#maybe its just easier when I can't see the 'seams' of how something was made

[dragon-wisteria]

amvs & animatics are the most powerful form of fan-content by the way. if you even care.

[texanredrose]

“this is totally awkward considering before this the only interactions we’ve ever had have been casual nods to each other in the hallway but there’s a huge fucking spider in my bath tub and you seem like the friendly neighbor type please help me” au (for Freezerburn of course) I can't wait to see what shenanigans you come up with!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKA! Also, here, and I couldn’t fucking resist.

Weiss Schnee scowled down at the bath tub, caught between extreme annoyance and mild displeasure. Really, after the week she’d just endured, a nice bath to relax seemed like such a small thing to ask but, no, the universe simply had to conspire against her in such a downright devious manner. Standing there in her white fluffy robe tied at the waist, with her matching slippers and hair cascading over her shoulders, the woman had only two options: turn on the water and hope the eight legged interloper got flushed down the drain- highly unlikely, seeing as the little beast seemed quite content to stare her down from the side of the tub furthest from the spray, meaning it would be a battle in and of itself to get the water on it before it scrambled elsewhere- or leave the creature entirely alone. Neither seemed particularly appealing.

She had no opinion one way or another about spiders- provided it left her alone, she was perfectly content to let it hide in the corners, until she conducted her weekly cleaning and inevitably destroyed its web anyway- but the last thing she wanted to do was deal with one interrupting her bath when all she wanted to do was relax. Plus, the idea of it somehow getting the better of her and crawling up her arm… she shivered reflexively, more at the thought of an unwanted touch than some memory of the tactile sensation, and left the room, opting to scour the small living room of her apartment for suitable implements to rid her of the unwanted guest, leaving the bottle of red wine and single glass she’d brought with her on the vanity’s counter top. Surely she had some junk mail that would make ushering the blasted thing under the nozzle’s spray much easier, simply because she didn’t want the hassle of scraping the arachnid’s remains from the bottom of her shoes. Though the apartment itself was modest- edge of the city, middle class renters, a fair balance between her rich upbringing and her disdain for the same- her wardrobe did tend towards the expensive side, which meant she had to make a choice between potentially ruining a crummy ad for some nonexistent giveaway or her six hundred lien shoes, and that choice wasn’t a choice at all, really.

However, she must’ve recently shredded everything because not a single unimportant piece of paper remained to be found- which, honestly, she didn’t even bother keeping a catalog? A menu? Something?- which would’ve had her cursing her penchant for a clean living space had she not caught the familiar tread of heavy boots out in the hall.

Out of all her neighbors, the majority seemed to be the quiet, keep to themselves sort, much like her, but there always existed an exception. In this case, it was the chipper, gorgeous, muscular blonde who lived across the hall, always a tad too loud but generous and gregarious all the same, usually on the phone laughing or walking someone to or from her place. She must be some sort of manual laborer, considering her size and stature, often coming or going while wearing jeans and T shirts that seemed perpetually stained by dirt and just a sneeze away from ripping at the seams, and she kept strange hours in comparison, but she certainly didn’t come off as rude. Especially considering how many times they’d caught each other in lingering second glances; really, how one of them hadn’t said something by this point could only be explained by their differing schedules. Perhaps, on the days when the loneliness got the better of her, Weiss even considered going over and knocking, maybe inviting herself in for a chat or some other innocuous reason. They were idle fantasies of course- the most they’d ever actually exchanged aside from a polite nod was a greeting in passing- but, to be frank, she was a woman with needs and those biceps certainly beckoned to a few select portions of her imagination. Parts she would deny existed if asked, of course, and her sister seemed keen to know if there was anyone like that in her life, to which the answer was a perpetual and sometimes frustrating ‘no’, but certain things couldn’t be helped.

She could hear the opening and closing of the door across the hall and weighed her options. On the one hand, she wanted to relax, and taking care of the problem herself seemed like the quickest way to find herself up to her collarbone in bubbles with a nice glass of wine and a few scented candles. Nothing wrong with that picture at all. On the other, a bubble bath wasn’t the only way to unwind after a stressful week and she’d entertained the thought enough times that testing the waters might not be such a waste of time. A few choice images flashed through her mind- more than once, she’d thought she glimpsed washboard abs beneath a too-tight T-shirt- and those weren’t necessarily bad pictures, either. Plus, the woman seemed like no one she’d ever dated before, and all of those experiences were in, well, the past, so perhaps trying something a little new- someone a little different- would yield better results.

And wasn’t there a stereotype or two about a neighbor looking for assistance and giving a bit more in return?

“Well, what’s the worst that could happen?” She muttered, abandoning her search for a suitable spider scooping implement and heading towards her own door. It briefly occurred to her to change into something a bit more respectable- or anything, really- but she dismissed the idea out of hand, purely because she didn’t feel inclined to put that much effort into what could easily turn into a waste of her time. There remained the possibility that the blonde wouldn’t be to her tastes, at which point she would’ve gotten dressed again for nothing and put her relaxing bath even further away from fruition. Wearing only a bathrobe might give the wrong impression… but she was Weiss Schnee, a head executive at one of the most powerful corporations in Remnant. Drawing up a restraining order would take a breath, if that, and there were some gambles she was willing to take at this point to get some much needed release.

Poking her head out into the hallway confirmed it was empty- on Friday nights, most of the tenants either holed up in their apartments early or had already caught a taxi into the city, which meant she didn’t run too high a risk of being caught by anyone else. She quietly crossed across the hall, taking a moment to organize her thoughts before raising a fist and rapping her dainty knuckles on the door. This would likely result in nothing more than a few awkward minutes of having a stranger in her apartment but at least she could look her sister in the eye and say she made an attempt at filling the supposed void in her love life.

There was some shuffling from the other side of the door, perhaps a muttered curse, before the sound of the lock sliding back echoed in her ears. The door opened a moment later, revealing her neighbor, and she somehow hadn’t noticed the woman stood a full head taller than herself until she had to redirect her gaze up from a rather considerable bust barely contained by a black cutoff T-shirt with the words 'FIGHT ME OR BITE ME’ emblazoned in yellow to vibrant, smiling lilac eyes. Golden curls fell across her shoulders in an unruly fashion, as if the locks simply couldn’t be tamed, and the woman raised one arm to lean against the door frame without much of a care, completing the picture.

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it.

“Hey there, neighbor.” For a moment, her gaze held steady before the blonde’s eyes darted down and back up, almost too fast for her to notice. Despite that, she had to admit it didn’t look like she was displeased by what she saw. “Weiss, right? Can I, uh, help you with anything?”

Weiss raised a brow, noting the other woman’s gaze dart away a second time, sensing a chance to break the cocky exterior and more than a little curious to see what was underneath. “Having trouble finding my eyes?”

“No! No, of course not,” the blonde said, laughing a little. “I just, ya know- it’s not often I have a beautiful woman on my doorstep in a bathrobe.”

She made a show of tugging the robe closed a little tighter, opting for a coy route. “Yes, well, it’s not often I have a pest in my bath tub, but I was hoping I could find someone willing to take care of the matter.” Weiss allowed her gaze to deviate slightly, noting the woman’s tight athletic shorts and muscled thighs, the hints of sweat and heat still rolling off the woman. She must’ve just returned from the gym or something similar. “Although I probably should know your name first, shouldn’t I?”

“Yang- Yang Xiao Long, at your service, and say no more.” The blonde reached for something inside her apartment, pulling out a newspaper from somewhere close and waving it with a cocky grin that refused to abate. “Come on, let’s go take care of this lil bugger.”

Funny, she didn’t really peg the woman as being the type to read a newspaper, but she supposed some people preferred the tactile sensation of paper between their fingers rather than sliding their fingers across a screen. Regardless, she turned on heel and led the way back to her apartment, pleased when she heard Yang fall into step behind her. If nothing else, at least her impression of the blonde being the helpful sort seemed spot on, and she hoped her other… thoughts proved as true as well.

They both entered her apartment, the door closing behind them with a resounding click as she slid the lock home out of habit. If it was noticed at all, the other woman made no mention, instead casting her gaze around with a low whistle. “Whoa. Sweet place you got.”

“It’s the same floor plan as yours.” She pointed out, needlessly leading the way towards the bathroom.

“Yeah, but I don’t have this sort of taste in interior decorating,” Yang replied, just a step or two behind. When she turned to throw a skeptical look over her shoulder, lilac eyes snapped up to meet hers, a light blush rising in tan cheeks. “Guess your partner couldn’t come help?”

“Partner?” She stopped to look back at her guest, a hand on the bathroom door and ready to push it open. “Whatever do you mean?”

“A boyfriend? Girlfriend, maybe?"The blonde didn’t stop, her steps slow and measured as she closed the distance between them. "Anything in between?”

“None, now that you mention it.” She tilted her head back so she could maintain eye contact even as she leaned back against the wood. “Single as they come.”

“Guess that makes us a matching pair,” Yang said, voice lowering just enough to sound a bit sultry. “Tell you what. After I take care of this little… problem of yours.” The inflection on that word brought a special little thrill shooting up her spine. “Maybe we could… talk?”

“Just talk?” She allowed a small smile to come to her lips, wondering if the woman would be so crass as to lay everything out plain and bare- and she wasn’t sure which outcome she hoped for, honestly.

“I like to start with the manageable things. We can always negotiate higher.” The blonde leaned down and, while she normally would resent being forced to confront her shorter stature like this, something in the gentle tilt of Yang’s head hinting that any reaction she gave would play right into the blonde’s hands. “I just finished a workout, ya know.”

What a workout it must’ve been, too, to maintain the sculpture of her arms, her abs, her thighs- but she brought her attention back to the friendly neighbor who had a chance to become something a little more. “I can see that, though I’m not sure what you’re proposing.”

“Well, I could use a shower. Yours, specifically.” Lightly, Yang reached out to pluck at the lapel of her robe, teasing while being entirely serious at the same time. “Before, after… during. Take your pick.”

“Enticing.” She smirked, pushing the door open. “I’ll take that into consideration as payment for services rendered. However, first…”

“Gotcha.” The blonde winked, brushing past Weiss- and brushing was putting it lightly, she could almost taste the salt lingering on the other woman’s skin with as close as she came- into the bathroom and rolling up the newspaper. “Let me just go render that service real quick.”

She took a moment to center herself before following, calming the stutter in her heartbeat that accompanied the close proximity. Although she might be running more on libido than sense at present, she couldn’t deny it seemed to be working; she had Yang’s interest and a need to unwind, and she hadn’t shared a shower with another person in a long while. It wouldn’t be quite as relaxing as a bath but now she had the idle curiosity in the back of her head about getting a massage from those strong looking hands, fingers pressing into her shoulders and moving lower. Then again, as she followed the other woman into the bathroom and caught sight of sculpted back muscles moving beneath the black fabric, maybe she could give one herself, if only to explore just how solid the blonde’s frame was.

Even if it amounted to nothing more than a one night stand, at least she’d have a little satisfaction. Or a lot.

“Okay, one dead bug, coming right up.” Yang grabbed the shower curtain and threw it open, the hand holding the rolled up newspaper raised and ready to strike. “Now, c'mere, you- NOPE!”

Faster than Weiss could’ve possibly imagined- given the woman’s size and her general understanding of the laws of physics- the blonde disappeared from in front of her in a rush, somehow jumping up onto the counter top and effectively plastering herself into the upper corner of the bathroom in the blink of an eye. It actually took her a moment to figure that much out, blinking in surprise until the stuttered breathing behind her brought blue eyes round to see the absolute panic in the other woman’s expression, lilac eyes wide and skin a bit paler than she thought would be normal for someone of Yang’s complexion.

“… what are you doing?”

“YOU DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SPIDERS!” Of the many, many things she considered as a possible outcome of the night, being actually yelled at in this specific manner didn’t happen to be one of them.

Slowly raising a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, Weiss came to the obvious conclusion. “You’re arachnophobic.”

“IF THAT’S FANCY PEOPLE TALK FOR 'NOT FUCKING WITH SPIDERS’ THEN YES, ACTUALLY, I AM!”

Considering her luck that week, she simply couldn’t muster the ability to be surprised. With a sigh- because now any potentially flirtatious mood was well and truly killed- Weiss held out her hand towards the terrified woman. “Give me the newspaper.”

She didn’t miss the way the blonde’s hand trembled and, in retrospect, she probably should’ve been more specific with her initial request. Unrolling it, Weiss went over to the bath tub and carefully coaxed the offending spider onto the paper, being mindful to try and use her body to shield her guest from the unpleasantness. Personally, she didn’t understand how someone could be afraid of the creatures; she was no fan herself, true, but she couldn’t be mustered to actual fear by something smaller than a lien. Considering her day-to-day life consisted of board meetings and more money than most people could imagine, her fears revolved around being denied access to her laptop during a crisis, which probably spoke to how badly she needed to relax. However, as she neared the door, despite her best efforts, Yang flinched away, accidentally knocking into the bottle of wine on the counter top and sending it tumbling to the tile behind Weiss.

Thankfully, she neither lost the spider to the carpet below nor stepped on any glass as she quickly hopped out of the bathroom, mentally amending her list of fears to include sudden loud noises.

“Shit, s-sorry.” Although she couldn’t see the woman- Yang seemed rather content to remain affixed to the top corner of the ceiling- there was a genuine note of contrition in her voice.

Weiss simply sighed, opting to remain silent rather than loose some biting remark. Instead, she carried the spider out to the living room, opening a window to deposit the creature onto the brick siding of the building, which it all too happily latched onto when given the chance. Honestly, it probably spent the entirety of its time in the bath tub terrified of all the noise the humans made and wanted to be free of them as eagerly as the other way around. Maybe this time it would learn not to slip into people’s homes and make its presence known or risk a worse fate.

She stopped by the kitchen to collect a suitable towel to wipe up the spilled wine and a hand broom plus dustpan, absently thankful the damage hadn’t made it nearly as far as the carpeted hallway, and tried to imagine what it would take to coax her neighbor down from the counter top and usher her back to her apartment. At this rate, she’d be lucky if the water hadn’t been shut off, seeing as that was just about the last thing that could go wrong.

When she returned to the bathroom, Weiss found that at least one problem solved itself; the blonde had climbed down from her perch. Presently, she was kneeling just outside the red splotch still slipping across the tile, fingers picking out the larger chunks of glass. The red liquid was already beginning to stain her fingertips, gaze hidden from Weiss’ view, but she didn’t seem to be paying much mind as every shard was deposited into the still intact bottom of the bottle.

“You’re going to cut yourself,” she said, carefully lowering herself to her knees and setting aside her supplies for the moment, holding out one hand. “Give me what you have; I’ll dispose of it safely.”

“I-I’m really sorry.” Yang wouldn’t look at her directly, lavender eyes peeking up through blonde bangs, but she handed over the collected glass without protest.

“It’s fine.” Her tone was flat, more because her attention remained fixed on ensuring nothing stained the carpet than due to a lack of sincerity on the blonde’s part, and she stood without another word to throw away the broken glass. With that done, she returned once again, only to find the floor devoid of debris and wine, though one could pick out the lingering red stain that remained and wouldn’t come up without a vigorous scrubbing of the tile. Above it stood the blonde, holding the soiled towel and full dust pan while staring at the floor just in front of Weiss’ feet, a bright blush illuminating her cheeks.

“I really am sorry.” She muttered, gaze darting up a few times before falling further and staying there- and it was a bit unfair how much she looked like a guilty golden retriever in that moment, the typical extrovert cheer that typically filled her larger frame completely absent. “I shouldn’t have freaked out like that.”

“You were startled; it’s understandable.” Weiss motioned for the items in her hand. “I’ll take those and show you out.” That was a bit rude and she actually did internally wince at realizing that, but the blonde didn’t notice one way or the other, handing over the towel and dust pan without complaint. Although it did disappoint her that whatever idle fantasies she might’ve concocted now seemed about as plausible as pigs flying, the most she could do would be to continue on with her night as best she could. A nice, long soak would be the very least she could do to begin siphoning away the stress from the week, and perhaps tomorrow she could run out to the store and buy something as an apology for inadvertently giving the woman a fright. “Thank you for offering your assistance.”

“Yeah, uh… no problem.” They walked through the living room, stopping briefly so Weiss could throw the towel in the empty sink and drop the dust pan’s contents into the trash can. “I’m-”

“If you’re about to apologize again, don’t.” She walked over, flipping open the lock and twisting the knob. “It was an accident and, if anyone’s at fault, it’s me for putting you in that position.” Opening the door, Weiss mustered a small smile for the beleaguered blonde. “Please, forgive my intrusion upon your evening. It’s been a very long week.”

“Uh, well, I…” When words seemed to fail her, Yang shuffled out, pausing once she was in the hallway to turn back. “Have a good night, Weiss.”

“You, too,” she replied before shutting the door, locking it and waiting for the woman’s heavy tread to trek across the hallway and the closing of another door before allowing herself a sigh.

Really, she shouldn’t have expected anything good to come from any endeavor she undertook this week. The past five days were hell, so why should tonight be any different?

On the bright side, at least she didn’t have to deal with the inevitable awkwardness that would come with attempting something like a casual relationship with her neighbor, and anything serious would be nigh impossible given their differing schedules. If her sister asked, she’d tell her the simple truth: she tried, it didn’t pan out, and she was better off alone.

At least she still had the bubble bath.

Much to her never-ending surprise, the bath went off without a hitch. Nigh scalding water quickly eased into her muscles and the lavender scent coaxed her troubles to the back of her mind as she lay in the water. All good things had to come to an end, unfortunately, and getting up and actually cleaning herself off when the water cooled came with a few muttered curses because of that, but she felt rather content when she emerged from the bathroom, once again clothed in her robe with a spare towel wrapped around her hair. She changed into her white silk pajamas, wanting nothing more than to brush out her hair and go to sleep. There was a thought to run out and find a bottle of wine, seeing as hers was sacrificed to the tile, but she dismissed it immediately; she’d had enough of dealing with the outside world at this point.

Instead, she would have to settle for a glass of cool water before bed. Weiss was halfway to the kitchen when she caught the sound of her neighbor’s heavy footfalls out in the hall again and she felt a pang of disappointment strike her chest. Their brief interaction earlier seemed like such a wasted opportunity; the blonde certainly seemed to be the sort to indulge in the sort of strictly physical, stress relieving arrangements that would fit into her hectic schedule. She doubted the woman would be inclined to accept another invitation, though seeing as-

Wait a minute. She heard Yang’s tread stop close by, but no opening of a door or the closing of one. Maybe it was someone else, though she honestly couldn’t recall any of their other neighbors making the same casual racket with their comings and goings.

Curiosity got the better of her and she padded to her own door, lifting up on her tip toes to peek through the peep hole. She could make out the blonde’s burly frame just outside her door but no knock came, no signal that she wanted Weiss’ attention. She was just… standing there.

“Oh, what the hell,” she said to herself, deciding that if there would be any awkwardness resulting from the fiasco earlier, she might as well handle it now. After staring down board members and visiting executives all week, this would be as simple as agreeing they never mention it again and go about their lives as they had before. Flipping the lock with a practiced motion of her wrist, Weiss pulled the door open, her gaze initially focused up into surprised lilac eyes before dropping back down as confusion surely splayed across her features.

During the intervening hours, the blonde saw fit to change from her gym clothes into a rather nice white button up with black slacks, those unruly locks tamed into some semblance of order by being woven in a thick braid, though she did have something of a cowlick poking up from the back that looked a bit too cute for words. In one hand, the woman held a box of chocolates- not the type one could easily find at the local grocery store, either, judging from the foreign label- and in the other, a bottle of wine, the same type that Yang had knocked off her counter top earlier, too. A stuffed animal was tucked under one arm but her attention got pulled away before she could discern exactly what type.

“Oh, uh, hey, Weiss.” The woman flashed a smile, almost immediately dropping her gaze as a blush lit up her cheeks. “I, uh, I was debating on whether or not to knock, 'cause I didn’t know if you’d be up, and I really don’t want to wreck your night any more than I already have-”

“Yang.” Recovering just enough to level a hard look at the taller woman, Weiss narrowed her eyes. “Why are you standing on my doorstep with a bottle of Gaja Barbaresco?”

“It’s the kind I broke, right?” Blonde brows pinched together. “I… don’t really know much about wines, but the labels are the same, but I think the year’s different?” A quick glance down at the offered bottle confirmed that, yes, that was indeed the case. “I wanted to replace yours. I know it’s late, 'cause it took a while to find-”

“That bottle is easily three hundred lien,” she said, trying very hard not to voice the 'how were you able to afford that’ lingering in the back of her mind.

“So? I’ll take a few extra shifts.” Yang shrugged, holding out the wine until she reluctantly accepted the bottle. Not that she didn’t appreciate the gesture but, really, the blonde didn’t have to go through the trouble. “That’s not the-”

“And the chocolates?”

“Oh, they’re white chocolates- I read somewhere that it’s the only kind that goes good with reds like this one.”

While she hadn’t originally planned on eating anything while drinking, she had to admit that finding something to pair with her chosen wine proved a bit more thoughtful than she might’ve expected. Once again, she found herself accepting the offering. “And the… bear?”

With both hands free, Yang had grabbed the stuffed animal from the crook of her arm, allowing the woman to see the little ears, brown eyes, and red writing across its stomach, 'Sorry’ spelled out in smooth cursive as it held its paws open wide. “Well, you said I couldn’t apologize again, so…”

“So, you got a bear to do it for you?” She raised a brow, expecting for some lame excuse to fall from the blonde’s lips the moment she faced resistance. It certainly seemed to be the de facto response with just about everyone else that week.

“I thought it was a bearable way to bend the rules,” Yang replied, a smile flashing across her lips and if it wasn’t for years of dealing with her ever unimpressed father, Weiss might’ve laughed. She briefly considering questioning the woman’s choice of jokes- or her sanity, really- but wasn’t provided the chance as the blonde’s features pinching into an expression of utmost seriousness. “Look, regardless of how we wanna look at earlier, it wasn’t how I wanted our first real interaction to go. I’ve… kinda been working the nerve to talk to you for the past month, but you always seemed really busy and I didn’t want to get in your way. Figured it wouldn’t be appreciated.” Despite the confident start, the woman reached up to rub the back of her neck in a self conscious gesture, obviously a little embarrassed in admitting that much, and it almost made Weiss wince. She suddenly understood with clarity why some might be motivated to provide an excuse or deflect, because she very nearly launched into an explanation regarding the difficult month, the weeks of dealing with stuffy morons and incompetents, but managed to hold it back only just. “Anyway, when you came over earlier, I honestly thought it was my lucky day; I figured you caught me, uh, looking a bit longer than I probably should’ve one too many times and decided to make the first move, that you made up an excuse to invite me over.” Yang winced and offered another shrug. “I really didn’t think you were being dead serious and I didn’t handle the whole situation very well.”

“I’m going to stop you there.” She held up a finger, keeping a tight grip on the wine bottle’s neck with the rest to ensure it didn’t drop. “You handled it as best you could, given the circumstances and I’m not holding that against you.” Her gaze darted between the bottle, box, and bear. “Plus, I’d say your thoughtfulness has more than made up for the incident earlier. Let’s put it behind us, shall we?”

Broad shoulders slumped as relief suffused the other woman’s frame, lilac eyes sparkling once more. “I think I can handle that.”

“Good.” Weiss smiled, moving so that the blonde could tuck the stuffed animal into the crook of her arm.

“Well, you look like you’re heading to bed so I guess I’ll see you later?” Yang took a step down the hallway, as if returning to her own apartment.

But…

“Excuse you? Do I look like an alcoholic?” She pinched her expression into one of mock indignation, waiting for the blonde’s eyes to widen in alarm before holding up the bottle. “I can’t possibly drink this whole bottle by myself.”

She pointedly ignored that she’d actually planned on doing just that with the previous bottle.

“Oh- uh, really?” The other woman seemed caught off guard at first but, after a moment to compose herself, regained that confidence from earlier in the day. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to impose, but I could certainly help you out.” Yang stepped back towards the doorway, a smirk on her lips. “And it seems like you’ve had a rough time at work so how about a movie to take your mind off it?”

Frankly, a movie wasn’t where her mind immediately went, but it would do for now. “Sounds perfect.”

She stepped back into her apartment, turning towards the kitchen as the blonde stepped through the doorway, the corners of her mouth lifting in a small grin as she heard the lock being engaged. Thoughtful and attentive… perhaps the whole spider fiasco would be well worth it after all.

Weiss couldn’t remember the title of the movie they found playing- something with pirate boats and explosions, of that much she was sure- and honestly stopped paying attention after the first few minutes, instead becoming engrossed in a quiet game of twenty questions. Surprisingly, Yang could be very soft spoken, in the right situation, and she’d steered clear of anything that could possibly lead back to Weiss’ work, instead opting for the somewhat bizarre, hypothetical sort. A few of them even made her laugh and she had to admit the constant headaches she’d experienced all throughout the week faded to the back of her mind the longer the conversation went. Weiss found out that the blonde did indeed work construction but also had a second job as a bike mechanic at her sister’s auto shop, that owned the yellow motorcycle currently covered by a tarp in preparation for better riding weather, and that she loved her family dearly. Apparently, part of the reason she’d been working up to talking to Weiss stemmed from an encouraging conversation she had with Ruby, who sounded like just a bit too much energy for the normally stoic business woman to deal with but endearing all the same.

Somehow- she couldn’t quite remember who asked the question- they’d touched on where they could possibly go from this point, either through Weiss’ lamenting the demands of her job draining away any chance for a long term relationship or Yang making an offhand remark about relationships in general. Much to her surprise, the blonde wasn’t looking for a flash-in-the-pan arrangement and didn’t seem deterred by a hectic schedule, making a quip or two about 'building foundations’ and the like, that nothing was ‘built in a day’, and she couldn’t even pretend that they didn’t make her laugh out loud more times than anything else in the past four months. Despite the rational part of her brain insisting that it was doomed to failure, she found herself thinking about putting those construction jokes to the test, see just how far they could go before it inevitably came crashing down around them. If she didn’t miss her guess, Yang was thinking the same thing.

They’d settled in to watch the movie after spending perhaps the first hour or so talking, though she couldn’t remember how it ended…

… actually, she didn’t remember it ending at all, or falling asleep.

Fluttering her eyes open, Weiss quickly covered her yawn with one hand and shifted, surprised when the solid warmth she was leaning against moved, too. “Yang?”

“Welcome back.” She looked up into soft lilac eyes, a gentle smile curling the woman’s lips. “You nodded off during the movie. Figured you needed the rest.”

With a hum, she debated righting herself; it would be the proper thing to do, of course, but those firm muscles were surprisingly comfortable to lean against and she could feel her body beckoning her to return to a peaceful slumber. “Do you want me to move?” She looked up at the silence that followed, slightly surprised to see the war raging in the other woman’s eyes as she bit her lip. “Be honest.”

“I want to say no, because you look really cute when you sleep and you probably need it.” Yang winced. “But my arm fell asleep two hours ago.” Chuckling, Weiss sat up, allowing the blonde to reclaim her arm and start working the pins-and-needles feeling from it. “Seriously, though, I should probably head home so you can get some more rest.”

Hardly in any position to argue, she nodded and the two stood, Weiss making her way to the door while Yang ensured the wine bottle- half full, funnily enough- found its way back to the kitchen, the clinking of glass in the sink preceding her appearance by the door. Weiss unlocked and opened it, a little sad to see the blonde go but very much ready to crawl into her bed and go back to sleep. “Good night, Yang. I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, and feel free to drop by if you need anything other than spider removal.” They both laughed, a small pause following before the blonde added. “Good night, Weiss.”

She nodded and closed the door, fingers on the lock and ready to flick it but she hesitated. Would it be too forward to open the door and ask for a good night kiss? Even if it wasn’t planned, and they didn’t really do much, and she fell asleep during the movie, that was probably one of the best dates she’d ever been on and she was hard pressed to think of a better one off the top of her head. Unfortunately, she’d followed the standard dating protocol all those times and given her date a kiss at the end, even when she hadn’t really wanted to, so to go without now… perhaps she could think of it as a breakaway from the usual. Wasn’t that her initial rationale for going through the whole ordeal in the first place?

Before she could actually turn the lock, though, Yang’s voice came through the door. “Hey… Weiss?”

Raising a brow as a little grin curled her lips, she opened it again, only to quickly finger a knuckle under her chin tilting her head up a moment before lips pressed against her own. The contact was brief and gentle, demanding nothing of her and still leaving her room to pull away if she so desired, but she did manage to kick her brain into gear quick enough to return the pressure before it faded entirely.

The woman’s smile reached all the way to her lilac eyes. “Thanks for giving me a second chance.”

“Go get some sleep, you dolt,” she replied, though she couldn’t help returning the smile even as the blonde backed away. This time, when Weiss closed the door, she locked it and went straight to her bedroom. She thought she remembered Yang saying something about being off work this weekend for one reason or another.

Maybe tomorrow she could go over and ask for a cup of sugar.

... did you honestly expect me to play the cliche straight?