Into You

Weiss knew exactly what her girlfriend was doing, trying to get a rise out of her.

Not that Blake was particularly subtle with the way she was moving, Weiss suspected even Yang was more subtle when it came to situations like this. The less extroverted member of the partnership was clearly attempting up the stakes of their flirtations, from their barely-there caresses to this new way of looking like she was stalking Weiss from the opposite side of the ballroom.

It was part of a game they played- established at the start of their relationship when neither of them particularly cared to announce it to the world. PDA was neither of their styles nor did they owe any more to the judging eyes of the public, not after everything the world had put them through in their lives. To an extent, Ruby and Yang understood their partners' need for privacy- but they both wore their hearts on their sleeves and preferred to announce their passions to everyone; it was how they were raised, in direct contradiction to the monochrome duo. Blake and Weiss were, of course, at liberty to reveal their relationship to the world at any point.

But that would come at the price of the delicious torture the inflicted on each other in the form of careless brushes delivered with the utmost planning at the worst (best) possible moments. In the form of casual flirtations with handsome men and gorgeous women in front the other at dinner parties. In the form of subtle innuendos at business meetings. In the form of…

In the form of that slinky black dress that covered everything and nothing at the same time. That clung with every taunting sway of Blake's hips, the almost indecent length of the slit up one side displaying the full extent of her girlfriend's glorious legs.

She wasn't even doing anything! Anything of note, that was. As Weiss' head of security and unofficial bodyguard she doing her best to remain in the shadows, drawing no attention to herself as she scanned the crowds with an uninterested eye. Blake always had been so good at avoiding the limelight, at staying in the shadows, yet she continued to draw Weiss' eye even on the opposite side of the room.

An eye she caught with a smirk.

A hand beckoned her over, the opening shot of the evening's games, one she was free to ignore- if she wanted to spend the rest of the evening on the back foot. Blake pressed any advantages mercilessly, not that Weiss could ever be called a slacker for her own ruthless pushes, but she did not feel like spending the night as the faunus' plaything- or worse, prey.

Blake had not been the only one to dress to impress for the Annual Schnee Gala and Weiss decided to prove just how impressive a Schnee could be. It was dangerous to engage her in what was literally and figuratively her home turf, and the gala came with all the expected advantages that were perfectly suited to her benefit. She picked up her glass, dangling the stem between her fingers and began her slow and deliberate circle towards the black-haired beauty across from her. She wasn't desperate and Blake needed to know that, be shown that she was just as capable of playing at the daring dress up and seduce game. Her own gown was a stunning white backless affair, accented by her favoured icy blue- a combination that had served her well, matching her infamous hair and crystalline eyes- the whole look perfectly encapsulating the iconic image of every Schnee Ice Queen that had come before her. She was most proud of the display of her shoulders and back, a silvery mesh held up the front of her dress, wrapping around her throat allowing the pale expanse of her back to be displayed to its full extent. Once she might have been described as dainty but years of huntressing had allowed some definition to creep in, something Blake could never hide her admiration of.

Her circle of the room ensured she would have to talk to almost everyone that crossed her path. Well, she didn't have to. She was Weiss Schnee, she didn't have to speak to anyone if she didn't want to. It was simply just a smart business decision to butter up some stuffy politicians and stun some of her competitors; being a young, pretty, rich and "single" lady was still a rarity in this world and she was fully willing to use that to her advantage.

And if it forced Blake to wait on her? That was just an added bonus.

Every conversation she had, every business deal she promised, every new meeting she scheduled, came with the knowledge that she was pissing off the person staring at her unbrokenly from across the room. She could feel the heat on her naked back and she had to force herself not to look at her girlfriend in between introductions; even as she stamped the shivers into submission she could do nothing for the hairs standing on end up her neck. She made sure to laugh at some of the better jokes made by her companions, some of the more attractive ones receiving a light touch of their arm- a move guaranteed to force Blake into action.

Sure enough, moments before she reached one of the most attractive members of the Vacuoan Council, a shadow appeared at her side. She had only made it three-quarters of the way around the room.

The ball was in Blake's court now.

A hand was placed on her arm, the opening move from her girlfriend. However, it was the other hand sneaking down to the small of her back that set her heart at a faster pace than all the compliments from the evening combined. A wave of black hair entered her vision, obscuring their faces from the next group of conversationalists and allowing the faunus to breathe her request into her ear without anyone overhearing.

Weiss' own breath hitched as she tried to focus on the quiet promises being whispered into her ear, promises not fit for their current location- or in fact anywhere but their bedroom. Normally this would last but a sentence or two, just to remind her that Blake was still in the game, but this time it didn't stop, the sweet nothings and dirty promises kept falling into her ear. It was enough to make her weak at the knees.

In front of her entire Gala.

Which meant it had to stop.

Gathering her composure, she brushed away Blake's hand and moved towards the group in front of her.

"I'm afraid I must apologise but I cannot speak right now; something has come up and I must attend to it directly, I will find you later."

Her voice was apologetic and her words seemed sincere but her thoughts were already miles ahead of her body, and she could not care less about some second-rate politicians at this precise moment in time. She strode away from the crowd, aiming for the door to the West Wing to at least keep some part of the charade true since that was where her office was. Whether she made it to her office depended entirely on the woman falling into step behind her.

Weiss made it to the third alcove after the doors swung shut before she shoved her unsuspecting girlfriend against the wall, Blake hitting the wall with a small "Oof" before her lips were captured in a needy kiss by the shorter woman. Any advantage her heels usually gave her were cancelled out by Blake's own stilettos, so Weiss' hands hung around her neck to bring her down to a suitable height, while Blake's own arms worked to pull her closer. They stayed like that for a minute, exploring each other, their hips rolling in time with the muffled music from within the hall- the melody was missing but their moans were the perfect accompaniment for the thrum of the bass going through the walls.

Eventually, Weiss pushed away, usually a sign of her conceding the game but tonight she had to remember exactly why they were in this position.

"What the hell was that?!" Her voice was less affronted than she wanted it to be, the harsh whisper slightly losing its effect due to her breathlessness. From the kissing. Blake was a good kisser; she couldn't deny that.

The pinned girl had the audacity to smirk down at her.

"Aw, did you not enjoy my performance?" Her voice turned husky, "It was just for you, y'know."

Somehow the CEO managed to regain the bare bones of her composure before her tone turned reprimanding rather than accusatory.

"I'm not talking about your dance moves in that…" Weiss' hand gestured angrily at Blake's outfit, "That scrap of material barely masquerading as a dress- I'm talking about you dragging me out here."

"You dragged me out here unless I'm forgetting something."

Weiss' mouth couldn't get any thinner as she ground out her next sentence. "It was that or take you right there on dancefloor- I was in the middle of business, you remember, the whole point of this evening?!"

Blake scoffed and narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms and leant back against the wall.

"I didn't realise that Schnee Dust Company business required you to flirt your way to all its contracts. Business that bad?

Weiss rolled her eyes at the bait.

"I laughed at a couple of their jokes, only the vaguely funny one too."

"And you brushed their arms!" Clearly, her display had worked, if a little too well judging by Blake's reaction to the whole thing. She didn't usually get this worked up.

"That's a perfectly normal thing to do!"

That touched a nerve, several apparently, as Blake finally stood up straight with an angry look in her eye.

"Not for you! You barely touch me in public and even in our own home it takes you ages to realise you're allowed to be with me! You have all these rules in your head and I tired!"

There it was. The reason.

Apparently, the things that were games to Weiss, and had once been games to Blake, had become something very different to the faunus. There were tears in her eyes and Weiss felt matching ones welling behind her own; blinking she tried to compose herself. Is this how Blake had been feeling? How long had she been feeling this way? The news that she wasn't happy with their arrangement had completely blindsided the usually in control CEO- although, idly she supposed that she shouldn't refer to their relationship as an arrangement if she wanted to keep said relationship going.

How could she not have realised her own girlfriend's discomfort? She could sense hesitation in her foes - in the boardroom and on the battlefield- before they'd even thought about hesitating. How could this have slipped her notice?

And why did she not say anything?

"Is that how you feel?" Weiss' voice was timid as she spoke to the floor, unable to look Blake in the eye and going against an entire lifetime of posture training. "I- I thought you wanted to keep this out of the public eye- to not over complicate things, to let us get to know each other without outside pressure?"

Blake's face was screwed up in pain, something Weiss never wanted to see, let alone be the cause of. It hurt her heart to know that this was her fault- caused by her blindness.

"I did… but then something changed." Both started at the sentence, Weiss in shock and Blake in reaction to her shock. "No, not like that. I just started thinking how- I just thought that- I changed my mind- no, that's not it." Her hands rubbed up and down Weiss' arms in a calming gesture while she gathered her thoughts. For her part, Weiss waited with baited breath to hear the verdict from the only person in her life that she couldn't live without.

"I just want to hold you when you get drained by a meeting with those horrible men, when it's cold out and you shiver, when we're sitting doing nothing in the park. I want to dance with you at these stupid events that you love because you love organising things so much and because you love the feeling of one-upping your competition- even if you'll never admit it. I want to sweep you up and kiss you when people look at you like a trophy to be won or a challenge to win or worse, a piece of meat. I want them to know that you already have me, who'll never leave your side, no matter what." Blake took a deep and shuddering breath.

"It's become too difficult, recently, too difficult to separate Weiss Schnee the CEO from the Weiss Schnee I see at home- my Weiss- the one I love."

Both pairs of eyes widened at the confession, neither of them ever said the words lightly, reserving them for moments of great importance or contentment. That way, they both figured, declarations of love remained special and since neither of them had heard it in sincerity while growing up they were not particularly in the habit of throwing it around lightly.

Weiss looked back up at her girlfriend, mind already made up about how she can solve all their problems.

"I can change," she threw up her hand to stop Blake's protests, "We can go public, we live in the modern age, my- my- father doesn't control me anymore and it is high time I started actually living like that's the case. I want to show you off to the world, as more than just my teammate or Chief of Security. I want them to know that there is no one I trust more in the world than you, no one who I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

She barely finished her sentence before she was caught in a massive hug and she felt warm tears on her shoulder, Blake sniffling into the crook of her neck.

They stood like that, Weiss cradling Blake in her arms, each anchored in the moment by the thrum of the other's heartbeat. Neither could tell exactly how much time had passed and neither particularly cared as they simply held each other close. Naturally, their lips came together, softly, both knew trying to convey their love in a simple kiss was impossible, but it didn't stop them from trying, as the kiss dragged on and became more heated- like their kisses usually did.

Of course, this moment couldn't last forever. Not for them.

A slight buzzing came from Blake's… chest? Weiss pulled back, raising a quizzical eye at the panting girl, fumbling with her bra and Weiss' other eyebrow joined its partner on her forehead as a scroll emerged with Blake's hands.

A groan slipped out as she realised who was calling, accepting the call and switching it to speaker.

"Hi, Yang."

Weiss groaned right along with her girlfriend, as the exuberant blonde's voice came loudly through the tinny speaker.

"Heya Blake! And Weiss I'm betting." You could hear her grin through the scroll. "Just thought I should give you guys a head's up that your absence has been noticed," there was a thoughtful silence on the other end, "Well, Blake probably wasn't super noticeable before- except from those dance moves! You've been holding out on me in the club partner! But that's a point for another day, a couple of folk have even gotten desperate enough to ask me, can you believe it?"

Weiss' hand hit her forehead.

"B-t-dubs on that point- Weiss I need you to o-kay who I can flirt with here, don't want to accidentally ruin something for you and I figure you owe me at least that for this heads up. Now you two adorable, adorkable, lovebirds get your cute butts out here before my lies get too elaborate."

Another short silence, Yang timing it perfectly before either of them could work out what to say before she spoke again.

"And please do try to look presentable and not freshly fu-"

"YANG!"

Even though both their faces glowed in embarrassment from her brash words, the mood had been lightened considerably by the call from Yang and her unintentional reminder that they would always have someone looking out for them- whether they wanted it or not. Blake was the first one to snap out of shock.

"We- I mean- it wasn't- it was just talking!"

Laughter echoed through the scroll.

"I'm afraid I don't believe it- not with you two and your horny teenager act. Not even a little bit of kissing? You can tell your best friend Blake, or do you want to leave it to a sleepover where we paint our nails and have pillow fights and talk about your massive crush on Weiss- just like old times!"

Even Weiss had to giggle at that, Yang's guesses were spot on, even if they were at the expense of her girlfriend. Deciding to step in and save Blake from any further teasing (after all she did get to be the knight in flowy, shining, 6000 lien armour sometimes) she grabbed the scroll down and pulled it down to her face.

"If you stop teasing my girlfriend I'll personally introduce you to any three people of your choosing- I'll even rank them based on whether they'd like you back."

A hum sounded through the scroll.

"Make it five and you have yourself a deal- I knew having you as a friend would pay off someday. Can we gossip about them first, though, do the whole girl talk thing? You can join in on the sleepover if you help me make fun of Blake for her crush."

Before she could even think of replying to Yang (she was definitely going to take her up on the offer though) Blake smacked the phone out of her hand. She couldn't move, too shocked to do anything but stare at her now empty hand and then stare at the sheepish girl now picking up her scroll and closing off the call to the cackling blonde.

"Sorry."

Blinking a couple of times, she brought herself back into the present and gaped at her shuffling girlfriend, who apparently found her shoes very interesting at that precise moment. She huffed and darted in to give her a quick peck on the cheek before walking back towards the room, stopping to check her appearance quickly before re-entry. No matter how crassly Yang had made her point it was still a good one, they wouldn't want to ruin all their hard work sneaking around right at the end, would they?

She was still fussing with her hair when Blake appeared in the reflection, her own hair completely unmussed and already back in her usual calm, cool and collected state. Their eyes met in the mirror and two tentative smiles spread onto their faces. Weiss broke the silence with a whisper.

"We're okay Blake, aren't we?"

The woman in question smiled softly down at her and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers.

"We're okay Weiss, more than okay: we're together and soon we won't be hiding it anymore."

In a less eventful time, the conversation happens more like this:

"Do you think we should maybe tell people that we're dating?"

"We have told people, the people that matter."

"But maybe we should tell everyone else too."

"Why is this coming up now Blake?"

"Because that's the third marriage proposal/business proposition you've had today."

"Wait, how do you know that?"

"You do this little tilt of your head, then you smirk and your eyes flick to me."

"Well, there's the confirmation that I'm never playing poker with you again."

"Please Weiss, consider it, there's literally no downsides here."

"I suppose, it would be nice to show you off, we do make a good looking pair."

"Besides: what's the worst that could happen? Someone insults us or threatens us? Because we've been there done that, got the nice souvenir magnet on the fridge."

"Yang could kill one of our detractors?"

"Apart from that?"

"Ruby could kill one of our detractors."

"Now you're just being silly."

"I'm honestly not Blake, she almost took out a couple of people who said Pyrrha had lost her edge, last week."

"Well, if the worst thing that could happen by making this public is our teammates being over protective then I think we're going to be okay."

"Whatever you say Blake, but I'm not paying for Yang's lawyer."

"What about Ruby's?"

"I can't very well have my BFF in prison now can I, Blake?"