’s to help dampen the noises she was making so she wouldn’t wake their son, even if she would have much rather hear every syllable and octave.

Weiss sighted a bit and pressed her own core into ruby’s strong thigh, grinding along it as she worked Ruby’s insides, matching her hips to the speed of her fingers as her other hand gently grasped Ruby’s face and she buried her own into Ruby’s neck, letting out soft moans and biting on her own lip when Ruby’s hands found their way to her breasts, “Oh Ruby…”

Weiss wasn’t in the mood to be teased or drag things out any more than Ruby was, realization of her own body’s longing causing her to be on edge already just from so little and Ruby was damn near coming undone in her grasp. She sped up her hips and fingers and her hot heavy breaths panted out against Ruby’s ear as she begged, “Cum with me Ruby. I'm so close.”

The whine that Ruby released at her words was so delectable Weiss squirmed all over and moaned as she came hard, her clothing soaking against Ruby’s thigh as Ruby’s org*sm filled her hand, both tense and hips jerking as they rode through the intense feeling until they relaxed.

Ruby panted as Weiss slumped against her but stared into those blue eyes and her lips kissed at Weiss’s neck and down as she laid Weiss back into the cushions, her lips trailing down across tender flesh of Weiss’s stomach, the woman arching up against her. She lingered at Weiss’s hips as her hands pulled her wife loose of her shorts and underwear, Weiss’s thighs parting in reply with a needy whine.

Ruby glanced up into shimmering eyes and smiled softly, “You’re so beautiful Weiss,” before she lowered her lips to Weiss’s slit, kissing along the wet surface with her hands rubbing pale thighs enjoying Weiss’s gasp. She worked her tongue along the skin and against Weiss’s cl*t, knowing Weiss was more fond of attention there than inside when it came to oral, her heart melting at the sounds Weiss made at her actions and the feeling of those slender fingers wrapping in her hair.

Weiss’s hips were shaking, her sex still sensitive. She wasn’t going to last long in this ecstasy her body had missed for so long, rolling them against Ruby’s mouth when the woman began to suck on her nub, Ruby’s own fingers sliding down into herself as the action stirred her need again. Everytime Ruby moaned against Weiss’s cl*t, the woman under her bucked sharply and twitched, Weiss’s grip tightening on Ruby’s hair, swimming in the sounds of Ruby’s mouth on her and the woman fingering herself hungrily. Weiss knew Ruby was going crazy with how Weiss was reacting to her attention.

She looked down into silver eyes that were eager to please and she pressed blushed softly. She loved when those eyes looked at her like that, making Weiss feel like she was the only one Ruby needed. Her head fell back as Ruby sucked harder, tongue teasing the bud faster and she let out a deep long moan as her back arched up and tensed, falling over the edge against the face she held in place. Ruby’s eyes closed and she shifted her tongue lower to lap at Weiss’s cum as she moaned, her own body responding in kind as she too released against her own fingers inside herself.

When it passed them, Weiss pulled Ruby into her arms against her chest and they caught their breath, faces nuzzling together sweetly and soft whispers of 'I love you's' being exchanged. Sadly, the moment couldn’t last. While they both wished to just relish in their afterglow in each other’s embrace, Sterling’s cries could be heard.

Weiss sighed and gently slipped from beneath Ruby, throwing on her shirt and shorts before leaning down and kissing Ruby’s cheek, “Duty calls. I’ll give you a few minutes. Can you gather my undergarments when you get up?”

Ruby nodded, grumbling at the loss of her after-sex cuddles as Weiss snickered and brushed through Ruby’s hair lovingly then left to check on Sterling. She didn’t come back with him which was what she meant by giving Ruby a few minutes, Ruby supposed. ‘She must be taking care of him in his room…’ she thought as she made herself sit up with a tired groan, her movements sluggish as her body still felt like jelly.

“Guess I better clean up before they come out here…” she said to herself as she dragged herself to her weak feet and wobbled for a moment before getting her bearings, gathering clothing and taking it to the hamper in their bathroom before pulling on a big t-shirt, fresh panties and some comfy shorts. She couldn’t help smiling when she came back. God she had needed that and she felt a lot better now. Weiss was joining her with Sterling on her hip, looking curiously at Ruby’s goofy smile, “What?”

The younger woman shook her head and poked Weiss’s nose, making Weiss blush with her words, “Oh nothing… you’re just amazing you know that?”

Chapter 15: Birds Eat Reptiles

Chapter Text

Ch 15: Birds Eat Reptiles

Ruby was hanging out with Sterling in the living room while he played with a few toys, sitting with him on the floor and playing with him anytime he handed her a toy. Weiss was in the kitchen getting some lunch ready while Dove sat at the counter with paper and crayons. She would be staying with them for a while as Winter got things ready for Beacon to open.

While Ruby took a toy soldier that Sterling handed over, her mind was abuzz with one real thought. She marched the soldier with Sterling’s and made fun voices for the toy that made him giggle. Her mind just watched him. She wanted to talk to Weiss about maybe considering another baby. She already knew Weiss wasn’t going to have one. The woman had gotten her uterus removed while Sterling was still an infant, having no desire to go through any of that ordeal again. Plus, their doctor advised her not to as her body just couldn’t handle it.

But maybe Ruby could have the next one? Sterling pouted and nudged her, “Mama… why you stop?”

Ruby shook her head and smiled, laughing at herself a bit, “Sorry buddy.”

After a while it was in her thoughts again. Was this maybe just weird baby fever? She was getting close to her mid twenties. Was that when this usually happened? Before Sterling could fuss at her again, Weiss called them over. The woman set the toy down and got up, hualing Sterling under her arm while he giggled to the kitchen. She set him down at his sandwich and scooted next to Weiss while she handed Dove a sandwich, giving Weiss a look.

Her wife knew that look. It was the look ruby gave when she was up to something. The older woman sighed unamused and set a plate next to Ruby before grabbing her own, “What?”

Ruby huffed, “I didn’t say anything!”

“No, but I can tell you are thinking something. Out with it,” Weiss accused, lifting her sandwich to her lips.

Ruby didn’t say anything for a moment, feeling embarrassed about it. She didn’t know why. Back when they were discussing whether or not to have Sterling Weiss had suggested wanting at least two and that if they wanted they could each birth one. But that was when things all seemed different and nothing bad had happened yet.

She figured that might be why she was nervous. She didn’t think it would all happen again but she wasn’t sure Weiss still felt that way after everything. In all fairness, they were lucky their son was still even alive so she could understand if the idea was too much anymore.

Weiss was getting impatient. She didn’t like to have to pry the thoughts out of Ruby. Her face scrunched in annoyance slightly as she focused on the rest of her lunch. If Ruby didn’t want to tell her then fine, it must not be important.

However when Ruby did finally talk it through her so off guard she choked, “I want another baby.”

Weiss coughed on the bite she had swallowed without chewing, stunned by the statement. She was definitely not expecting that. Ruby was patting her back apologizing until she was fine again, holding up her hand to get Ruby to stop, “S-say that again? I don’t think I heard you right. It sounded like you said you want another baby but I must be hearing things because…”

Ruby cut her off, “N-no that’s what I said! But… I understand if that’s not something you want anymore…”

Weiss stared at her with a raised brow, “Ruby it’s not that I don’t want another kid it’s just… Sterling is still sick all the time and it’s already a handful plus we have signed ourselves up to watch Dove during the weekdays for Winter until she’s old enough to go with Winter to work and be able to be left in the office alone for periods of time. Don’t you think our hands are pretty full right now?”

Ruby fiddled with her sandwich, picking at a corner of it as she shrugged, “I guess…”

Weiss didn’t know what to say really. She just knew right now she wasn’t exactly up for adding another human being to the mix while she was already juggling a chronically ill kid and a very strong willed little girl plus Ruby wanted to go back to work she was so restless, “Ruby I… I just don’t know… maybe we can talk about this later? I mean any minute now your sister is going to be dropping Jin off so they can go have a date night. I just think this is maybe not the right time to talk about this?”

Ruby shrugged and lifted her abused sandwich, “Don’t worry about it Weiss. It’s fine. You’re right. We have a lot going on. It was a silly thought.”

The older woman felt bad at how Ruby deflected her, knowing she was disappointed, but this really was a conversation they should have at a better time than when sitting at lunch with two little kids. Her hand reached out to try to touch Ruby but before it made contact and she could say anything, their door opened with Yang stumbling through with her toddler tugging on her metal arm, biting on it, “Hey! No Biting! Ugh! Blake! Can you do something!”

The faunus walked over hiding a chuckle as she grabbed the toddler using Yang’s arm as a teething toy and gripped the back of her neck in that weird scruff-like way and Jin released, jaw going slack like the rest of her. Ruby took their appearance to move away from Weiss, walking over to greet them as Blake set Jin down and her body regained movement. Sterling saw Jin and wiggled from where he was sitting, a hand clenching a part of his sandwich as she rushed over to Jin, tearing it and handing her some before they took off into the living room against Weiss’s protests, “No food in the…oh forget it. Hi Blake, Yang.”

Yang smirked, giving a wave, “Sorry about that Weiss. didn’t mean to cause your lunch to crumble.”

No one was amused, Blake lightly punching Yang’s arm to get her to stop. Weiss rubbed her face, “Ugh. Well you can just set her stuff down on the counter. Did you remember to pack something to put her in, should you two need the night to yourselves?”

Blake frowned and Yang just forced a laugh that trailed off into a groan, “Yea…. that isn’t gonna happen sadly. She is insistent Jin is not staying the night anywhere.”

Ruby snickered, poking Yang, “Careful, your tension is showing.”

She squirmed when Yang headlocked her and messed up her hair, “Shut your mouth Rubes!”

A flailing hand smacked at Yang’s arm over and over as Ruby tried to tap out until Yang finally released her. The younger woman rubbed her neck and gave Yang a glare before Blake nudged Yang, “If we don’t go now we will be late.”

Yang had gotten them reservations in Vale and tickets to a show. Being a long drive from here, they needed to head out or they weren’t going to make the reservations. They told the others goodbye and left. Weiss watched the door close before looking at Dove, “Why don’t you go play with the others so I can talk to Aunt Ruby ok?”

Dove made a face at first but then forced a smile and nodded, “Yes Aunt Weiss.”

She climbed down off the stool and dragged her paper and a handful of colors with her to the living room. When the two were alone in the kitchen, Ruby avoided looking at Weiss, “I said it was fine Weiss. We don’t have to talk about it.”

Weiss set her scroll on the counter suddenly, open to a series of messages that Ruby couldn’t see from there as her slender finger scrolled down the words lazily reading them to herself before she spoke, “You know Yang has been asking Blake about the same thing lately? Blake and I have been talking about it for days now. In fact, they are going on their date tonight because Yang feels Blake is too stressed out about everything. Blake has been telling me about her fears and about the fight she and Yang had a few nights ago about this very topic. She damn near ripped into Yang she was so annoyed.”

Ruby wasn’t really surprised. She knew Yang wanted a big family. But she wasn’t sure what this had to do with them. Weiss finally looked up from her scroll at Ruby, “I don’t want this to turn into a fight later from bottling things up Ruby. So yes, we do need to talk about it. It doesn’t have to be right this second but, it clearly needs to be discussed soon, for you anyway.”

The younger woman sighed, her voice sounding defeated, “Fine… can we discuss it once Dove goes home in a few days?”

Her wife nodded, “That’s fine. Ruby… come here please?”

Ruby was reluctant at first but then shuffled closer, avoiding making eye contact as she stepped next to Weiss. Soft fingers touched her face and Ruby noticed her cheek was wet as Weiss rubbed it off her cheek, “Ruby, please, try not to get too worked up about it before we even have a chance to discuss things ok? Just promise me when we talk you will be honest with me about your feelings and thoughts ok? Don’t do that thing you do where you pretend like everything’s fine and you’re fine with whatever I want.”

She could only nod. That didn’t exactly make her feel reassured that she was going to get what she wanted but Weiss was being very kind about it all which was already better than she thought she might be so the least Ruby could do was be upfront when they did talk about it.

—---------------------

In the living room, Dove sat with the two younger children watching them play with the little toy soldiers in their own little world and frowned. She looked behind her out a window to the yard and got an idea, running back into the kitchen, “Aunt Weiss! Can we go play in the yard?”

Weiss looked at Ruby before she leaned down and nodded, “Alright but don’t go too far from the porch. One of us will come out soon so until then can you watch the little ones with you?”

Dove nodded, smiling. Ruby watched the girl run back and could hear her convincing the others to follow her outside, calling after her, “Dove, do not play any crazy games with your cousins!”

Weiss gave Ruby a look of curiosity and the woman folded her arms, “I don’t want him doing anything too active that will make him sick again.”

“Ruby that’s not…” Weiss had started to try to say something to Ruby about that when the woman walked out the room, “Nope! I’m going to go grab my scroll then I’ll keep an eye out for the kids.”

She could feel Weiss’s glare but ignored it. She didn’t want to talk about all that. She had already made up her mind. Now if she could just figure out where she had set her scroll down when she was playing with Sterling.

Outside, Dove walked up to the tree line near the other side of the yard with the two little kids on her heels. Sterling seemed unsure but he followed Jin closely. He knew not to go out to the trees because Ruby had told him no before but Dove said they were playing explorers and Jin seemed to want to go so he had followed.

Dove was looking around for anything she could find that she could make Jin struggle with when they came across a nest of baby nevermore. They were far enough into the trees to have disappeared from sight. Dove knew what Grimm were fairly well. Winter had made sure to teach her as soon as she could. The other two could tell it was bad but they were younger and didn’t know yet what the little birds were.

Dove grinned, handing a stick to Jin, “Go poke one! Go on!”

Jin made an unsure face for a moment but this older kid seemed so sure. Sterling was tugging her shirt, yelling at Dove, “I wanna go home!”

Dove folded her arms, “Don’t be such a baby Jin! Go poke it!”

Jin frowned, “Not a baby!”

She stomped over to the Grimm and poked the nest. When the small Grimm got annoyed and flew up angrily, Jin dropped the stick and whimpered. They dove for her and she covered her head and screamed as they swarmed and started pecking at her. Dove was laughing, “They don’t like you!”

Sterling got scared, “Dove that’s mean!”

She just frowned at him, “No! It’s true!”

In the house Ruby scratched her head, “Where did I put that thing… Oh well I guess…”

She stepped outside and looked up, “Ok kids what are we pla… kids?!”

She looked around the yard frantically but didn’t see them, leaning her head in the door, yelling, “W…Weiss! I don’t see the kids!”

She darted back outside before she could get a response, running into the yard to see if maybe they were hiding somewhere when Weiss broke out into the yard, her weapon in her hand as she handed Ruby’s to her, “You were supposed to be watching them Ruby! What if they went into the woods!?”

Ruby already felt bad she didn’t need Weiss to tell her she had f*cked up. She was about to say so when her eyes noticed movement in the trees and a few small nevermore flying off as if startled by something. Her hand shook Weiss’s shoulder, getting a frustrated set of words in response before she graded Weiss’s chin and pointed her attention at the trees. The two took off for the woods, “Ruby Blake is going to kill you!”

“I wasn’t even looking away but for a few minutes how was I supposed to know they would get off to something that fast!?” Ruby protested as they broke through the tree line.

From underneath, it was hard to tell where the nevermore had come from. Ruby was about to say something when Weiss put a finger to her lips, “Shh! Listen.”

It took Ruby longer than it had taken Weiss to hear that very unpleasant siren of yelping that told them Jin was trying to get help. Ruby pointed, eyes noticing some movement in some leaves, “There!”

Jin was sitting crouched with her arms still covering her as a few of the nevermore were still flapping around her, clawing at her and pecking her skin. She was releasing the ear splitting yelps and shaking, Dove no longer laughing while she covered her ears, Sterling crying as he gripped his own ears. He grabbed a stick and tried to make the Grimm go away but one swooped on him and he panicked, falling over and coughing.

Suddenly a flash erupted and the Grimm dissolved, Weiss grabbing Jin when the flash from Ruby’s eyes wore off. Ruby grabbed Sterling and gripped Dove’s arm in her other hand as they got them all out the woods.

When they were clear of the trees and back in their yard, Weiss went straight to the house with the yelping faunus, “I’m going to see if there might be anything in her stuff that will help before I call Blake.”

Ruby nodded and knelt down, frowning at Dove, “You were told to stay close! Why would you take them in there!?”

Dove whimpered, acting sorry, “I… I just wanted to be an explorer… I… didn’t mean to get anyone hurt…”

Ruby just let out a sigh and stood, “Well you did and you need to apologize right now. You scared Sterling and Jin is really hurt!They are really little, you can’t do that again. Now get back in the house. You aren’t allowed to play out here without me or Aunt Weiss anymore.”

Dove whimpered and did as she was told, mad that she was going to have to say a sorry she did not mean and even more upset that she was in trouble over that annoying girl again. When they got inside, they all grabbed their ears as Jin was yelping though she sounded like she was getting a bit hoarse. Or at least that’s what Ruby thought until Jin slumped over against Weiss a few times. Weiss dug around in the bag and her hands found a blanket. She pulled it up. That didn’t make sense. Blake didn’t want her to stay the night anywhere so why? Than it dawned on Weiss as she wrapped Jin in the blanket, noticing the small faunus grip and sniff it, calming down and the yelping reducing to a mummer.

It didn’t stop of course, only Blake could make it stop, but it was very quiet now, more like a whimper as her body jerked with each one. Weiss pulled a corner of the blanket to her nose and even without a faunus nose she could faintly smell Blake’s body wash scent on the blanket. Ruby poked her head in, soothing her coughing son, “How the heck did you make that happen?”

Weiss just turned to show the blanket, “It smells like Blake. They must have sent it in cause she needed a nap or something but I think Blake’s scent on it helped somehow?”

The woman moved to set Jin on the counter, reaching for a first aid kit as Ruby reached back into the living room and pulled Dove into the kitchen, “Go on and say your sorry. Do it right now.”

Dove got cranky and stomped her foot, “I don’t wanna! I didn’t do anything!”

When even Weiss gave her a frown though Dove pouted and caved, “Fine… I’m sorry!”

Then she ran for the other room, upset. Ruby just let her go, still a bit frustrated with her as she brought Sterling over as well. Weiss was in the process of cleaning Jin up at the time but stopped and reached for something before handing Ruby some of Sterling’s medicine before going back to taking care of Jin’s cuts and wounds. The seamless manor at which Weiss shifted gears back and forth amazed Ruby and she stared for a bit before snapping out of it and getting Sterling the medicine and holding him until it calmed his coughing. Her wife truly was pretty incredible.

Didn’t get Ruby out of any trouble though unfortunately as Weiss frowned, not even looking away from her task as she spoke in her sharp tone, “Don’t think this gets you off the hook Ruby. You were supposed to go watch them. Your scroll isn’t as important as these children.”

Well that was true. It made Ruby feel a bit stupid really now that it was said out loud. Jin’s yelping got a tad louder while Weiss cleaned the wounds, “I know, I know it hurts but I have to sweetie. I’m almost done and we can call your Mommy ok?”

That was not something Ruby looked forward to. Not just because she was going to be minced meat when Blake got a hold of her but also because she knew now from Weiss how badly they needed to be able to step away and relax for a while. There was little chance Blake was going to willingly go back out after this regardless of anything Yang could say. ‘Way to go Ruby. Yang might just kill you too at this rate,’ she scolded herself.

“Weiss, do we have to call Blake? Can’t we just tell her when she gets back? I mean why ruin their date when Jin is going to be ok?” Ruby tried to convince Weiss.

But she knew the moment she finished and Weiss’s angry cold gaze fell on her that she had suggested something stupid. As Weiss pulled out brightly colored bandages to let Jin pick some in hopes it would help her feel a bit better, Weiss directed her cruel tone at Ruby, her wife shrinking under her assault, “Ruby Rose are you serious!? Absolutely not, that is so irresponsible! How would you feel if Sterling got hurt and no one told you until you picked him up!? It’s wrong and you know it! We have to call Blake. Besides it can’t be good for Jin to be stuck yelping until god knows when and I’m not interested in possibly being the cause of messing with that safety bond between them either when her mother doesn’t come to her calls.”

Weiss was right and Ruby knew that, thinking about the roles reversed she would be furious if someone did that with her kid, “Well when you put it that way…”

A scroll was shoved into her chest harshly and she glanced up, meeting Weiss’s intense glare, “Call her, now.”

“M-me? Oh no. Nope, that sounds like a terrible idea!” Ruby protested.

When Weiss didn’t relent, Ruby mumbled under her breath as she dialed Blake, “For someone who loves me you sure are signing my life away to a painful death…”

Jin was bandaged up and Weiss scooped her in her arms to go to sit with her, taking Sterling from Ruby on her other hip as well. Ruby watched Weiss sit in a chair with both toddlers, Sterling cuddled into her side and Jin into the blanket that Weiss tucked her into on her other side while Weiss sighed, Blake’s voice snapping Ruby out of her daze, “Ruby? Is everything ok?”

The younger woman rubbed the back of her neck, watching Blake’s ears twitch as if she could hear Jin but not make it out, “Hey Blake! Hope the date is going well. So… funny story. See the kids wanted to play outside and I was supposed to be with them but I couldn’t find my scroll, which in hindsight sounds silly I know but at the time it…”

Blake’s stern voice cut her off, “What happened?”

Ruby fidgetted nervously, Blake only seeming to get more irritated the longer it took to get an answer, “I…sorta wasn’t… I wasn’t watching them and they all ended up in the woods with some nevermores…BUT but they are fine now!”

“Ruby I swear to god I will wring your neck!” the angry faunus said as Ruby watched her quickly get to her feet, “I am on my way. If there is even a scratch on my baby...”

“Well… there’s not one scratch so… “

Yang snatched the scroll as Blake went into an angry frenzy, cursing at Ruby with some very colorful threats, “Ruby you should probably hide before we get there.”

The call ended and Ruby whimpered, “She is going to murder me…”

Blake’s voice had caused those yelps to rise in volume though thankfully not painful. Still it was an annoying, mind numbing couple of hours listening to it without any stopping it until the front door flung open and nearly glowing amber eyes stared holes into Ruby who took off as Blake tore after her, “Get the hell over here Ruby!”

“No! Blake please I didn’t mean it! Mercy! Yang help me!” Ruby cried as Blake cornered her at the couch, one on each side of it as Blake cut off any attempt Ruby had to dart on one side or the other.

“I’m not helping you! You try stopping that!” Yang said, pointing at Blake’s crazed looking cat eyes. Ruby faked out to one side then used her semblance to dash the other way and behind Weiss’s chair, “Look see she’s fine!”

Blake hissed and seethed but Weiss grabbed her arm when she tried to snag Ruby and slid the yelping toddler into her arms to distract her, “Blake here. I think she needs you before all that yelping hurts her throat.”

Blake curled Jin in her arms to her chest and the toddler clung to her, instantly going quiet. Ruby whispered thanks to her wife but Weiss frowned, “I didn’t do it for you! I did it for Jin. You deserve whatever you get! Our own son was in danger because you were busy looking for a stupid scroll.”

Ruby chuckled nervously and fiddled with her fingers, “Yea… look I’m sorry. I honestly thought Dove was going to listen when you told her to stay close with the kids and I was only distracted for like… five minutes.”

Blake instantly reacted to that, turning to the little girl who panicked and took off to hide. Before Blake could chase down the child, Yang grabbed hold of her and pulled her off her feet even as she scratched and bit at Yang’s arms, “Nope! We aren’t doing that Blake! She’s a little girl!”

Blake didn’t give up and Yang squinted as she looked at the others, “Ok I’m gonna get her..ow! out of here before she chews through AH! f*ck Blake that hurts! my arms.”

Chapter 16: Her Roses

Chapter Text

Ch 16: Her Roses

After getting her niece and son to bed for the night, Weiss walked over to her bedroom and stopped in the doorway leaning against it and watching the person inside. Ruby was sitting on their bed reading something on her scroll. Weiss couldn’t help but think she looked cute as she was sitting cross legged and staring at the screen. The older woman reflected on their day and bit her lip, “Ruby…”

Her wife looked up at her and Weiss walked over and sat in front of Ruby, one leg pulled up to lean forward on and the other dangled off the side, “I wanted to apologize for earlier, I overreacted. It wasn’t your fault.”

Ruby shrugged, “Well… I could’ve said something to you when I took longer than I meant to look for my scroll so you could check on them or I could’ve glanced out the window from time to time.”

Weiss rolled her eyes a bit, “Maybe… but it wasn’t your fault. Dove is old enough to know what no means. She was the one who did something wrong, not you.”

Ruby smiled, “Yea you’re probably right.”

Weiss watched Ruby type something before she set her scroll away, “What are you up to anyway?”

Ruby glanced back and chuckled, “Funny you should ask. Blake was just telling me how sorry she was for chasing me around like that. But I told her it was fine. I’d probably act the same way if I had to go pick Sterling up all covered in injuries while someone I trusted was supposed to be watching him.”

The older woman leaned her head on folded arms that were rested on her knee. She had another thing on her mind from the day now that all of that was settled. She reached her other foot out to poke Ruby’s knee, smiling as Ruby reached forward and laid against Weiss’s waist as she wrapped her arms around Weiss’s middle, nuzzling her face into her wife’s stomach, “Softtt… Weiss, can we go to bed please? I’m tired and in need of cuddles, pronto.”

Fingers ran through her short hair as Weiss slid them along her scalp, smirking a bit as Ruby hummed happily, watching her eyes close and the woman flatten onto her stomach as she snuggled Weiss, “Almost. Before we go to bed though… can we talk?”

Ruby raised a brow, opening one eye, “About?”

Ruby opened the other and leaned up a bit to watch Weiss’s face as the woman glanced away for a moment, “I know we agreed to wait for Dove to go home first but, I want to hear you out about another child.”

Ruby frowned and hid her face against Weiss, “Actually… I think you might be right. I don’t know if adding another kid is the right choice right now.”

She felt Weiss gently move her hand around to her chin from her hair and gently lift it so she could look at her, a soft smile on her face, “Be that as it may, I still want you to tell me how you are feeling. Then we can keep our minds open for when and if the time might be right. We do this together, ok?”

Ruby sat back up, face pink in her shyness, “Well… I was sitting playing with the kids and it just reminded me how much I loved having an older sibling and how we had both talked about wanting at least two before we agreed to have Sterling and I just… I love our family and even though you had so much trouble and it was really scary all the time… being a parent is amazing… and I just really want another baby around. I don’t know, is that weird?”

Weiss couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at that question, “Not at all. My only worry really is that we are often very busy with Sterling getting sick so much and having to restrict our lives around that. I don’t know if we have the time and energy for that right now. Or if it would even be a very enjoyable childhood to grow up around for another child or Sterling. Plus, you have been getting really restless to work again. You can’t go off as a Huntress putting your body in danger with a baby growing inside it you know.”

Ruby groaned, “I didn’t think about that. Well, ok that all makes sense but I can’t go another long stint without some Huntress work any longer so still, with everything I think right now isn’t the best time but… it’s not a no against it at some point, right?”

Weiss gave a gentle smile, brushing her fingers along Ruby’s jaw to her cheek, rubbing the skin sweetly, “It’s not a no.”

Ruby’s grin widened and she tackled Weiss over onto her back causing the woman to squeak, Ruby falling onto her. Ruby hugged her tightly, laughing happily. Weiss pinched her gently in response before wrapping her arms around the younger woman, “Seriously though, we probably really should go to bed or we will be extremely tired when Sterling wakes up in the morning.”

Ruby giggled and kissed Weiss’s lips sweetly and briefly before sitting up and grasping her hand, pulling them both under the sheets for bed and snuggling up to Weiss’s back, looping her arms around Weiss’s waist. Her wife ran her hands along the arms holding her down to her fingers and intertwined their fingers together before closing her eyes to sleep.

—-------------------------------

After a few days Dove went home. Weiss and Winter had a long conversation about what happened and Winter seemed very displeased when she left with Dove. Now that Sterling had no other children to play with, he followed Ruby around like her shadow, imitating anything she did. Weiss thought it was cute, even if it made her feel quite jealous that he wouldn’t spend any time with her if Ruby was home. She didn’t say anything about it though, knowing it was silly.

The day Ruby headed into town to get a few missions underway, Sterling was clinging to her refusing to let go and crying when she tried to leave. By the time Ruby and Weiss got him handed over to Weiss, he was a whimpering mess reaching for Ruby helplessly, small hands grasping at air for her. Ruby felt her heart ache at the sight. As Weiss watched the two respond to one another she sighed and gently reached him over to her wife, putting on a gentle smile, “Why don’t you take him with you?”

While Ruby did take him from Weiss when offered, she scrunched her brows and frowned a bit. She didn’t really want Sterling to know anything about Huntsmen, already determined to keep him away from all that feeling it would just be too dangerous for him. She didn’t want to admit that though so she grasped for another good reason she could think of, “But… He has only ever gone to town when we’ve been rushing him to medical care. Wouldn’t it be risky to bring him around so many people? What if someone gets him sick? People do like to be all cutesy with little kids you know.”

Weiss gave her a questioning look, folding her arms, “So then don’t let them?”

Ruby tried to protest, “But…”

Weiss frowned, Sterling clinging tight refusing to be taken away again should someone try, “Ruby Rose are you saying you would rather leave your son here screaming and crying to be with you than to just take him with you when he desperately wants to spend time with you?”

Well that couldn’t be argued. Ruby rubbed her neck, “Well when you say it like that it sounds bad…”

Sterling gripped around her neck and cuddled into her before Ruby sighed, “Ok I’ll bring him with me but if he gets sick this is not my fault!”

Her wife rolled her eyes, “Just don’t let strangers try to touch him and come right back and it should be fine. You can’t keep him in a bubble forever.”

Once she was heading out the door, she mumbled to herself, “I can try.”

She looked at the boy in her arms who was excited to go with her and couldn’t help but smile at him, “Well, Mama needs to go get set up for some work and then maybe we will grab some ice cream before we come home. How does that sound?”

He squirmed excitedly in her grasp. Ruby gave him a big grin and poked his nose, “Want to do something really fun?”

“Yea!” he shouted, arms flinging over his head happily. Ruby held him close to her chest, telling him to hold on tight. As soon as he did, Ruby burst them to town with her semblance, getting them there quickly, though Sterling looked a little green but was still giggling even if he swayed a bit sickly. Ruby scratched the back of her head, smiling sheepishly, “Maaaybe we'll just have Mommy come pick us up to go home so we don’t do that again.”

He giggled a bit and Ruby nuzzled her nose to his and tickled him slightly before placing him on her shoulders and holding his legs steady, walking into a designated area where mission screens were located so she could pick something out. Having him on her shoulders helped keep people from trying to get too touchy with the toddler, not wanting to knock him down, but still Ruby dodged a lot of conversations politely when people stopped to see him.

When they got close and she started to scroll through the list with one hand while being careful to not drop Sterling with the other, the boy hugged the top of her head and rested his chin in her hair, “Mama what is?”

Ruby bit her lip and glanced up to just barely see a small hand pointing at the mission screen. She didn’t really want to tell him but she didn’t want to ignore him either, “This is how Mama decides what my next job will be.”

He considered it for a moment and grew quiet watching his mother read through different options. Ruby was looking for short, easy missions for now so she could ease back into it and also give her son time to adjust to her being gone for periods of time. She selected two simple search and destroy missions close to home and stopped, speaking mostly to herself, “That should be good for now.”

She returned her hand back to his other leg and smiled up at him as he leaned her head up some to look at him as he leaned forward looking down, “Let’s go get you some ice cream.”

He excitedly squealed. They stopped at Ruby’s favorite vendor in town and the aging man smiled, “Ah my favorite customer! And a little guy as well? To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Ruby pulled Sterling from her shoulders to her arm, resting him on a hip before smiling over at the man, “Me and my son were in town for an errand and I wanted to treat him!”

The man grinned and chuckled, turning to make two chocolate cones. When he turned back he reached over with them, “A son now huh? My my, you are really growing up fast aren’t you? I remember when you and your sister were knee high running around making trouble and enjoying my stand when it was young! Here, these are on the house.”

Ruby handed one to her son before taking the other, “Thanks!”

She turned to Sterling and pointed at the man, “What do you say to this nice man Sterling?”

He stopped licking at the ice cream and shyly spoke before returning to it, “Thank you.”

Leaning on the stand counter the older man grinned kindly, “You’re very welcome young man.”

Ruby took Sterling to the tables and got him in a chair to eat his sweet treatShe was going to message Weiss for a ride home but the walk wasn’t too far from the stand back to their place. She would walk them back once they finished. Of course the toddler ended up a mess but most of it was in his stomach rather than on his skin. It made his mother giggle before she got some napkins to clean him up when they were both finished, picking him up back on her shoulders, his favorite place to travel with her, and began their walk home.

Along the way, he pointed out anything he thought was interesting and Ruby happily humored him. She loved his interest for the world around him and tried to answer his curious questions as best she could. As they were getting close to home he looked at her, “Mama… what is your work?”

Ruby bit her lip. How could she explain without making it sound fun to him? “Well, Mama goes to dangerous places that other people can’t and I change it.”

“Change how?” he asked, curiosity in his tone.

“Um… well… in whatever way I can,” she said, still dodging trying to sound like a hero or anything. No way would she let her frail son do this work. She had lost enough people to that world she wasn’t going to let it take him too.

“Oh… ok! Look! Mommy is outside!” he was quickly distracted as they approached the house, Weiss outside on the porch with some coffee going over something on her scroll.

Ruby felt relieved and giggled when he leaned upright on her shoulders waving to Weiss and calling out to her. Weiss looked up at them from her tablet sized scroll with a smile, waving back to the boy. As the two got onto the porch, Weiss helped take him from Ruby’s shoulders and he sat on her lap, “How was your trip with Mama? Did you have a good time?”

As Ruby sat in the chair next to hers, he excitedly recounted their trip and the walk back, Weiss giving Ruby a bit of a scowl at the way Sterling tried to describe her semblance with how wobbly it made his head but was fun. Ruby just stared away as if she didn’t know what he was talking about until Weiss gave their son her attention again.

He sat leaning against her, watching the scroll as Weiss finished up a few work things, transfixed by the graphs and shapes and colors of the images in the files until a sneezing fit came over him and left him with a runny nose and sniffles. She took him inside and got his nose cleaned up and some medicine to try to get ahead of his symptoms as the family settled into their usual routines for the afternoon.

“So, when do you go back?” Weiss asked Ruby as Sterling napped on the couch, tuckered from the excitement of the day and the meds making him a bit drowsy.

Her wife was pulling Crescent Rose from its place by the door to check it over and give it some maintenance before she was to take it back out into the field again, “I head out to the first one tomorrow morning. Shouldn’t take too long then I’ll go to the next the next morning, it’s a fairly low priority one so it will be ok waiting a day.”

Weiss nodded, taking the moment to pull her own weapon out and give it some love while Ruby was working on hers. It had been a while since they had done this together and she missed it, especially the way Ruby seemed to gleam as she worked on her own weapon. Weiss always thought it was a beautiful sight the way her face looked when she was so focused on her beloved weapon’s care.

The woman could easily just watch her work for hours but years ago had discovered how much more it meant to them both to share that moment, working together on the weapons. Ruby too loved when Weiss would join her, feeling this heart warming sensation of her wife truly sharing her passions with her.

—------------------------

Sterling did not enjoy Ruby leaving without him for several hours, having never really had to do so since he was born. He made her heart ache when he screamed and cried as she left, refusing to take him. Obviously she couldn’t but he didn’t really understand that. After all, Weiss worked from home and he could join her whenever he wanted so why couldn’t the same be true with Ruby?

He spent most of her time gone either crying or standing at the window watching to see when she would come back. It took great effort just to get him calm and distracted enough to feed him at breakfast and lunchtime. When she got back, she was sweaty and covered in grime but he waited by the door all the same with Weiss kneeling next to him as the younger woman came through the door.

He rushed Ruby before she could even put her weapon down and gripped onto her dirt covered legs, sneezing at it but not letting go. It broke her heart to hear his whimpers, looking down at him to scoop him from her leg, his eyes watery and irritated from the dirt and his sinuses congested from so much crying.

Weiss stood, watching Ruby try to maneuver him without getting him all gross from the filth all over her, the younger woman’s voice soft and kind as she smiled sweetly at him, “Hey, hey buddy. It’s ok, I’m back, see? I just had to go to work. But I promised I’d come back and I did, right?”

He nodded, small fists rubbing his eyes as she kissed his head. Ok, Weiss could understand Ruby’s feelings more now about wanting another baby as she watched them. It made her melt inside with so much love just watching the woman she loved with their son. She stepped over and kissed Ruby’s cheek, always happy to see Ruby come home in one piece. “Weiss, I really need to get cleaned up before all this gunk makes him sick…”

She got a nod in response, gently peeling Sterling from her, “Come on, Mama needs to get clean. We can wait for her in the living room. She will be quick, I promise.”

He whined but his parents weren’t giving in so he pouted and waited for Ruby, sniffling and coughing some, his coughs sounding heavy with mucus. Weiss got him his next round of medicine while they waited but she had a feeling another trip to a professional was in their near future. When ruby got done, she joined her family and spent the rest of the day giving Sterling her full attention.

Before they knew it, it was dark outside and he was passing out in Ruby’s lap exhausted from his “rough” day. Ruby opted to put him to bed while Weiss headed off for a shower. By the time the older woman came out, Ruby was already tucked into bed, awake still but exhausted herself with an early day tomorrow.

Weiss slid in next to her and pressed close to Ruby, legs tangling loosely together and hands lacing into one of Ruby’s and the younger woman’s hair, kissing at her face softly. Ruby smiled and returned the kisses when they made it to her lips. Weiss very often had been one to lavish her in sweet affections after returns from missions and Ruby had learned over time that it was Weiss’s way of releasing any hidden worry that Ruby might get hurt or not make it back and thank her loved one for returning home to her.

It made Ruby feel so special and loved and warm inside. Weiss didn’t doubt she was capable of course and trusted in Ruby’s skills wholeheartedly but that doesn’t change the fact that anything could happen. As Weiss’s lips caressed across her skin, Ruby hummed happily, trying to stifle a yawn. She failed at hiding it which caused Weiss to grasp her cheek softly and kiss her nose before tucking her face into Ruby’s shoulder and closing her eyes, “Get some sleep Ruby, you have an early day tomorrow and I don’t want to cause you to be too tired.”

Ruby nodded, not needing her tired form to be told twice as her arms pulled Weiss close against her and she tucked her chin on the top of Weiss’s head, the two falling asleep in each other’s loving embrace.

—------------------------

The following day was about the same for Sterling but over time he had adjusted. Eventually, ruby had called Yang, trying to convince the woman to bring Jin over sometime to help him socialize with more children, especially now that she wasn’t there to play with him all the time while Weiss worked.

“Come on sis, Sterling and Jin love spending time together,” she had pleaded.

“Yea I don’t know Ruby… Blake’s not… super up to bringing her around as much anymore since last time…” her sister responded, trying to entertain the dragon faunus that was teething for the second time around.

The first time had been when those tiny nubs grew in but now she was teething like crazy, the rounded teeth falling out to sharp teeth growing in pushing the baby teeth out as they did. Yang would argue this time around was ten times worse and practically like dealing with a teething puppy the way she was chewing up anything and everything she could get her mouth on including their furniture.

Right now, the dragon was trying to use Yang’s metal arm to soothe the pain and getting very irritable when told no, moving to things like Yang’s boots or shirt. It was trying the hot headed woman’s patience and wearing her thin, already down to only a few shirts that didn’t have holes in them from those teeth. It was definitely not easy to go on missions when any shirt you reach for was covered in holes from those dragon jaws.

Yang had long since gone back to work herself for a couple years now, though sparingly and only things close to home that were simple enough to not keep her out and never when Jin’s health was in rough patches. She had to keep food on the table and bills paid though and was fine with Blake being a stay at home mom for their daughter, especially since those distress yelps could only be soothed by blake.

The faunus woman came into the room, grabbing Jin as Yang was wiggling her arm trying to free it, her other hand trying to pull her off carefully, not wanting another bite wound in her hand for getting the flesh too close while denying the girl, whispering, “Thank you Kitten.”

Ruby’s voice carried from the scroll as Yang turned back to it, “Is that Blake? Why don’t you just ask her?”

Blake’s ears flicked as she gave Jin a very sturdy teething toy to naw on, “Ask me what?”

Her wife sighed, “She wants to see if we can bring Jin over to..”

“Is Dove there?” Blake’s voice was suddenly very stern and Ruby could be seen on the screen wincing.

“Well… yes but…”

“No,” Blake’s tone was even harsher now as she walked away from Yang with the toddler signaling the conversation was over.

Yang just shrugged, “Sorry Rubes but you heard the woman. She doesn’t want Jin over there while Dove is. I mean I’m sure the holidays are a different story but just to go over there, it’s a no. At least right now, give her some time I’m sure she’ll come around. Besides, I’m pretty sure Weiss would die if Jin chewed through any of your house or furniture and that’s pretty much impossible to avoid right now, believe me I have been trying everything.”

Ruby sighed annoyed but nodded. Well she had tried. She would have to talk to Weiss and figure something out. Sterling was constantly asking about Jin now that he hardly saw her anymore and there had to be a way to make Blake feel more comfortable even if Dove was here. There had to be a way they could figure out how to see her sister’s kid while also still helping Weiss’s sister with her kid, right?

Chapter 17: Doggie Do, Doggie Don't

Chapter Text

Ch 17: Doggie Do, Doggie Don’t

“Weisssss! Blaske doesn’t want to let Jin come over here anymore! Do somethinggggg,” Ruby whined, wrapping around Weiss from her spot on the floor near the couch as Weiss sat on the piece of furniture, her brow raising and mouth turning down in a frown.

Holding her coffee up and out of the way before Ruby could knock it over, she stared with narrowed eyes at the woman wrapped around her waist giving her the most pathetic pleading face, “What do you expect me to do about it!? I can’t tell her what to do with her daughter!”

Ruby pouted, giving her best puppy eyes to her wife, “But Weissss. Sterling wants to see his cousin!”

The longer she gave those eyes to Weiss, the weaker the woman’s resistance. When Sterling climbed up on the couch and also begged out Jin’s name, tugging at her shirt, Weiss caved with a loud heavy sigh, “Fine! I’ll see what I can do. Just both of you stop it now! You are both so unfair!”

Ruby smiled and poked Sterling’s belly proudly and he giggled. Weiss rubbed her face in defeat, a weary groan escaping her, “Can I please drink my coffee now?”

When she finally pulled her hand away from her own face, Ruby was standing there holding Sterling and leaning over to place a peak on Weiss’s cheek before taking Sterling to go play. A blush crossed Weiss’s cheeks, a bit caught by surprise at that simple kiss, taking a sip from her coffee as she pulled her scroll out, mumbling after, “That woman, honestly! How dare she use those powers of her adorable face over me.”

After a long trade of messages with Blake, Weiss had convinced her to let Jin come over one more time even if Dove was there so long as they kept the kids away from the woods. Weiss found Ruby and Sterling in his room on the floor, the woman laid out on her stomach as Sterling leaned against her with his bear from Qrow, watching the pages as Ruby was reading to him.

Weiss sipped down the last of her coffee watching them before she cleared her throat, both pair of silver eyes looking up at her, “It took a lot of pleading and a promise that if Jin ate any of our walls or furniture we aren’t allowed to be upset, but she will be coming spend time with us tomorrow.”

Ruby looked at Sterling who looked at her before they both cheered and moved to Weiss, hugging her, Ruby’s arms around her shoulders as Sterling copied his mother and hugged around Weiss’s leg, “You’re the best Princess!”

Weiss rolled her eyes and huffed, “Of course I am. Did you doubt me?”

A kiss to her cheek gave the answer, Sterling copying and kissing her knee with a giggle. Weiss sighed but smiled lightly, “what am I ever going to do with you two?”

Ruby gave a playful smile and leaned to her ear whispering, “I can think of a few things you could do with me.”

The younger woman giggled when Weiss’s face grew pink. Ruby usually could only make the woman fluster if she surprised her so she greatly enjoyed those moments where she could find the courage in herself to do so, even if it was just harmless teasing with no intent behind it. Weiss cleared her throat again, “Yes well… maybe later. Right now it’s time for dinner. I’ll go grab Dove, she’s been napping long enough.”

Ruby watched Weiss escape to a spare room before chuckling, turning to Sterling, “Mommy sure is cute isn’t she?”

He nodded before reaching up to Ruby to be picked up, to which she obliged and lifted him to her arms, heading down stairs as Weiss was coming out the room followed by Dove yawning and rubbing her eyes.

—---------------------------

The next day while Dove was on the back porch with Sterling rolling a ball back and forth with him, Blake showed up with Jin. Ruby greeted them but seemed confused, glancing around, “Where’s Yang?”

As Blake entered she answered, Jin gnawing crazily at a toy in her teeth as she squirmed rapidly to be put down when she recognized where she was, “She took a mission with Coco over in Vacuo. Coco just got back to the field after Velvet had their baby a little while ago. Little bunny faunus just like Velvet but she has an orange tuft of hair and Coco’s eyes. Yang has been sending me pictures that Coco has been showing her. Want to see?”

Ruby squealed with excitement and practically ran Blake over, coming close, “OOOOOO show me show me!”

On Blake’s scroll were pictures almost like selfies taken by Coco with Velvet and a small bundle looking at the two of them, little bunny ears swooped back, “She’s sooo cute!”

Jin ran past Weiss as the woman came inside from the back porch, holding the door open for the little faunus when she saw her struggle to reach for the knob before turning to everyone, “We put a gate on the back porch after last time and it's got a lock on the latch so they should be completely fine outside. If anything happens it’ll be because something gets in not because they got out. But we have never had any Grimm come onto the property. And this house has had plenty of negative energy in it before.”

Blake seemed to consider it first before she relaxed, “That’s fine. Would it be alright if I came back in a bit after I take care of some things and spend time with the two of you while they play?”

Ruby chuckled, but Weiss just smiled, “You don’t have to ask Blake. You’re family. You are always welcome here whenever you want.”

The faunus gave a soft smile before thanking them and heading out. Ruby and Weiss got settled snuggled up in the living room where they could keep an eye out as needed through the window, confident in the secure play area they had set up.

Outside, Dove frowned at Jin when she saw her come out. She didn’t want to play with her. She hugged Mr. Feathers and in one arm before smiling meanly at Jin as she watched her gnawing like an animal on the toy, “Look Sterling, Jin has a doggie toy in her mouth!”

Sterling glanced over but Jin’s eyes saddened and she slowly took it from her mouth, “I-it’s not a dog toy…Mommy says it’s for owwie teeth…”

Dove laughed, pointing at it, “It is too for doggies! Are you a doggie Jin? Hey I know! We should play pets and Jin can be the puppy.”

Jin’s lips puffed in a pout as she stared at the toy, whimpering lightly. Sterling seemed confused. He had never even understood Jin was a faunus to begin with and he remembered when he was teething so he didn’t understand. Sure Jin’s teething toy looked a bit like a toy tire and was a really hard rubber but since he had never had a pet or met a dog in person he didn’t understand what Dove meant.

What he did know was that his cousin looked sad and that Dove was the one making her sad. Dove was now making fun of Jin’s whimper as if it was only proving her point. From inside a quick glance just looked like the kids were in some sort of task. Sterling got up and walked to Jin, hugging her arm, “You being mean Dove! Say sorry!”

The older child grunted and put her hands on her hips, face scrunched up with anger, “No! She’s a doggie! I’m not mean it's true!”

Jin stared at the toy sadly and tried not to cry. Yang had bought it for her and both her parents had gifted it to her with a few others, Blake making her understand it was a toy to make her pain go away. She loved that her parents always tried to help her and always appreciated anything they gave her. She mumbled so low only Sterling heard her, “Mama says I’m a dragon… not a doggie… Mama not a liar…”

Dove still got them to agree to play pets even though they didn’t seem to like it. She took the toy from Jin, who protested but held it out of her reach being taller, “I’m going to play with you doggie! Now sit and be good!”

Jin whined but when Dove insisted she sat down like a dog, staring at her toy. Her teeth were already starting to ache miserably again, causing her to whimper. Dove grinned, “Don’t cry puppy! If you be good I’ll give you a treat!”

Sterling didn’t want to play this game seeing Jin unhappy, returning to his ball to play by himself as he watched them. Dove ordered Jin to lay down, roll over, and play dead, all tasks Jin did even though it made her feel really bad. She didn’t understand at her age that she felt a feeling of degradation and humiliation, but she knew it wasn’t a good feeling. Finally when Dove praised her “pet” Jin whined, trying to grab her toy, “Now give me Dove! It’s mine! I need it!”

Dove reached and patted her head like an animal, ignoring her. That was too far though and Jin growled, biting Dove’s hand, the girl gave a short yelp and yanked her hand away, luckily not getting pierced by any of the sharp teeth even if they did scratch deep, “Don’t pet me! I not a doggie!”

Dove had teary eyes, taking the toy and throwing it at the railings of the porch, “Bad doggie! Now you don’t get a treat!”

Jin chased after it but was too slow and it rolled over the edge and off into the yard under a set of bushes off to the side. Jin immediately started to cry, her teeth gnashing at a railing on the gate. Sterling was already at the door trying to get to the knob and slapping a hand on the glass.

All the commotion caught the adults’ attention and Weiss and Ruby glanced up. As they took in Sterling yelling for them at the door, Jin chewing on the gate, and Dove crying holding her hand, it wasn’t hard to tell something had happened. Ruby went to get up but Weiss stopped her, “Better let me. That way Blake can’t get mad at you again.”

“Good idea…” Ruby agreed but watched from where she was as Weiss went to the door. When she opened it and picked Sterling up, Sterling was trying to tell her what happened but he was a bit all over the place and words rushed. The order of events were mixed making Weiss confused, “Wait, slow down. What happened?”

With Jin busy focusing on trying to get her toy, Dove took the chance to answer, “I was playing with Jin and she bit me!”

Weiss frowned. While Jin had never bit any of the other kids before, mostly just Yang, Blake had told her she was biting on anything and everything right now. Sterling frowned, “You took her toy!”

“We were playing with it!” Dove demanded.

Sterling was frustrated at his lack of ability to convey what he wanted to say and just pouted, his vocabulary limited and his poor conversation skills his enemy here. Weiss set him down and he ran inside, “Mama!!!! Dove’s a meanie!”

Dove tried to chase after him, screaming, “No I’m not! Jin’s the meanie!”

Weiss stopped her, “Dove. Where is Jin’s toy? What did you do with it?”

As she waited for an answer, she glanced at the gate but it didn’t seem to be hurting it from what she could tell. Rather than have her bite another kid again, she figured it was fine for now until she could get the toy again. Dove pouted, folding her arms, “I don’t know. I gave it back.”

Jin growled, charging at Dove, “She did not! She made it go away!”

Weiss picked her up just in time as Dove squealed, “Hey! None of that! We don’t fight!”

Weiss looked around but didn’t see it anywhere. She figured Dove hid it. Ruby sounded like she was getting Sterling to calm down at least but Dove was still nursing her wounded hand. Weiss felt a bit torn. She sighed, “Jin I am going to put you down if you promise not to bite Dove, ok?”

Jin whimpered but nodded, “Yes Aunt Weiss.”

Jin didn’t want to actually hurt anyone. She knew biting people was bad. But Dove had been mean to her and done something that made her feel inferior by patting her head. She didn’t know the words for her feelings, what they even were or how to express them so she felt she could only accept she was the bad one. Weiss set her down, moving to check on Dove’s hand, “Let me see.”

Dove reached it out when Weiss knelt down and her aunt took it. There was blood coming from a few fingers, Jin having bit her with full, uncontrolled force and having snagged her with a few of the new sharp teeth. ‘ Great… Winter is going to be so mad. Way to go Weiss,’ she thought as she sighed.

Jin was shrinking into herself, feeling like she was the wrong one, whispering sorry. Weiss wasn’t sure with all the different stories from the kids that Dove was completely innocent here but Jin still bit her. Deciding to just let that go and not make anyone feel like they were in trouble, Weiss stood, “Ok. Everything’s fine. Dove, let’s get you cleaned up then I want you to come back out here and help Jin find her toy that you threw.”

When Dove tried to say anything, Weiss stopped her, standing at the door waiting for Dove to come in, “Uhp, I don’t want to hear it. I don’t know what really happened here and quite frankly, it doesn’t matter. Now, let’s go young lady.”

Once Dove walked inside, Weiss turned to Jin, “Do you want to come in until Dove is done or do you want to look for it while you wait?”

Jin just looked around, voice meek, “I will stay.”

Weiss nodded softly and went inside to care for Dove. While they were inside, Jin went back to gnawing the gate and hit a weak spot in the wood and it snapped, breaking enough that she could squeeze her small body through. She glanced back at the door before pushing herself out the gate, going to hunt down her toy.

—----------------------------

Inside, Weiss was cleaning up Dove’s hand after sitting her on the counter, getting a better look, “Well, you don’t need stitches. We will bandage you up and you should be just fine ok?”

Dove nodded, watching Weiss and wincing anytime the wounds were touched, “Do I have to go help?”

The woman frowned at her, giving her a stern look, “Yes. You threw it, you will help find it. It doesn’t matter why you threw it, you still did. She needs that toy for her teeth. She is growing in her big girl teeth and it hurts. That toy helps make it better.”

Dove frowned, “But it’s a doggie toy.”

“Stop that. It’s not nice to say things like that to or about faunus, you understand me?” Weiss corrected, attempting to put an end to that kind of thinking here and now.

She knew Winter wasn’t teaching Dove anything racist or anything of course but children have their own way of understanding things and often draw their conclusions from what they have learned so far. Dove was four and a half, she didn’t have much to draw from and the toy did look like toys dogs have even if it wasn’t.

“Aunt Weiss, what is a faunus?” Dove asked honestly.

She looked into Dove’s two colored eyes and sighed, “A faunus is a person like Blake with an animal part, like ears or a tail or in Jin’s case, teeth. There, all done.”

She had put the last bandage on, watching Dove’s gears turning as she set her down from the counter, “But… if they are animals, why is it bad to call them one?”

‘ Oh boy,’ Weiss thought as she sighed, “They are not animals though, ok? They have an animal part but that doesn’t make them not people. It’s no different than how some people have two different eyes like you. It makes you different, sure but you are still just a person.”

Dove stood there in thought before nodding, “Ok!”

Weiss ushered her to go help look, Blake arriving and coming in right as Dove was heading out the room, Weiss instructing her to go on ahead. Blake watched the girl go with ears flattened like an angry cat, eyes narrowed. Dove let out a squeak and ran off to the back door, going outside to “help” quickly.

Weiss poked Blake in the cheek, breaking the faunus from her stare in surprise, “Stop that Blake. Kids have to be taught to behave. You can’t just frighten them into it.”

Blake felt like she could argue differently but let it go. Weiss was right in a way she guessed. Ok she knew but still, Jin was her only child and Dove was a problem. Blake had entered the living room and saw Ruby and Sterling with a children’s book. It wasn’t lost on the mother that her child wasn’t in the room but she could see the closed gate and since there were no sounds of distress she let herself relax for now.

The faunus walked over with a smile and poked her nephew’s nose, making him giggle, “You know, books are a great way to enjoy something in your own little world where no one can bother you and you can just enjoy your imagination and you time.”

He seemed to be in awe at what she had said, staring back at the book as she ruffled his locks, playing with the silvery white hair, “It’s getting long. He looks so much like you, Weiss.”

Weiss was getting back into a comfortable spot in the room, smiling, “He really does but his eyes totally give away who his Mama is, no denying that.”

Her wife was beaming with pride at that though internally she hoped he’d never need to learn what silver eyes do, even if no one knew yet that his were going to be different. Blake and Weiss started up their own conversation while Ruby was teaching Sterling words in the book.

—--------------------------

Outside, Dove could see Jin approaching the bush where her toy was, staying on the porch herself and considering what Weiss had said. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with being a faunus but Jin seemed to not like it, which only made her hyper aware of something she could use against Jin when the girl made her irritable. Several times now she has had to see the man she figured out was her dad giving this girl attention while he didn’t seem to care that she even existed. It really made her burn up and hurt inside and she hated Jin so much for it, not able to rationalize why she was so important to him and not herself.

The bush Jin was approaching twitched suddenly and the girl took a step back at first before frowning and stepping closer, crouching down and seeing the toy under the bush. However before she could grab it, something small picked it up between its teeth. Jin gasped at first but then growled, “Hey! That’s mine!”

Dove watched as Jin reached in and yanked out a baby beowulf that had her toy clamped in its jaws. The right thing would be to go get a parent, but Dove didn’t care about that. Instead she glanced back to see if any of the adults were even looking and when she confirmed they weren’t she watched Jin again, smiling at the exchange.

Jin had the Grimm by the tail and was yanking, “Give that back! Right now you bad doggie!”

It growled back and reached up, swiping its large claws at her and scratched her arm. This hurt of course but made Jin angry. She’d had enough of things taking her toy from her. Frustrated, she tackled it, little fists punching at its boney face, “I said let go!”

When the Grimm finally dropped the toy, Jin’s knuckles were bruised and bloody along with her scratched arm. She snatched up the toy, so excited to have it back she didn’t notice the Grimm turn and latched its teeth onto her leg. She also didn’t notice two more Grimm pups coming out the bush but when she felt the bite, she whined, the Grimm tugging her towards the woods and the other two snapping and scratching at her.

Dove had been enjoying the “dog fight” until Jin started that ear splitting yelp that she hated, gripping her ears, shouting, “Whiny baby!”

Inside, Blake was instantly set off mid conversation as the sound drifted through the window glass. Her eyes constricted and her fangs and claws appeared as she instantly rushed for the door, flying through it and looking around. When her eyes caught sight of Dove, she was a bit surprised not to see Jin near her but still angry once she did see Jin since Dove hadn’t bothered to come tell anyone anything.

Blake jumped over the gate and ran over to the mess of little Grimm swarming around Jin who was shouting between yelps, “Mommy!!! Help!!”

Clawed fingers gripped so hard into the neck of two of the pups that they instantly burst into dust, leaving the one with Jin’s leg in its teeth remaining. She hissed so aggressively it dropped Jin’s leg and tried to back away but Blake had swung her hand down onto it so hard its boney head split in a loud crack and its head was crushed into the earth, destroying it.

Blake then swiftly pulled Jin into her arms and nuzzled her, settling her crying as she walked quickly inside to care for her. Dove was watching, Weiss and Ruby having come out by this point to see what was going on. Ruby managed to come out in time to see the last one crushed and gulped, rubbing the back of her head thinking how that could’ve been her last time.

Blake couldn’t prove Dove had done anything directly to cause this this time so she just fumed internally and stormed past her with the whimpering toddler, getting her to the kitchen to clean her up. Luckily, Jin’s squirming must have helped keep them from being able to really dig anything into her and most of it seemed like rough scratches and bite marks but nothing to go to a doctor about.

However, Jin was shaking and gripping at her chest, Blake checking her pulse and feeling that eerie irregular fluctuation that usually came before some portion in her body stopped working. Blake took Jin and not even bothering to say anything as she left quickly to get Jin to the ER quickly before an organ or her heart decided to give up at any moment.

Ruby was already walking back inside so she managed to see Blake leave, but not before she caught a glimpse of Jin’s state, able to figure out where Blake was headed and deciding it best not to try to slow her down in any way to say goodbye.

Weiss was staring at Dove outside, frowning deeply, “Dove! Why didn’t you come tell us Jin was outside the gate!?”

Dove pouted, “You wanted us to get her toy and it was outside the gate.”

The pure irritation that left Weiss’s lips in a frustrated groan was palpable, “Then you should have come and told us! I told you this morning no one was to be outside the gate! The whole reason we have the gate is so no one gets hurt! Why didn’t you at least come tell us there were Grimm with Jin? You know that is dangerous!”

At this point, Dove was frowning with angry tears at once again being in trouble over Jin, hating how her aunt was fussing at her. She rubbed her face. She didn’t understand why everyone else was so ok with Jin and how they didn’t see why she didn’t like her. She ran inside past Weiss, “you’re a big meanie! I want to go home!”

Before Weiss could stop her, she had darted inside and to the guest room she was staying in, slamming the door closed, or doing her best to do so anyway. Weiss came inside pinching the bridge of her nose with a very displeased annoyed expression as she let out a very labored heavy sigh, “I did not sign up for this.”

Ruby was holding Sterling, the boy having rushed over to her when Dove came through scared by her tantrum. She looked at Weiss and thought for a moment before a frown settled on her as well, “I wonder…”

Weiss moved her hand and glanced over to Ruby, “Well? Go on what is it?”

Ruby shrugged, “It’s just a guess but… Do you think Dove has figured out Qrow is her dad?”

Weiss raised a brow, “She’s four, how in the world would she just figure that out?”

Ruby shrugged, “Yea I guess maybe not but I dunno I think she’s acting out for some reason. Maybe she has noticed her cousins have two parents with at least one making time for them and she only has Winter who can’t be in two places at once?”

Weiss stared off after the closed door and wondered about it. Winter couldn’t be two people but who were they to force her into talking to Qrow? Especially not with what they knew and definitely he couldn’t be some sort of dad without getting his act together first anyway. Either way it meant little Dove wouldn’t get any extra attention from her parents any faster. She knew Winter wasn’t going to be too busy forever. It was mostly just a lot right now with the school getting back on its feet and once Dove was a little older Winter intended to bring Dove with her to work everyday. It was all quite a messy situation indeed. She sat with Ruby and Sterling as he pulled the book back over to get Ruby to keep teaching him, “Well… at the moment it can’t really be solved instantly. I suppose we could give her some extra attention to help so long as we don’t develop a reward response to her bad behavior. I’ll talk to Winter. For now, we’ll let her be. She’ll tire herself out.”

—----------------------------------

Blake had been right of course, used to the tale tell signs by now. She managed to get Jin somewhere in time though and they got her checked in just as her liver and kidneys stopped functioning, or at least they would have had she not acted so quickly. Luckily the staff were able to prevent it just in time but Jin was definitely still worse for wear and they checked her in. Blake tried to call Yang but the blonde either had no signal or it was dead so instead she sent her wife a message with the details.

As Jin weakly nibbled on a popsicle a nurse had given her, Blake brushed her hair from her face, “What processed you to battle with a bundle of Grimm anyway Jin?”

She turned and pulled on the teething toy next to her that Blake had set there, holding it up, the popsicle plopping out her mouth, “The bad puppy took it away. But Mommy and Mama gave this to me it special. He couldn’t have it!”

Blake was a bit stunned at first but then smiled softly, “Jin… next time just come get Mommy ok? I’ll get it back for you safely.”

Jin pouted, hands moving it exaggerated motions in her story, “But mommy I wasn’t scared! I beat him up until he gave it back! But than the other bad puppies came and the other bad puppy bited me and knocked me down…”

Blake shook her head a bit, “You are your mother’s daughter alright. But please just come get me next time, promise?”

“But… Mommy I…” Jin tried to start saying something but Blake cut her off.

“ Promise? ” Blake insisted.

The toddler huffed and pouted, folding tiny arms as if mad, “I promise Mommy.”

Blake tucked the long loose blonde hair behind a tiny ear and grasped her chin sweetly before letting go, leaning down to kiss her daughter’s head as the girl continued to messily eat the popsicle, “Thank you little dragon. That makes Mommy really happy.”

Chapter 18: Break

Chapter Text

Ch 18: Break

Yang had run into issues on her mission that caused it to take longer, her and Coco ending up also having to fight several massive Grimm that were unexpected. While they got out fine, the unexpected had dragged out their mission by a few days. By the time Yang got back to a place she could get Blake’s message, she was frantic to get home, not even properly telling Coco goodbye.

When she made it back, Blake and Jin were already back home. She burst through the front door and looked around, finding Jin and Blake in the living room staring at her a bit surprised, Yang relieved, “Oh thank god.”

Jin squirmed and got up to her feet running weakly over to Yang excitedly with her arms reaching in the gestured request to be lifted up. Yang happily picked Jin up into her arms as Blake watched them from where she was sitting on the floor. Jin’s small arms hugged around Yang’s neck, “Mama you’re back!”

The blonde gave her child a smile and kissed her head causing her to giggle, “I sure am kiddo. You ok?”

Blake was standing up now, a few toys in her hand as she walked them over to a box to put them away while her ears flicked listening to her family. Jin nodded, “I’m ok. I beat up a bad doggie that stole my toy!”

Yang didn’t like the way that sounded but played it off, giving a surprised sound to her voice, “You did huh? Well, aren't you brave?”

Jin flexed her arms in a mock way she had seen Yang do before which made Blake snicker in amusem*nt despite herself, “Don’t encourage her Yang. She was “fighting” Grimm. She’s only three.”

Yang waved Blake off at first as if she wasn’t really listening until she heard a bit of a growling warning from the woman and folded her will, “Alright alright. Well, you heard your Mommy. No more fighting the mean animals kiddo.”

When Blake started to leave the room, Yang leaned close to the pouting child in her arms and whispered, “But I still think you are cool kiddo.”

“I heard that,” Blake called back, both blondes flinching before sharing a laugh.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------

Winter had just finished a meeting that had run late, the sky already starting to darken outside. She had been dealing with meetings all day so grueling getting teeth pulled would be more enjoyable. She looked at the still massive stack of paperwork on her desk and groaned deeply, laying her head down on the hard wood desk.

As her eyes were closed and she was trying to get the smallest of breaks in, her scroll started to ring. At first, Winter thought to just ignore it but with her daughter staying with her sister she didn’t like risking missing a potentially important call. Another groan left her as she reached into her pocket without even looking, pulling the scroll onto the desk near her face and answering it, the video screen showing mostly the top of her head and a bit of a closed eye, “Yes?”

“Winter we need to… Winter are you alright?” Weiss had started to speak about Dove but taking in her sister’s state she shifted gears to check on her first.

Winter’s other hand rubbed her face as she took in a deep inhale before sitting up and opening her eyes, composing herself, “I’m fine. It’s just been a very… long day. What were you starting to say, Weiss?”

Her sister wasn’t quite sure Winter was being entirely honest but didn’t press the issue, instead focusing back on the topic she had called for, “Winter, we need to discuss Dove. Do you have some time?”

Winter’s face grew concerned, brows furrowed as she nodded, “Of course. What is it, is everything alright?”

She could see Weiss hold up a hand to stop Winter, speaking calmly, “Dove is alright but I wouldn’t say everything is… fine. She’s been… continuing to cause problems when Jin is around. She wasn’t directly the cause of the Grimm attack this time but she did just stand there and watch it happen without even coming to tell me or Ruby. I’m not sure why and she didn’t give any good answers either and just got upset when I tried to get her to tell me. Winter, do you think… maybe she might do better going visit Mom, Klein and Whitley for a while instead? I know all the sand in the air in Vacuo isn’t the healthiest for people but they could certainly provide so much more attention and care than even I could.”

Weiss really wanted to ask Winter to consider telling Qrow but Winter already looked like she might have stress on her plate so she swung for her plan B instead. Her sister was quiet for a while before she sighed in a way that made Weiss’s heart ache, watching the older woman put her face in her hand and lean on the desk, “Winter… Dove just… I don’t know, she seems like she’s acting out. I don’t know the reason for it but it’s putting me in a tight spot. I’m having to choose between my two nieces and Sterling wants to see his other cousin too. It’s not really fair to anyone. You know… you could maybe talk to Q…”

Winter was quick to cut off that thought, “I’ll come get her in the morning. Thank you Weiss for everything you have done for me while you could. I’m sorry she’s caused so much trouble. I’ll figure something out. Is it alright for her to stay the rest of the night at least?”

Weiss’s face softened watching winter, nodding, “Of course it’s alright. She’s family and I love her. I'm not going to just kick her out Winter, relax. I’ll let you get back to it then. See you in the morning. And Winter? Please try not to work yourself too hard.”

The older woman gave a weak, forced smile and the call ended. She set down the scroll and placed her face into her hands leaning into her elbows on the desk. She had hoped she could either get through all this rough start-up nonsense or get Dove to a year or so older before she had to figure out bringing her daughter to work with her.

She wondered if telling Dove about her dad so early had been a bad choice? She was growing more than certain that it might be the root of why she was acting up in some way. She wasn’t entirely sure though why it was directed at Jin except that maybe it was just because Dove wasn’t really around many other children except for Sterling so Jin was just an unfortunate proxy.

Winter knew her family in Vacuo would offer love and care but Winter didn’t want to send her daughter so far away just because of her job. She dragged her hands down her face and stared at the stack of paperwork. If it meant she could have a bit more free time that would allow her to figure out having Dove with her in the office, she would stay up all night to finish the stack.

—----------------------------------------

Weiss came back into her living room after the call ended and sat next to Ruby. Sterling was tucked under her arm leaning into her having passed out and the woman was just enjoying watching him sleep not wanting to disturb him. Dove last anyone checked was in the room she had been staying in with some colors and something to color on, not wanting to come out.

Ruby turned to look at Weiss as she had sat down, “How did it go?”

When her wife just sighed with a sad looking expression, “I think Winter is pretty overwhelmed right now but she’s coming to get Dove in the morning. I don’t think Dove will be staying much with us after this.”

“Oh,” Ruby said softly. She gently rubbed Sterling’s back. Even if Dove was not great with Jin she was amazing with Sterling, always acting like a loving big sister almost when Jin wasn’t there, “He’s going to be upset.”

She also felt bad. Granted they were not raising Dove or anything but she didn’t want Weiss to have to pick and choose family. When it all started, Weiss had been really happy for the opportunity to be able to help her sister out like this. Add on the fact that Winter means so much to Weiss and Ruby felt like Weiss’s sad expression might be due to having a feeling of failing her sister in some way or something.

Weiss reached and pulled the clips and ties out of her hair, letting it fall loose and running her fingers through it to help it fall from its braid with a relieved sigh as the feeling, “Oh well. It can’t be helped I suppose. But Jin will be able to see him more so that should help.”

Ruby nodded slightly, “Yea… I guess so…”

A finger poked into her cheek and she glanced over at the culprit, kind eyes staring back at her, “It’ll be fine in time Ruby.”

The younger woman nodded and turned her face to kiss Weiss’s finger before the older leaned in to rest against Ruby’s side, her head on Ruby’s shoulder.

—-----------------------

Winter didn’t feel like talking much when she came to get Dove that morning. It was extremely early, the sun still not fully up in the sky, and she looked like she hadn’t slept. Dove was still sleeping and Weiss was the only one up to greet Winter. Even Weiss was too tired to try to make conversation, letting Winter inside and exchanging the necessary pleasantries before excusing herself to go back to bed once Winter agreed she was not at all bothered to let herself out so that her younger sister could rest.

Winter had left note that she would be taking the day off and had every intention to bring Dove home and get as much sleep as she could before getting up for the day with the child to give Dove her full attention.

—------------------------

Jin and Sterling spent several days a week together without the worry of Dove, even though Sterling now seemed quite withdrawn when Jin wasn’t around, having gotten used to having Dove for company.

Time turned fall into winter and the family got together for Christmas and Sterling’s birthday. However, Winter took Dove to Vacuo to stay with Willow, Klein and Whitley rather than go to the Rose household that had become the tradition.

Even when spring came and then summer, dove’s birthday was spent with Winter taking her somewhere rather than doing something with the others. Ruby had tried to reassure herself eventually it would be ok but it was getting harder to do so. Even Weiss seemed to be struggling to believe it would be fine and clearly missed her sister and niece, calls from a scroll not nearly enough to actually fill that void.

—-------------------------------

As if time blinked and someone missed it, time had gone by since Dove had last come to their home but finally as Sterling’s fifth birthday was coming around, Winter and Dove were coming back to see them. Blake and Yang were already there with Jin when Winter and Dove arrived. Winter kept Dove in the car for a bit as Qrow, Tai and Raven were finishing up with the kids before leaving though Dove peered over the window and frowned watching her father with Jin in his lap getting a gift and hugging her before they left.

Dove was becoming a rather cute girl and while she was fairly healthy, compared to her scrawny sickly cousins, she seemed to almost have a radiance to her when next to them. She had started keeping her hair in a short cut, almost like a bob and having interest in wearing more dresses and girly things. As they entered the house, Sterling and Jin were standing near the door and the boy got excited, quickly hugging Dove, “Dove! I missed you!”

Jin just stood there unsure watching. Dove hugged him back smiling. She had greatly missed him too. She had spent so much of her early life around him that she had been saddened to not see him in person for so long. When they parted, Jin tried to be friendly, attempting to show the toys her family had just given her to share but Dove’s expression immediately darkened towards her and she smacked them away, “I don’t care about your junk, animal.”

Dove didn’t think poorly of faunus, she just thought poorly of everything to do with Jin in particular. The parents hadn’t noticed, all caught up in conversation. It had been so long since the last time the children had all been together that the idea of any lingering trouble was out of mind, the rational thought being the girl had grown out of it. After all, Dove’s behavior that Winter could comment on in the time since was nothing short of stellar.

Sterling frowned but Jin’s lips turned in a sad expression, clinging to her gifts, her set of sharp dragon teeth lightly nibbling nervously into her lower lip. Dove noticed them of course, frowning and pointing at them, “What are those? Why are your teeth so freaky? You just get more like a monster as you grow huh?”

Jin immediately tucked them back into her mouth and closed her lips, tongue running across them absent-mindedly as Sterling folded his arms, “Dove that’s mean. Be nice!”

The older girl shrugged, walking past them towards the living room, her shoulder shoving Jin’s, “It’s not mean it’s true.”

Sterling watched her go before he looked at Jin who seemed like she might cry. His hand grabbed her shoulder, “Don’t listen Jin. You aren’t a monster. You’re cute!”

Jin rubbed her eyes and just pulled away from him. Her teeth had already been hard to get used to. She had stopped teething a while back once they all grew in but her family did have to spend a lot of money replacing almost all of their furniture which meant Yang was gone on a lot of extra missions to afford it, many of which were longer and further from home. Getting used to sharp teeth also had meant many accidents biting herself a few times or getting into a lot more trouble being taught not to bite Yang.

To say her trait had already basically been a hassle would be an understatement and even at almost five she was very aware of this. She felt like it was her fault Yang was gone so much like she was being punished away from her beloved mother and playmate for her ravenous teething. Now she was here with that girl pointing it out to her face that she was different.

“I’m not cute…” she mumbled and walked away from him.

Sterling just watched before following her, as he usually did. He wasn’t a very adventurous child, instead often following Jin around to whatever fun she was up to, her imagination and need for excitement much more fulfilling than his own, even if it did often get them into weird situations or trouble.

As their parents all were talking in the kitchen around the counter, Jin and Sterling made their way towards them. Jin tugged Yang’s shirt to get her attention and when the blonde turned the little dragon pointed towards outside, “Can we go play in the snow? It’s boring inside.”

Yang rubbed the back of her neck, glancing towards Blake and Weiss first, unsure if she could even let the kids go out there without the two giving her hell for sickly kids being in the cold. When neither of them protested, she turned back to Jin with a big smile, “Sure kiddo but let’s get you bundled up first, yea?”

Weiss also excused herself to help get Sterling ready to go outside. They got the two in their coats and other clothing to stay warm before letting them out the back door, Jin grabbing her small backpack with a few toys in it. Weiss was stern as she looked at them, “What is the rule about the woods?”

The two in unison responded reciting the words dryly, “Do not go anywhere near them and if we see any Grimm we come straight inside.”

Weiss nodded satisfied and waved them off, “alright go play.”

The two ran off into the snow with excited squeals. Yang chuckled watching them before returning to the others. Weiss turned to Dove who was watching them go and smiled, “Do you want to join them?”

Dove seemed to think for a moment before she shrugged, “I want to go outside…”

Weiss had her get herself bundled back up and let her go as well with a warning, “Do not drag them anywhere they are not allowed to go, you understand? And the same rules apply to you as well. I mean it Dove. Get a fresh start ok?”

Dove gave a bit of a scowl but hid it well in her scarf around her chin before nodding quietly and heading out after the other two. Weiss watched them cautiously for a bit from the door window, the two younger children working together to try to make a snowman as Dove seemed to wander the yard exploring the snow on her own. When satisfied that things seemed fine and she heard Ruby calling for her, Weiss rejoined the others.

Dove was poking her feet into odd sunken pockets of snow not far from bushes and daring the tree lines once Weiss had left them. What looked like a child simply kicking up snow in some sort of game of pretend was actually a girl digging for anything interesting in the ground under the snow. Dove was bored and had zero interest in helping with the snowman if it meant playing with Jin.

The more she could hear Jin’s joy the more she felt her jealousy burning inside herself, the image of her father giving all his love and attention to the other girl seared into her mind so painfully it made her hatred boil tenfold compared to years ago. As she worked her way aimlessly around the yard she eventually was in a patch of bushes near where Jin had tossed her backpack down.

Sterling tried to call her over to play with them but she declined calmly, still focused on whatever it was she was digging for, she wasn’t sure yet but she knew she would know when she discovered it. About a foot from the backpack, her foot kicked up a patch of snow that revealed a small den hole slightly bigger than an adult fist with something white and yellow glistening motionless inside.

She crouched down to peer within and saw a few tiny hibernating deathstalkers, completely immobile from the cold. With a subtle quick glance back she could tell no one was paying her any mind as the idea struck her. Turning back she carefully scooped the two out and shuffled them into the bottom of the backpack that’s zipper was open wide, hiding them in the toys. She had enough sense not to want to kill anyone and with the frozen Grimm it made it easy to snap off the stingers so they wouldn’t poison Jin. She just wanted to scare her or maybe get her pinched.

As she was tossing the stingers back into the den, Sterling called out to her for help from the taller child getting their snowman’s head on. She stood up, turning to them, “Ok, coming!”

Everything still lay as it had been and she jogged over, helping the younger children reach to get the head onto their lumpy, poorly crafted snowman. Jin had given it cat ears like her mom which seemed interesting to Dove in a way and she smirked, “Why did it have to be a cat? Did the lizard make the head?”

Jin’s face twisted into an angry pout as Sterling fussed at Dove, “Dovveee stop! It’s cute! Aunt Blake’s ears are cute too! Be nice!”

Dove rolled her eyes and sighed, folding her arms, “Fine! Kitties are cute I guess. But lizards are still gross.”

She stared at Jin as she said that, making the little dragon shrink in on herself a bit and fidget her fingers. The older child went to make snow angels closer to the porch as the others started dressing up their snow faunus in whatever they could think of. The warmth of being tucked into the backpack was thawing and waking the little deathstalkers which were not happy about their snapped off stingers.

The younger children felt something was missing from their creation when Jin remembered she had a small toy dagger from Raven in her bag. Sterling went to go get their parents to show off their snow faunus as Jin grabbed her bag and walked back to the being. A small hand rummaged around in the bag, amber eyes peering into the dark space crowded with toys as she was digging.

Dove didn’t watch but just listened as she continued to entertain herself. As Ruby and Blake were dragged outside by Sterling, Jin yelped and her hand flew out of the bag with the tiny angry but lethargic deathstalker clamped to her finger by a pincer. The bag flew down and the other one went crawling out and towards her slowly. Dove shot up to watch her flail around, snickering as Blake and Ruby rushed over, Blake crushing the one on her daughter's hand to dust as Ruby stomped her boot into the other over and over until it was dust.

In the situation around them, neither assumed Dove did anything due to the fact she was off on her own nowhere near the scene and it wasn’t like she chose not to go get anyone, though Blake gave her a nasty look at her laughter which shut Dove up instantly with a gulp. Jin’s hand was fine, just a bit red, the small Grimm having still been too weak and cold to do much harm. Blake assumed Jin was more surprised than hurt by the situation as she calmed her down.

There were no distress calls as the cartilage had already mostly dissolved by this point in Jin’s age so Blake wasn’t sent into any sort of mindless frenzy but she was glad she was around when it happened. Ruby gave Dove a disapproving look before walking over, “Dove, why were you laughing?”

Dove frowned and looked at her feet as she swayed them back and forth, still sitting in the snow, “Well… it reminded me of cartoons.”

Ruby couldn’t really argue that factor. She scratched her head and sighed, “Ok well, that might be true but it’s still not a very nice thing to do ok?”

The girl sighed and nodded. Blake tried to express her doubts to Yang but the blonde diverted from the conversation treating Blake like she was over exaggerating based on the fact there was clearly no way to prove Dove was involved in any way to what happened, rationalizing what happened as two Grimm finding a warm place to hide. She was not really wanting to deal with anything to do with Dove as the girl got older, still very uncomfortable with the fact her uncle didn’t know she existed.

—--------------------------

At midnight the night of Christmas Eve, Ruby and Weiss crept into Sterling’s room for the tradition of wishing him happy birthday with a cupcake. Jin was in the guest room with Blake and Yang and Dove was in the spare room with Winter so they didn’t have to worry about waking any of the other children.

Ruby knelt by the side of his bed with the cupcake wearing a big grin as Weiss sat gently next to him, her fingers lightly running through his soft long hair as she spoke his name sweetly. His eyes blinked open and he yawned, grinning and sitting up as he saw the treat and candle, their voices whispering the short tune of happy birthday to him before he blew it out happily.

As Weiss kissed his head, Ruby pulled the candle from the snack and when the older woman moved away Sterling got up from the bed to eat it, sitting in Ruby’s lap on the floor. Weiss leaned over resting on her hand to watch them, messing with his hair more as she whispered, “What did you wish for?”

Swallowing down his bite, frosting on his face, he grinned big, but Ruby stopped him before he could answer, using her thumb to wipe his face, “You can’t say it or it won’t come true.”

He squirmed against her thumb and then giggled, “That’s not true Mama! Besides I know it will! Mommy says I can do anything! I wished to be a cool hero just like you Mama!”

It was the first time he had ever voiced a desire like this though Weiss wasn’t entirely surprised. Still, she did worry. They didn’t know if he would ever be healthy enough to be able to do anything like that but any time he had wanted to try things Weiss tried her best to let him if she could, not wanting to stifle him like her parents had to her, wanting him to have a childhood worth having as best and as safely as she could provide even if it meant tweaking his experience against his knowledge to do so.

Ruby worked a lot but always was home in the evenings with her family and often found a day or two each week to be off to be with them so there was a lot she didn’t know about what Weiss found ways to provide in their son’s interests. It was never anything too extreme as he wasn’t much of a wild child but Weiss had seen him once or twice in his room playing in ways that did look like when Ruby would train in the yard.

Before Weiss could give any sort of reassurance to his young dreams, even if she was mostly humoring him, Ruby spoke, “No buddy, I don’t think so.”

His little brows scrunched as he turned a bit to look up at her, the few bites remaining on his cupcake becoming quickly forgotten, “But… why? Mama is amazing. I wanna be like Mama…”

Weiss was pulling herself to their side of the bed and sitting up, moving her legs over the edge getting ready to grab Sterling as Ruby continued, her voice carrying a tone he had not really heard before, sounding almost rude, “Because you can’t. You aren’t strong enough.”

He was starting to frown, eyes getting watery, “I can get stronger!”

Ruby slid him off her lap, “No, you can’t. Now I said no. I won’t allow it.”

Weiss had enough and reached, grabbing Sterling as he was starting to cry, his heart broken by a mother he adored and looked up to, her voice curt as she glared at Ruby holding him tucked close to herself, “Ruby! That’s enough! He can be whatever he wants to be! He just wants to be like you. Why are you treating him this way?”

Ruby frowned at her but her eyes seemed to be staring through Weiss not at her, voice flat of any actual emotion other than a hint of resistance, “No he can’t. His doctor said he won’t even develop an ability to produce a protective aura. I refuse to sign him up to die. Why are you so willing to support him marching to his death? He’ll never be able to make it and you know it just as much as I do. You shouldn’t be encouraging this.”

Weiss was so disappointed and confused by Ruby’s behavior. Ruby was the last person Weiss ever expected to just shoot someone down when they wanted to be good in the world. Her brows furrowed but her eyes and mouth slacked with her emotions, hand rubbing Sterling’s back to try to soothe his crying as he clung to her shaking in his sadness, “Ruby… what’s gotten into you?”

“Me? What’s gotten into you? We both know this is too dangerous. Was him dying once not enough for you? Why are you so eager to let him die again?!” Ruby said with sharpness now in her voice though her eyes were watering as she continued, walking towards the door, “I’ve said what I said. I won’t discuss this anymore. I’m going to bed.”

She left the room. Weiss was just left standing there holding their heartbroken son on his birthday of all days. She was shocked and disappointed in her wife and unsure how to fix it at this moment. Her face turned back to her son and she rested her cheek against his hair, gently shushing his cries and walking to his bed to sit with him, “Don’t listen to her, you can do whatever you dream of Sterling, I promise.”

His sad whimpering was breaking her own heart and she could only reassure him until he wore himself out and fell asleep. She tucked him into bed and set the cupcake down in the kitchen before slipping into her room where Ruby was in bed with her back towards Weiss’s side of the bed. She slipped into the bed and bit her lip, gently reaching out to touch Ruby’s shoulder until Ruby jerked away, “Ruby… why are you being like this…”

It was nothing but silence in the darkness of the room for what felt like forever until finally her wife’s whisper responded, “Too many people I love have died already. He cannot possibly do this; he will never have the basic skills needed to even try. I can’t sit back and guide him to his death just because he thinks it’s what he wants to be when he grows up. What kind of parent signs their child up to die?”

“Ruby… that’s… you don’t know that will ha…” Weiss began, trying to reach out again to try to hold Ruby but once again her wife pulled away from her.

“Drop it please. I’m tired. Let’s just go to bed,” Ruby said with a sternness unfamiliar to her voice and it was clear she wasn’t willing to discuss it anymore.

Weiss wanted so badly to soothe her wife’s worry and pain but Ruby wasn’t letting her. It was hurtful and frustrating. She knew about Summer. She also of course knew about Pyrrha and Penny and none of them could forget losing Jaune in the battle with Salem, who had become one of Ruby’s closest friends before the end. Out of all of them, no one in their group had lost as much as Ruby had. Weiss knew it all had taken its toll on her wife but she hadn’t realized it was still such a deep lasting wound.

Staring at Ruby’s back, she sighed and pulled her hand back to herself, whispering “Good night Ruby. I love you.”

—-------------------------

The rest of the week went about the same though there were no more Grimm run ins, Dove didn’t miss chances when no adults were around to insult Jin’s faunus status or the way she ran to Blake over everything, a few times even making Jin cry to which she would tease Jin about being a sensitive “baby”. Sterling was still so upset he just kept to himself and stuck around Weiss who was still trying to figure out how she could resolve the situation, a few small arguments bursting between them on the subject anytime they found themselves alone though dying out quickly not wanting to drag others into the disagreement.

Weiss had gotten no further at convincing her wife or making any breakthrough trying to help heal her pain in her heart from all the loss in the past but she had grown a bit irritable at the way Ruby was hurting their son so stubbornly.

By the time everyone left to go home, Jin had a now completely developed complex about her faunus trait she was keeping to herself and Sterling and Ruby’s relationship was permanently changed.

Chapter 19: Something New

Chapter Text

Ch 19: Something New

Things didn’t get better in the Rose home. Ruby and Weiss went from Weiss attempting to fix the situation to being straight up annoyed with every bit of Ruby’s resistance. Ruby had turned every attempt to discuss it into a fight, refusing to even listen to Weiss or even budge on her thoughts on the matter. It didn’t help that Ozpin had discovered after looking the boy over that his silver eyes had no power. They might have had he not been given the blessing from the God of Darkness but that power naturally negated any light within, effectively rendering those eyes useless and normal.

Weiss let it go and just decided to support Sterling herself. He was only five there wasn’t even any guarantee he would still want to be a Huntsman as he got older and if he did there were academies with protocols where he could learn through safe trails if he actually could or couldn’t succeed. For now she didn’t see any harm in humoring a little kid regardless of what her wife did or didn’t want. For now Weiss would just try to avoid the subject coming up around Ruby as best she could.

Right now they had dropped him off with Yang and Blake for Jin’s birthday. Jin’s aura had finally adapted enough that her soul was settling into her body without issue, which was an incredible weight lifted off the parents’ minds. Even Sterling was getting sick less severely which made Weiss a lot more comfortable letting him go places without either herself or Ruby.

While his parents would normally stick around, Weiss was hoping some time alone with Ruby could at least help smooth some tension between them. Jin and Sterling were playing outside and Jin was excited with her new found energy to explore the yard and forest near the house, even if she wasn’t supposed to.

As she walked close to it, Sterling tugged at her arm, “Jin we aren’t supposed to go in there.”

Jin laughed as she stepped inside, “You can stay here if you’re scared! I wanna know what it looks like.”

He whimpered for a bit before following her, clinging to her shirt. She reached and patted his head, “Don’t worry it’s fine.”

They wandered for a while, staying fairly close to the treeline before Sterling heard some rustling behind him. As he turned his head, a creeper Grimm was standing behind him. It hissed and he squealed, grabbing at Jin. The blonde turned her head and tucked him behind her, tiny fists coming up, her face scrunched up to look tough, “Leave my cousin alone you big meanie or else!”

The Grimm seemed unphased and as it charged them a figure swept in and in seconds it was sliced in two and dissolving. Jin had squinted her eyes closed and was punching out with grunts but peaked when she heard the sound of it being slayed to see her mom standing there. Blake was frowning at her with her arms folded, “Jin! You know you are not supposed to be in here!”

Sterling ran over to his Aunt, clinging to her crying but Jin pouted, digging her foot into the dirt, “But… I was bored and wanted to see it… I wasn’t scared.”

Blake sighed, already kneeling down to comfort her nephew as she stared at her daughter. Jin’s blind courage like her mother was going to be exhausting she could already tell and this would probably not be even remotely the last time it would get her into a bad situation. She softened her face and motioned for Jin to come over to her. The girl was hesitant but eventually walked over, Blake placing her hand on Jin’s head, rubbing gently, “Jin, honey, I know you are very brave and curious. But you promised me you would not mess with Grimm. You also need to understand that your cousin was scared. You shouldn’t bring him places where he isn’t having fun. That isn’t very kind is it?”

Jin glanced at the ground before looking at Sterling as he was sniffling and calming down in Blake’s other arm and she shook her head, “No… Sorry Sterling…”

Blake leaned and kissed her forehead before she stood up, taking each of their hands and leading them back out, “If you want to see the forest, one day I can take you but you need to listen when I say not to go places. I say that to keep you safe.”

Jin nodded. Blake stayed on the porch watching them the rest of the evening they were playing outside. Since there were no injuries, she didn’t see a need to worry Weiss, waiting to tell her until she arrived to pick Sterling up. The woman seemed to be in a better mood so she must have found a way to fix some of the irritation between herself and Ruby though she was quite unhappy about the Grimm news.

However, Blake reminded her about all of the times Jin had been actually hurt by Grimm at Weiss’s home and quickly Weiss let the subject go. When Yang called that night, Blake was settled into their bed already with Jin already asleep. Blake propped herself up in her yukata as she talked to Yang, the blonde smiling at her from an inn room, “I should be home before lunch tomorrow. Sorry this has taken longer than I thought Kitten. The infestation is bigger than they thought. I wish I could’ve called while Jin was still awake to wish her a happy birthday. I’ll make it up to her. How did her day go?”

Blake rested her head in her free hand and gave Yang a look, “Well, your daughter tried to box with a creeper in the forest today. She is going to be a real handful now that she isn’t weak anymore.”

Yang chuckled, “I’ll assume she’s fine since you didn’t try to reach me. She’s a real brave one isn’t she?”

Blake smirked, “Spitting image of someone I know.”

“You flatter me, Kitten,” Yang teased.

“Mmm you assume that was a compliment,” Blake gave a playful smile to the affronted brawler.

“Blake, you wound me,” Yang played along grinning before she shifted gears, “So… have you thought anymore about having more?”

Blake ran her fingers through her hair and scratched along her scalp as her ears flicked but said nothing at first. Yang watched her carefully for any sign that she had said the wrong thing before Blake finally spoke, “Yang… I don’t know. I don’t know if I could go through all that again if something goes wrong.”

Yang softened her expression, the blonde getting comfortable leaning into the headboard of her hotel bed and tucking an arm behind her head, “Blake, Ozpin checked all of us and assured us that whatever residual magic was hanging around messing with things was gone. Jin is gonna be fine now and we have a ton of money stored away that was for her medical expenses in case that mess lasted a long time. We could afford more kids without even needing to ask for Weiss’s help this time. I won’t force you. If you really don’t want to I understand but I want a big family with you Kitten.”

Blake stared at her wife on the screen as she talked, adoring every aspect of the blonde from the visual physique to the emotional statement of her heart. She was very afraid to have more children but she’d be lying through her teeth if she said she didn’t want them. She let out a deep breath and her lips curled into the most subtle smile as she caved a bit, “Let’s see how Jin does for a while and get enough stored into the savings in case something happens with the next one and we can get an appointment set up.”

The faunus could hardly contain the amused snicker as Yang pumped her fist and sat straight up with excitement, almost shouting out, thanking Blake over and over. “Calm down Yang before you wake your neighbors. I should really go to bed and so should you. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Yang nodded, “Absolutely. Love you Kitten.”

“I love you too Yang,” Blake responded as they ended the call.

She set her scroll on the nightstand and reached, turning off the light and tucking down into her blankets, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about more children. A part of her felt a bit excited to be discussing it even if most of her was terrified.

—------------------------

Yang managed to make it home before her family woke up that morning. She slipped into the house as quietly as she could, setting down a box of sweets for Jin on the counter before slipping from her boots and coat and sneaking up to her bedroom. Blake was still tucked into the blankets but her ears twitched as Yang slowly opened the door.

The blonde slid up into bed behind her, her arms wrapping softly around the cat before pressing close into her and kissing at the back of her twitching ears, causing Blake to rouse a bit with a hum of approval. Yang grinned, whispering softly into the furry ear, “Morning Kitten, I missed you.”

A gentle purr and shiver came in response as Blake stretched a bit and the ear flicked against the touches of Yang’s lips, “I missed you too.”

To Yang’s unfortunate disappointment though, Blake grabbed around her wrists and kept her from roaming, “Better not. Jin has been waking up really early and running into the room when you aren’t home. Not exactly something I want her to learn about yet.”

Yang faked a groan but chuckled, nuzzling Blake’s neck before kissing her shoulder, “Alright. But you are so in for it tonight.”

Blake rotated in her arms and laced her hands around Yang’s neck, kissing along Yang’s jaw to the woman’s ear, her voice almost a purr, “I’d better be.”

She relished in the way Yang squirmed at that before her ears both flicked towards the hallway, Yang noticing before the running footsteps could be heard outside the door, “Here she comes.”

In moments, the door flew open and Jin was whimpering, running to the bed and climbing into it, “Mommy!! I miss M… MAMA!! You’re here!”

She jumped onto Yang so swiftly Yang let out a grunt at the impact and Blake chuckled, leaning her head on her hand watching their daughter whimper happily and cling to Yang for dear life with excitement to see her. Yang had been gone for almost two weeks, the longest by far since Jin was born, her tiny mini me absolutely having none of it. Yang pulled Jin into her strong arms and dropped the little dragon into a cuddle between herself and Blake, “Hey kiddo! I missed you so much!”

Jin giggled but gave Yang a pout, “Mama you missed my birthday.”

A hand ruffled the blonde hair of the dragon with an apologetic face, “Sorry kiddo, but I brought your favorite treats home to say sorry! I promise I will do my best to never miss another one. There were so many monsters this time.”

Jin’s face lit up and she squirmed, “Ooooo tell me tell me!”

Blake moved to kiss the tiny blonde’s head before getting out of bed as Yang recounted her mission in a very story-like fashion to appease the child’s sense of wonder, Blake moving to their bathroom to get dressed. She knew this was going to take a while as normally her blondes could fill a morning with this passtime.

She was correct. Even as they were having breakfast and Jin was enjoying the treats, the child was still hanging on every word from Yang about the mission. It would surprise no one if Jin wanted to be a Huntress when she got older with the way she was already. Blake was currently a bit worried about the spikes of separation anxiety starting to come up anytime Yang took on long missions though. It mostly seemed to pop up at night causing Jin to struggle to fall asleep and then wake up very early in fits. Sometimes it also seemed to affect her when she didn’t have any other distractions too.

It was a bit odd as usually she did ok with Yang working but Blake assumed with her body in balance now there would probably be a few things that would be different. When the two finished and Yang was playing with Jin in the living room, Blake made her way in and sat on the couch with tea and one of her books, tucking her legs up under herself, “Yang. I hope you don’t get all crazy with what I said last night and try to shove a ton of missions in to get more money faster. Your daughter has been developing weird anxieties when you leave since she got better. I’m not going to have more if you neglect the one we already have.”

Yang turned to glance at Blake before looking back at Jin, who was glancing between them a bit confused. She wasn’t really sure what her parents were talking about. Her mother reached out and pulled her over, tickling her and causing her to flail while laughing, “I thought about it but I can’t very well desert this little cutie now, can I?”

Jin pulled at her mother’s fingers as she laughed, squirming for freedom from the tickles, gasping and speaking through her laughter, “Mama! Stoppp!!!”

Yang chuckled and eventually let her go. Blake rolled her eyes and reached a foot out to gently shove Yang’s shoulder, “I mean it. I’ve got my eye on you Yang. Don’t blow it.”

—--------------------------------

It took many reminders throughout the coming year but Yang did manage not to go overboard in her desire to get more into their savings for another baby. They had an appointment set up that fell roughly a month after Jin’s sixth birthday. Luckily for them, unless you ask otherwise the doctor holds your genetic research material and files in the event you return for just this reason, up to a maximum of ten years. They are only used for yourself of course but it does save you money and several visits should you decide to have more children.

As the appointment came around, Jin was with Tai and Qrow for the day as they made their way to the appointment, thankful he had moved his office years ago to Vale. When they saw the doctor, he already had things ready for them along with some new options developed in the past years since their last visit.

Sadly, Blake would still have to induce her heat. No research had found any changes in the results. Luckily she was less adverse to it now that years with Yang had made that idea easier to swallow and deal with. The new developments were more to Yang’s benefit.

He spun towards them and looked up at Yang, “So, we have options now. You can still do things the original way which we now have two choices for the device options based on preference and price, or you can go a new route. It’s not for everyone. Some couples find it less ideal based on your sexual preferences but it’s entirely up to you. Of course they all carry different costs so there is that. The newest option does tend to run in the mid range on price.”

Yang glanced at Blake on the table before turning to the doctor, “Well, tell me about the choices. Go ahead and go in order of cheapest to most expensive and then we can discuss cost.”

He nodded, looking down at the clipboard in his hand, “Well your genetic material qualifies for any of the three options. The cheapest is the one most similar to the method you used with your first baby. The only difference is we updated the device with a portion on it to allow stimulation of the cl*toral area of the wearer as we found the better stimulation provided a better, more fruitful release and raised the successful percentiles. The most expensive is the same method but the device is more of an aura based prosthetic, not too different from the concept of your arm actually where the device adheres to the wearer rather than inserting and links to your aura to act more like part of you, including full stimulation and feeling, though it doesn’t have any advanced behavior compared to the cheaper option so you still have to accompany it with the same serum and copious fluid creations.”

He flipped a page and continued, “The mid range cost is the new method. Since you don’t have to buy any product along with it and no manufacturing of a device is involved it runs cheaper than the prosthetic but due to the fact it is a more advanced serum it’s more pricey than the cheapest choice. The serum is a different chemical makeup that actually causes a short term growth and change of your cl*toral region to enlarge and become and behave in a phallic manner. It will also stimulate its own changes to produce its own fertile secretions. To aid in the success rates it will also still produce a copious amount of fluids but it lasts generally about half the time span so maybe an hour if you are lucky and some people so far have reported it can be a bit over stimulating or a bit painful.”

Yang felt a bit overwhelmed for a brief moment. The first time they did this it was only one choice so it wasn’t much to consider. Now the options were varied and she wasn’t really sure what she wanted to do. The doctor offered to step out for a moment to give them privacy to discuss it, handing Yang the price list. When he left Yang looked at Blake who also seemed to be considering things before looking down at the page. They could in theory swing any of the options comfortably as her last few missions had paid better than expected.

Part of her was curious about the new option but that was also something she was really unsure about. Blake was bisexual so that probably wouldn’t be the issue but the woman’s experience sexually with men had been pretty much limited to Adam so that was not exactly good memories either. Not exactly something Yang was in a rush to have Blake relive.

If they went with a device again, Yang was more interested in the newer version though it would mean maxing out the purchase choice. While they had the funding comfortably, it still was a lot of money. The cheapest option wouldn’t be terrible but that insert was not comfortable and it did hurt a bit even if Yang could ignore it at least in the moment with enough will power and distraction watching Blake. It did leave her really sore for a few days afterwards though and that was not fun at all.

It took Blake calling her name a few times to break her from her focused thoughts, only then noticing she was making a sour face. Lilac eyes looking into ambers as Blake watched her wife’s gears turn, a hand reaching to touch Yang’s arm softly, “I am fine with whatever you find most comfortable for yourself Yang. Don’t worry about if something will bother me. I’ll be in heat anyway and just pleased you’ll be touching me. I won’t remember how you touched me. Pick what you want. We want a big family, remember? We can always choose something different next time.”

Blake’s words filled Yang with several mixed feelings. Her heart swelled at the statement of more children with her but she also felt so bad that Blake had to deal with the fact that she had to induce her heat to do this and would never remember any of these precious moments where they conceived their children. It was sad and made Yang feel guilty that she was the only one who would ever remember it and they would never be able to share those stories together.

For that reason, Yang chose the newest option. It had nothing to do with any kink or pleasure idea. She actually sort of hoped it would be uncomfortable or even hurt a bit because why should Blake be the only one to hurt in the moment? Why should Blake be the only one who has to undergo a physical change that was unpleasant? Sure if it was a good time it was a bonus but that didn’t contribute to the reason.

She looked at Blake and smiled, “I know you are trying to be supportive but I know you hate what you have to do to make this work. I appreciate you so goddamn much for what you are willing to do despite yourself so that we can have the family we want. I want you to know that I’m not making this choice for any dirty minded reason. I just want to share in the discomfort because it’s not fair what you have to go through alone for this. I mean there’s a chance it’ll be nice but it’s not why I’m doing it.”

Blake was about to protest but Yang just leaned forward and kissed her firmly to stop her, lips pressed together hard before pulling away as the door opened. When the doctor returned Yang told him she wanted the growth option and he got the serum prepped. After about an hour it was ready and he handed Blake her supplement and Yang a cup.

This serum both smelled and tasted so much more foul than the original and there was about twice as much of it. It was also a bit thicker and she briefly regretted her choice before pinching her nose and downing it quickly before she could change her mind. It made her gag and choke, nearly vomiting at the taste and how it felt on the back of her throat.

“Yes sorry we are still working to better that formula we have only really been producing it for a month or so now to the public,” the doctor said apologetically as Yang leaned over the trash, “but try not to vomit because if any of it comes back up you will have to retake it and we will have to charge you for more of it.”

That was enough for Yang to be sure to keep it down. They could not afford another round and she didn’t just suffer that gross experience and Blake take heat supplements for this to flop before it even started. They headed home shortly after handling the bill.

With the trip being closer to home Blake at least got to get into her own house before her heat was kicking in but Yang wasn’t as lucky for some of her experience. As they rode on the bike home, Yang felt a burning painful sensation starting at her core that was enough to cause her to swerve suddenly, scaring the faunus behind her.

Blake gave a gentle squeeze around her waist to try to get Yang’s attention but the blonde was too distracted, legs trembling as she bit into her lip hard. It was almost too much pain, as if she was lit on fire and not in a pleasant way. She forced herself to focus on the road when she nearly drove off it after another surge of pain and got them home as quickly as she could safely manage.

By the time they parked, Yang threw the helmet off her head and leaned forward on the bike, thighs shaking and a groan of deep discomfort leaving her lips. Blake was getting off the bike, setting her own helmet down and running her hand along Yang’s back trying to see her face, “Yang are you alright?”

She still had her senses for now and would for a bit longer. Yang’s brows were knit tight and she had a light sweat starting on her forehead, her own hands gripping at her core as if pressure would help somehow. It was enough for Blake to understand what was going on. She gently pulled Yang off the bike to her feet and helped her get inside, only able to get the brawler as far as their couch before she sat quickly, sounds of agony leaving her lips.

Blake could feel the haze beginning in her mind and did her best to fight it for now. It wouldn’t do either of them any good for it to kick in before Yang was able to do anything about it and she was unable to stop being worried about Yang hurting right now even if they knew it was expected. She knelt at Yang’s feet and gently placed her hands on the woman’s knees, looking up past the curtain of blonde locks into her pained face, “Yang, try to relax it will help.”

From here she could easily see the rapid changes taking shape on Yang and even though it was odd, her ever growing heat was finding it alluring. As things settled in a large tent in Yang’s pants and Yang’s breaths, though deep, were calming, Blake couldn’t resist the pull of her heat any longer and it took control of her brain fast.

Her finger tips dug into Yang’s knees a bit as she leaned her face close and nuzzled Yang’s knee on the inner side, a soft purring coming from her throat, “Yang… I can’t… I need…”

Yang was still hunched forward as the pain was dulling and could only watch Blake, trying to calm her own nerves. She reached a hand out and rubbed the fur at the base of the back of her ears watching Blake’s back arch and shivering at the gasp she let out. In response to the attention, Blake’s hands dragged up Yang’s thighs all the way to her waist, grabbing at the belt and pulling it open with one hand, the other testing gently along the bulging surface of Yang’s pants.

Yang let out a hissed breath and jerked sharply. It hurt still a bit but more so it was just too sensitive right now as her body adjusted and not in a good way. Blake’s hazed brain was enticed and her fingertips ghosted back and forth across the surface while the other hand reached and pushed Yang’s knee away, causing the legs to spread apart further so she could lean closer.

As she brought her face so close her breath was releasing against Yang’s clothed crotch she moved her teeth to grab the zipper and locked eyes with Yang as she pulled it open, her hands grabbing the edges of the button and opening it, pulling the two ends apart so that the bulged underwear pressed past the fabric. Yang trembled at Blake’s mercy, uncomfortable in her overly sensitive new growth but relishing in an experience she normally couldn’t have.

When Blake leaned closer, purring and nuzzling her face into the bulge, Yang let out a sharp gasp and her back straightened out, body shifting her waist to give more access even though it was still a bit sensitive and painful it also felt great. Blake could smell Yang’s arousal in the dampness beneath the growth and grinned in her heat-ridden lust, kissing up the covered surface with a hunger until she reached the skin just above on Yang’s waist, her rough tongue slowly dragging along the soft surface covering sturdy abs that sent shivers through her beloved.

Her own core ached, beginning the burning sensation that came with her heat that needed to be sated but right now her brain was so obsessed with Yang, the smells of Yang’s need driving her hazed brain mad. It didn’t help that Yang was being a bit reserved because of the way her body felt right now and that just wouldn’t do for Blake when in heat. She needed Yang’s more dominant nature when she was like this and she would do whatever she needed to to drag it out of her blonde.

When Yang seemed to be a bit more comfortable, Blake’s fingers tucked under the waistband and pulled teasingly slow down until they were tucked under the new length, watching it release itself with a relieved sigh from Yang. It wasn’t anything crazy. A rather average girth but a bit longer than average. Just a similar concept the devices had to help reduce distance for the best chances and nothing wildly big. If Blake wasn’t in heat right now she probably would think twice about putting her rough tongue on the surface of something with so much sensitivity right now but she was, so she didn’t.

She ran her tongue along the underside of the length all the way to the tip, Yang’s body jerking as she did but the woman groaned all the same and her hips pushed closer as the tongue circled the tip. The feeling ended up still being about the same as when it was her normal anatomy but there was just a lot more of it and it now reacted a bit differently but Yang couldn’t say the sensation was much different.

That was good though because Yang actually liked that rough tongue in her most intimate places. As the dull ache subsided and more pleasure came through with each stroke of Blake’s tongue, Yang placed one hand between those cat ears and the other at the edge of a cushion, her fingers in Blake’s hair lacing through strands. Blake responded with a louder purring and slid the length into her mouth, tongue caressing the underside as the purrs vibrated along the entire length.

That was too much. Yang was both aware she was short on time with this growth and also the sensations, while the same, were extra sensitive and she didn’t want to risk wasting anything. She jerked at the feeling and gripped Blake’s hair pulling her off quickly, “No don’t do that Kitten.”

The faunus whined in protest but her brain was excited and neddy in response to Yang’s show of control, wanting more of it. Yang took a breath and smirked, gently pulling Blake by the hair to guide her up, “Here Kitty Kitty. Why don’t I take care of your pain for a while instead?”

Blake mewled, eagerly following the pull until she was standing leaning over towards Yang. She locked her needy lips to Yang’s as Yang’s strong grip stripped her of her clothing while tongues danced in Blake’s whining mouth. When Blake was stripped bare, the faunus quickly straddled Yang’s lap, grinding her dripping core against the length, pulling sounds of pleasure and need from them both.

Yang’s hands gripped Blake’s hips and dragged her up to line her up with the tip, staring up into Blake’s eyes glazed over with need before pulling her down onto it, pushing in completely in one go, both of them moaning at the sensation. Blake’s fingers gripped Yang's hair as she nipped at the Blonde’s jaw and mewled needily, hips trying to move but Yang was holding her still while she was trying to get used to the feeling. Yang didn’t want to let Blake’s movements cause her to finish too quickly. That would be embarrassing.

Once Yang adjusted to the warm velvety feeling of Blake’s inner walls wrapped around this part of her for the first time she moved her lips down Blake’s neck to her chest, making her way lower to her breasts as her hands pulled Blake’s hips up off the length until only the tip remained before guiding her back down. Blake’s moans and grip on her hair were divine but nothing compared to this new sensation of how she felt inside.

As yang locked her lips around one nipple, sucking and licking at the nub and she worked Blake up and down along her length, each thrust down sending shivers through her spine, Blake gripped her hair and pressed her face into into it, panting and moaning out her blonde’s name and arching into Yang’s body.

Yang could feel the faunus’s need grow and hear the pleas for more rolling from Blake’s lips and sped up each time it happened, mouth moving to the other nipple to torture the bud, her own grunts pushing hot air against it as she lavished it in her mouth. When she could feel Blake’s hips struggling in her grip she smirked and moved her mouth to nibble Blake’s ear, whispering as she slid her hands to grip her thighs, words torturing the heat filled brain of the faunus just right, “Ride me until you are screaming my name Kitten.”

Blake’s brain broke at that moment, pants leaving her as she rocked her hips along the length hungrily, body desperate for Yang’s release to ease her heat, nails moving and digging into Yang’s shoulders as the blonde gripped her thighs and thrusted her own hips to meet Blake’s with each motion. Hips rutted together in hard rapid thrusts, the wet sounds drowned out by Blake’s whines and moans and Yang’s grunts, the blonde egging Blake on with dirty encouragements until Blake was trembling, body tensing.

Yang too was dangerously close, her length pulsing and swelling as the coil of pleasure threatened to snap in her lower body, any little thing easily would break it. Her nails dug into Blake’s supple thighs as the faunus gripped her tight, holding onto her as if for dear life as she pressed into Yang fully, moaning Yang’s name loudly and pressing down hard on Yang’s length as she came, hips twitching through her org*sm. The sight and feel of Blake’s hot release around the sensitive length sending Yang over the edge in a dizzying reel, forcing her hips up even closer if even possible into Blake as she felt the surge or hot fluid release into Blake in large amounts that eventually spilled past her length and onto her own thighs there was so much of it. The release within Blake satisfying her heat enough to bring it down and give the faunus her working brain back enough.

As they came down they gave a few weak thrusts and panted until Blake weakly collapsed against Yang, the blonde breathing heavily as her arms looped around Blake to hold her close. After a while of relaxing in each other’s warmth Yang’s anatomy shifted back which was equally as painful but luckily she was worn out enough to bear it, not wanting to disturb Blake or ruin this moment of cuddling that Blake might be able to at least remember. Yang wanted Blake to be able to remember something special from conceiving their children.

So she bit into her lower lip and screwed her eyes tight to deal with it until it was gone, luckily going faster than it had arrived. Blake was tiredly nuzzling into Yang’s neck, kissing at the skin at the feeling of the length leaving, knowing Yang was hurting by the way she felt her tense up, trying to distract her with her kisses.

When she heard Yang let out a breath finally and could no longer feel anything below she kissed at her jaw lovingly, purring sweetly, “Was it worth it for you Yang?”

The brawler chuckled a bit airily and kissed Blake’s face, “Always, I just hope it worked.”

Blake nodded against her neck, eyes still closed, letting herself relax and bask in the moment for as long as she could, “Me too.”

Chapter 20: Menagerie

Chapter Text

Ch 20: Menagerie

Blake came out of their bathroom a few weeks later with positive proof of their efforts. Yang lifted her into her arms happily and they shared an excited laughter. Jin was down the hall in her room and poked her head out at the noise, curious. When the little girl approached, the door cracked open so she pushed it to look inside at her parents’ excitement.

She didn’t really know why they were so happy but it made her smile and giggle, Blake’s ears twitching towards the door. She turned her head, hands currently wrapped around Yang’s shoulders still held off the ground in the strong woman’s embrace and smiled, “It’s alright Jin, come here.”

Yang turned her head as their small blonde ran to them. She reached down and in one swift movement swooped the child up into her grasp as well, pressed with Blake who pulled an arm to snuggle the little one close. As Jin had been picked up so suddenly she squealed with joy and giggled before clinging to Blake. The scene could only be described as adorable with the small family. Jin tugged Blake’s shirt, “Mommy why are you both so happy?”

Blake tucked hair behind Jin’s ear and beamed down at her little one, glancing at Yang who gave a nod before she leaned close, “Jin, would you like your own little sister or brother to play with?”

Jin squirmed and squealed with more excitement than either parent had ever seen her have as she nearly vibrated with her joy, almost being too difficult for Yang to keep a hold of, “YES! Mommy please!? PLEASE???!”

Yang couldn’t stop laughing but she had to set them down before Jin’s wild movements caused the woman to drop her, Blake grinning as she sat on the floor by the child shaking with so much happiness and stroked her hair sweetly, “Yes Jin. But you can’t tell anyone yet ok? It’s still a secret. Understand?”

Jin was still stuck on the fact she was going to be a big sister, unable to really listen to much else as her energy had her too riled up to sit still and she bounced around the room. Yang was sitting on the edge of the bed as the child climbed and jumped around chanting about how she was going to be the best big sister and chuckled, moving when needed to not obstruct the little one’s path, “We can worry about the details like that later Blake. Just let her be excited for now.”

Yang of course knew what that excitement was like even if Blake had never had such an experience. When she had found out she was going to have a sibling she was probably just as happy. It was almost nostalgic to watch and yet brought its own sweet sense of new with it. Even if Blake didn’t know the feeling, it really made her heart melt watching her daughter so happy. She had been a tad worried the past few days if Jin would end up happy or feel slighted in some way. She felt a foot poke her and looked over to Yang, “I told you it would be ok. Jin loves being around other kids. And she knows we love her so she won’t get jealous.”

Blake just turned her eyes back to Jin as the girl started to wear down and flopped happily into Blake’s lap, leaning back into her and panting from all the exertion. Blake stared down at her, her hands holding her sweet child softly as the tiny amber orbs looked up into her own, “Mommy… why can’t I tell anyone? I wanna tell Sterling.”

The woman chuckled and gave a light tickle to her sides before hugging her closely and lovingly, “Because Mommy and Mama need to get a few things taken care of first and tell a few adults before you can tell anyone. Ok?”

Jin didn’t really understand fully but she sighed and nodded, “Ok Mommy. So will it be a sister or a brother? Will they like to play outside with me? Can I show them my toys?”

Blake leaned and kissed her nose, “We don’t know yet little dragon but I’m sure whatever they are they are going to love you.”

Jin huffed and nodded, kicking her feet playfully, “Ok Mommy.”

Yang leaned down, ruffling Jin’s hair which made the child growl a bit, “Go on and get dressed kiddo so we can head over to your Aunts’ house.”

Jin got up and went to go get dressed, smoothing out her hair with a pout. Blake leaned back on her hands and watched her go before turning to look at Yang, “You know she’s starting to hate that right?”

Yang just chuckled and leaned her chin in her hand, “Yea but that’s why it’s so darn cute.”

“Just don’t get mad if she bites you one day for it,” Blake warned teasingly before getting up.

Before she could go to get ready Yang grabbed her wrist and pulled her on top of herself in the bed, surprising the faunus. Blake glanced down at her wife and gently slapped her shoulder, “Yang the door is open what are you up to?”

The blonde smirked and leaned up kissing Blake sweetly before letting go, “Nothing I just wanted to hold my beautiful wife for a second.”

The faunus rolled her eyes and pulled away, “Yang get ready to go and stop trying to smooth talk me.”

—------------------------------

When they got to the Rose household, Sterling and Dove were swimming in the pool. Jin had learned to swim since last time years ago though so she was not scared, running over and cannonballing in, splashing Dove with water. The older girl fuming with a gasp as it washed over her, glaring at the faunus child who was just chuckling.

The parents all settled on the poolside but Yang and Ruby jumped in, coaxing the kids into a splash fight with a fit of laughter. Of course Dove was annoyed further and climbed out the pool pouting, stomping over to plop down by Weiss. Winter had to run a few errands otherwise Dove would not have even been present and would have instead been home with her mother. But one of those errands meant Winter was going to have to talk to Qrow and a few other seasoned Huntsmen about some Beacon mission board stuff and Winter didn’t want Dove going with her for that.

Weiss set down her tablet, putting her work away for now, and looked at Dove, “Don’t you want to go play with the others? They look like they are having a lot of fun?”

Dove just huffed, folding her arms and glaring at the others, mostly Jin, “No. I don’t. It’s not fun.”

A brow raised on her aunt’s face before she ran a hand through Dove’s short two tone hair and leaned back into her chair, picking the tablet back up, “Alright if you say so. But if you ask me it’s rather boring sitting her on the side.”

Dove seemed intent on proving her point but Weiss didn’t humor her as she got her work done, occasionally holding conversation with Blake whenever the faunus spoke however Blake was mostly catching up on a book in a chair off next to Weiss. Even though she was super bored, she managed to be stubborn about it until they all got out and cleaned up for lunch.

Blake and Yang noticed the slight tension between Ruby and Weiss that seemed to linger anytime they talked about Sterling but they didn’t feel this was the time to say anything and tried to ignore it. They got the kids set up with juice and sandwiches on the small porch of the pool house while they all went inside to eat and change.

Blake wasn’t currently stressed about watching Dove and Jin and Jin had plenty of energy and strength to avoid letting someone push her around nowadays and had gotten better at coming to get her mothers if something was wrong. Plus, aside from some rude looks Dove hadn’t done anything to her since the questionable backpack incident where they still weren’t sure Dove did or not anyway.

Of course, Jin didn’t tell her parents about every time she saw Dove the girl made fun of her teeth or was just rude. He didn’t like to tattle, especially since some of Dove’s cruelty was making fun of how close she was with Blake in the past year. Besides if she said anything Blake might stop letting her come over again and she gets lonely at home and it was more fun here with Sterling than at her own house. The yard was bigger and there was the pool and he didn’t try to spend the whole time digging through Blake’s books even though most of them were too hard for him to read yet.

As expected, Dove was quick to poke fun the moment the kids were alone, watching Jin drink her juice carefully to not poke holes in her straw, “You should just bite the box. Might be easier for you and those weird teeth.”

Jin puffed her cheeks with a frown and tried to ignore her. She was still determined to not let Dove bother her so much because Sterling enjoyed having her around and she cared about him. When Dove didn’t get the reaction she wanted she glared at the younger girl and glanced over the table at everything set out, looking for something she could use to get a reaction.

With their sandwiches they were served some summer fruits with some of the red sap from the trees of Forever Falls dripped over them, the jar still on the table but sealed. She wasn’t really sure what it attracted but her mother had once told her before that the sap couldn’t be used when she was eating things on campus outside because certain Grimm were drawn to it.

Grimm always made such easy ways to bother Jin that Dove had learned and that sparked an idea. Maybe those Grimm weren’t here, maybe they were, but she could find out and succeed at bothering the little girl at the same time. She smirked at Jin who had finished her sandwich and was trying to eat the fruit without making too much of a mess with the sap, grabbing the jar. With a quick glance that the parents were distracted, Dove looked at the faunus, “Hey, bet you aren’t brave enough to cover yourself in this stuff and got in the woods!”

Well that just sounded silly to Jin really. She didn’t know it attracted anything, she just knew the stuff tasted good on fruit. She hadn’t changed out her swimsuit yet so it wasn’t like it would make her clothes to wear home gross. She wasn’t allowed in the woods but that hardly ever stopped Jin from going on little adventures when no one was looking. None of it really seemed like anything to challenge her courage over so she grinned, “Yea huh!”

Sterling was frowning, mumbling but no one was listening to him which only made him mad, “I dunno Jin this seems like a bad idea…”

“Be quiet Rosey boy I am too brave and it’s just syrup!” Jin hushed him, not really paying him any mind as Jin and Dove peered that the cost was clear and snuck over to the tree line.

Dove opened the jar and snickered as she turned it over above Jin’s head, the sap slopping out all over her and throughout her hair in a massive sticky mess that made Jin spit and grumble at her, “Hey!”

Dove just laughed and pointed, “Go on now! Prove you aren’t a scaredy cat!”

Jin growled, stomping off into the woods, “I’m a dragon I told you!”

Sterling refused to join them, staying at the table with his food, annoyed by the two’s antics, his sour face made him look like Weiss in the early Beacon days, “Girls are weird.”

Jin walked several feet in and turned, throwing her arms out, “There! Happy?”

Dove folded her arms and shook her head, “Not far enough! That’s still too close to the edge to be scary.”

The little dragon growled and turned, stomping further into the woods. She was getting irritated at the dirt and leaves sticking to her when she heard a weird buzzing sound that made her jump in the direction and hold her breath, looking around.

At first she didn’t see anything, even with the ability to see in the dark, she couldn’t spot anything in the shadows of the trees, until it got closer. That’s when she was surrounded by rapier wasps. They weren’t babies either, but roughly the size of kittens as they swarmed her for the sap, stinging her angrily every time she moved and disturbed them.

She was swatting her arms at them as she tried to crouch her body low to stay protected, shouting at them to get away and shrieking in pain when they would sting her. Eventually they had licked her clean of the sap and her teeth had bit through enough of them to dust them down to only a few that retreated but she was so covered in stings she was red and swollen, hurting as she trotted slowly back to the house with small whimpers.

When she emerged from the trees, Dove took a look at her and gasped at first before laughing, “I thought you were brave but you are crying! What a baby!”

Sterling glanced over and jumped from his seat, going to the door and yelling inside though Jin couldn’t make out what. She assumed he got her mom though because suddenly Blake came out the door and was coming towards her quickly. The woman placed a hand tightly on Dove’s head and shoved the girl out of her way as she knelt down to see Jin, “Jin what happened!? Why did you go into the woods? I've told you so many times not to! Are you alright!?”

Sterling was walking over with Yang, “Dove tricked her! She put the syrup on her and told her she wasn’t brave if she didn’t go in!”

Dove glared at Sterling from where she had been shoved to the ground and he stuck his tongue out at her. Blake grit her teeth. She had had it up to her eyeballs with Dove over the years and was tired of giving her chances to grow the hell up from whatever this bullsh*t was. Her angry eyes glanced over to Yang who was just standing there looking torn and growled, “Well?! Are you just going to stand there?! This like… ugh kid keeps f*cking with your daughter and you aren’t even a little bothered by that?!”

At this point in time, Yang had already come to realize from watching more closely during holidays that Dove had seen Qrow around her daughter. While she wasn’t sure if Dove knew he was her dad or not, Dove always seemed to get more bitter when those times happened so Yang could only assume this was some sort of jealousy that was kind of unfair to both the children.

Dove was almost eight but she was still just a kid and probably didn’t understand the complexity of why her dad wasn’t in her life or “loved” her. It just made Yang feel like when she couldn’t figure out why Raven didn’t want her and she didn’t want to be an ass to the kid but she also hated what was happening to her own kid.

“Blake I…” Yang started but didn’t get to say anything as the woman stood to her feet with her injured child in her arms and growled aggressively at Yang, “I’m leaving. Don’t you dare follow me Yang or I swear I will seriously hurt you.”

Jin was clinging to Blake, staring sadly at her mother who didn’t make any moves to protect her. It was making her cry more than the stings were. Yang tried to protest but Blake’s sharp glare stopped her. Yang figured she could wait and talk to her at home once things cooled down but she knew something had to change for any of this to get better long term.

She looked down at Sterling who was staring at her as Dove was getting up and dusting herself off before going to the pool house where Ruby and Weiss were standing. Sterling shrugged, “Girls are confusing.”

Yang just blinked at such a funny thing for a little boy to say to her right now, “Come on, let’s go back before your Mama gets mad you are so close to the woods.”

—-----------------------

Blake was only home long enough to grab a duffle of a few important things and get some salve on Jin to help get the swelling to go down enough before she slipped out the house, still extremely irritated with her wife. She made her way to the docks with Jin and talked to the captain she knew about her situation and he took a look at the little girl and invited them on board.

It wasn’t a fun trip but the two made their way out to Menagerie. Blake had sent Kali a message that she was coming and that there was a good reason but due to the lack of contact on the trip she would have to explain when she got there. Dealing with a hurting achy Jin while on a ship but eventually they arrived on the docks.

Blake was emotionally worn out from the trip. She had effectively in her anger taken her child and just up and left her wife to run home to her parents all while pregnant again and that all was just a lot to dwell on stuck on a ship. When she got to her parents’ home and got inside her mother was shocked at Jin’s state.

Blake took a seat with Jin and rubbed her face as her father slipped next to her with an arm around her while Kali left to call in the town’s healer, Garnet Sleight, a lovely fox faunus woman. When her mother came back, Blake was crying slightly in her father’s arm, “She just… stood there and did nothing about any of it. She never really has. I mean… how could I stay? My little girl is finally healthy. I won't let anything or anyone do anything else to her Dad… If Yang won’t help me then I… I don’t know.”

He hummed as he listened, rubbing her back. Jin was groggy and her stings were itchy. Blake had done her best to help but Blake wasn’t able to really get all the stingers out and she didn’t have the means to cure any of the venom. Her mother scooped Jin and sat close to Blake, Jin staring up at her. She had only really seen them a few times and in some video calls so she didn’t really know them but Jin wasn’t adverse to strangers, simply curious about them.

“I… I don’t really know what to do… I can’t accept Yang just doing nothing to protect her child, especially not when…” Blake started to say it, stopping herself because she wanted to do this with Yang but then frowned as she held her face in her hands and decided she wasn’t sure if that even mattered now, “not when I’m pregnant again. How can I do this again knowing Yang won’t keep our children safe?”

Her parents shared a glance, saving their joy for later to handle their daughter now. Ghira sighed, “Well… you said once years ago this girl is Qrow’s daughter but he doesn’t know correct? Have you stopped to consider what position that puts Yang in as his niece?”

She looked at her father with a frown and he held up a hand, “I’m not saying she is excused by any means but… children tend to make choices in strange ways when they feel something is unfair. And she is Yang’s cousin. You are basically asking her to harm her family. MAybe Yang has already come to a conclusion that the girl might be jealous of your daughter? Has she ever seen Qrow around Jin? Does she know that’s her dad?”

Blake leaned back into the couch and tried to think about it all. She supposed it was possible Dove might know, especially with how much more careful Winter had gotten to avoid the two crossing paths. And it was possible during events that Dove could have snuck glances at Jin with Qrow. Still, she refused to just accept the behavior. As her face shifted through the emotions of her thoughts, her mother touched her knee, “Blake dear, your father isn’t saying any of it is ok. He is just trying to look at it from the outside. It’s a delicate situation and it isn’t really fair to either of these little girls. MAybe the best course of action might be to talk to Yang about how you feel and see what the two of you can’t do to stop this? I know you don’t want to keep Jin from her family but maybe that might have to be what you do if Yang is really torn. Would you be able to choose between family when everyone involved has a right to be upset?”

Blake groaned once it snuck in and laid her head back, “I don’t know but I get very protective with my babies and I don’t think I can let Yang around if I know she will resist doing what needs to be done if they get hurt. She has had years to explain herself and yet she has just let it slide. So she still has a lot to answer to if she wants me to come back home.”

Ghira nodded, “Well that’s fair enough. You already know you are welcome here as long as you need.”

When there was a knock at the door he headed out and returned with the sun worn woman, her red tail bright from sunlight. Next to her stood a child also carrying their own satchel of tonics, brilliant green eyes shining and a head of short red curls with vibrant tanned skin. Blake couldn’t tell if it was a girl or boy the way the child was dressed and the androgynous look to them at such a youthful age but Garnet caught her curious gaze and smiled, “Ah, Blake I remember when you were knee high running along the beach! This is Scarlet. My husband and I are letting Scarlet figure out how she wants to be seen in the world so for now we just go with whatever makes them comfortable. Right now she’s going with a lot of back and forth though. She wants to help people when she grows up so right now she is working as my little helper. She is only seven though so I won’t let her do anything dangerous with your little girl don’t worry. Now, where is the little tyke?”

Blake blinked and gave a gentle smile. Garnet had been the town’s healer since she was in her early teens and Garnet’s mom had the title. Garnet wasn’t old though she was much older than Blake by a little over a decade and had even treated Blake when she was younger in her early career. Jin had already passed out slightly on Kali’s lap when Blake gestured towards her.

Garnet nodded towards Jin and Scarlet gripped her bag’s strap and followed Garnet over. Her vibrant emerald eyes stared down at the dragon curiously. She didn’t say much Blake noticed but she was very cute. She had a red tail like Garnet and it swished rapidly back and forth with her curiosity. Blake had always found fox faunus interesting, the entire lot of them so full of intrigue at the world around them especially when they were children.

Garnet glanced Jin over before pulling out the tools needed to remove the rest of the stingers, handing a bottle to Scarlet and some bandaging, “Now get those good and ready with that remedy while I remove the stingers and than you can help me apply them so we can draw the venom out ok?”

“Yes Mama,” the sweetest voice responded as the little fox got to work, brows creased in concentration and tongue poking out as she worked. Blake couldn’t help but hide a giggle. Garnet easily got the stingers out, waking Jin a bit but the little dragon whimpered and squirmed, becoming sleepy and still when the cooling soaked bandages were applied by the two foxes, the little one watching her carefully and staring at her teeth, “Mama… what faunus is she? I’ve never seen those before.”

Jin tucked in on herself, the soothing feeling lulling her back to sleep with a whimper and working rapidly at drawing out the venom as Garnet shushed Scarlet, pulling her gently away before she could poke at Jin’s mouth to look closer at the teeth, “It’s not nice to stare dear. Come, let her sleep now.”

Blake leaned in her hand watching the sad expression of the curious little one and spoke softly, “She’s a dragon actually. Probably the only one to ever exist.”

Scarlet looked over at Blake with a sparkle of fascination in her eyes as her mother tugged her along, “Well Ghira she should heal right up quickly but call me if she doesn’t. Come along Scarlet, we have other homes to visit.”

The little fox groaned in protest, too interested in Jin to want to leave but was dragged along anyway. When they left, Blake stroked Jin’s hair and spoke, “What did her mother mean by letting Scarlet figure out her world?”

Kali chuckled lightly, “Oh, Scarlet is one of triplets, the other two are boys but all three of them have that rare extended trait that some tailed faunus have. You know the one? Well, some tests show Scarlet has a triple chromosome set so they are just letting her decide for herself what she wants that to mean for her life rather than trying to pick for her like some humans do. I think Garnet is happy she wants to be a girl though, considering she has nothing but boys otherwise.”

Blake blinked. She knew that rare situation. IT was usually when the trait extended to the front as well and included a furry sheath and animal genitalia. She had to give credit to Garnet though for not trying to force one gender or the other on her child. Not many parents were that way, “Well, she was very cute.”

Kali nodded, “As all fox children usually are. I swear it has to do with their curious nature. You used to befriend so many of them when you were little that your father and I swore you’d end up with a type one day.”

Blake turned red as her mother just giggled, “mom!”

—--------------------------

By the next morning, Jin was almost entirely cured, her energy returning and only a bit of swelling remaining. Blake spent time with her mother trying to figure out what she might do from here as her father knelt down and tried to make himself as small to Jin’s level as the massive panther could, her eyes big watching him having never seen anyone as big as him except for Ghira, “How about I take you to a;ll the places your mother liked when she was your age? Would you like that?”

Her face brightened and she lept around ecstatic, causing him to chuckle as he set her on his shoulders, “Shall we then?”

Jin gripped his chin and pointed with her other hand at the door, “Yea! Let’s go Granpaw!”

Blake watched them leave but completely trusted her father to keep Jin from any danger. She could feel her heart melt at the time her daughter was getting to spend with him honestly. She wished her child could see her parents more but she didn’t want to move her family to the island and her parents were both very happy and unwilling to move away. Tickets to visit were also expensive and would only get more expensive if her family continued to get bigger.

She stopped herself in that thought. Would that even happen now? Her heart already missed Yang dearly. Sure they had spats but they had never gone as far as walking out on the other. Her scroll had been going off since she got here but she had simply turned it off, needing the space for now to think. While some might think she was overreacting, faunus took their young very seriously and protected them with a fierce instinct that humans couldn’t really relate to.

With another on the way, Blake’s mind wasn’t sure if her instincts were going to start coding Yang as a threat or not and that was sure to be a very dangerous situation. But god she missed her. Even when Yang was away for days on missions her wife found a way to make time to contact her family so Blake had not gone this long without even hearing Yang’s voice since they became a couple years ago.

Her mother could see Blake stuck in her thoughts as they were making tea and gave a gentle smile, “Blake, you know it is ok to forgive her right? She makes you happy and she loves you. You love her. People make mistakes, sometimes big ones. You can find resolve. You don’t have to leave her if it isn’t what you truly want.”

Blake was placing the kettle on heat to start to boil and sighed, “I know I’m just… Yang is always so protective and fierce that I just feel so betrayed when she does that with Jin. You should’ve seen the way Jin looked at her too, like she had been the one that hurt her. I know if that keeps up when the baby comes, I’ll end up doing something I’ll regret towards her. I really don’t want my inner beast to code Yang as a danger to my children…”

Her mother nodded, “A valid concern. I wish I had exact advice there but I’ve never been with a human and I’ve only ever had you. But, I think if you tell her your fears, you two can work it out if that’s something you want. And if not, our home is more than big enough for you and your children.”

Blake nodded, thanking her mother as the kettle whistled. They settled for tea and discussed a few other things about her new baby as Blake tried to figure out her thoughts.

—--------------------------------

Ghira had taken Jin to town, shown her markets, trails, and they ran into Garnet and Scarlet on their way to the beach. Scarlet stared at her and watched her curiously as Ghira waved to Garnet as they passed.

“That nice woman helped you feel better, her child helped too. You should wave too,” he said sweetly and Jin nodded and waved excitedly, causing Scarlet to blush and wave back too.

When they got to the beach he set her down and held her hand as he let her kick the edge of the water, his hearty laugh deep and full of care. They spent their day on the beach, playing in the waves, building sand castles, and chasing crabs as they retreated from the rushing child until evening came around.

Ghira snatched her up with a playful roar that made Jin giggle and squeal, holding her to his broad strong chest, “We should head back. I’m sure your Nonn has a great feast for us. Hungry?”

She nodded excitedly and he helped her point out the house, her eyes wide at the size compared to the others as they headed home. The docks were lively as they passed them, the captain coming in to dock for the day and the deck hands helping bring the ship in as they passed, Ghira happily answering all of Jin’s curious questions to her delight.

They got back and ate dinner, Jin filling the meal with excited retellings of her day to her mother and grandmother, making her grandfather fill with warm pride at a job well done. Once everyone was turned in for the night, Blake sat on the balcony of the second story, curled up in her pajamas with a hot cup of tea as she watched the night sky, letting her mind settle as much as she could before she tried to get any sleep, not wanting the stress to carry into her night.

—-------------------------

Yang tried to give Blake space after she left her sister’s home, sitting with the others inside as Weiss scolded Dove in ways that would probably make Blake proud. Ruby was patting Yang’s back trying to help as Sterling left the room, avoiding Ruby. Yang noticed that too. She would have to ask about it eventually. It has been super weird lately the way he shrunk away from the younger woman all the time, “I just… How can she want me to be mean to some little kid just acting out because she’s got no dad and feels left out!? Plus, she’s my cousin… it feels… wrong…”

Ruby shrugged, “I don’t know, have you tried to talk about it?”

Yang grunted, “No. I always worry about bringing it up and making her mad. You’ve seen what she’s like when she’s mad over our kid! No thank you.”

Ruby chuckled, “This seems like one big misunderstanding that could be avoided if you two just talked to each other.”

Yang glared at her, pointing in the other room where Sterling, Weiss and Dove were, “Oh yea? Practice what you preach then. What about you huh? Why has your son been so scared of you for like… a year now? And you and Weiss always seem to have this thick air between you that I haven’t felt since we all became a team back in the first year of Beacon! Have you two talked it out? I bet she’s tried because we all know Weiss doesn’t bite her tongue. What about you?”

Ruby frowned and folded her arms, glaring, “This is not about me, thank you!”

Yang growled a bit and stood, heading for the door as Weiss was coming back, “Whatever, I’m out of here. I need to go see about my family. I don’t have time to point out the weird issues with yours.”

As the door slammed Weiss raised a brow, looking from it to Ruby, “What was that about?”

Ruby shrugged, refusing to answer which only annoyed Weiss and the woman got the kids ready for baths so they could get settled into the main house until winter came to get Dove, ignoring whatever mood Ruby was now in.

—------------------------

When yang got home she was watching the floor and her hands as she spoke, not realizing right away that it was empty, “Hey blake listen I messed up but hear me… out… Blake?”

It was dark in the house and extremely quiet. The blonde made her way around the house searching room to room but every room was empty even Jin’s. In her bedroom, a few things were strewn about. A whine left her throat and she checked the closet seeing Blake’s duffle was gone.

“No no no no no,” she whimpered as she rushed down the stairs fumbling her scroll into her hands and trying to call Blake, “Please no.”

It was going straight to a message that the number was out of service as Yang sank into the couch stunned. At the very least, she knew that could only mean Blake was headed to Menagerie as it was the only transit where she wouldn’t have service but with that knowledge in mind Yang knew what it meant. Her wife had taken their daughter and left her. Her pregnant wife had taken their daughter and left her.

The thought made Yang feel sick inside and she hunched over staring at her scroll. She had really made Blake feel like things were so unsafe for their kid that she would be better off leaving and that was killing Yang inside. She had thought Blake had just gone home and calmed down, the thing Blake was prone to do if she was mad until she was more clear headed for them to talk. She never thought Blake would walk out on her, especially not without Yang knowing it was happening.

It forced Yang to reflect on things and the woman was embarrassed at the amount of times their daughter had been injured or in danger and Yang had done little to nothing about it, sometimes even forcing Blake to do nothing as well and excusing the behavior of the girl at fault. She also felt awful about how long Blake had just been forced to accept Yang’s complacency with no explanation. Years. Yang had made her wife feel like she wasn’t helping keep their daughter safe for years and had never really tried to explain herself.

And now they had another one on the way and Jin was really hurt again and Yang had just stood there? Yang took in a sharp breath, still trying to resist crying as she scolded herself, “Yea… I’d leave me too if I were her… ugh… god I f*cked everything up so bad…”

Yang was starting to slump into pity when she slapped her hands to her face, standing up, “Ok! I have to fix this. I can’t just give up my family without a fight!”

She pulled her scroll to her face, listening to it ring until a familiar voice picked up, “Hello? Yang you just left, did you forget something or..”

“No time Weiss. How fast can you get me to Menagerie?” Yang cut the woman off.

If money can get you places quickly, she would need any help she could get and Weiss was still one of the richest people in all of Remnant. Weiss was confused but Yang could hear a door open and close then the sound of typing, “Menagerie? Yang at some point you owe me an explanation but I can probably get you on a private ship. It won’t get you there any faster than a public trip but at least you won’t have to wait for the next ferry opening and you’ll have a signal on your scroll the entire trip. Does that work for…”

Yang’s voice rushed out as the woman was headed back to her door, grabbing only her coat to not waste any time, scroll tucked in her shoulder, “That’s perfect Weiss. Can it meet me at the pier in thirty?”

A bit more sounds of typing and a ding and Weiss confirmed, “It will be there waiting for you in ten.”

The sound of Yang’s bike revved up, “Thanks Weiss. You have no idea how important this is to me.”

Before the woman hung up Weiss responded, a bit of her smugness in her voice, “I don’t, but I will soon enough.”

The trip on the boat was lavish but agony. Yang sort of wished she was on it on better terms so she could actually enjoy the luxury rather than be racked with worry and anxiety the entire time. When she wasn’t struggling to try to sleep at night, she was on deck constantly trying to call or message Blake, hoping to hear the ringing rather than the tone that indicated she was still on the boat.

When the rings finally came however, Blake never picked up. She tried a few times but no answer. She was still a day behind Blake, the boat having to slow because of rough waters once or twice being a smaller ship and all. She tried leaving begging voicemails for Blake to call her back and sent a bunch of messages but when she finally was going straight to voicemail she realized Blake had turned her scroll off to avoid her.

That was a very bad sign was all Yang could think. The blonde was going crazy being unable to talk to her wife or try to explain things and apologize. It was depressing and stressful knowing Blake was being very serious about ignoring her but only spurred Yang to try to fix things even more.

—--------------------------

When the boat docked, it was really dark out. Yang asked the boat to stick around for her, which they gladly agreed being on the Schnee dime, and she trucked herself towards the house with determination.

Walking up she was prepared to beg Kali, Ghira even somehow to be let in to see her wife when she noticed Blake on the balcony staring up at the sky. Yang could just shout but Ghira would probably get pretty mad at her and honestly she wasn’t up to startling any guards either this late.

Looking around she saw a bit of lattice on the side and got an idea, doing her best to move to it and make her way up. She wasn’t dumb enough to hope Blake wouldn’t hear her but she did hope Blake was distracted enough to not notice before she could get up there, not wanting Blake to walk away before she could get a word in.

Blake’s ears flicked and she glanced that way with a raised brow by the time Yang was about half way up. A bit sooner than Yang would’ve liked but she couldn’t do anything about it now except try to get there faster. The faunus moved over to that side of the balcony and glanced down, easily seeing Yang even in the dark and frowned, “Yang?! What are you doing here!?”

In moments, Yang pulled herself up to be leaning over the railing, “Really? You have to ask that?”

Blake helped her over the side of the balcony before letting go, Yang falling to the floor with a thud and a groan, “unf… I always thought if I did that it would be for something more fun than this.”

Blake rolled her eyes, ears flattening angrily. she was not amused by Yang’s joke, “Yang why are you here!?”

Yang slowly pulled herself to her feet, staring at Blake as the faunus crossed her arms, “You just left. I got home and you were just gone. Not even a note. Do you know how that felt?”

“Yang. I…”

“No… let me finish…please. I felt so awful. But it wasn’t because you left me. I mean, yea that sucked, but it was because I realized that I made you feel so alone in caring about our daughter’s safety that you would rather drag her and our unborn child back to an island you don’t like living on rather than stay with me any longer. It made me realize how long you have been just putting up with me doing so little in those situations and I have never even tried to even tell you why or reassure you that I do care.”

Blake just stared at her as Yang reached and took her hands, “I f*cked up Kitten. I felt so torn between one family and another and it was a little kid and it felt wrong to do nothing but it felt wrong to do anything else and I really should have just said something to you sooner and we could’ve worked it out together. But I swear, I will find a way to do something from here on out. I’m not gonna beat her up or anything but I won’t just stand there anymore. I can’t. I’ll do anything if it means you and Jin come back home.”

Yang hadn’t realized she had tears on her face but her gaze was very certain and intent and Blake reached up and touched her cheek, wiping the dampness away, “Yang. I don’t think I could’ve stayed away even if I wanted to. My parents helped me think about the situation you were put in. But I am worried that if it doesn’t improve my inner beast will turn on you. That’s why I came here. I can’t let that happen. So if you can promise me you will try in whatever way you can, I will come home with you.”

Yang pulled Blake close and kissed between her cat ears, “I promise. I’ll be better for you and Jin and the baby I swear.”

The feeling of Blake nuzzling into her and gently purring in response was all Yang needed. Blake pulled away and pulled Yang with her into her room, closing the door behind them and dragging the woman to her bed. Neither of them were in the headspace for anything beyond sleep but both of them had been in desperate need of the other to finally get a decent night's sleep again. They curled up into each other’s arms and easily passed out exhausted.

In the morning, Yang had to face the wrath of Ghira. The man was snarling as he gave her an angry mouthful about her neglect to make his daughter feel like her family was safe, Yang shrinking under his gaze into the couch and only able to give yes sir or no sir responses as she caved to one of the few people who could actually strike fear into her.

By the time he was done, she felt like she was so small she could disappear but Blake didn’t have sympathy, telling Yang as they headed for the ship, “You deserved that.”

Yang groaned, Jin swinging between her parent’s hands happily, “Yea… I know…”

Chapter 21: Roses Wilt

Chapter Text

Ch 21: Roses Wilt

When they got back the first thing Yang did was call Winter. The woman picked up of course, not usually getting calls from Yang so it had her a bit concerned. When Winter answered, Yang was quick to speak her mind, almost growling out her words, “Winter! I don’t care what the hell you have to do but if Dove causes my daughter to get attacked by any more Grimm I swear to god I'll teach her a god damn lesson myself!”

Winter was stunned but her face hardened, eyes glancing across the room at what Yang could only assume was Dove, “I will take care of that right away Yang. I apologize for her behavior. Have a good day.”

Yang nodded and hung up. Blake was watching her from the archway that led to the living room with a bit of a smile, eyes racking over Yang’s tensed flexed form that usually displayed she meant business. When the blonde turned to her she gave a big grin, “There. That should at least get things rolling.”

Blake walked over, the feeling radiating off her wife giving her renewed confidence in Yang as she laced her arms around the woman’s waist, “Hmmm I agree. Thank you Yang.”

Yang chuckled and kissed Blake, “Of course Kitten.”

—----------------------------------

As time went by, Blake and Yang had told their loved ones about the baby, eventually getting the surprise that it was not one but two babies, twins, one boy and one girl. Blake was a mix between excited and nervous but Yang was simply over the moon and so was Jin, the little dragon excited to be getting both a baby brother and sister.

But while their home was full of joy and excitement and Jin getting to help set up a room for the babies, the Rose household had grown cold. Ruby had stumbled across Weiss teaching Sterling about Myrtenaster, the boy being curious about what weapon he might like and Weiss wanting to share the special item with her son.

But that did not go over well with Ruby who was still very insistent against him being any sort of fighter. The entire situation had blown into such a fight that Sterling had hid in his room crying while the two yelled at one another. He had never really been in the middle of such an explosive heated shouting match of his parents before and it scared him.

When it simmered out and the two were unable to stand it any more, Weiss was the first to notice he had disappeared. Still incredibly upset with Ruby she went looking for him without saying anything to her, finding him hiding in his room beneath his sheets. It softened her face and heart quickly and she sat next to the shaking bundle. She wiped her own face first before pulling herself together and gently pulling the blanket back, “Sterling, it’s ok. I’m so sorry we scared you.”

He was quick to cling to her. He was seven now but he was still a fairly gentle little boy. Weiss pulled him close and rubbed through his hair, “I’m so sorry Sterling.”

He whimpered in her grasp nuzzling into her. It broke her heart that she and Ruby had made him like this but it angered her that Ruby hadn’t even noticed. She seemed to not notice a lot lately. He didn’t get as sick as he used to anymore either but Ruby still seemed to treat him like he would. Most of their fight had been Ruby resisting but also Weiss trying her damnedest to get Ruby to just talk to her about her pain on the subject but her wife dodging it.

The amount of frustration it gave Weiss was so intense she almost stopped caring about it all together, the only thing stopping her from doing so was that she loved Ruby. Holding her son she became even more determined to make sure his life was happy and fulfilled with whatever he wanted to learn or explore. She swore to herself he would have a better, more free childhood than she had, hers full of suppression, forced lessons in only what her father wanted of her, denied anything she actually wanted.

She eventually got him to calm down and to sleep and came out seeing Ruby on her scroll, sprawled out on the couch from where she stood on the top of the stairs. It lit the fury within herself again. Weiss stormed off to their room, grabbing Ruby’s pillow and a spare blanket before coming down the stairs, tossing the pillow and blanket at Ruby with force that caused the younger woman to let out a sound, “Oof!”

“Since you seem so comfortable here with yourself, you can sleep here too!” Weiss’s voice was serious and the woman didn’t give Ruby a chance to say anything before taking herself angrily back upstairs and slamming their bedroom door closed.

Ruby just looked at the pillow and blanket and frowned, “Dammit Weiss. Well fine! I didn’t want to sleep next to you right now anyway!”

She tossed the pillow onto the couch and threw herself down onto it with a huff, pulling the blanket over herself. She set her alarm on her scroll ridiculously early, waking long before anyone in the house. She was about to fold the blanket before she scowled and tossed it in a messy heap, mumbling, “She can get mad. I don’t even care.”

Once she had a chance to straighten herself up, she made coffee, caving a bit and leaving enough for Weiss, knowing she would come down soon once the smell made its way to her. While she was still mad at the woman, she couldn’t bring herself to this part of the morning routine. With the cup in the sink and Crescent Rose tucked onto her hip, she raised her hood and slipped out the house for town.

Ruby stared at the screen of missions, signing herself up for anything she could find that looked like it might eat up a ton of time. When she finally found something that was estimated to be a good two weeks or so over in Mistral, she was quick to take it, not even bothering to go back home before heading out for the next airship out of town. It would be a while, nothing left quite that early from the small town, but she got comfortable in the station.

As the woman waited, her scroll buzzed with a message from Weiss wondering where she was. She sent a simple response back, the airship finally arriving as she hit send, ‘Took on a mission in Mistral. Expected to be gone a few weeks. Kiss Sterling bye for me.’

Tucking into a seat for the journey, Ruby put her scroll away and closed her eyes, fully ready to escape the discomfort of talking about anything uncomfortable anymore at home.

—--------------------------

Weiss just stared at the message with her coffee, stunned at how fast Ruby had just up and went off to grab work. Several times she typed out her thoughts on the matter but then deleted it until she chose to say nothing and set the scroll down, rubbing her face with a groan, “Seriously Ruby? Running away won’t make it go away…”

“Mama ran away?” came a small voice from the kitchen archway that pulled Weiss’s face to glance over.

There was her sleepy son staring at her sadly. shook her head and forced a smile, “No Sterling, she just went to work. She said to kiss you bye though.”

He seemed confused but didn’t question it as he walked over and climbed into a stool, Weiss getting out cereal for this morning as she was not in the right mindset to cook anything. Sterling didn’t mind. In their home sugary meals were often more of a treat than a regular occurrence.

But this was the beginning of many mornings like this. Ruby would come back from the long missions and Weiss and Sterling were just so happy she was back that it would be peaceful and content for a few days, sometimes even as long as a week before the arguments would start again the moment Ruby would discover Weiss was still encouraging Sterling’s wishes to learn to be a Huntsman one day and Ruby would disappear off to another job in the wee hours of the morning.

The pattern was a rinse and repeat for so long that Weiss was beginning to be more worn down than angry. Weiss was beginning to miss Ruby’s touch or having the woman next to her at night, growing sad at seeing Sterling miss her while she was gone but have a complicated relationship with her when she was here.

This most recent stunt of Ruby leaving after managing to be home for nearly two weeks was what led to the reason Weiss was now sitting in Yang and Blake’s kitchen in the middle of the night. For the most part she was giving Weiss information on when she might be back and where she was going but any attempts Weiss made at trying to get her to just stay instead of leaving when things were uncomfortable were met with Ruby kissing her to shut her up and telling her “gotta go bye.”

Sterling was asleep on the couch with Jin as a very pregnant Blake handed Weiss some tea. Currently Yang wasn’t home, out on her own mission but the blonde had been on a call with Blake to check in and talk to her family as she did when she could at night on missions when Weiss had shown up. Weiss had just finished explaining everything to Blake and was now slumped onto the counter as she took the tea.

Blake sat across from her with her own cup and watched Weiss for a moment, her friend’s saddened expression felt heavy, “Weiss I’m sorry. Have you tried using that tone you use that can command a room to get her to give you a moment?”

The faunus received a glare before Weiss rubbed her face, “No but I don’t want to fight with her anymore, Blake. I want to talk to her. But we just end up fighting and she won’t listen or talk to me about her feelings other than making it sound like I’m doing something terrible supporting his dreams. Blake of course I’m terrified he will get hurt or worse but… it would be terrible to force him to do something I want for him before he even has a chance to try. There’s several levels of schooling with safety in place before it’s a profession where we can find out if he can or can’t do it and that’s if he even wants to when he gets older. He’s little and just wants to be like his mother right now. What’s so wrong with humoring a little kid wanting to mimic his mother? She was his hero, you know? I know she doesn’t want him to because she’s scared of losing him but… ugh!”

Blake gave Weiss her full attention. She didn’t really know how to help though. Ruby was clearly running from facing the painful and uncomfortable discussion about the losses she has had that were keeping her from supporting her son but it’s not like they could tie her down and force her. That sort of thing never really worked like it did in shows and books and really was not the right way to handle someone’s feelings, “You know Yang is going to try to get involved when she finds out right?”

Weiss glared at her friend, pointing her finger, “Don’t you dare say anything Blake.”

The faunus took in a breath, “She’s going to wonder why you are here.”

“Just tell her I didn’t want to be home right now without Ruby or something?” Weiss suggested, receiving a questioning look from Blake.

“You want me to lie… to my wife… for your comfort?” the faunus’s voice was flat but it was clearly rhetorical.

The smaller woman let out a frustrated groan and gripped her head, “I guess not… I just… if Yang gets involved Ruby will take off and possibly stay gone and I can’t handle that. I… Blake I love her… I miss her so much it hurts…”

A gentle touch landed on one of Weiss’s hands and the woman glanced up at Blake, “I’ll make sure she behaves while you get this figured out Weiss. In the meantime, you and your son are always welcome here. Let me get you set up with a place to sleep so you don’t have to go home right now alright? Honestly it’d be nice to have you around right now anyway. With Yang gone it’s difficult to get things done with this belly of mine.”

Weiss gave a soft appreciative smile before grinning at the large pregnant form of the faunus. Blake was due in a month or so but twins were no easy feat for sure. For a slight moment, Weiss felt a pang in her chest, thinking about Sterling’s lost twin. She hadn’t thought about that much in a long time now, doing her best to move forward with her life and treasure what she had.

But looking at Blake it was hard not to remember. Time has made it easier of course. It was a baby she didn’t even know was there and it was gone before she could be attached to it but that didn’t mean it wasn’t sad. However, that had made it easier to heal her heart. She got up to take their cups and wash them so Blake didn’t have to and as the water ran over the dishes and her hands she couldn’t help thinking about the conversation she and Ruby had about more children.

That was probably never going to happen now at the rate things were going. It was a bit disappointing but it wasn’t exactly like she dared have another baby right now with things so messed up in their home and Ruby constantly running off to danger. She did wonder though if it was even worth bringing back up at any point. Did Ruby even still want to anymore? If she did, would it settle her down enough to actually let things heal at home? No, that was a bad idea and Weiss knew that right? Part of her might be desperate enough but she had to be rational about things.

The faunus was just watching Weiss lost in her mind and took the moment to get a spare room ready for the woman to rest in, bringing a blanket and pillow out to set on the back of the couch before smiling at the sleeping kids and brushing Jin’s blonde hair out of her drooling face and returning to the kitchen, “I can show you where a futon is but I can’t lift it right now. I did pull some bedding out for you though and there are two spare rooms upstairs so I got one ready for you.”

Weiss turned off the water and dried her hands, turning to thank Blake. When the women went back into the dark living room, they watched the kids for a moment, the bedding tucked in Weiss’s arms as Blake whispered, “They’ll be fine here for the night. We set all the locks in the house up too high for Jin to reach because the little rascal was sneaky and curious so they can’t get into any trouble if they wake up before one of us does. Jin might nip you if you try to move her but I know she doesn’t like waking up alone in here.”

Weiss grimaced at the thought of those teeth biting her and nodded, “Right… Sterling can stay down here with her, that’s fine.”

They went up the stairs to the loft and into the hallway, Blake showing Weiss to the room and where the futon was stored before going off to bed, her feet and back aching. After setting up the futon and tucking into the blanket, Weiss stared up at the ceiling in the moonlight and sighed. It took longer than she liked to quiet her mind enough to sleep, so many thoughts running wild. Turning to her side, she stared at her scroll, opening her messages with Ruby and rubbing her watery eyes, tears falling silently in the dark room, whispering to herself, “Ruby… what is happening to us? Please just come home…”

She typed a simple message, hoping to appeal to her wife’s heart, ‘I miss you. I hope you are someplace safe.’

—------------------------------

She had not gotten a reply when she checked it the next day, sunlight waking her late into the day along with the sounds of commotion downstairs. Yang must have gotten back because Weiss could hear the blonde’s voice and the two children in a fit of laughter, though the words were indistinguishable from this distance.

Receiving nothing back from Ruby stung so much she could hardly bring herself to get out of bed, curling up in the blanket with a quiet sob until the door flew open startling her as the kids came running in and tackled onto her, begging for her to wake up and play with them.

Weiss quickly wiped her face before they could see she had been crying and forced herself to smile, sitting up with the two and agreeing to entertain them as Yang stood there in the doorway, “Alright you two! Let’s give her some room to breathe yea!? MArch your little butts down stairs for lunch on the double! I’ll get her up and moving!”

The two giggled and pretended to be soldiers marching off. When they were gone Weiss sighed and flopped back on her back, arm over her eyes as Yang stepped in sitting on the floor next to her, “Hey… Blake told me what’s up. You gonna be ok?”

A million lien question was all Weiss could think as she laid there, “I… don’t know.”

Yang leaned back on her hands staring at the wall thinking, “Don’t worry, Blake made me promise to stay out of it. But I do think Ruby is being a bit much right now if that counts for anything. I know Blake said it already but, come over anytime you need. Lay here all day if you need to, cry, scream, whatever. I’ll keep the kids busy for you. Sometimes, you just need a break to feel yea? We got you.”

She got to her feet and headed for the door, Weiss’s voice stopping her, “Thank you Yang.”

The blonde just nodded and closed the door to head back down the stairs.

—------------------------------------------

As the time came and the twins were born, Yang and Blake were both quite relieved to have a complication-free time around. Ruby was on another mission and not there for it but Weiss sat in the waiting room with Sterling and Jin, struggling to keep the little dragon calm.

When Yang came out to get her the little faunus practically screamed with joy, jumped around. The two disappeared into the room and Weiss sighed. Being here in this hospital didn’t make her heartache any easier. She wished dearly that Ruby was here, getting to see that joy the woman got like when any of their peers had children. Her heart’s longing for Ruby was only getting more painful the longer Ruby behaved like this, but it was hard for her to be here in this place where she lost one baby and where they lost their son before he was given back to them without Ruby with her.

She pulled out her scroll, looking at the screen, her messages with Ruby had become quite one sided aside from Ruby giving details of her next job. It only hurt her more to see it. Attempts to just try to let Ruby know she still loved her whenever Ruby was gone had always gone without response. She sent the update about the babies, healthy faunus cats with ears and promised pictures once she could see them before putting the scroll away.

The more time this all went out the more Weiss felt less like trying, not wanting to bring any more pain to herself, but she hadn’t quite given up yet.

—-----------------------

In the room, Yang held Jin’s hand, holding a finger to her lips as she walked her over. Blake was barely awake, extremely worn out from birthing two children, a baby tucked to her in each arm. Her eyes turned to Jin who was struggling to really see them and gave Yang a nod, the blonde lifting Jin to sit on the bed next to Blake’s legs.

Jin could see the twitching tiny ears of one blonde head and one black one, their hair soft and thick for babies. Blake gently sat up and smiled at Jin, “Do you want to see?”

Jin nodded, in awe. She had actually never seen babies this close before in her rather sheltered childhood so far, being the youngest among her cousins. Yang helped Jin sit next to Blake as the woman gently maneuvered the two bundles so Jin could see them. Yang kept a hold of Jin noticing she was trying to lean a bit too close as the child stared, “Wow… “

Blake leaned and softly kissed her head, “The one with the black hair is your little brother Bao and the blonde is your little sister Mao.”

Jin slowly began to grin, “She’s blonde like me.”

Blake nodded, nuzzling her sweetly, “Yes. You and your Mama.”

She yawned and Yang gently pulled Jin up and back to the floor, “Come on kiddo. Mommy needs to sleep for a bit. Let’s get you back out to Aunt Weiss. You can see them some more later, ok?”

Jin whined a bit but obeyed, going with Yang back to the waiting room with her aunt. As Yang brought her over, she noticed Weiss’s face and sighed, “Ruby still not saying anything huh?”

It startled Weiss but then she shook her head. Yang sat next to her for a moment, “I’m sorry Weiss. sh*t, I don’t even know if I’m ok with it right now that my own sister isn’t even around or answering when my kids were born. Why don’t you take the kids and head home? You can come back tomorrow and see the babies. Blake’s gonna be sleeping for a while anyways and they are just gonna get bored and restless here.”

The white haired woman sighed but stood up, “you’re probably right. I told Ruby I’d send a picture though…”

Yang gave a goofy grin and pulled her scroll out, then suddenly a message from Yang popped up with a very cute picture of the twins in their swaddles on Weiss’s scroll, “Way ahead of you Weiss.”

Weiss rounded up the two older children as Yang went back into the room with Blake after telling Jin bye. Jin was in no way happy about any of it but she did as she was told regardless, wanting to be good for her parents even if she wanted to stay.

When she got them home, Weiss sent the photo with the names of the babies to Ruby and sighed, setting it down knowing she was getting her hopes up waiting for any response. She got the kids fed and set them down with a movie as she tried to get some work done. She had a message from Winter she had gotten a few days ago to come work at Beacon with her but right now she wasn’t really sure if she should take it and had declined though Winter had said she would leave the opening for her should that change in the future. Right now, Weiss worried that taking it would just drive Ruby even further away and currently she was still holding onto whatever sliver of hope remained to try to make things work out.

Sitting down with the kids she stared at the picture of the twins and found herself wondering what Sterling’s sister might have looked like. What she might have been like. Would she be cautious and sweet like him or energetic like Ruby often was? Would she also like her hair long or want to cut it short? She knew thinking like this would only depress her but she couldn’t help it. She typed a message to Ruby sadly, ‘I wish you were here right now. This picture just makes me think about our other baby and I wish you were here to hold me. I’m hurting so much more than I thought I would be.’

But Weiss got nothing back, not that she was really surprised, and as the kids passed out on the couch with the movie she pulled her legs up and hugged them, burying her face in her knees as her pain flooded from her eyes in silent, defeated sobs.

Chapter 22: Azure Skies

Chapter Text

Ch 22: Azure Skies

Weiss looked worse for wear when she arrived with Jin and Sterling to visit the hospital the next day, as if the woman had not slept. In fact she had spent the entire night in tears curled up and couldn’t sleep, every time she managed to nod off exhausted she had nightmares that shook her awake calling for a woman who wasn’t there and the cycle repeated.

Yang had met her down by the cafeteria to feed her and the kids as a thank you for watching Jin but when she saw Weiss she immediately shifted from a smile to a face of pure concern. The taller woman quickly distracted the kids by telling them to go pick out what they wanted, the kind ladies behind the line were more than happy to talk to them as Yang got close to Weiss, “Hey… you don’t look so good. Talk to me Weiss, what's going on?”

Weiss rubbed her tired eyes but she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about it, at least not with Yang and not here of all places. For one, she didn’t want to make Yang feel anything negative about such a happy thing as two healthy babies by admitting what it was dredging up for herself and secondly this place felt too public and too full of those painful memories to talk about here.

But when Yang reached to wrap an arm around her friend so warmly as she did, Weiss couldn’t help the tremble creeping into her shoulders and the choked back sound in her throat, hiding her face with her hands to try to keep herself together. Yang could tell she didn’t feel comfortable so she didn’t push it, instead pulling Weiss carefully closer into a tight hug, gently whispering, “I get it. You don’t have to say anything right now. We can talk about it later. But Weiss, just because I’m a little busy right now with newborns doesn’t mean I don’t have time for you ok? When you’re ready, come talk to me alright? I’m always here for you.”

That almost broke Weiss, her slender fingers gripping into Yang’s shirt tight as she resisted crying in the middle of the busy cafeteria. How could her sister-in-law care so much more than her own wife? It hurt so damn much and it also was making her angry at the same time, which was the only thing helping her keep from bursting into sobs so publicly. Yang was a bit confused of course but she had a general idea, making a mental note to give Ruby a serious piece of her mind the next time she saw her, promises be damned. It had to be bad for Weiss to be this much of a mess.

Before Yang could say much else, the kids came running back over with to go plates and Yang let Weiss go and leaned down to humor them. The blonde was great at keeping the kids excited, as if the world was a playground and Yang just helped them discover it. In a way though, right now Weiss was thankful because it gave her not only a break but distracted them from herself enough to gather herself before the kids could see any sadness.

Yang grabbed two small shirt collars as the kids tried to rush out the cafeteria, getting whines in response as she laughed, “Woah there kiddos! Just where do you two think you’re going?”

Jin whimpered, “Back to Mommy!”

Yang chuckled and lifted a kid under each arm, carrying them over to a table with Weiss in tow, plopping one in a chair each, “Not gonna happen. You are eating here first.”

She received complaints but when she didn’t cave they opened their plates and started at their food. Yang gave them a stern look, “Now stay right here while we grab food. I swear if either of you even dare to try to get up you will learn what I’m like when I’m mad.”

That was enough for them to easily agree to behave, allowing Yang and Weiss to grab their own food, though Weiss really didn’t have much of an appetite and just got something to drink, Yang at least convincing her to get a smoothie so she could get something in her. Yang paid for them and the kids and they got back to the table with them to eat.

Weiss didn’t say much and Yang glanced her way often to see how she was, worried about her. She noticed Weiss check her scroll as if it was a nervous reflex constantly, each time only seeming to bring a flash of pain across her eyes for the briefest of moments before the woman replaced the facade. When the group headed out for the floor Blake was staying on, Yang walked near Weiss and planned her strike perfectly, snatching Weiss’s scroll the moment the woman pulled it back out again, “I’ll take that.”

“Yang! Please give it back,” Weiss gave the weakest attempt at a demand Yang had ever heard from the Ice Queen, surprised at such a flop.

The blonde stared for a moment before shaking her head and picketing the item, “Whatever you are checking it for, it is only upsetting you. We are all here to celebrate life, not be dragged down to the dumps. You can have it back later ok?”

Weis tried to argue but Yang wasn’t having it and eventually Weiss gave up. Maybe it would do her some good to be away from it for a bit. After all, Yang was right, it was only hurting her to constantly check and see nothing back from Ruby. Weiss had been trying to convince herself maybe Ruby couldn’t respond but she knew that was highly unlikely, also she just didn’t want to consider the idea that if that were true something worse might have happened to Ruby.

Before they entered the room, Yang reminded Sterling and Weiss not to touch the babies unless they wanted Blake to actually separate them from their skin and limbs. Weiss would have considered it an overstatement had Yang not seemed dead serious. The room was comfortably dim and the babies were in Blake’s arms though Blake was tired she was more alert than the day before and smiled at the guests. Little ears flicked at the new sounds of feet and the door and the bundles squirmed rapidly until Blake nuzzled them and they calmed.

Weiss took a breath, nervous to get closer. She wanted so badly to have Ruby here right now, to have that reassurance that it wouldn’t hurt because that extra strength would be right there by her side. No, Weiss didn’t want her, she needed her better half there. She only got as close as the foot of the bed before she couldn’t bring herself any closer. She figured it would be ok but the fear that it might not be and she would have to suffer alone was too much and she just couldn’t do it.

Blake must have been able to tell because the kindest look entered her amber eyes at Weiss and her voice was so soft Weiss shook and lost her grip on her walls protecting herself, “Weiss… if you can’t do it yet I understand. I won’t be offended. But if you want to, me and Yang are here for you if it ends up being too much. We know what you lost.”

Nope, she couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t hide anything anymore. Tears found their way to her face and she covered her mouth as her shoulders shook and her knees felt like they might buckle. Blake glanced at Yang and nodded towards Weiss and Yang moved into action, arms around Weiss just as her legs went numb and she nearly dropped. She tucked Weiss into herself so the kids wouldn’t see and whispered encouragement to the smaller woman as Blake kept the babies calm with her purrs.

Weiss was hardly able to speak as she gripped Yang’s shirt, barely a mumble, “W…why isn’t she the one saying those words… why isn’t she here… I have tried to tell her I need her but…she won’t talk to me at all…”

Yang had figured that’s what was going on but she had really hoped she was wrong. She didn’t have any words really to make this better except to continue to insist that she was right there for her friend. Blake was balancing keeping the babies calm and distracting the kids like a pro and Yang was thankful because it gave her the time needed to help Weiss but the blonde wished there were more of herself so she could be in two places at once. There just wasn’t enough of them to juggle everything fairly but boy were they trying.

Yang felt sheer disappointment in her sister seeing Weiss this upset, knowing Weiss was struggling this much and had tried to reach out only to be ignored. She hoped Ruby had a damn good reason otherwise her respect for her little sister was going to be tainted forever. When Weiss seemed to run herself dry, Yang led her out to the waiting room to sit her down and fetched her a cup of coffee, “It’s pretty awful but at least it’s still some joe.”

Weiss took it but mostly just held it, letting the warmth bring feeling to some part of her numb body. Yang inhaled deeply and turned, “I'll be right back ok?”

When she got a slight nod, Yang disappeared into the room. Weiss just sat there, actually a bit glad to feel nothing but numbness except for the heat in her fingertips for a bit, a welcome change to feeling utterly broken. When Yang came back, the blonde knelt at Weiss’s feet, looking up into her face, “Blake is actually doing pretty good so I’m going to go home tonight. I’m gonna take Jin and Sterling with me so why don’t you go home and just try to relax as best you can? Do whatever you need to do without worrying about putting on some strong front for the kids ok?”

“Yang no… your wife just had babies you should be here I’ll..” Weiss started but Yang cut her off.

“It was Blake’s idea actually. It’s really fine Weiss. If you keep going like this without a break you are going to snap and we love you too much to let that just happen to you.” Yang slid Weiss’s scroll back into her lap, “I can keep Sterling with me as long as you need Weiss. He’s a very good kid and Jin loves him to pieces. You’re a great mom. Now please take care of yourself so you can continue to be the best mom that little boy has ever had.”

Weiss didn’t think she had any more tears left in her but she was feeling herself choke up again as she nodded. Yang got her to her feet and down out the building, Weiss getting a driver to get home. If it were anyone else, she would be too worried about Sterling to agree but she trusted Yang to know what to watch for if he got sick and it didn’t happen as often as it used to. She let herself rest as she rode home, eyes closing as she listened to the sounds of the road.

When she got home she stumbled her way in the dark to her bedroom, not bothering with any lights as she shed down to her under garments and crawled into her sheets, curling up clinging to Ruby’s pillow as if for dear life. Suddenly, all the pain was returning in full force. She felt overwhelmed, drowned by it even. Without anyone to worry about hearing her, her body curled around the plush item and she inhaled the faint lingering smell of Ruby’s hair and sobbed deeply, body shaking violently as she finally let herself break completely.

She had left her scroll downstairs in the kitchen. What did it matter anyway? She wasn’t going to get any response and constantly checking was only causing her more pain. This heartache was more painful than anything her family had ever brought her. She felt betrayed by the person who had vowed to love her unconditionally. Everything hurt but mostly she couldn’t stop thinking about how others had been there where her wife had refused during this difficult moment for her dealing with the reminder of her own loss where someone else had everything.

She wasn’t mad or jealous of Blake. Not at all. It was just painful. Same hospital. Same wing. A lot of the same staff even. Same family and friends. But this time, Weiss had to walk all those memories without her strong, supportive wife keeping her afloat. It made it so painfully obvious how much Ruby had helped get her through it, the younger woman truly had been the better half of the more thorny older woman in the past.

She wasn’t sure at what point but eventually Weiss had exerted so much energy she blacked out. No dreams, no nightmares, no nothing but the dark embrace of nothingness one falls prey to when they can take no more and their mind turns everything off for a reset.

—-----------------------

Weiss spent days like this, eventually those days became weeks. She called Yang often to see Sterling and while he was having a hard time he could see his mom was sad and did his best to understand. At this point Blake was already home with the twins and the parents were both exhausted from round the clock care and juggling two kids but not once did they blame Weiss. Their friend, their family needed them and they were there for the call.

They also had Winter’s contact should they truly need Sterling off their hands for a moment and his aunt was more than happy to help if needed but watching Sterling was actually helping them keep Jin busy so they could focus on the babies so they really didn’t mind, even if the two kids had started to become quite competitive with one another, spatting over silly things, getting in harmless tiny fist fights, and trying to one up each other at everything from running in the yard to brushing their teeth.

Weiss was in a dark place though and while she desperately missed her boy, she didn’t think she could really take care of him right now nor did she ever want him to actually see her like this in person. She was only able to sleep when she got so exhausted she couldn’t stay awake any longer. She was barely eating. She hardly left her bed.

She was on her scroll with him one night listening to him talk about his day, her eyes glazing with tears missing him dearly when his sad voice made her heart wretch, “Mommy… when can I come home?”

Weiss forced a smile, “Soon I promise. Mommy is just… sick right now and I don’t need you getting sick too, ok?”

He nodded, though he wasn’t sure he believed that, “Ok Mommy. I love you.”

She took a deep breath, “I love you too Sterling. So, so much. When you do come home I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

He nodded and handed the scroll back to Yang who made sure Weiss was ok for the night before assuring her he was still being well cared for and exchanging farewells. When the call ended, Weiss felt miserable. She hated how sad her son looked. He missed her as much as she missed him and it killed her but she just couldn’t pull herself from her rut right now and that wouldn’t be good for him. Her tired body dropped into that dark abyss of exhaustion again and her scroll slowly slipped from her slack hand as she tried to tell herself she would try harder tomorrow.

—--------------------------

Something was different when she woke up. For starters, her scroll was gone. In its place was something warm and large and smelled familiar. Her eyes were blurry from her tired state so she couldn’t focus on what was there but whatever it was, it was breathing?

Weiss squinted, trying to focus with a groan. Was she seeing things? Wouldn’t be the first morning where she only dreamed she was waking up to something better only to actually wake up to nothing. The figure moved, fingers moving through her hair as the woman grumbled groggily, “R…Ruby?”

The younger woman pulled her closer, voice soft, “Hey… I hope it’s ok I’m in the bed. You didn’t look too good and I was worried and …ooof!”

Weiss had launched herself into Ruby and began to weep, clinging tightly to the younger woman worried if she relaxed even a little her mind would reveal it all to be a trick. Ruby held her close. She didn’t say anything for a long time until Weiss began to calm, “I… Yang called and yelled at me. I didn’t… I was still mad so when you were messaging me I didn’t look at them. I didn’t know what they said. I just thought you were… well being you. But after Yang called I checked them. I had a few things left to tie up before I could leave so it took a few days but… Weiss, I'm so sorry you had to go through all that alone.”

Weiss was gripping hold of Ruby so tightly her nails were digging into her, face pressed into her so close everything around her was dark. She didn’t care anymore about any of that. All she had any energy to care about now was that Ruby was home. f*ck what happened or why. Ruby was here now and she was holding her and that was all Weiss had wanted for weeks now.

The two laid there for hours, Weiss wrapped in Ruby’s grasp, drifting between finally getting real sleep, crying, and just breathing in her scent and absorbing her closeness. Ruby didn’t try to let go, knowing she owed Weiss this much. But Ruby did know she wasn’t going to stay. Deep down she knew this wouldn’t last. She wasn’t going to cave about Sterling and neither would Weiss. They would just fight again. She didn’t want to fight again. She would just take off again to avoid it, to keep pretending she could have her family and not deal with it.

But for now, she would place that on the back burner to figure out later. Right now, Weiss just needed her plan and simple. Weiss was hurting and broken hearted and just needed Ruby’s love. None of the rest mattered in this enclosed bubble right now but this. Ruby kissed Weiss’s forehead and before they knew it evening had started the stretch across the sky.

Tangled in each other, Ruby playing with Weiss’s hair, the older woman looked at her sadly, “You… are going to run again aren’t you? I can see it in your face…”

Ruby glanced away for a moment, “Let’s not talk about that right now. I’m worried about you right now.”

Weiss’s fingers lightly turned her chin so their eyes met again, “Why Ruby?”

The younger woman let out a deep sigh, “Because we are never going to agree on him and I just don’t want to fight about it anymore. And I don’t want to talk about it either. I said what I had to say. Can’t that just be enough?”

Weiss watched Ruby but for once she just didn’t have it in her today to argue or push. She thought on it for a while, “I’m going to keep supporting him. If that angers you and drives you away then… I’ll have to live with that. But… can you at least not be gone this much? We both end up needing you, missing you. Can we find some sort of common ground and give that a try for a while?”

Ruby bit her lip then caved, “I’ll be home a little more, but when I am can we not do any of the Huntsman stuff or talk? Could you at least pretend it’s not happening? We can see how that works for a while? But I’ll still leave a lot. That might be best anyways if you are going to continue helping him regardless of what I think anyway. Otherwise we will just end up fighting again and again.”

Weiss hated it but nodded. It was not ideal. In fact it was kind of a sh*tty arrangement that felt stupid to agree to and really didn’t seem like Ruby at all but Ruby did hate fighting and Weiss hated fighting over their son and especially in front of their son. More so, Weiss hated Ruby hurting their son when she got all wound tight about how much she hated his aspirations. If this was what she had to agree to in order to keep some semblance of her family intact for now she would try it. It had to be better than this suffering.

She poked Ruby’s nose with a frown, “Ok but for the love of god Ruby Rose you cannot ignore me anymore. If I need you like this again then I really need you to try to be here. You have no idea how hard this has been.”

Ruby raised a brow, “Weiss… of course I do. You are never this bad off. I think I can tell.”

—---------------------------------------

Sterling was super excited to finally go home and spend time with Weiss. He wanted nothing more than to be in her lap all day, constantly worried about her and how sick she looked. They had gone to get him a day or so after Ruby had got home, Ruby and Weiss just taking some time together alone.

The choice of compromise really wasn’t fun on anyone but it did end up being better than the alternative for now though Sterling was struggling to adjust to having to not bring up anything about heroes or Huntsmen when Ruby was around. Weiss tried to explain by reminding him how angry it makes Ruby but he was just a little boy after all and just wanted his mother to support him too.

Eventually he was grasping it though it was making him quite bitter with Ruby and he was definitely no longer favoring her at all, in fact it was quite the opposite. He often wanted nothing to do with her and got fussy and angry if she tried to spend a lot of time with him. It did hurt Ruby but she tried not to let it show. Weiss did everything she could to keep her end and Ruby did her best to respond when she could to Weiss when Weiss would contact her during missions. Ruby wouldn’t do as much as Yang did but she tried.

Ruby was much more of a loner when she went out on missions, not in the sense that she didn’t like to work with anyone but more she preferred to not get distracted by anything outside of the task at hand until the mission was complete. So while she did her best to make sure she was watching for anything Weiss might need, she wasn’t really in the headspace to call every night or anything. To be honest, some of that was probably also tied to the fact she was mostly using her missions as an escape but she didn’t feel like trying to break any of that down.

Things between Weiss and Ruby romantically were stale because of it all though for sure. It started to become awkward to cuddle or share touches and kisses definitely stopped all together. This odd compromise was straining things between them, creating a weird sense of dissonance between them that almost felt like stabbing each other in the back even if knowingly.

While it was meant to be a trial to revisit if it didn’t work, both of them didn’t want to face the alternative so they just kept living this way, refusing to discuss it because they knew it would just end up being a spiral into a conversation neither of them wanted to have. Neither of them were ready to let the other go yet, even if they were becoming strangers to each other in the realms of love and lovers. Not that they hadn’t tried of course but it always sort of flopped awkwardly and they would just end up stopping, neither of them feeling right about it.

This continued on for longer than it should really. Way too long. Long enough for even Nora to notice in her calls with Ruby. Long enough for Coco and Yang to have conversations about it on missions in Vacuo. Long enough for Blake to ask Weiss about it. Past the twins' first birthday. Past Blake and Yang deciding to have another baby and telling the awkward couple.

This of course only made both Ruby and Weiss think again separately about whether or not they might ever expand their own family. If they even should or could anymore. Should they even discuss it being a thought they both had. Did they even want to was another thought. Ruby was out on a mission with Coco in Vacuo, a very long grueling one as the thoughts plagued her.

When the older woman noticed her distracted in the field, she decided to pry when they got back to the inn, flopping into her bed as Ruby sat in her own, checking to see if she had any messages on her scroll as Coco lowered her shades to stare at her, “So, what’s got you all dazed lately sharp shooter?”

Ruby frowned and stuck her tongue out at Coco. The fashionable woman chuckled and took her shades off, calling Velvet after Ruby made it clear she wasn’t going to answer. Ruby watched Coco as the woman had an amazing conversation with the rabbit and their only daughter, Jangri, who would be roughly around five or six now Ruby figured. When the woman finally ended the call, Ruby got curious, “Hey Coco, have you and Velvet ever… you know, wanted other children?”

Coco stared at her before she laughed, “Nah. I mean it’s come up once or twice but we both just sort of decided it didn’t matter to us one way or the other. We are happy with what we have. Besides, if we had more, either both of us would have to work or I’d have to spend even more time away from the ones I love. And both of those things are totally a no go. Why? Are you and the Ice Queen thinking about baby number two?”

Ruby turned pink and rubbed the back of her neck shyly but shook her head, “I… once we did but… now I don’t think so…”

Coco didn’t think it was her place to say what she really felt, knowing what she knew from her talks with Yang. She and Yang did tons of missions together after all. In fact she was only on this one with Ruby because it was too long for Yang to want to take and Ruby begged for Coco to take her instead when Yang mentioned it. Instead, Coco relaxed into her hotel bed and stared out the window, “I think I’m not the one you should be talking to about this. Sounds more like something to talk to your lady about doesn’t it?”

Ruby groaned but it made sense. She reached to turn out the light and they both went to bed for the night. It plagued Ruby for the rest of her mission but she just felt too distant from Weiss to try to bring it up.

—----------------------------------

While Ruby was away on that mission, a tragedy happened for Blake that led to Tai, Qrow, Raven and Weiss all doing their best to help where they could to take the kids off the couple’s hands so Blake could grieve.

She had gotten ready to call to give them the news about the new baby when Ilia’s number rang on her scroll instead. Within moments Yang watched Blake go from excited to an absolute wreck. Kali and Ghira had been with a group trying to help expand Kuo Kuana into the areas that had always been uninhabitable in order to help with the growing population when the creatures of the area overwhelmed the party, completely killing every soul present.

Blake had lost her parents in an instant and had not even known they were involved in such dangerous things at their age though her father had always believed in doing right for his people. For days, Blake could only cry in Yang’s arms at her loss but it also tore her up inside to know that they would never know about their new grandchild.

While her parents only ever had Blake, they loved that Blake wanted a big family. Blake had learned through telling her mother how she and Yang wanted many children that the only reason she was an only child was because her mother had a health issue after she was born and could no longer have children anymore. Kali and Ghira had always intended to have many but it just wasn’t in the cards so they were over the moon to know they would get to have many grandchildren.

The kids ended up rotated between the twins with Tai or Weiss while Jin was with Raven or Qrow with Yang popping in anytime Blake was ok enough for her to leave long enough to check on their children. Yang also took Blake to the funeral in Menagerie, Weiss helping get them there and back on a private ship so they could have a scroll signal to avoid adding stress of no contact since the twins were still so young.

Ruby had made it back home during all of this as the twins were with Weiss, Yang having filled Ruby in on everything already. It ended up taking several weeks before Blake was even remotely ready to get back to her normal routine and in that time Ruby didn’t take on any other missions once she got back, helping Weiss to care for the twins.

In a way, it did help sort of bond them again a bit and make Ruby wonder if another baby really was a good idea. After all, when Weiss was pregnant they were especially close and caring for these babies was making a lot of their weird rift seem to clear up, though it didn’t occur to Ruby that this could simply be due to the fact they were working together on something so in sync again and not because of babies themselves. She was smart but not always full of the most common sense really.

When Blake was functioning again all she wanted was to have her children home again. She would of course be sad for a long long time but she was ready to try to move on and needed normalcy back in her life or she would just drown in her despair. She also just wanted to provide the best memories for her children in the same ways her parents had for her and she couldn’t do that if they were all dispersed with other people.

Sending the children back made Ruby sad a bit. She didn’t want her relationship to get awkward again now that the thing that seemed to be mending it was leaving. She was feeling a bit desperate even and that was giving her wild ideas that were probably better left alone. She started spending her evenings when she wasn’t on missions trying to figure out the best way to bring it up. She also was trying to keep things less awkward although that was backfiring drastically, only proving to make Weiss uncomfortable.

If she attempted to cuddle, Weiss would ask if she was ok. If she tried to kiss her Weiss would stop her and tell her she wasn’t in the mood for it, though she always sounded as if she was disappointed that she didn’t want to, like Weiss wished she did but just couldn’t bring herself to. It frustrated Ruby and she had to admit it felt a little forced for her too.

—----------------------------------

When the time arrived that Yang called to tell them Blake was in labor, Ruby and Weiss were doing their best by this point in time to try to fix the weird feeling between them but it was only overwhelming for both of them and a bit depressing. Leaving Sterling with Tai, who was already watching Jin and the twins, they left to go see Blake and the new little girl, whom Yang and Blake had named Azure, a little cat eared faunus with black hair and amber eyes.

Ruby looked at Weiss in the back seat on their way over and reached, daring to hold her wife’s hand. For once, it finally felt natural and warm again. The two blushed and Weiss gave a soft smile. It was so nice to be able to do that and it not feel forced or weird for once after so long. It gave Ruby enough confidence to dare to ask, “Hey Weiss… do you ever think about still having another baby someday… you know… with me?”

Weiss rolled her eyes, “As opposed to what? With someone else?”

Ruby’s silver eyes glared at her, “You know what I mean!”

Weiss let out a sigh and her hand slipped away from Ruby’s gently. ‘N-No… wait… hold on come back…’ Ruby thought as the feeling of Weiss’s soft hand left hers.

“I used to. But I haven’t thought about that in a long time Ruby. Honestly, it’s probably for the best if you don’t either,” Weiss answered but Ruby could hear the hint of disappointment in Weiss’s voice as her eyes gazed back out the window away from Ruby.

“Weiss…” she started but the woman held up her hand.

Weiss’s voice was a bit sharp as she stopped the conversation in its tracks, not letting Ruby see her expression for fear it would defy her words, the woman unable to admit she did wish that could have been something they could have had but knowing better than to try that in their lives as things were, “Ruby please. Can you let it go? I think we both know the reality here don’t we? Let’s just enjoy the son we do have and cherish the children Blake and Yang have and forget what could have been… please.”

The please felt like it was added as a way to try to be nice about things rather than to attempt a pleasant request so Ruby didn’t try to press things. Besides they were almost there anyway and she didn’t think showing up fighting would help her side of the argument at all. However in her mind she hardly accepted this defeat, her gears turning to figure out what she could do to reapproach the matter.

Chapter 23: A Tricked Rose Will Prick

Chapter Text

Ch 23: A Tricked Rose Will Prick

The Xiao Long household was a wild one at this point. Jin was a very lively kid, the twins now two followed her everywhere they could. The house was loud with laughter and the common qualms of a newborn but their parents wouldn’t have it any other way really. It was rough at times sure when Yang had to still work from time to time, doing her best to take as few jobs as she could while Blake was trying to balance a 4 month old baby with two toddlers and a kid but money was something that didn’t wait on when it was convenient.

The hardest days were when Sterling was added to the mix. While he was a super well behaved boy who just wanted to pick through Blake’s library of books or stay inside, he was easily roped into whatever shenanigans their own children were getting into with Jin as the obvious ring leader. It wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t get Ruby all pissy with them every time he so much as got a scratch on him. Of course Yang didn’t give a damn and just ignored her but Blake hated hearing it at this point.

It led to where things were now. For Sterling to see Jin when Ruby was home, the kids could only go to his house, Ruby refusing to let him go there after the last time he went and got a pretty nasty cut in his leg from a bad fall in the yard that ended up with a bad infection because his body just couldn’t fight off the bacteria very well. Weiss thought she was being ridiculous but, in an attempt to avoid an argument, she went along with it, begging Blake and Yang to just humor the younger woman at least while she was home so she wouldn’t have to deal with it, plus her relationship with Ruby was at least starting to be a bit more normal when they did see one another and she didn’t want to back pedal.

Yang almost said no. She felt a bit insulted at the implication to her parenting, but she didn’t want to be the one to blame if a wedge formed between the cousins so she relented. Now, Yang hadn’t really seen much of Dove in a while, being a bit busy with her forming family and Weiss, so when she pulled up at the house with the kids she was a bit taken aback at the sight of her on the porch.

Puberty had clearly begun for the preteen and already the fine features she had been graced with by her mother and even Qrow’s slender frame and narrow eyes were showing in a mix on her that was going to stun someone someday. From a lanky child came this flower that Yang didn’t expect and she wished Qrow knew so she could tease him about the people that were going to have to be fought off the more the girl grew.

Yang walked up with the kids who ran inside to find Sterling, the twins slow behind but following best they could. The woman stopped looking at Dove who stood there watching the kids quietly, “Well look at you huh? If your hair wasn’t so obvious I almost wouldn’t have recognized you. What are you like… ten?”

The girl frowned and folded her arms, “I’ll be twelve in a few months, thanks!”

‘ There it is, that Schnee tone. Knew it was in there somewhere. No denying it’s in her that’s for sure, ’ Yang thought with a chuckle, “Well aren’t you just charming? My bad. So you are here too huh?”

“Mom had things to do. I wanted to go with her but she wouldn’t let me,” Dove responded bitterly.

Yang could only assume it meant one of Winter’s endeavors must cross paths with Qrow or someone close to him. She tried not to let it bother her. She may have that annoying Schnee tone but she had this co*cky demeanor to her that screamed her father all over. It wasn’t co*cky in the entitled way the Schnee’s used to be but in the confident sort of way like no one could really stop her if they tried. That red eye was staring back at Yang, the blue one barely peeking past swooped bangs.

One of these days, Yang was going to have to ask Winter why she gave Dove her father’s last name even though she didn’t want to tell him about her. It was so curious to her really. Did she tell Dove his name even? The girl looked like she was killer smart, probably too much for her own good really. She probably hung around the campus too much too and picked up on a lot, there not being much else for such a young kid to do there.

The weird staring contest of sorts was interrupted by Weiss as the woman stepped outside, glancing with a raised brow between the two, “Am I interrupting?”

Yang chuckled, broken from her line of thought watching Dove huff and walk inside past Weiss. The shorter woman let the door close behind herself as she stepped fully outside with Yang, “Sorry she is a bit mad that she’s here. She doesn’t like when she can’t accompany Winter, especially when her mother won’t tell her why. I’m beginning to suspect she has already figured it out to be honest.”

Yang nodded, “Yea well… she seems like she might be a smart kid so I wouldn’t be surprised. But geez she is really growing into her own huh? Winter’s going to have to put in double the work to keep the boys off that kid on day! Sheesh! Makes me nervous thinking about when Jin gets older.”

Weiss giggled a bit and rested her arms over herself, leaning back against the house, “You have a few years before you even have to think about it. Besides, with those teeth I think the boys will be too scared to try.”

They shared a laugh before Weiss spoke again, “She’s not here right now by the way. You can relax. She went on some important errand. Not sure where she was being… suspiciously vague. But Ruby did say it would take her a while.”

Yang let out a deep breath and felt her shoulders relax, “Weird but at least I don’t have to worry about her saying something that will piss me off. How on earth can you even still be happy like this Weiss? She’s being so damn stupid and stubborn and it can’t possibly be sunshine and rainbows for you.”

The woman stared off across the front yard quietly for a bit before she answered, trying to think of what to say. Really it was the most minimum of a semblance of happiness but she loved her and she couldn’t help it, so for now she just dealt with it and let herself find whatever joy she could in what she could get, as sad as that sounded. She didn’t want to say it so pathetically though, “It’s complicated I suppose.”

Yang let out a huff and frowned, “That’s an understatement. Well, I’m gonna head back home to help with the baby. The kiddos have their backpacks for their sleepover. If they become a handful just call me ok? They can be… well they can be a lot I’m not even gonna lie to you. Don’t worry if you can’t handle it, I do not mind coming to get them no matter the time.”

Weiss rolled her eyes, “Yang, it’s not the first time I have kept them. I think I can handle a little bit of excitement in my home. Now get out of here before Blake wonders what’s taking you.”

The blonde gave a grin and waved as she left. When she was gone Weiss tried to take in the scenery for a bit while she tried to think but she should’ve known better, the sounds of childish arguing already flooding throughout the house and pulling a sigh from her as she headed inside.

When she walked in, her eyes widened and her brows twitched. In such a short amount of time, Jin and Dove had managed to be in a scuffle on the ground, Sterling was yelling for them to stop, and the twins were covered in some sort of mess from the kitchen, the fridge door wide open. The mess was also on the floor and on the girls who were rolling in their fight, yelling at each other. They had broken through the coffee table as well and Jin was growling, shouting, “Take it back!”

“No! You hot blooded mongrel! I will not!” Dove shouted, screeching when Jin gripped and pulled her hair, swinging her fist at her as she pinned her in the mess on the floor.

Jin snapped at her but missed, refusing to release her hair. Weiss snapped out of her shock and in moments the two were floating from one another in bright white glyphs, “Ok that’s enough! What in the world even is happening here?!”

Both girls immediately started shouting over each other trying to explain, causing a twitch to start in Weiss’s forehead. Her face scrunched and she silenced them again. Sterling came over, “Dove called Jin something rude, I can’t remember what, and Jin pushed her into the coffee table. Then they just started fighting.”

Weiss stared at him, “And the jelly everywhere?”

He shrugged, “Dunno. The twins disappeared for a while and then when they came back they were covered in the stuff.”

A heavy sigh left Weiss as she looked at them all. Yang wasn’t kidding that was for sure, “Geez when did you all get so wild? You were over here not but like a month ago. Ok. Sterling, get the twins to the bathroom please so I can get them in a bath. Dove, Jin, I’m going to put you both down and you are both going to clean up this mess. And so help me if you start any fighting again you will both be in serious trouble. Everyone understand?”

When she got acknowledgements from the older kids she set the two down and gave them both stern looks. The two had enough sense to not challenge Weiss in a bad mood and got to work cleaning up the mess. Sterling took a toddler in each hand with his own and got them to follow him to the bathroom as Weiss looked over her coffee table perturbed. She really liked that piece of furniture.

She wasn’t sure how two little girls managed to break it but they had. For now she moved it quickly to a room she could close off so she didn’t have to worry about the twins hurting themselves on it and went to get the toddlers clean, leaving the two girls to themselves. Dove was annoyed, mopping the kitchen floor as Jin cleaned the living room, “This is all your fault firebreathe.”

Jin growled, “Leave me alone Dove.”

The older girl grit her teeth, “No! We’re in trouble because you have a damn temper!”

Jin threw the mop to the floor, fists clenched, “No! It’s because you are a jerk!”

Sterling was coming back and he looked at them, “You better stop before Mom punishes you both…”

The girls both grunted but said nothing else as they went back to cleaning. What started it all was that Dove had been adoring the kitty toddlers but the moment Jin had come close, the girl’s attitude changed and she began calling Jin foul slurs about her teeth, making Jin feel like garbage and the little dragon got so self conscious she struck rather than let Dove see her cry.

While Dove had not done any Grimm stuff to Jin or anything anymore since that last time, the girl was still very mean to Jin or pushed her around and Jin often ended up feeling insecure around her.

—---------------------------------

Ruby sat in a room as the doctor came in. When he looked her way he seemed surprised, “Just… you? By yourself? Where’s…”

Ruby waved him off, “I mostly came to ask you some questions.”

That wasn’t a lie, though it wasn’t the entire truth either. But she didn’t think he needed to know everything. He sat down and gave her his attention, “Alright then. What can I help you with?”

Ruby fidgeted for a moment before she asked, “You still have our genetics in your system correct? So in theory… you could make the doses without us both needing to come into the office right?”

He squinted confused at her and rubbed his chin, “Well I suppose I could. It’s not really something we do regularly though once or twice in my practice there have been reasons I’ve had to in order to provide for a couple. Doesn’t your wife work from home though? Why wouldn’t she be able to come with you?”

Ruby squirmed a bit but was quick to find a way to save herself before he noticed anything, “She’s just been super busy lately and Sterling still gets sick pretty easily so he doesn’t really go places much. We don’t really want to bring him here either so... You know how it is.”

He stared for a moment before he smiled, “Yes I imagine I do. Well, what route are you looking for exactly?”

He explained the options, improvements having been made to the growth option since Yang used it for the twins like the taste and some of the arousal additives from the other options had been included too with good results. For what she had planned, that was probably going to be the best option though probably the one Weiss would get the most annoyed over.

She bit her lip and told him which one she wanted before he got up to leave the room, “Since things will be different this time, considering your wife doesn’t have a uterus anymore, I’ll need new samples from you and we need to see what your ovulation cycle is. So you won’t be going home with anything today but hopefully we can get everything charted out and on your next visit you can take what you need home. I’ll just step out for a moment so you can get into the gown.”

For a split second, the fact she couldn’t get it all in one visit had her second guessing her choices. However she steeled her resolve and got into the gown and onto the bed. She had already decided over the two years since it had come up last that she wanted this. She had put the efforts in when she was at home into trying to make her romantic life with Weiss less clunky and uncomfortable even if she still ran off on missions a lot to avoid fighting over their son every time the tension started to build up about the topic.

Still, maybe this could actually work out? And Sterling would have someone to play with that didn’t get him into messes and put him in danger. It wouldn’t be that weird would it? Her and Weiss were back to sleeping in the same bed and even sharing intimate moments though not nearly as often as when things were blissful between them. Still Ruby would take that over feeling a cringe inside from each of them when they even tried to share a kiss.

She was yanked from her thoughts by the doctor returning. To say the process was unpleasant for her was an understatement but she just kept her mind on the end goal until it was over. Ruby had never really enjoyed these sorts of exams personally and even neglected yearly check ups of her feminine health often because of the same reason so long as she felt healthy.

When he was done he tried to make it less awkward for her and apologized for any discomforts, taking what he needed over to the small desk and running tests through the tech on the desk, “Hmmm well you aren’t quite ovulating at the moment but it seems like it could happen soon. Few days max. I’ll get it over for a more exact analysis and in the meantime I’ll get the serums ready so that all you will have to do is come by and pick them up when you are ready. I’ll send you a message this evening with the pick up time and when you should take them. Should we charge the costs to the account on file or…”

Ruby rushed to cut him off, “NO! I mean… no. I’ll be paying for this one actually.”

He shrugged and accepted her payment. Ruby had spent the two years saving her mission funds for this in case she needed to make this purchase without Weiss’s money. What she made on her missions Weiss didn’t bother with. IT was her earnings and she could use them how she wanted as fair as either of the women were concerned. Weiss made more than enough to cover any necessities and still have plenty to use for anything she wanted or her family wanted as well so it was fine by both of them.

Honestly Ruby could do all her missions for free and Weiss would still willingly make sure she never wanted for anything but that wasn’t really how Ruby wanted things and Weiss was fine with that too. He left the room and Ruby got dressed to head home. On her way, she took a normal mode of transportation so that she could figure out what she would say should Weiss press to know where she went.

When she got back though, she was pleasantly surprised to find Weiss sitting on the couch, the twins on either side of her tucked close in her arms, Jin sitting on the floor in front of Weiss leaned back into her legs, with Dove and Sterling on either end of the couch. Dove and Bao the only two awake while a movie was playing. Jin was drooling, causing Ruby to chuckle at how much she reminded her of Yang.

Weiss glanced her way and watched Ruby quietly make her way over, leaning her head back to look up at the woman as Ruby leaned over from behind the couch to hug Weiss’s shoulders, whispering sweetly, “You look good covered in kids Princess.”

Weiss rolled her eyes but one corner of her mouth fought against a grin, “Don’t you sweet talk me Ruby. Where did you go anyway? I would have loved a hand here. I’ve had to break up three fights today, wash two kittens who, turns out, love water, and your son is catching a cold.”

Weiss didn’t seem mad. More than anything she seemed curious, maybe a bit suspicious, and truly sounded like she might have even been a bit upset. To be fair, it was Ruby who insisted they come here so maybe Weiss just felt like Ruby should’ve been here to help with the chaos. To Weiss’s credit, they only had one kid who was very calm and quiet so the three Xiao Long kids alone were a handful to add to the mix, nevermind adding dove on top of all that.

Ruby kissed Weiss’s forehead and rested her cheek lightly against it, “Sorry. I had some important stuff to handle. Pretty confidential actually. But you look like you managed ok. Now what’s this about fights?”

Weiss didn’t seem to be buying it but she wasn’t pushing the issue either. Bao squirmed a bit as he started to fall asleep and Dove glanced over before leaning on her hand and ignoring them, knowing she was being talked about. Weis reached up to run her fingers along one of Ruby’s arms wrapped around herself until her fingers found purchase in between her wife’s and she sighed, “The girls just couldn’t seem to get along today. Notice anything missing?”

Ruby hmmed peacefully when Weiss took her hand but raised a brow at the question and lifted her head to look around. It took her a bit to realize it since she didn’t spend nearly as much time here as her family did. What drew her eyes to it, or rather the lack of it, was that Jin wasn’t bunched up in any way in order to sit where she was in front of Weiss. Normally, the area would be a bit of a squeeze because of Weiss’s favorite living room piece. The woman blinked in disbelief, “No way… they didn’t… but you loved that table!”

Weiss just gave a light nod, her head lulling a bit to the side into Ruby’s arms, “They did. During their first fight only minutes after the kids got here. I might need you to bring it out for me tomorrow while I watch the kids. All I had time to do was hide it out of reach so no one could get hurt on the pieces.”

Ruby just gave a light squeeze and nodded, kissing Weiss’s cheek. As the movie credits started to roll, the younger woman helped Weiss get the kids into sleeping arrangements. Dove got to stay in the spare room, which had long since been turned into a room for her for when she was here since she stayed so much. The preteen took herself to bed after wishing her aunts goodnight. Weiss brought the twins to the old nursery where Sterling’s old baby bed still was. They had originally held onto it back when they were tossing around the idea of more children but then kept it when Yang and Blake decided to be rabbits, finding it came in handy.

While Weiss got the twins into bed, Ruby got Sterling into his bed and came back to get Jin into the futon on the floor in Sterling’s room. It was strange but whenever Sterling was around Jin just still couldn’t handle being in a room by herself. Ruby had once posed the theory maybe it was the little bit of the Brothers in them desiring to be close to one another but it was just a guess. It wasn’t like anyone had any better ideas. Sterling would also always seem to end up in the middle of the night wherever Jin was too in his sleep so this was just easier. Everyone just sort of figured they would eventually grow out of it.

When Ruby got to her room, Weiss was already sitting on her side of the bed, currently finishing sliding into her nightgown before reaching to pull her hair free and let it down. No matter what, Ruby could not deny that her wife was indeed still one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. Weiss was still just as toned but slender with perfect pale skin and silky long hair, radiating a poised femininity and confidence that only added to her grace and beauty.

Who could blame Ruby for staring? And who could blame Ruby for thinking she was lucky to be able to call Weiss hers, even if things weren’t perfect? Weiss had turned, pulling a leg up and draping her arms around her knee delicately as she leaned her face into her arms, breaking Ruby’s gaze, “Are you going to spend your night standing there staring or are you going to come to bed with me?”

The younger woman grinned and closed the door behind herself as she walked over. She climbed onto the bed on her hands and knees leaning close to Weiss, the older woman’s eyes closing gently as she felt Ruby’s breath growing closer. She was so ready for their lips to meet that when they didn’t she got confused and her eyes opened to see Ruby had sat back on her heels and had her scroll in her hand. What a mood killer really even if this was just something innocent. Weiss would never f*ck her wife with all these kids in her house that weren’t hers, but that wouldn’t stop her from sweet nothings and soft touches.

Ruby was making a goofy but wicked smile staring at her scroll and it made Weiss a bit miffed. What on earth had the woman so interested that those silver eyes that were so hungry for her moments ago had just been so easily distracted? Well that just wouldn’t do for Weiss at all.

As Ruby read the message the doctor had finally sent with a pick up time for the morning after tomorrow and instructions to use things as soon as she got home, she felt a mix of dizziness and nervousness at the plan she was going to put in motion soon. Weiss frowned and leaned closer but the message was closed before she got a chance to snoop, “Ruby what could possibly be so important that you just stop like that? You never just stop before… What’s going on?”

Ruby chuckled sheepishly and tried to change the focus by leaning back over to attempt to continue where they left off only for Weiss to shift enough for Ruby to fall flat on her face past Weiss, the woman folding her arms, Ruby’s groan and muffled voice audible in the sheets, “The moment’s kind of ruined now, isn’t it Weiss?”

Weiss flicked her head in response, “You are hiding something from me of course it’s ruined. You spoiled the moment. God ruby all you had to do was kiss me your scroll could wait.”

Ruby whined into the sheets before sitting herself up with an apologetic face, “I’m sorry Weiss. Please don’t be mad.”

Weiss rolled her eyes and got under the covers, her voice level. She was over it already but the mood was already ruined and she could feel how tired she was again, “Let’s just go to bed Ruby ok? I know the twins wake up early.”

Ruby let out a pout and crawled into bed, glad Weiss at least let her cuddle into her back and hold the older woman. Ruby fell asleep before Weiss did though, the woman a bit worried about whatever secret Ruby was clearly not sharing with her and trying to convince herself she was just over reacting. Ruby wasn’t a liar after all, or at least she never had been.

—-------------------------------

The next day came, the twins easily waking Ruby and Weiss with upset screaming that then woke the rest of the kids, at the crack of dawn. Throughout the day, Ruby was just in a great mood, easily breaking up the spats between the girls and helping with Sterling. Seems it may have just been some allergies though because he was fine today. Yang showed up for the kids before dinner time, praising the couple for being able to handle them for so long.

Weiss was going to tell Yang about the fighting but Jin seemed to give her a pleading look so she didn’t this time. When Winter came to get Dove, the girl seemed annoyed with her for having just dropped her off without telling her why she couldn’t stay with her. This gave Ruby an idea and she jumped in, trying to smooth things out, “Hey how about Sterling goes with you for a day or so and you can have time together just the two of you? I know it’s been a bit.”

Dove still loved getting to hang out with only Sterling and the idea made the girl look over at Winter hopeful, “Please Mom? I never get to spend time alone with him anymore.”

Both Winter and Weiss were giving Ruby odd looks for two very different reasons. Winter because the woman had put Winter in a position where she couldn’t say no and Weiss because Ruby rarely behaved like this and it was making her even more suspicious. Ruby just played dumb as if this was her only motive. Winter sighed when Sterling also begged, loving any chance he got to explore Beacon with Dove, “Fine. Get a bag together. I’ll take you for the next few days and bring you home Sunday. How's that sound?”

The two cheered and Dove ran with him to help him get his things. When they were out the room winter gave Ruby an earful about inviting Sterling over without asking but the way Ruby was reacting made the woman think maybe Ruby was fishing for some alone time with Weiss so she let it go. When she and the kids left and the house only held Weiss and Ruby, the older woman’s stare was burning into Ruby’s head, “What are you up to, Ruby Rose?”

Ruby gave a shy smile and rubbed her neck, her voice squeaked, “Me?! Nothing!”

Weiss definitely didn’t believe her this time but she was too tired to argue, “Ruby I swear...”

Ruby was so nervous and excited that night she could hardly lay still or sleep. Weiss on the other hand was so exhausted from chasing kids all day she couldn’t stay awake. She was laying clung to Ruby using an arm around her waist, her head on Ruby’s chest and body pressed close to her side. Sure she was annoyed with her wife for being so secretive but she still had found ways to convince herself it was either a misunderstanding or some sort of surprise or that it really was some confidential thing with work.

Ruby watched Weiss sleep and briefly wondered if she was doing the right thing. It was actually not a good thing she had planned, at least not for Weiss. But she wanted this so badly now and had spent two years figuring it all out. She couldn’t bring herself to turn back. She could try talking about it again but it scared her that Weiss might still be adverse and that would just make this plan of hers even more wrong.

She reached and brushed some hair out of Weiss’s face. The woman always looked peaceful in her sleep like this. She leaned and kissed her forehead and whispered in a slight whimper, “I just hope you forgive me and that this goes well. I love you so much.”

—-------------------------------

Ruby had slipped away while Weiss was still sleeping. To get to the office when it opened she had to leave pretty early. She squeezed her eyes shut and chugged down her own the moment she picked it up, wanting hers and Weiss’s to kick in at the same time. She coughed at the taste. It had a sharp tartness that almost burned her tongue and she made a few gagging noises. Once she got back, the woman was still in bed and it was still fairly early. Ruby fidgeted with the concoction as she got coffee made for Weiss. The one she needed Weiss to drink was bitter with a hint of sweet tones and she figured it would be able to mix in the coffee decently enough.

She stared at it and sighed. Ok this was really wrong and she knew it but this stuff wasn’t going to last forever. The coffee finished. She wasn’t worried about how long it might take for Weiss to drink it. Weiss always finished her first cup in the morning quickly. Standing there with the cup and the serum she just stared at both. Should she really do this? Even if she did there was no guarantee this wouldn’t go terribly wrong and never be able to be fixed.

What did this even mean she was doing to Weiss? It was deceptive and immoral but it wasn’t like the serum would force Weiss to have sex with her so it wasn’t rape but Weiss wasn’t conscenting to drink this either. Ruby’s head hurt with the technicalities and she almost just threw the serum away. How did she even get to this mess anyway rather than the way things used to be when they were open with one another? She rubbed her face and groaned, pouring it into the cup and mixing it in cleanly, “Sorry Weiss…”

Like always, the smell of coffee woke the older woman and she came down, not bothering to dress herself or anything since it was just the two of them with nothing to force her to start her day yet. Ruby was at the counter. While she had made the step to mix the serum in her wife’s coffee, she still wasn’t certain she wanted Weiss to drink it. The back and forth in her brain was dizzying, only her desperation really driving her at this point forward.

Weiss walked in yawning and gave a tired smile. She loved when Ruby made her coffee. Such a small gesture but it went a long way for Weiss. She sat on a stool across from Ruby and gently took the cup, still too tired to notice Ruby’s nervous behavior, “You know… While I was putting the twins to bed the other night it really got me rethinking some things… Maybe we could talk about another kid again? If you are ok with talking about it?”

Ruby’s eyes went wide. ‘ oh no…. oh no oh no oh no…’ Weiss brought the cup to her mouth and Ruby reached for it, a desperate sound leaving her lips but, for a woman with such a fast semblance, she couldn’t catch her in time before Weiss drank it. Ruby let out a bit of a squeak and let her hand drop to the counter as Weiss lowered the cup, staring at her, “I-it was just a thought. I’m sorry I mentioned it.”

‘ Oh Weiss… what have I done…’ Ruby thought as she tried to pull herself together.

This was bad. It was already bad but now it was going to be ten times worse. Weiss was going to be so upset with her when she realized what Ruby had done but now the woman would probably actually kill her or worse. Oh yea, worse was probably what would happen. Plus, hearing Weiss say that only made Ruby realize how terrible it was to have gone about things like this instead of just being honest with Weiss.

Couldn’t be helped now. Weiss had finished her coffee in the time it took Ruby to batter herself mentally, rightfully so. Today was going to be awful and unfortunately she wasn’t going to be able to run away this time, not after being so obvious to get them time alone.

The doctor sure wasn’t kidding that the effects would start for Weiss fairly quickly. And Ruby’s choice to chug her own early had done the trick to have her own kicking in now too. It had been improved since they made Sterling, that or Weiss really was so much more put together than Ruby ever thought because it was hitting Ruby hard. She could feel her body breaking into a light sweat and her core soaking as her desire and sexual need rose rapidly in herself.

Weiss, however, seemed miserable. The woman was originally next to Ruby checking a few emails on her tablet before it started to kick in. Weiss wanted to just stay in bed for the morning and drag Ruby with her. She had thought to try to cheer Ruby up, thinking maybe she had upset her not knowing Ruby had simply upset herself. But now Weiss was hunching over herself in utter agony as her anatomy was shifting internally first, burning inside in a way that was so painful.

It only made it worse not knowing it was coming, scaring Weiss a bit not knowing what was going on with her body so suddenly. Ruby could only watch, feeling even more shame now in her poor choices. She wanted to try to soothe Weiss but before her hands could make contact she pulled them away, not feeling like she had the right to do so. On top of all the pain Weiss was in, she was also feeling an intense increase in her lewd desires for Ruby as well which was confusing her even more. At least, until she noticed as she was curled toward herself the rather obvious tenting that formed under her nightgown.

A flash of anger filled her as she turned towards Ruby, panting a bit as the pain began to settle into overstimulated sensations, twitching uncomfortably as her clothing tugged the bulge with her sudden movement, “Ruby! What did you do!?”

Ruby was sitting there, thighs rubbing together at her own arousal and discomfort but her eyes were watering. She was so disappointed in herself and knew Weiss had every right to be mad, she deserved it, “I… I… Weiss… I just… ever since we had that talk in the car I couldn’t… Weiss, I just really want to have another baby with you. I saved money for two years and I know what I did was wrong but I was scared and desperate and… and…”

Weiss was glaring at her but the more Ruby spoke the more her face seemed to lose any sign of any emotions at all, “You… Ruby did you… drug me?”

Ruby covered her face with her hands, the serum in her own system making it so hard to focus on this serious conversation, “I know it was stupid… please Weiss, I'm so sorry…”

Weiss’s mind had so many things racing through it all at once while also having the intense rise in her arousal from the serum. It seemed Weiss was particularly sensitive to it and it was very, very potent in her system. Mainly, she just couldn’t believe Ruby had done this to her without her knowledge. She tried to think if she had done anything that might make Ruby feel like she had to take this route but at the moment she couldn’t. She wasn’t sure if that was because she hadn’t or she just was struggling to think but either way she was coming up empty.

She stared at Ruby with a blank expression as her mind tried to sort out how she felt about this. She was shocked, upset, surprised, disappointed, a little betrayed, but most of all, anger was making its way to the surface. She thought back to the kitchen and realized now that Ruby was trying to take her drink from her, not resist her offer at the discussion.

Well, at the very least her wife knew she had f*cked up. But Weiss couldn’t let her off that easily. How dare she take such a moment as making Weiss coffee in the morning and slip this sh*t into her drink! That conversation went back through Weiss’s mind. Well, she did say she wanted to revisit it. At that moment, Weiss had decided exactly how she was going to make Ruby pay for this.

The older woman was seething and not even bothering to hide it on her face, the new length in her panties aching and throbbing in the constrained space only fueling her. Before Ruby realized what was happening, her wrists felt that cold sting of Weiss’s glyphs as she was bound by them and jerked to the bed, face down with the glyphs pinning her wrists to the sheets above her head. She gasped in response to the rough treatment and whimpered, trying to look behind her but Weiss was quick to grab her shirt and flip it up enough to expose Ruby’s chest but cover Ruby’s face.

Two more glyphs formed around ruby’s knees, pushing Ruby up onto them to prop her ass up and then they spread apart. Weiss reached and yanked up Ruby’s skirt and ripped her underwear halfway down her thighs. Ruby could only squirm, “W…Weiss hang on… wait… this is…”

Weiss growled angrily, her face contorted between rage and lust but her eyes had tears, “Shut up! You don’t get to say a damn thing! You drugged me! It hurt so much and you what? You were going to take what you wanted?! How did you think this would ever play out, Ruby!?”

Ruby whimpered and bit her lip, not daring to speak. Weiss was right and she knew that. She deserved worse than this probably. She could hear how Weiss’s voice occasionally cracked and knew she was probably crying.

Weiss reached, gripping at Ruby’s thigh and ass, thumb hooking a lower lip and opening her core as she squeezed tightly, watching Ruby jerk in pain, “Oh, hurts does it? Gee I wonder how that feels to hurt in such a sensitive area when you least expect it from someone you trust.”

Weiss brought her arm to her face and rubbed her eyes dry before releasing Ruby’s body from her grip. She could easily give every bit of pain back to Ruby that she had felt in this position but she refused to stoop so low. However she had still made up her mind. She reached below her gown and slipped her underwear low enough to release the length with a breath at the relief before looking back at Ruby.

For a moment she considered if this could go differently but then her anger reared its head again. Ruby didn’t deserve tenderness and love after what she had done. Weiss knelt there behind Ruby and her hands grasped the woman’s hips, “If you want this so badly that you will jeopardize everything then fine…”

In a swift moment with no concern for if it hurt Ruby or not, she thrusted into Ruby’s core until she hilted with a gasp at how it felt, hunched over Ruby, “I’ll give it to you.”

Ruby was whimpering. It helped that she was extremely wet originally but it still was painful and very uncomfortable to be entered like that so suddenly. She shifted a bit, her body in a bit of distress but Weiss’s grip was firm and the woman did not relent, her hips thrusting hard and fast into Ruby without hesitation.

The younger woman’s eyes squeezed shut, listening to Weiss groan and feeling her shiver against her own back. After a while though, it began to feel intense and while it hurt it was still bringing pleasure, her thighs shaking. Weiss was pounding into her, hips slamming against the soft flesh of her ass, her nails digging into Ruby’s hips as she held onto her tightly.

She was still so angry with Ruby but all these new sensations felt incredible and the way Ruby was squeezing her length in protest inside over and over was driving her insane, her pleasure winding tightly inside herself. She moved a hand to the bit of Ruby’s hair exposed from her flipped up shirt and pressed Ruby into the sheets, the tears from her emotional pain falling onto Ruby’s ear and cheek, “How could you do this to me Ruby? Without even asking me? f*ck you Ruby Rose! f*ck you!”

Ruby shivered at the feel of those tears and tried not to moan at the feeling inside her sex as Weiss abused it. She wanted so badly to take it back and to have done this right but it was too late for that now. She was getting what she hoped for but this wasn’t how she wanted it was it? Getting aggressively hate f*cked into their sheets by her wife she had drugged in hopes to get pregnant? Ruby whimpered and bit her lip, forcing down a moan as Weiss shifted and hit deeper inside her. She had to think it was the serum that made her feel this good right now. She normally hated things this rough.

Weiss above her moved her other hand off Ruby’s hip and gripped it around Ruby, her rapid bucking making her grunt and pant as her body pressed into Ruby, her face falling next to Ruby’s. She gripped Ruby’s hair and pulled the younger woman up some so their eyes met, “Look at me Ruby! Look at what you did! H….How dare you… I… I would’ve given you this willingly if you’d just talked to me dammit!”

Ruby was crying too now, staring into Weiss’s icy blue eyes that radiated with pain and anger as the rough thrusts dragged them both closer and closer. Weiss leaned forward and pressed her lips roughly into Ruby’s, teeth clanking and lips bashing hard enough that Ruby’s would bruise as Weiss kissed her, forcing her tongue past Ruby’s lips and easily dominating over the other as she face a hard final thrust deep, her release filling Ruby deeply and overwhelmingly until it was running down Ruby’s thighs with no where else to go, Ruby’s own inner walls trembling and squeezing tight as she came as well, whimpering against Weiss’s lips.

When Weiss came down, she let go of Ruby’s head with a bit of a shove and pulled away from her, body shaking as she fixed her panties back up and scooted to the foot of the bed, hugging her legs to her chest. She felt a mixture of disgust and heartache as the serum wore off.

Ruby was still pinned by the glyphs, Weiss not ready to deal with her yet but as she accepted her fate they disappeared and Ruby collapsed. She slowly fixed her clothing and looked at Weiss who was refusing to look her way, instead her face buried in her knees. By the shaking of Weiss’s shoulders Ruby knew she was still crying.

“Weiss I… I really am sorry… I was stupid… I was wrong… I should have just talked to you. I just had convinced myself you were still going to say no… and it had begun to absorb my thoughts like crazy… but it’s no excuse for what I did… please forgive me… just… whenever you can…” Ruby whispered, reaching to try to touch Weiss.

The woman jerked away from her and Ruby recoiled with a wince, Weiss’s voice shaky but stern, “Please don’t touch me right now! I can’t deal with this right now! I just… can you just let me process all this… I can’t believe you! I can’t believe what we just did!”

Ruby nodded, going to get up to give Weiss space until she heard a soft plea, “No… you don’t get to run from this this time… You want me to forgive you? Then stay and face this.”

Ruby could only nod, sinking to the floor where she stood by the wall and watching the floor as Weiss broke down, drowning in the knowledge that it was all her fault.

Chapter 24: Can We Have A Redo?

Chapter Text

Ch 24: Can We Have A Redo?

They sat in that misery for hours. Eventually, Weiss lowered her legs and stared at Ruby, “I hope it was worth it for you Ruby…”

Ruby just whimpered in response. Weiss felt like she had to be stupid to even be considering forgiving her but she was. Ruby did plenty of stupid things over the years since they met because of how she rationalized things, though this really was probably the worst of the bunch. Looking at her though, she looked like she did actually regret her choices.

But here they were and thinking on it Weiss didn't want to go into a potential future of another child with all this regret around nor did she want to have to tell anyone about this, especially Yang. ‘God if she found out I would never get any peace on the matter. Pretty sure she would forge our divorce papers,’ she thought as she rubbed her face with a deep sigh.

Weiss got up and walked to their bathroom, cleaning herself up. She had to admit she wished this would've happened more mutually because this moment could've been really something. Hopefully if Ruby did end up pregnant this kid never got any sentimental ideas to hear the story of their conception as an adult. As she splashed hot water on her tear stained face she leaned over the sink and stared down into it but her mind was elsewhere.

She could faintly hear Ruby attempting to stifle her tears, trying not to let herself cry. While part of Weiss thought it served Ruby right, another part of her thought that not to be entirely fair. She had been very rough with Ruby and now that she could think clearly she had been a bit resistant over the years about another kid, sometimes even quite snappy about it. Without realizing it she probably did make Ruby feel like she was unapproachable on the topic without meaning to but in Weiss's defense Ruby still had a lot of bad habits when it came to work and Sterling. ‘But that still doesn't mean it’s ok to just do this without my consent!’ she thought.

“Ugh… why does this feel so ridiculous…” she mumbled frustrated before turning off the water and straightening herself, hands slightly slapping her cheeks as if it would center herself back in order, “ok.”

Weiss walked out. She stared at the pathetic bundle that was Ruby for a moment before she rolled her eyes, whispering to herself, “Unn…”

She walked over and knelt down, reaching with stiff fingers to lift Ruby's chin, “Honestly you really are such a dunce. Ruby, you really crossed a line. But I suppose I did too. Are you hurt?”

Ruby glanced away meekly and shook her head no, reaching to wipe her face quickly, not feeling right letting Weiss see her like this. Weiss lifted her chin again, looking her over to make sure she hadn’t left any serious marks on her beloved before moving her eyes to look at Ruby’s, “Ruby. I'm sorry I was so rough with you. I was extremely upset and you broke my trust in you, but that doesn’t mean I should have been so… cruel.”

Ruby rubbed her face again, “I'm sorry Weiss I…”

Weiss stopped her, standing up, “Let’s just never speak of this again. I don't know why this is the solution your mind came up with of all things but I didn’t mean to make myself so unapproachable. I just want to forget it happened. I don't want people to know what you did to me either. Besides, if you end up pregnant I don't want any bitterness hanging around. It won't be the child's fault you… we did something so stupid.”

Ruby nodded, hesitating before taking Weiss’s offered hand to stand up, “And you are going to stay home and start fixing this somehow you hear me? Maybe you'd have felt more comfortable talking to me if you didn't always make me feel like you were constantly fighting me when it comes to our family. I think for a while I just worried this was going to stay the same and I don’t think it’s entirely fair for one child to suffer because of your feelings over the other. I opened up too late for you I guess.”

“I could’ve told you what was in the cup… it wasn’t too late just because you took a single sip. It wasn’t even too late when you first finished it. We could’ve talked the moment you said you wanted to and I could’ve said something and at least you’d have had a little time to know what was happening… it still would’ve been wrong but at least… at least you wouldn’t have had to wait until you were hurting and scared of what was happening to you to find out I had slipped something into your drink…” Ruby admitted as she let Weiss pull her up, her core sore and aching from the abuse it had been put under but Ruby said nothing about it willing to accept it as punishment for her actions.

Once Ruby was on her feet, Weiss quickly removed her hand, the digits pulling away quickly as if Ruby's very touch burned her skin. Of course Ruby hadn't expected Weiss to just forgive and forget instantly so she wasn't surprised but it still felt unpleasant and made her curl into herself a bit.

The rest of the day was awkward and painfully unpleasant and when the night came Ruby wasn't all that surprised when Weiss met her at their bedroom door holding her pillow and a blanket, her voice a forced kind of gentle, “Ruby I think maybe you should sleep somewhere else tonight.”

Ruby swallowed dryly and nodded, taking the bedding, “Yea…”

Weiss watched her head for the stairs, “Goodnight Ruby.”

Ruby turned in time to see Weiss closing the door, whispering goodnight back before taking herself to the couch for tonight. As she laid there, she was plagued with just how much she had messed up. She should have just said something, even if she had already brought the serum home she could've at least given Weiss the choice to drink it. If she had, they could've been in each other's arms right now instead of Weiss feeling betrayed by the person she was supposed to be able to trust beyond all others in this world.

Maybe if Weiss had seen she was willing to get as far as buying all the things needed and get everything ready with only Weiss’s consent needed for the next step the woman might have opened up enough to the idea for them to talk over what she needed of Ruby in order to feel comfortable enough to agree.

Ruby was just a steady f*ck up and she only seemed to continue to dig her own grave rather than pull herself out of it. Sure Weiss had some blame in this for making her feel like she had to figure out her own way to make this happen but she did put Weiss in a very bad position that didn’t really match her crime. Besides, Ruby had steadily made things bad while this was really the only thing Weiss had been difficult about.

She rolled onto her side and curled up, sighing deeply in her self-loathing. She wasn't sure when she fell asleep but when she next opened her eyes she was aware she had. She felt groggy and miserable and her body felt like lead, aching even more now than last night. Slowly, she sat up and went up the stairs. She didn't know what she was doing really but she let her body guide her as she went to her door and knocked lightly, only the vaguest of ideas in mind.

After a while, Weiss opened the door looking about as bad as Ruby felt. The younger woman rubbed the back of her head and held out her hand, “come with me for a bit?”

Weiss was skeptical but even Ruby wasn't dumb enough to make a drastic mistake twice in a row. She gazed at the slightly battle worn fingers and gently slid her hand into Ruby's. The younger woman took the lack of protest as a good sign and stepped inside, guiding Weiss to their window. Ruby opened it and stepped out onto the roof, turning to look at the confused woman, holding out her hand, “I know I have no right to ask this right now but… just trust me?”

Weiss sighed, taking Ruby’s hand, “It's official, we've lost our minds.”

Ruby chuckled lightly as she gently pulled Weiss along with her and sat her down before plopping down beside her. It only took a moment before Weiss gently covered her lips with a light gasp as she followed Ruby’s outstretched hand as it pointed out at the horizon. The sun was just beginning to rise in the most beautiful mixes of blues and yellows and oranges that Weiss had seen in a long time so purely.

Ruby watched Weiss’s face as the colors reflected in her lightly colored eyes, allowing herself to just forget in the moment any of the bad to try to have just one good moment right now and hope that it would help them both find some sort of comfort in their sadness. Weiss didn’t look away until the sun had crested into the sky, finally able to feel Ruby’s eyes on her. She turned her face and stared back into those silver orbs, her own face flushed slightly from the beauty in the morning sky.

Ruby rested her arms across her knees and smiled softly before looking out herself, feeling Weiss watching her for a bit before Weiss leaned into Ruby’s shoulder, her hair draping along Ruby’s side, whispering softly, “Thank you.”

Ruby felt her smile grow, the both of them just watching the morning for a while before Ruby dared to speak, not wanting to ruin this moment, “Weiss. I know I can be a real massive pain but… I hope you know that I really do love you and Sterling so much.”

Weiss didn’t say anything and just listened, still resting against Ruby until it was bright outside and the two headed back in. The moment hadn’t really made the day too much different than the last and there was still this unpleasant air between them but something seemed different. Not exactly better, definitely not worse, but different.

—----------------------------

Ruby hadn’t been there when Weiss did this for Sterling though that wasn’t why Weiss wasn’t in there with her. Weiss standing outside leaning against the door at least but really it was a mix of Ruby feeling a bit awkward and Weiss still feeling a bit torn on just how much she wanted to invest emotionally into this yet, everything still feeling a bit like a surreal nightmare more than a reality or beautiful moment.

Of course had Ruby actually really wanted her in there for this, Weiss was fairly sure she would have been. Even if their relationship was a bit strained and tainted she still cared and loved her and would never force her to do any of this alone if she really didn’t want to.

It did make her feel a bit bad really if Ruby got a certain result thinking about how this time around there was a lack of the nerve wrecking anticipation and hopeful joy for good news. It didn’t feel fair really to the future if that result came. As she stood there waiting on Ruby, she tried to think of exactly how she would respond to either answer.

If the test gave Ruby a negative result, Weiss actually thought she might be relieved. With how everything had happened it would be a bit easier to swallow for her honestly. It wouldn’t have to be a pile of sh*tty choices that led to a baby that they would both remember forever. Of course if it was positive, she had no idea how she would respond. Would she actually be happy about it? For that matter at this point would Ruby even be anymore or were they in some weird realm of being past that now? And if so, what would they do about that? She sighed deeply trying to put a pause on these heavy thoughts and clear her head as she listened hard for any signs that Ruby might be calling for her.

In the bathroom, Ruby did what was required for the pregnancy test, finding the process pretty gross really and waiting impatiently for the answer. She was biting her lip. Both results made her feel worried, especially since Weiss had been so hard to read on the subject since it all happened, busying herself with Sterling to stay away from the topic all together. She hadn’t been cruel and often when she detoured the subject she seemed uncomfortable and Ruby could only guess that Weiss was feeling a bit lost on the whole matter right now and just trying not to drag Ruby down with her.

A frustrated groan left Ruby, waiting had never really her strong suit, as she paced a bit in the open spaces of the bathroom. As she waited and paced she hoped that if the answer was positive that she and Weiss could find some way to be happy about it together though she didn’t feel very confident about it. If it was negative and it upset her, she hoped Weiss was willing to be there for her at least until she could deal with it. She was more than certain Weiss would not so secretly find some semblance of being fine in a negative answer which Ruby wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Did that hurt her? Honestly, with how everything still didn’t really feel like anything was set in stone yet she hadn’t figured that out yet. Her brain hurt trying to think through so many scenarios she almost didn’t notice her alarm going off as she was pressing her clenched fists into her head and squeezing her eyes shut to try to will the headache away.

Ruby squinted at the scroll on the sink counter and reached, turning off the alarm. She could hear the shuffling against the door. Weiss probably heard the alarm and was waiting to hear anything from Ruby. Without looking, Ruby wrapped her hand around the area that held the answer so even she couldn’t see it and sat on the floor in front of the tub, the cool tile helping her relax, “Hey Weiss? Can you… um… would you come sit with me?”

The woman turned towards the door and nodded even though it couldn’t be seen, taking a breath to calm her slight nerves and steeled her will for Ruby more than herself and turned the knob, eyes seeing Ruby there on the floor as she entered, the door closing behind her. She walked over and knelt down, legs beneath her as she lowered herself to the tile as well in front of Ruby, watching her closely, quietly.

Ruby’s eyes searched for any hint of something, anything that might give her any idea of what Weiss was thinking but she couldn’t find even the slightest clue. She bit her lip, the hand gripping the hidden results on her lap with a slight tremble, “Weiss… tell me honestly… what are you hoping it will say? I need to know.”

Weiss’s eyes gazed at Ruby’s down to her mouth as Ruby nibbled her lip anxiously, drifting to her hand that held the stick before they roamed to her own lap. What a question that she didn’t fully know how to answer. She thought for a moment about what it was Ruby might want to hear, but their facades, deceit and lack of being upfront with each other were all how they got into this mess in the first place so she couldn’t do any of that now.

Ruby could tell Weiss was thinking, searching for an answer rather than trying to piece one together or make one up. That made her feel a bit better especially with her own feelings being so confusing right now. As Ruby let out a sigh that sounded like she was letting herself relax a bit, Weiss felt less stressed about what her answer might be.

Her fingers gently fiddling with each other in her lap as she stared at them, “Ruby I feel like I don’t actually know what I want it to say but I know that whatever it says, I am here aren’t I? Ready to see the answer with you and willing to let myself experience whatever feelings it might bring me. So far, everything has felt unreal. Like the events of what we did and the idea of a baby are detached and couldn’t possibly be connected so I haven’t been able to really figure out how this will make me feel. But I know if I really was against any chance of a positive result I wouldn’t be willing to be here right now supporting the possibility. I know it’s probably not what you hoped to hear but I hope it’s better than what you feared I’d say.”

Ruby’s light chuckle surprised Weiss. The younger woman’s empty hand reached out grabbing Weiss by the collar lightly, pulling gently as she too leaned forward until their foreheads touched as Weiss was glancing back up, eyes meeting Ruby’s, “I haven’t been able to accept this is real either or connect it all together in a way that feels normal. So I’m also struggling to figure out what I hope it will say. I haven’t looked yet. What to find out how we feel…together?”

Weiss felt a tinge of the lightest pink dust over her face and gave a gentle nod. Ruby didn’t release her or pull away as her trembling hand slowly uncurled around the test, both of them not looking down even once it was in full view. Weiss slipped her own fingers that had begun to shake through Ruby’s hair, “Ready?”

Ruby gave a nervous laugh, “No.”

Still, at the same time their eyes lowered as their foreheads rolled against each other so their heads could tilt down. Staring back up at them was a positive test. The room seemed to feel like there was no air for a brief moment as they let the sight sink in. Weiss still held her hand in Ruby’s hair gently and Ruby still had her lightly by the collar, the two almost frozen.

Before Ruby said something, Weiss’s face lifted and the younger woman felt lips ghost against her forehead before they brushed their way back again and pressed more firmly, Weiss’s other hand pulling Ruby’s grip off her shirt so she could lean closer, pulling herself onto her knees so she was better able to grasp Ruby’s cheek in her other hand and lift her face, kissing over her brow and cheek to her lips, the touches of Weiss’s lips sweet and gentle in ways Ruby hadn’t felt in a while and the younger girl felt overwhelmed, tearing up.

Weiss didn’t even allow herself to think. She just let herself react however her body felt was right, feeling it would be the most true and raw emotion she could produce on the matter without overthinking it or letting any of the actions of their recent misery dampen her thoughts on this. She let her mind go blank, practically forced it, and just let her heart decide. When she felt Ruby’s silent crying response to her tender touch she only felt compelled to give more.

Her lips worked across Ruby’s wet cheeks as iff kissing away the tears before placing their softness to her temple and finally they pulled from her skin, eyes closed as she rested her forehead to the side of Ruby’s head, words calm and gentle, “Are you happy?”

Hands with skin worn rough from constant wear and tear from her weapon gripped at the sides of Weiss’s shirt near her waist and Ruby bit her lip, nodding gently, barely finding the courage to do so as if by admitting it she was supporting her poor choice. She was pleasantly surprised when Weiss rubbed her fingers against her scalp and the hand on her cheek moved to reach around her waist and lift her a bit pulling her in close against Weiss, a whisper brushed her skin, “Good. You should be. Don’t think about what happened. Just think about now. Wonderful isn’t it?”

Ruby slid her arms from Weiss’s sides to wrap around Weiss’s body and clung to her tightly, sobbing in a mixture of joy and Weiss’s moment of grace towards her as they stayed there, ignoring time and giving themselves however much of it was needed. It probably wouldn’t last and there were sure to be more struggles for the feelings of connection and normalcy but in this situation right now, they would give this moment the time and space it deserved.

—---------------------------

They were getting to the point where any day now Ruby would start to have visible signs and yet they hadn’t told anyone. Mostly because there was still a lot of shame on both sides for the entire moment of conception that talking about it, even if they were both growing more and more happy about the baby, still brought them very unhappy memories and strained their ability to be able to keep things more loving between them.

They were also still not sleeping in the same bed though Ruby was now in the bed in the room Dove used to use, slowly converting it into the woman’s own space. Some nights, easier ones, they would stay up late embracing each other and Ruby might pass out with Weiss that way but if they went to sleep of their own accord, they didn’t stay together in the same bed.

This was also something they had been keeping pretty secretive to avoid the prying questions. It was already getting frustrating being asked curious questions about Ruby staying home for so long suddenly. Now that there was the slightest of belly starting the show on Ruby though, they knew they had to cross this bridge. Ruby was still hiding in her comfy tee shirts but now would be better than waiting until it was too late to hide.

While the kids were all with Tai for a trip to a playground at Ruby’s request except for baby Azure, Ruby and Weiss were with Blake and Yang, the two clearly knowing something was up with how Ruby had arranged everything. Putting up their best, Weiss having given Ruby the same motivation as that day in the bathroom, they gave the news to the other two.

Blake congratulated them, though watching carefully while sitting with everyone on her front porch, tea in her hand and a cup in Weiss’s as well. Yang seemed way more outwardly excited even if a bit curious at such a choice with how Ruby had been with Sterling and work, hugging Ruby before smirking at Weiss, “Don’t give me any details but I wanna know which choice did you go with? I had a bet going with Blake once that you were totally going to have a secret kink for that all natural option!”

She gave Weiss a hearty playful slap on the back as Weiss was already angrily turning red, causing the woman to splash her tea all over her arms and shirt. Yang rubbed the back of her head and tried to apologize through her laughter as Weiss frowned and stood up swiftly, a strange look in her eyes only Blake seemed to catch as Weiss went inside to clean herself off quickly.

Blake watched her closely. That look had been something Blake knew all too well. She was probably one of the few people on this porch that knew that hidden glint trying to be buried against others digging at it. She had experienced those pains with Adam too many times to count and knew how her own eyes looked when she tried not to remember as people unknowingly dredged at the memories.

When Ruby went to get up to check on Weiss, Blake got up instead, “I’ll do it. You just wait here with Yang.”

Ruby thought nothing of it and nodded, “Ok… I hope it wasn’t too hot…”

Blake just gave a reassuring pat on Ruby’s arm before heading off inside. Her ears flicked at the sound of running water in a bathroom, light from the open doorway visible on the loft. She crept to the door, entering unnoticed and closing the door behind her loud enough to catch Weiss’s attention, making the woman startle briefly while washing her hands and arms in the sick, “Blake! You scared me! I swear that was so uncouth! I’m fine though really. You don’t need to worry. It had cooled off enough not to…”

Blake shook her head, face blank of anything Weiss could easily make out, “That’s not what I’m here to see about. Tell me, what are you hiding?”

Weiss’s eyes widened a bit but she recovered as quickly as she could, turning off the water and drying her arms and hands, “I have no idea what you mean.”

Arms folded as Weiss watched Blake behind her in the mirror, “You might be able to hide it from them, but I am all too familiar with that look you had in your eyes.”

The smaller woman frowned and turned, “You must be seeing things.”

Blake shrugged, “You can either tell me or I can clue Yang in on something bad lurking under the surface and you can deal with her forcing it out of either of you. Your choice but there’s no alternative where either option doesn’t happen.”

Weiss grit her teeth as her body tensed. While she was sure Yang would be on her side about the situation with what was done to her, she was absolutely sure the blonde brawler would demolish her if she knew any of what Weiss did to Ruby in response. Weiss would be obliterated to such an extent no one would ever find any piece of her again in the most slow and painful of ways. Yang would probably also take some pity on her baby sister’s desperate choice even if she didn’t agree with the very arguable unconsenting nature of what Ruby had done.

Blake was about to head out when Weiss let out a frustrated breath and her body slumped in a way that Blake found relatable. Weiss stared off at the floor away from Blake and rubbed her other arm, voice quiet, “We didn’t… plan this together. Ruby did it by herself then drugged my coffee without telling me and gave it to me. I didn’t even know until I was in pain and suddenly growing this… thing on my body. It… was so… Then I was so upset and angry and my brain was so messed up on all those arousal stimulants in that damn medicine I… took it out on her while I gave her clearly the only thing she… Blake… I don’t want to think about this… I don’t want to talk about this… I have been trying to forget the whole thing…”

Blake could piece the missing bits together well enough. She moved a bit closer and looked at Weiss, hand giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze, “I’m sorry I made you experience those memories. I just had to know when I saw that look of hurt in your eyes. I knew something bad had happened. I won’t tell anyone ok? And we never have to bring it up again unless you want to, so long as you two are figuring it out your shared regrets.”

Weiss just nodded, trying to compose herself. Blake gave a nod and left her to come out when she felt ready, returning to the others. When Weiss got her mind cleared and settled herself she joined the others, thankful Blake had managed to distract Yang to other topics so that it wouldn’t be pulled back up. She could feel Ruby watching her and reached under the table, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. With the light shaking in it, Ruby knew more had happened than just cleaned up tea and her heart sank, suddenly growing uncomfortable.

When she was able to slip in a word, she asked in a weak voice, “Yang, can Sterling stay with you for a few days? I have a few things I need to do at home with Weiss…”

Yang chuckled, giving a goofy grin before Blake elbowed her to stop her from making a terrible dirty insinuation and the two agreed. Weiss watched her wife carefully. Ruby stood up, thanking Blake and Yang for the lemonade and watching Sterling before she turned to Weiss, a hand held out to her. The woman took it a bit confused and they went to the car, a driver taking them home.

The entire ride, Ruby held onto Weiss’s hand, her fingers rubbing Weiss’s warmly. When Weiss tried to find out what Ruby was up to, the younger woman would just give a weary smile and look out the window. By the time they got dropped off at home, Weiss was feeling uneasy and a bit annoyed at Ruby’s silence as Ruby gently led her to the room Ruby had been moved into.

As the door closed behind Weiss, she could feel a light panic brewing in her, her mind associating this with the other bad memories, “Ruby seriously… you are making me very nervous…”

Ruby gently sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Weiss close to her chest, arms softly wrapping around her waist as she rested her chin against Weiss’s stomach and stared up at her face, “I was trying to find the right words and didn’t want you to spook before I could talk to you alone, sorry. Weiss… I know it’s a bit late to do this but… can we… remake that memory? Make one we can think about instead that doesn’t hurt us so much? Doesn’t hurt you so much? I never want to see you hurting like that again because of something I did. I know I’m already pregnant and all but… can we just…do it right and pretend this is the moment that made it happen?I… I’ve thought about it for a little while now honestly but I wanted to wait to ask until I could find the right words.”

Weiss took in a deep breath. Ruby was letting Weiss decide, being incredibly vulnerable and open and making sure Weiss had the choice. She stared down at her, so much sincerity in those silver eyes, “We… don’t have any way to make that work though, right? I mean we didn’t exactly save the original device and we don’t have the serum anymore…”

Ruby turned her head down a bit and kissed Weiss’s stomach softly, “I don’t care about any of that Weiss. Any usual option will do. This is more about being with you, for this, in a way that is not atrocious… or painful.”

The older woman bit her lip. She knew Ruby had lied when Weiss asked if she’d hurt her. She guessed now Ruby lied to punish herself but she didn’t want that, she had already done enough of that and then some to Ruby as it was. Her slender fingers traced along Ruby’s cheeks, “Ruby… I’m so sorry I hurt you…”

Her head turned slightly to place soft kisses on Weiss’s fingers, “And I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

Weiss leaned down and rested her face in Ruby’s hair, “Ruby… What do you want me to use and I will go get it. I want you to be comfortable.”

Her wife moved an arm from around her to the drawer on the nightstand and pulled out a fairly average sized gelly style strap attached to a harness that was actually styled like a pair of panties with an inner pocket hiding a bullet vibrator. Weiss seemed a bit surprised but Ruby kissed her stomach again, “I told you I have been considering it. I didn’t want you to have to leave the room if you agreed.”

Weiss nuzzled her hair and stepped back, taking a deep breath and slipping from all her clothing slowly, watching Ruby eye her with a soft gaze before slipping the harness panties on. Back when they used to make love more often, Weiss dawned things like this many times to please Ruby’s submission and her own dominance so it wasn’t uncommon for them even if it had been a long time since it had been done lovingly.

Weiss gently lowered to her knees at Ruby’s feet, tender hands sliding along supple legs feeling the younger woman tremble as they made their way up her thighs, Weiss watching Ruby’s eyes before their lips met softly, her fingers hooking at the waistband of Ruby’s underwear under her skirt and gently sliding them down her legs. As the garment reached her feet, Ruby lightly pulled one foot than the other out.

Without breaking the kiss, Weiss’s finger tips danced across skin to Ruby’s shirt, a simple short sleeve button up, and worked each button loose as Ruby arched her chest closer, parting her lips to grant Weiss’s sweet tongue its desired access into her mouth and the two muscles slowly intertwined. When the last button came undone, slender soft fingers dragged up Ruby’s slight belly and chest to her shoulders, grasping the edges of the collar and teasingly sliding the shirt down her arms to pool at her wife’s wrists until Ruby slipped them out of it, flicking it away.

Delicate hands worked from there up Ruby’s back to the clasp of her bra and unhooked it, Ruby’s shoulders rolling some to get the straps to slip off and she dropped it to the floor before lacing her arms around Weiss’s neck. For a brief moment they parted for air, foreheads pressed together and eyes closed, Weiss’s hands resting at Ruby’s hips, fingers of her left hand fiddling with the side zipper of Ruby’s skirt, the only remaining garment between them besides the harness.

As their lips brushed together again and parted to engage the pleasant kiss again, soft moans being exchanged at the feel, Weiss pulled down the zipper. She moved off her knees and guided Ruby to her back, slipping the skirt away all without breaking their lips apart until the skirt hit the floor. Weiss held herself over Ruby, supported by her hands and watched her, “Why don’t we get a bit more comfortable?”

Ruby was panting a bit and nodded, moving to lay her head on the pillows and ber body beneath the soft sheets as Weiss moved under the sheets as well, settling beside Ruby and turning ruby’s chin to her, kissing her again before her hand followed along her neck to her collarbone and down to her soft breasts, kneading one than the other, fingers teasing along the hardening nipple as she swallowed Ruby’s moans, Ruby’s thighs rubbing together in need as her core dripped to the bed beneath her.

Every tender action, even the removal of her clothing, had Ruby dying for another, washing her sex in her own wetness more and more. Weiss pinched her nipples gently to bring gasps and whines out Ruby before her hand continued further down along her sides to a hip, tracing the bone on it’s way to lightly pull Ruby’s thighs open as her lips made their way from Ruby’s swollen lips to her jaw, along to her neck, listening to Ruby’s soft sounds of pleasure as she sucked gently on the skin.

Her hand worked up Ruby’s thigh to her core and cupped her wife’s sex, a middle finger tracing the slit back and forth slowly, getting it nice and wet and enticing Ruby to spread her thighs further with desire. Ruby’s own hand wandered down Weiss’s toned stomach beneath the harness to the bullet and she clicked it to the lowest of the two settings before pulling her hand out and grasping the toy attached to the front, feeling Weiss jolt in response as it buzzed against her cl*t and the slight pressure as Ruby pressed the item against her.

The two squirmed as they teased one another, Weiss slipping her finger further past the soaked folds and running circles around Ruby’s cl*t and Ruby gently pumping the toy’s length against Weiss and the vibrator in a matching rhythm. The older woman grazed her teeth to skin some as she sucked at Ruby’s neck and shoulder, sliding her finger down into Ruby gently, shivering at the sound Ruby released when entered and letting out her own moan as Ruby stroked her faster, thighs beginning to tremble.

Weiss matched her finger, soon two, inside Ruby with whatever speed Ruby set with her hand on Weiss’s “length”, curling into the delightful areas of her front wall in her thrusts, both rocking into their pleasure as it spiraled faster and faster until muscles tightened and bodies pressed into each other tensely, deep moans rolling off swollen lips in their org*smic bliss until they slowed as they came down.

Weiss’s lips placed soft kisses back up before she pulled her hand away and shifted, sliding herself above Ruby, hips between Ruby’s thighs and the length pressed gently against her saturated folds. Weiss tucked her arms under Ruby’s and her hands ran through her lover’s hair, eyes watching for any discomfort as she kissed her jaw and chin sweetly.

One of Ruby’s arms rested around Weiss’s shoulders as the other slid between them, simply waiting at the hem of the harness to click the bullet again. Ruby already knew what was going to happen next and it would not take long to get her falling over the edge into the delectable abyss once it started and she didn’t want Weiss far behind.

The way Weiss was looking at her she knew this was going to be her favorite. Intimate, sweet, slow, but deep and intense. Gently nipping at Weiss’s lower lip to spur the woman forward, she was determined to make this something they could remember and leaned to Weiss’s ear, begging softly, “I want your baby Weiss, put one inside me.”

She could feel Weiss tremble all over and her fingers hit the button on the bullet, Weiss twitching in response to the rapid vibrations as Ruby moved her arm to Weiss’s shoulders with the other, pressing her lips to the older woman’s and lifting her legs to Weiss’s hips, rubbing her core along the length with a long moan of Weiss’s name.

Weiss’s fingers tangled further in Ruby’s hair and her tongue slid lovingly past her lips as she shifted her hips and slowly pushed into Ruby with unwavering pressure until she had made her way fully inside, waiting for a sign to continue and pressing her body close to Ruby’s. As legs wrapped around her hips she began to pull her hips back before pressing them forward again, every thrust pushed deep and hard but slow and loving, never rough. Moans and whines were exchanged and each time Ruby tugged Weiss by the hips with her legs she signaled Weiss wordlessly to give her more.

Anytime their lips parted, they breathed long enough to whimper for one another, each other’s names the simple way of begging for the other before mouths met again, over and over until Ruby had coaxed Weiss’s twitching squirming hips into a fast rhythm of hungry thrusts, both deliciously close. Weiss was withering from the vibrator, barely resisting her climax as she continued to focus on Ruby, moving her lips from her mouth to her neck just below her ear, breathless whispers pleading, “Cum for me Ruby. Relax and give yourself to me.”

Ruby whined and moaned loudly, hips trembling and arms clinging to Weiss tightly as she came from Weiss’s words and thrusts, Weiss also letting herself give in to the intense vibrations she could hardly stand anymore and pushing in as deep as she could, bodies locked together tight as the wore thin from their release, not relaxing until they fully came down and went limp into each other, Weiss tucked into Ruby and held in the woman’s arms as tired sets of eyes held closed and they listened to each other’s breathing, words not needed and just enjoying the afterglow exactly as they were, drifting off into beautiful slumber.

Chapter 25: Autumn Not Fall

Chapter Text

Ch 25: Autumn Not Fall

That moment had helped them some, enough to make the couple able to find more happiness in the coming baby at least even if things were still not fully mending between them as a couple. Ruby did stay more nights with Weiss back in their room though as her pregnancy progressed, being a bit more emotional and sensitive and Weiss wanting to keep her comfortable and happy.

Ruby was sitting in the living room on the couch, still one to indulge in the guilty pleasures of cartoons and anime. She was far enough into her pregnancy to have started to notice subtle movements inside prior and her stomach showed quite a bit. Weiss was passing through with Sterling following in tow, watching Weiss looking something over on her tablet. Ruby was about to try to spy the screen curiously when she felt something suddenly that drew her attention back to her stomach, “Oh!”

Weiss stopped, almost to her office door when she heard that and looked to Ruby, Sterling bumping into his mother’s legs not expecting her to stop on their way to her office. They had been on their way to secretly discuss some scribbled ideas of what he might like as a weapon, even if his drawings were the scribbles of a ten year old boy.

Weiss could understand enough to have helped get a real thing drafted up and start figuring out test training items for Whitley to have made and shipped until they settled on something that Sterling found suited him. Even with Ruby home all this time Weiss found ways to do these kinds of things for her son when she could without Ruby finding out.

But Ruby’s sudden speech distracted her, riddling her with a bit of sudden concern as her only experience was full of terrible situations. Ruby’s pregnancy had been going incredibly well so far but it didn’t keep Weiss from worrying at any little sound of discomfort or surprise the younger woman made, “Is everything ok Ruby?”

Sterling leaned against his mom looking at Ruby carefully, nervous she might yell about what he and Weiss were up to, as if her exclamation was because she somehow knew. Silver eyes turned to look at icy blue orbs and a bright smile radiated from the same face as Ruby reached out, grabbing Weiss’s wrist and excitedly pulling the woman over towards the spot next to her on the couch, “Weiss, Weiss! You have to come here! This is so amazing!!!”

Weiss was dragged at first in the pull but caught up to it and set herself next to Ruby, understanding immediately what was going on when Ruby set her hand against a part of her stomach and the sudden thump pressed to her hand beneath the skin. Ruby was practically swelling with awe and excitement at the baby’s first kicks. They had learned a while back that the baby was a very healthy girl, which was a bit hard on Weiss at first but she had adjusted with Ruby’s help and now both were counting the weeks until they could welcome her into the world.

While Weiss had felt this before, it was different from this perspective. It was just as thrilling and heart warming, taking her breath away. She smiled softly, rubbing the area in light smile circles, “Well hello there little one.”

Sterling was peering curiously around the couch at them. Weiss caught sight of him, sharing a glance with Ruby and nodding his way before looking at him again as Ruby glanced over. Weiss moved her hand off Ruby and reached out to Sterling who had sunk some behind the couch when Ruby looked his way a bit unsure of what to expect from his parents, “Sterling, come here for me please? I want to show you something.”

Ruby gave him a very friendly, gentle smile when he looked at her to be sure it was ok before he came over to Weiss, climbing up over her lap and between the women. Weiss took his hand, bringing it to roughly where hers had been before Ruby reached and gently slid it a bit over to where the kicks had shifted to, “Right about here buddy.”

He looked confused until she kicked again, startling him and he glanced up at Ruby and then Weiss quickly with questioning eyes, “Mom… what was that?”

Weiss smiled at him while Ruby tried not to chuckle, Weiss reaching to stroke through his long silky hair, “That was your sister. She’s moving around inside.”

His eyes glanced back to Ruby’s stomach, her hand still over his as the baby kicked again, his silver eyes gleaming with his own sense of wonder at the new experience in his life, whispering, “Wow…”

Weiss leaned down, kissing the top of his head as Ruby watched him lovingly. The moment came to an end as the baby stopped kicking. Sterling seemed concerned but Weiss consoled him, “She is either asleep or found a comfortable spot. Babies don’t kick all the time. Or at least they usually don’t.”

“Oh…” he mumbled and nodded after giving it some consideration before he got up and gave a glance at Weiss’s tablet.

When she had sat down she had been quick about locking the screen and tucking it off to the side to keep it from Ruby’s immediate notice. Only her eyes subtly followed his glance before she stood up, her hand grabbing it casually. Leaning to kiss Ruby’s cheek, her other hand clasped over the other cheek as she pulled away, “I’m going to go set this down in my study then I’ll be right back alright?”

Ruby nodded though Sterling seemed to get disappointed, sounding a bit hurt, “But…”

Weiss turned to him before she went, “Sterling, later alright? I need to spend some time with your mother for a bit, ok? Besides, it’s getting quite late and dinner is already over. You should probably get ready for bed tonight.”

He let out a slight huff before he nodded, “Yes Mom.”

He gave a glance at Ruby with an expression that confused her a bit before he turned and trodded up the stairs and disappeared down the hall. After Weiss came back from dropping off the tablet, Ruby looked at Weiss with a confused expression, “What look was that?”

Weiss raised a brow then glanced towards upstairs and it clicked, “Ah. Yes, well, I think he might be a bit… impatient on some matters. He’s just a little boy after all. Can’t expect him to be perfect.”

Weiss held out a hand to Ruby, helping pull the pregnant woman to her feet and walking with her off to Ruby’s “bedroom”, helping get the woman settled in for the night, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go change and then I’ll come stay with you tonight if you like.”

Ruby grinned and nodded, giving a light squeeze to Weiss’s hand, deciding to let go of her curiosity about Sterling in order to not ruin the pleasant moment with Weiss, “Please?”

Her wife nodded and lifted the younger woman’s hand that was in hers to her lips, kissing it softly before leaving the room. Ruby got herself comfortable in the bed and glanced around while she waited for Weiss to return. Though she was happy Weiss and her did spend more nights together like most normal couples would, it was still saddening to remember they had separate rooms now technically and that was more than likely not going to change anytime soon, if at all.

Even with some things forgiven and the attempts always being made to bury them in the past, the facts that had damaged things between them over the years still existed and darkened the deepest doorways of the mind, sometimes rearing ugly heads when caught off guard or already at a low, showing that the wounds still existed somewhere inside.

Some nights, Weiss just couldn’t sleep if Ruby was next to her, anytime she drifted off she was unable to stay asleep as her subconscious filled her with worry for what could happen to her body unprotected and vulnerable and she would bolt awake and not be able to even relax until she had down a visual inspection of herself and taken a moment to try to tell if anything felt wrong inside.

Other times when Ruby was extra hormonal, the younger woman would be a bit rude about Sterling, making worse irrational statements that made little sense or just plain accusing Weiss of supporting him as a Huntsman as a way to get at Ruby for something. Weiss did her best to ignore those moments knowing it was mostly Ruby’s emotional pregnant hormonal state talking but if Ruby wouldn’t drop it she wasn’t able to share a bed, or in some cases Ruby wouldn’t let her and kick her out the room.

Meanwhile, Sterling was struggling to adjust to this new lifestyle with his parents, especially the latter situations which were hard for him to fully understand why Ruby was saying the things she would sometimes or making him even second guess Weiss’s reasons for helping him sometimes too. It was an incredibly frustrating and difficult time for most in the home.

While Ruby was still distracted with her thoughts Weiss came back and walked over, leaning into her side and reaching out, brushing some hair behind Ruby’s ear. The younger woman glanced over into a gentle expression gazing at her as Weiss was getting fully into the bed, “Do I want to ask what’s on your mind or would that be a bad idea?”

Ruby bit her lip and diverted her eyes for a moment before glancing back over. Weiss rolled her eyes, turning off the lamp before snuggling down into the bed with Ruby, gently wrapping the woman into her arms, “I won’t ask then. I’d rather not ruin this.”

The younger woman let her eyes drift to Weiss’s fingers in silent agreement as she laced her fingers with the woman’s. Lightly, her own fingers slowly fiddled with the older woman’s fingertips, mind restless. The softest kiss was placed on the back of her neck as Weiss tried to help her relax, whispering, “Ruby, you should get some sleep… Everything alright?”

The younger woman brought their intertwined hands up to her lips and kissed along Weiss’s fingers, her breath brushing across them as she sighed softly. She thought about how to answer that for a bit before she felt Weiss shifting behind her and knew if she didn’t say something the woman would worry. As Weiss propped her head up on her free arm, Ruby whispered, “Will our daughter grow up thinking it’s normal for parents to sleep separately and fight about things?”

Weiss inhaled deeply. She had a feeling it was about something like this. It usually was though at least Ruby seemed rational this time. She could see some of Ruby’s face from here and just watched her for a moment. The woman didn’t seem sad exactly, more like a mixture of some sort of deep thought and uncertainty. Weiss leaned forward some and rested her cheek on Ruby’s shoulder, her thumb running across Ruby’s knuckles, “Can we discuss this without fighting about it? I’d love to just talk, Ruby. Can we please do that?”

“I can try…” Ruby mumbled, glancing at Weiss.

Weiss turned her face and peppered Ruby’s shoulder with sweet swift kisses before she laid her cheek back on it, watching their hands, “She might. And some families are like that. It’s not common but it happens. If it is the life she knows and that’s the life we keep, then it’s our job to make sure it’s not chaotic and miserable and that it still is a happy place she can call home. So long as we do that, the dynamics won’t matter. Something that has to stop though is the fighting over our son, or if you must fight me on it, it should move to private places that stay between just you and I.”

Weiss’s voice was so calm that Ruby couldn’t bring herself to be mad even though she wanted to be. Weiss always tried to be calm about this and usually Ruby got fussy first, being so resistant. She had no intention to change her mind but she was at least able to try to be calm enough to talk for once, “Weiss… They tested him again. He has no protective aura… that’s a death sentence we both know that.”

Weiss was quiet for a while, “Ruby, you need to let him try. If he can’t do it, he’ll fail and he’ll learn and at least he will know he can’t rather than regret it.”

She could feel Ruby growing tense as the woman under her chewed her cheek to keep from getting angry before she spoke again, “I’m not losing anymore people I love because of some choice I could have prevented.”

“Ruby… none of our friends were your fault,” Weiss’s voice was soft but steady, her arm she had been leaning on before she had moved slid under the gap of Ruby’s neck to wrap around her and hold Ruby close to herself.

Ruby was shaking very slightly as she refused to look at Weiss, staring at the sheets and their hands instead, squeezing Weiss’s in hers a bit, “I’m getting tired…”

Her wife sighed and kissed her cheek softly, giving her a bit of a squeeze before laying back down behind her, Ruby not letting her hand go so Weiss kept her arm draped over Ruby and snuggled into her back. Her other arm pulled out from beneath her wife and moved between them, gently rubbing into the muscles of Ruby’s back as they laid there in silence.

It had not been the conversation in its entirety that Weiss hoped for but it was a step closer without Ruby causing any fight to break out this time, though she doubted this was anything more than a rare occurrence. However, she would still count it as a success of some kind as she let her eyes close. Ruby on the other hand was feeling the desperate itch to run and the annoying tugging within at not being able to do so, hating that squirming feeling of discomfort she got when she couldn’t ignore the painful things. She struggled to but finally fell asleep to old memories of her long passed friends.

—----------------------------

About a month or so before Ruby’s due date, Yang and Blake were home with their kids. Yang was cleaning around the house to get ready to help watch Sterling a while when the time came as Blake was sitting on the couch with the baby. The kids were playing upstairs, despite being asked several times not to play on the loft but to pick a room or come down the stairs. As they came running past in a fit of giggles, the twins chasing Jin in some sort of game, Blake called up to them, “What did I say kids?!”

She went ignored in their antics. Yang was passing through with some trash, chuckling as she glanced up before walking to the back of the couch and leaning over, kissing the top of Blake’s head, “Relax Kitten. They aren’t going near the stairs and the railing is very sturdy. A couple kids aren’t going to fall off the loft. Let them have fun yea? Besides, if someone gets hurt you’ll know right? The twins will start that faunus call thing yea?”

Blake grumbled but relented, watching Yang walk off before turning to the baby, tickling her stomach, “Your family is crazy you know that?”

The baby giggled which made Blake smile. For the briefest of moments, she felt that old wave of sadness missing her parents looking down at Azure who had the inherited golden eyes and black hair. Azure’s ears were even more pointed and thick like Kali’s than Blake’s. They never got to know of the rest of her children but they would have adored them too. She sighed a bit and when her baby touched her face she relaxed, whispering, “Thank you sweetie.”

Upstairs, Jin was letting the twins chase her, staying just enough ahead to keep from getting caught but still make it fun for them. She would pretend they were almost catching her at times which only excited them more, the little cats pouncing when they thought they had the crafty dragon. Jin stopped near a wall not far from the loft railing chuckling, “Ha! Can’t get me!”

The twins shared a glance. Mao launched from the hallway and snagged Jin suddenly around her stomach tight before Bao hunched over, the little three year old wiggling before pouncing with a playful snarl at Jin’s shoulder with all the might he could muster, pouncing from between Jin and the railing.

Jin let out a sound of surprise, not expecting how hard the landing would actually be from such a little guy as it caused her to fall with great force into the wall. A flash of golden light was suddenly produced that none of them expected on both sides of Jin, startling all three. What almost looked like a golden semi-transparent ghostly form of Jin swung itself like a rewind back into the space where Jin had been with twice the kinetic energy that Jin had absorbed from both impacts as another pushed her in the same way from the wall.

Jin and Mao were kind of pushed around with the forms back to where Jin was standing but Bao went flying from the full force as all the energy was rerouted back in his direction. It all happened so fast all they could do was start confused at each other as Bao cracked over the top railing of the loft, the wood snapping and his small body going over with it straight to the ground floor. Before he could even register what was happening and release the calling yelp, his tiny form fell through the glass top of the coffee table in front of Blake, the intense sound of shattering glass causing all the cat ears in the house to flap and flop painfully.

Blake had already been turning due to the flash of light she didn’t recognize happening where her children were and the wood breaking sound but hadn’t had the time or chance to process what was happening with enough time to stop it. The crashing glass sent Azure into a yelping sobbing frenzy. Mao was yelping and screaming from the loft and Jin was frozen in confusion and fear, trembling all over and stuck staring at her brother’s unmoving body as blood was gathering under him.

Yang had already been running in at the noise and Blake Had quickly tucked Azure close enough to stop the yelps so she could hand her off to Yang before frantically kneeling down to the boy, her voice practically snarled in the triggered protective instinct her children had fired up in her body, “Yang call the hospital quick! I can’t move him, I might hurt him!”

Yang was bouncing their crying baby, already in the middle of calling anyway as Blake gently brushed his cheek and hair with her hand to soothe him as Mao was running down the stairs and clinging to her. Jin was still there, trying to figure out what had happened. How did two of her just suddenly appear? Why were they gold and see through? Why did they move like that and disappear? She didn’t want to hurt him. She never wanted to hurt either of them. She loved her siblings so much. Tears were on her face as she stood there scared and unsure of everything, replaying the moment in her mind trying to make sense of it.

It didn’t take long for medics to show up and get her brother picked up. Blake went with them, Mao went with her, the parents unable to get her to leave her twin. Yang got a few things together for the baby and looked up at Jin, her eyes softening at the sight of the stunned child. Holding Azure secured to herself in one arm, the woman made her way carefully up the stairs and over to the dragon, taking a knee and looking at her, “Hey kiddo, you ok?”

Jin finally blinked, hand coming up and quickly rubbing her face as she sniffled, “Huh? Oh… I… I don’t…”

Yang hadn’t seen what happened but she knew her kids enough to know whatever happened was an accident. The blonde carefully reached a hand out to Jin’s shoulder, not wanting to startle the dazed dragon and get bit, not the most popular parent with Jin ever since the last Grimm incident, “Hey. No one’s in any trouble and I’m sure he will be ok, alright? But we need to go so we can meet up with Mom and make sure.”

Jin shifted away from Yang’s touch and headed down the stairs, getting her shoes on silently and waiting for Yang at the door. Yang glanced at the calmed baby,rubbing the back of her neck, “Sheesh tough crowd…”

She got them to the hospital and met up with Blake. Luckily, toddlers are actually quite durable. No broken bones but he would have some pretty nasty bruises. Other than that he had some pretty bad cuts in his back from the glass that were going to be stitched back up and sewn back together and he should be fine. They could even take him back home after he was cleared. As they waited, Yang and Blake swapped so that Blake could take Azure and Mao could sit with Yang, still stressed about her brother.

Yang glanced at Blake and Jin who had taken a seat quietly on the other side of Blake, “So… what happened?”

Blake shrugged a bit, “I saw this bright golden flash out the corner of my eye but he was already crashing through the glass by the time I’d turned.”

Jin seemed to fidget uncomfortably. Mao tugged Yang’s shirt and leaned to whisper to her, “Something came out Sis.”

Blake’s ears flicked at that and she leaned forward looking at Jin’s face, moving wild blonde hair away to see her better, her voice kind and loving, “Little dragon, what happened? Tell me please? Did something strange happen with your body while you were playing?”

Jin whimpered and pulled her legs up hiding in them as she nodded, “I didn’t mean it Mom! I… I’d never… What’s wrong with me…”

Blake turned back to Yang as the blonde shifted Mao to one side so she could take Azure in her other arm. The faunus woman then slipped to crouch in front of Jin and gently pulled her daughter’s knees away from her face and reached to wipe her tears away, “Nothing’s wrong with you Jin. And none of this was your fault honey. You unlocked your semblance. It’s a special power some people have that can unlock at any point for any reason and we never know what it will be until it comes but what it ends up being is special to each person.”

Jin sniffled and frowned, rubbing her face, “Well it hurt someone so I don’t want it.”

Blake leaned and kissed her head, “I used to hate mine too. But in time I learned it was a part of me not against me. Can you tell me exactly what happened, honey?”

Jin tried her best to explain and Blake and Yang shared a glance before Blake stroked Jin’s hair, “Interesting. Sounds like somehow you have a strange combination of your mother’s semblance and mine.”

Blake stood and reached her hand out, “Come with me Jin, I want to see something ok?”

Jin took it and Blake brought her to the clear area in the space, “jin, I’m going to apply some force on you and see what happens ok? I promise I’m not trying to be mean or hurt you alright? I love you honey.”

Jin nodded. Blake leaned down and quickly reached and gave a harsh shove into Jin’s shoulder nearly knocking her off her feet. Instantly a flash of gold that looked like a semi-transparent clone of Jin rewinded back into Blake with force and pushed the faunus back. Yang was staring with wide eyes as Blake moved her foot back some to keep herself stable. Jin whimpered but Blake moved and knelt to hug her, “It’s ok Jin. I’m alright. I figured. Either it’s passive or you can’t control it yet but it’s a sort of reflex or recoil of energy. Like a blowback to protect you. A little clone version of you moves the energy back into where it came from but only a copy of the area affected.”

Yang glanced at the kids she was holding, “Ok… that’s kinda cool right?”

Blake rolled her eyes as the doctor came out and told them he was all good to go home. The healing time was agony on Bao and Jin mentally but when he was ready for the stitches to come out everything checked out ok and was healing well and he would recover with just scarring. Bao was constantly trying to tell Jin her power was cool but she had begun to distance herself from her siblings, refusing to touch any of them or play with them too closely.

The twins were very sad at first, loving their time with their big sister, and it didn’t go unnoticed by their parents either, but Jin was too scared and they didn’t want to force her and scare her more without fully knowing all the limits of her semblance.

As the kids ate dinner and Blake was feeding Azure, Yand nodded to herself, “I’ve got it. I’m going to start training her.”

Blake gave a warning glare, “Yang…”

Her wife waved her off, “It’s the only way we can build some confidence in her, learn what all that semblance can do, and besides with a semblance like that if she waits till Signal she’ll be too far behind everyone and possibly a danger to her classmates. It’ll be fine, she won’t hurt me.”

Yang received a painful pinch on her arm and pulled away looking at the face of a faunus that was staring into her with eyes full of a mother’s aggression, “I’m not worried about her hurting you Yang.”

Yang rubbed her arm and frowned, “Hey now! I’m not gonna hurt our kid Blake!”

“You will if you get carried away! She’s ten! If you do this Yang and you hurt her I will break you.” Blake warned, causing Yang to gulp.

“I will be gentle, Kitten I swear!” Yang promised.

—----------------------------------------

Their daughter’s birth was arduous but went without complication. It was definitely not something Ruby thought she could or would do a second time that was for sure. Blake had stayed home with the kids for now so the only people there waiting were Tai, Yang, Winter and Sterling, Weiss in the delivery room with Ruby. After what took hours and hours, their baby was in the world, a heavy set of lungs making the room aware of her presence.

Nurses got her cleaned and swaddled, handed over to Ruby with Weiss leaned close, gently leaning her face into Ruby’s hair sweetly as she watched. Their daughter had a thick layer of soft red hair but as her eyes bleary roamed, they were as if someone directly copied Weiss’s eyes and placed them into her head, that icy blue hue in two tiny orbs. Though it was July, Ruby couldn’t bring herself to name her after her own mother even if the idea was greatly appealing. However the red of her hair was like the leaves in the fall and Ruby looked at Weiss for a moment, eyes teary with happiness, “I… like Autumn… her hair reminds me of the leaves in the fall…”

Weiss smiled and kissed Ruby’s cheek, a hand gently on their daughter’s head, thumb stroking the soft tuft. She knew Ruby had been considering naming her after Summer, which Weiss would have supported happily, but she also knew it seemed like the idea had been hard for Ruby each time she talked about it with Weiss. Weiss had once suggested if it was hard to see if a different season felt right that way it was more like a tribute to her mother without being as painful. The older woman rested her forehead against the side of Ruby’s as they took in their girl, “I think that’s a lovely name Ruby.”

Chapter 26: You Make Me Dead Inside

Chapter Text

Ch 26: You Make Me Dead Inside

Sterling had been in awe of the little baby. Tai was as expected a weird bubblering man over his youngest birthing her own kid. Winter and Yang were both just excited about the new niece, the only redheaded child in the whole lot of them. It did prompt Yang to tease Ruby about if she was sure Weiss was the other parent but neither Ruby or Weiss seemed amused by this all things considered and eventually a few well placed glyph throws got her to stop.

When the baby came home, the crib was set up in Ruby’s room in the beginning with a monitor to Weiss’s room so the older woman could help. Things went well enough for several months and Ruby had gone the route of formula feeding as she was already aware she was going to want to work again at some point even if she hadn’t said anything to anyone.

Weiss had an easier time working with Sterling and his weapon ideas when they had come in with Ruby distracted during the day, the two eventually finding that even though he really wanted to be a scythe wielder like Ruby, he just couldn’t get the hang of the counter weight and it never felt right to him. What he did find felt like it was perfect and he seemed to have a natural talent for was a different long weapon with a blade. A pole arm with a more sword-like blade end.

It wasn’t Weiss’s specialty but she would do what she could to learn enough to help until he was old enough for Signal even if that just meant learning some basics to teach him. Plenty of teens entered their training schools with very little knowledge who came from families with no combat backgrounds so he wouldn’t be completely behind, even if he would be more behind than she’d like. If Ruby wasn’t being so difficult he’d probably have a much better teacher in this.

—-----------------------

At this point in time, Autumn was getting close to a year old and Ruby had done a few small missions here and there but nothing massive and often called to check in on the baby to which Weiss would make her also check in on Sterling just as much. However, Ruby was getting home much earlier than expected this time and as the woman walked into the house, no one was inside.

Her ears picked up on the sounds of thunks in the back yard and she peered out, face turning to a frown as her eyes landed on Weiss trying to teach Sterling some moves with a training staff. She slid open the door. On the porch protected in the comfy shade was Autumn happily watching in a baby rocker, bouncing herself with a teething toy in her mouth.

When Ruby came into her view she flailed her arms happily at her mother but Ruby was dead set on a goal. Weiss noticed the woman a little too late as Sterling was trying the move, Weiss in the middle of praising him for getting it fairly well on a first try as Ruby came into her view. Sterling startled and clung to the staff, squeezing it to his chest as he backed into Weiss in a stumble, his mom stepping quickly in front of him as Ruby was coming closer, “What do you think you're doing Weiss?!”

The woman frowned, keeping her son behind her so he felt safe though she knew Ruby wouldn’t hurt him, “I think it’s pretty obvious what I was doing Ruby. What are you even doing here? I thought your mission was supposed to take you several days?”

“Don’t change the subject Weiss. I told you he’s not doing this. What did you think just because we had that one talk that I changed my mind?” Ruby said angrily as she tried to step around Weiss.

She wasn’t after Sterling; she wanted to take the staff though. Weiss kept her cut off though, her face stern, “Ruby! Leave him alone! You are scaring your son!”

Ruby was about to argue when she noticed Sterling standing behind Weiss, nervous and clinging to that training staff for dear life, whimpering lightly as he tried to hide behind it and Weiss. She softened and took in her body language which was tense and aggressive, trying to force herself to relax some, her voice still a bit rough, “Well maybe he wouldn’t be like this if you wouldn’t have been encouraging this all these years and just dropped it when I said no. Then I wouldn’t be mad either.”

Narrowed eyes bored into Ruby with strong resolve making Ruby feel like she might just lose this standoff, “Excuse me?! Did I just hear you right!? Did you just try to make this my fault? Oh absolutely not Ruby! This is all because you are being stubborn and refusing to give our son a chance! All because we lost a few friends over the years. It’s part of the job Ruby. A part we all knew when we signed up for that path. Not everyone was going to get a happy ever after! I’m sorry I know it hurts ok but you cannot keep doing this to your son because you lost people!”

Ruby’s fists clenched and she grit her teeth, fighting back tears as she looked away, “I said he isn’t doing it! It was one thing for you to just be verbally supporting this but this is a whole different thing Weiss! If you are going to continue anyway then I won’t be a part of any of this!”

Weiss gave an odd look but Ruby just turned and headed towards the house. She stopped for a moment, giving Autumn a kiss and taking her in her arms before she stormed inside, Weiss calling her name but ignoring her. Ruby spent the rest of her day spending time with the baby or locked up in her room, ignoring any time Weiss tried to speak with her which just infuriated the older woman. By the morning, Ruby was gone, leaving a note she was off on a mission. It began a much worse turn of events where Ruby was constantly working again except now she only came back for a day or two to spend with Autumn before she left again and didn’t call while she was gone.

—-----------------------------

All the kids were outside. Autumn was two and she and Azure loved to play together. Jin and Sterling found things to do and the twins would play with the babies. Blake and Yang were making food as Weiss was sitting in their living room, face buried in her knees with her eyes closed, just trying to rest from stress. Yang glazed from the kitchen at her before returning to Blake, “Yea… she still hasn’t moved an inch. I don’t think she’s doing too hot…”

The faunus took vegetables Yang handed her as the woman washed them and sighed, “Well I imagine not. What has it been now, a year? Ruby has been gone constantly and Weiss is on her last thread trying to raise two kids, keep them happy, alone? Having to tell the little one all the time where Ruby went? Not to mention it just all feels like punishment for just choosing to support her boy. She’s having a hard time. That’s why she’s here, Yang. I told her she needed to just come over for a few days and bring the kids and just let us worry about watching them.”

Yang rubbed through her hair with a frown, “I’m going to smack around that sister of mine the next time I see her. This is so ridiculous…”

Her wife poked her side, “Don’t do that. You’ll make it worse. We just need to support Weiss right now and otherwise stay out of things. Can you finish up the food while I go see about her?”

Yang leaned and kissed between Blake’s ears as they fluttered and nodded, drying off her hands, “you bet Kitten.”

She snagged the damp kitchen towel on Blake playfully as the faunus left but stopped when she received a glare, going back to cooking. The faunus was rubbing her stinging rump as she entered the living room, the lights all off. She moved to sit gently next to her friend, the smaller woman just a bundle in on herself on the plush furniture quietly, unmoving. When Weiss felt the couch dip from Blake sitting there she let her shoulders sink some, her voice an exhausted whisper, “I have tried… so many times… but she just won’t listen… I really didn’t think she’d do this again with a baby around… not with one she wanted so badly she basically dr…”

She stopped herself, really not having the energy for that right now, “She was there when Sterling was that young. It’s really hard alone and balancing another kid who just needs someone to believe in him… Blake I’m tired…”

A gentle hand rubbed back and forth along Weiss’s back before pulling her close, just holding Weiss in her arms. She didn’t say anything. She just stayed quiet to listen if needed and held the emotionally and physically exhausted woman the way she clearly desperately needed. Weiss curled into Blake and just rested against her, not even aware how badly she just needed to be hugged and held until now. Eventually, Blake’s quiet voice could be heard, “You know, it is also ok to just say you are heartbroken and miss your wife right? I know all that other stuff is true of course but, your feelings are important too Weiss.”

Weiss didn’t say anything. She refused to. She knew if she did, it would hurt too much. Besides, in her mind that was something that seemed to keep falling apart everytime it healed and she just didn’t like to even think about it anymore because that meant facing the deep down pain and the fact it might be actually over and just be getting drug around the dirt in neglect.

Fingers ran through her hair, “Well, I’m sure you will get to that one day then. You won’t be able to ignore it forever.”

Blake continued to try to help Weiss just relax and calm the stress, noticing as she fell asleep against her. Weiss had dark circles under her eyes and probably needed this rest more than she needed any sort of heart to heart. When Yang leaned in to say food was ready Blake just leaned to look at her with a finger to her lips, whispering, “She really needs this right now.”

Yang nodded, “I’ll set the kids up with food out back, place plates for you two in the fridge. Take your time.”

Blake mouthed a thanks and leaned back into the couch closing her eyes, just sitting there with her friend for as long as Weiss needed. Sure she was hungry but that could wait. Weiss had been going like this for a year and it was really taking a toll on her and she was one of Blake’s closest friends at this point in their lives. She would easily wait to eat if it meant making sure Weiss was going to be ok and get a moment’s peace to rest her weary heart and head.

By the time Weiss woke from her nap, Yang had already finished chasing unruly children around for baths, gotten them tucked into beds with brushed teeth, and was washing dishes. Weiss looked around a bit confused before jolting upright, looking at Blake who was kindly smiling at her, “I am so sorry I didn’t mean to…”

Blake cut her off with the kindest voice, “Weiss, it’s really fine. You needed it. I didn’t mind at all. Hungry?”

Weiss nodded. The two got their plates and heated them, Blake sliding her arm along Yang’s back as she stepped next to her to sneak a kiss to the brawler’s cheek before going to sit to eat. Yang finished up with cleaning and walked to the others, “So… Signal is doing this two week outreach program for kids ages twelve to fourteen before the school year starts up. We signed Jin up but we were thinking, you could sign Sterling up. Might help let him see what it's all about over there and give you a bit of a break. It's like a real short summer camp thing. The kids too young to become students at the end are just doing super basic stuff like learning about dust, semblances, types of Grimm, and the fundamentals of a few simple weapons categories of their choice. I know all the first year enrolled students are required to go so if he likes it he might even make some friends he can see for the next few years before he starts.”

Weiss considered it, pulling her scroll up and searching until she found the information and opened it, filling out the form for Sterling. Dove was accepted in for the first year course starting in the fall so he would be able to go with both of his cousins. She looked up at Yang, “Weren’t you training Jin though?”

Blake’s brow twitched and Yang chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck, “Well, I mean I’m no teacher and anyway Blake thinks it would be good for her to get help from someone else for a bit too…”

“You hit our daughter in the face,” Blake said with an irritated voice causing Yang to wince and Weiss to raise a brow.

“Hey! She wouldn’t let go!” Yang griped.

Weiss looked from one to the other as they bickered, Blake growling, “She is a kid!”

“She’s hardly a kid! She’s twelve and those teeth hurt!”

“Yang she’s your daughter you can’t just hit her in the face!”

“What am I supposed to do when she won’t let go with those chompers any other way!?”

Weiss interrupted, a bit confused, “Wait, hold on, you punched Jin in the face… because she bit you and wouldn’t let go?”

Yang groaned and rolled her sleeve back, revealing the intense dents in a toothy row in her metal arm, “When it started to creek and pulling on her didn’t work I kinda panicked. I was worried she was going to snap it or get shocked or something! We have a no biting rule in this house for a reason because of those things!”

Both other women exchanged looks before sharing a laugh at Yang’s expense. With the mood lightened, Blake showed Weiss where she’d be staying for the night and everyone turned in.

—------------------------------

A few weeks went by and the program started. Jin had already been dropped off that morning. The dragon was excited to be around other people. She loved her siblings but it would be nice to hang out with more kids her own age, though she was a bit nervous about her semblance. In the past two years they had discovered it was a passive ability and that made things complicated.

She got her bag put down on her bunk in one of the cabins for the girls her age and came back out to join the rest of the people already there. While looking around at the potential activities to see what she might want to try to sign up for, a very unfortunate and familiar voice came from behind her, “Ah, so this is where they are keeping the fire starter.”

There was an odd amount of accompanied laughter that had Jin turn quickly then turn red. There was Dove. She had gotten taller and a lot of her features had filled in after puberty had passed her. She had her blue eye completely hidden by her hair and her smile felt taunting as if daring Jin to try to stop her. Behind her stood several other girls, all seeming to be around Dove’s age, eyeing Jin with jest.

“Oh… it’s you. What do you want, Dove?” Jin said weakly, looking at the older girl.

Dove crossed her arms, smirking, “Just figured I’d show some new friends of mine how to identify the flora and fauna in the area. When I saw you, I thought I’d give them a real example of a beast they should avoid instead of a picture in a book.”

Jin frowned but avoided talking so her teeth wouldn’t show. The girls were laughing again, one standing quite close to Dove with an arm around Dove’s which seemed strange to Jin but she didn’t want to say anything. Dove leaned a bit towards Jin, “Oh, I heard what you did to your baby brother. You really are a monster aren’t you?”

Jin stared at the ground, turned her face from Dove, stung by the words. The older girl chuckled and stood back up, leading her group off, “Come on everyone. Messing with wounded animals is dangerous after all.”

When they were gone, Jin rubbed the single tear off her face and growled, stomping around and kicking a rock across the dirt grumbling as someone walked over to her.

—-------------------------------

Weiss’s driver pulled up with Autumn in a carseat to her side and Sterling to her other side. He glanced out the window and bit his lip, “Do I have to? there’s so many…strangers out there…”

Weiss gently unclicked his seat belt and smiled, “Sterling, trust me, you are going to learn from people who can teach you better than I can here and you might even meet some kids like you. Besides, your cousins are here so they aren’t all strangers.”

She fixed his bangs and hair, pulling it into a hair tie for him the way he liked and kissed his head as he sighed, “Ok Mom. I’ll try.”

As she leaned to open the door she gently guided him out of it, “That’s all I ask Sterling. I’ll see you in two weeks ok? I love you.”

He seemed to pout, “I love you too Mom…”

She closed the door but the window rolled down as they were leaving, Autumn and Weiss both waving bye to him, Sterling waving back until they were gone. He groaned. He didn’t want to be around a bunch of kids he never met. He wanted to be at home with his mom and his sister. But Weiss did say Jin and Dove were here so that was something he guessed.

After getting checked in and guided to his cabin to set down his bag, he set out to try to find one of them, either one. That’s when he came across Jin and saw Dove with a group of girls several feet away leaving the area. He watched her temper for a bit before he walked over, speaking normally as if completely unphased by her, “You should just learn to ignore her you know? She’ll just keep messing with you if she knows it works.”

Jin turned to him quickly with a grunt and frown before folding her arms angrily, snorting, “She’s such a pain! Ugh I hate her so much!”

Sterling raised a brow at his cousin and sighed, “When you act like this, you only make her sound kinda right you know.”

Jin shoved him a bit growling, “Shut up brat!”

He frowned and shoved back, “Don’t push me just because I’m smaller than you!”

“I didn’t. I pushed you because you are being rude!” Jin gave him another small shove.

Sterling let out an annoyed grunt and stopped, “This is silly! We should be signing up for our activities before we get stuck with whatever is left.”

He started to walk off and Jin tilted her head some before chasing after him, “W…Wait up for me!”

—--------------------------

In the cabins that night, Dove was sitting on her bed, messing with her scroll, having gotten one before coming here, doing some research on her father’s name as the girl who had been hanging on her arm laid across the foot of her bed. Admittedly, Dove had little interest in humoring her at the moment, too preoccupied with her task at hand, but the girl was watching her and had been clinging all over her all day.

The enrolled Signal students had different cabins. theirs were on the edges of the camp and much more like small suites. Each one had four rooms with two beds per room. Every other night they were to rotate one set of people in each room until those people made it back then rotate the other set, with the first and the final nights only staying the same for one night.

Dove glanced and noticed the lights out under the doorway indicating everyone was in their own rooms now. She looked over at the girl who was still watching her with a very interesting look in her eyes and a hint of curiosity. Dove sighed and set her scroll on her nightstand, using her foot to gently push at the girl, “Come on Raya, I need to go to bed.”

Raya bit her lip and gave a whine, gently reaching to cling to Dove, “Can’t we hang out or something just us? This is the only night we get to be roomies!”

Dove raised a brow at her, “We literally just spent hours sitting on my bed together after hanging out all day. What more could you possibly want?”

When Dove moved her leg with Raya attached off the bed and tried to shake her off, the girl moved to tackle Dove, staring down at her with a blush, “Oh come on that doesn’t count!”

Dove frowned, hands reaching a bit to grip Raya’s shoulders though she didn’t try to push, “Ok well no one else got to hang all over my arm and chest all day so I think that counts don’t you?”

She watched Raya’s eyes glance at her chest then back up, a grin on her face, “Well… it was nice that’s for sure.”

The two turned bright red and stared at one another for a moment before raya’s eyes closed slightly, “Come on Dove… can’t we spend just a bit longer together before we go to bed?”

She leaned down and kissed Dove. It was awkward, neither having any sort of experience, but it wasn’t exactly gross or unpleasant. Brief and warm and causing curious sensations across teenage bodies. When she pulled away, Dove sighed softly, “I guess I'm not tired yet…”

Raya bit her lip with a smile before she kissed Dove again.

—-------------------------

At breakfast Dove poked her food around distracted. Before coming to the cafeteria hut she had to do the room rotation and she was actually kind of happy about it to be honest. Last night had been fine she supposed. She had nothing to really compare any of it to but things had definitely gone far far beyond the exchange of kissing and it had only left her feeling dissatisfied and frustrated though Raya had seemed quite pleased and had even achieved the entirety of the experience. For Dove though, nothing about anything Raya did really had it for her. It felt nice enough sure but she couldn’t say any of it felt like anything it looked like Raya got to enjoy and she definitely felt like her own body needed something it didn’t get to have that night.

Today she was just glad she wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. Raya was nice enough and cute but Dove wasn’t all that interested in her, not even in a sort of young puppy crush sort of way. In all honesty Dove didn’t really feel like that about any of these girls but most of them seemed enthralled with her. Dove was very pretty and her very disinterested nature even though she was nice to them gave her this charm that even some of the boys their age found curious, though Dove already knew even at fourteen that she couldn't care less about boys. She had known for about a year now she only had any sort of curious interests or crushes on girls but catching Dove’s interest was almost an olympic level challenge.

She spotted Jin and Sterling across the hut but she was in no mood for either of them and grunted with a face of distaste, getting up to toss her plate and leave the hut. Some of the girls followed her which was a bit annoying but she just dealt with it. She did however find her brow twitching anytime she noticed Raya whispering to a group of the girls that lived in their cabin including her new roommate, “Oh great…”

Very quickly, Dove became not only an interest of the girls her age but Raya had somehow talked her up to be some sort of sexual goddess and now she was being flocked even more, especially by those in her cabin that she would inevitably have to room with. While the groupie swooning was somewhat irritating, the concept behind it eventually made Dove curious. Maybe she could figure out through these eager campers why she didn’t enjoy herself too. Maybe Raya had just done something wrong? It was something she did have interest in exploring again, just not with that girl.

By the end of the day, Dove had found a way to make this situation appealing to herself. She would figure herself out and this hormonal girl squad would help her do it. Thankfully for Dove, they were all at least visually attractive to her so it would be easy enough to give it a try at least and hope she didn’t get bored.

On her way to the showers, she ran into Jin. Well that was enough to ruin her new found good mood. Jin tried to avoid Dove but Dove stopped her, “Problem hot head?”

The dragon shook her head no, trying again to leave but Dove’s outstretched arm stopped her again, “Then what’s the rush? Worried if you don’t rush back to a basking rock you’ll freeze?”

Jin’s cheeks flushed and she frowned, baring her teeth at Dove for a moment. Bad idea as some other girls who knew Dove were leaving the shower, seeing those rows of sharp points and gasping. Dove smirked and pushed Jin out of the showers, Jin almost losing her toiletries in a whimper, “Don’t worry girls, the toothy disaster was just leaving.”

Jin whimpered a bit as she was laughed at by all the older girls, slipping back into her cabin and into her bed, curling up under her blanket. She gripped a tooth and tried to yank at it with her full strength but of course that did nothing. Still, she felt like trying before nuzzling into her pillow and trying to sleep.

—----------------------------

By the end of the two weeks, none of Dove’s attempts had been fruitful for Dove but she did learn a few things about herself. First, she learned she seemed fairly good at the basic expectations that brought pleasure to girls. She had not failed to satisfy a single girl she had attempted to please. However, not a single one had done more than bring her extremely close but only leave her wanting and extremely frustrated and confused. And at this point Dove was certain clearly the problem was her. The few times things got fairly close, those girls were rough and not very coordinated, causing pain by accident but those accidents had actually been the best moments all two weeks.

But after the final girl reacted so awfully to Dove trying to get that kind of accident to be more purposeful done to her, Dove kept her curiosity to herself and decided clearly that must mean it is a terrible thing and she shouldn’t ask that of anyone ever again. Of course, all that frustration for that span of time meant Jin was receiving more and more brutal verbal abuse from Dove to the point the little dragon hardly participated in much of anything by the end of camp.

Jin secluded herself off to be left alone, not even really speaking when Sterling was around and barely trying during any of the fundamental activities. Some of the instructors tried to talk to her but she refused to speak, not wanting anyone to see her teeth anymore period. She had also gotten into a bit of trouble when she broke the cabin door while everyone was at lunch but wouldn’t tell anyone what happened to cause the knob to rip from the wood. She had tried tying a tooth to some wire and to the knob and slammed it but not only did it not pull the tooth out, it bounced in the frame, swung back at Jin, knocked her back by her face which flung her down on her butt and her recoil flew her back into the door, her head busting the knob from the wood.

She forced herself to act fine when Yang picked her up, Blake having allowed Yang to pick her up on the bike, which helped because that made Jin excited. She had only ever been allowed on the bike in the yard. Sterling and Dove had already left. Yang smiled as Jin ran up to her, “Hey kiddo! Mom thinks you are big enough to ride in style now. How about it? Wanna hop on and burn some rubber with me?”

Jin internally flinched at the phrasing, staring for a moment at the helmet Yang offers her before taking it and quietly climbing on, clinging to Yang so she doesn’t fall. Admittedly, the bike itself was not fun to ride on for Jin but the fact she was on a bike and it went fast and seemed cool made it fun for her as a kid. Yang was a bit confused as to why she was just drained of any joy the whole ride, getting her home. When the two got there, Jin got off and set the helmet on the bike before going inside.

Blake was on the steps waiting for them, a bit anxious with Jin on the bike on the roads. She tried to say something to Jin but Jin just hugged her briefly then went inside. As Yang came up the steps scratching the back of her head Blake slapped her arm, “What did you do?!”

“Me!? I didn’t do anything! Geez I guess my jokes really are just that bad…” Yang defended with a sigh.

After a bit and a few knocks with no answer, Blake peeked into the dragon’s room looking at Jin flopped belly down on her bed. The worried mother stepped in and closed the door, walking over and laying on her stomach next to Jin, looking over at her, “What’s wrong Little Dragon? Did your mother make an awful joke?”

Jin snorted and shrugged, “Not really…”

Jin felt Blake rubbing her back and she closed her eyes, instinctually relaxing. Blake smiled, bringing her fingers up into Jin’s hair and scratching at her scalp, watching the little faunus melt into her bed as calm washed over her, “Better?”

Jin nodded, practically purring if dragons could do so. Blake chuckled, pulling her fingers to tuck hair from Jin’s face, noting mentally just how wild it was like Yang’s, “Tell me what’s wrong honey.”

Jin pouted, “It’s nothing. Some of the older kids were just… kinda mean that’s all. I’m fine…”

Kind eyes watched her for a bit before Blake moved her hand to Jin’s shoulder and scooped her close, hugging her tight and kissing her head as Jin giggled, “Momm!”

Jin could hear Blake snicker a bit and feel her purring softly and closed her eyes, letting it calm her inner beast. The one good thing about Blake still having small children around was that Blake’s instinctual tendencies were still potent enough for Jin to benefit from them too even at her age. Since Jin hadn’t hit puberty yet these effects still worked on her much like they did the toddlers and the baby even if she wasn’t young enough to trigger them in Blake anymore.

Blake nuzzled the wavy blonde mane and smiled, “Are you sure you don’t have anything you want to tell me?”

The older faunus having grown up in a very racist world had her suspicions but she wouldn’t jump to any conclusions without anything to go on as she didn’t want to be part of the problem and many things were becoming better as the years had passed. Jin nodded slowly, Blake noticing she was dozing off.

She smiled, kissing her head before leaving. The other kids were already down for naps. Blake went down to join Yang on the couch, sitting and reaching her legs over across Yang’s lap, the blonde beginning to massage the muscles without even thinking about it, Blake’s ears flattening happily at the soothing work of Yang’s hands in her tired muscles. The faunus pulled her scroll out to a notification on it from some of her old activist coworkers before she had Jin, “Hmm… Ilia just sent me this news segment about that corp we had been trying to figure out all those years ago.”

She played it and the voice of the news anchor filled the silent room, Blake having the volume turned very low, “...one of the biggest in weapon’s manufacturing in fact! Today the owners were arrested for the racial abuse against their own daughter. Facts are still coming to the public but for now we do know that they were doing this for what appears to be most if not her entire life. The hawk and falcon faunus power couple were ripping out her talons and surgically applying feathers to fit the and I quote ‘proper bird traits faunus should have’. their daughter, a twelve year old pygmy owl faunus, also shows clear signs of neglect and malnourishment. Authorities ask that people please not try to get too close to the child for now as she has not been around many people and you will cause great distress….”

Blake was covering her mouth with her hand sadly as Yang reached and took her scroll, “Please turn that off. I just can’t listen to that right now. It’s too awful.”

She nodded in agreement, arms hugging to herself as she thought about the little girl the news had shown. She looked so tiny and thin her arms were broken and bloody and she was in a panic as medics were trying to take her for care. She must have been so scared and confused about what was happening to her. For a moment, Blake felt a bit responsible for having left before her team could crack that girls’ parents. Yang snapped Blake out of her thoughts by gently setting the scroll back on her lap and continuing to rub her legs, bringing the conversation back to their own daughter, “So is Jin ok? Did I upset her?”

Blake shook her head, , “You’re off the hook this time. But she wouldn’t really tell me what happened. Just that the older kids weren’t very kind.”

Yang nodded, “Do you think Dove was there?”

“I am sure she was,” Blake answered, leaning her head in her hand as she rested back and propped her elbow on the arm rest.

Yang’s hands worked down to Blake’s feet, “Should we be worried?”

Blake mewled at how nice it felt as she shrugged, “I don’t really know. She didn’t have any injuries and she calmed down fine as far as I could tell when I started to purr. I suppose we should just watch her carefully for now and see.”

Yang hummed in thought as her hands worked back up Blake’s legs as her wife spoke, “But if she won’t tell us about it there isn’t much we can do really. We can’t go around making up what we think happened just to try to fix an unknown prob… YANG!”

Yang chuckled as Blake pushed her away with a foot. Yang had worked her hands on Blake’s muscles all the way up under Blake's shorts to the curve between her thighs and her core before Blake had stopped her, “Kitten… you know you liked it. Admit it, it felt good right?”

Blake glared at her and let the foot pushing against Yang’s shoulder caress down her arm to her elbow then over to her hip and across her waist, “The kids are only down for naps and all of them but Jin have insane hearing. You will wait until we go to bed Yang or you get nothing. I’m not willing to try to figure out how to lie about what they might see to any of our extremely curious little cats.”

Yang chuckled, shivering a bit at the tease before she backed down, “You’re the boss. I’ll behave.”

—--------------------------

Within the next few days, Yang had helped Jin design the training version of what would one day be developed further at Signal. Jin just wanted brawling bracers and the feisty dragon named them Fang Fists which Yang found fun and loved her enthusiasm. Jin had been watching all the tools Yang used to make them that were a bit dangerous for Jin at her age currently with curious fascination but the one Jin found the most interesting was the angle grinder.

When Yang was using it and Jin saw what it could do to metal, the emotionally damaged faunus couldn’t help but wonder what other things it could cut through or grind down. After Yang finished the build and set the tools back on the shelf, she stared at her dirty hands, “I’m gonna go wash up kiddo and then run to go buy some paint, do you want to come pick your paint out?”

Jin’s gears were turning then she shook her head. Yang shrugged, “Well what color would you like?”

Jin thought for a moment before answering, “Red!”

Yang chuckled and ruffled her hair making Jin growl and reflexively fix it, “Alright. When I get back we can paint them ok?”

Jin just nodded and watched Yang go inside. She sat outside the workshop until Yang drove off on the bike before sneaking back in. Looking around she found a bucket she could drag over that would get her tall enough to reach up and grab the tool. Once she had it, she walked over to the work bench and plugged it in, her tongue running over her teeth as she looked around and found a piece of glass she could use to see herself with and set it up on the table.

When the button was pressed and the tool whirred to life, the intense vibration shaking her hands, Jin got nervous but a bit excited. She had grown to hate her teeth and how much people stared at them long before Dove during camp or past holidays but Dove certainly had put the final nail in the coffin. And with all those other kids laughing and shrieking at her too, she truly felt like a freak.

She looked into the glass and raised the tool, pressing it to the row of teeth but unfortunately, the disc sparked and screeched, shattering and catching in the mechanical portions of the tool and it sparked and hissed before it popped and stopped responding even when Jin pressed the button. Her teeth had not even a scratch on those odd pearlescent silvery bones but the inside of her upper lip had a bit of a brush burn from a piece that had hit it when it flew off.

She whimpered and stared at the mess of a tool now with little wisps of smoke coming off of it, panicking. What was she going to tell her mother? This tool was one she needed when she made mods to her bike, which Yang did as a hobby often when she wasn’t too busy with the childs. She first got rid of the glass and used a broken chunk to scuff a piece of the work bench on the surface so it looked like she accidentally bumped it.

When Yang got back not long later and came into the sight of her destroyed tool, she almost dropped the rattle can of paint, “J-Jin! What did you do!?”

Jin whimpered, looking away, “I… thought I could do it and wanted to try too but I slipped and hit the table and it broke…”

Yang bit back anger and breathed out slowly, forcing herself to remain calm as she walked over, “Jin you know you aren’t allowed to touch my power tools and especially not when I’m not out here with you… these are expensive and you could really hurt yourself. Are you ok?”

Jin’s tongue rubbed her mark inside her lip but she just nodded, “Yea I’m ok. I'm sorry…”

Yang sighed, picking up the tool and looking it over, “It’s fine… I might be able to fix it. Just… please don’t do this again, ok? If you’d have gotten hurt I’d never forgive myself…plus your mom would kill me. Why don’t you head inside? We can paint Fang Fists tomorrow. I need to go ahead and try to fix this.”

Jin hung her head and nodded. Not only had she failed and she felt like a monster but she had also disappointed her mother who trusted her not to break anything when she left. She went inside, ignoring Blake and her siblings as she headed for her room. Blake watched her daughter not even twitch as she had been saying her name to get her attention. Jin had originally been so excited to make her first weapon and had really wanted to show Blake once it was done so it was quite surprising to see such a 180 version of Jin now.

Before Jin could enter her room, Blake called to her, “Jin Xiao Long I know you heard me saying your name. Turn around right now.”

That tone meant Jin better listen or she’d be in real trouble. The dragon walked over to the railing of the loft, “Yes mom?”

Blake raised a brow, setting Azure down off her lap next to her, “Why were you ignoring me?”

Jin shrugged, “I don’t know…”

She saw her mom frown and bit her lip, “I’m just tired I guess…”

Blake’s eyes narrowed and Jin squirmed but she didn’t cave, eyes finding something else to look at in Blake’s direction, “I thought you wanted to show me your weapon when it was done? You were so excited, did something happen?”

Jin twitched a bit. ‘ Ah, something went wrong, I knew she wasn’t telling me something,’ Blake thought as she waited.

Jin stared at her feet and forced a shrug, “It’s not done yet though. Can I go lay down now?”

Blake stared for a moment but when Jin said nothing else she sighed, “Fine, but I’m going to ask your Mother about it.”

Jin whimpered and went off to her room. Shortly after Yang walked inside looking annoyed. She flopped herself down between Azure and the end of the couch, watching the toddler climb into her lap and cuddle into her, placing a hand on her back as Blake looked over, “Why is Jin upset? What happened? Why isn’t the weapon finished?”

Yang groaned, “One thing at a time Kitten… She’s upset because she did something she knew she wasn’t supposed to while I was out buying the paint to finish the weapon and broke an important tool of mine. Which is why the weapon isn’t finished. I needed to see if I could fix it and really didn’t think the best response to her breaking rules and my stuff was to reward her. I told her we could paint it tomorrow. I think that’s fair.”

Blake seemed confused. It wasn’t really like Jin to mess with Yang’s power tools. Sure Jin broke some rules all the time but she rarely broke rules that involved her parents’ or siblings’ belongings. Yang looked down at Azure as the toddler smiled up at her and reached up in a silent request to be lifted. Yang obeyed, picking Azure up into her arms and holding her close, “I don’t know what’s wrong she’s been so… I don’t know what since she got back. Something isn’t right with her. What do you think those kids did?”

Blake watched Yang with Azure before looking at Jin’s door, “I don’t know but I’m worried that it broke that fearless spirit of hers.”

Yang looked at Azure and made a few faces to make her giggle, “Well, we will just have to help her get it back then.”

—-------------------

In her room, Jin was curled up under her blanket, crying softly as she tugged at her teeth in an anxious habit, wishing they would come out, muttering to herself as she cried herself to sleep, “I hate it… I wish I never had these stupid things… I’m such a freak… a monster…”

Chapter 27: Fly The Coop To Meet You

Chapter Text

Ch 27: Fly The Coop To Meet You

Dove had been enrolled in Signal for a few months now. She had learned rather quickly she was absolutely terrible at ranged combat but her hand to hand and close combat skills were advancing faster than anyone in her year even this early. She had designed her weapon, like every other student had, to compliment her strong suits and help with her weaknesses.

Knowing since her childhood what her father used and that she was going to use the same thing, she built herself a scythe. The blade was sharp on both sides so that it could be used for swings and thrusts. The staff could be reduced or extended into a full length for more distance or a short length for close quarter range more like a long bladed sickle. Within the staff she had developed several pressure plate triggers for gravity dust chambers to turn herself into the ranged element with the weapon rather than firing projectiles.

The weapon had a very white blade, the staff black with accents of a very vibrant almost pink, neon red throughout the blade as well as accents of icy blue that was so bright it seemed to glow in the black areas of the piece. She had named it Reaper and it struck fear into her classmates like the namesake. Of course it wasn’t perfect in its first draft but time would eventually lead to improvements, this first version alone was already fairly amazing.

Many attributed the quality on the first try to the fact Dove spent so much of her childhood around advanced students at Beacon, constantly exposed to weapons of high grade and classes and students of advanced skills and knowledge. It was probably why her intelligence in class was also so exceptional aside from her lineage.

It didn’t take long for Dove to start hunting down everything at Signal after she got here about when her father was a teacher here, especially since other staff members who were still around today took one look at her last name and couldn’t help expressing their thoughts, good or bad. Between her scroll research on his missions and people’s personal feelings on him, she was building up an understanding of who he was and this only made her want to know him even more.

Many teachers seemed to have comments too about the way the girls seemed to fawn over Dove, comparing her to her father in that way. It didn’t help that with only her red eye showing at any given time they often told her she had her father’s eyes that ladies would fall for. Dove had once considered maybe they should shut their mouths because she was probably a bit young for those comments but then she considered the camp fiasco and never tried to correct anyone.

Of course now that she knew she apparently had “appalling” interests in sex she was in no way interested in trying anything with any of these girls. Sitting at lunch, as they all sat around her trying to chat with her and each other, Dove leaned her head in her hand and hid her boredom behind a fake air of contentment, ‘ What is the point of even trying anyway? I’ll just end up frustrated and miserable. Plus all these girls are frivolous and so… boring… might as well just play along though so at least I can get through these three years as comfortably as I can.’

Dove was fairly good at pretending to care and be friendly with people. She had easily faked her way through popularity between her skills, her looks, and her facade of her pleasantries. That was not a skill she inherited from her Father she learned it was definitely something she had learned from her mother. The skill to make face and be the person in the room you were expected to be to get where you needed to or wanted to be for your benefit.

It was apparently a very ingrained Schnee skill for better or worse that even her Aunt Weiss had that was hard to get rid of. That being said, Dove had to admit it was incredibly useful. She had been here for only a few months and already it had gotten her everywhere she could ever need to be. Even teachers who hated her father who had it out for her adored her now. She could easily get anything she wanted from any staff member or student and she didn’t even have to try. Powerful skill indeed.

There were benefits to students drooling over you as well, she supposed. For one, if she wanted information on anything she couldn’t get herself, all she had to do is sweet talk anyone who knew and they would easily spill any information she wanted for her attention. If a student was particularly difficult to squeeze, Dove wasn’t against lavishing them with a bit of physical attention either until they squealed on what she wanted to know. She never would go past making out with someone but with how girls seemed to melt to her that was often more than enough.

She could also use these efforts if she wanted anything from anyone. It was terrible and she knew it but Dove was just looking to make the most of these three years and if she was going to have to be burdened by these thirsty twits she would find a way to make it worth it rather than just be annoyed by it every single day. Three years is a long time for such headaches after all. One thing she never did though was use any of her wiles or skills to cheat or steal any course work. She was quite proud of her ability to get through school itself on her own.

—----------------------------

At the end of classes, Dove walked over to a teacher once the room cleared. The woman glanced up at her from her desk with a smile, “Ah Ms. Branwen. What can I do for you my dear?”

Dove glanced at her scroll a moment before putting it away, “If I wanted to find out if my father was currently out on a mission or not, how would I go about doing that?”

The woman seemed a bit confused, “Well couldn’t you just ask him dear?”

Dove gave a charming smile, “Well you see his scroll is broken and my parents do not live together. I live with my mother so there’s not really an easy way for me to find out you understand.”

The woman nodded, “Ah yes. I can understand your mother on that one that’s for certain. If I were your mother I wouldn’t want to see him much either. Well… you could try to see what his status is on the Huntsmen logs. Usually those are only accessible by other liscensed Huntsmen but I might be able to get you in for a bit, our little secret.”

She gave a friendly wink and Dove gave a kind smile, easily believed no matter how fake it was. The woman logged in on her computer as Dove moved behind the desk to look on with her until she scrolled to his name. There next to it was the status, “Well there you are dear. It appears he is currently off duty. I imagine he is probably home or in some bar somewhere.”

Dove hid her annoyance at the way this teacher so easily talked about her father to her, grinning and thanking the woman before heading out. Once she was in the hallway she let the facade fade and her natural resting face tinged with her irritations revealed itself. All these women that worked here always had such negative things they let slip about her father to her as if that was just an ok thing to do about someone’s parents in front of them. She hated such unprofessional behavior.

She couldn’t figure out if it was better or worse that they all thought she knew her father and he was part of her life. She pulled her scroll from her pocket as she turned a corner heading for the dorms. They were optional at Signal but it did make things easier with her and her mother since Winter was often so busy at Beacon. Luckily for Dove, her roommate was a girl so uninterested in Dove as they come so she could at least be free in her personal space when she got to her room and let much of her forced farce to drain away.

Her roommate also wasn’t much of a people person so Dove didn’t have to pretend to care about anyone or anything around her, something Dove was incredibly thankful for as it meant she could just be left alone and relax in her room. Not that this stopped girls that had interest in Dove from coming knocking often but if she let Wendie answer the door it was even better because that girl scared most people away anyways. If she answered she could just say she was busy and Wendie was in and the girls would quickly go away.

Wendie was not one to pretend to get ahead and made it very known to others she hated being bothered or even talked to unless she approached you so she was, in Dove’s opinion, the perfect fit for a roommate for herself. They left each other alone and actually got along with one another quite nicely when they did talk, a healthy respect for one another.

When Dove saw some of her fangirls down this hallway she quickly doubled back and took a different route, in no mood to play nice with them right now. She had luckily gone unnoticed and when she came into her dorm and let herself fall back into her bed with an agitated sigh, she heard Wendie chuckle from her own bed, her gruff voice breaking the silence, “Rough day in your land of make believe Queen Bee?”

Dove rubbed her face and nearly growled as she let out her stress, “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

Wendie just laughed, going back to her homework, “whatever. I actually don’t care anyway. Just keep it down over there. I need to pass this next test.”

Wendie was somewhat of a gothy faunus covered in tribal tattooing and piercings, two black as night ears that seemed like some sort of cross between wolf and horse out the top of her head surrounded by braided locks of black and dyed hair that made interesting color twisted in of blues, teals, and purples going down to her waist with the sides of her head shaved in more intricate symbols, her eyes an intense almost threatening shade of orange that felt it could burn into your soul and not in a good way and her skin was so bronze it almost seemed to shimmer like a dark gold in the light.

She wore a lot of sleeveless loose black cropped tank tops with wide neck cuts and black vests open in the front with low set cargo pants and combat boots, tons of handmade beading and woven bracelets stacked along her wrists and forearms from back where she was from. She also had fangs and the entire air she carried just emphasized her ‘don’t f*ck with me’ vibe. She never used her full name but Dove happened to know Wendie was short for Wendigo, Wendigo Stormchaser from a small tribe of nomads that once based their roots in Vacuo.

Dove rolled onto her stomach with her scroll and started trying to figure out where her father might be. This was about as much conversation she and her roommate usually had but they were both perfectly happy with that. Though sometimes Dove did think it was quite a shame Wendie wasn’t interested in her because she was a lot more Dove’s type than anyone else in this school and more than likely capable of giving Dove the experience she desired.

After a while, Dove sighed, “Hey Wen… if you were a drunk old bachelor that had no real responsibilities and still thought you were a catch where might you go in Vale?”

Wendie snorted as if amused that Dove thought she would know before she leaned back on a hand and bright the other to her chin to consider the question, “Well, my uncle likes to go to The Dipper near the docks. It’s where a lot of those ol drunk bastards who have no one but their missions go when they aren’t working. Mom’s always dragging her brother back from there when he gets back from long ones. I bet you could try there. Looking for your ol man again?”

Dove just gave a single slight nod, tucking her pillow under her head to prop her head up as Wendie watched her. The faunus shrugged, “I mean if you got time I could show you the place this weekend. Could see if he goes there.”

Dove turned to glare at Wendie with a raised brow, smirking, “You asking me on a date, Stormchaser?”

Wendie rolled her eyes, “In your dreams. But if you show up there lookin all pampered like you do someone is bound to try somethin on you. I’m just offering to take you. Don’t make anything of it.”

Dove looked Wendie over. Ok the girl was tall, like really tall and she worked out. Plus her very dark badass look helped. And Dove did tend to dress herself like someone to take home to your mother. And it was a ragtag bar with washed up geezers that were wasting their lives away so maybe Wendie had a point even if Dove was capable of protecting herself, “Alright, I see what you mean. Wouldn’t hurt to bring you along.”

Wendie chuckled at Dove’s pride, leaning back on her pillow with her arms under her head, “What are you going to do if you find him there?”

What a question. Dove hadn’t considered that yet. This was easier if he had a home address or something she could walk up to but a public place she wasn’t even old enough to enter? She wasn’t looking to humiliate him, she just wanted to meet him really. She didn’t even have any expectations, “I guess if he’s there, I just want to wait and see where he is calling home so I can go back on my own and try to talk to him.”

Wendie didn’t say anything. She understood. Her dad knew she existed but he had deserted her family when she was a baby and it was just her, her mom and her waste of an uncle so she knew what it was like to want to know your father. It was something of the only real topic they had in common that others weren’t privy to, “What will you do if he doesn’t want to see you?”

Her large ear flicked at the sound of Dove clenching her pillow and she turned her head just enough to see her as Dove was rolling to face the wall in her bed. She stared at the old plush crow Mr. Feathers that sat on the corner of her bed, poking it gently as she finally answered, “I guess nothing. I met him once when I was a little girl but he didn’t know who I was and I barely had any idea at the time who he was. I was just a toddler. After that I had to watch him care about my cousins and never notice me. I don’t think he knows who I am at all so I just want him to know I’m his… what he does with that… is his choice I guess. But at least he will know and I’ll finally know what that means for him.”

The two laid there in silence for a long time before Wendie hopped out of bed. She knew Dove was hurting even if the girl was too stubborn to say it. She walked over and shoved Dove over in the bed, “H-hey!”

Once she had not so kindly pushed the girl over enough she dropped herself into the bed and looped an arm around Dove, loosely hugging her, “Shut up and just appreciate this. It won’t happen again.”

Dove grumbled and rolled her eyes but Wendie was warm and she did appreciate the comfort because she was hurting deeply at the subject, “You are such a brute Wendie…”

She felt a horse-like snort on the back of her neck that made Dove’s face go sour and felt Wendie’s breath on her skin as her gruff voice gave warning, “I said shut up Dove or I will get up and leave you to your bitch feelings by yourself.”

Dove was tempted to have the last word but silenced herself, deciding to enjoy the embrace instead. Didn’t take much for her to admit to herself she might have the slightest of crushes on her roommate but she was more than capable of ignoring it knowing it would never be mutual. Oh well at least she got this and could call herself one of the few friends of the girl which that itself was a very limited club of very few.

—-----------------------

When it got dark out, Wendie nudged Dove a bit roughly, “Wake up dork. If we want to go, we should go now.”

Dove grumbled, a bit embarrassed she had fallen asleep but rubbed her eyes as she sat up, glancing back at Wendie who was smirking, “Oh knock it off. You aren’t that special.”

Wendie launched out Dove’s bed and stretched still grinning, “Say what ya want, you liked it and ya know it. You sure you needed to ask where to find a horny ol’ man or were you just trying to sound like you aren’t some thirsty birdie?”

Dove’s glare could burn holes through nuclear bunkers, but it just made Wendie laugh and the two got ready before slipping out of the school without getting seen and headed to town. It wasn’t too far of a walk from the academy and the docks were not much of a further walk either, the bar nestled into an alley. It looked like a place one might look for undesirables and thugs but was mostly full of depressed, washed up Huntsmen who refused to quit but had nothing left to live for.

Dove could see now though why Wendie didn’t think it was a good idea for her to come here alone. There were lots of ‘women of the night’ hanging around outside that drunk men and women seemed to hang all over with no interest in personal space or consent of permissions to touch. Wendie watched Dove step away with a face of disgust as a man was slumping over one of them like a gross dog and the taller girl pulled Dove a bit closer to get her away from it, “These people don’t really have anything to do with the money they make and they don’t really have families. A lot of them won’t have families because they are constantly surrounded by death. It’s honestly sad actually. Try not to judge them too hard.”

Dove squinted at Wendie a bit surprised by how sincere that almost sounded but she assumed it was her uncle Wendie was thinking about when she said that and tried to respect that and not pass harsh judgements in her mind of the rabble around them. She wondered if her father might still be living like this for those reasons. Wendie stopped at a window and peered in, pulling Dove next to her, “I see my uncle. I’ll try to see if I can get him to come out. See if you see your ol’ man while I do that kay?”

Dove nodded though she wasn’t sure how good she might be at looking for him in such dim lighting through a tinted window inside a crowded bar. She had only really seen pictures online and in person from a distance. When she saw him as a little girl so long ago the memory was faded and fuzzy. Her eyes scanned around as Wendie was typing away at her scroll. She thought maybe a few figures could be him but it was so hard to tell. Maybe Wendie forgot she was not a faunus and did not have any sort of night vision so this was pretty hard to do.

After a few minutes, a man came stumbling out rather irate that looked like Wendie in race but he had wild loose hair cut at the shoulder and a long beard both graying with age with no similar facial structure and much more of a copper tone to his bronze skin rather than gold. His body was covered in scars and muscle and his own eyes were brown, “What ter hell Wendigo! Wh…y you here!? Ya mothr is gonna kill ya! And wo ter hell is…this tiny thin!!”

Dove gave him a very offended look but Wendi just growled and shook him a bit, “Uncle Talou you’re drunk! Shut up and listen before I call Ma to come get you ‘kay?!”

He shut up, staring at her, “I’m waitin!”

Wendie rolled her eyes, “This here is Dove, Dove Branwen. She’s my roomie at school. She’s tryin to find her dad, Qrow Branwen. You know him? He here?”

Talou’s head tilted to the side a bit, or rather seemed to more lull to the side, as he stared squinting at Dove almost so much it was getting uncomfortable, “Well I’ll be damd… so she is huh? He eyes an evrthin. Ye I knows hm… he drinkin here tonight. Want me to get hm?”

Dove shook her head no and he scratched his about to ask when Wendie shoved him, “Thanks Uncle now go home while you can walk so Ma doesn’t skin ya!”

He grumbled but seemed to listen, walking away from the bar in an uneven stumble. Dove watched him for a bit as Wendie was wiping her hands on her pants, “Is he going to be alright?”

Wendie glanced up, “Huh? Oh him? Yea he does this every night when he’s home. He’ll be fine. I already messaged my mom so if he doesn’t make it she’ll find him. This is pretty normal for him.”

Dove raised a brow but Wendie placed her hands on her hips and spoke before Dove could poke into her life any further, “So what’s the plan thirsty birdie?”

Dove let out a groan, “Stooopppp!”

“Seriously though, what do you want to do? Your call,” Wendie asked more seriously.

Dove sighed and leaned back against the building, “Can we wait until he leaves so I can see where he is staying so I can come back tomorrow alone and talk to him?”

Wendie knew she didn’t need to form it as a question but she could tell the question wasn’t aimed at her. Dove was more asking to try to convince herself. The faunus shrugged and crossed her arms across her chest, kicking back leaning into the wall next to Dove, “Sure. Wouldn’t be the first time I sat outside this place all night waitin for a drunk geezer before.”

They didn’t say anything to each other as they waited and yet it wasn’t awkward at all. Wendie was fine with the silence and knew Dove was lost in her thoughts but if Dove wanted to talk, she would. Dove always did what she wanted to do, something Wendie learned very early on rooming with the girl. It did sort of make Wendie wonder if she should try to see what her dad might be up to these days but her situation was quite different. He knew where they were, they lived in the same town since he left though they had moved several times trying to stay afloat. He had never even once tried to find them which told her all she needed to know about if he wanted to see her or not.

Still, she wondered if he had a new family. Did she have siblings she didn’t know about or was he out there wandering around alone? Was he happier now? Was he even alive? That last thought didn’t give her any feelings one way or another and that made her realize she didn’t care anymore, that these thoughts were more out of curiosity than longing. Dove’s hand shaking her by the arm pulled her from her thoughts though as the girl was pointing out a man stumbling from the bar downing a flask, a torn up red cape on his back with black hair slicked back and red eyes just like hers.

“That’s him…” Dove whispered breathlessly.

Wendie watched and the two followed him from afar, neither wanting to startle a drunk seasoned Huntsman and end up skewered. Eventually he made his way to a room at an inn as it started to rain. Dove wanted to watch a bit longer but Wendie took note of the room number and dragged the smaller girl away, “Dove we need to get back before the dorm watch notices us sneak back in! Plus we are gonna be soaked!”

Dove sighed and nodded weakly, dazed and biting her lip as Wendie dragged her back to the school. By the time they had made it back, the rain was pouring down and they were drenched. Wendie managed to sneak them back in past the dorm watch making their rounds even with all the noise their soaked forms made. She got Dove inside and sat her down on the floor, looking her over. Dove seemed lost a bit. She couldn’t blame her. She had come so close to something she had wanted her whole life.

Wendie turned and looked through the wardrobes for Dove’s usual cami and sleep shorts combo pajamas, digging out her own boxers and a dry tank top. She tossed hers on her bed and turned to Dove snapping her fingers in her face, “Hey, Dove, you in there? You will get sick if you don’t change. Come on, I'll help ok?”

Dove looked at her slowly and Wendie could suddenly make out that in the wet of the rain water there were streams of tears on her face, “Oh sh*t Dove. Geez hang on ya?”

She left for a moment, while gone, Dove pulled her legs slowly to her chest fingers fidgeting with her knees. He had been right there. She didn’t want to confront him tonight originally and not while he was too drunk to understand her but she felt so miserable not being able to say anything to him once again as if she had to be some back seat to his life that couldn’t be allowed to matter.

When her roommate returned, she had a big towel and pulled it over Dove’s wet hair, gently scrubbing it dry, noticing the hidden blue eye, “Woah… never seen that before…”

She draped the towel around Dove’s shoulders and reached out, moving the mess of damp hair from Dove’s face to reveal the icy blue hidden eye from under the white side of hair, “That’s… really cool actually…two different colors huh?”

Dove glanced at her before looking away. Wendie kept trying to dry her off, towel rubbing along her shoulders and back, trying to distract Dove, “You know… my mom would say that our people would call that an omen. Like you were born a sign that you are walking two worlds in one, meant to exist in this world as some special form of those worlds blending together, for better or worse.”

Dove was listening even if she was in a dark place right now. She knew already that Wendie was of a tribal people and they had their own ways and beliefs. She had always found it interesting though the girl rarely shared any of it with her, as they were quite secretive of the heritage. Wendie got all she could dry and looked at Dove, “Gotta get you out these wet clothes ok? Arms up yea?”

Dove lowered her eyes not wanting to watch Wendie as she raised her arms weakly. Wendie wasn’t stupid. She knew Dove might have some sort of thing for her. She wasn’t really all that interested in Dove to be honest but she had never really let herself consider anyone really. She wasn’t the dating type and just figured that would make the next three years pretty weird. Right now she just didn’t want Dove to be depressed and sick so while she was aware Dove might be unsure, she wasn’t really giving any of that any thought for the moment so she could help.

She peeled the wet shirt and bra off Dove and as she grabbed the cami to put on Dove and slid it down she couldn’t help seeing the girl and blushed a bit. The teen was quite shapely that was for sure. They had both turned fifteen between now and when the school year started but Dove definitely had Wendie well beat in assets, Wendie quite nearly flat in that department. The faunus got Dove to her feet and knelt, pulling the rest of the wet clothing down toned thighs as Dove balanced rested on her shoulders and as she removed the wet underwear Wendie tried to look away as best she could to be respectful but she was quite curious.

That curiosity just proved to her that Dove was beautiful pretty much everywhere, every inch of skin and she knew that now. Kneeling there she bit her lip and glanced up at Dove who was blushing deeply, looking away nibbling her lip in a way that was sort of intoxicating, “Wen… you know you can’t just… this isn’t fair to me…”

She wasn’t sure why she suddenly changed her mind. Maybe it was how broken Dove suddenly looked, a girl who always could meet Wendie’s harsh nature with her own. Maybe it was seeing her in such a way so bare and vulnerable. MAybe it was just actually spending time with her. Wendie didn’t know but she stood, guiding Dove to sit back on her bed as she did, not bothering with Dove’s other garments.

The faunus quickly tried to dry her wet mane of braids before tossing off her own wet clothing without any grace, standing there completely bare. The only asset worth any note that one might label as attractive would probably be her muscular ass and slender but muscular frame, the tattoos too if one was into that. Her chest was not flat enough to be non existent but enough to never need a bra of any kind. She reached and gripped Dove’s top, pulling it from her.

She watched dove’s blush darken with her stare as she set both hands on either side of her and leaned in, Dove backing up on the bed and the faunus climbing in on her knees looming over, her gruff voice a bit breathless as her eyes stared at Dove nibbling on her own lip, “Better?”

(For those uncomfortable with writing involving two underage teens in some intimacy with one another, skip ahead until you see another note like this. It does reveal Dove actually learning about her interests we see in the sequel though.)

Dove nodded, shivering at how close Wendie was getting to her own face. Wendie leaned until they were inches apart and closing, watching Dove’s eyes close before she took her lip in between her own teeth, biting into the nibbled skin, her fangs poking hard as Dove let out a whine, squirming some.

The faunus tugged at her lip a bit, ears flicking at another whine the girl released before Wendie released her lip and roughly pushed Dove to her back, eyes watching her soft body fall into the sheets hungrily as she leaned over her, Dove’s hands above her head in submission. Dove was growing excited all over. Already Wendie was giving more than anyone had ever given her and it was not quite what she wanted but it was still more aggressive than any partner she had ever had and she longed for that.

She watched Wendie’s nostrils flare as the faunus breathed in deeply the smell of Dove’s ever growing arousal as the smaller woman pressed her thighs together beneath her, Dove’s face flush at the sight of need growing in Wendie’s bright orange eyes. The way her golden bronze skin shimmered in the moonlight made Dove quiver as the muscles shifted, the faunus lowering and biting her shoulder hard, fangs digging into the skin and drawing blood.

Before Dove knew it, two strong hands were gripping her wrists so tightly it made her head reel as strong thighs forced between her own, parting them around the faunus. Those teeth showed no mercy as they bit and scraped with hungry growls against her skin down to her chest, leaving punctures in the skin along the way before clamping over a hardened bud, tongue lavishing the sensitive bud as the hands pressed her wrists even harder into the bed.

Dove bit her lip, making sure she wasn’t imagining this. She had not met anyone so far that was willing to be rough with her. It was driving her body crazy in ways she didn’t know possible, ways she had only seen in others. Even if this was just raging hormones or an attempt to distract her from being upset or pathetic, Dove didn’t care. She was just glad she might get to know what it could be like to just enjoy this. The pain of the teeth biting clean into her skin as the tongue teased sensitive areas of her breast was enough to make her soaked, body trembling delightfully in ways she had only ever done for others.

Wendie’s name rolled in a whine off her lips, arching towards the faunus as she moved and snuck her teeth around the other nipple, Dove’s body shaking and twitching in response. The faunus tightening her grip on Dove’s wrists and giving a sharp tug downward, showing dominance and growling against skin at all Dove’s squirms even though Dove could see shivers traveling Wendie’s spine. In the bliss, Dove wondered if Wendie had been a loner because she too had tastes no one understood but as Wendie’s teeth made their way down to one of Dove’s thighs she quickly lost all ability to think.

In pure physical response to pleasure, Dove’s legs parted for the Faunus and she moaned as teeth sunk into her thigh close to her center, tongue lapping at the skin in between the teeth as blood dripped, her wrists pinned at her sides by her hips. Wendie had no intention of giving her any use of her hands and Dove found she loved it. Her hips bucked slightly with a whine as the faunus teased her thighs with nips, bites and licks, warning growls coming as an order to be still.

It happened fast. Dove let out a delicious yelp that made Wendie tremble and purr as teeth latched into the skin just above Dove’s core, fangs buried into the skin drawing blood as the tongue slid across the bundle of nerves and teased it with circles and suckles, ears folding back and eyes closed as Wendie buried in the pleasure of the sounds and tastes of Dove and blood mixing together under her tongue.

Dove was struggling to hold still, pleasure surging through her like electricity. Her head leaned back and eyes tightly shut. She tucked her legs over Wendie’s shoulders and her muscles squirmed and trembled as she felt something amazing finally that she had chased during the summer camp and never once got. Her back arched as Wendie’s long tongue ran through patterns around sensitive nerves and her brain fizzled out as it dipped into her, teeth still buried in her skin pulled so she could reach, the faunus moaning at all the mixed tastes and Dove’s sounds in her ears as Dove felt her first org*sm, body tensing against the girl and moaning her name like a desperate cry.

Wendie didn’t stop, squirming herself, hips grinding into the sheets and her sad*stic desires driving her into bliss herself as she listened and tasted, until Dove was jerking away, whimpering in a kind of overstimulation she didn’t want. Fangs released the skin and her tongue lapped over the punctures until the bleeding stopped. both panting, Wendie not quite done, sat back on her heels watching Dove, covered in her marks and a ragged mess that made Wendie squirm and groan, fingers drifting to her own core, thighs spread, stroking along her own sensitive areas as the sight drove her senses crazy.

Dove slowly leaned up, gently sliding herself over Wendie’s lap even though Wendie growled at her, unhappy at losing the ability to relish in her work. Dove sat far enough back in her lap that Wendie could still see and licked her lips before rolling her head to the side, unmarked shoulder with perfect skin showing. Her lustful whisper striking a cord in Wendie that drove the faunus insane, “You call all that biting? I want you to hurt me, Wendie.”

Dove trembled when she heard the deep hungry groan and felt the rapid motions of Wendie’s hand on herself before she let out a sharp yelp, her own moan high and long as Wendie bit into her shoulder hard enough to press some of her flat teeth into skin, all of them causing blood. Dove gripped hold of Wendie tightly as she shook, sliding to press into the girl’s thigh and grind down to match the speed Wendie was using on herself until the two were reeling, falling over the edge together in a mess of sweat and blood.

(ok it’s over. Thanks for your patience!)

As they came down, Wendie slowly unlocked her jaw and released Dove, leaning back as Dove steadied herself on her lap, both staring at each other as they caught their breath. Wendie smirked, Dove narrowing her eyes, “Don’t you dare…”

“You’re such a freak birdie,” Wendie chuckled.

Dove groaned, moment ruined as she slid off Wendie’s lap and shoved her out her bed. Wendie was laughing, rubbing some blood off her lip and licking it off her hand making a show of it before she got dressed and tossed Dove her remaining clothing, the girl putting them on with a light blush, “As if you can talk Wen!”

The faunus just shrugged, getting into her own bed, “So, tomorrow’s a Saturday. You should be able to slip out soon as you wake up. If your mom comes around to try to pick you up I’ll come up with somethin. Get sleep so you can get out of here early dork.”

Dove rolled her eyes and rolled over in a fake huff but found sleep came easy after her body was so easily worn into.

—---------------------------

The violent sunlight in her face was annoying but it was enough to wake her up for sure. Dove sat up with a groan, her body sore and aching from the night before. She rubbed her head and glanced over, jealous of her roommate so easily still sleeping. ‘ Lucky,’ she thought as she got up and got dressed, blushing at all the bite marks all over herself.

They were still mastering pushing their aura to heal so she gave it a try but couldn’t quite get all of them to go away. Still they were all placed in areas that were hidden, as if Wendie knew where she was placing them. Dove was sure it was no accident. She was very curious to learn more but that was for another time. She looked over at the old worn crow plush and grabbed it and a satchel with a few things like photos of her during important moments in her life over the years and such should he be interested, poking the beak tip of the plush, “Alright Mr. Feathers,” she released a deep breath, “let’s go meet Dad yea? Wish me luck.”

She stuffed him gently into her bag and headed out, slipping easily off campus on a weekend charming people at the gate. She made her way to the inn, going to the number Wendie had written down for her and taking a deep breath before knocking on the door. At first, nothing happened. She wondered if maybe she missed him but then figured with how drunk he was maybe he just didn’t hear her and tried again louder.

A sound of stumbling and things falling came from behind the door before heavy footsteps approached and the door flung open, the man angrily staring at her and grunting, “I heard ya the first time! What do you want, kid!?”

Dove flinched but then took a deep breath and steeled her resolve, standing tall, “I… just wanted to tell you that I’m…well… I’m your daughter!”

—-------------------------

After the initial shock had worn off and he wasn’t stuck staring like someone had frozen him in time, and after having to repeat herself so many times any nerves over the situation had faded into annoyance, the two were sitting in the messy room at the small table, her hands in her bag squeezing the plush for comfort as he sat in the only other chair, staring at her red eye and unable to deny features he could see of his in her, “So… you’re my kid?”

“Yes…” she said for the umtenth time with a sigh.

“And you’re… fifteen you said?”

“Yessss,” she was getting irritated.

He squinted at her and leaned in a bit. It made her look around a bit awkwardly, leaning back in her chair away from his alcohol breath. He slowly began to frown, “That tone… I know that irritated tone… There’s only one woman that makes that tone at me…”

She rolled her eyes and he slapped his hand on the table, causing her to jump a bit and frown at him, “You’re a Schnee aren’t you!? I’d know that annoyed tone of voice and eye roll anywhere!”

She grunted, “I’m a Branwen actually thank you! She named me after you!”

He seemed a bit stunned and sat back down, his face confused, “After…but she never even told me I had a damn kid why name you after me!?”

“I don’t know why don’t you tell me!?” Dove yelled back at him, trying to stay calm as she gestured to the mess and empty bottles all over the room.

At this point, she pulled the plush from her bag and fiddled with it in her lap, trying not to get upset. She had tried her best not to have any expectations but she couldn’t help feeling like he was letting her down somehow. He tilted his head and glanced at the stuffed toy, “Hey wait, wait a minute. I know that thing. You’re….you’re that little kid aren’t you? The one that was with my niece and her wife that one time, right?”

Dove’s eyes glanced back up at him nodding and his face softened as he really looked at her, seeing how sad they looked. He took a moment to think about how he had been behaving and rubbed the back of his head, “Look kid, this is just all a lot to hear first thing in the morning you know? I mean I hardly even see your mom much. I had no idea we had a kid. Then you show up telling me this. I would find it hard to believe but it’s really easy to see it in you and the time makes sense from what I can remember. I guess… I’m not the best guy out there. I probably wouldn’t want me raising any kids either and it’s not like we had any… well. That’s a talk for another time when you’re older. Where’d you get that little guy anyway?”

He pointed at the plush bird. She rubbed her face a bit and set the bird on the table looking at it, “Aunt ruby gave him to me when I was a baby. Apparently she did it because of you but never could tell me that. I’m pretty smart though and I have my ways of figuring things out. I mean I found you didn’t I?”

He chuckled, giving her a slight grin, “You sure did kid. So ah… I don’t really know how this works…never had any kids before heh…”

Dove shrugged, reaching in her bag, “Never had a dad before… I brought some photos from my life… do you maybe want to see?”

He nodded, “I’d like that.”

—----------------------------

Dove spent several days with Qrow telling him all about herself and getting to know him, helping him clean up the room and smiling as he called Tai to sort out moving in and getting himself cleaned up so he could try to see her more.

When she missed two days of classes, Wendie had tried to lie and say she was sick but after they sent a school nurse to the dorm and Wendie couldn’t get her to leave, the school called Winter to let her know Dove was in fact missing. Unfortunately, Dove and Wendie didn’t have each other’s contact numbers as they really didn’t chat outside of their dorm room much so Wendie was unable to warn Dove.

As Winter made her way to the school, she entered the dorm, the school having told her Wendie had been lying about it and also that Wendie was a bit of a trouble maker on campus. A teacher was outside the room to keep Wendie from dashing as Winter entered, walking over, “I’m told you might know where my daughter is.”

The faunus snorted, nostrils flared and folded her arms, “So what if I do? Whatcha gonna do, hurt me?”

Winter sighed and walked further into the room, sitting on Dove’s bed and looking across at the strong willed faunus, her own face softening with her worry and catching Wendie a bit off guard, “I just want to know where my girl is. Please. She’s all I have. If you know anything, I’m asking that you tell me.”

Wendie was watching her carefully before she sighed. Dove never had anything ill to say of her mother other than the stuff about not telling her dad, even though she did make sure dove knew about her dad, and knew the two were close. If she went ‘missing’ she’d want someone to ease her own mother’s worry, “She found her dad in town and wanted to meet him. He was at this inn by the docks. The Den Inn I think. Room 12.”

Winter stood, hiding her nervousness, “Thank you.”

Wendie grunted, “Yea whatever, don’t tell the birdie I told you anything…”

Winter left, convincing the school to not punish either teen as she headed for town quickly.

—--------------------

“So you’re at Signal huh? You know I used to teach there?” Qrow said, setting some coffee down for Dove at the table before he sat too.

She groaned with a bit of a smile in the corner of her lips, “Oh yes, I’m aware. There isn’t a single teacher that doesn’t try to remind me daily.”

He chuckled and rubbed his neck, “Sorry about that kid. Guess I wasn’t always making the best choices. But hey, guess the choice that made you turned out pretty great huh?”

Dove stuck out her tongue and squinted which made him chuckle, “Shouldn’t you be in school right now though?”

She shrugged, staring at the coffee, “I guess but I’m top of my class and the teachers all love me. Besides, all I have to do is bat my eyes and half the girls in my class will beg to give me their notes.”

He raised a brow and smirked, “Ah a lady killer like your dad huh? You don’t seem too excited though. Ah well you’re still young. But you know, if you aren’t at school for long enough they tend to call your…”

He was interrupted by rapid, aggressive knocks at the door and he sighed, “...your folks…”

Sure enough, Winter’s voice came through the door, making both flinch, “Qrow you open this door right now! I know Dove is with you!”

He looked at Dove with a frown, “Look kid, this might get messy. You might want to just go with her for now ok and try not to judge me or your mom for what might get said ok?”

Dove’s face fell and she bit her lip, grabbing his arm, “But… I finally…”

“Don’t worry kid. I’ll see you again I promise,” he patted her hand and the two went to the door as more yelling and pounding knocks were heard, “Yea yea we’re coming!!”

When the door opened, Winter was glaring angrily at Qrow, quickly reaching for Dove who was making her way out, “Mom! I’m coming, let go!”

Winter released her once she was out the room, looking her over to be sure nothing stupid caused Dove any trouble before turning to Qrow, “She has school Qrow!”

He frowned, “Oh that’s what you think is the thing to say to me first huh? She has school? How about ‘sorry I never told you you're a dad’ or ‘sorry i didn’t tell you about your daughter’?! Geez Winter, were you just never going to tell me I had a kid!?”

Winter frowned deeper, “Qrow, you’re a drunk scoundrel who took advantage of me while I was intoxicated and lonely then constantly spoke to me like I was some piece of meat after, why on earth would I want to have to see you more than I have to?!”

He grit his teeth, “I didn’t know you felt that way! I was also drunk! I thought we always had some sort of flirtatious spat thing going on! I thought… you know what no! That doesn’t mean you have a right to not tell me I have a kid! I spoke like that because I thought maybe we had a thing going but I get it now why you were so weird now! And I would’ve quit had I known I had a kid! I would’ve tried to apologize had I known you felt that way! I haven’t even touched a bottle the entire four days she’s been here! I even got set up somewhere soon so I can quit and do right so I can see her again! I wanna know my kid Winter! And we can either figure out some way for that to happen or I’ll get a lawyer and make it happen!”

Now winter was gritting her teeth. She knew while she wouldn’t lose any custody, any court would see him trying and feel sorry that he never knew and she might lose more than she’d like. She also had to accept she never did give him a chance to say his side of things, though she couldn’t help how it had felt and that wasn’t her fault really. She was probably the only woman he didn’t hit and quit if what he was saying was true.

Dove gently grabbed her clenched fist and forced her fingers into it to hold Winter’s hand, “Mom… please… I want to know my Dad… can you do this for me?”

Winter glanced at her and softened, sighing, “Would every other weekend be alright with you? We can figure out holidays and if I have too much going on at work she can decide where she wants to be?”

Qrow smiled, “Yea that seems fair. After all, I’ve only just met her. I wouldn’t ask you to trust me with half her life all the time, that would be scary for you. But I want to actually talk one of these days about what happened because I don’t like that I made you feel like that.”

He glanced at Dove, “That all sound good to you kid?”

Dove just smiled at him, “Sounds perfect.”

Winter got Dove headed back to Signal, the girl looking at her with a soft smile, “Thank you Mom.”

Winter gave a weak smile back, dropping her off at the gate, “Just get to class.”

Chapter 28: These Four Walls

Chapter Text

Ch 28: These Four Walls

“Well it sounds like it all went well yea?” Wendie said as she was laid back in her bed, one leg up and the other dangled off, tossing a hacky sack up and catching it over and over as Dove finished telling her about her past few days.

Dove was watching Wendie on the edge of her bed with her legs crossed and leaning onto them once she finished, eyes watching the small beaned sack lazily fly back and forth with so little reaction from her roommate. To be fair, it wasn’t like she expected much of a response from Wendie to begin with, but she had been so excited with no one worth telling besides Wendie so she just wished she had someone who shared her enthusiasm. Dove groaned slightly and hung her head, face against her arms.

Her roommate’s eyes glanced over briefly, catching the sack as it came down without even looking as an ear flicked. She slowly sat up on her elbow, staring at the girl. In moments, Dove felt the cloth covered item smack lightly into her head and fall into her hands, looking up with a scowl at Wendie who wasn’t looking at her anymore, “Look, I don’t know what you want here. I mean it’s good it didn’t blow up in your face yea? Don’t you have like… I don’t know actual friends you can go be all excited with?”

Dove stared at Wendie a bit perplexed and taken aback though she hid it well, “Aren’t we friends Wendie?”

“I mean I’m not trying to be mean here but… just because I went with you and helped and we had a bit of a good time doesn’t really mean suddenly I’m gonna be your best bud or something, ya know?” Wendie was rubbing the back of her neck and dodging eye contact as she stared away.

Dove watched her carefully and got to her feet slowly. Without a word, she walked over and dropped the hacky sack on Wendie’s chest, her face bearing no emotion, before she grabbed her shoes and got them on, “Ah, I understand perfectly now. Sorry for any confusion.”

Her voice had been so devoid of any tone or feeling. Wendie grit her teeth staring at the item that had been returned before sitting up fully, “Dove come on! Don’t be all pissy like that! I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true dammit!”

Dove glanced back at her, shrugging, “No, you’re right. You didn't, did you? You don’t have friends. You don’t bother with them. That’s what you said the day we moved into the dorms right? I forgot. It’s my fault. I got too comfortable confusing this as anything other than what it is. I mistook a free space to be able to drop a mask for friendship. Thanks for reminding me.”

Wendie just gawked at her as Dove left. When the door closed, she growled and rubbed her face annoyed, flopped back into her bed with a frustrated grunt, “Dammit Dove! f*ck!”

Wendie was trying to return back to distance but she was actually somewhat of Dove’s friend, that much was true even if she pretended not to be. She usually never felt bad brushing off friends and making them hate her or hurting them so they never got to close anymore, not since she was younger, but this really bothered her.

She hadn’t been on the receiving end of Dove’s false neutrality since the beginning and it was awful, making the faunus angry, annoyed, and hurt. Things had always just been better this way. Her hands rubbed back up her face into her thick sets of braids into the scalp hidden under them to rub the nubs that had been sawed off to remove antlers that had tried to grow in while Dove was gone with Qrow.

No, she had to push the girl away before the hunger for her raged again to be allowed to stay in school like she wanted. No close friends, and definitely no lovers.

—-----------------------------------------------------

What a time for Dove to wish any of the people at this god forsaken academy actually were real friends to her besides Wendie. She couldn’t even be mad about that night it rained, she did stuff before with girls she never meant herself so it would be quite hypocritical of her. Though she’d be lying if she said she didn’t hope it might happen again. It felt incredibly annoying to have to feel like those twerps that fawned over herself now.

But all that aside, she felt stupid. Not a feeling she liked at all, she realized. She had thought Wendie truly was a friend, someone she could really talk to and trust and just be herself around. The girl had gone out of her way to help Dove find her dad but then just didn’t seem to care at all about the results of all that?

Which just reminded her of more she found she couldn’t stand. Vulnerable, exposed, and weak were all things dove hated to be to her peers and she had been so with Wendie because she trusted her and thought they were friends, thought they were close and understood each other. A rational adult might call this karma but Dove was just a hurt teenager who didn’t believe in such things anyway.

She was leaned back against the building with a scowl on her face staring at the setting sun, her fingers absentmindedly running over the clothing covered phantom trails where Wendie’s teeth once blazed that were gone now, leaning her head back into the wall, “Don’t be dumb Dove. Those things mean nothing, you know that.”

Her hand moved to grip her head and her eyes closed tight, teeth gritted as she berated herself mentally for forgetting the way these sorts of things worked. After all, she had done that enough herself to know better. These sorts of things tended to either happen in a spur of raging hormones, fun, self discovery, or because someone wanted something from someone. She felt hot breath on her face and heard a hand slam into the wall next to her ear, eyes snapping open, ready to lay into whoever had come to bother her behind the back of the building when she saw those orange, vibrant orbs staring into hers.

Wendie frowned and snorted, nails scratching at the cement bricks of the structure, her other hand reaching up and grasping Dove’s chin tightly, nails scratching at the skin as she tilted Dove to look at her, “Ugh! Get your f*cking pampered ass back to the room! Dammit Dove one of these days you’ll learn you can’t always have everything your way.”

She let go of Dove’s face roughly, almost with a jerk to the side as she backed away, watching Dove as the girl shivered from the rough treatment but glared at her as if she dared resist and fight against the faunus. Still, she obeyed, with Wendie following behind her, anger burning on her face watching Dove until they entered the room lit only by a lamp with a blue bulb in it near Wendie’s bed.

“Sit down,” the faunus ordered firmly, pointing at Dove’s bed.

Dove crossed her arms over her chest but still she sat, watching Wendie sit on her own bed and tense hands grip her knees, “Look, it’s not that I don’t like having friends, ok? It’s more like I’m not really allowed to have friends. If I want to go to school and be like everyone else I can’t have ‘besties’ and I can’t date or any of that. If my mom and uncle found out, I’d be pulled from school and you’d never see me again. Normally I wouldn’t give a damn if that sucked for you or not but… you’re… different…”

Dove narrowed her eyes, “Why?”

Wendire snarled, the intense warning in it making Dove bite her lip and tremble a bit, “I can’t tell you that! But I… just don’t be upset, ok? I hate it.”

Dove shouldn’t be as thrilled as she was to hear Wendie basically admit she cared about her. ‘ Say it more… I want to hear you say more…please…’ she thought as she gave Wendie a look of defiance, “Make me.”

Wendie’s aggressive growling made Dove melt and squirm, the faunus practically jumping her with so much force and strength that led to bared fangs, tight grip and the delicious feeling of that faunus bringing pain delightfully to her body. It was the start of something new that had no name to it, couldn’t have a name to it even if they wanted to.

The two engaged like this often and in many ways but it always included aggression, pain and bleeding that the faunus devoured with an addiction that overcame her like some sort of feral animal. By the time the school year was coming to an end, Dove had finally gained a peek at more of what Wendie had been hiding as she caught the faunus in the act of something grotesque.

She had finished an exam unbelievably fast and was heading back to her dorm to decompress from all the fake smiling and socializing, not expecting the faunus to be there when she saw it. At first, she didn’t really know what to make of what she was seeing. Blood was all over the dorm room sink and running down Wendie’s face as the girl was biting down on a belt, a saw in her hand and her hair pulled to the side as she was rapidly cutting off antlers bleeding profusely.

Dove didn’t even know she had antlers. She had always assumed she was some sort of wolf like horse beast thing but now seeing that she guessed maybe it was more of some sort of deer like wolf beast? She just stared with wide eyes, Wendie staring back at her before reaching quickly, only one antler still being sawed at as the other was in the sink, and snapped it the rest of the way with brute strength and a deep scream into the belt in her teeth before pain spasmed her body a bit and she dropped it with trembling hands into the sink with the other.

The faunus rapidly grabbed for a towel and pressed it to her head as she pushed her aura hard, making it all stop, pushing past Dove with a hard shove on her way to the shower. “Wen…wh…what the hell!?” Dove called after her stunned as the door holding their toilet and shower slammed closed.

She stared at the door until she heard the shower running then looked at the bloody antlers in the sink. They looked freshly grown. There was also a fine white dust and a dremel covered in the white dust as well and pieces of…bone?

Dove was so confused. What on earth was happening to her secret girlfriend? She got the mess cleaned up, not able to continue to smell or look at it as she waited, feeling worried and sick as she did. When she finished she could only wait for Wendie to come back out. After what felt like forever, the water stopped and eventually the faunus came out. The skin on her nose and over her lips and cheek bones seemed raw like forced healed flesh and her hair was hiding the newly healed scalp, bulging in her cheeks as her tongue ran over grinded down teeth and she leaned to spit out soopy wet mixed with a bit more of the white dust.

She caught glances with Dove before sitting on her bed, toweling her mane in her boxers and tank top, her fingers seemed oddly darker than her skin and nails seemed black and filed down to nubs. Dove watched her with concern, “Wendie…what was that?”

The faunus stared off to the side, towel being laid over her shoulders with a heavy sigh, “I’m not supposed to tell people…”

“You know I won’t tell anyone anything…” Dove’s voice, having such obvious care and kindness, made the faunus cave.

“My full name isn’t just unique. Did you notice how my uncle wasn’t a faunus? My mother and father aren’t either actually. Unlike the magic of the two brothers, my people come from a different magic. One of the wilds and spirits of the land. But not all of it is good. Some are dark. It is a balance. Our shaman believed I was cursed because my father did something that angered the spirits. No one will tell me what but considering he’s a sh*tty man I’m not really surprised. A wendigo is a beast my people believe comes from those that eat of their fellow man. The more I consume… the more I change. Humans and other faunus don’t really know these tales. It is part of my people. Cursed, special, whatever anyone calls it, I can’t let it take over me. But, I can’t change myself and what I’m drawn to either.”

Dove began to put things together now. Wendie often got ‘sick’ a lot after they would have intimate tussles where the faunus consumed her blood where Wendie would skip class and stay in their dorm. She didn’t want to be close to people, wasn’t allowed to be, and couldn’t share why, and often her heritage and lore of her people was kept close to her immediate family. She watched those eyes, tinged a bit red currently, glance her way, “Is this why you aren’t allowed to date or be very close to people?”

Wendie nodded, “My mother learned early on that when I get close to people I tend to struggle to resist the temptation to bite them and she learned once I get a taste… I will lose myself for it. And then the antlers grow, all my teeth start gettin sharp and… my face starts to get these plated bone like skull chunks growin encasing it. I’m told I might even get thin and my limbs could grow more or somethin? I mean I probably won’t fully become the beast but… my mom hates it and told me if I become that thing that she’ll bring me back home. And honestly… it kinda freaks me out too.”

Dove was certain Wendie’s mother wasn’t aware her daughter was butchering herself to meet these demands but that’s what was happening. Dove felt a bit to blame but if Wendie really thought it was Dove’s fault she would’ve made it known instead of hiding it all from Dove. The faunus scratched at the itchy scalp and let a frustrated grunt out, “I know I know I’m f*cking creepy! Sorry…”

She was startled when Dove suddenly straddled her lap and tucked in close to her, arms wrapping around Wendie under the other girl’s with her head beneath Wendie’s chin, “Just shut up with that nonsense will you? I practically beg you to destroy me when you touch me. Do you really think I’d be so easily deterred?”

Wendie chuckled and shrugged, “Yea, you are kinda a bit of a freak ain’t ya birdie? Well, maybe I could chill out a bit on the biting some so I don’t have to do this so often…”

Dove frowned and leaned back, giving her a pout within her glare, “Absolutely not! We will figure something out before the school year returns!”

Wendie just laughed, grabbing Dove with a tight grip and tossing her to the bed, leaning in next to her, head resting on her hand, watching the girl fluster, “Freak.”

Dove rolled her eyes, reaching to run her finger along tracing the ear, “Beast.”

Wendie chuckled, her ear flicking on instinct at the feather light touch before she roughly kissed Dove, the girl returning it eagerly.

—----------------------------------------

Dove spent her summer split up between Winter and Qrow, though the trade offs between them was the most obnoxious part, having to listen to them have all their conversations at the noise decibels of screaming. At least they got everything off their chests when they talked but boy could she do without being there for it.

As a coming second year, Dove was going to have to be a part of the activities assistants for the outreach programs but at least she would get to stay in a different cabin and with her usual roommate. She was quite looking forward to that. The one downside, she hated to admit, about spending so much more time with Wendie she had learned, was that she did lose some of her pull amongst her peers and the teachers.

While it did mean working harder if she wanted something, she felt it a fine trade for a girlfriend like Wendie even if she couldn’t tell anyone about her girlfriend. Before they had parted for the summer, Wendie had made Dove swear to never tell a soul they were together or what Dove knew and no matter what came of their futures, Dove fully intended to keep that secret and take it to her grave.

After all, Wendie was unique and born of a special kind of magic that Remnant wasn’t really clued into and it wasn’t exactly safe for people either. Even if they parted ways after Signal, she would keep this promise. Besides, Wendie had shared secrets of her people that Dove wasn’t meant to know and she couldn’t betray that.

Winter had Dropped Dove off for the program, Jin already here and Sterling on his way. Her mother was in a particularly bad mood today after grabbing Dove from Qrow that morning but Dove hugged her goodbye and that seemed to help. Even if her dad was pretty cool, her mother would still always be everything to her and she just hoped the woman knew that.

Well Jin sure had been dropped off before her alright and boy had puberty grown that girl into her own. She was an inch taller than Dove now, clearly enjoyed some sort of muscle building routine, and had all her blonde mother’s assets, though she seemed to still deter most with those sharp rows of teeth. Dove could feel her unfiltered rage that still seemed to simmer within herself for no reason at Jin and this new growth spurt wasn’t helping. How dare she bring such physical prowess!

Before Dove could be a menace though, darkness fell over her vision and she could feel the press of warmth and the familiar breath on her neck make her skin tingle as that gruff voice entered her ear, the darkness caused by hands over her eyes, “What’s up thirsty birdie? Miss me?”

She turned around, cheeks flushed and gave a light shove to the laughing faunus, “Stop calling me that, Wen! My younger cousins are here!”

The faunus gripped her wrist tight enough to bruise it, watching Dove swoon, “Careful or I might just have to remind you who’s in control here.”

Dove’s head reeled but she took in a deep breath, “As tempting as that is, I don’t think you can easily remove your beast mode here so might have to wait.”

Wendie let out an annoyed grunt and watched Dove turn around back to watch Jin, leaning on Dove’s shoulder. It really did amaze Dove that Wendie was pushing six feet tall. Maybe it was the wendigo thing, she thought. She was only five foot seven herself and Jin was now five foot eight and some change. It did feel a bit humiliating to be so short compared to Wendie but that also brought her a bit of excitement, making her feel even more like a captive in her grasp in the right moments.

Wendie gestured lazily towards Jin with a snort, “Why does she bother you so much anyways?”

Dove grit her teeth and shoved Wendie off her, “She just pisses me off! She always has!”

Wendie raised a brow and pointed from Dove to Jin and back before grinning wickedly as Dove frowned and folded her arms, “No… wait, is she one of your cousins?! That’s f*cking rich!”

The shorter girl sighed frustratedly before storming off with Wendie just laughing and following behind her.

—------------------------------

Sterling, still behind at hitting the adolescent spurt as a boy, was a bit shorter than Jin now and still scrawny and lanky. Jin teased him but playfully, not like how dove teased her. At the moment, it had been most of the first day and he was just glad to find a spot to read and hope it would keep people away from him as his aunt once tried to tell him was a trick to use when you wanted to be alone.

It was working for a while, even managing to bore Jin enough to cause her to go away, but it didn’t work perfectly as a sweet girlish voice caught his attention, “Whatcha reading?”

He looked up from where he was sitting under the tree into the silhouette of a thin feminine figure of a slender faunus with a very cute smile. The first thing Sterling noticed was that this faunus had pointy black dog ears with bright reddish orange fur within as well as a fluffy cylinder like tail that was whitish gray with black strips places all over like spots might be but with the ring like shape a stripe might have except it didn’t go all the way around.

She was wearing short shorts that were pink and a white tank top covered in daisy designs. While she was cute she either hadn’t hit puberty yet or she was simply flat as a board and only about five or so feet tall. She had a very black and whitish gray speckled pixie cut hair style and light brown eyes, her skin of fair complexion though compared to his pale milky tone she was shades more of a warmer tone.

It was extremely rare for faunus to have two major traits like that though not entirely unheard of. Sterling glanced down at his book then back up at that very charming smile, “Um… it’s just a book of fairy tales my aunt let me borrow.”

The faunus’s smile increased and they popped down next to Sterling hugging their knees happily, “Oooo I love fairy tales! Would you read some to me?”

He flushed a bit and nodded shyly, clearing his throat as she scooted closer next to him, “Yay! Oh, I’m Dakota. What’s your name?”

He played with some of his long hair in his fingers and stared at the book, “I’m Sterling.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder, staring at him and waiting patiently, so he nervously began to read the book. Sterling was easily surprised when he went to his cabin and found Dakota there too. The kid he had assumed to be a girl was in fact just a very, very girly boy his age. That confused him a bit but made him a bit less nervous now.

Dakota was excited when Sterling ended up being there too. Over the course of the camp weeks, the two began a friendship though Dakota turned out to be a very clingy kid who actually didn’t mind people confusing him for a girl even if Sterling couldn’t understand it and couldn’t get any answer from Dakota except that it was just easier.

Jin of course ended up dealing with Dove’s annoying bullying and her entourage of fangirls except this time, though she was more than capable to trying to stop it, Wendie hanging around was scary and Jin didn’t try a thing, worried that looking faunus would easily snap her in two if she laid a finger on Dove, even if the tall faunus tended to stay out of Dove’s pandering for the most part.

When it was over, Sterling told Weiss about his new friend and all the kid’s quirky weird habits but had decided to just say Dakota was a girl, finding it seemed easier to explain since Weiss had seen Dakota hug him bye and just assumed. He was sure his mom wouldn’t judge but it did seem like effort to have to explain. He and Dakota had exchanged numbers and talked often.

Jin, as per usual, hadn’t made any friends because of Dove and had instead gone home talking about the spooky faunus body guard that seemed to be Dove’s creepy shadow though Yang thought it all sounded a bit exaggerated when told to her over a call from her mission, especially since Jin kept a lot of the bullying details to herself for the most part.

—-----------------------------

Dove and Wendie’s second year went much like the first, if not more intense, though Dove had found ways to deter the faunus from biting as much so she wouldn’t have to watch her butcher herself as often even if it was disappointing.

She let the girl have her fill in october when her birthday passed but when Dove turned sixteen in November, she suggested something new. She had been curious about Wendie handling her more aggressively in general, leaving more bruises and even denying her any instant gratification. The mention of it to the faunus had given Dove the slightest glimpse of Wendie’s crazed interest as the desire flashed in her eyes.

So when her birthday came along on a Friday and classes let out early after an exam, Dove was in absolute joy when she didn’t even make it to their dorm before a hand grabbed her by the neck and jerked her over into the darkness of the stairway, forcing her against the wall and a tall body pressed harshly against her, a deep growl rumbling dangerously in the chest up to sharp fangs.

Dove didn’t even bother to stifle her soft moan. She had convinced Wendie to not carve off the antlers or file her claws or teeth between their birthdays so long as Wendie could hide the features and Dove was ok with the bone plating coming off. Wendie knew why. Dove wanted that beast and wanted to be her prey and Wendie was dying to see what that would be like as it got so much more intense each time she let it progress when they got close. She could let this go until tomorrow.

Those eyes practically glowing with the slight red that had tinged into the brilliant neon orange and the blackened fingertips were thrilling to Dove, especially since Wendie had already returned her hair to normal and the antlers were small but clearly there upon her head, sharp and threatening. With the cold air in the stairwell, every hot breath the faunus took could be seen rolling towards her and it made Dove weak.

Her feet weren’t even on the ground and the feeling of just being able to breathe just enough air to not pass out but not enough to keep her sense was causing her to become soaked at her core. She could hear the faunus sniffing her arousal in the tight space between them, see the nostrils flare and snort out the rolling hot air. It was dangerous and that made it intoxicating. Dove was ruined to ever be able to enjoy anyone else that couldn’t give her this much satisfaction again and she knew it but she didn’t even care.

As claws scratched at her neck lightly to not risk marks that couldn’t be healed or hidden, the grip pressed harder on the sides of her neck where she could feel the pressure and pain but not lose any further air, the growling now emitting into the space between them as she felt the other hand gripping her thigh so tightly the claws were definitely piercing skin and the fingers would easily bruise her.

Wendie’s eyes studied her like a meal so steadily it was making Dove whimper in pleasure in ways that often made Wendie squirm with a hungry need to devour her, teeth aching to bury into her and drain her of the desired meal from delectable tender flesh. The faunus was so much faster the more the beast transformation progressed, so much stronger, so much hungrier.

(Sixteen year old teens are about to engage in sexual acts. If that is not something you want to read, look for a note further down like this one. Thanks!)

Before Dove’s fuzzy brain could comprehend what was happening, the faunus had rushed her in a harsh flurry into their dorm in the darkness with only the dim glow through the dark curtain material casting silhouettes of the faunus as she was thrown to her bed. The clicking calculating predatory growling breaths of her girlfriend were filling the air as the beast loomed over her, fingers skillfully, but with little to no patience, worked Dove of any and all clothing blocking the faunus of her desires.

Dove could feel each time the impatience entered Wendie when claws scraped her in her movements and she responded with gasps and whimpers, seeing the shadowy finger tremble at her noises. It was nice in a way knowing that her sounds of pleasure and weakness to the beast only seemed to spur Wendie on. In a way it was Dove’s own power in the situation even if she knew like hell she could even try to control any of it.

As her eyes adjusted, she could make out a bit more of Wendie and those glowing eyes, see more of the shine of those jaws and the silhouettes of the claws when enough of the minimal ambient glow caught them. She bit her lip, thighs rubbing together as she could feel herself dripping at the sight. Each time her arousal grew, the sound of the faunus breathing the scent in with a deep inhale and snorted flared exhale could be heard and it drove Dove’s mind crazy. Did it really affect Wendie that much or was it just that she liked the way Dove smelled when she made her wet this much? She wished she knew honestly but asking would just cause Wendie to tease her and never give her an answer.

She could see the faunus moving out of her clothing and the next thing she felt was the slow predatory approach as her chin was grasped between sharp claws scratching her skin in repetitive tapping as the red eyes drew closer, a very very long tongue, probably part of the transforming beast, reaches out and slid along Dove’s face slowly and covered in saliva, coating her in it before pulling away, strings of it dangling between them before they popped.

Dove couldn’t help moaning at the way she was being toyed with like this as if Wendie was taste testing her captive before diving in. Of course, Wendie’s only cannibalistic desire stopped at biting and blood thankfully but even that could get messy and the idea of the fact that she could easily actually destroy Dove if she wanted to was where the real pleasure in this situation lay for both of them. Wendie craved this power over Dove and Dove likewise loved every second of being a victim of Wendie’s every whim.

The hand on her face didn’t release her as the other grabbed her sore thigh again, dragging the claws harshly along the flesh with red eyes locked watching her face only inches away, wet burning sensations on the supple skin telling Dove she was bleeding against those sharp nails as her thigh quivered and shook in the strong grasp, Wendie’s name leaving from her lips in a begging whine.

Wendie’s ears flicked and a pleasured growl came as the nostrils inhaled and exhaled the scent of blood mixed with arousal in the air, Wendie’s favorite Dove flavor. Lips lowered to bite at Dove’s lower lip and tug, shivering at every groan and whine the human made beneath herself as she nibbled and snapped on the flesh, both of them tasting the coppery flavor of Dove’s blood from her lip.

As she gnawed on the lip, her hand on Dove’s chin moved to hold her by the neck again, intense pressure squeezing into the sides until Dove was squinting and her hips bucked for needed friction she couldn’t find, shivers traveling all over her skin desperately. Wendie’s lips locked with Dove’s while she squeezed, tongue wrapping with hers and tasting her mouth and blood with beasti*al hunger, claws on Dove’s thigh anchoring into the angry bloody flesh and forcing the thigh onto her hip but keeping her body away from those thrusting needy hips, wanting to keep Dove from any release until neither of them could stand it any longer.

It would be torture for herself too but it would be so worth it. As they kissed, she let her long tongue force its way into Dove’s throat, choking her intervals. She would cut off her air only until Dove was on the edge of unconsciousness before moving so she could inhale from her nose, moving back to choking her when she was breathing again, lapping at the blood from her chewed up lip whenever she let her breathe, the rumbling in her chest deepening fast.

All of it was making Dove’s body tense then slack repeatedly and the girl was gasping into her lips and shaking, moans being swallowed eagerly by the other girl. Dove’s eyes lulled back, hips squirming for something, anything to bring her more pleasure where she desperately needed more to no avail. All of Dove’s pleasured suffering was arousing Wendie insanely and her own hips were twitching with need, her mind struggling to stay focused on her own goals here for her birthday girl.

When Dove’s hands weakly reached and took hold of her antlers, her body lurched. They were incredibly tender from being newly grown and her soft hands slid and gripped along the surfaces, making Wendie dizzy in the best ways, ears flicking like crazy. When Wendie would choke Dove with her tongue, Dove’s grip would loosen and slide along the surface of the raw antlers and when she would gasp for air she would spasm on them, shaking and stroking them until she could grip them hard again. It was causing an intense amount more pleasure than Wendie thought it should, causing that coil to tighten rapidly within her lower body.

Dove had noticed during one of her moments of full consciousness that these antlers seemed to stimulate Wendie right now like some of their male classmates talked about their own bodies when they thought they were being attractive. When Wendie finally pulled her tongue slowly from Dove’s mouth, drool and saliva between them in a sloppy mess, her hand still having a death grip on the sides of Dove’s neck, the girl panted and gasped for air. Her eyes stared at the short antlers and she ghosted her fingers along the surfaces and points, watching Wendie jerk and pant, snorting out and bucking air with her hips, both hands tightening their grip on Dove.

Dizzy, Dove was reeling and dizzy but it felt amazing, painfully amazing. She had never actually seen Wendie like this either, at her mercy almost while still completely powerful over the smaller girl. It felt like a very dangerous delicate line to be treading but that only made it more alluring. She grasped the antlers fully in her hands and stroked back and forth along the surfaces, noting the strange semi rough semi silky textures as Wendie’s growled moans and rapid thrusts in need responded to her speed and touch.

Teeth latched into her skin and snapped harshly at her chest and breasts, making Dove whimper and cry out, that tongue swirling up every delicious drip of blood and teasing sensitive nipples as the faunus was being driving insane by the hands on her raw antlers, core dripping down on Dove’s below her hotly and only teasing the girl below, further making Dove crazy with want that she was being denied.

Not much longer, varied grip and speed and trying different raw sections of the antlers until finding the most sensitive raw fresh bone as the faunus bit licked and sucked at her breasts and nipples, drinking of the blood drawn from around her nipples with growls and whines, and Wendie was cumming with bucking hips, dripping rapidly over Dove’s own core with hot fluid from the sensations, Dove panting at the feeling and the experience.

When the teeth pulled from her skin, two hands sharply grasped her wrists and yanked her from the antlers, a deep almosted echoy snarled voice came from the faunus as those eyes stared darkly into her, “Enough! Behave!”

Dove whimpered, going limp in obedience as her wrists were gripped by a single hand in such a tight grip now she thought the bones might crack, slammed down to one side of herself as the beast dove for her core, unable to take it anymore, the long tongue sliding along her flesh and ears flicking to every moan and whimper before teeth snuck into the flesh around the area deep, blood pooling with her drenched fluids and the beast nearly purring in satisfaction, swallowing it down before using that tongue to rapidly taste her insides, stroking along her best spots and letting it brush her cl*t from time to time while the mixture of arousal and blood continued to drip into her throat, quickly bringing Dove to her own org*sm after all the torture she had been lavished in.

When Wendie had drank of every drop, rocking Dove through the full wave, she pulled away and pressed her own core into Dove’s, claws anchoring into Dove’s hips until they bled and grinding madly into her, hunching forward to growl and moan in her gaze, her muscular shoulders bulking up to hold herself but the shape was so overwhelmingly stimulating to Dove’s visual senses right now that the girl could hardly take it.

Between this, the sounds, the eyes, the grip, she was a mess, whining out Wendie’s name as the predator’s monstrous saliva dripped against her face and muscles rippled in her view with the powerful thrusts she made against Dove, overly sensitive but the burning stinging irritated nerves felt delicious in this moment thick with desire for pain and pleasure.

With the next words Wendie said in that same echoy growled rattle, Dove’s mind snapped and she lost it to a powerful fall over the edge, body spasming, fluids coating Wendie as they released into the thrusts against her, “Minneeee.”

Dove’s reaction pulled Wendie along with her to the depths, the creature leaning back with a howl and her own fluids mixed against Dove as she shook and tensed, hips riding through her release until she relaxed, panting growled breaths and leaning on her hands over Dove’s weak form as the girl touched her face, “Wen… relax…”

(Aggressive teenage beastly faunus sex over.)

The faunus shook and closed her eyes, reaching a hand to Dove’s on her face as she collapsed to her side next to Dove, the other girl curling close into her as they lay there catching their breaths and fully relaxing into the night. Dove kept her eye on Wendie until she fell asleep first, unsure with this new experience if the faunus was going to be ok in this progressed form after such intensity and not wanting either to be in any real danger or worry.

When it was clear Wendie was asleep and fine, Dove closed her eyes and passed out, hardly able to resist. The next morning she woke up to Wendie’s antlers and other progressive features gone and the girl a bit more calm, leaning over and nipping her hair with a chuckle, “Morning.”

Dove swatted her away and rolled her eyes, “Morning.”

—---------------------------------

This new sense of the wild between them in the secret silence went on constantly, something enticing that they both began to crave more and more, sometimes even causing Dove to lose interest in her fake friends and false persona, but never enough to fully crack it.

Many of the girls that generally stalked her hoping to catch her eye had started to leave her be though, Wendie never too far behind with an air of a dangerous threat that scared anyone who tried to get too close to what was hers. While most people might be bothered by such possessive behavior, Dove couldn’t get enough.

She kept pretenses, both never letting on they were close in such a way, but in her mind and under that mask of the ‘popular charming normal girl’, laid the biggest, most pleased sense of pride in being the thing Wendie wanted so badly all to herself like a plaything she refused to share. It was of course super risky. The more they toyed with the line of letting Wendie transform into her beast even to any capacity without dialing it back immediately, the more they were playing with fate and risking long term if not permanent tinges in her normal personality.

But it was also so much, so much everything. Too much but in the overwhelming euphoric sense for both of them. The fact they had to keep it secret, with no choice but to do so or never have anything again, only added to this delight, this danger.

Finals were too easy for Dove. Wendie wasn’t really an academic type but she easily excelled on any subject that required any physical skill. Lunch was always a fun game. The two would sit with their own usual crowds. Well Dove would. Wendie generally kept to herself off to the side or with one or two other crude heathens. In this taunting game, they would sneak glances, try to catch the other looking, glare, attempt to make the other jealous of the ones around them to see if the other could resist coming over.

Victories were always wordlessly acknowledged with rewards, failures were prohibited and met with frustrating resistances of an avoidant nature. They had never failed, ever. Today, Dove glanced at Wendie who had just sat down alone. They had no time for any last minute exchanges together before the summer so the beast had already been subdued. Shame really but such was the way things were.

Wendie was messing with a knife and craving at the wood of the table causing Dove to look away back at her scroll and lean her face into her hand, a bored expression, ‘ Hoodlum.’

The girls around here were alive with energy about their exams and their summer plans. Tests were over and this was the last meal before people would start to filter out towards home. Many were trying to get Dove to be interested in their plans or invite her to come hang out over the break and she gave fake smiles and pretended to be interested as she stole glances with the faunus, who never seemed to notice her.

Miffed, Dove turned to a girl next to her, placing a hand on her thigh making the girl turn beat red and melt as Dove leaned in close to her ear, asking her about when she might be free over the summer with a voice thick with temptation. When it still didn’t seem to cause any rise in Wendie, Dove grew annoyed, slowly pulling from the girl now a shy, blushing babbling mess next to her.

She excused herself from the group, the others jealous of the girl as Dove walked away and discarded her plate to head back to her dorm. When she was alone in the room she let her irritation bubble to the surface, harshly tossing her things into her duffle and grumbling under her breath at being ignored.

The dorm door slammed shut, Dove having not noticed it open. It startled her and she jumped, turning instantly around to the sight of Wendie standing there, shoulders lurched up and body heaving deep, slow rumbling breaths, her arm stretched out across the door with her hand splayed out against the wood that had closed it so roughly, nails clenching into the surface.

Those bright orange eyes were piercing as they stared into Dove, ears standing alert, muscles tense and twitching in a way that seemed like she was ready to give chase. ‘ So she did notice. Playing games with me I see,’ Dove thought, watching Wendie closely.

Dove, while easily swayed and interested in most of Wendie’s displays, was not stupid and knew to make sure to be careful of any chance Wendie might not be present in her mind. It had never been an issue, but that didn’t mean it never would. Wendie shook out her hair a bit, ears flicking before returning at attention, twitching at any and all sounds in the room, at every breath Dove made, every beat in her pulse.

Dove wasn’t one to willingly display tender affections but she let herself relax and softened any and all body language, careful not to challenge the faunus as she slowly approached, hand steady as she reached for Wendie’s face, body slowly pressing into the other, eyes willingly being the first to look down and away to surrender as her head tucked to Wendie’s chest, listening to the rapid heart and rumbling breathing that told her Wendie was livid.

Her fingers slide along the skin of the faunus’s cheek to her scalp on the side, tracing the intricate shaved patterns in her hair as the other rested against Wendie’s stomach, applying zero pressure and simply petting any exposed skin as her voice released evenly and calmly, “I didn’t care about her you know. I don’t even know her name. All I care about, all I ever can think about is you. You know I’m yours. But you wouldn’t look at me. It upset me.”

She watched Wendie’s hand on the door relax and listened to the rumbles shift to a more level vibration as the beast calmed and wrapped her in a tight embrace, her hair smothered in nuzzled attention. Dove didn’t want to go home for the summer. She wanted to stay here with Wendie. She was young so most people probably wouldn’t take her seriously but was this what someone would call a first love?

She didn’t know, but she suddenly felt emotional. It didn’t feel like fear or stress or anything. She was never afraid of Wendie even when she probably should be. No, she was truly upset that she was going to have to spend the next two months without the ability to see the only person who truly understood her and made her feel normal.

Sure, she loved her family. But she could never tell them everything about herself. She didn’t have to put up any facades at home but she still couldn’t be truly honest there. She could just be happy with no exceptions or secrets in these walls, in these arms. Dove whimpered, the arms tightening to hold her, “why did you ignore me Wen? It…hurt…”

Wendie let out rapid deep breaths, a sign she was avoiding any emotional response Dove had learned, burying her face in Dove’s hair and inhaling sharply, the scent of Dove’s shampoo filling her nostrils, “I couldn’t look. I know you are leaving and if I looked… you would break me.”

Dove’s fingers pet along Wendie’s skin and she turned her face into Wendie’s body, lips placing soft kisses on the skin, something she had never done before, “Can you say it please? I know we can’t tell a soul I’m yours but… I’ve been yours for so long… please… can you say what you won’t tell me? What you refuse to tell me?”

Wendie nuzzled her hair more and Dove was suddenly yanked up into Wendie’s arms so their faces met, eyes staring into each other and the human wrapped her legs around the faunus’s waist, hands holding Wendie’s cheeks as the faunus gazed at her, “Must I? When we already know how all this ends?”

Dove bit her lip, looking at those orange eyes. She had never seen actual pain in them before like this. They had talked about their plans after Signal before. Neither of them were truly sure yet but Wendie and her family were aiming for Vacuo the moment she graduated. The tribe wanted them to return and were no longer banishing the cursed faunus.

Regardless of if Dove followed and attended Shade or not, the tribe would never allow her around and she would never be welcome. Even if they were meant to be, Wendie would be banished again if she took Dove as a bride or even a mistress or partner and while Wendie once considered it if it were to be a possibility, Dove had seen how much this had meant to her, knew how much her culture and tribe meant to her, and refused to be the reason she lost any of it again.

But that all meant one thing, one very unfortunate, very sad truth. When they graduated Signal, they would say goodbye, never to touch or see one another again. When this all started it was just horny teens indulging in the pleasures of the flesh, but it had grown to so much more. They hadn’t seen it coming until it was too late and now here they were, fools to their own self made tragedy.

Dove leaned and kissed Wendie’s nose, eyes closing to keep herself from crying. She refused to cry right now, “Tell me anyway.”

Wendie let out a snorted deep breath against Dove’s chin, “I don’t want to hurt you in that way.”

Dove rested her forehead against Wendie’s, “It’s going to hurt anyway.”

When Wendie didn’t say anything, Dove steadied her breathing, forcing her heart to calm. She refused to cry, “If I will hurt either way, then I want everything.”

The ragged breath the faunus released and the tremble across the body holding her all over made Dove tense. Wet tears were coating her fingers that were holding the faunus’s cheeks, Wendie’s voice had never spoken so quietly. Dove almost thought her ears were tricking her, “I love you so much I would let my own mother brand the mark of a trader into my flesh to walk this world beside you.”

Before Dove could say anything to Wendie, her back hit the wall, the Faunus turning to press her into it hard, burying her fangs into Dove’s neck without bothering to pick a place she could hide it. Dove couldn’t look, not this time. She hugged Wendie’s shoulders and gripped her tight, her breaths deep, eyes squeezed tight as she held herself together. She tried so hard but she just couldn’t do it.

As she lightly sobbed, the faunus drinking of her in her whimpering weak tremble of emotions, she noticed Wendie’s claws growing into her thighs, the teeth shifting more into her flesh. She hadn’t bitten too deep this time, it was barely enough to sate the hunger. This was different. It was some sort of claim this time, one a human couldn’t understand or link to. Dove didn’t really understand but she wished she could reciprocate the inner response so badly. Instead she pressed her body into Wendie as close as she could, able to hear the ripping cracking sound as her antlers angrily sprouted, raw and bloody and painful.

That beast was Dove’s as much as Wendie was and it loved her just as much too, that Dove knew. She had become something neither part of Wendie could resist. Dove grinded lightly into Wendie but mostly out of reaction, not really needing much of anything as she whispered, making up her mind against her better judgment, “I love you. I love you so much I never want to see you go. I love you so much I’m so scared of graduation when you will leave me. P-please don’t leave me…”

The beast rumbled, bone plating on Wendie’s forehead and cheek bones as the red glow in her eyes turned with tears in them to look at Dove before it released her neck, the beasti*al echoing voice a fire in Dove’s heart, “Never.”

Lips met, hips pressed close, bodies shivered, the beast had never released so much, bones ached as her spine and limps stretched some but still, Wendie was there, the beast was there too, but they both loved Dove and that caused the two to merge in a way that never once happened before.

What was intimate and emotionally painful ended with deep breaths and tight loving embraces, Dove still wrapped in those arms against the wall, interrupted by Winter at the door. More painful then anything was reality. The world outside these four walls. It hurt more then anything anyone could ever inflict on either of them.

At first, Winter was pounding the door because no one would answer, the secret couple a mess of emotions as they struggled to accept the fact they had to let go even if until next year. Dove had only ever been so emotional about her father. This was all too much and if Wendie released her right now she would fall apart. She gripped so tightly to the faunus whimpering that Wendie almost became instinctively aggressive to protect her.

That drug Dove back to her senses and she slowly pushed from Wendie, thumbs soothing the skin around the burning angry flesh that so rapidly yielded to grow plating in agony, “No… it’s my mother. Shh. It’s alright. Set me down now.”

Wendie grunted and patned, snorting air rapidly and the hallow sunken chest hunched forward flexed with each breath beneath the clothing as eyes darted around before the beast set the girl down, trying to calm itself. Dove pet through sweat damp hair, desperate to calm Wendie before leaving her to herself, “You have to change back. I have to go now so I can’t help. Please… for me? Before your mom sees?”

The beast seemed irritated and flustered, that voice angry and confused, “But… don’t you love me… all of me? this is just… me… the real me…”

Dove could see Wendie growling frustrated. She knew this feeling of longing for true acceptance. Wendie gave this too her as well. Winter was now yelling, growing impatient and she could hear people were inside. Dove kissed the plated bone, “Luna will take you from me if she sees you like this. I love everything about all of you but until we can be ourselves, we have to continue to be who they want us to be, remember?”

The beast seemed to huff and grunt but than Wendie leaned and nipped Dove’s lip, “Anything for you birdie. Now go.”

Before Winter could follow through on a threat to break down the door, Dove headed out. Winter tried to find out why she was ignored the entire trip home but Dove just gave excuses. She didn’t really worry about Wendie taking care of the beast. She had always handed herself. Dove never really actually did much helping really anyway and Wendie had been doing it on her own this whole time, rarely with dove around even once Dove did know.

To be fair, it was difficult to watch someone basically mutilate themselves like that. Dove might be into pain but she wasn’t much of a sad*st herself and it was even harder to watch once she developed feelings for the girl.

It probably would seem weird but they had never exchanged numbers. She wanted to, but Wendie was worried her mom would think she was getting too close to people and react so Dove did her best to be respectful and get over it. It made summers unbareable but at least it gave her something to look forward to.

—---------------------------

With her senior year of Signal starting, she finally didn’t have to deal with that annoying summer program. It meant two less weeks of Jin before being stuck with her for a school year. At least the dragon wasn’t going to be dorming, even though Sterling so Weiss could finally accept the position as Winter’s assistant.

That was fine though for Dove. Sterling was still someone she cared about even if they had grown a bit apart in recent years. She was a bit curious about his faunus friend but the two didn’t have any sort of connection beyond friendship and Sterling was very avid on the ride to Signal for the first day that morning that he just didn’t have interest in anyone really.

Still, she would find a way to enjoy teasing him lovingly somehow if the opportunity opened itself up. He noted she did seem more excited than usual but he didn’t feel like trying to risk falling into some sort of trap with her so he kept his mouth shut. Once they were parked, Weiss took Sterling to get all checked in and help find his dorm and Dove did her best not to seem eager as she headed for her own.

By the time she was fumbling to get the key in the door, her true joy had already found its way to the surface. But when she opened the door and walked in that all came crashing down. One side of the room was completely bare of any an all proof Wendie had ever existed in the space. Her duffle hit the floor with a thud, the only sound in the room as her shocked brain tried to process what she was seeing. Much like the room scrubbed of Wendie’s life and presence, Dove would never again see the faunus again.

Chapter 29: Acceptance

Chapter Text

Ch 29: Acceptance

Being in her final year, there wasn’t really anyone to move into the room. Some days Dove found that so unbearable, sitting in her bed staring at the barren side of the room and reflecting on memories of old conversations or moments of the faunus lounging about, or on her lowest days, being there on that bed in that faunus’s embrace. On those days, she could do nothing at night except sit there and cling to her pillow and bury her face in it to muffle her agony.

She’d rub her neck in that place where that last bite would have left a mark had she not healed it with her aura to keep it from being seen by her mother. Had she known this would happen she would have kept it, the only physical thing that would’ve remained.

It had only been a month but those were the days that she was reminded the most how alone she was now, how fake and superficial every connection around her truly was. Sometimes she would stare at her scroll on those hardest nights, at her mother’s contact and just sob because she couldn’t even call her either. No one had known about any of it, how could she go to anyone about this heartache when it had been hidden all this time? Even if she had any friends to actually talk to, she’d have nothing she could say. Between secrets and promises, she could tell not a soul.

Other days, Dove just felt numb, back to the days where nothing really brought any real joy and everything made her feel like she was just coasting through a forged dull existence again. She sat through meaningless girl talk and silly witless chatter, smiled through obnoxious doting teachers and humored the flocks that were now no longer being kept at bay by the terror struck into them by the dark creature she actually loved.

And on rare days, few and far between, she felt moderately the most herself she could, if there was such a thing outside the privacy of her solitude. But no matter what the day, loneliness stalked her everywhere again only this time, she knew it was there. At least before knowing Wendie, she had never noticed the feeling to even really care outside of where it applied to her lack of paternal figure.

All of this had caused her to become ten times more horrible to Jin anytime they crossed paths, the easy way to once again redirect her pain onto the one she had grown to associate the discomforting feeling with. Today, she was having a numb day, sitting among girls rattling about nothing she gave any care about and girls trying to flatter her, forcing slight intrigue to keep appearances and avoid any suspicions.

When Jin entered with Sterling and his little girly faunus friend to sit at a very specific table across the way for lunch, it was like every bit of her calm was snapped violently in half in her mind. The trio sat where Wendie had always sat. They were the only ones who dared even sit there, not really even aware it was the place the Faunus called her spot after all. Most students still avoided it as if it was bad luck or like they might be in danger should she return.

Dove stood quickly, eyes seething with rage as she stalked over, body rigid. A few of her groupies saw her trajectory and smirked, following quickly like a pack of animals as Dove came up on the younger first years who were just trying to get through their lunch period like anyone else.

Jin was doing weird faces with her fries and while Sterling was unamused and frowning at her, Dakota was rolling with laughter. The entertainment was ruined as Dove’s hands rested on the table, her form looming over to them, “So you’re not only grotesque but stupid too.”

Jin turned a bit pink and frowned, flipping the fries into her trap and not even bothering to finish chewing as Dakota stopped laughing and Jin shot back, mouth gross with half eaten food, “Shut up Dove! Without that giant around I can totally deal with you!”

That was probably the worst thing Jin could say right now. Dove’s nails scratched the wood of the table and her teeth grinded as they slid a bit back and forth against themselves, eyes narrowing, “As if an untrained animal like you could stand a chance. The way you are behaving they should be feeding you your lunch from a bowl on the ground, lizard.”

The corner of her mouth curled up in a particle smirk as Jin quickly swallowed, the group behind Dove snickering and laughing at Jin’s expense, a gaggle of whispers mixed in. There it went, Dove was making Jin feel small again. She still wasn’t sure how Dove managed to do that to her so effortlessly but she hated it.

Before she could say much in her defense, Dove’s smirk grew, Jin only shrinking, “What’s the matter, fire breath, did a little birdie get your tongue? Or are you going to cry now? I’d say do what you always do, but I don’t see your mommy here right now, do you?”

Jin sunk in her spot, staring away and hanging her head slightly as she rubbed her arm. Dakota was watching her. None of that seemed very kind to the pup. He tilted his head curiously at Dove. He knew of her even if only in short glances seeing her with Sterling at the end of camp last year and knew about her a bit when her name came up occasionally from his friend but other than that the older teen was a mystery to him.

Still, this all seemed a bit much to just happen out of the blue. Of course, Dakota was a bit naive to bullying, even when it was very cruelly applied to the pretty boy. The blue heeler faunus was too full of loving energy to really think of anyone poorly so he often excused most things and found positive ways to look at misfortunes. Sterling was his only actual friend that wasn’t a girl but that didn’t really bother Dakota, even if Sterling was constantly trying to get the boy to stop letting people walk all over him.

To Sterling, he just could not understand Dakota’s logic and view of the world, having only grown into much more of a bitter introvert the older he got because of Ruby, but still Dakota was enjoyable company so he just did his best to try to keep him out of danger and often fussed the pup for being too forgiving, trying desperately to teach him how to stand up for himself or at the very least not be so damn gullible all the time.

In the small moment that Jin didn’t respond and the other girls had begun to mock her, Dakota gave a questioning look to them all that caught Dove’s attention. She wasn’t really in the mood for pleasantries but he wasn’t really her target, voice calm, “Something you want to say?”

He set his elbows on the table and leaned daintily into his entwined hands, watching her with a gentle face, ears flicking, his voice sweet and feminine, “I’m just wondering what we did that bothered you? We were just trying to enjoy our break like all the students are before evening classes. If we offended you, simply let us apologize so everyone can enjoy the rest of their day. Wouldn’t that be so much better for everyone?”

There was no challenge in his voice nor indication he was pointing any fingers. He truly sounded like he believed what he was saying. Dove raised a brow, very surprised he couldn’t tell what was happening here, and her eyes slid over to Sterling in time to see his palm fly into his face with a groan, “Seriously? Is he for real?”

In unison, Jin and Sterling spoke in the most defeated sounding weak response, “He is…”

Dakota was still giving a kind smile, the kind of smile that one gave so genuinely you often closed your eyes too, tail swaying happily behind him as an ear tip flopped over a bit with gravity as his head tilted slightly. Jin and Sterling groaned and snuck down, a bit embarrassed at the pure naive soul they called their friend in front of these bullies.

But the sight was so adorable the girls all crumbled at it, squealing as if Dakota were a legit puppy on the table placed for cuddles. The entire scene was so absurd Dove lost any will to continue, letting out a frustrated breath, standing back up straight to avoid the girls flocking to try to pet the poor confused giggling faunus who was ticklish. One hand pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering to herself as the other slid along the wood of the table’s surface to adjust to her new position when she felt odd grooves.

The grooves didn’t feel like natural wood cracks or gaps. As Sterling was yelling at the insensitive humans to release the faunus from their weird behavior and reminding them that Dakota was in fact a person, Dove was moving her hand from her face and turning curious eyes towards the texture. Beneath her fingers, rough letters were carved into the wood. It was just a name, scored deep into the wood so that even sanding the surface and repainting wouldn’t remove its branding.

She turned her head a bit to better read it. Jin had been watching her quietly amongst the chaos, having noticed her sudden pause when her hand caught something on the table. Dove’s eyes squinted a bit before her face went very calm and her eyes seemed to glisten in a way unfamiliar to Jin for only the briefest of moments before the older girl stood straight and called after her crazy ‘friends’, easily getting them to fall back and head back to their group.

Sterling was once again giving Dakota a speech about not being so easily manhandled, or in this case girl handled, by others while Dakota was just chuckling nervously and patting Sterling reassuringly insisting it was fine. Already pretty used to this in such a short time, Jin just ignored them, casually leaning to read the table that Dove found so interesting. There in the wood, written with an odd choice of lower and upper case placements, was the word ‘WenDie”.

It was curious, really. For a bit, Jin wondered if it might be a brand or a place or maybe short for something she might not know right off the bat. As she sat there contemplating it all, it hit her that the tall faunus that was Dove’s ‘friend’ or something at camp last year was named W something or other. Eventually Jin figured it might be her name or some codename for her.

After all, the reason they were able to land this table was because all the students thought it had some silly curse or something because of some creepy faunus that quit school and she hadn’t seen the faunus at all. The bells tolled to signal the return to classes. As the boys got up, Sterling looked over to Jin who was watching Dove leave with her group, “So, want to sit here again tomorrow?”

Dakota watched for an answer as well, leaning forward to see around Sterling but Jin shook her head with a faint smile that seemed to be a bit sad, “Nah. Let’s find a different spot from now on. This one just wasn’t… right.”

Sitting in class, Dove could only focus her mind out the window as it started to rain. Rain was the catalyst that had kick started it all really and Wendie ignoring her while carving in that table had been the spark that ended it all. How fitting to be together on the same day. It wasn’t a secret to her why the specific letters were chosen like they were, but no one else would ever put it together considering many people still didn’t even believe they were ever really friends and simply thought Dove was just being nice.

All the same, it made her feel special for a moment. With time, she began to have less of the bad days.

—--------------------------------------------------------

Winter entered her office and saw Dove sitting at the large window with a knee up, using it to prop up her head on her elbow, watching snow fall outside. She was home for the Christmas break and had decided to stay with Winter so they could look over academy options other than Beacon and get her mother’s help picking a good option to apply for.

When the girl realized her mother had returned, she turned her head, running her fingers in her short hair, “Hey Mom…”

Winter walked over and leaned at the other end of the window, watching with her daughter for a while before glancing over again to watch Dove. She’d been home for a few days already and Winter had noticed she was very distracted and more reserved than usual. She had begun to grow a bit concerned at this point, “Dove.”

The girl turned from the window again and looked at Winter, “Yes Mom?”

The woman slid to sit next to her at the window, face soft and caring, “Is something on your mind? You haven’t seemed alright since you got home. You know you can talk to me about anything right?”

‘If only that were true…’ she thought, wanting to tell her mother everything but refusing to break her promises.

Besides, at this point talking about any of it meant backtracking so far the pain would just be miserable again. No, that wasn’t something she had any interest in doing for any of the numerous reasons she could easily think of. Instead, she forced herself to shrug and act normal, watching the snow again, “I’m fine Mom. Rough school year is all. Sorry to worry you.”

At least that wasn’t untrue. It just was true for reasons that were different than she was implying. Either way the semantics were not important. Winter went to reach out but Dove slipped out from her grasp before her mother’s hand touched her, the hand pulling back in reaction as the teen walked off, “I’m going to go grab the forms. I only have a few days before I have to return and submit my application for the first entry dues. I’ll be right back.”

Dove was talking plainly but Winter couldn’t help but feel like the girl was trying to avoid something. Even Qrow had noticed and messaged Winter trying to see if she knew anything. She missed the days when her little girl needed her for everything. Now she was lucky if Dove told her much of anything it seemed. But then, she wasn’t a little girl anymore after all. Dove was seventeen and halfway through her final year at Signal, soon to be going off to one of the big academies to become a Huntress.

Looking around the office, Winter realized just how much she felt like this job had taken from her as Dove was growing up, even if Dove never showed her any resentment for it. Sure, Dove would openly hate when Winter wouldn’t let her come on errands or meetings but she usually had been fairly kind about how business Winter had to be all the time. It helped when Winter started bringing Dove with her to Beacon for work but did that take away from the girl?

While Winter was lost in her thoughts, Dove was returning to the office, staring between Shade’s and Haven’s applications. Her eyes were locked on Shade for a moment. Would she get a chance to see Wendie if she was out in Vacuo perhaps or would the faunus be in the wilds of the desert? Would it even matter if she did? No one was going to let her talk to Wendie.

She shook her head and stopped walking for a moment to take a few steady deep slow breaths, trying to pull herself back together before she continued. Now was a super terrible time to cry or get emotionally upset after all. Once she was ok enough to return she walked back through the door with both forms, looking them over, “I think Haven might be the one I should fill out right Mom?”

She glanced up, Winter not really paying attention, “Mom? Did you hear me?”

Winter blinked and glanced at Dove, standing up and walking over, “I’m sorry, yes. Haven right? That’s a strong choice. It’s a fine academy.”

The air grew uncomfortable and almost stifling between them. Dove clenched on the papers a bit, biting her lip a little, trying her best to keep it hidden but the papers were just barely shaking. Winter could tell she was struggling and cleared her throat, taking the Haven paperwork and turning to round her desk, trying to give Dove a second’s grace to breathe.

She had no idea what was really wrong but clearly Dove didn’t want to say so Winter didn’t want her to worry or get upset any more than she already clearly was. Dove closed her eyes and swallowed before Winter turned back around to sit, thankful for the brief break then coming to the desk as well and sitting with her mother to get the paperwork done.

When they got home for the night, Dove sat in her bath staring at the water having long since gone cold around her, resting into the wall. She tried to think about anything else but, although it had become very rare, she was having a very bad night. Slowly, she climbed from the water and got herself dried and ready for bed in a numbness that ached. It felt like she was hardly even there as she felt her feet carry her to her mother’s room.

When she opened the door Winter was sitting up in bed with a tablet finishing some work and glanced up at her confused until she took her in fully. Her face changed and she set the tablet down, gently patting next to her, “Dove, my dear come here.”

Dove closed the door behind herself as she made her way to the empty side of Winter’s bed and climbed in, sitting there staring at the wall for a moment next to her quietly as her tears ran down her face. She could feel Winter’s fingers in her hair and the soft reassurances that wouldn’t register in her mind as she reached up, rubbing her eyes with a pulled sleeve of her shirt and her face turning to her mother.

Winter was just watching her with so much genuine concern and love that Dove felt herself break. She fell towards Winter, curling her legs into herself and wrapping her arms around Winter’s waist as she buried her face into her mother’s body, deep, heart wrenched sobs fully coming bubbling up to the surface.

Her mother gently held her, a hand in her hair and the other rubbing her back, gentle voice trying to soothe her pain, “Dove, I don’t know what’s wrong but I’m right here for you. You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, I’ll be here for you no matter what. Let it out dear.”

Dove’s fingers clenched into Winter’s shirt as she cried, it still hurt so much to be as alone as she felt. She had thought she was doing better but then Wendie’s birthday passed and that sucked. When her own came it was worse. Now she was picking her future and all she could think about was the last words they had said to each other and how Wendie had just disappeared with nothing to tell her even why after telling Dove she would never leave.

She just couldn’t keep doing this all alone anymore even if she couldn’t say what it was. It was just too much and disassociating from it all wasn’t helping it go away either. Pretending to give a sh*t about the gaggle of idiots that followed her around like puppies only seemed to hurt her more and more whenever she had time to herself as time passed. And the room never gaining anything to fill the barren void only continued to mock her with reminders of the loss and the isolation.

Even if she couldn’t tell Winter why she was falling apart right now, she knew she could cry and her mother would just hold her until she had no tears left to give and at least someone’s warmth would be wrapped around her while she ached instead of the cold feeling of the silence and shadows of emptiness.

She didn’t know how long she balled into her mother for but eventually she exhausted herself and passed out from the emotional strain. Winter stroking through her hair, her own heart breaking seeing Dove so upset with now way to fix it. When Dove’s sobbing tapered off and her breathing evened out and slowed, Winter brushed her bangs away to see she was asleep. The woman wiped the wet cheeks and tucked the girl into the spacious empty half of the bed before doing a bit more work on her tablet, if mostly to stay up a bit longer to be sure Dove would actually stay asleep.

—-------------------------------------------

Sunlight is never the kindest when it wakes with a full vicious assault to one’s face and weary eyes. Dove squinted and shielded herself in the blanket from the bright streak hitting her face from the window, body curled tightly on itself in the big empty bed that was definitely not her own. She stared at the sheets in the dim filtered dark, fingers picking at the bedding as she considered the previous night’s events. She was so thankful to have such a closeness with her mother that she could just be given such comforts without needing to give any explanations.

Dove assumed eventually her mother would either ask out of curiosity or assume it was just something related to a teenage trouble but if Dove never explained, her mother wouldn’t push further. That relationship they held probably was the reason Dove got away with many things she probably shouldn’t, but for now she would relish in such trust and freedoms and worry about the consequences later in life.

As expected, the rest of the holiday went without even a mention of the moment of weakness. Dove returned to school, turned in her admissions paperwork, and went about her mundane, boring existence of routine and nonsensical displays of false flattery.

She continued to bother Jin constantly, watching as each time the dragon became more and more miserable. Every time she broke Jin down, the faunus recovered less and less, dragging the dragon down to Dove’s level of misery seemed to be the only thing that was helping bring Dove back out of her own, thus it was clear to Dove the obvious choice to heal from her pain, regardless of how much it was causing Jin.

Eventually Dove had gotten most of the school besides Sterling and Dakota against the dragon, bringing immense satisfaction to the girl to be able to see Jin in agony without even having to do the work herself most of the time anymore. Of course Sterling was angry with her for it but he was also too busy keeping Dakota from being bullied to really do much about it, and too busy trying to stop all the rumors that he was gay just because he was friends with the dog faunus. It wasn’t that he had any issues with gays, he just knew he wasn’t and he didn’t like how it was being spread about him in such a negative manor either.

—--------------------------------------------

When spring midterms came around, their first draft admissions were handed back out. They would find out if they were accepted or if they would need to apply elsewhere. When Dove opened hers, she wasn’t even remotely surprised to see she had been accepted. Quietly, she messaged Winter the news, slid the paper back into the envelope, and left the classroom, heading to the empty outdoor pavilion to sit for a while before she would have to be flooded with people wanting to know how she did even though they would all also know the answer as well.

Dove had made it a point to tell everyone she was applying to Shade on purpose to make sure anyone trying to stalk her would end up elsewhere. She didn’t want to continue this charade into the next place she went. She was so done with it all. She was only bothering to keep it up until she graduated because she didn’t want it to come toppling down on her in a way she couldn’t take right now with everything else going on inside herself currently.

If any of her crazy fans didn’t get into Shade, she had also talked up Beacon and Spire, hoping they would just want to impress her and had made sure to make Haven sound like such an awful choice that she’d hate anyone who even considered it. That would keep the ones she didn’t want following her at least. She needed this fresh start so badly.

—---------------------------

Her last day was about what she would expect. Jin couldn’t wait for Dove to be gone and honestly, Dove couldn’t wait to get away from her either. Her parents played nice long enough to both be at her graduation and even were nice to one another even if obviously forcing it to help her move out her dorm.

She was going to stay with her father for a bit before she went back home so some things were going with him and the rest with Winter. Grabbing Reaper, the last item to remain in the room, she ran a hand across the frame of the long since abandoned bed of her ex and sighed. Time had helped at least numb the pain, now all she generally felt was sad memories and her eagerness to forget all of this and start over so it could stop haunting her when she left this place.

Softly, with a bittersweet tone, she whispered before heading out, “Goodbye.”

Chapter 30: Signal To Beacon

Chapter Text

Ch 30: Signal To Beacon

With how ahead Dove had been in most of her courses, she had finished right at the start of spring. She was one of very few to do so. Jin didn’t mind, it meant she could relax for once. She was home for the start of spring break and sitting around in her room, headphones on and head hanging off her bed as she laid on her back, scrolling through funny videos on her scroll when the sounds of her siblings carried throughout the house.

At first she turned up the volume, not wanting to have to get up and close her door, but when the running feet came up and down the hallway she growled and got up, ripping her headphones off to stare at the three of them chasing one another around squealing and screaming with laughter. As she slung the door open, the little youngest cat was passing and stumbled over giggling, “Woah…”

Azure was five now and the twins were seven. The dragon would have her birthday soon and be fifteen so all the childish noise tended to be a bit irritating every now and then at this point in her adolescence. She watched Azure get back to her feet and try to catch back up with the twins, growling, “Could you three knock it off! I’m trying to relax!”

She glanced around but Blake wasn’t anywhere in sight. Yang hadn’t gotten back from a mission with Coco yet out in Vacuo so Jin was on her own. Blake had to be somewhere though she didn’t leave the kids with Jin without letting the dragon know. As the children came back her way again, the twins now chasing Azure pretending they couldn’t catch her, Jin quickly snagged the youngest from the ground, “Oh no you don’t!”

Azure giggled and squirmed, letting out excited glee as Jin lugged her over one shoulder effortlessly and cut off the twins, “Mom!!! Where are you?!”

Jin then snagged Mao and tossed her over her other shoulder, grabbing Bao by the collar with her teeth and going on the search for Blake with the energetic kittens who took it as a game, growing more and more excited the longer it took Jin to find their mom. When she did finally find her, Blake was outside with a book, seeming slightly uncomfortable and distracted but more or less normal.

Jin dropped Bao and set his twin down, Azure still over her shoulder as she popped out the screen door, “Mom! What the heck?! Just leaving me with these crazy little rascals without even giving me a heads up?”

Blake blinked, closing her book with her finger marking the page she had been rereading over and over trying to focus on it and turned in time for Jin to hand over the squirming happy Azure, Blake smiling at the small faunus, “Oh. Sorry Jin. I guess I just forgot. I hope they weren’t too much trouble.”

Jin raised a brow, watching Blake as she listened to Azure excitedly retell the trip down the stairs on Jin’s shoulder, “That’s not really like you. Everything good? Mother isn’t in any trouble or anything huh?”

Blake seemed confused and frowned, “Huh? Oh! No, nothing like that. I'm just a bit out of it today, that's all.”

She poked Azure’s nose softly and the child giggled which made Blake smile sweetly. Truly, she adored all her children. She did miss working from time to time but the kids were more than enough of a handful to keep her busy. She checked her scroll for the time, Jin was still watching her closely. Blake gently set Azure on the ground as she skimmed a message notification on her scroll and tucked hair behind her own human ear, nodding towards Jin for the cat before looking at her oldest, “Actually, would you take your siblings and head over to your grandfather’s for the night? I think I might need a bit of time.”

Jin was about to worry but Blake reassured her. The dragon nodded, “Alright… but only because you swear you’re fine. I’ll call him to come get us. Dove isn’t there with Qrow right now is she?”

Blake shook her head, “I wouldn’t ask you to go there if she was. Qrow took her on a trip. So you should be ok.”

Jin visibly sighed in relief. She held a hand out to Azure who ran over and took it, taking her siblings to get their things together just in time for Tai to pick them up. Blake was still sitting out back, opening the message she had gotten from Yang saying she had a stop to make but would be home tonight.

The faunus bit her lip. Her natural heat didn’t bother her as much as it used to but it still got to her just enough to crave her wife to be at home and to be a bit too distracted to watch all her children alone. Nowadays, she would only lose her mind if Yang was close enough and the faunus could smell her while that woman tempted her, but she would happily let such bliss flood her brain after so many years.

However, a part of her heat brain was a bit upset that Yang knew her heat was starting and wasn’t coming straight home to take care of her. What could possibly be so important to stop before getting here to be with her? Her ears flicked at the sound of Tai leaving with the kids and she curled up a bit on the chair out back, nibbling on a thumb nail as she stared at Yang’s message. At least the kids would be gone and Yang could spoil her when the woman got back. That thought was more than enough to tide her over for now.

—----------------------------------------

It had gotten dark and Blake was waiting inside, a bit more affected than she thought she might be and thankful she had sent off the kids as the sounds of Yang’s bike came up the drive. She stared over the back of the couch, her nails thrumming on the fabric as everything from her eyes up could be seen over the back of it.

Yang walked in, going straight to the fridge with a small cooler to store it inside before coming back, leaning into the archway at watching the faunus that was clocking her every move. The blonde smirked and crossed her arms just under her chest so it perked up her breasts a bit, watching them catch Blake’s attention as the faunus grumbled, “where did you go?”

Yang’s grin grew more broad as she walked closer and leaned down, palms on the back of the couch and chest over the faunus eyeing her with slight desperation, “How long will the kids be with my dad?”

Blake’s back arched a bit more as she leaned back some, watching Yang’s face above her. As the brawler moved a hand to stroke between her cat ears and tease the fur along the ears, listening to Blake purr and smirking as the faunus shivered and shifted with need, “J-just tonight but… they could stay longer…”

Yang watched those eager amber eyes glazing over and leaned closer, her seductive whisper brushing the fur of Blake’s cat ear and making the woman audibly whine, “I came home with several cups from the doctor. Want to have one more with me? While you are in heat naturally? I think I came home with enough to rock you through your entire burning desire until you melt for me Kitten.”

She didn’t need Blake to actually answer, the woman’s body told her everything she needed to know. Blake was instantly shaking, whimpering with impatience and nails reached to scratch at Yang’s collar the way Blake would when she wanted Yang more than anything. Considering Blake really didn’t lose her mind completely anymore, that was more than enough for Yang to know Blake was on board.

They had discussed before once if they ever had any more kids that Blake would be ok with only one more and if they did, she didn’t want to force her heat anymore. While it was a short lived medically induced heat, they had done this more than most of the doctor’s faunus patients and it had started to mess with her when she took the stuff, the doctor not recommending she use it any further.

The blonde pulled Blake’s face into a passionate kiss, tongue pressing past soft lips to engage along the rough surface of Blake’s own, pulling the woman into her embrace as Blake purred into her lips, hands curling into a grip on Yang’s collar to keep the woman she loved heald close. Since Yang had been pretty sure Blake would agree, she had taken the first dose with plenty of time to already have it kicked in when she got here and man had the vibrations of the bike been hell and she was throbbing within the cramped space of her clothing painfully. She pulled the faunus from her collar hearing Blake whine , needy hands trying to grasp at Yang but here restrained as the woman got over the couch and plopped down, pulling Blake back in close for another wet greedy kiss.

As Blake’s hands rested onto Yang’s thighs to support herself, the blonde shifted a bit until she couldn’t take much anymore. The faunus felt Yang’s hand grip into the back of her hair and she was pulled away from Yang’s lips, saliva stringing between them and lidded eyes watched Yang with deep breaths as the woman’s mother hand grasped at her belt. Blake’s tongue ran along her lips, savoring Yang’s flavor as the blonde desperately opened the belt and pants, yanking down on the confined garments enough to find freedom for the grown length from the serum.

Cat ears folded back and fingers kneaded into muscular strong thighs as Yang pulled Blake's face down to the length, the faunus hungrily running her rough tongue along the length with a rumbling purr, Yang’s sighs and thick smell making the cat in heat tremble with need. Drool lined her tongue to Yang’s sensitive skin as she traced up and down the length, swirling the tip before she slid her mouth down over it.

To Blake’s delight, after doing this twice now, and the serum improving over the years, Yang could handle a bit more attention before anything threatened to release and wear off. The grip in her hair softened a bit as the other hand ran down her back and grasped her ass with a firm grip, “Mmm that’s right Kitten, suck Daddy’s dick.”

Yang loved the way Blake reacted to every touch, every word she gave her, hand releasing her ass when Blake groaned to slap the delectable rump, watching her faunus twitch and whine. The couple had found between the two last conceptions that Blake and Yang both rather liked the brawler being endowed with any sort of length, real or fake, whenever Blake was in heat, though Blake had absolutely zero interest when she wasn’t. The faunus also found slight humor and a bit of kinky interest in such endearing sexual pet names for Yang, all things considered the woman did technically ‘father’ her children.

Truly, Blake was pretty sure any dirty talk Yang dived into would arouse her because it was Yang doing it and that behavior from the woman itself was just arousing to her regardless, so long as it stayed within the appropriate time and place. Blake slid more and more of Yang into her mouth as she worked her head up and down, sucking the length and her tongue stroking the surface and tip as it passed until she had managed every inch down, feeling very pleased with herself as Yang moaned deeply and shifted a bit at her efforts.

The blonde moved hair out of the way, locking eyes with Blake as she watched the faunus suck on her length, her hips twitching a bit as the cat sped up and her mouth worked along the length in ways that drove Yang wild. Yang shifted her hand from Blake’s ass to her waistband and yanked down, the clothing being pulled to her thighs before her hand worked up the skin to tease the dripping wet folds and cl*t of her wife.

Blake purred along the surface in her mouth and watched Yang as the woman jerked, hips shaking, “f*ck Kitten!”

She pulled Blake off and the cat stood quickly, ridding herself of the garments in her way before she pounced. Her hands burying in wild blonde locks and teeth nipping at Yang’s lower lip as she straddled the woman’s lap, grinding the tip against her sensitive cl*t with a whimper, “I need you Yang.”

The blonde grunted and squirmed. The only thing that never seemed to be fixed in these serums was the fact it always seemed to be a one and done situation. The blonde hated it but the last time she had complained the doctor expressed that it was the only way the serums produced the best results so she had to just deal with it, even if it made her feel really frustrated compared to her usual stamina.

Yang grabbed her hips and kissed the horny faunus hard as she pulled her down onto her length, pushed all the way deep in the one quick yank downward causing them to both gasp into each other’s lips. The blonde ran her hands to Blake’s ass, squeezing the cheeks as her hips thrusted up rough and quick, desperate to give what they both needed. Blake was gripping her hair tighter, pressing down into each thrust to meet Yang’s hips and pushing her body against the woman, her lips leaving from Yang’s and nipping down her neck to her shoulder, biting at the skin to claim her love.

Blake had been doing this since she could finally be with Yang naturally during her heats and while Yang couldn’t reciprocate the beasti*al response, just knowing what it meant to Blake made Yang squirm inside and filled her with pride to be Blake’s. Hands left her hair as she continued to pound into Blake from beneath her, feeling them tug harshly at her shirt and the fabric give, exposing her chest to the faunus who was panting and moaning into her skin, lips and teeth working their way gently down to give attention to the mounds that Blake loved.

Yang groaned deeply as Blake squeezed one breast and lavished the other breast and nipple with her cat-like tongue and lips, feeling Blake’s ragged breaths and pleasured moans on her skin driving her crazy as they both rocked rapidly into each other. Not long and they were both reeling in their org*sms, hips pressed so tightly together that Yang was buried deep as her release flooded Blake’s heat riddled hungry chasm, the channel clenching tightly and fluttering needily for every drop.

Blake’s hips grinded and rolled into Yang’s slowly as they came down, soft lips leaving fleshy mounds to brush along skin to Yang’s face as she rested her own against it, watching Yang’s pained expression as she felt the toll of the serum weigh her body down for the count. Blake licked at her skin, softly stroking fingers in her hair, biting back a cry when she felt Yang’s body reverted back and leaving her insides that were clenching in desperation for it to stay.

She hated when this part happened. They both did. It always felt like they were being forced to throw in the towel for the moment even though they were so used to so much more. Blake did her best not to let herself display any sadness or disappointment at the loss of the feeling of Yang so intimately connected to her own body but the blonde knew. Her wife reached and held Blake close, “I’m sorry Kitten. When it finally wears off and I recover I’ll get you upstairs and strap in to give you the ride you need for the rest of tonight. Ok?”

Had Blake not been so sexually strung at the moment, the mood would’ve been totally killed by the stupid joke, but since she could hardly focus on that right now it went unnoticed. The rough tongue slid along Yang’s lower lip slowly making the blonde feel a shiver surge down her spine as Blake whispered, “Promise?”

A hand gripped the hair behind the two furry ears and made Blake purr, husky voice drawing out the faunus’s need before she was kissed roughly, “I promise.”

—---------------------------------

Jin wasn’t too happy about being told by her grandfather that they would be staying for a few days. She wanted to be at home not here in this tiny house with her loud siblings. “Dammit mom what gives…” she mumbled to herself as she tried to find somewhere, anywhere in Patch to entertain her away from a bunch of screaming children.

The first night was fine and all. She did love her siblings but the age gap did make their current ages a bit of a headache for her right now in life and with a constant worry she might hurt them at any given moment with her semblance she rarely played with them, often distancing herself to keep them from begging for her attention.

Today, Jin was extremely grumpy. Taiyang’s home was not big enough for four grandkids to be staying and there not be any issues. For starters, Jin had to share a room with the littles, so getting the sleep she was used to in the mornings when she wasn’t in school was out. The fastest way to anger the dragon was to take her sleep from her in the mornings when she didn’t have to be anywhere.

As she walked along the water’s edge she considered taking the ferry back over to the mainland to see what she could get into there. Patch had very little to entertain teenagers. Most here were either elderly or young like her siblings with very little in between. The area was still so lightly populated it was pretty much just a dense village and if you wanted to do more than explore the land you had to take the ferry back. Tai had given her several tickets to use, knowing she would get bored stuck around Patch.

Jin leaned over a railing by the docks. She slumped into it and huffed, staring at the water and boats. In her irritation, she couldn’t help being mad at Yang as well. Her mother had to be the sudden reason they were now stuck here for several days instead of just a night as planned. She let out an exasperated grunt and frowned, kicking a rock into the water.

Patch was the last place she wanted to spend her fifteenth birthday. She wanted to go hang out with Sterling and Dakota and actually do something fun but now because of her parents she was going to have to still be on this forsaken island. Just another thing that was bound to create an argument between Jin and Yang later that Blake would end up stuck settling, as had become usual for years now.

When the ferry pulled back into the docks, Jin hopped on and found a spot to settle herself in for the short ride to the mainland. She had only been sitting there for a short time after the boat left port before a boy about her age settled next to her. He was human as far as she could tell with shaggy brown hair and a light tan with very dark green eyes. He wasn’t super skinny but he wasn’t beefy, just average and not much taller than her but he was smiling and it was charming, “Mind if I join you?”

She stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge if this was a trick or not, before she shrugged. She was so used to Dove and her tricks that while she wasn’t shut off from others she was a bit cautious at times. He thanked her and they quietly watched the water for a bit before he spoke again, voice kind and even, “I thought I was the only teenager on that whole island. Glad to see I was wrong. You live there?”

Jin snorted a laugh, causing him to chuckle a bit, “No! No, I’m visiting my grandfather. My siblings were just driving me nuts so I needed to get out of there for a bit. You?”

He grinned, “Ah, I’m there visiting my Aunt actually. Only child though so no excuse for me I just noticed you at the pier and figured I’d say hello. I’ll be coming back this summer to help her out so I thought I’d see if you were a local or not. It gets really boring so it’d be nice to have a friend.”

He was watching her teeth she noticed but he hadn’t said anything and he was still being kind. She smiled at him and sat back, a flirtatious expression on her face, “Well, not a local but I could easily come back around for the summer with the right motivations.”

He raised a brow and rested an arm on the back of the bench seat, turning her way some with a playful chuckle, “Oh yea?”

The banter continued and they spent the day enjoying town from an arcade to lunch at a tasty pizza place before catching a ferry back so he could return home after a call from his aunt. Numbers were exchanged when they got off at the Patch pier, “I’m Copper by the way.”

He said with a kind smile. She tucked her hair behind her ear and walked away leaving him a bit confused until he got a message from her on his scroll, ‘Name’s Jin’ with a wink following the text.

—------------------------------------------

He took her back to town for her birthday and they had a good time at a movie. Jin learned Copper was in fact just a human boy who would be sixteen in a month or so, no combat skills just in school for an education. He was here this spring break to learn the ropes so that while his cousin was away on business for the summer he could help care for her. She also found out he thought her teeth were kind of cool which gave her a renewed tiny amount of a reminder there are good humans out there and Dove was just a manipulative terror.

When Tai dropped her and her siblings back off at home, Yang greeted the kids with Blake on the front porch. Her siblings were super excited to see her but as Jin approached and Yang tried to speak to her, the dragon just glared, “Thanks for shipping me off to an island for my birthday. Real fun gift Mother. Welcome home I guess.”

Blake folded her arms and gave Jin a look but the dragon just walked past them both inside to her room to be left alone, ignoring Yang yelling after her, “Ugh! That girl! Dammit.”

Feeling Blake’s gaze now on Yang the blonde rubbed her neck nervously and dropped it. Jin threw herself on her bed with headphones and messaged Copper, ‘made it home. ugh, Mother can be a drag. Hope Patch isn’t too boring without me.’

‘Haha! Sorry about your mother. You know it’s not fun without someone like you around to liven it up!’

This was the start of long chains of flirting and chatter back and forth until the summer months. Jin had not exactly been as excited as her siblings when her parents told her Blake was pregnant again but she wasn’t exactly surprised, and even a bit grossed out when she realized now why they were suddenly shipped out those few days.

—-------------------------

In the last few weeks of the summer, Jin had spent a few visits with Tai, some with her siblings some without, but now was the final few days before the forced outreach program in her second year at signal where she would have to go to assist before the year started. In her group message with Sterling and Dakota, the faunus boy was of course excited but Sterling and Jin were both less enthused. Jin was just looking forward to a Dove-less school year and happy Dakota had something else to talk about other than poking at her about Copper.

Speaking of, with her Siblings at Tai’s, it was just Jin and at home today. Blake had gone to visit Weiss for a while. Copper’s cousin was back so he was free the rest of the summer but with Jin leaving soon she just wanted to see him without having to go to town or be around the kids to hang out. They’d spend time at his aunt’s place but she couldn’t have visitors so Jin invited him over.

Now, Jin didn’t have a crush or anything on him but he was gorgeous and she did have to admit she got very lustful hormonal feelings around him more and more the closer they got, especially the more they flirted. She was more than certain he was experiencing the same feelings and she had easily tested the theory several times this summer with suggestive body language and temptations with the desired results.

She was well aware she was inviting him over to a house devoid of anyone to stop them from doing whatever they wanted and she would be lying if she tried to say that wasn’t somewhat part of the reason she wanted him to come by. It would also be a lie if she tried to say she hadn’t had a few teenage fantasies about him yet.

When he arrived she invited him in, keeping her cool over her nerves as she gently took his hand and led him to her room. They sat awkwardly on her bed and cut up a bit with their usual banter before they stared at one another and shared an inexperienced first kiss with one another. Just lips to lips, neither sure they were comfortable with Jin's teeth enough to test those waters with their lack of experience.

The kiss was warm but otherwise it was fine Jin thought. Nothing special but still, she wanted more. She leaned in closer, her hands resting near his sides on the bed as she kissed him again, eyes closed. She could feel her heart race and hear her pulse thundering in her ears, cheeks hot.

(straight awkward teen sex to follow. skip to next note if you wish to not read.)

Untrained hands fumbled upon each other as she slipped onto his lap, both breathing hard. His unsteady hands pulled her crop top off slowly as she pulled at his belt and pants button and zipper. As he groped and fondled her bra covered large chest, she reached into his opened jeans and both let out gasps and breaths at each other’s explorations of the other’s more intimate bodies.

He shivered as her hot palm and fingers cupped and rubbed the growing briefed bulge while Jin panted and trembled when he would squeeze her mounds or run his thumbs past the thin fabric hiding hardening nipples. Her other hand gave a tug at his shirt and he leaned back, peeling it off and tossing it away before she kissed him again, his hands returning to explore her as her preoccupied hand slipped his average length from his underwear. She wasn;’t entirely sure how to progress but she traced her fingertips along the tip, her expression squinching a bit at the feel of the clear droplets before she took a breath and slid her hand along the length, wrapping her fingers around the shaft and running her hand back and forth along it.

His body tensed and his breathing seemed to quicken so she figured she was doing well. She continued and quickened and squeezed as he responded in kind, her palm swiping the tip for the fluid every so often. When his hips started to jerk she let go, slowly getting up with a grin, satisfied with her efforts before letting her own jeans drop to the floor with a bit of a show of it, sliding back onto his lap after and pressing her drenched covered core against his length, both gasping.

For now, the two grinded against one another with her fingers winding into his hair and their lips pressing roughly into each other. At some point that neither of them could pick out they dared trust tongues around Jin’s teeth with Jin pressing hers into his mouth awkwardly, neither really aware how to do this but making good on what they could figure out together as he pulled her against himself.

When Copper got worried he might cum too fast he reached and pushed her hips back some despite her whine of displeasure, but moans replaced her protests when he looped a finger through the crotch of her panties and shifted them over, fingers exploring her sex. She ended up reaching to help him a bit, taking his hand away from where the boy probably assumed he thought she wanted to focus more on her bundle of neglected nerves but when she felt the bud and noticed the way it made her respond he picked up quick on it and she could let his wrist go to hold his shoulders.

Her face hidden with her forehead on his shoulder and her eyes closed, she grinded into his fingers and moaned, body growing close. With no real knowledge of much she just knew she didn’t want to wear herself out without him either and pulled away from his hand, causing him to apologize and pull away though she cut him off with her lips and pressed her hips into his nervously but eagerly. Sliding her soaked folds and erect bud against his throbbing length up to the tip drawing shivers from them both before she slid herself gently and slowly down onto him, biting into her own lip and clinging to him tightly.

It was an uncomfortable experience and a bit painful especially when he was finally fully inside but there was enough pleasure too to keep going and eventually as she slid herself along him back and forth, that was all she could feel, kissing at his skin and his lips, the two engaged in one another faster and faster until the throws of their first org*sms with another person hit them at the same time. They were both so caught off guard by how fast it all happened to even think about things like pulling out or anything but that was a concern for another time.

(Sex over.)

Right now the concern was the sound of Blake’s voice at Jin’s bedroom door yelling the teen’s name that started the youth’s as they had been too caught up in everything to even notice someone had come home. Jin, head still reeling and trying to come down, was snapped unpleasantly from her climax and turned to her door, brain only present enough to try covering herself, “Mom?! W-what are you doing here!?”

Blake glared, ear’s folded, “I should be asking you the same thing. Young man, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of here before her Mother comes inside or you might not have anything to use to be able to do this again.”

“M-Mother’s here?” Jin asked, eyes going wide and her spirit sinking as she flew off Copper, dashing for her clothes and her clothes, shoving his shirt at him, “You have to get out of here right now!”

Blake folded her arms, watching Jin trying to give the boy some privacy long enough for him to get out his daze and cover his exposed dick, “I was with your Aunt Weiss waiting for her to get home from a mission. And she is in a very bad mood so you sure picked a bad day to test her that’s for sure.”

Jin was running around getting dressed cursing under her breath, trying to help the poor confused boy get his shirt back on, getting it on him inside out and backwards as he finally tucked himself into his pants in a panic and she was shoving him out her room, “Get the hell out of here!”

He was stammering and trying to get any sort of understanding of what on earth was happening out of her when she finally tossed him roughly out the front door, “Go home I’ll message you later!”

He stumbled down the stairs and smacked right into Yang. shaking his face and rubbing his nose he looked at the woman and turned pale at her red eyes watching him, “Uh…h-hi m-ma’am…”

Yang grit her teeth and her knuckles cracked as she clenched her fist, “Who the hell are you?”

He went weak at the knees, Jin rubbing her face at the door trying to escape but Blake had snagged her by the shirt, “Oh no you don’t.”

He nervously stuttered, “I..I–I’m C-Copper M-Ma’am.”

Yang leaned close, narrowing her eyes at him as her fists suddenly grasped him by the shirt, “And what the hell are you doing in my house with my daughter Copper?”

He let out a scared whimper and as Yang lifted him off the ground Blake yelled at her, “Yang! Drop him! You scared him enough! I think it’s pretty clear he’s not a boy she knows from school. He probably can’t take a beating from you.”

Yang growled but glanced over Copper who was so scared he had wet himself, shaking and whimpering. Yang huffed and dropped him, his body crumpling before he tried to get to his feet in a sad scurry, “I better never see you again Copper or next time you’ll be leaving here with a gender change, understand?”

He just nodded as he took off. Jin was hiding her embarrassed face in her hands as Blake kept her there, not letting her leave, “Yang, go cool off. I’ll be with you in a second.”

Blake didn’t give her wife a chance to protect as she closed the door while Yang was trying to, giving a push to Jin towards the kitchen so that Jin knew where to go and the two sat down. Blake watched her oldest for a moment. She knew this day would come eventually though she rather hoped she could wait another year or so. She couldn’t say too much though. Yang and herself hadn’t been much better as teens but still one can hope for their children to make smarter choices then they did themselves.

The silence was so unbearable for Jin she couldn’t look at Blake and instead chose to stare at the table trying to figure out if this was her mom’s plan or if her mom was just trying to decide what to say. Either way she felt like the torture was probably working. Blake finally broke the silence with a sigh. Jin didn’t need two mad parents and Yang was going to be livid enough for both of them. It wasn’t like teenage hormones were something they should make their daughter develop a complex over.

The sigh was enough of a relief that Jin glanced up to see Blake watching her with a softened expression, a hand resting on her pregnant stomach as her mother’s calm voice spoke, “Were you at least being careful, Little Dragon?”

Jin bit her lip. sh*t. She reached and rubbed her arm, looking away before shaking her head slightly with a bit of shame. She heard the chair as Blake got up and stepped away. She wasn’t gone long but it was long enough for Jin to have a few regrets. A gentle touch on her shoulder and soft nuzzle in her hair drew her attention and another hand came into view with a pill in it, “I keep these around just in case something like this might happen though I did honestly hope not to have to need it yet. Take it please. You are much too young to be risking any consequences like that right now.”

Jin just gave a gentle nod. Blake’s voice was so soothing she couldn’t say no really. She took the tiny plan B pill from her mother and swallowed it. Blake kissed her hair and gently hugged her head, “Look, it’s important I tell you that what you feel is normal. Teenagers go through these desires. But understand that of course we are going to be upset and a bit disappointed. We just want you to have the best future and life you can free of any terrible choices and consequences. Parents just want better lives from their children then they had ok? Try not to let your Mother’s anger or any of my disappointment get to you ok? We still love you very much and see you the same.”

Jin nodded, leaning against Blake. She was teary eyed but not because she thought she did anything wrong or anything. Of course she had a few regrets but not for actually having sex. That she was still glad she did. No she regretted not being more careful like she had been taught, she regretted getting caught, she regretted getting Copper wrapped up in her scary mother, and letting her parents down.

Blake pulled away, ears flicking in the direction of outside, stepping towards the door, “If you must be your mother’s daughter, please at least be smart about it?”

She gave Jin a wink with a gentle smile which made the dragon chuckle a bit before Blake went outside. Yang was still full of rage, hair on fire and eyes blazing red as Blake approached, “Yang. Relax. I think she is scarred enough from me walking in on them and I highly doubt any boy will be back here anytime soon after all that.”

Yang growled and turned to Blake, fuming, “Not the point Blake! How could she do that while we were out?!”

Blake raised a brow, glancing over her wife for a moment, “Ahem… have you met her parents? We weren’t exactly the poster teens for celibacy. Really I’m more surprised you are so shocked by this.”

Yang growled but when she received a challenging glare from the pregnant faunus she backed down, “I just… I really thought she’d make better choices than I did, you know?”

Blake rolled her eyes, placing a hand on Yang’s arm and causing the woman to calm down, “Yang, she’s a good kid. She’s just a teenager. Give her a break. Honestly, she’s just like you. I expect nothing else but,” Blake touched Yang’s cheek and rested her forehead to the woman’s, “if that’s any indication of the person she is now, she will grow up to be a wonderful adult. We have nothing to worry about.”

Yang calmed completely, flushing slightly and Blake grinned, kissing her nose, “Now go say something, anything to her that doesn’t psychologically scar her before her fear of what you might say does it for you.”

Yang sighed and hugged the faunus before walking inside. She turned to Jin who tried not to let Yang’s presence scare her, “You! You’re grounded!”

Jin’s brows furrowed, a bit confused, she stood, “T-That’s all?”

Yang raised a brow, “What, did you want more?”

“N-no! I just… I don’t know… thought you’d yell at me or something… I guess…” Jin responded.

Yang waved her off, “not in the mood for that anymore. I’m too exhausted. Now to your room before I change my mind.”

—-------------------------------------

Jin’s new sibling was a baby boy her parents named Leo. He had no cat ears but a lion tail and he was a blonde with lilac eyes like Yang. Jin adored him. All of their kids did, really. Yang quit going on missions. Her last mission she had come back just before Leo was born and spent a week in a medically induced coma with major injuries that scared the whole family and made them both realize neither of them wanted her to die on Blake or their kids like that.

Blake didn’t ask her to quit but when Yang was finally better, the woman’s fears and tears were more than enough for Yang to want it for herself and her family too. So when Yang went to Weiss with the dilemma and worried about how she’d take care of her family, the other woman was happy to help Yang land the teaching position open at Beacon for the training class.

—------------------------------------

The last few years at Signal were interesting. Jin never made the mistake of bringing anyone home again but the girl easily got around with boys and girls, remembering to be safe of course. It had gotten so much easier with Dove gone and no one caring anymore about her teeth or anything. She practically exploded as a social butterfly. The big difference in Jin flirting with students and Dove was that Jin found the sex a thrill and the desire others had for her even more so.

Dakota and Sterling finally hit puberty but while Sterling got taller, about five eleven, he didn’t really bulk up nor gain anything in the way of facial hair, retaining a very elegant but still male look to him. However, Dakota seemed to stay very neutral. He got to about five eight and still looked very feminine. The two stayed super close.

Jin and Sterling had applied to Beacon and been accepted on their first try. Sterling had managed to work very hard to be top of his class at Signal all three years and while he had not managed to be able to develop a healing aura, he could now at least produce a decent enough protective aura.

He sat in the kitchen with Weiss, Autumn running around excited for Ruby. She would be home soon from a mission to see the girl before going again on another. Over the years, Sterling had grown more and more bitter when Autumn expressed wanting to be a Huntress and their mother was fine with it just because Autumn was a healthy kid with a bright future.

Part of him wondered if it was because he wasn’t the one Ruby had. Was Ruby one of those parents that cared about those sorts of things? While Weiss had reassured him that this was nonsense several times throughout growing up when he expressed the concern, he couldn’t help worrying about it the way Ruby gave Autumn so much more than he had now. He was also just not sure how Weiss could still say such things in Ruby’s defense so much. He often found his mom’s ability to be able to so unbiasedly defend his mother on certain things despite what she must be going through very impressive and inspiring.

It was honestly probably the reason he was able to stand Jin as much as he did even though they had grown to be such opposites and rivaled with one another so much. As the rose petals and burst of red came into view, Autumn squealed and ran towards the door from the window. Weiss was still with Sterling in the living room, watching him with the invitation in his tense fingers.

She knew Ruby wouldn’t go but she was hoping she would be wrong for once for her son’s sake while simultaneously thinking about how she would handle damage control for his feelings yet again when Ruby inevitably let him down once more. The door opened and that once familiar voice could be heard as Autumn was scooped into the mother’s arms, “Hey Autumn! I missed you so much!”

“Mama! You’re home!” the happy little girl squealed, hugging Ruby as she was carried in though Ruby stopped at the sight of her pale haired family members, “Sterling, you are getting so tall, bud.”

He just nodded with a slight frown. Part of him wished she’d just hug him with that much enthusiasm but another part of him kept her at bay with his anger towards her and everything she did to them all the time. Ruby shifted awkwardly, glancing at Weiss without a word before looking at Autumn again.

Weiss and Ruby hardly talked other than fights still over Sterling and very few words about Autumn for years now. Weiss had buried her heart so long ago she didn’t feel anything anymore when she looked at her wife and just focused on raising their children and her job, thinking of Ruby more as a person who spent the night or a few hours in the house every so often.

For Ruby, it was just uncomfortable so she avoided it. She had stopped wanting to try forever ago when she realized she could say nothing and disappear constantly and never have to lose anything really. She could have her family and never have to face anything and sure it wasn’t happy but it wasn’t gone so it was better than nothing and she had grown complacent and happy with it.

Sterling cleared his throat as Ruby set Autumn down and handed Ruby the envelope, “What’s this?”

She looked it over. Since Ruby never really graduated Signal and was able to just go to Yang’s as family and a student, she had never really gotten one of these before or seen one. They had been invited to Dove’s graduation of course but she had been on a mission and Weiss didn’t even bother with all that.

Sterling glanced at Weiss who gestured to Ruby. She tried not to be overly encouraging to not get him hurt but if he had expressed actually wanting to try she didn’t shy away from him either in his attempts. He turned his eyes back, “It’s an invitation to my Signal graduation.”

He watched her expression and demeanor change and she tensed on the envelope, stopping mid opening it and ceasing to try any future as she flipped it back to the front, “Oh. I see. Sterling you know how I f…”

Weiss spoke up, “Sterling, why don’t you take Autumn to go get dressed for bed? I’ll speak to your mother.”

He nodded, taking Autumn’s hand to go upstairs. When she was sure he was gone, she glared at Ruby, “He just wanted to invite his mother to come see his great achievement. He worked really hard. The date and your seat number and ticket are in there should you change your mind.”

Ruby was about to protest but Weiss didn’t give her a chance to, “I’m really too tired for this right now Ruby. I’ve been dealing with a very nervous teen and a very excited little girl for over twelve hours straight waiting for you to get home and I have to work in the morning. I’m glad to see you are uninjured. Good night.”

Ruby watched her walk off to the room that many years ago had once been theirs. The younger woman glanced at the invitation in her fingers and sighed, frowning. She went into her own room and flopped herself on her bed before staring at it more. It only took a few minutes for her to convince herself once again his desire to be a Huntsman was the issue not herself and she tossed the invitation to the floor before pulling up mission options on her scroll and picking something that would have her busy during the event.

—------------------------------

Graduation came. No Ruby. Sterling hid the hurt behind the fact he figured this would happen but Weiss was still angry no matter how much she expected it to happen. His friend Dakota at least was good at cheering him up and at least his Aunt Winter, grandmother, uncle and Klein were all there along with the bonus of Dakota’s parents and his Aunt Yang and Aunt blake already there for Jin proud of him. And Autumn was the cutest when his name was called for his diploma, yelling his name in such an excited bouncing squeal all the other little cousins joined in, even the toddler Leo giggling and squealing from Blake’s lap, and he couldn’t help but grin.

None of them were his mother, but at least he was loved and supported by the people who he knew loved him without question. They all went out with Dakota and his parents joining them together to celebrate, the three graduates excited but there was the sad fact Dakota was going on to Haven instead. That’s where his family lived and he had gone to Signal because he didn’t want to go to Sanctum where some bullies who actually physically left scars on the faunus as a child were working around the grounds when Dakota was picking a school.

Making friends with Sterling mainly had been the reason Dakota had stayed at Signal rather than switch to Sanctum once the people were arrested, having been Sterling’s roommate in the dorms all these years as well. That made sense to the group but it was still sad, especially for Sterling who had to accept he was losing his best friend.

Dakota made plans to have Sterling come spend the summer with him at his home in Mistral before they parted ways for their future studies which brightened both their spirits and everyone headed out for their summers before they would start the next stages in their lives.