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Blake sat patiently on the end of the far-too-soft bed in their shared room, idly fiddling with adjusting the golden bowtie that just wouldn’t stay tied. Off to the other end of the room were Weiss and Ruby, the former pouting as she finished placing the last few accessories into her wintery hair. Ruby stood beside her, supportive and friendly with a characteristically dopey smile on her face.
“I really don’t want to do this, Ruby,” Weiss grumbled, taking one last look into the mirror. Blake couldn’t agree more; why her father had even decided to host this ball—and in their honour, no less—was beyond her. They weren’t friends of Atlas, they weren’t allies to the SDC, and Blake had made it very clear the moment they stepped foot in Atlas just how uncomfortable it made her to be in a place where she walked free and others of her kind didn’t.
Everything about this whole situation was very discomforting.
Ruby put her hand on Weiss’ shoulder, and her expression softened. “It sucks, I know. I think all of us are a little on-edge here, but it’ll be fine. So long as you stick with us, I know you can power through it! You’ve got team RWBY to back you up this time!” She emphasized her last point with an exaggerated thumbs up to her partner.
Seeing her team leader so openly and frivolously supporting her partner made it near impossible for Blake not to look towards the bathroom door; Yang had been in there for quite a while getting ready. Having stroked her tangled mane of gold before, Blake expected part of what was taking so long was just the hassle of getting her hair ready, but she knew her partner better than that. She was taking an obscenely long time.
The dark-haired girl sighed lightly, which must’ve caught Weiss and Ruby’s attention as they turned towards her, then to the door. While Weiss maintained a fairly distraught look, Ruby’s turned soft again as she stepped towards Blake. “She’ll probably be ready soon.” Then, as if an idea had just passed through her mind, she added: “Maybe we should all wait for her? Going to this gala alone might be a little nerve-wracking!”
Blake couldn’t help but smile at her leader’s earnest offer, but she shook her head lightly. “You two go on. I’ll wait for her here.”
Ruby apparently needed no more convincing. With an exaggerated nod, she linked arms with her partner and led her to the door, looking over her shoulder a few times at the bathroom door and her teammates waiting patiently beside it. With knowing smiles, Weiss and Ruby left the room.
Without their leader’s boundless energy filling the room, Blake sat back and became infinitely more aware of how rapidly her heart beat against her chest. The last time she’d seen Yang all dressed-up was at the dance at Beacon, and goodness she’d wished she’d spent more time dancing in Yang’s arms, bathed in her golden beauty. Tonight, she’d be sure to do exactly that. While she didn’t exactly want to be here, at an Atlesian ball attended by stuffy, bougie socialites, she certainly wouldn’t waste the opportunity for more time spent with the beautiful blonde woman.
Feeling a soft blush spreading through her cheeks, she took hold of her tie one last time—Yang had picked out a yellow one for her—and attempted to tie it once more in order to keep herself patient as she waited. She lightly fidgeted with the silken yellow fabric, slipping it between her fingers, reminded of the bright yellow of Yang’s fingers interlacing with hers. Though they hadn’t been keeping their relationship so subtle, she silently yearned for each affectionate touch from Yang, and this accessory certainly wasn’t helping with how much she longed for her hand to just be held.
She let the bowtie go as it sat loose around her neck; Sun had certainly been right about these things being hard to deal with. She looked down at herself and studied her presentation; far more lax than the rest of her friends, and perhaps not something that would be appreciated by the Atlas bourgeoisie, but she was not dressing to impress any of them.
Blake just hoped that the person she was hoping to impress would like how she looked.
She turned her attention to the bathroom door again; still no sign of Yang being ready. A soft shudder traveled up her back and she sat forward, and while Blake was certainly doing her best, there was only so much anticipation that she could cover up. She wanted so very much to see how gorgeous she looked, she wanted to take Yang by the hand and tell her with every bit of her heart just how much she made her heart flutter, how she longed to stroke her soft golden locks.
Inhaling, Blake remembered that the rest of the team were likely waiting for them. Perhaps, if not for Blake’s anticipation, Yang would finally finish getting ready for their teammates.
“Yang, are you ready?” Blake called out. “People are waiting for us!”
It took a moment, and Blake worried that she’d not heard her calling out to her. Just as she was about to stand and make her way over, however, she caught sight of the door knob turning, and she sat back down. The motion was slow and deliberate, but soon the door opened, and when Yang stepped out Blake could swear she was looking at a princess.
While shopping for outfits, Blake hadn’t seen what Yang had chosen out, as the blonde had coyly kept it a surprise from her somewhat curious partner. Seeing her now, Blake clearly understood why she’d wanted to keep it a surprise. A shimmering dress of fine gold held to her gorgeously toned figure, accentuating her waist before settling into a flowing skirt just above the knees. A wide strip of fabric sat lightly on her left shoulder, dipping down to her chest and sliding across her right arm, disappearing behind her back into her breathtaking mane, smooth and soft locks that perfectly framed every stunning feature of her face and highlighted her strong shoulders. Resting gently against her collarbone was a black necklace fitted with an amethyst stone, small but elegant, and atop her head was tied a black bow, much like Blake had worn before at Beacon. This on its own nearly caused Blake’s heart to stop; as if she wasn’t looking at the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen, this beautiful woman had clearly taken into consideration her partner when planning her outfit. Blake had felt appreciated before, and dare she say she’d certainly felt loved, but she couldn’t name a single instance of ever having felt this admired in the same way she very much so admired Yang.
In fact, Blake was so enamoured by her partner’s appearance that it almost took her too long to notice the apprehensive expression Yang wore, too, emphasized by how she fidgeted with her finger, hidden beneath burnished gold. Blake’s eyes dipped to her anxious movement, and instantly her heart sank. Of course, how could she not notice how she’d hidden her arm?
Yang took no notice of how Blake looked at her arm and inquired with feigned confidence: “Well? How do I look?” Normally Yang was so skilled at veiling her intentions, but in this more intimate setting with someone she cared so deeply for, it was completely unnecessary. Blake had always figured it must be hard for the blonde to always feel so confident all the time when far too many times the world had tried to prove her wrong, and so in these moments alone Blake knew she would always be the one to comfort and appreciate her partner.
Yang stood still in the doorway, waiting for a response from the quiet Faunus. Every silent moment seemed to worry Yang, who eventually hid her right arm behind her back in shame. Blake herself found Yang’s arm to be just as brilliant and beautiful as the girl herself; it was an extension of herself, of the sacrifice she tragically had to make for her, and of her absolute strength to not be kept down. Her arm reminded her how much admiration she really held for Yang, and she was also heartbroken at the idea that Yang didn’t see it that way.
Blake stood from the bed and closed the distance between them; at first cautiously, but then with purpose as a caring smile formed on her lips. She stood before Yang, taking in her beauty from a closer distance; the urge to just grab her by the waist and press their lips together was overwhelming, but Yang needed something else right now.
Her ears twitched quickly as she deftly slipped her hand onto Yang’s elbow. She pulled her arm closer to her and brought it up between them. Yang watched nervously, and Blake couldn’t tell whether she was going to pull away from her touch or not. This didn’t matter, however, and Blake knew that Yang was either allowing it to happen or too nervous to pull away.
She took the finger of Yang’s glove between her own and gave it a light tug, just enough to loosen it from her hand. Keeping her eyes on her work, she did the same to the rest of her fingers, her other hand idly stroking Yang’s wrist. She knew she couldn’t feel it, but seeing how Yang’s limb almost seemed to relax in her grasp indicated it had some effect on the blonde.
With each light pull, Yang’s fingers twitched against her hold; as if in response, Blake's ears twitched as well until finally, Blake pulled the glove loose and idly tossed it onto the bed behind her. Taking in the sight of the brilliant yellow arm, Blake smiled and leaned closer to Yang’s ear, brushing lightly against her hair. She held Yang’s hand tightly in hers, lacing their fingers together; with the way they stood together now, it looked as if they were ready for a dance.
Blake took in the scent of her partner, unable to help the soft warmth that spread once more through her cheeks and her lips. She drew away for just a moment, seeing the blush spread across Yang’s face and collarbone, the heartwarming glow of gold in her lilac eyes, now wide and on the cusp of tears. Blake spent another moment allowing herself to be completely enamoured with how beautiful and perfect Yang was, with how much she really loved everything about her outfit, her hair and makeup, her gorgeous eyes, her fair cheeks glowing a soft pink as Blake curled their fingers closer together.
She gave another soft grin before resting against the side of Yang’s face again. “You look perfect now.”
With her face buried into golden locks, Blake couldn’t have seen the soft smile that chipped away her previously anxious expression, but she certainly felt it as her cheek found its place against Blake’s.