Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with RWBY.

Author's Note: Sooooo this is a Christmas fic that took a while to write - thanks lack of motivation and inspiration - so enjoy reading this in the middle of May. XD

I hope you all enjoy it however and sorry I've taken so long to post something new for you guys to read.

Reeves3.

The Sign

By Reeves3

Signs have always been a big part of Blake Belladonna's life: growing up, with parents who were strong Faunus rights activists, the young Blake had walked with them at peaceful protests - holding up her hand-made placard while perched on her father's shoulders. Then, years later, as a teenager she attended protests that had windows being smashed and graffiti being sprayed on walls; the signs she took to these protests ended up laying abandoned in the road when she fled from the violence that always started up.

Even now, in her early twenties, signs continued to help guide Blake through life and help her make important decisions. It had been a sign posted up at the local library that pointed her in the direction of college where she was taking political studies to learn how to make a much bigger difference for people like her in the future. With her rebellious streak having long since died down Blake was back to attending peaceful protests and it was there where she saw the sign that led her to a part time job.

Always Open was a twenty four seven department store that needed extra staff for the Christmas holiday rush. Blake had saw the signs advertising help on the glass windows during the last march she took and after handing in her CV the following day, then going in for a brief interview, Blake had successfully got herself a part time job to earn some extra money for the holidays.

Rain from earlier that morning left puddles on the pavement that splattered under Blake's boots as she walked down the high street ready to start her first day at her new job. When the shop came into view Blake removed the headphones from her ears, cutting off the audio book that gave her company on her walk, and stuffed them into her coat pocket before arriving at the main doors and walking in. A warm blast from the heaters above greeted her helping to fight off the chill caused by the frosty weather outside.

Uncertainty filled her mind setting off a few flittering butterflies in her stomach as she searched around for where she had to go. Low and behold she saw a sign. The nerves vanished and a smile graced itself across her lips as she read what it said.

'New Employees To Meet Up In Staff Room'

Below the words a black arrow pointed to the right and Blake glanced in that direction. Beside the small newsagent section where lottery tickets and cigarettes were sold there was a door with a plaque that read 'Staff Room'. Stepping out from under the cloud of hot air swirling around by the front doors Blake made her way over to where she needed to go. As she was about to open the door somebody else did from the other side and a moment later appeared the store manager, Jackie Walker, who interviewed her.

"Oh Blake, isn't it?" A nod confirmed Jackie's question. "Wonderful! Head on inside and relax for a bit, we're just waiting for a few more to arrive."

She breezed past Blake towards the line of tills where Blake soon lost sight of her in the busy crowds and turned to enter the staff room instead. The yellow walls, though long since faded, created a welcoming and warm environment that helped Blake feel at ease. Comfortable chairs lined the edges of the room except one where a small kitchen area was built-in instead while an open doorway across from Blake led into a small office. Scattered around the staffroom were a selection of people ranging from all ages. Blake noticed the majority of the new staff members were older than her but there were a few people her age too.

Spotting an empty chair in the corner of the room, the seat most furthest where others had decided to sit, Blake made her way over to it and sat on its edge. Having warmed up slightly Blake unzipped her coat, revealing her new work outfit of black trousers and shoes with a bright yellow shirt and a sleeveless black fleece, before taking it off and placing it by her side. Finding her phone from her coat pocket she unlocked it and shut down the audio book app then opened up the Ninja's of Love fanfiction page she had bookmarked.

The door opened and closed a few more times as she read but quick glances up only showed her it was more new employee's arriving. Reading a few more paragraphs Blake couldn't help but get the feeling someone was staring at her. Deciding to check Blake lifted her eyes away from her phone and flicked them around the room until she noticed a blonde haired girl, who arrived in after her, gazing right at her. The second their eyes met the blonde's bright lilac eyes widened slightly and she turned away to stare at the notice board on the wall next to her.

A light shade of pink tinged Blake's cheeks and she adverted her eyes to look back down at her phone as she realised she had caught someone, a very attractive someone, checking her out. Risking a glance back up Blake saw the girl was still adamantly focusing on the upcoming Christmas dinner signup sheet. Blake let her eyes roam and couldn't help noticing how beautiful she was from her facial features to how she made the standard uniform stylish with the accessories she had added to her look.

A small part of her, in the back of Blake's mind, wondered if she was single but she highly doubted it. There was a welcoming and inviting aura around her and anyone would be happy being in its radiance. This girl looked very outgoing and probably made a new friend every day unlike her who was content to hermit inside reading all day.

Getting caught up in her musings of the blonde beauty Blake failed to notice that she wasn't the only one admiring her. Leaning casually against the wall by the coffee machine were two men, appearing a few years older than herself, who were muttering quietly to each other while opening staring at the blonde's voluptuous chest. Blake only noticed that something was amiss when the girl started to turn her head in the direction of the men. The movement broke Blake out of her daydream and she mentally cursed herself for getting so caught up in her own staring.

Sitting at the side Blake watched as the men now started to make sexual gestures towards the blonde making Blake's stomach churn uncomfortably at the sight of them. The woman however smiled back at them. Blake's eyebrows burrowed together; wondering why on Remnant would anyone be flattered to those kinds of advances and if the girl actually wanted that kind of attention. Not wanting to watch anymore Blake was about to turn away to continue reading off her phone when the girl, continuing to grin, flipped the men off and Blake let out a gasp.

It wasn't the raised middle finger that caused her shocked reaction but it was the metal prosthetic that made up the girl's right arm starting from the bicep. The two guys lips curled as they turned away from the blonde who scowled at their backs before putting her arm down at her side. Her eyes caught Blake's once more and Blake gave, what she hoped was, a small reassuring smile. The gesture was returned in kind if only faintly.

"Alright new members! Welcome to Always Open," a voice called out. Heads turned in the direction of the staff room door and the chatter died down as all the new staff members watched their boss, Jackie, march fully into the room with a group of other staff members behind her.

Blake quickly put her phone away, as did a few others, and focused all her attention on Jackie as she went through the generic welcome, the rules, and finally health and safety until she looked down at the list of names on the clipboard she was holding.

"Alright, when I call your names could you gather together in little groups and one of my trusty co-workers here will come join you and instruct you on what job you'll be doing today. If you need any help today, all you have to do is ask them."

The two black velvety cat ears atop of Blake's head perked forward as she listened out to the names being called out.

"-Danny, Rachel, and Joe, you'll all be with Heather today doing till training. Jane, Steve, Rick, and Sam you've got Jillian to help you out today out back unpacking stock-"

Slowly the groups of people started to filter out through the door until it was only Blake left with the blonde girl and Jackie.

"And that should leave us with Blake and Yang!" She looked around the room and beamed when she saw that her prediction was correct. "Perfect! I've got a special job for the both of you and that is advertising. I need you both to walk around town and the high street handing out flyers for our sale and I need one of you to carry this..."

Jackie walked off into the conjoining office to retrieve the certain item. Blake slowly stood up off the chair zipping up her coat then casually walked over to the blonde, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she did. They smiled shyly at one another before averting their eyes to look elsewhere. Luckily their attention was soon brought back to Jackie as she walked in carrying a large sign attached to a pole advertising the sale at Always Open.

"How about I give this to you, Blake? Yang, this is the bag of fliers but it's quite heavy so be careful not to pull anything."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about it," reassured Yang, letting Blake hear her voice for the first time. Her tone was kind and warm, smooth as silk and soothing like honey, which calmed Blake and made Yang's company all that more comfortable. Blake's thoughts were broken like a shattered mirror as Jackie passed her the sign and it stood a few good inches over her head when she held it her in hands.

Jackie guided them over to the door, giving instructions as she did. "Hand all those leaflets out and when you come back have a cup of coffee and warm up in the café area then come seek me out, I'll either be in here or out back, and I'll get you two putting out stock. Is that alright?"

Nodding her head Blake replied, "that sounds fine."

Yang lifted the bag over her head and adjusted it so it rested comfortably on her left shoulder then gave the okay. The two of them made their way to the store front and braced themselves to face the frostbitten air. It nipped at their uncovered skin the second they were out the doors and Blake realised with regret that she didn't have her gloves. She made a mental note to switch hands every now and then to warm the other up in her pocket.

Next to her Yang was wrapping an orange scarf around her neck then placed a yellow beanie on her head covering up the top of her golden curls and one persistent cowlick. Blake flattened her cat ears atop her head as she pulled her hood up over them then stood idly by looking around until Yang was finished and caught her attention.

"So do you want to head up the high street and we can loop round the town and come back up from the other end?"

"Sure," replied Blake.

Yang beamed and for a moment Blake forgot about the cold. "Great! Oh and in case you didn't catch it in the staff room, my name is Yang, Yang Xiao Long."

There was a second where her prosthetic arm moved forward slightly as though to offer to shake hands but she must have decided to second guess herself and kept it at her side. Blake acted as though she didn't notice and offered a friendly smile.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Blake, Blake Belladonna."

With that the pair of them started to make their way up the town's shopping district weaving in between the busy shoppers going from shop to shop on either side of the street. Yang handed out fliers to those who came closer to her and seemed interested in having one but most people avoided her or disregarded the leaflet being offered to them. Blake, on the other hand, wasn't having the best of times either. Holding the sign up was fine but she was getting uncomfortable noticing all the eyes focusing on her, making her look away or at the ground. It didn't go unnoticed by Yang.

"Are you okay?" She asked, looking down a bit to try and meet Blake's eyes.

Blake lifted her head. "I'm fine," she mumbled, bashfully. "I'm just not used to drawing so much attention to myself, I guess. Usually when I'm holding up a sign like this I'm lost in a crowd of hundreds."

Yang let out an interested hum. "Oh yeah? What do you do? Protests or something?" She asked, curious.

"Mostly, yes. I've been going to Faunus right rally's since I was little, and I've been going to LGBT pride parades since I was fourteen, and recently I've been protesting about the Oum's Historical Library being demolished."

Slim eyebrows rose up under Yang's beanie as she stared at Blake with wonderment. "Wow, that's cool. I've seen the drama about the library in the news, surely as a historical landmark it can't be destroyed, right?"

A smile stretched across Blake's face. "That's what we're arguing but it hasn't officially been claimed as a landmark yet. The council are currently reviewing it and they'll give us an answer by Sunday so until then all we can do is protest against the people who think they can show up on the spot and knock it down."

Yang took a moment to pass out some fliers allowing Blake to switch hands on the sign. She was a little surprised at herself for talking so openly to Yang, having always been a bit of an introvert she rarely initiated conversations, but for some reason being around Yang made Blake want to talk and get to know more about her. Blake figured it was the blonde's bubbly personality and inviting appearance that caused it.

They turned at the top of the street which started to head into the town centre and Blake felt her pulse racing as she frantically thought of something to say. She didn't want to be in an awkward silence for once in her life. Luckily though, Yang had more things to say.

"So were you at the last LGBT parade? I was there too," she said proudly.

Blake's heart skipped for an entirely different reason this time. "Really? Yes, I was there too. I went with my friends Sun and Velvet."

Yang beamed brightly and Blake couldn't help but faintly smile back, if she was a little reserved about it.

"That's awesome," said Yang. "It's always good having your friends there with you. I took my little sister with me last time because she'd always wanted to go but was too nervous about going alone."

"That's nice of you. Did you both enjoy it?"

"Yeah we both loved it. We had a gay old time," giggled Yang, and Blake took a moment to close her eyes to try and forget what she just heard.

"That was terrible," she eventually decided, shaking her head. Yang let out a loud laugh and the corners of Blake's lips twitched up.

The pair of them stopped for a moment outside the bakers to rest their legs and enjoyed breathing in the warm scent of the freshly baked goods. Blake continued to hold the sign up with one hand as she warmed the other up in her coat pocket while Yang walked around in front of her handing out the leaflets still. Blake watched as Yang ultimately started to run low on the pieces of paper and shuffled back over to where Blake stood where she was in the middle of balancing the sign between her knees as she put her hands over her mouth to breathe hot air onto them.

Yang's brows etched together with concern. "Oh darn, don't you have gloves?"

Taking her hands away Blake replied, "unfortunately not. I forgot to bring my pair this morning."

"Oh here, you should have said something, I've got my gloves with me," mentioned Yang, pulling out a yellow pair from her pocket. "I still have a habit of bringing both."

"Don't you need them?" Blake asked, accepting them hesitantly.

Blonde curls swayed from side to side as Yang shook her head. "Nah, my body usually tends to stay quite warm. Plus my hand is inside this bag or my pocket unless I'm handing out the flyers."

Blake slid a woollen glove on each hand and felt her blood circulation start to return to her fingers. She picked the sign back up, holding it more comfortably with both hands now, and together she and Yang started their loop back down to Always Open while handing out the rest of the fliers. As they walked they chatted more to each other about their interests and what they liked to get up to in their free time. Yang was just finishing up her story of the time she went to go see her favourite band, The Achieve Men, when they passed through the automatic doors of the store.

"-this is going to sound so lame but I had the rose pressed and framed," admitted the blonde, a light dusting of pink shading her cheeks.

"I don't think that's lame. It's a nice way to remember that night, making it into a keepsake like that," said Blake. The two of them made their way towards the café area, at the front of the massive store, and removed their winter gear as they began to warm up from the heaters inside.

Yang let out a little chuckle, her hands coming up to play with her hair as she took off her beanie too, and muttered a quiet, "thanks."

They ordered their drinks, a tea for Blake and a hot chocolate for Yang, when Jackie came along. She took the sign and empty bag from them, thanking them for doing that task, before mentioning to meet her in aisle sixteen after they had finished their drinks. Yang and Blake nodded their heads and accepted their drinks as Jackie took off once more and they made their way to the nearest two seated table.

It soon became apparent to Blake that she had found a new friend in Yang. The blonde was so bubbly and lively, incredibly friendly, and as Blake soon found out had a sense of humour involving an endless list of puns. The moment she heard Yang say 'espresso yourself' Blake just sat there with her face buried in her hands as Yang laughed at her reaction. It was strange for Blake, after meeting Yang an hour and a half ago, to want to open up more about herself to her but Yang had a certain charm about her that Blake was enamoured by. She told herself to keep a cool head about it however, she didn't want to seem overly eager or change her personality just for the sake of getting Yang to like her, plus she realised happily that Yang seemed to be enjoying her company by being her regular self.

By the time they had finished their drinks and Blake had given Yang her gloves back, before they set off to get more work done, Yang had given Blake her phone number and vice versa so they could continue to talk after their shifts had finished.

It was already going dark outside when Blake finished her day at Always Open. The time on her phone read four o'clock as she sent a quick message to her mother to say she would be home soon. Yang walked beside her as they exited through the main doors, chatting lazily about shopping for Christmas gifts she needed to get, when they came to a stop on the footpath. The two of them had pretty much stuck together throughout the day. They learned how to correctly put out the stock and label it and then had the afternoon having till training. Now though, it was time to go their separate ways.

"I'm parked in the free parking down the road," explained Yang, stepping once in the direction opposite of Blake. "I'll text you tonight though, yeah?"

Blake smiled. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, Yang."

"See ya!" The blonde waved wildly and Blake returned the gesture with a little wave of her own and the two of them set off in opposite directions.

Blake strolled along the well known path back to her home, a good twenty minute walk, and kept her chilled hands tucked in her coat pockets. She didn't listen to her audio book on the way back with the fear of having someone approach her from behind in the dark when she couldn't hear. Not that she couldn't defend herself, her father had taken her to plenty of self defence classes since she was six and she was light on her feet for a speedy get away, but she would prefer not to run the risk.

A yellow motorbike sped past her at one point and beeped it's horn causing her to jump. From the golden locks spilling out from the back of the helmet Blake had a pretty good idea who it was. Thinking about her new friend on the way home Blake couldn't help the feeling of butterflies flitter about in her stomach. She couldn't deny having a crush on Yang but she wasn't going to act upon it. At least, not right now. After today Blake certainly wanted to keep Yang in her life whether that was just as friends or more but first she was going to spend time finding out if that was a good idea or not. Second of all she'd have to look for a sign or wait for one to appear.

Her memories took her down a dark path as she remembered the last time she ignored the signs that told her to leave her abusive ex boyfriend. She wasn't going to make that same mistake again. Glaring at her boots Blake shook her head trying remove the hurtful flashbacks her mind gave her.

"Stop it," she muttered, to herself, "he's gone now, he can't hurt you."

Taking some deep breaths Blake's hands uncurled from the fists she had unconsciously made and the knot in her stomach loosened. She focused on the darkening sky in the distance and saw the rooftops of the neighbourhood where her home resided. She cut through the park trying not to slip on the wet brown leaves that cluttered up the footpath while on the grass a group of teenagers kicked a football around. Soon Blake was walking down the familiar street where at the bottom of the hill stood her home.

Her mother's car was in the driveway and the lights were on inside behind drawn blinds so Blake didn't bother to get out her own set of keys as she approached the front door. Wiping her shoes on the doormat first Blake then opened the door and stepped inside while unzipping her coat.

"I'm home, mom," she called out, getting her phone from her coat pocket after hanging it up on the rack. She quickly checked the home screen to see if she had any messages yet but found nothing but the time and a background picture of her cats Gambol and Shroud curled up together.

"I'm in the kitchen," her mother called from down the hallway. Blake made her way to the kitchen and opened the door to find Kali Belladonna prepping dinner. When Kali heard the door open she turned around to face her daughter as her cat ears atop her head perked up. "Hi, sweetheart, how was your first day?"

"It was good-" Blake paused as her mother came over to kiss her cheek, "I mostly put out stock and sat at the tills in the afternoon. It was very busy at times but I got accustomed to it alright."

"That's excellent. Were the staff friendly?" Kali asked, going back over to the salmon fillets she was preparing.

Blake smiled. "Yeah, there was this one girl in particular who I got along well with. We we're partnered up for most of the day. The first thing we did was walk around town together handing out fliers while I carried a sign advertising the store. I forgot my gloves so she let me borrow hers and she was so sweet and funny."

Kali stared at her daughter with a knowing look in her eyes. "Aww she seems nice. You'll have to invite her round for tea some time."

"I think it's a bit early for that yet, mom. I don't really know her all that much," dismissed Blake, giving a little half-hearted shrug.

"Did you get her phone number though?" Kali asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...Yes," Blake answered slowly, squinting at her mother, wondering what she was getting at.

"I see," Kali replied, her eyes twinkling mischievously as the corners of her lips upturned. Immediately Blake realised what her mother was getting at and her cheeks flared up a bright red.

"Mom," she drawled out, with a whine. "It's not like that."

"I didn't say anything," denied Kali, with a laugh. "You pretty much said everything, my baby girl."

Blake let out a small groan. "I'm going to my room to get changed," she mentioned, already backing out the kitchen.

"Alright, dinner will be ready around six," informed Kali.

For the majority of the evening Blake spent it in her bedroom, besides coming downstairs to lay the table for dinner then eating with her parents, and was currently sat at her desk working on her current assignment for college. Her phone rested on the desk but she was too engrossed in the book she was reading through to check for any notifications. She soon jumped out of her train of thoughts however when she heard the small electronic device buzz and rattle against the wood. Putting down the thick textbook Blake picked up her phone instead and her stomach did a flip as she read it was from Yang. Quickly unlocking her phone Blake opened up her messaging app and read what Yang had sent her.

Yang: Hey Blake, what're you up to? :)

Blake waited a few minutes before replying back, not wanting to seem too eager.

Blake: I'm working on assignments. What about you?

It wasn't long until Blake got a message back.

Yang: Oh man, I haven't even started mine yet, should probably get on that. :P I'm just chilling with my sis and her girlfriend. I think they want me out the room but I'm teasing them. ;)

Blake: You probably should, the holidays will soon be over. Stop being a tease and leave them alone. I doubt you would like it if she did the same to you.

Yang: Haha! True, but unlike her I can easily pick her up and kick her out the room. :P I'm gonna give them some peace for five minutes while I make a cup of tea.

Blake: Well aren't you a saint.

Yang: Ikr! :D

Biting her lip Blake wasn't sure what to reply with when Yang sent her another message a couple of minutes later.

Yang: Omg, I went back into the lounge and caught them making out. I just carried on up to my room but my sis's gf was so red, lmao.

Blake: Why do I get the feeling you left the kitchen at the precise moment they were doing that so you could embarrass them?

Yang: You know me too well already. XD So what about you? You got a boyfriend or girlfriend?

Amber eyes widened slightly. She chewed on her bottom lip between her teeth wondering what she should say in return and why Yang was asking her. Her mind envisioned Yang wanting to know because she was interested in her as much as Blake wanted her to be but in reality, with a sigh from Blake, that Yang was simply curious. She must have thought about what to reply for a bit too long however because her phone vibrated again signalling another message from Yang.

Yang: Ah, sorry if that was too personal. You don't have to answer. .

Deciding to ignore what her mind was fabricating Blake quickly typed out a response.

Blake: No, it's fine, and to answer your question, no I don't. What about you?

Blake didn't dare ask: why do you want to know? Instead she waited for Yang's answer with eager anticipation.

Yang: Me neither. :( It sucks.

There was a small leap of joy inside Blake's ribcage but the rational part of her mind quickly squashed that spark of hope down. Her fingers softly tapped on the screen of her phone unsure what to say but another message from Yang flashed up on the screen.

Yang: Awww yes! I put on the TV and Dirty Dancing is playing! I love this film!

Blake: I've never seen it before. What's it like?

Yang:...HOW? Omg, you should put it on! It's really, really, good! Ok so...

A smile spread across Blake's face as she continued reading Yang's message about the film and how good it was. Deciding to indulge the blonde's wishes Blake turned on her TV to the right channel and settled back amongst her bed cushions with her book. Gambol and Shroud were curled up at the end of her bed and stretched out their paws as she lay down. Throughout the film the two of them continued to text each other, mostly about the film, but a few questions about Blake's favourite book series that Yang was interested about once Blake started talking about them.

The grandfather clock downstairs chimed eleven o'clock when the film finished and Blake walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed. After brushing her teeth and slipping into her black satin yukata Blake padded downstairs to say goodnight to her parents before heading back to her bedroom. She placed her textbook back on the desk with her half finished assignment then switched off her light and slipped under her duvet. She shuffled down the bed and lay her head down but her head knocked something hard and she made a grab for what she realised was her phone. Lifting it up above her head she clicked it on and squinted at the light. Her chat log with Yang was still on the screen and she grinned seeing the latest message that had been sent.

Yang: I'm glad you liked the film. Have a good night sleep and I'll see you tomorrow at work!

Blake locked her phone and placed it on her bedside table. She pulled the quilt up to her head, curling up in the sheets, and closed her eyes with a smile on her lips.

The following week at her new job had been one of the best for Blake and it was all because of Yang. Every day Blake was smiling and laughing at the blonde's antics and jokes and the pair of them had quickly become good friends. They spent their shifts either putting out stock or sitting at the tills and making idle chit chat with the people as they paid for their products. The two of them always got a till section to themselves where they would talk to each other too when it was empty of customers.

Blake's favourite part of the job however was the morning when she got to carry the sign around town with Yang who handed out more leaflets. It was their own little task that Jackie had entrusted them with and Blake didn't mind it at all because she got to have some time alone with Yang away from other staff members and customers. Yang had confided in her in a text message that it was her favourite part too.

Currently they were out on the busy streets doing just that. It had snowed and iced over the rain during the night so the pair of them were walking slowly so they didn't end up slipping on the slick pavement. Blake had remembered to bring her gloves since forgetting them on day one and the coat she wore was zipped up over her chin as she stood in the freezing cold. The woolly hat atop of her head kept both sets of her ears somewhat warm, frosty air still seeped through the gaps, but she didn't mind because standing next to Yang provided a sense of warmth she revelled in. There wasn't as many people shopping out on the high street today which meant Yang still had half a bag full of leaflets to give out.

"We could try going round to the residential area again?" Yang suggested, her foot slipping slightly on a patch of ice.

"Careful," warned Blake, her reflexes had her hands reaching out towards Yang to steady her, "and we could do, I just don't think many people will be out in this kind of weather."

"What do you think we should do?"

Blake hummed. "Give me a second to look around."

Scanning the empty area of store windows Blake headed towards each shop front and looked around for any noticeable sign of where to go. She widely circled Yang, who stood watching her by a bench, reading each notice she came across but nothing jumped out at her. To her credit Yang waited at least a minute before asking what she was up to.

"I'm looking for a sign," answered Blake.

Yang smirked. "You're holding it."

Blake rolled her eyes back at Yang. "Not this sign. A sign to tell us where to go."

Dark eyebrows furrowed together. "Like from a god?"

"Yang, please, give me a second," sighed Blake, walking over to the hairdressers.

"Alright," shrugged Yang, amused by Blake's odd behaviour.

A bright red A4 poster had caught Blake's attention on the door of the salon where a picture of Father Christmas sat at the bottom while above him written in white were the words.

'Christmas Fête - 11th December - Vale Lake Community Centre'

Blake smiled, pleased with herself, as she shuffled back over to Yang. "Come on, we need to head over to the lake. The annual Christmas Fête is on today at the community centre."

Yang didn't say anything as they began the ten minute walk to the lake district but she did eye the sign on the hairdressers door as they passed it then turned her gaze to Blake who blushed faintly under her gaze. 'She probably thinks I'm crazy now telling her I was looking for a sign,' she thought, grimacing. If anything she had learned though about Yang this past week however is that she was very open minded and accepted everyone for who they were so Blake hoped she wasn't thinking too negatively about her right now.

They steadily ambled along the worn out path through the towering trees towards the large lake and soon came across the community centre where a massive crowd was gathered. Blake began to move forward but a hand on her shoulder turned her around to face Yang.

She looked a little bemused to say the least. "I'm not sure what you just did back there but for now we hand these out and I get an explanation later over drinks."

Blake gave a small nod. "Sounds fine with me. Sorry if I was acting a little odd before."

"No, it's okay, I'm just wondering what it was all about," said Yang, curious.

"Well I'll tell you when we get back to Always Open," promised Blake, with a little smile.

Together they headed over to the crowd with Blake holding up the sign up high for all to see as Yang mingled with the people and passed them a flier each. They stayed outside, not wanting to overstep their bounds by advertising inside the building, and caught people as they entered and left the fête. It took around half an hour until the final leaflet was handed out. Before they left Yang quickly popped into the community centre heading over to the stall she had been eyeing hungrily from outside and brought herself and Blake two mini cupcakes to snack on during the walk back.

Pretty soon they were strolling through the automatic doors of Always Open and ordering drinks from the café to warm themselves up. They took a seat each by the window, watching the few people outside wander by and trying not to fall on the ice, and took a few tepid sips of their steaming drinks. The empty bag was placed on the floor by Yang's boots while the sign was propped up in the gap between Blake and the window.

"So...?" Yang prompted, putting her hot chocolate down on the saucer.

Knowing what she was angling for Blake rolled her eyes but smiled softly. She took a quick sip of her drink before answering. "I have this habit of following signs."

"Isn't that what signs are for?" Yang asked, giggling.

"Well yes, but I mean any kind of sign, from traffic to store signs. If I'm unsure about something, I wait until I see a sign to tell me what to do," explained Blake.

"I see," replied Yang, biting her lower lip lightly. She paused for a moment appearing deep in thought and then asked with a slight tremor in her voice. "So say if someone were to ask you out, what sort of sign would you look for?"

Blake's face quickly resembled a tomato. Averting Yang's gaze she stared down at her tea cupped in her hands to cover up the blush reaching to her roots. "Probably something that says 'yes' or 'right choice'," she answered, mumbling, then added. "I don't know. It's a silly thing to look out for but throughout my life signs have guided me to where I am now."

"I don't think it's silly," said Yang, causing Blake to look back up at her, "but what happens if you don't see a sign for something to tell you what to do next?"

"Well I do have common sense. If I'm not happy somewhere or with someone and there's no sign there's nothing stopping me from leaving. The signs are more of a guide, it's up to me if I listen to them, but I tend to usually follow them a lot now since-," Blake cut herself off, shaking her head, and willed the anxiety building up in her stomach to ease.

Yang wanted to know however. "Why? What happened?"

Blake exhaled a long breath of air and rattled her nails against her cup. Yang must have sensed something was off because she leaned down slightly to try and get Blake to look at her.

"Hey, it's okay, you don't have to tell me," she said, soothingly.

"Sorry," croaked out Blake, "i-it's just I once stupidly ignored the signs when I was with my ex. H-He used to-"

Yang quickly put two and two together. "Was he abusive?"

Blake's eyes stung slightly as unshed tears started to well up in them but she managed a slow nod of her head. Across the table Yang put down her drink and reached across to hold Blake's hands in her own. Blinking in surprise Blake glanced at their joined hands and gave a watery smile. Yang's skin was calloused and warm in her left hand while the right was smooth and cool but not at all unpleasant. She gently ran her thumbs over Blake's knuckles.

"Shit Blake, I'm so sorry that happened to you. Where can I find him so I can punch his lights out?" Yang offered, causing Blake to let out a teary laugh. "Seriously, I have a metal arm, it'll hurt twice as much."

Blake was smiling but she shook her head. "Thank you Yang, but he's in jail now."

"Bloody hell, he sounds like a right dick," stated Yang, wide eyed.

"Well, you're not wrong there," said Blake.

They fell quiet for a few minutes and Blake regrettably pulled her hands away from Yang's so she could have more of her drink. Yang went back to her drink too but she didn't have any of it instead she played with the teaspoon in it while gnawing on her lip.

"Y'know," started Yang, softly, wanting to change the subject off Blake's abusive ex, "it's pretty cool of you to let fate take you from A to B but still keep it in your hands when you need it." Blake glanced up at her through thick eyelashes prompting Yang to continue. "I've always been a go with the flow kind of gal. When I was five my mom died and a few months back I lost my best friend too. Fate has been a bitch to me in the past but it was just something that was destined to happen so I had to flow with it and adapt to the changes they made. There wasn't anything I could do to stop those two things happening. After I lost my arm I fell into a very dark place and it took me months to crawl back out. I eventually realised to put fate in my own hand, to stop waiting on the flow of things, and just work on getting my life back together. So that's what I did and here I am now. Sometimes fate will kick you down, whether that's your own doing or not, but you can't let it hold you back for too long otherwise you'll remain in that pit of despair forever and that's no life to live."

A heavy silence fell between them as Blake took in Yang's word's. Her heart was torn; one half was soaring that Yang trusted her enough to bare open her soul like this to her while the other was being crushed after hearing about the losses in her friends life. Yang's eyes were downcast and Blake's gaze flicked down to the metal arm leaning against the table. The tiniest movement must have caught Yang's attention because she glanced across at her and followed her line of sight.

"You can ask about it, you know," mumbled Yang, then let out a nervous laugh, "honestly I'm surprised you haven't asked already, aren't you curious?"

"Well yes but I didn't want to see intrusive," admitted Blake.

Yang nodded, swallowing thickly. "It's okay."

This time Blake reached for her hand letting her fingers enclose over the hard steel. "What happened?"

A long sad sigh slipped past Yang's lips and as she began to speak her voice was wavered. "My friend, Pyrrha her name was, and I we're heading to the cinema, she was driving and I was in the passenger seat with my arm hanging out the window-," she paused noticing Blake wincing at the sudden onslaught of gruesome imagination, "and a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel. It crashed right into my friend, killing her instantly, and it flipped the car over onto my arm crushing it completely."

Tears stung the back of Blake's eyes. "Yang, that's terrible. I'm so sorry you lost your friend, and your mother too, that must have been devastating."

The blonde just bowed her head but she heard Yang murmur a quiet, "thank you."

Realising they had finished their drinks and appropriately warmed themselves up they got up from their seats taking the empty bag and sign with them. Before they left the café area though Blake felt Yang tap her shoulder gently. Blake turned around staring up slightly at Yang.

"I'm glad we had this talk Blake," smiled Yang, sincerely, "I like getting to know more about you."

Blake's eyes shone as she smiled. "Me too."

A few days later they entered the week coming up to Christmas and if Blake thought it had been busy before she was so very wrong. It seemed the people of Vale liked to do last minute shopping for gifts and their food for the holidays. The aisles were packed with people bustling around pushing their trolley's in front of them or waving the baskets on their arms. In amongst the hustle and bustle, nestled in the fruit and vegetable section, were Blake and Yang as they priced and put out stock.

Blake was in particular high spirits since this morning when Yang mentioned how pretty she looked which had caused her to blush but keep a smile on her face throughout the day. That hadn't been the first instance of Yang flirting with her however; she first noticed it during their text messages when Yang suggested she was welcome to share her coat with her followed by a wink emoji. At first Blake figured Yang was a naturally flirty person with everyone but the more Blake took notice of the blonde's interactions with their fellow co-workers she realised that Yang only flirted with her causing her stomach to flip flop constantly.

She really wanted to ask Yang out but there was just one problem...

"Hey Blake."

Shaking herself out of her stupor Blake glanced to her right to see Yang beaming at her as she held up a packet of grapes.

"I wanted to tell you I think you're grape," snickered Yang.

Blake let out a groan and not only rolled her eyes but her head back too while Yang giggled and finished placing the grapes on the display. Together they grabbed the stock trolley and weaved in between the shoppers to their next destination. Once they stopped Yang, who was struggling to hide the growing grin on her face, reached up to the top of the trolley and grabbed two of the fresh melons and held them to her chest.

"Hey Blake," she started, cutting herself off with a chuckle.

"Yang no," she warned, aware of what was coming.

"Hey Blake," repeated Yang, holding out one melon, "you're one in a melon."

Biting the insides of her cheeks Blake took a deep breath before calmly replying. "Be careful holding them up there Yang, people might get confused with the real deal."

Yang let out a snort and nearly dropped the melons from laughing so hard. "Blake Belladonna, you cheeky kitty," she said.

Blake wriggled her cat ears and smiled seeing the joy that lit up on Yang's face as she did so. Yang placed the melons on the display and took down the others from the top to add to it as well. Blake checked them off the list she had and pulled out the tray halfway down that was laden with nets of oranges. She met Yang's eyes across the tray and she was already smirking deviously.

"Don't you dare," cautioned Blake, sliding the tray back in. Yang's mouth dropped open in shock.

"I wasn't going to say anything!" She denied, holding onto the trolley with Blake as they moved to the next section.

"Of course you weren't," replied Blake, knowing better.

Yang poked her head round the side of the trolley. "I was just going to say orange you glad we met?"

The trolley stopped moving and Blake stared at Yang.

"Extremely," she deadpanned.

The blonde giggled as she took out the tray and held it securely in her arms and Blake began to restock the oranges.

"Being in the fruit and vegetable section is the worst with you," sighed Blake.

"Really?" Yang asked, doubtful. "I thought us being in the meat section was the worst."

Blake paused as memories she had tried to bury quickly resurfaced of Yang greeting everyone who walked by them with 'nice to meat you'. It had started out amusing enough but after five hours of it Blake was ready to grab a string of linked sausages and strangle her with them.

"I honestly tried to forget about that day," said Blake, with a sly smirk.

"Aww, it wasn't that bad," said Yang.

"I counted at least seven people who backpedalled the moment they heard you saying that," replied Blake.

"Bah," dismissed Yang, "they just don't have a good sense of humour like I do."

Blake rolled her eyes but smiled anyhow and finished placing the last bag of oranges as Yang slid the plastic tray back in the trolley. They moved along up the aisle slightly where the peaches were and Yang took out the next tray down as Blake placed them on the display. She waited for it the moment Yang realised what fruit it was and Blake was surprised at how long it took for Yang to finally say it.

"Hey Blake."

There it is. "Yes, Yang?" She asked, with a sigh.

Yang's eyes twinkled and Blake noticed her cheeks were slightly pink as she handed Blake two peaches. "We were made for peach other."

Oh. That was actually really sweet. Blake felt her own cheeks heat up as she took the fruit off Yang, not wanting to give up the contact of her hands touching Yang's, and mumbled a quick thank you. Her inner turmoil returned as she wondered if Yang meant anything more with that comment than it being just a pun. They had become good friends, they had flirted, they were both into the same sex, but did Yang want anything more than friendship? Blake wished it was an easy subject to bring up but it was difficult when your heart was on the line. If only she had seen...

"You ready to move on Blake?"

"Huh?" Blake blinked, realising Yang was ready to move further down the line. "Oh, yes. What's next?"

"Pears. They're round the corner," answered Yang, smiling.

Nodding Blake took hold of the trolley again and they guided it over to the next aisle where they stopped by the oddly shaped green fruit. Blake ticked them off the checklist as Yang pulled out the tray and held it up for Blake to take a few off at a time. Yang was smiling even broader now and Blake accepted her fate that another joke was incoming.

"Hey Blake?"

Blake briefly side glanced at Yang as she held out two pears for her. "Don't you think we would make a pearfect couple."

'Yes, I think we would,' thought Blake, without realising she had said it out loud.

"What was that?" Yang squeaked, dropping the pears back in the tray.

Realising her mistake Blake's cheeks quickly resembled tomato's and she buried her head focusing on making the pears look nice and tidy. "Uh, it was nothing, don't worry about it."

"No, I heard you," stressed Yang, leaning forward trying to meet Blake's gaze, before she added gently. "I think we would too."

Blake's ears perked up and she raised her head to look at Yang. "Really?"

Yang gave her a genuine smile. "Yeah, I really do."

She got a smile in return from Blake but it quickly switched to a frown as her previous worries popped back into the forefront of her mind.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked, catching Blake's look of unsure contemplation.

Blake shuffled slightly."It's silly," she admitted.

Yang hit the nail on the head however. "You haven't seen a sign yet, have you?"

Shaking her head Blake let out a sigh as she finished up with the pears. "Besides you saying we would be good together? No, I haven't."

Yang didn't say anything in reply to that, only gave a nod of her head, as she put the tray back in the trolley and the two of them walked side by side pushing it all the way back to the stock room at the back of the store. Eventually though Yang spoke up as they passed through the double doors into a much quieter setting.

"Alright," she said, "but just to make sure, you would want to date me?"

"Yes," answered Blake, with a quiet mumble. They put the trolley back with the others and turned to face one another.

Yang smiled at her. "Then I'm sure a sign will show up in due time. I'm happy to wait for you."

Blake's eyes welled up with tears and she beamed brightly. Yang opened her arms out to her and she happily stepped into them and melted into the warm embrace Yang gave her and let her own arms curl around Yang's strong body. She thanked her lucky stars that she had met someone so understanding and patient as Yang was even if she was a bit hot-headed but she was showing when it came to her that she was happy to take all the time Blake needed to find a sign.

"Hey Blake," murmured Yang, her chin resting between Blake's cat ears.

Blake tensed slightly, wondering if another pun was coming.

"Do you mind if I walk you home tonight?"

Blake let out a small laugh and nodded her head. "Of course you can."

For the rest of their shift the two of them wore smiles on their faces as they carried on with their work. Blake could have been walking on air she was so happy. She hadn't tried to get her hopes up that Yang would return her feelings but now knowing she did had her wanting to dance on the ceiling. She eagerly kept an eye out for any sign that pointed her towards Yang to give her the confirmation she needed but by the end of her shift there was no such luck.

The pair of them departed from the staff room together and exited through the automatic doors. Already at four in the afternoon the sky was pitch black and a frosty chill filled the air causing them to zip up their coats. Together they began the walk to Blake's house talking and joking with one another as they gradually moved closer to one another. Blake jumped slightly when she felt Yang's hand brush against her own but she quickly relaxed and smiled as she braved entwining their pinkies. She noticed Yang grinning too before she made the bold move of fully clasping their hands together.

"Ooh, you live on the fancy side of town," teased Yang, as they entered her neighbourhood.

"Hardly," scoffed Blake, "the White Fang gang used to be all over this place."

"Didn't you tell me you were part of that gang once?" Yang asked, smirking.

A pout formed on Blake's lips. "I was younger, okay, we make stupid mistakes when we're teenagers."

Yang chuckled. "Certainly right about that. I think I was thirteen when I thought sneaking out and going to a party would be a good idea. The police ended up at the house and I had to get an escort home. My dad was not happy."

Blake laughed and Yang joined in with her and their giggles soon died down as they reached the front of Blake's house. Yang walked up with her to the doorway where she stopped as Blake turned around to face her with her golden orbs staring brightly up at her. Blake realised her hand was still in Yang's but she made no effort to let go. Butterflies filled her stomach however so with her free hand she played with the ties at the bottom of her coat.

"Thank you for walking me home," she mumbled, slightly bashful now, "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Yang's smile was lopsided and loveable. "Yeah. Hey, how about I come to yours first and we can walk to work together?"

Blake nodded her head. "We can do that."

"Great!" Yang exhaled, pleased, "I'll see you here tomorrow morning then."

Yang inched forward slightly then stopped before seemingly regaining her nerves and Blake felt herself blush up to her roots as Yang placed a small kiss to her cheek. In the lamp light under their porch Blake noticed Yang blushing too as they let go of their hands and Yang started to walk backwards.

"I'll text you when I get home," promised Yang, with a grin.

Blake smiled in return and waved goodbye watching Yang make her way back up the street before opening the front door and heading inside.

The next morning Blake woke up in high spirits as she got out of bed and stretched. Behind her curtains the world was bright and she pulled them apart to reveal a snowy wonderland where the early birds were singing in the trees and flitting across the clear blue sky. Reaching for her dressing gown hooked on the back of her door she wrapped it around herself and made her way downstairs where she could hear her parents already up and about.

In the kitchen Kali Belladonna was slicing fruit on the chopping board and adding it to her porridge while her husband, Ghira, was digging into a plate full of stake and fried eggs. Blake bid them a good morning each before getting her box of cereal oat's with dried berries. Ghira talked about his night on patrol duty and how someone broke into a noodle restaurant then later arrested a man with several bags of prawn crackers on him.

"I think you just sniffed him out because of your love of prawn," taunted Kali, her aged eyes twinkling. Blake giggled and finished off the last few dregs of milk from her bowl.

"Possibly," agreed Ghira, amused. "Unfortunately I couldn't have any because they were evidence."

"We can have a take-out tonight, love," said Kali, smiling. Ghira's face brightened up and Blake finished washing up her breakfast things.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she informed her parents.

"Alright dear," Kali smiled.

Heading upstairs Blake stopped by her bedroom first to take off her dressing gown. On the bedside table she saw her phone light up and she picked it up to see she'd had a text from Yang. With a swift swipe of her fingers she opened it up.

Yang: Hey, I'll be at yours for twenty to eight.

Blake looked at the clock on her phone and saw it was already ten to seven. She typed out a quick response telling Yang she'll see her then and put the phone back on the table. Across the hall from her was her own bathroom. Blake got a fluffy black towel out of the airing cupboard and placed it on the drying rack. She brushed her teeth first then stripped herself of her yukata and getting the shower running.

By half seven Blake was freshly washed, dried, dressed and was currently putting her make-up on. She was biting her lip as she concentrated on getting the wings of her eyeliner right on each eye. Once she was satisfied she put her make-up away and leaned back in her chair then checked her phone for anymore messages. Seeing there wasn't any Blake stood up and put her phone in her pocket then slipped on her work shoes.

"Blake, dear," her mother called, from downstairs.

"Yes, mum?" Blake called back.

"I think there's someone outside waiting for you," informed Kali.

Blake's brows knitted together as she walked out her bedroom and down to the bottom of the stairs where her mother was waiting.

"But Yang isn't mean to be here for another ten minutes," mentioned Blake. Her mother just smiled at her.

"I think you better go outside," Kali said, amusement clear in her voice.

Confused as to what was going on Blake walked over to the front door and opened it up. Her mouth instantly dropped open as her heart started up like a jackhammer against her chest because standing at the end of the driveway was Yang holding up a sign. In big bold black letters Yang had written -

"IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A SIGN THIS IS IT!"

Blake brought her hands up to her mouth and moved them to her cheeks as she grinned and saw Yang beam at her in return. Slowly Blake trudged through the snow, not partially caring that she was getting the bottom of her trousers wet, and came to a halt in front of Yang.

"How's this for a sign?" Yang asked, not taking her eyes off Blake.

"It's a little on the nose," she bashfully admitted, biting her lower lip she stepped closer into Yang's personal bubble then added in a shy muttered, "but it's perfect."

Yang dipped her head faintly as she reached up her hand and tucked a few loose strands of Blake's locks behind her ear. Their lips met in a sweet, tender kiss that warmed them up from their heads to the tips of their toes as Blake brought her arms up to wrap them around Yang's neck and pull her closer. Yang's lips were irresistibly soft like melted caramel and kissing her was far better than Blake had ever imagined it would be. They broke apart ever so slightly when the need for air arose in the both of them but Yang gave her lips a light peck before speaking even if she seemed a little lost for words.

"I - I really want to do that again," she admitted.

"I'm still here," whispered Blake, her nose brushing against Yang's.

Yang leaned in to close the gap once more but froze before she did as her eyes flicked behind Blake's shoulder and widened considerably.

"Is that your parents watching from the window?" She asked, slightly mortified but was starting to grin despite the situation.

"What?!" Blake exclaimed, turning around where she spotted her parents, her mother smiling and waving while her father looked stern. "Oh my god!"

Yang laughed as Blake curled into her to hide her embarrassment and she let go of the sign to give a small wave back to Blake's parents before wrapping her arms around Blake holding her close. Blake snuggled into Yang's warm embrace, focusing only on the blonde in her arms and not her parents, and sighed contentedly never wanting to let go.

Eventually they did though when Yang noticed Blake starting to shiver so she welcomed Yang inside for a warm drink before leaving for work. Thankfully her parents were missing from the window now and had gone back to getting ready for the day. They took each other's hand and Blake picked up the sign Yang had made giving it a fond smile before the two of them entered the house and closed the door behind them.

In the years to come, with lots of decisions made such as where to go on dates, presents to get, cars to buy, places to live, what choice of engagement ring to get, Blake kept the sign Yang made for her so she never had to look for another one again.

Lil Extra:

An exhausted Blake entered her home after finishing a hard day at work but she was pleased having seen Yang's yellow motorbike parked on the driveway signalling her wife had come home too. She closed the door behind her and put her keys on the hooks nearby and shrugged off her coat. She turned around and threw it on the back of the settee and glanced up when something pink caught her eye.

Perched on a chair behind the couch was a pink sign with hearts in each corner and bold white letters written on it.

"SALE IN BEDROOM! All Clothes 100% Off!"

"Yang!" Blake called loudly, hearing the blonde's giggles coming from the bedroom as she made her way up the stairs with an even bigger smile now.

Couldn't resist adding that little bit at the end - a friend of mine inspired me. :P

I hope you liked this story and don't forget to leave a review. It'll make me very happy!

Thanks for reading all!

Reeves3.