Disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted, one shots occur in a generic semi-canon future AU, but may or may not exist in the same AU, if that makes any sense. Enjoy the nonsense for what it is. Some may be continued, because that's just how I roll, I guess.

The early morning light streamed in through the window, falling gently across the room until it reached the foot of the bed. Winter was aware of the rising sun but her gaze remained unfocused on the far wall as she listened to her wife's breathing behind her. Yang's left arm was wrapped around her waist even as the blonde nuzzled into her back, apparently objecting to the growing light filling the room.

They had the weekend free and no plans to fill it with anything other than being with each other, the past six months having been a near sprint from one goal to the next. Yang's responsibilities at Beacon had kept her busy, as she'd covered the classes Blake usually taught while the Faunus had to return to Menagerie to settle some tribal matters, and Winter had her own work load increased as a new incursion of Grimm were spotted in the Vale wilderness near Vacuo's border. Organizing a joint response and getting enough licensed Hunters, military personnel, and Beacon upperclassmen to execute the plan had taken weeks, fighting through it almost twice as long, and Yang had covered even more classes during that time so Ruby could assist with the response. The blonde had wanted to go herself but they'd agreed that she would worry a bit too much about the students and interfere with their training; that was the same reason she stayed within Beacon's walls while Ruby oversaw the yearly initiation.

And it brought up a consideration that had sat in the back of her mind since then. Winter hadn't put it into words, yet, but this weekend seemed as good a time as any. If she didn't, it would just sit there until she became fixated on it to the exclusion of all else. Honestly, it had already taken up a significant amount of time just from the little, fleeting thoughts over the past few months, and she'd been awake for at least two hours turning it over in her mind already.

Winter ran her hand along her wife's, rubbing lightly from her elbow down to her wrist a few times before wrapping her fingers around Yang's hand.

Maybe she'd waited long enough.

Yang muttered and grumbled, hiding further from the growing light in the room. "Five more minutes."

"You're usually such a morning person," she said lightly, a smile coming to her lips as she felt lips press against the nape of her neck after her wife had nosed aside her hair.

"I've been in academic hell for six months and I'm now in bed with my wife." The words sounded somewhat thick from sleep and the woman didn't seem keen on correcting that. "I'm allowed to tell the morning 'fuck you' every once in a while."

Winter chuckled, rolling over and ignoring the slight protestations so she could see her wife's face, pressing a kiss between furrowed brows. "I wouldn't be so violently opposed to the morning, were I you. It might come back to bite you."

"Is that a promise?" A smile flashed across her lips as her eyes fluttered open, lilac eyes peering up into hers. Yang has sleep crusted at the corner of her eyes and lines of white along her chin from dried drool, evidence she'd slept hard through the night, which made Winter's smile grow even wider. "You look beautiful in the morning, by the way."

"You do, too," she said, and meant every word, reaching up to run her hand through blonde strands and the cowlick atop her wife's head. "I'm glad you got some sleep. You deserved it."

"Hey, I wasn't running around playing hero." Disregarding their morning breath, Yang leaned in for a kiss and was met halfway. Nothing more than a brush of lips but enough to convey that blissful sort of early morning affection. "Now, I vote we don't get up until hunger forces us to leave the bed."

Winter hummed, pretending to mull it over. "May I present an alternative?"

"C'mon, Snowdrift, what's better than cuddles in bed?" Her wife shuffled closed, burying her face in the other woman's chest, reaching out with both her arm and stump to try and dissuade any further suggestions.

"How about I go make breakfast while you start the bath?" She pressed a kiss against the blonde's temple. "We can enjoy a soak together with full bellies. How's that sound?"

A few beats of silence proceeded a deep inhale, Yang extricating herself and sitting up while stretching. "Okay, good plan, but I will make breakfast. I'm still convinced Schnees shouldn't be left in kitchens unsupervised."

"It was one time."

"Snowdrift, you blew up the microwave."

"One. Time."

Yang looked down at her, a smile on her lips as the rising sun caught in golden curls. "Do you really want to make breakfast?"

"Part of me wants to say yes," she replied, pausing to stretch her arms above her head and sighing. "Yet, another part of me acknowledges you might have a very small point."

"Oh?" With a smirk, the blonde twisted around, straddling her hips and looking down at her.

No matter what, she was pinned. "Perhaps it would be more prudent to wait until we've had more cooking lessons."

"Let no one accuse you of failing to show vulnerability." Leaning over her, Yang drew her into a kiss, longer than the last one and lightly nipping at her lips. "Any special requests?"

"The usual is fine."

"A three egg omelette with eggs whites, cheese, and peppers, three strips of crispy bacon, and two sausage links? Or, hmmm, pancakes- are you in the mood for pancakes?"

She made a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat. "I'm afraid if you make pancakes, your friend will bust down our door."

"Nora's only done that once." Winter gave her wife a pointed look until she relented with a chuckle. "Alright, alright, no pancakes. I'll go get everything started." Yang rolled out of bed, forgoing her prosthetic but grabbing the hair tie off the night stand and holding it just over her shoulder. "And use the sandalwood bomb this time, yeah?"

Taking the hair tie, she lightly pulled the blonde strands into a messy ponytail. Yang could've accomplished the task herself, of course, but she took the time to give her wife a kiss just behind her ear, which she suspected was what she really wanted. "Candles, yes or no?"

"Yes, please!" Yang grinned at her from over her shoulder. "But make sure you hurry! Might be able to get some cooking lessons in if you do."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to miss that." As they separate to attend to their tasks, Winter ran a hand through her own hair, pulling it up into a much less severe version of her usual bun, not minding the stray hairs tickling along the back of her neck.

She stepped into the bathroom, stopping by the cupboard to collect up the appropriate scented bomb and two long, tapered candlesticks before turning her attention to the Jacuzzi tub she'd insisted they install upon purchasing the house tucked away in Vale. A nice, quiet neighborhood, close to the perimeter wall in the event of an emergency and mostly populated by retired Hunters or those very close to that mark. They were probably the youngest couple on the block which made for an… abundance of advice on marriage and the like from everyone they met. They handled it as best they could- by some miraculous stroke of luck, one of them managed to keep a cool head whenever the other started running hot- and the situations had never quite boiled over into concerning territory yet.

That 'yet' did worry her, though, at times, mainly because her own defensiveness sometimes eclipsed her sense.

As she began to fiddle with the settings, setting the tub to fill slowly so they'd have more than enough time to eat and get back as the heaters and jets kicked on- or that would be the plan anyway. She had little doubt they'd get distracted along the way, but they at least had an idea of how to start their relaxing weekend off.

As she set the specially designed scented bomb into the rising water, she thought about how far they'd come in a mere five years. Before, her morning routine would've included changing into her uniform- even on so-called 'off' days- and setting about some half finished task from the day before, be it hers or someone else's. Busywork to fill her time when the idea of being confronted with her own loneliness seemed too insurmountable. Now, though, she could hardly remember the last time she'd pulled on her gloves, having altered her duty uniform to wear the bracelets Yang had gotten her as an anniversary gift- cast in white and similar to her own Ember Celica, though with highly volatile Dust infused rounds. Although she could theoretically use them in hand-to-hand combat, they were more a last resort than an active part of her current fighting style.

Nowadays, it felt almost odd to put gloves on, outside strictly formal affairs. She held her rapier and dagger with her bare hands, relishing the way the metal of her wedding band pressed against the grip of her weapon, the pressure a constant reminder of why she fought and what awaited her upon returning. Add to that a closer relationship with her sister and… well, it certainly seemed like she had more going on now than she did as a fresh faced Specialist on her first assignment.

Yet, it seemed manageable. Despite it being their first day off in a long while, she didn't feel the same sort of exhaustion that had weighed her down in previous years. Although she'd made a show of her uncharacteristic reluctance to get out of bed that morning, even Yang seemed in higher spirits that she should be, considering their schedules.

So… maybe she should bring it up.

Replacing halfway melted candles with the ones she'd pulled from the cupboard, Winter set the used ones aside for the time being and went to the kitchen, the smell of sizzling bacon already heavy in the air. By the time she'd entered the room, she'd picked up on her wife's soft humming, a habit she hadwhile cooking, her left hand moving almost faster than the eye could see to beat the eggs and flip the bacon, tongue peeking out the corner of her mouth as she focused on her task.

Without hesitation, Winter walked up and stood behind the woman, placing her hands on Yang's hips.

"Ah, there's my helper!" Yang turned her head to kiss her cheek briefly. "Ready?"

"That depends; what does the risk assessment look like?"

"There's cereal in the pantry if it goes south and a fire extinguisher by each exit."

"Cheeky." With a chuckle, she reached up, taking hold of the bowl filled with broken egg yolks, a separate bowl for the whites already set aside. That, at least, seemed like a task she could handle without a problem. She didn't get very far, however, as Yang almost immediately moved the bacon off the skillet and onto a paper towel covered plate beside the stove to cool, leaving behind the hot grease. "Oh, we're ready for the eggs?"

"You took your time getting the tub set up," her wife replied, her voice devoid of chiding and instead carrying a tone of curiosity. "Everything workin' alright?"

"Of course." She paused, considered speaking her mind, and decided against it. Probably best to have the conversation once they were in the Jacuzzi. "So, now what?"

"Now, I teach you how to make an omelette." Carefully, Yang set the tongs down out of reach and coaxed the woman into holding the bowl with her left hand, allowing the blonde to lay her slightly smaller one over hers and direct her. "Now, it's all an easy, slow, and steady motion. It won't be perfect but that's fine; it just needs to taste good, right?"

They continued making breakfast, the bacon and sausage links still warm by the time Winter's omelette finished cooking, everything transferred to plates for the two of them and sat at the dining table, side-by-side. The meal passed quietly, a few comments passed between them and more than a few compliments to the chef, though Yang tried to share the credit. Finally, the blonde set down her fork and leaned her elbow against the table.

"Alright, Snowdrift, what's on your mind?"

"What makes you ask?" She mentally kicked herself; the evasion tactic, though an old habit, was also a pretty telling reaction. "Am I that obvious?"

"You've got your tells." A flicker of a smile before blonde brows knit in concern. "Is it something you want to talk about?"

"I… suppose it wouldn't hurt," Winter said, setting down her own fork and reaching out, wrapping her fingers around Yang's and brushing her thumb across her wife's knuckles. "How do you think things have been going the past year or so? It's been… busy, yes?"

"Well, yeah!" The blonde smiled, slipping her her fingers around the other woman's. "I mean, between assignments and our first official year at Beacon, I think 'busy' is an understatement! But, ya know, things are settling down now. Blake's back from Menagerie, the kids have acclimated to the new staff, and the Grimm population is so low, we might have to come up with something else for initiation next year!" One shoulder lifted in a little shrug. "It's been crazy but I think it's worked out pretty great."

Now, she had an opening. "You're enjoying your position, then? Teaching students suits you?"

"Better than I thought it would, actually!" Yang laughed, shaking her head. "I tell ya, kids these days- I can't tell if they're only half as crazy as we were, or double it." She got that special gleam in her eye, gaze unfocused as she mentally went back to those reconstituted halls that obviously still seemed so new and so familiar. "The first years are a blast every time, and watching them go through? I'll be honest, Snowdrift, I don't know who's gonna be more proud of those kids when they graduate: me or their parents!"

"Do you think of them as your own?" She kept a straight face, trying her best to appear politely interested instead of intensely invested in her wife's answer.

"Not in a literal sense." The blonde shrugged again. "I'm their teacher and mentor and, yeah, it feels like I'm playing Team Mom a few times during the week but… I love it."

"What if it was less 'playing Team Mom' and more… actually Team Mom?"

Lilac eyes snapped to hers, blinking a few times as the words processed. "Actually… Team Mom… like… you mean… what? Exactly?"

Winter took a surreptitious breath. "What are your thoughts on having kids?"

Silence stretched between them after the words left her mouth. It wasn't a bad sign- not yet, anyway- and she watched carefully as everything clicked into place. When they did, Yang shifted her grip and squeezed her hand a little tighter, scooting to the edge of her seat.

"You think… that's something you want?" She shook her head slightly, as if wanting to reword her response. "I mean- like, ya know, I've thought about it, but I always thought it was one of those far off things, 'cause I figured it would just- just be that sort of thing. But, if you're talking about right now, I…" Yang bit her lip and glanced away. "I think I can handle that."

Winter narrowed her eyes, suspicious at the reaction. "… you're downplaying this."

"Of course I'm downplaying this!" Yang released her hand for a moment to gesture with it, motioning at the table. "I'm awake, I'm fed, and here you are talking about having a kid? And we have nothing planned all weekend? Yeah, okay, I'm trying really hard to be calm about this!" She grabbed the woman's hand, bringing it up to her lips and pressing a kiss to the back, her wide smile reaching all the way to those shining lilac eyes. "I mean- if we're being one hundred percent honest, I think we should wait and time it out, make sure the third trimester falls closer to the end of the year so we can spend those first few months together and not worry about classes and students and stuff. I mean, as much as we can, of course, because it's not an exact science, but that's half the fun, and we should both get check ups first- who would even carry? I mean, between us, it might be smarter if I do, just 'cause you could be called by the military and I dunno what their policy is on pregnancy-"

"Yang?" She waited until lilac eyes focused on her fully, smiling just as brightly to show she didn't mind the nigh nonstop thoughts flying from her mouth. "Slow down a little."

"I'm excited!" The blonde laughed, positively squirming in her seat. "I mean…" Blood flushed her cheeks as she blushed. "I… okay, this sounds kinda dumb, but I always figured I'd start having kids early, right? Sometime in my twenties- I honestly kinda thought I'd just… forget to take my pill or something or see something that wasn't there." She squeezed Winter's hand again, tears beginning to sting at her eyes. "I dunno, I imagined every scenario out there… except this one."

"Perhaps that's for the best." She raised a brow, shrugging at her wife's curious look. "No expectations to disappoint, correct?"

"Yeah, guess that's true." Yang fidgeted, squeezing her hand again. "What about you? I mean- I kinda feel like you might have some ideas of your own on the matter?"

"I have a few," she said, lips curling into a smile. "Maybe we can discuss the matter in more… comfortable surroundings? Seeing as we're mostly on the same page."

A laugh rang out, bouncing around the room and making her heart beat all the quicker. "Aw, come on, Snowdrift, give me something!"

"Alright." She stood up, maintaining eye contact as she teasingly towered over her wife and leaned down, drawing her into a sweet, long, slow kiss and breaking it as she wrapped her unoccupied hand around the end of Yang's stump, pressing a kiss to it and her wife's hand before speaking. "I love you, Yang. I think we're capable of becoming parents and that it's time we at least start the conversation." Unable to resist, she leaned forward and placed another kiss on the tip of Yang's nose. "Though trying should probably wait until after we've talked about it."

"We can talk about it in the tub, right?" Her wife stood up, pressing a kiss to her mouth and cheek to ease her back and wrapping her left arm around Winter's waist. "I mean- not like I'm eager, or anything."

"We have all weekend, and we can continue talking about it until we've come to all our decisions." Another kiss. "But first? A nice soak."

Yang's hand found hers. "Then what are we waiting for?"

She laughed, following after her wife and relieved the conversation had gone over so well. Her life had changed so much in recent years, this much proved true. She wielded her weapons without gloves- saw no reason to keep herself that one little step removed from the world. She held onto her wife's hand tightly- clung to her family, those she'd chosen and not the one she'd been born to, with all her might. And soon- perhaps sooner than she'd originally thought, given the glinting in those lilac eyes- she would hold in her arms their first child, a little hand to fit inside hers. Maybe it would be slim, like all the Schnees, or thicker with large knuckles like Yang's, but it would belong to a little one that would become part of their lives, part of their family.

Some part of her could hardly wait.

But the majority was content to strip out of her pajamas alongside her wife and hit the setting on the Jacuzzi, the soothing jets and warm temperature setting the easy going mood for the conversation at hand.

Author's Note: This was actually Day 1: Hand Holding for Elderburn Week.