Yang couldn't help but smile as she watched Neo help her dad wash up after breakfast. Neo was still a little shy, but it seemed like she was starting to relax. Her dad and Neo wouldn't be having any long heart-to-hearts any time soon, but at the very least they could be open with each other.

Yang felt completely at ease. After watching what seemed like her whole life falling apart around her, and then the long struggle of getting back to where she had been before...she felt like everything was just going right.

As Yang watched Neo move around the kitchen, she was struck by just how beautiful she was. Her small stature combined with her full figure were a deadly combination, and the way she moved surely about the room spoke to the strength and skill in those slender limbs...and then of course there was her face, delicate and gentle, while her bright hair and eyes were alluring, mischievous one moment and soft and gentle the next.

Yang had to admit, she had fallen for Neo. And she wanted to be close to her, closer than she already was...closer than she'd been to anyone. As much as she wanted that, though, part of her was still afraid. So many people had left her...how could she give another person the chance to do the same? Even if she trusted Neo, Yang didn't want to let herself be hurt again.

Yang caught herself staring and tried not to blush. She turned and looked out the kitchen window. Last night those few light flurries had turned into a full-on blizzard, one that left deep drifts piled up almost to the windowsill. The sun had come out though, making the pure white snowfall sparkle where it caught ice crystals at just the right angle. Yang looked over her shoulder at Neo.

"Probably not the best weather to go for a run, huh?" she asked. Neo looked past her out the window and gave her a nod of agreement.

"I think it's good weather to sit on the couch and have some hot chocolate," her dad said off-handedly. When Neo paused by the sink, a stack of plates in her hand, and gave her a look of anticipation, Yang couldn't help but smile.

Yang couldn't remember when she had been this close to another person. She could remember when she had cared this much about someone else, but that had been...before the Battle of Beacon. And even then, she didn't think she'd been so eager to just touch someone.

"I think that sounds exactly what we should do," she said to Neo, "How about we help finish doing the dishes and we can sit on the couch with some hot chocolate?"

/

Neo loved sweets. Ice cream was her favorite, of course, but hot chocolate on a cold day was a luxury she had only known a handful of times. Today was without a doubt the best experience, thanks almost entirely in part to the fact that she was sharing it with Yang.

As she drained her mug, slurping up the half-melted marshmallows at the bottom, she heard Yang giggle. Neo blushed and set down her mug on the coffee table, then sat back on the couch, leaning against Yang and resting her head on the blonde's right shoulder.

Yes, Neo definitely expected this to go down as one of her more pleasant memories.

Neo couldn't remember a time when she was as happy as the months she spent at the Xiao Long house. Not only did she have warm meals and a soft bed every day - and that was something she would never take for granted - she had also grown closer to Yang. Very close, both emotionally and physically.

It seemed to Neo that after last night, the boundaries between them had come down. It was unspoken, but neither of them were uncomfortable with all the physical contact between them - whether it was cuddling in bed or holding hands or just leaning against each other, as they were doing now.

Yang sipped at her hot chocolate and rested the mug on her leg. Neo looked up at Yang and felt her heartbeat quicken. She suddenly felt the urge to kiss Yang, to lean in and taste the chocolate on her tongue.

Kiss her. Then tell her you love her. Maybe just kiss her.

Neo, for all the pleasant moments she had shared with Yang that day, was still unsure of herself when it came to telling Yang how she felt. Yes, there was the unspoken leap forward in their relationship...but admitting their love would be another leap, and so soon after the first, Neo could only feel anxious.

Better to just kiss her.

"Neo, do you remember when we visited Summer's grave?" Yang asked. The sudden question pulled Neo out of her thoughts.

Neo smiled as she remembered holding Yang's hand and watching the sunlight catch her hair.

"I told you I had no intention of leaving you," she replied softly.

"Hmm. That's just what I was thinking of," Yang said, her voice oddly serious. Neo shifted slightly against Yang's shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Yang frowned and took a small sip from her mug she leaned forward, set it down on the coffee table next to Neo's and half-turned in her seat to face the smaller girl.

"Neo...before the Battle of Beacon...Blake was my partner."

"Right," Neo said, "You tried to save her from Adam Taurus," she whispered. That moment where Yang had been willing to sacrifice herself for her friend was one of the reasons Neo had been drawn to her. She had rarely found someone that selfless.

"Well...I think we were a little more than partners. Or at least, I wanted us to be. We were...really close."

Yang's voice seemed distant. She cleared her throat and was silent for a moment, during which Neo glanced down at the coffee table uncomfortably. There had to be a reason for Yang to bring this up now...

"So when she left..." Neo began, her voice trailing off.

"It broke my heart," Yang finished. Her voice was cracking.

/

Yang felt heartache welling up inside her. She'd reopened an old wound, one that she'd thought had healed.

It hurts. It hurts but you need to say it. Pain will make you stronger...

"Neo, I still don't know why Blake left. All I know is that I was willing to give everything for her...and she left me. And that probably hurt more than losing my arm."

Neo turned to face Yang and sat up on her knees. Yang swallowed and blinked away tears.

Why am I so weak?

"Yang, I'm...I'm so sorry."

Yang took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Neo, the reason I'm telling you this is because...because I don't want you to leave me too. I don't want to go through that pain again. That sounds selfish, and...and I know we both want more from this but..." she paused as she felt herself crying. She reached up to wiped away her tears, cursing her own weakness again.

She'd already asked Neo not to leave her before, but this time it seemed more urgent. Then her feelings for Neo had just been beginning to grow, but now they had fully blossomed.

Then Neo wrapped her arms around Yang, hugging her as tightly as she could. One of her hands went up to Yang's right shoulder, which she rubbed at comfortingly.

"You're okay, sunshine. You're okay."

Yang sobbed and leaned into the embrace.

"It's been one day and I'm already afraid. What the hell is wrong with me?"

She rested her forehead against Neo's head. Her soft particolored hair tickled Yang's face, and she inhaled Neo's scent.

Strawberries. She smelled like strawberries. Yang wondered why: was it Neo's natural scent? Was she using strawberry-scented shampoo? Was it some sort of illusion? She didn't care - it was wonderful.

"Yang...I know they're only words...but I promise, I'm not going to leave you. I can't, not after everything you've done for me. That's how I'm going to make it up to you, by being there for you every step of the way."

Neo coughed lightly and pulled away, enough for Yang to look into her eyes. They were such a soft shade of pink…

"I know, Neo. I believe you," Yang replied. Neo shivered and reached up from Yang's shoulder to cup her face.

"Do you trust me?" Neo asked hoarsely.

"I do. I know this is so sudden...I feel ridiculous."

"No, Yang," Neo replied soothingly, "I know it hurts. It's okay to be afraid, as long as you know I'll be with you all along the way."

"I know you will," Yang said as she smiled and blinked away the last of her tears. She'd have to trust Neo. Not just because she wanted to, but because she needed to. They couldn't move forward with their relationship if Yang was always afraid that Neo would leave her.

"Yang," Neo whispered, her voice barely audible, "Can I kiss you?"

Yang's breath caught in her throat as she stared into Neo's eyes.

"Y-yes..." she said hoarsely. Neo leaned in, gently, until their faces were inches apart.

Neo sighed, so quietly it was barely an exhale, and then they were kissing.

At first it was light, Neo's lips pressed against Yang's, little more than a quick peck. But it was sweet, and Yang wanted more. Neo pulled away first, to gauge Yang's reaction.

Yang's reaction was to wrap her arm around Neo's waist and pull the girl into her lap. Neo moved in to kiss her again, wet and warm, then Yang's tongue was probing at Neo's lips, seeking entry.

Neo sighed and deepened the kiss, leaning against Yang and wrapping her arms around Yang's neck. Yang tasted chocolate on Neo's tongue.

Yang's heart was pounding. This was...absolutely perfect. When Neo broke away, it was to gasp for breath. Yang kept her eyes shut, savoring the feeling of Neo sitting in her lap, arms wrapped around her.

"What should we do now?" Neo asked.

"C-can we keep doing that?" Yang replied breathlessly.

Neo giggled, and then she kissed Yang again.