When they had reached Atlas, Ironwood met them where they landed. He kept them away from any major problems for the most part, and settled them into a large cabinet on the outskirts of the floating island. He met with Qrow briefly during dinner to discuss the ozpin issue as well as the relic on knowledge problem.



The girls were left to eat in peace with team JN_R. Pleasant conversation took place, mostly giggling over Jaunes antics with his sister or Adrian, few words on Cordo, even the odd few comments on Ruby's eyes. However, two people were surprisingly silent.



Yang and Blake spent most of the evening making eye contact for extended periods of time. Everyone noticed, nobody commented. It wasnt until after dinner, when everyone went to their rooms, when Ruby and Weiss noticed Blake and Yang sneaking onto the balcony.



Blake knew that the conversation she was about to have would be...delicate, to say the least. She anticipated it since they left Argus. But being here, in atlas, the night sky lit by the northern lights, it felt surreal.



"Blake," It was who started conversation, "How are you holding up." She spoke softly, a smile dusting her lips and a shimmer in her eyes. Maybe just a reflection, or her eyes playing tricks.



"I think we've all been better, and worse... but I'm relieved. Surprisingly so." Blake's voice was smooth, lacking fear, more confident. It reminded yang of their time at beacon, when Blake had forgotten why she was so scared.



Then, there came something Blake did not expect. "Was he right?" Yang's voice tremmored slightly. "Do you... see something in me?" Yang looked her dead in the eye and it was as if Blake's entire world stood still.



"Yes." She smiled, taking both the blond's hands in her own and smiling."I see a light, that I've never seen in anyone else, I see a guardian, to all who you care about" she stepped closer, a few inches away. "I see a friend, a companion, a partner." She lay her head on the taller girls shoulder and pulled her in a close hug. "I see the person that I fell in love with for the first time in my life."



Violet eyes widened in shock as the faunus girl's confession reached her ears. She stuttered slightly "y-you.. you're saying you... you love me?" An insecurity, fear, maybe an internalised thought told her that she was unlikable for years. Maybe they resurfaced.



"Yes..." Blake whispered. She pulled away slightly as she tucked a strand of golden hair behind Yang's ear. "And, even if it's not an excuse, it's why I ran in the first place." She admitted.



"What?" The hurt look on her face, it was more than Blake knew the woman in front of her could ever feel, so much so that it radiated into her.



"H-he said hed destroy everything I love. He promised. He stuck to his promises no matter how twisted. You... oh God Yang the only reason he hurt you so bad was the fact that he could see I love you... you were first on his list." The feline faunus trembled slightly, tears starting to stream down her and Yang's faces.



"He hurt us both. But-but he can't hurt us ever again... he cant hurt anyone ever again." Yang tipped her head up slightly, her eyes looked less violent, more blue. "Blake, I love you too... and you leaving, It was worse, that any pain I've ever felt in my entire life. You leaving... was what made me realise what I felt for you, and realising that made it hurt so much more. I don't want to hurt anymore."



The pull was mutual, they fell into a searing, slow kiss that put their entire being on hold, just for that moment, it was like the pressure in the middle of your chest you feel only when you are being pulled by emotion. By destiny. When lips met, life made sense.



And when lips parted, well, all they could hear was the blood pumping in their ears, and the soft whisper of I love yous.



And then: "Finally!" A groan came from the left. Weiss. Then the Shreek of Ruby's excitement.



Blake's ears flattened against her head and she hid her face in Yang's chest. Yang was still in a pseudo trance still. She still could not believe that Ruby caught her pouring her heart out to someone she loves.



"It took you too long enough to get your heads out of your asses, I was beginning to doubt you would." Yang snapped out of her trance and started to register the relentless teasing to follow.



"What's that supposed to mean" both Blake and Yang spoke in unison. Blake was red in the face still hiding in Yang's cleavage, while Yang's eyes turned crimson out of annoyance that the moment was broken.



Ruby rolled around laughing before getting up and pulling everyone in a tight hug."Ooooooohhh! I'm so proud of you two!!!" She smiled. "But. We need to set some rules. That being, you don't go near our beds. Understood." She said in a much more authoritarian tone. "And Blake! You break my sister's heart, oh great Oum may he have mercy on your soul."



The first half of team RWBY left the new couple on the balcony, preferring to sleep for now. Blake looked up at the sky, pressing herself against Yang, wrapping her arms around the blond's midriff. "Is it too early to ask you to be my girlfriend?" She softly said. Yang looked her in the eyes and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, before speaking.



"No, and yes. It's not too early, you could have asked me the same week that we first met. My answer would have still been yes." Yang placed her chin in between Blake's ears, swaying slowly.



"This is beautiful." Blake spoke softly, looking out over the city. Somewhere deep down she knew the irony of it, but Atlas suddenly became a favourite place for her.



Yang smiled "yeah." She closed her eyes, holding her love close to her chest, and not letting anything separate them, be it the end of the world itself. This love would last a lifetime.



About a week later, Yang spoke with Jaune. She spoke to him of beacon, of Pyrrha, of the relationship that started between the two of them.



"She would want you to be happy Jaune. Not suffer in scilence. I know it's still a raw topic, but if you ever want to talk about her, I want you to know you can talk to us. To me, Blake, Ruby, even Weiss is surprisingly good at this sort of stuff. Just, don't let it eat you up." And with that, she gave him a pat on the shoulder and left the room.