Part I

Yang sighed, rolling over for the umpteenth time and tangling the sheets around her legs, kicking them free and flopping onto her back. She couldn't get comfortable, couldn't fall asleep, couldn't even pretend like she was the slightest bit tired, her body still thrumming with energy from the day.

"Yang." Her roommate drawled, sounding distinctly annoyed. "Go to bed."

"I can help it, Blakey!" She spoke in a quiet voice but even then it carried, excitement breaking the still of the night. "How can you sleep after a day like today?"

"We went to an all day concert; I'm exhausted." The sound of shuffling sheets filled the dorm room. "How are you still this wired?"

"I'm just… ya know… happy!" She smiled wide at the ceiling a few inches from her face. Opting to stack their beds to give themselves more space worked wonders but it did make sitting up hazardous to her health. "You think Weiss would be down for another music festival? I'm sure there's another one-"

"Ah, so that's it." Blake chuckled, kicking at the bottom of her roommate's bunk. "Looking forward to seeing her sister again?"

"Ah, I- I mean- okay, yeah! Totally!" She chuckled, though it sounded more like a bubbly giggle, not that she could even think to be ashamed of the sound. "I mean, she's home for a while, yeah? So, maybe we should all hang out again."

"I can't believe you're keeping me awake to gush about your crush on my girlfriend's sister."

"C'mon, Blakey, how about you do me a solid?" She leaned over the side of the bed, looking down at the narrowed yet brightly shining amber eyes of her friend. "What's the way into the heart of a Schnee? Spill your secrets, oh wise one."

"Could you not?" Blake pulled the covers over her head. "Go to bed!"

Laughing again, Yang rolled onto her back and stared up, a dumb, goofy grin on her lips.

Part II

Winter sighed, looking down at the paperwork spread across her desk. It could hardly be called a desk, really- just a piece of plywood propped up by cinder blocks stacked on top of each other with no chair- but it was the best they could do given the circumstances. She should've been using the time to rest, having returned from a mission hardly four hours ago, but sleep wouldn't come until she'd hammered out the details for the next two months, and doing so by hand took time she wouldn't have otherwise. Sacrificing a few hours of sleep seemed a trivial price to pay.

"Schnee? What are you doing?" General Ironwood's voice snatched her attention away as he brushed into the room, the thin door slapping shut behind him. The shack, as they called it- because it could hardly be considered anything more- wouldn't survive a direct attack, but they had the phalanx system to protect them from mortars and needed the additional space protected from the turbulent winds that swept across their little patch of land. Although operations in the area had veered close to all out war, they'd maintained an unsteady truce with the local fighting force. How long that truce would last lingered in the back of every mind, but they tried to not let it show. "Shouldn't you be in your bunk?"

"I was working on the matrix, Sir," she replied, straightening up and doing her best not to cringe. "I haven't been at it very long and I-"

"You must think me stupid or yourself especially clever." He stepped around the desk, setting his helmet atop a nearby gear stand, the dull thunk of against the wood almost as loud as his boots. When he stood beside her, he sighed heavily. "You've been at this for hours. It's not your responsibility."

"Until the Commander returns, no one else is doing it, Sir." She made a gesture around them, indicating the small base they occupied. "These soldiers deserve rest."

"I agree but so do you." He tapped his fingers against the paper. "You've yet to take your leave."

"I deferred so others could take theirs first."

"Noble." The General chuckled, plucking a folded, lined paper from amid the official documents and calendars, flight itineraries and troop strength charts. Immediately, Winter felt her shoulders jump. "What's this?"

"A… personal letter, Sir," she replied honestly. The edges were crumpled and dirty from being folded and unfolded several times, the paper itself starting to turn yellow from constant exposure to sun and sand. "From a friend of my sister's."

He looked at the paper and raised a brow. "A friend?" When she didn't respond, he chuckled. "Very well. And what does this specific letter have to do with leave dates?"

"She… suggested weeks I might return- activities coming up that Weiss would be attending."

"And her as well, I take it?" She nodded. "What's her name?"

"Yang." She couldn't help but smile, immediately remembering bright lilac eyes and a wide smile, an uplifting laugh and an adorable blush. "Yang Xiao Long."

"Hmmm, I see." The General opened the letter briefly, scanning the lines before folding it up and returning it to her. "You should invite her to the redeployment ceremony once we get out of this hell hole. For now, I'm ordering you to return to your CHU for eight hours, minimum. I'll attend to the matrix personally."

"But, Sir-"

"Don't question my orders, Specialist." He clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Everyone deserves some time off and even a General can do the dirty work sometimes."

"Thank you, Sir." She snapped off a quick salute before hurrying away, at once thankful for having the burden taken from her and slightly concerned by it. While she didn't expect for the man overseeing their operations to be untoward regarding the information, she did try rather hard to keep her personal life separate from her military one. As she glanced down at the letter, though, she had to admit that they would sometimes intersect.

Once she returned to her cramped little housing unit, Winter dug out the other letters- some from Weiss, one from her mother, and a veritable mountain from Yang- and read through them again, falling asleep with the latest from the blonde still clutched in her hand.

Part III

Yang picked up her scroll, then set it down. Picked it up again, pulled it open, then closed it, and set it down. Again and again as she grappled with her own thought process, biting her lip as excitement and apprehension warred within her.

After months of quite nearly asking for the woman's number and failing to put the words together, Yang had the string of digits that would put her in touch with the woman at the drop of the hat. Now… she just had to work up the gumption to actually text her.

"It's not hard," she said, thankful Blake had opted to 'spend the night' with Weiss and leaving her alone to her freakout. Then again, some moral support and advice would be really right about now. "Just say 'hey' or 'did you enjoy the food festival?' or… something."

Nothing appeared in the empty text. Yang sighed, closing the scroll and setting it beside her pillow, running both hands through her hair. She was working herself up. Worst came to worst, she wouldn't get an answer at all and would have to accept that the woman only interacted with her out of polite compulsion. Not that big a deal and shouldn't she find that out now as opposed to later? A full year had already passed since her little crush started and she would be graduating soon.

Better to get it over now, right? Right.

New resolve steeling her nerves, Yang snatched up her scroll and tapped out a quick message, sending it off with a sigh of relief.

'Hey, it was great hanging out with you today! If you ever need a tour guide, let me know!'

And then, she saw the time stamp.

"It's how late?" She hurriedly jumped down from her bed- knocking her head against the ceiling in the process- and checked her laptop, her watch, Blake's watch, and her homepage, all of which confirmed she'd just texted her crush at two o'clock in the morning after parting ways at ten.

"I'm an idiot," she said, passing a hand over her face as she slumped to the ground, leaning back against Blake's bunk. "I didn't even start and I-"

The chime of her scroll pulled her attention away. Cringing, she reached for the device and flicked it open, hardly cracking open a single eye to read the response.

'Thank you for the offer; I'm quite inclined to take you up in that. You mentioned something about a traditional Mistrali restaurant down by the docks and I'd be very interested in finding it.'

Okay, that was either a very polite response to make it seem like she hadn't just woken the woman up at some ungodly hour or… genuine interest.

'Oh yeah? It's pretty great! They have a nice buffet on Saturdays.'
'Perhaps we should go then, if you don't have any classes.'

Yang's breath caught in her throat.

'Weiss has class that day.'
'I'm well aware.'

Oh shit.

Oh shit.

Was this a date? It sounded like a date.

But maybe it wasn't a date?

"What do I do?" She looked around the room, contemplating calling Blake's scroll but setting that thought aside immediately. She'd rather not get another earful from her best friend and roommate. Finally, she settled on calling the one person who would always have her back.

"Yang?" Ruby's voice drawled, thick from sleep. "What time is it?"

"Help me, sis. Winter just asked me on a date and I don't know if it is a date or not."

"… why don't you ask her?" Her sister's tone shifted from tired to confused.

"Wouldn't that be really lame, though?" Yang winced. "I don't want to come off as some sort of novice."

"But you… kinda are?" Ruby chuckled, hovering between drifting back asleep and waking fully. "You've had less partners than I have, and they always asked you. Winter seems like the type to be more formal, though, so maybe you're just not used to that? Either way, making sure you're both on the same page isn't a bad thing."

"You're not exactly helping, sis." She ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm helping you out a lot, actually, because Winter's the sort person to not be ambiguous unless someone is sending mixed signals."

"Are you saying this is my fault?" Yang pulled away her scroll, frowning at the device before putting it back to her ear.

"No, I'm saying you hug everyone you meet, you invade personal space all the time, and you're the sort of person who loves everyone, which can be really hard to understand for someone who came from that family."

"… okay, that's a good point." She still vividly remembered the first time she'd pulled Weiss into a hug, how the smaller woman has stiffened and squeaked, looking to Blake in a pleading manner. "So… I should just be like 'is this a date'?"

"C'mon, Yang, it's still you." Ruby giggled. "Do it your way."

"Yeah… okay, that's a good idea." She smiled. "Thanks, sis."

"Great! Can I go back to bed now?"

"Oh, right. Sorry! Night Rubes!" After she'd hung up, she opened her messages again, breathing in deep and releasing it slowly.

'That sounds great! We should go right around noon; they get busy, but I know the waitresses. They'll take care of us.'

Yang licked her lips, waiting for a response.

'Are you certain? If this Saturday doesn't work, I'm sure we can schedule it for another time.'
'No, this sat works great!'
'I wouldn't want to force your hand. It appeared like you hesitated.'

Yang smirked.

'Sorry, I got distracted! Dates make me a little nervous. ;)'

She waited, hoping she hadn't read the whole thing wrong. At least this way, she could save a little face- make a joke about Mistrali dates being a standard appetizer that she's not fond of or something, seeing as all manner of puns flew from her mind when she needed them most.

'In that case, I'll be sure to put you at ease. I rather enjoy your company and I hope you can enjoy mine so we can have a pleasant lunch date.'

She let out a little squeal, clapping a hand over her mouth out of habit. It took her a moment to stop dancing in place, tapping out a quick reply while smiling wide.

'Can't wait!'

Part IV

Winter tossed and turned, drawing the thin sheet tighter around her and tossing it off in turn. She couldn't get comfortable and the thoughts swirling in her head made her even more sick.

Giving up on the idea of sleeping, she cracked her eyes open and glanced at the clock atop the regulation three chest drawer beside her bed. In half an hour, she would need to start getting ready, and she hadn't slept a wink all night, but the lack of sleep didn't trouble her nearly as much as the cause.

Sitting up, she reached for her scroll, pulling it open and wincing at the smiling faces looking back at her. Taken during her last bout of leave at one of the parks by Beacon, Yang absolutely shining with joy in her graduation cap and gown. Winter stood beside her, an arm around the woman's shoulders, smiling with pride and happiness in her dress uniform- something her sister insisted upon and, frankly, she was happy she took the suggestion to heart. Her girlfriend certainly appreciated the crisp lines of her uniform and made sure it was known.

Winter tapped on the message icon, then tapped on Yang's name, bringing up the end of a cheery conversation from two days ago.

Her thumbs hesitated. Sleeping would be impossible but reaching out…

'Are you awake?'

She shouldn't have done that.

Winter cursed quietly, tossing her scroll down and laying back, face in her hands. The impulse was impossible to resist yet she knew better, had enough self awareness to realize how grievous her misdeed and acknowledge that she shouldn't push, shouldn't pry. Yet, neither could she remain idle and aloof. She'd made this mess; she needed to clean it up.

Winter sighed. "How do I fix this?"

The ringing of her scroll had her sitting bolt upright, a shock of dread and hope shooting through her chest at the name displayed on the screen. She quickly picked it up, putting it to her ear.

"Yang, I-"

"Stop," her girlfriend said, the hard edge of her voice wavering, as if she was on the verge of tears. "First off, it's two in the morning where I am, so it's gotta be, like, four where you are. It's the middle of the damn night. Secondly… okay, yeah, I am awake, but that doesn't mean you can text me. I… I don't want to talk to you right now."

Winter closed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line. "I understand. I'm sorry."

"It's… fine. Like. I was awake anyway."

"I meant about everything. Contacting you in the middle of the night, against your wishes, making a decision without consulting you-"

"That's not what this is about," Yang said, sighing. "I mean… it kinda is, but not really- it's your career and you have to do what's best and I don't really get it, but- but springing this on me last minute like you expect me to just go along with it… that's not fair."

"You're right," she replied, running a hand through her hair. "I was so excited that I didn't stop to think. I'm sorry, Yang, truly." The silence that met her tore at her heart. "I shouldn't have expected you to come with me to Atlas. Getting stationed there might be something I've always wanted but expecting you to be equally enthused about leaving your home was wrong of me." Her expression twisted. "Getting upset about a lack of reaction… I've done so much wrong in the past twenty four hours, Sundrop, and I am so sorry."

For a moment, she considered ending the call. She owed Yang that much, respected her that much, but some selfish part of her clung to the hope that she could be forgiven.

"It's… it's not like I would've said no." The woman mumbled, the shifting of cloth coming across the line. "I just- I've been off at college for four years. I just get back home and you tell me we're moving to Atlas- it caught me off guard! And I get that it's home for you, but it's not for me and I… I'm not saying yes… but I'm not saying no. Not right now. I just need time to think."

"Take all the time that you need." Winter squeezed her eyes tight, fighting back tears. "And I can always fly you over. It would be nice to have a friend come visit."

She held her breath in the silence that followed.

"What about having a girlfriend come visit?"

Her lips curled into a small smile- a fragile thing. "Well, yes, that would be ideal."

"I thought ideal would be both of us living there?"

"Ideal is whatever keeps us together- regardless if that's physically or not," she said, and she meant every word. "I'll take a thousand miles between us over a final goodbye."

She heard a sigh- but a relieved one. "I was honestly thinking of taking a year off to help dad around the house, make sure Ruby's settled into her new job. That sort of thing."

"Of course- you should absolutely do that. Your family is important to you," Winter said, daring to hope that this could be the beginning to mending their bond.

"You're important to me, too," Yang replied, the frown on her lips audible.

"And I'll be here for you, if and when you're ready." She hesitated, unsure how it would be received. "I love you, Sundrop."

"I love you, too, Snowdrift." A smile spread across her lips, recognizing the hopelessly enamored way her girlfriend always uttered the nickname. "But I'm serious about giving me some warning before dropping something like this on me."

"I swear, I've learned my lesson."

"Alright. I believe you." Yang chuckled. "Don't let me down, okay?"

"Okay."

Silence stretched between them, silent tears slipping down her cheeks as waves of relief crashed over her. Finally, her girlfriend broke the silence.

"I can't believe you woke up early to pay me back for the middle-of-the-night texts."

"Well." She winced. "You're worth waking up early for."

"… you haven't slept yet, have you?"

"Not a wink."

Yang sighed, though it sounded like a smile tugged at her lips. "Call me when you get home tonight. I wanna make sure you go to bed. And be careful today- no driving if you can help it."

Half a hundred warnings and advice followed, even as Winter got up and prepared for the day. She weathered each with a smile, too happy to hear them to be even a little offended by the chiding.

Part V

Yang fell back on the bed, breathing heavy and sweat lightly covering her brow. She glanced at the clock on the drawer stand beside the bed, smirking with pride. Eleven at night when they'd entered the bedroom at seven- that had to be a record of some sort.

Beside her, Winter weakly rolled onto her back, hissing as the pillow hit her shoulder.

"I don't recall you being this rough last time," the soldier said, a thickness to her voice that spoke of bone deep weariness and satisfaction. "Did you draw blood?"

Lilac eyes fell on the bright red mark she'd left that last time, high on Winter's shoulder and standing out on her pale skin. "I've missed you. I'm guessing it's not really your thing?"

Blue eyes lit up, the opportunity seized upon instantly. "It's not something I've tried before but it certainly left an impression."

Yang laughed, rolling into her side and scooting closer, drawing her girlfriend into a happy, sweet little series of kisses that brought giggles to their lips. "I've taught you well."

"My sister would disagree," the woman replied, stretching out and groaning. "I'll sleep well tonight. I just hope I wake up on time."

"Sorry, Snowdrift." She chuckled, wrapping an arm around Winter's waist. "I missed you and we have plenty of reasons to celebrate, right?"

Yang glanced around the room, noting the slightly hectic mishmash of military gear, suitcases, clothes, and nicknacks from the both of them scattered across every flat surface. They'd gotten hardly as far as unpacking the few bags she'd brought from Vale before getting sidetracked, first by food and then by each other. Realizing she hadn't received an answer, she looked back and bit down on the impulse to laugh. Winter's eyes were heavily lidded and her breathing deep, on the verge of falling into a deep sleep.

Rather than rousing the woman, Yang settled down beside her, not minding the low light they'd left on in the corner and ready to fall asleep by her girlfriend for the first time in far too long. The sporadic visits over the past year were good, but knowing that this was a more permanent arrangement- not bartering with an unforgiving clock for a few more minutes with each other- put a giddy smile on her lips.

While she'd never say she regretted her decision to stay home following her graduation, she certainly felt antsy the last few months, itching for the day to come when she'd board the ship for Atlas, because while video calls were good and all, they would never compare to them being together.

However, before she could slip away to dreamland, the ringing of a scroll had Winter jolting awake, almost vaulting across her to reach the damn thing sitting beside the clock. Not that Yang minded much, of course, but it didn't startle her to suddenly be bowled over by her girlfriend and effectively used as a pillow.

"Specialist Schnee," she said in that crisp tone that denoted a superior rather than a subordinate, eyes widening briefly before her expression fell. "Yes, Sir, I can do that. One moment." She set the scroll down and tapped a finger against the screen, throwing a look that clearly read 'be quiet' as she exited the bed and pulled Yang's shirt on before padding towards the desk. After some shuffling of papers and moving a stack of Yang's shorts they'd yet to put away, Winter seemed to find exactly what she sought. "You said the authorization code, correct, Sir?"

"Yes, and I'm prepared to copy." A smooth baritone came from the speaker.

"Whiskey seven delta four romeo two, dash alpha one."

"Got it. Thank you, Schnee." He paused, a few clicks and scratches coming over the line as Winter crossed the room. "Ah, there it is. Perfect."

"I'm happy to be of assistance, Sir." Her girlfriend came back to the bed, sitting at the edge and not objecting when Yang wrapped her arms around the woman's waist from behind. "Anything else I can do for you, Sir?"

"One other thing- your girlfriend arrived in Atlas today, correct?"

Yang raised a brow; she didn't expect to be the woman's secret by any means but neither did she peg Winter as being the sort to gush about her significant other at work.

However, now confronted with the posed question and the subtle blush creeping up her girlfriend's neck, perhaps she'd been wrong and she had to bury her face in the woman's shoulder to keep from laughing.

"Y-yes, Sir. She's right here, as a matter of fact."

"Good evening, Sir," she said, a sneaking suspicion the voice belonged to none other than General Ironwood, the top military official in Atlas and one of a very short list of people Winter respected above all others.

"Good evening, Miss Xiao Long. Allow me to say it's an honor to put a voice to the name and pictures."

"I can say the same, General Ironwood." She pressed a kiss to Winter's shoulder. "She speaks very highly of you."

"Believe me, she speaks rather well of you, too." He chuckled and Yang couldn't help but smile at how her girlfriend sat a little straighter, conveying an unspoken 'of course I do' that dripped with pride and affection. "Now, consider this your official welcome to our home country. Specialist Schnee, I will check in with you as needed but you're on leave for the next, hmmm, week, let's say? To ensure you've both settled in nicely and Miss Xiao Long's been given a proper tour of the area."

"Really?"

"But Sir-"

"Come now, Schnee, you've been ahead on all your projects, and with that last bit of work taken care of, I can handle the rest." The General chuckled. "You've earned some time off."

"I…" Winter sighed. "Thank you, Sir."

"Think nothing of it." He paused. "And Miss Xiao Long?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Don't break my Specialist."

With a wide smile on her lips, she laughed. "I'll do my best!"

"Excellent. I'll see you in a week, Schnee, and keep your scroll close just in case."

After Winter ended the call, she leaned back and turned her head to press a kiss to Yang's jaw. "I suppose this means we'll get a good night's rest."

"Hmmm, will we?" She smirked, lightly nipping at the mark she'd left and allowing her hands to roam. "I think we've got some energy left."

Her girlfriend laughed, turning around and pushing her back onto the bed, no sign of an objection on her lips. Instead, she loomed over Yang for a brief moment. "I love you, Sundrop."

"I love you too, Snowdrift," she replied, lips curling into a devilish grin. "Now, c'mon. Let's practice making babies."

"I think you're skipping a step." Blue eyes flashed with something- an idea, perhaps, or the beginnings of one- before she leaned down and connected their lips in a sweet kiss. "But I suppose this is more entertaining to practice."

"I dunno. I guess I could start calling myself Missus Schnee," she said, as if she hadn't tried out the introduction before. Winter's thoughtful expression gave her pause, though.

"What about Missus Xiao Long-Schnee?"

"What about Missus Schnee-Xiao Long?" Yang raised a brow. "Or, Missus Schlong."

After a brief pause, they both burst out laughing, with one giving a not-so-resolute 'no' and the other offering terrible arguments in favor of it. In the end, they finally fell asleep around two, the lighthearted debate as to their hypothetical married name abandoned for the moment as they lost themselves to each other again and again.

Tomorrow, they could get their shared living space into some semblance of order while working out sore muscles. Tonight, they curled around each other, allowing their dreams to lead them into the realm of possibilities.

Part VI

Winter paced the full length of the suite, a combination of nerves and excitement forcing her into motion. She couldn't sleep. Couldn't entertain the thought, really, and who could blame her? With the festivities planned for tomorrow, the idea of trying to sleep until morning just seemed preposterous, especially considering she would be in the massive queen sized bed alone. Really, her room had every comfort a person could imagine, but it felt like a prison cell. She wouldn't stand for this.

With a grumble, she turned for the door, opening it softly and creeping out into the hall. Given the late hour, no one seemed to be stirring, and Winter utilized every ounce of training she'd received over the years to tiptoe down the hall. She couldn't be sure of the exact room but that didn't matter; she could feel a pull deep down in her soul leading her one way and, where a few short years ago she would've believed it entirely impossible, somehow she knew it would lead her to her goal. The moment she turned the first corner, though, she found her mission brought to an unexpected halt.

"Good evening, Winter," Blake said, a curl to her lips as she leaned against the wall. "Going somewhere?"

She thought quickly, latching onto a plausible excuse. "I was just-"

"Looking for Yang." One brow arced as amusement danced in amber eyes. "It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, you know."

"It's a foolish old tradition and nothing more," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"But it's one Yang takes to heart." Blake frowned at her then. "You know that, right?"

"I do." Winter looked away, sighing. "But this is ridiculous. Being separated a whole week?"

"I'm not a fan of it either." The cat ears atop her head drooped as she rubbed at her arm. "And knowing Weiss is somewhere in this mansion but not knowing where… I get it. But ever since Yang brought it up, Weiss was firmly on her side, so what can we do?"

"Kiss some sense into them?" Being with Yang for years had imbued her with the peculiar habit of countering serious questions with jokes and they both laughed. Although she didn't know Blake as well, she'd learned enough about the Faunus to feel more than comfortable with her impending union to Weiss. Having a sister-in-law like her definitely didn't seem like a bad outcome of their admittedly disastrous attempts at finding romantic partners- though Weiss probably got the shorter end of the stick. "Of course, that just brings to light what you are doing out and about."

"The same thing as you, honestly." Blake tilted her head to lean it against the wall. "I want to respect her wishes… but I miss her. Being in the same location for a full week without seeing each other… it feels a little extreme." Amber eyes flicked her way. "It must be driving you crazy, all things considered."

"You're not wrong," she said, turning to lean back against the wall beside her future sister-in-law. "I've spent long enough in the military, never quite sure of when I'll see her again… being so close and yet so far is especially vexing."

"It'll be worth it, tomorrow." They both smiled as a blush came to the Faunus' cheeks. "I mean, it's just a few hours away, now."

"It is indeed." Blake had a point. Perhaps sleeping to pass the time would be a better option than sneaking around the mansion at such an ungodly hour. "I suppose we should retire."

"Yeah." She pushed off the wall and turned, not making a sound in the effortless way that came to naturally to her. "Good night, Winter."

"Good night, Sister," she replied, smiling when Blake immediately looked back, ears perked as she blinked, and then a soft smile coming to her face. Of all the things she could be proud of her sister for, her impending union topped the list.

She made her way back to her room, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it. It still chaffed at her but Blake had a point; this separation was Yang's idea and she should abide by it.

But before she could begin changing for bed- a testament to her restlessness that she hadn't even tried going to bed yet- a soft knock came at the door. Probably her future sister-in-law, or perhaps Weiss herself looking for last minute guidance, and she nearly opened it straight away expect… whoever had knocked seemed to be holding it firmly shut.

"Snowdrift?"

Winter's brows rose, pressing against the door. "Sundrop?" A smile came to her lips as her heart swelled. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I just- I missed you and that tradition only applies to seeing the bride before the wedding, right?" She both heard and felt the soft thud of her fiance's shoulder slumping against the door. "Look, I didn't realize how rough it would be, going a whole week without seeing you but knowing you're somewhere in this house. It's different when you're away on mission…"

"I know. I've felt the same." She sighed, leaning her forehead against the wood. "Being separated by distance is much easier than by some invisible barrier." She paused, biting her lip. "But I wonder, now… what if I left the service?"

Yang laughed, the sound still clear and bright despite the door between them. "Aw, come on, Snowdrift. Now you're talking crazy."

"I am not. It's a serious consideration." She frowned, looking at her military dress uniform hanging by the dresser, the medals and buttons gleaming in the low light. "I'd rather not go through something like this again."

"We can't be with each other every minute of every day," she said with a chuckle. "But, hey, don't get me wrong, I'm flattered! Still. You love the military. And you love me. We're gonna have to share you."

"But you know I'd leave it in a heartbeat for you, don't you?" She wanted to reach through the solid wood and touch her fiance, let her see the conviction in her eyes. "I love you."

"I do. And I love you, so much, but this is the tradeoff. We both have our lives to live- together, yeah, but it's still the two of us. You're the military woman."

"And you're the teacher," she said, still so very proud that Yang's Remnant certification had come through. So very few people could achieve that but of course her love did; there existed no trial she couldn't overcome through sheer determination.

They continued talking, quietly, both sliding down to sit against the door. For a few hours it went on, until they finally couldn't resist the call for bed. They still had a busy day to follow. After they bid each other good night, Winter changed and crawled into bed, still disliking the absence of her lover, her fiance, her whole world beside her, but feeling the warmth of her love burning bright in her chest.

It helped sleep come a little easier but she longed for the following night, when they could curl up together in a hotel on the Mistral seaside, salt in the air and the room filled with love.