A/N: Had this one sitting around for ages and finally got round to uploading. In case I haven't made it clear yet, THIS IS NOT SMUT I PROMISE. Intended to be seen as shortly after Dance Dance Infiltration. With that clarified, have fun!
In hindsight, (sort of) accidentally tying up and (very deliberately) seducing her partner had ended rather spectacularly well.
Of course, she wasn't planning any such perverse activities that night, but a late-night sparring session between two restless partners took an interesting turn, after she employed a rather unusual, if effective strategy.
For various reasons, the two Huntresses-in-training were having a sleepless night, with neither able to relax enough to get some sleep. After tolerating half an hour of her bunkmate and partner's tossing and turning, made all the louder by her second set of ears, Blake had finally run out of patience.
"You know, for once some of us are actually trying to sleep," she hissed.
An almighty blonde mane dropped into sight from the precariously-constructed top bunk. The person to which the mane was attached grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry. One of those nights, I guess," she whispered back, not wanting to wake the rest of the team.
They remained there for several tense moments – Blake lying under the covers in a vain attempt to still her riotous mind, Yang dangling from above, awaiting a response which was growing less and less likely with each passing second.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Blake kicked off the blanket and moved to a sitting position, legs hanging off the edge. Yang swung herself down from the top bunk, miraculously avoiding some sort of hilariously noisy accident, and positioned herself next to the pale Faunus. "You too, huh?" she asked, keeping her voice low.
Blake nodded. "I don't know why this is happening again. I've been sleeping well enough these past few days, and now I can't stop worrying again."
Yang gave her a sympathetic look. "Torchwick again?"
The Faunus cheeks coloured slightly. "Sort of." The evasive answer was technically true, but it was by no means the whole truth.
In truth, Blake's mental turbulence was not just a result of worrying about the activities of a certain criminal mastermind and his fanatic Faunus allies. No, this was…different. The thoughts that occupied her mind were, to her dismay, about the very person currently sat next to her. Since her aggressively supportive partner convinced her to take a little better care of herself in her investigation into the White Fang, Blake hadn't quite seen Yang in the same way.
It didn't help that after an unexpected but not unwelcome embrace, as she was leaving, Yang had turned and, looking Blake dead in the eyes, had promised to save her a dance, exiting the room with a wink and a little more of a sway in her step than normal.
After that fateful night, when Yang had claimed Blake's first dance of the evening, Blake had been going to sleep more confused than ever before. It was normal to enjoy (almost) every moment she spent with her partner.
…Right?
And the rush she felt whenever their skin touched, even for a moment, that wasn't anything particularly strange, was it?
But then those dreams had started.
Dreams that featured a certain blonde.
It wasn't that uncommon for Blake's dreams to be filled with images of her teammates. After all, some of her most vivid recollections of the past few months concerned them, most notably all the rather spectacular fights they had shared.
But only Yang appeared in her dreams wearing that smile, that trademark grin that was equal parts excited, cheeky, and flirtatious.
Only Yang had sauntered towards her, sometimes among the floating leaves of Forever Fall, sometimes in the grand hall at Beacon, all the while bearing that Dust-damned grin.
That grin had always held a tease for anyone the bold blonde directed it at. Yet, to Blake, it had seemed lately to be just a hint more, well, sultry when it was aimed at her, rather than anyone else.
And Blake most definitely did not dream of anyone other than Yang closing the little distance between them, catching her lips in a blazing embrace.
So when Yang asked when the Faunus had been having trouble sleeping lately, well, the not-answer she gave was really the only one she could possibly have given.
Yang sighed. "Well, since you have actually tried to get some rest, I think I can let you off this time," she teased gently, nudging her partner slightly. She then brightened as an idea came to her. "Since it doesn't look like either of us is gonna catch any sleep any time soon, how about we hit the ring? Bit of late night sparring?"
"Yeah, because that won't wake everyone in the Academy up in less than a minute. You're not exactly stealthy, Yang," Blake groused.
"Excuse me?" Yang retorted in mock offense. "I'll have you know I'm perfectly capable of keeping quie-" The rest of her sentence collapsed into a snort. "Okay, I'll admit, even I can't say that with a straight face. But didn't you hear, they just finished the new training rooms in the east wing? Completely soundproof and reinforced against explosions from the outside or inside, so Nora doesn't drag the rest of us with her when she can't sleep."
The Faunus grimaced as she remembered that fateful incident; a night in which their resident walking thunderstorm had been wracked with insomnia, which led to an incident involving fifteen high-yield grenades, two hundred pancakes and a mad hamster. The chaos that ensued had her normally-taciturn partner screaming in terror, the rest of her team traumatised for life, and twelve others resting up in the infirmary for two weeks.
Well, Blake thought, it's not like I'm gonna get any sleep like this. Might as well do something useful to pass the time.
And so she replied, "Sure. Lead the way."
=x=
They made their way to the new training facilities, the blonde brawler nattering away, Blake periodically jabbing Yang in the ribs by way of reminder that "it's late, we don't want to wake anyone up. You realise we're still technically under curfew, right?"
Whenever Blake raised this objection, Yang snorted with derision. "Eh, they know people are gonna wanna train at weird times, why d'you think they built the new rooms?"
The Faunus sighed and gave up, allowing the incessant stream of chatter to resume.
=x=
After a short walk they arrived in the all-new, state-of-the-art facility. Several rooms with various machines provided the insomniac Hunter-in-training with a multitude of options for exhausting themselves into sleep.
Of course, the two young women here tonight were concerned only with the sparring rings.
The largest of them was almost twice the size of team RWBY's dorm room, and even had lights mounted overhead, to simulate full arena combat. These they left on a fairly low setting to avoid dazzling themselves.
After quick weapons checks – Blake loading a full magazine into Gambol Shroud's pistol component and ensuring the folding mechanism of the blade was functioning properly, and Yang loading a fresh set of shotgun rounds into the chambers of both halves of Ember Celica – they stepped into the ring.
As they assumed their stances, the blonde brawler flashed the grin she reserved for Blake – all tease and temptation. "Come and get me, kitty cat," she taunted.
Beneath their bow, Blake's feline ears twitched, and she barely suppressed a growl. Normally, she tolerated Yang's cat jokes, where she would typically respond by placing the point of a sword or the barrel of a gun under the offending jaw. But she knew Yang's style, and knew she was being baited. If the Faunus sprung into an all-out attack right away, she would accomplish very little. Not to say that Blake was unable to take a directly offensive route, but proper usage of her Semblance leaned more towards stealth, deception, and misdirection, to allow for strikes for where they aren't expected. Of course, Blake knew that Yang would realise this. Observing the brawler, Blake took in her surroundings, making particular note of the ropes that determined the borders of the arena. Down, girl, she thought to herself, before a potentially brilliant, if unorthodox plan struck her.
Naturally, this would also happen to be the moment where Yang decided she was bored of waiting, and therefore to also strike her.
A deadly right uppercut met only a vague, already-fading afterimage of the Faunus, as she dived to her left, seeking to get behind Yang's guard. During her roll the tip of Gambol Shroud caught Yang in the leg, dealing a superficial wound. The brawler turned, directing a quick one-two at her opponent, shotgun blasts flaring out to either side as Blake dodged.
Darting back, Blake switched Gambol Shroud into gun form and fired off a few rounds, which Yang evaded, for the most part, though two shots clipped her side and leg, draining her Aura slightly.
As the brawler approached she jabbed out a few more times, firing burning shots in too tight a sequence for Blake to dodge, forcing her to pull out Gambol Shroud's scabbard to foil the blazing offensive. In that time Yang closed the distance and assumed a full volley of punches, forcing Blake into a complex series of dodges and evasions, deflecting strike with sword and scabbard both, relying heavily on her Semblance to avoid Yang's deadly fists.
Such was the relentless force of the brawler's attack that Blake barely had any opportunity to score more than a few meagre, glancing blows. It didn't help that whenever their eyes locked, Yang flashed her a wink, sending heat rushing to her cheeks, or else fixed her with a gaze that burned like the very blasts she was straining to evade. She knows, Blake realised. She knows why I've been behaving strangely lately and she's using it against me.
Fuelled by this realisation, Blake pranced back once again. She noticed her back nearing the ropes, and the strange plan, initially conceived in vaguely inappropriate thoughts about her partner, suddenly sprang to the forefront of her mind. As Yang approached once again, confident in her final charge, Blake fixed every vaguely sensual thought she had ever had about the blonde bombshell before her into her mind. The effort brought surges of red to her cheeks.
And then, Blake smiled.
All her affection and lust poured out of her gleaming, predatory grin. Meeting her eyes, Yang faltered for a moment before continuing her approach. Lashing out again, she initiated a furious set of blows, determined to land a single, devastating strike.
Blake spun and ducked and dodged and weaved, keeping her back against the ropes, and that daring, bestial grin on her face.
Yang lunged wildly at Blake's stomach.
Blake made no attempt to move.
Yang's fist connected with the black garment adorning her partner.
And it passed right through.
From behind her, Blake has switched Gambol Shroud into its chain form. Gripping her ribbon tightly, she flung her weapon past Yang, who was only just beginning to realise the depths of her folly.
As the weapon passed between the ropes and arced slightly to the left, Blake triggered the gun mechanism as the barrel faced away from the arena, sending it back through the ropes around Yang's other side. The Faunus nimbly caught it, and repeated the attack, winding the ribbon around Yang again.
Before the brawler could react, Blake had repeated the motion several times, winding multiple layers of ribbon around her, alternating directions several times, to allow the ribbon to weave around the ropes of the ring a few times. Within seconds, the ribbon tightly bound Yang to the ropes, immobilising her.
The brawler struggled violently against her bonds, but to no avail. It was wound too tightly, propelled as it was by the force of Gambol Shroud's gun component, for her to move. Even when Yang flared her own Semblance it did her little good, as she had barely been able to absorb any force from Blake's blows, infrequent as they were. The heat also failed to harm the ribbon, as Blake's own Aura shielded it.
A gleam in her eye and a smile on her face, Blake approached Yang with the same saunter the brawler had turned so many heads with. When she reached her prey she flicked the edge of Gambol Shroud under Yang's chin.
Letting all of her repressed desire suffuse her voice, Blake spoke. "I'm here, girl on fire. What was it you wanted?" She asked, lingering a little longer than necessary on that last word.
Blood flowed up into Yang's cheeks at this. "Dang, you, uh, got me good here," she spluttered, the usually confident combatant knocked down a notch considering her…predicament.
"Hmm… Guess I did, didn't I?"
Yang gulped. "So, uh, feel like letting me down now?"
Blake's grin became a smirk. "Well that depends. If I let you go, will you behave yourself?" She whispered, taking a step forward right into Yang's space.
The blonde brawler shuddered. "Can't promise anything. And here I thought I was the tease here."
She didn't know where this newfound boldness was coming from. Perhaps the success of her plan, coupled with a desire for payback for Yang's incessant flirting, gave her the courage to say some of the things she'd been holding back. Whatever the reason, Blake decided not to question it.
Reaching around either side of her partner, she untangled the mess of ribbon that had helped her win, feeling the tension in front of her all the while. Feeling every twitch where their skin met. Feeling every hitch in the brawler's breath as her fingers ghosted across her arms.
At last Yang was free of her bonds. Blake coiled her ribbon around her arm as Yang simply stood, still in shock. Even once Blake's little task was finished, the blonde hadn't moved a muscle. Concern shot through the Faunus, and she wondered if perhaps she hadn't gone a little too far. Rather than making her classic mistake of worrying when she could just ask if there was a problem, she did just that. "Shit, are you okay?" Well, maybe she didn't quite manage not to worry a little.
It took a moment for the brawler to respond, still a little breathless from the fight. This leant a husky quality to her voice when she replied. "I… yeah, I think so. Having a little trouble controlling myself after that, though…" She trailed off. Quickly, she added, "I mean y'know I wouldn't, like, ever go there if you didn't want me to, but it seemed like you were finally responding to all my flirting, and I thought… crap, you didn't, I'll just," she babbled in a panic, until a single finger pressed against her lips.
"Shh, Yang, it's alright. You were right," Blake whispered, moving back in, keeping Yang against the ropes.
It took a moment for this to process. Blake practically saw the thoughts occurring, the wheels turning behind those stunning violet eyes, which widened all of a sudden. "So that means…" Yang began, unable to say the last few words.
The Faunus smiled softly, teasing a little but trying also to reassure her partner, despite her own racing heart. Seriously, how am I not freaking out right now? She idly wondered, before realising Yang was looking at her expectantly. "You said you were having trouble controlling yourself…"
She continued to lean inwards, until their bodies met and the barest space separated their lips.
Yang felt the whisper of air brush across her lips as Blake spoke one more word. "Don't."
With that they firmly destroyed the last bit of space separating them, lips meeting in a desperate rush. Blake was in heaven, as she caressed Yang's mouth with her own once, twice, thrice, on and on and on…
Wanting arms enveloped her and she returned the embrace, holding this wonder tightly, denying any distance between them. Over and over their lips parted only to meet again. There was no room for conscious thought as Blake happily lost herself in the sensation of it all – the strong arms wrapped around her, the hand woven into her hair, the sweet taste of her partner and closest friend, now turned something very non-platonic.
Somehow Blake found herself on her back, the once-cowed Yang taking back some measure of control. Strangely enough, the Faunus had absolutely no problem with this. Or if she did, it was soon lost in the flood of affection that Yang showered her in.
She didn't know how long they lay there, lips locked in an eager struggle, arms and legs tangling delightfully. Yet after what felt like a blissful eternity, they broke the kiss, and regarded each other with new uncertainty. Without a doubt, any semblance of a purely platonic relationship between the two had been rather resoundingly shattered, and what that left them, the two Huntresses-in-training had yet to determine.
After a few moments of slightly uncomfortable staring, Yang, in typical Yang fashion, coughed and said, "Well. That was a thing that happened."
Blake smiled nervously. "Yeah, I guess it was."
Yang seemed to hesitate for a moment, before taking in a deep breath and asking, "Okay, I gotta know something before this," she gestured as their still-entwined bodies, "goes any further. 'Cause I… well I've been crushing on you pretty bad for a while now. And, well, I guess what I'm trying to say is, while you're hot and everything, I'm not looking for something casual here. I…"
As before, Blake stopped her partner's anxious chatter with a finger on her lips. "Don't worry. That's not what I want, either."
Yang let out that deep breath slowly. "Okay. That's reassuring…I think?"
Blake chuckled softly. "It was meant to be."
Yang settled into the embrace, nuzzling into the crook of Blake's neck. They lay there for another eternity, a time of quiet affection, a time to relax and wind down from the various vigorous activities they had engaged in.
It didn't take long, however, before Blake started to ache from the uncomfortable surface she was on. Squirming slightly, she tried to make herself more comfortable. Yang noticed and sat up. "Alright, if we're doing this we're going somewhere where you aren't gonna be ruining your back anytime soon," she announced firmly.
Blake sighed gratefully as Yang stood. The brawler offered a hand, which Blake gladly took, letting her partner pull her upwards. As she stood, she found herself, once again, tantalisingly close to what she now knew to be a very kissable pair of lips. Yet she hesitated – she didn't want to assume anything, after all.
Yang must have seen this, because suddenly she was giving the reassuring smile, and gently leaning in, brushing Blake's lips faintly. A different feel of kiss than the others, to be sure, but it conveyed no less affection.
After a moment of enjoying their proximity, Blake stepped back, taking Yang's hand, and led her out of the arena.
=x=
Because they had wanted to talk more before sleeping, the two partners decided to make for one of the many lounges in the Beacon dorm section. Given the hour, they easily located one without any other occupants to disturb them. One which, as Blake insisted, was nowhere near the dorm room belonging to team CRDL. She knew better than to have such a gossip-inducing conversation within earshot of them.
Once they entered they immediately made for the nearest couch. They sat, still hand in hand, but were uncertain as to how to proceed. This uncertainty lasted for a tense minute, until Yang broke the silence. "So, uh, right," she began, the picture of smoothness.
Blake wouldn't have traded it for anything.
"Yeah," she replied. Damnit brain, you're not helping here.
The two giggled a little at the awkwardness.
Eventually Yang managed to form a complete sentence. "So what just happened… Well, I'm not gonna sit here and pretend I didn't enjoy that."
Blake nodded. "Yeah, me either." She held her tongue for a moment, then decided she owed it to Yang to be honest. "To tell you the truth, thinking about stuff like this is part of what's been keeping me up lately. Ever since the dance."
The brawler's eyes widened. "Oh, wow." She then smiled that sheepish smile. "Yeah, been kiiiiinda getting' the same thing. Went on for a bit longer than yours, I think. I guess it took me watching you run yourself into the ground hunting the White Fang for me to realise, well, y'know. How important you really are to me. And when I saw you in that dress, at the dance…"
Blake smiled fondly at the memory of the night. "Yeah, looking back on it, there was definitely something then."
Yang nodded. "I think that was when I realised just how screwed I was." It took her a moment to figure out why Blake suddenly blushed furiously and dropped her gaze. When it clicked, she had a similar response. "Alright, for once that was not intentional."
Blake lifted her gaze again. "Sure, I totally buy that," she deadpanned, cheeks still aflame. Her tone grow a little more serious as she added, "seriously though? I don't think I'm… ready for anything like that."
"Nah, I get that. Nothing to worry about," Yang smiled kindly, squeezing Blake's hand to be sure she got the message.
Blake returned the smile ever-so-slightly, the corners of her mouth turning faintly upwards. "Thank you. This isn't something I've done before… At least not for a while, and never with…"
Yang's eyes widened. "Waaaaaiiiiit a second. Are you telling me I'm the first girl you've ever…?"
The Faunus blushed again. "Wait, you're telling me I'm not?" She managed to tease, despite her embarrassment.
Yang shrugged. "I've always known. Had some fun nights with some guys, some with girls. I'm generally more into girls, if we're being honest here."
Taking a moment to process the information, Blake filled the silence running her thumb along Yang's hand. When she was ready, she replied. "To be honest it's not something I'd ever considered. I'm not saying I've never been attracted to people, of any gender, but there wasn't much time to think about it after I left. I know there was one person back in the Fang who was… interested… in me that way," she shuddered at the memory of searing red eyes, burning from a terrible hatred that had formed from a righteous anger, before continuing, "but I never wanted anything like that. To be honest, I didn't think this kind of thing would be for me. Then again," she brightened a little as she met Yang's eyes, "maybe I was looking in the wrong places."
Yang grinned at the affectionate expression. "So are you saying you might just be a one-gal kind of gal?"
Amber eyes gazed into lilac. Once again, Blake leaned in. Once again, the kiss was different to any of the others they had shared. It was not overly soft, as Blake buried a hand in Yang's golden hair and held her close, but it was calmer, less filled with the frenzied lust of their earlier encounter. They enjoyed a few more of such touches before Blake pulled back.
"That answer your question?" She asked with a shy smile.
Yang burst into a massive grin and pulled Blake into a tight embrace. "Oh, this is wonderfullll~" she cried, crushing her Faunus partner against her chest.
Only when a gasp of "sweet…oxygen…why did you forsake me…?" came from below did Yang let up a little. "Oh, uh, sorry," she apologised, looking a tad guilty.
Blake mock-glared before responding. "Ample though it is, I can't breathe through your chest, Yang."
Yang returned the mock-glare. "Oh, shut up, you."
The corners of Blake's lips turned upwards again, forming the expression of a mighty beast that has its prey right in its grasp. It sharpened her features and caused Yang to forget to breathe for a moment. She had just regained her composure when Blake murmured a reply.
"Make me…"
There wasn't much more conversation after that.
=x=
Eventually, they decided they had to get back to the dorm, lest their teammates awaken and discover their absence.
They got in easily enough, and managed to change without causing undue noise.
The partners may have avoided suspicion completely but for one problem.
They still couldn't quite get to sleep, thoughts of the other's embrace keeping them awake.
After some more tossing and turning, Yang swung her head over the edge of the bed, lowering herself into Blake's vision. The Faunus just sighed and lifted the blanket. Yang climbed down and into the bed, and Blake immediately took advantage of her new space heater. Thanks to Yang's fiery Aura, there was no danger of sleeping in the cold tonight. Blake nuzzled into Yang's shoulder as the brawlers strong arms formed a tender hold.
Strangely enough, the two had no trouble falling asleep after that.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Any feedback is always appreciated! Good stuff! Bad stuff! Whatever!
See you next time :)