Chapter 71

Xenon glanced into the living room to see Sun seated on the couch, watching television. In spite of her fears, she had taken an immediate liking to him. He was easygoing, cheerful, and even helped around the apartment without prompting. Sun reminded her of a Faunus man, Nick, who had been helpful when Neon was little. Nick had been just about the only Faunus who did not judge her, maybe the only person who did not judge her, seemingly infinite in his patience as he taught her terrified younger self how to care for a Faunus such as Neon. He may have been the only Faunus Xenon could see herself starting a life with, but he was already married, so she had remained alone with Neon. She was relieved to see Neon dating someone so like Nick, as her earlier boyfriends had been rather disappointing.

As Xenon approached Sun, taking a seat on the chair beside the couch on which he sat, she could not help but notice how tense and nervous he looked. It was very out of character, at least from what she had seen over the previous few days. It was understandable though. Neon had gone out, leaving Sun alone with Xenon. He was probably expecting his girlfriend's mother to grill him, to ask the hard questions. Xenon was well aware that she could be rather intimidating, it was the icy Atlesian blood in her veins. Fortunately for Sun, she was not planning to interrogate him. She was good at reading people, and had already seen enough to know he was a good guy.

Just as Xenon was planning to start a conversation with Sun, the apartment door swung open and Neon burst in, all smiles. That was another thing Xenon liked about Sun, he made Neon happy, happier than ever before it seemed. But now Sun tensed at the sight of Neon, his tail curling up. "Everything's alright?" He asked.

"Yep!" Neon cheered. "We're all good!" She winked. All Sun's tension seemed to melt away in an instant.

"Good with what?" Xenon asked.

"Eh, it's no big deal." Neon waved her off.

"Judging by his reaction, I'd say it is." Xenon observed. "Where did you go exactly?"

"Nowhere." Neon rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it."

"Neon." Xenon sighed. "You're worrying me." She was about to do something she would rather not have. "But I can tell I won't get a straight answer from you." She looked to Sun, hoping the implicit threat would encourage Neon to talk. Neon called her bluff. It was a poor decision. "Sun, where did Neon go?"

"Sun, don't you say a word." Neon commanded.

"Sun...I'm worried about my daughter." Xenon continued. "Where did she go?"

"Uh…" Sun hesitated, looking back and forth between Neon and her mother. There was no good way out of this dilemma.

"I like you Sun, I trust you." Xenon pressed. "I hope my trust is not misplaced."

"She uh...she went to the clinic." Sun struggled. Neon seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief.

"Is she ill?" Xenon asked. "She seems healthy to me." She paused. "Which clinic exactly?" Neon tried to keep a straight face, but the slightest expression of fear managed to break through the facade.

"The...family planning clinic." Sun replied, defeated.

Xenon looked back and forth between Neon and Sun. "You mean the abortion clinic, don't you?"

Sun nodded. "I can explain." Neon blurted.

"Oh, please do." Xenon growled. She shook her head. "Sun...I thought you were more responsible than this."

"This isn't his fault." Neon protested. "It wasn't some mistake." Xenon was taken aback. Neon slumped, realizing there was no way to avoid explaining everything now. "So...you know how my heats really suck?" She paused but her mother offered no reaction. "Well, there's a surefire way of making them shorter…"

"So you got pregnant so you wouldn't have to deal with your heat, planning to get an abortion from the start?" Xenon asked.

"Yes." Neon replied, avoiding eye contact.

"And Sun, you were okay with this?" Xenon asked.

"Yeah." Sun answered. "I mean, it's her body and everything."

"So you just went through it without a second thought?" Xenon accused. "How much did you think about it? Did you consider the gravity of the situation? The implications? Hell, did you even consider how Sun really feels? I can tell he's just along for the ride."

"Mom I...it's not a big deal." Neon managed.

"Not a big deal…" Xenon sighed. "And what if I'd decided you were 'not a big deal'? Sure, by then it was too late to salvage my relationship, and my reputation was already stained, but it would have been much easier if I'd just decided you were not a big deal."

"Mom, I'm sorry I…" Neon started.

"Don't." Xenon cut her off. "You're not even going to apologize for the right thing. I'm not angry that you got an abortion. What I am angry about is the fact that you acted so cavalierly, knowing what you were doing was, if not wrong, certainly objectionable. If you didn't know that, you wouldn't have tried to hide it from me. And Sun...did you even ask how he felt about it? I don't mean if he was okay with it, I mean if he was really alright with it. Or did you just sweep him along? What if everything wasn't okay? What if something went wrong? Then what Neon?"

"Mom I…" Neon said feebly, tears welling in her eyes.

"No, stop." Xenon shook her head. "You need to think about this, really think, before you apologize. Until then...I don't know. Maybe the two of you should go. I won't kick you out, but I think it would be best if you returned to Sun's, or to the university."

"I'm really sorry Ms. Katt." Sun spoke up. "I...we didn't want...I'm sorry."

"I know you are, but you need to think about this too." Xenon suggested. "Being kind and supportive is noble, but there need to be limits or you'll be taken advantage of." She stood. "I'm going for a walk. I need to do some thinking too." She slipped on her shoes, threw on a jacket, left the apartment.

"We...fuck, this is fucked up, we really fucked up." Sun sighed.

Neon sniffled, wiping a stray tear. "Yeah, we did."

Yang and Pyrrha came home from a busy day to find the house dead quiet. It was odd considering Ruby and Summer tended to be rather loud. "Yo, anyone home?" Yang called.

"In the kitchen Yang." Weiss' voice called, the girl in question appearing in the entrance with a cup of tea in hand. "Yang, Pyrrha, how was your day?"

"Ugh." Yang groaned, slumping against the wall, letting her gym bag fall with a thud.

"Today was rather busy." Pyrrha replied.

"I need another shower." Yang declared.

"Another?" Weiss asked.

"Yup!" Yang strode toward the bathroom, stripping off her top as she went. "I'm leaving the door unloooooocked!" She sung over her shoulder, disappearing within.

"Would you like some tea Pyrrha?" Weiss offered, changing the subject.

"Please." Pyrrha nodded. Entering the kitchen, Weiss refilled the kettle and set it to boil once more. "Where is everybody?"

"Summer and Winter went to the city, Ruby and Blake went for a hike." Weiss answered. "I decided to relax. Last night was…" Weiss grinned, a light blush coming to her pale cheeks.

"It went well I take it?" Pyrrha suggested.

"It was everything I've dreamed of." Weiss sighed dreamily.

"So you and Ruby…" Pyrrha started.

"All night long...and some of the morning." Weiss confirmed.

"Oh my." Pyrrha gasped.

"And again in the shower." Weiss added.

"As is tradition." Pyrrha allowed.

"Yes, as Ruby informed me." Weiss nodded.

"I think this leaves Blake, Summer and Winter out of our little club." Pyrrha noted.

"Hmm, speaking of Blake, do you remember the details of last night?" Weiss changed the subject once more.

"Blake was that bad?" Pyrrha asked.

"I believe her last recollection was 'I'm only going as fast as Pyrrha', then blackness, and pain." Weiss replied.

"Ah…" Pyrrha could not help but blush. "Blake matched me drink for drink, and as a result ended up very inebriated. And it seems Blake is a very...bubbly, friendly drunk."

"Oh God, what did she do?" Weiss grinned in anticipation.

"Well, the first was my fault." Pyrrha prefaced. "While tipsy I admired her ears, and she allowed me to touch them. They were very soft."

"They're beautiful, and the sounds she makes if you scratch them just right are…" Weiss reminisced.

"And then!" Pyrrha cut in. "She says that Ruby said that Yang asked if she has a cat's tongue!"

"I wish." Weiss chuckled.

"So she licks Yang's hand." Pyrrha continued. Weiss snorted. "Then she licks mine!" Weiss giggled. "Then Yang tried to cut her off, and Blake says she wants to dance."

"Oh God no, Blake is a horrible dancer." Weiss laughed.

"She makes up for it with enthusiasm, or she did until passing out." Pyrrha said.

"Blake has always been a lightweight." Weiss observed.

"She held her own quite well for a beginner." Pyrrha countered.

"She didn't throw up?" Weiss asked.

"Thankfully no, just slept." Pyrrha answered.

"Good, good, very good." Weiss nodded. "Blake hasn't ever been one for going out, at least not with Winter or I. Honestly, I'm surprised she was the one who got drunk. I was expecting Yang to do so."

"I think Yang was more concerned with Blake enjoying herself." Pyrrha theorized. "In spite of her own boredom."

"Well, I'll be sure to thank her, and thank you too, for showing her a good time." Weiss said.

"Almost too good." Pyrrha laughed uneasily.

"I can hardly judge...heh, it seems so long ago doesn't it?" Weiss asked. "So much has happened, so much has changed."

"I'm glad it worked out, you make wonderful couples...a wonderful triple." Pyrrha giggled.

"We do...thank you Pyrrha, for believing in me." Weiss smiled. "You tried to build me up, and I just brushed you off, but you were right, everything did work out. I don't have to be jealous anymore."

"A little jealousy wouldn't hurt." Pyrrha shrugged. "If Yang had ears like Blake…"

"You'd never stop touching them." Weiss suggested.

"How can you!?" Pyrrha exclaimed.

"Great and painful mental and physical effort." Weiss replied, stone faced.

"You poor thing." Pyrrha deadpanned.

Weiss cracked a smirk. "Pray for me, this tortured soul."

Nora shifted back and forth, bouncing on her tip toes. "Come on...open up." She whined. At knock on the door had gotten no response.

"Nora, it's very early." Ren observed. Indeed, the sun had only crested the horizon a few minutes earlier. "They may not be awake yet."

"It's Solstice!" Nora countered. "Who isn't up early on Solstice?!"

"Normal people." Jaune grumbled, leaning against the house. He closed his eyes, and for a few brief moments could have believed he might fall asleep standing there.

"Wakey wakey!" Nora yelled, knocking on the door again.

"Nora-" Ren started.

The door swung open. "Hey Nora, hey guys." Yang greeted. "Sorry to leave you standing here, we were just finishing up breakfast."

"It's no problem." Ren shook his head. "Happy Solstice."

"Happy Solstice to you guys." Yang responded. She stepped back. "Come on in, relax."

"Do you have any coffee." Jaune yawned as he stepped through the door behind Ren and Nora.

"Sure do." Yang closed the door behind him. "The Schnees are zombies in the morning. Coffee's the only thing that keeps them going."

"Should have let 'em sleep in." Jaune suggested.

"Probably." Yang shrugged as the group made their way to the kitchen. "But Solstice still gets Ruby all excited, and once she's up, there's no sleeping."

Ren, Nora and Jaune sat around the kitchen table. After a round of greetings, coffee was served, along with eggs and bacon. Nora quickly gobbled down her own serving, along with Jaune's. It was alright though, he was not hungry anyway. After eating, Nora bounced into the lounge to join the others, followed shortly after by Yang, Jaune and Ren. They all got to chatting, with varying degrees of participation from those that were still rather sleepy. Soon, another knock at the door drew their attention.

"That'll be Raven and Glynda." Yang declared. "I'll get it." Yang rushed to the door, returning soon after with the couple in tow.

"Morning all." A notably drowsy-looking Raven greeted.

"Looks like everyone's here." Yang winked at Ruby.

"So...time for presents?!" Nora cheered.

"Yeah, time for presents." Yang chuckled. "How about I go first?" There were no objections, so Yang walked over to the closet, opening it to reveal a collection of boxes and envelopes. "I kind of went all out. So much for being careful with my money. Who first…" Yang turned around, looking over the assembled group. Nora was practically shaking with excitement. "Well, since Nora looks like she's about to explode, I guess it's her."

Yang handed Nora a box and envelope. Nora ripped the gift wrapping off the box and tore the cardboard open to reveal… "Is this...a breast implant?" Nora gasped.

"Sure is." Yang confirmed.

"Doesn't she need two?" Weiss asked.

"I don't think she needs them at all." Jaune smiled.

"I didn't get her the surgery." Yang laughed. "It's just for fun."

"I love it!" Nora declared.

"If you love that, wait 'til you see what's in the envelope." Yang teased.

"Is it money?" Nora asked. "Can never have too much money."

"Better." Yang smiled.

Nora opened the envelope to find a series of papers. "Uh...what is all this?" Nora asked.

"It looks like booking for a trip." Ren noted.

"Yep, I figured you could use if for your honeymoon, or even just for fun." Yang explained. "It's a week at a sloth resort."

"Sloth resort?!" Nora squealed. "That sounds awesome! What is it?!"

"Well, it's like a normal hotel, but you also have a live sloth in your room to play with." Yang replied. "And there's a bunch of other sloths in a little habitat in the lobby."

"Sloths...I...best gift ever!" Nora exclaimed, giggling uncontrollably, shedding tears of joy.

"Glad you like it." Yang grinned. "That's for you and Ren, but I got Ren this too."

Yang handed Ren a small box. He carefully removed the gift wrapping to reveal a set of fancy Mistrali knives. "Thank you Yang, I've had my eye on a set like this for some time." Ren bowed. "I'll have to cook something for you."

"I can't wait." Yang noted. "Alright Jauney boy, I bet you're feeling left out. Well, I got you the biggest gift of all."

"Oh boy." Jaune gulped as Yang slid a huge chest out of the closet. It was bigger than she was.

"Since Nora and Ren are gonna' be hangin' with sloths for a while, you'll need something to occupy yourself with." Yang said. She unclipped the clasps on the chest and threw it open.

"A sex doll…" Jaune deadpanned.

"Not just any sex doll." Yang smirked. "The most realistic sex doll money can buy. She'll even talk to you, but only in Mistrali. Maybe Ren can translate."

"I've been replaced!" Nora complained.

"Nothing could replace you." Jaune put an arm around Nora, instantly shifting her back to unbridled cheerfulness.

"I also got you this." Yang handed Jaune a much smaller box.

Jaune ripped the gift wrapping off to reveal a computer part. "Holy...this is an RTX Grimm!" He gasped. "It's the most powerful GPU on the market! I've been saving up for one for ages!"

"I can't have you gaming on sub-standard equipment." Yang joked. "Let's see, who next?" She looked through the boxes in the back of the closet. "Blake."

Yang handed Blake a tiny box, clearly for jewelry. "You didn't have to." Blake demurred. She opened the box to reveal a set of four gold studs. "Traditional Faunus ear studs...wow...I didn't know they still made them."

"They'll go great with the traditional garb my mother got you." Pyrrha added.

"Four...that seems like too much." Blake protested. "They must be expensive."

"They come as a set." Yang insisted. "I read a little about them. They're supposed to represent milestones in your life: reaching adulthood, getting married, having a child, stuff like that."

"I think I only qualify for one." Blake chuckled.

"I'd say finding a new family is a pretty solid milestone, so maybe two?" Ruby suggested.

"Yeah...I like the sound of that." Blake agreed.

"Weiss!" Yang moved right along. She handed an oddly shaped ball of wrapping paper to her.

"More breast implants?" Weiss grumbled.

"No, that would have been cruel...and way too easy." Yang jabbed.

Weiss pulled away the gift wrapping to reveal a blue scarf with snowflakes emblazoned on it. "It's lovely." She pulled away the scarf to find it was wrapped around a coffee mug. The mug was blue, with a stern face design on it. "Hmm…perfect."

"Really?" Yang asked.

"I know this is supposed to be an insult, but this perfectly represents how I am before I get my morning coffee." Weiss nodded.

"At least you know, Miss Grumpy." Yang chuckled. She turned back to the boxes. "Raven, mom, you're next."

Yang handed Raven a box, and she quickly tore off the wrapping paper. "Sweet, Grimm Odyssey, I love this show." Raven examined the anime box set. "I can't believe you found this. The set sold out in like five minutes." She turned it over and opened it up. A slip fell out. "What's this?" Raven picked up the slip, a bumper sticker. "'My daughter is a cyborg.' Oh, this is perfect!"

"Glynda." Yang moved along, handing a gift bag to her.

Glynda reached into the gift bag and slid a bottle out. She examined the label. "Aged whiskey from Vacuo, interesting." She looked carefully at the bottle. "Wow, this is almost as strong as Ev's brew."

"It's the strongest stuff I could find that isn't pure alcohol." Yang laughed. She handed another bag to Winter. "I hope you like it."

Winter pulled out a slender bottle with a faded label. "Sixty year old merlot...father would be jealous. I think I'll have to actually drink it though."

"Wine's for drinking." Yang encouraged. She picked up an envelope and walked over to Summer. "Summer, mom, here you go."

Summer opened the envelope, which contained a check. "This number's huge! It's a weird total though."

"Winter's a math wizard." Yang praised. "She totaled up all your debts, loans and stuff, and this covers it. No more credit card debt, no more mortgage, even Ruby's tuition is covered."

"I never...this is too much." Summer resisted, tears welling in her eyes.

"It's the least I can do for the woman who raised me, who's been there every day for my whole life." Yang smiled. "Let's see, who am I leaving out…" She knew exactly who. Ruby and Pyrrha still awaited their gifts. "Oh no... looks like I'm all out of goodies...unless…" She stepped toward the door. "Follow me."

After quickly donning their shoes and coats, the group headed outside. A small flatbed trailer was hitched to Glynda's car, with two tarp-covered forms on it. "Yang, what did you get us?" Pyrrha gaped.

"Well Pyrrha, I got you a replacement for that wimpy scooter." Yang joked. She pulled the tarp off one of the forms, revealing a motorcycle. It was not a sports bike like Yang's, but a cruiser with a retro look. The frame was bronze, with red fenders and tank. "And it's got room for two."

"It's beautiful." Pyrrha smiled, walking around the bike.

"You're gonna' look totally badass on that thing." Yang declared.

"What did you get me?!" Ruby asked, bursting with anticipation.

"Well, I figured you'd need your own way to get around." Yang explained. "It's about time you stop having to borrow rides from me and mom." She dramatically swept the tarp away, revealing a red scooter decorated with rose vines. "Your very own wimpy scooter!"

"It's so awesome!" Ruby squealed, bouncing excitedly and wrapping Yang in a tight embrace. She rushed over and knelt beside the machine, examining the hand-painted livery. "Wow...thanks Yang!"

"It's a shame you and Pyrrha will have to wait a few months to really get use out of them." Yang said. "But bike weather will be here before you know it." She took a step back, looking over the smiling faces of her friends and family. "Well, that does it for me."

"I don't envy the person who has to follow that." Winter chuckled. "Let's head back inside. I got you a little something."