On the airship to Atlas, Ruby noticed something. Yang and Blake had always been close, but there was something different about the way her sister reached over the space between them. She wasn’t quite sure about the extent of what they went through, after all they’d been pretty vague , and she didn’t blame them. It was traumatic, for both of them.

Ruby remembers the exact moment when it clicked in her mind what that difference probably was. Everyone had been doing their own thing, waiting for the airship to arrive in Atlas. Weiss had been telling her and Oscar what to expect when they did get there, and Ruby had glanced away for a moment to see if her sister and Blake were doing okay, and what she saw was mildly surprising at the time. Looking back, it shouldn’t have been, it was so obvious. Blake and Yang had been sitting cross-legged facing each other, talking about something quietly, hands intertwined in the space between them. Blake had dipped her head suddenly, a blush spreading across her face, and Yang smiled softly in response. Then, her sister had raised one of her hands to cup Blake’s jaw, and tilted her head back up. Yang said something to her, but Ruby couldn’t hear exactly what, and it seemed to ease the faunus’ nerves as her shoulders relaxed and she returned the smile.

Ruby then realized she had been staring and glanced back at her own partner, but her mind was on overdrive. She had never been good with stuff like this, did it mean what she thought? She smiled to herself, she sure hoped it did. They’d been through so much, and they definitely deserve every little bit of happiness they could muster. Ruby saw the shift in her sister’s attitude ever since Blake came back.

It all made sense in that moment.

The glances while the other didn’t think they were looking, the way her sister would always look for Blake first after a scuffle, the way Blake would do the same, the way their eyes would shine when they met. Ruby glanced at them one last time, as if one more look would confirm her suspicions. The partners were laughing lightly, fingers intertwined again with their foreheads pressed together for a moment before Yang had pulled back. “Ruby? Are you even listening?” her own partner’s voice had broken her out of her thoughts, and her gaze shot back to Weiss.

Ruby had offered a goofy smile that she knew Weiss had a slight soft spot for, “Yeah! Of course, sorry.”

Weiss shook her head but kept talking nonetheless. Ruby couldn’t stop smiling despite what Weiss was telling her (Although she was admittedly not listening at all), she was glad her sister finally found the happiness she deserves.

Weiss knew how hard Atlas was going to be. After all, there were reasons that she left in the first place. She also knew that it would be harder for Blake than anyone else. There are bigots around every corner in Atlas that aren’t afraid to voice their opinion on a faunus roaming their streets. One day, after a particularly bad comment was thrown their way when the team was out- just the 4 of them for the first time in a while- Yang’s eyes had flared red as she turned to the person who had spoken. Blake had immediately grabbed her wrist and turned her back around, and her other hand went up to Yang’s shoulder. Weiss’ eyebrows had furrowed at the display. Her two teammates had been standing awfully close, a huge contrast to how they’d been when they first reunited.

Something clicked in Weiss’ mind when she watched Yang’s eyes meet Blake’s, saw them immediately turn violet again as Blake’s thumb rubbed soothing circles into her partner’s shoulder. She remembers that a sudden epiphany coursed through her mind then. There was something about the way Blake was looking at Yang that day that Weiss hadn’t ever seen before, not between anyone, and especially not between her parents. That’s love. That’s what love is supposed to look like. Not the sidelong glares she remembers between her parents, not the abuse from her own father. No, but that soft smile that Yang kept on her lips long after they started walking again. The way Blake had stared down at their hands that were still clasped tightly between them. Somehow, it wasn’t something that she had expected, but Yang and Blake had obviously fallen in love.

Weiss had glanced over at Ruby after the realization hit home only to find her partner staring right back at her with a smile. Ruby made a little heart with her fingers and cocked her head towards her sister and Blake, and Weiss smiled in response, nodding at her partner's actions. As they continued their walk, Weiss hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off her face. She realized that there was no one else that she could even see her two teammates with, realized how truly perfect they’d been for one another all along, still are . She could tell already that they were going to be completely insufferable, and that she’ll probably be within earshot of excessive flirty and innuendos on Yang’s end in the future. Any other time she’d be mad at herself for how happy it made her, and she knew that she’ll probably give them a pretty hard time about things in the future, but in that moment she just let them be happy.

Because if anyone deserves it, it’s those two.

Many would characterize Jaune as clueless, and he knows that. He also knows that he definitely has his moments. One that comes to mind almost right away is the time that he realized something about Blake and Yang’s partnership. He was sitting cross-legged in the grass right before everything went to hell in Argus, and the two partners were preparing bumblebee and going over the mission details. He had taken the time to look around at everyone, make sure everything was okay, but he stopped when his eyes fell on Blake and Yang. He saw something from a distance as he glanced at them, quirking a brow in thought. He recalls Yang looking extremely worried, probably because Blake had said she would be going up to that tower alone. Everyone else wasn’t really paying attention to them at the time because of their own pre-fight preparations, and he thought that they knew that, and they took advantage of it.

Yang had leaned back against the bike with her arms crossed as she shook her head, saying something that Jaune wasn’t able to hear from a distance, and he vividly remembers the way Blake glanced around to make sure no one was looking (and the way he averted his own attention for a moment before his curiosity got the best of him) before stepping into Yang’s space, and bringing a hand up to move some of Yang’s hair out of her face. Blake had whispered something to her, and Yang had nodded in response, but wouldn’t meet her partner’s eyes. He recalls the way his eyebrows raised in surprise when Blake leaned forward to place a gentle kiss to Yang’s forehead before using her hand to tilt Yang’s head up to meet her eyes, shaking her head as she spoke, giving her partner another smile.

Jaune had looked away after that, he knew from how they had decided to stand off to the side that they wanted privacy. He decided to stare off into the water as he thought the mission plan over again. After a few moments of telling himself not to mess up the plan that he had came up with, he realized what he had truly just seen between Blake and Yang. What those soft actions meant.

It was everything that he wished he got to experience with Pyrrha before she was killed.

His eyes had gone round unconsciously, and he glanced back at them right as Blake pulled back from a hug. He had observed a bit closer after that, taking in the look in Yang’s eyes, and he knew that he was right. For a second, it hurt. He never got to have that, never got to know what it was like. His eyebrows had knit together, and for a moment he wondered why he was feeling sorry for himself. It wasn’t going to solve anything, and he certainly wouldn’t wish the feeling of losing the one you love on Blake and Yang. It’s not like he was mad at them at all. No, he was happy for them. So happy. He was thrilled that they got the opportunity he missed. It just resurfaced some old regrets.

After a moment, he realized that he was staring at them with a smile, and a second later, Yang had glanced over at him. Her eyes had widened momentarily at being caught, but Jaune just kept smiling. Blake also turned to him after noticing that Yang’s attention left her, mimicking Yang’s reaction as her eyes fell on him. He had quickly relieved them of their worries though, offering a grin and two thumbs up. Yang’s hand that had been grasping Blake’s upper arm untensed, and she returned the smile as Jaune made a ‘lips sealed’ motion with his hand. Blake and Yang had made eye contact again briefly before Yang glanced back at him and mouthed, “Thank you.”

Jaune had nodded in response. To an extent, he knows what they’ve been through, and he knows that they’re probably still healing. He’s glad they have each other to help them through it.

Ren found out something was different back when they were staying with Saphron. He has always been a quiet person, and that time had been no exception. He’d been in the room that his team was sharing. Jaune and Nora went out with Saphron, Qrow had gone out on his own, and Weiss, Ruby and Oscar were talking to Maria out in the backyard. It wasn’t his fault necessarily that he had overheard the conversation that was happening in the room beside him. Blake and Yang had been the only other ones in the house, and he knew that those two had a lot they had to talk about, so he let them talk uninterrupted when he heard Yang raise her voice. The walls had been thin, and so they were kind of easy to hear. He recalls there being a lot of that kind of volume at the beginning, but slowly the voices had tapered off into softer words. “I’m not leaving. I wouldn’t- I couldn’t leave you. Never again, Yang.” he heard Blake say dejectedly after they both concluded that the yelling wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

“How am I supposed to believe that?” Yang had whispered back, and Ren recalls his heart aching for his friends.

Ren is known for being composed and calm no matter the situation, but that doesn’t mean that he’s unfeeling. He had sighed at the unfortunate hand they had been dealt, and hoped silently that their conversation would have a positive outcome. “I know we’re not in a good place, Yang, but I can’t prove myself if you don’t let me try.” Blake had responded, “And if you give me the chance, you won’t regret it. I can promise you that.” then she had paused, “But I… Yang, we can’t go back to the way we were now. Not after last night.”

There was a brief silence, and Ren had wondered what she meant by that before quickly deciding that there was probably a reason he didn’t know. “I know.” Yang said after a while, “I wouldn’t want to.”

“So you don’t…?” Blake had began to say, Ren remembers her trailing off.

“No. Never. Blake, that’s something I’d never regret. Even if...”

He recalls another silence, and then remembers the way he was shaken out of his thoughts on what they could mean by Blake’s next words. “Yang…” Blake’s breath caught, “I love you. I’m in love with you. I’m not leaving again. It’d kill me too, not just you.”

Ren remembers his breath catching in his throat, remembers the way he suddenly realized that he was imposing on something really private, more private than he previously thought. Ren was about to get up and leave his room to give them that privacy when he heard Yang’s response, “I love you too. So much.”

Ren smiled as he stood, and silently made his way out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. It seemed that Nora was right in the end, she had predicted them back at Beacon, and he can only imagine how excited she’ll be to be proven right. The shock of finding out faded fairly quickly for him, but he’s fairly certain it won’t be the same for his girlfriend.

Afterall, those two getting together was as inevitable as him and Nora had been, maybe even more.

Nora caught on a week into being in Atlas. Not a single word had been heard from Ironwood yet, and the gang had been getting a little antsy. So much so that they decided they needed to get out of the rooms they were staying in. Yang, Blake, Ren, Oscar, and Nora all went to a gym that Weiss had recommended that was in a quieter part of Atlas, a place where there would probably be less people spewing acidic words their way. Nora and Ren decided to spar, same with Blake and Yang, and Oscar had just been practicing maneuvering his weapon. Out of the corner of her eyes, Nora had seen that Blake and Yang were taking a break a few minutes in, but quickly returned her attention to blocking her boyfriends hits, and sending back ones’ of her own. She ended up getting a pretty solid hit on him that had him stumbling back momentarily, and he asked for a break, which she happily granted after thoroughly making sure he had been okay. He sat down and grabbed her water bottle, offering it to her with a smile, and she had accepted it as she plopped down beside him before twisting it open and taking a sip. She heard Ren open his own water bottle at her side, and she was content to just sit there and relax for a moment while her boyfriend recharged.

Nora had watched Oscar for a few minutes, taking in his form as he swung his weapon, and realized just how much he’d improved since they met. She remembers smiling, yelling an easy, “Good job, O!” before turning her attention to the other set of partners.

Blake and Yang were leaning against the wall if she remembers correctly, Yang raising a water bottle to her lips and Blake smiling easily at her. Nora recalls being in earshot, so she didn’t really need to focus on them to hear as Yang said, “You certainly wouldn’t mind, would you, Belladonna...”

“Seeing you in a tank-top more often?” she remembers hearing Blake drawl back, a little smirk playing at her lips, “Of course I wouldn’t mind. I’m not blind, and definitely not an idiot . ”

Nora remembers the way her eyes had widened, the way a smile immediately pulled at her lips, remembers grabbing onto Ren’s forearm, telling him to look. Right after the words had escaped her mouth, one of Blake’s hands had raised, teasingly coming up to rest on Yang’s hip. “I’m glad. Stupidity is definitely a turn off for me.”

“Oh, shut up.” Blake had laughed, pushing at Yang’s shoulder, and the blonde responded with a wide grin.

Eyes completely wide, Nora had shook Ren’s arm suddenly and harshly, causing him to spill water on himself during her excitement. She had let out a little squeal right as Oscar left to go to the washroom, and it caught the couple’s attention. “You two are so cute!” she had said happily, and surprise overtook their features before Yang grinned and Blake smiled.

“That’s coming from one part of the almighty ReNora? We’re honored.” Yang responded, causing Blake to shake her head half-heartedly, “Thank you, Nora. Really .”

Nora had nodded, her grin managing to widen more. She had been right all those years ago! She wasn’t going to let Ren hear the end of this anytime soon.

Oscar found out rather unceremoniously after maybe… 3 weeks in Atlas? He had needed to discuss something with Ruby and Weiss, but it was pretty late, so he hoped they’d still be awake and that he wasn’t intruding on anything. He walked into team RWBY’s room that they had been sharing with Maria, and had seen something that had his eyes widening, his cheeks going red. His steps had faltered immediately, causing him to almost trip over his feet. Blake had been sitting on the couch with a book hanging lazily in her hand with her head tilted back by the hands of her partner, and Yang, who had been standing behind the couch, leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Blake’s lips before pulling back gently, “Time for bed, night owl. We have a lot to do tomorrow.” She whispered, before leaning back down for one last peck, then took a step back. He had absolutely no idea that they were together. He chalked it up to not knowing them for very long, and the fact that he hasn’t always been the best at reading others.

Oscar remembers Yang meeting his eyes a second after, and she’d smiled at him, “Looking for Ruby?” she had asked, and he had only been able to nod dumbly.

“She’s in her and Weiss’ room. They should still be awake.” she had replied, nodding towards a door, and Oscar nodded again, glancing between the two of them.

Blake looked tired, and he ultimately decided that Yang was doing the right thing trying to get her to bed. He walked over to the room, but stopped with his hand on the handle, then he turned back, smiling sheepishly at them. “Sorry for walking in unannounced,” he said, “And… I’m happy for you two.”

Blake smiled back at him, “No worries, Oscar. And we appreciate it.”

Oscar nodded one last time and then twisted the doorknob to their room. Now that he thought about it, they fit together well. He could easily see that they weren’t just a couple on a trial run, that they were meant for each other. He briefly wondered how he never saw it before, but then concluded that he’s still young, and his focus had never really been on love.

But if he ever finds it, he hopes it’ll be even half as good as theirs.

Maria, being the newest addition to the group, had an unbiased view on everyone, and their relationships. At first she had thought that they hated each other, cold shoulders on Yang’s part and whatnot, but she realized how wrong that was pretty fast. There can’t be pain from one’s actions if there is an absence of love, and she notices fairly quickly that there is so clearly not an absence between them. As the days went on, she saw them get closer, knew that the way they were was not strictly platonic, there was something more there. She immediately noticed a shift in their relationship on the second night in Argus. They were closer somehow, even though they seemed like they had been in quicksand at the time. Maria remembers catching Blake staring at Yang’s back with an unreadable expression for a while before Ruby dragged the older woman outside to talk to her with Weiss and Oscar.

When she came back inside after, everything she had suspected was confirmed. Blake and Yang had been in the kitchen, had turned to Maria as she walked in, but weren’t quick enough to hide their clasped hands and the way that their heads were just a bit too close. Yang had a glass raised to her lips, but Maria was almost positive that the glass wasn’t the only thing to have touched her lips in the past few minutes before she walked in. Maria had only smirked at them, shaking her head slowly. “No need to hide that, girls. I’m sure your teammates will all be thrilled.” she said before turning and making her way out of the room, then calling behind her, “Although, I’d be careful with what you do, lovebirds. I’m blind , not deaf .”



She recalls laughing as she heard Yang choke on water she had been drinking, and she didn’t stop until she was back in the backyard. Maria had always had a big sense of humor, and teasing the girls was most certainly not above her. Besides, she was happy for them, and she knew that they knew she meant well.

Qrow always had a feeling. He could tell that Yang at least had feelings for her partner, after all, not everyone looks at their teammates like that. He remembers the night his suspicions were confirmed though. The gang needed a short rest after everything that went down it Atlas, and decided that staying in Argus for a few nights certainly wouldn’t hurt. He doesn’t quite remember the occasion, but he remembers bringing everyone outside to watch the fireworks. Everyone sat down in the grass, and with a glance, Qrow had noticed that Yang and Blake were sitting pretty close. Upon further inspection, he noted that they were holding hands. He remembers watching as Yang’s other arm came to rest upon Blake’s shoulders, and the faunus leaned against her in response.

As the fireworks continued to go off in the sky, Qrow glanced away, turning his attention to the sky with a small smirk. Those two certainly deserved to have finally made it, he thought. He remembers hoping that they’ll continue to prosper and be that way. His next thought had been hoping that neither of them will make the same mistakes his sister had, because love is something that shouldn’t be ran away from, and those two? That was love , plain and simple. He smiled again, he was glad that got what she needed.

Later in the night, when they had been going back indoors, Qrow had whispered into Yang’s ear, “Don’t screw it up, firecracker,” although he knew she wouldn’t, could see it in the way her eyes fell on Blake after he spoke.

“I won’t.” she responded, and Qrow knew she wasn’t lying.

She was always a good kid. Both of them were.

~

la fin.