To say Yang was only a little embarrassed was like saying that Ruby only kind of liked sweets. That is, a complete and gross understatement. Ruby loved her sweets nearly as much as she loved Crescent Rose, and Yang… Well, Yang was completely mortified by her negligence.

She didn’t know her teammate’s birthday. And not just any teammate, but her own partner. That in itself was terrible enough, but they had been partners and friends for over a year now, which meant that she had definitely missed Blake’s birthday once already. That was unacceptable, and the thought that not a single soul wished Blake a happy birthday turned her stomach.

Birthdays were supposed to be great, a day of celebration where you were the center of attention for one day. To think that Blake had probably spent the day holed up in class without doing anything at all was… sad.

What was worse was that Ruby and herself had practically advertised their birthdays to their own team along with several other people. Each of them had been greeted with a surprise party and several presents from their friends. Even Weiss had celebrated her own birthday, albeit a smaller version with not nearly as many people.

Yang was still a bit miffed that Weiss hadn’t appreciated the party hats and the Pin the Mask on the Grimm game that she had procured.

It had just… Never occurred to her to even ask Blake. She had assumed that Blake would let them know when her birthday was coming up so that they could plan accordingly. And then over time she had just… forgotten.

Some friend she was.

A not-so-quick session on her scroll led Yang to their personal files, which were accessible by anyone with a student ID. If she so wanted to, she could not only look up Team RWBY’s individual files, but she could also look up any other team such as JNPR, CRDL, or CFVY. That wasn’t her mission today though. Bypassing all of the other teams, Yang scrolled down until she hit her own team, tapping on it and then again on Blake’s file.

Purple eyes read eagerly, soaking in the information. Some of it she already knew, such as Blake’s appearance, age, and status as a student, but some of it was new to her, to be filed away for later use. Finally, she found the section she was looking for.

Only to find it blank.

“Oh come on! Who leaves their birthday blank!” she cried out, throwing her hands in the air. A quick cross search of the rest of her team showed that it was only Blake’s birthday that was missing.

Fine then.

Closing out of the different tabs, Yang frowned. It was time for Plan B. If she couldn’t find Blake’s actual birthday to celebrate, then she would just have to pick a different day. And if Blake complained… well, it was her fault for not providing the correct date in the first place.

Pleased, Yang began to plot.

It took her a little more than a week to figure out what to do. She had wanted to throw a huge surprise party for Blake, but thought better of it. Blake was a private person and usually disliked being the center of attention, unlike Yang, so she probably wouldn’t appreciate a giant party.

Instead, Yang would take her out for a night, just the two of them. Ruby and Weiss had wanted in on her plan once they had found out, but Yang had been adamant that it was going to be just her and her partner for the night. The other two could join in the next day, when they would throw a mini celebration with a cake and some presents for Blake.

In the meantime, she had to track down her wayward partner. Blake had a tendency to disappear on her after classes, stating that the dorm room was too rowdy for her liking. Really, Yang thought she just didn’t want to be around Zwei more then she absolutely had to be. Luckily for her, she knew all of Blake’s hiding spots. After searching the library for her partner proved fruitless, Yang made her way out onto the grounds towards the forest.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out, “Blakeyyyy! Come out come out wherever you are!”

A light thump to the right made her grin, turning around just in time to see her partner stalking towards her with a slight pout on her face and a book in her hand.

“You could have just messaged my scroll, you know.”

“I could’ve, but where’s the fun in that?” Yang said cheerfully. She reached forward, wrapping an arm around Blake’s shoulders and pulling her close, ignoring the brunette’s struggles. “C'mon, you. We’re going out.”

“Out where?” The struggling ceased in favor of Blake looking at her, one eyebrow raised. “More importantly, why?”

“What? I’m not allowed to wine and dine my partner?” Yang sniffled a little bit, eyes watering. “You don’t love me anymore, do you!”

Blake rolled her eyes in response, jabbing her elbow into Yang’s gut and making the brawler double over in mock pain. “Fine, just quit it with the crocodile tears.”

Said tears immediately disappeared, Yang standing up straight and cheering at Blake’s resigned look. “Oh come on, it won’t be that bad. I promise you’ll like it. There will be tuna~” She laughed at the way Blake perked up, letting go once she was certain that Blake wasn’t going to run away. “You are hungry, right?”

“I could eat,” Blake admitted.

“Perfect.”

It took them a little over an hour before they were sitting in Blake’s favored restaurant of choice, a locally owned faunus-friendly seafood diner located down near the docks. She and Yang had gone there a few times before, although it wasn’t Yang’s preferred place to eat. Still, she didn’t mind the food, and was more than happy to watch Blake’s face light up when her tuna dish was set down in front of her.

As they ate, Yang took the time to mull over her thoughts when it came to Blake. Her partner meant the world to her, just like Ruby did and like Weiss was starting to, but in a different way. She had never gotten butterflies in her stomach when she looked at her sister or the ice princess, but whenever she looked at Blake…

Yang wasn’t stupid. She knew she had fallen for Blake, and fallen hard at that. One smile from the normally reserved girl and she was over the moon all day, pleased that she had been the one to make Blake’s usually blank face crack into a grin. So really, the question wasn’t what she felt for Blake, but rather what Blake’s feelings were towards her. It was always so hard to tell with the brunette, but Yang was certain that the feelings were mutual.

Now wasn’t the time to bring it up though. It could wait for another day.

Once they had both finished eating and Yang had settled the bill, she slid her arm into Blake’s and the two left the restaurant for a stroll around the boardwalk. The blonde guided them around, chatting with Blake about anything under the stars, until finally she came to a stop, forcing Blake to halt as well.

“Yang?”

Yang grinned, giving Blake a squeeze before letting go. “I have something to pick up, it’ll just be a sec.”

Craning her head up, Blake arched an eyebrow in confusion. “At a bakery? Are you picking something up for Ruby?”

“You’ll see~” Leaving Blake to wonder for now, Yang entered the little shop, inhaling the smell of warm bread and cookies before approaching the counter. “Hey there, I’m here to pick up an order for Xiao Long,” she said to the girl behind the counter.

Nodding, the employee bent down, pulling a small box from a shelf and putting it on the counter for Yang to see. Inside a little box sat a beautifully decorated chocolate cupcake with brown icing and purple sprinkles, a single candle on top. “This is it here. Five lien please.”

Rummaging for her wallet, Yang slapped a ten lien bill on the counter. “Keep the change. Can I borrow a lighter please?”

Soon the little flame was burning brightly. Thanking the girl, Yang exited the store with the cupcake in hand. Blake was still waiting for her outside, and Yang could see the bewildered look on her face as soon as she caught sight of the cupcake. Before Blake could speak, Yang shook her head and gestured for Blake to follow her. Spotting a bench, Yang sat down and patted the spot beside her, setting the cupcake down where it would be safe.

“Shh, just let me speak first, okay?” At Blake’s nod, Yang continued, “I know this is kinda stupid but.. I realized I never asked you when your birthday was. I’m a pretty bad partner aren’t I, to not know.” She smiled when Blake opened her mouth to protest, pressing a finger to the girl’s lips. “When I tried to look it up there was nothing in your file at all and I didn’t want to just straight ask you so I thought ‘hey, now’s as good of a time as any, so why don’t I take Blake out to celebrate’. So, that’s what today was and… ummm.. Happy birthday?”

“Yang…”

The crack in Blake’s voice had her eyes widening, and it felt like her heart broke in her chest as a few tears slid down Blake’s cheek. “Oh no, don’t cry! I didn’t mean to make you cry, that’s the last thing I wanted to do! This was a stupid idea, I’m sorry, I just-”

“Don’t! Don’t say that!”

Yang was taken aback by just how upset Blake was, trying her best to salvage the situation. “I-I can take it back, we can just forget this ever happened and head home-”

“No.” Blake shook her head forcefully, and Yang couldn’t help but be in awe of just how beautiful Blake looked in that moment, eyes burning like molten gold and mouth set in a firm line. “Yang, no. This was… This is… God, no one’s ever done anything like this for me before.” Her features softened then, a smile on her face even as more tears were falling. “You are so incredibly sweet and kind.”

“Why’re you crying then?” Yang pressed. Reaching out, she wiped away Blake’s tears with her thumb.

“I haven’t celebrated my birthday in years,” Blake confessed, leaning into Yang’s touch. Even with her bow on, Yang could see the way it drooped as Blake’s ears fought to lower. “I don’t know it, actually. That’s why it’s blank on my files.”

“But… But how can you not know your birthday?” Just the thought of not knowing her own birthday baffled Yang. How could someone not know when they had been born?

Blake shrugged her shoulders in response. “My parents died when I was young, and after that I was with the Fang. There wasn’t really time for birthdays when we were all busy trying to find our next meal and making sure we could stay off the streets. It wasn’t really a priority. And when I came to Beacon, well.. It never occurred to me that anyone would really.. Care.”

The brunette seemed to curl into herself after that, something that Yang refused to allow. Wrapping her arms around Blake, Yang pulled her partner into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Blakey…”

“Don’t be..” Sighing, Blake sank into the embrace. “You didn’t know.”

“Well I do now. And we’re not letting tonight go to waste,” Yang declared. Keeping one arm around Blake, Yang grabbed the cupcake and held it in her hand. The candle was half melted now, but it would still be fine to eat after the wax was picked off. “I know it’s not an actual cake, but it’s the best I could do. Make a wish, Blake.”

Blake’s eyes seemed to shimmer in the candlelight as she leaned forward, blowing out the candle. As the flame was snuffed out, Yang could only shiver at the look in Blake’s eyes. “B-Blake?”

“Yeah?” Was it just her, or was it getting warmer?

“What did you wish for?”

Blake huffed out a laugh, the moment broken between them. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone my wish until it came true.”

“Well yeah, but I want to know,” Yang whined, jutting her lip out and whimpering a little for effect. When Blake appeared unmoved, the blonde rolled her eyes. “Tough crowd…” Still, that garnered another laugh and for that she was glad. Picking off the wax bits from the frosting, Yang held out the cupcake. “Hungry?”

Taking the offered treat, Blake carefully undid the wrapper and broke it in half, handing one half to Yang for her to eat while she held onto the other one. Stuffing it into her mouth, Yang’s cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s while she chewed. Ignoring Blake’s stare, Yang rifled through her pockets in search of her final gift.

“Did you even taste that?” Blake asked curiously.

Yang swallowed with difficulty until she was able to talk again, licking her lips clean of any frosting. “Yeah, tasted awesome. Did you like it?”

Nodding, Blake couldn’t help but smile. “It was very good, thank you.”

“Great! Now I just have one more thing before we can go. Close your eyes for me, okay?”

At Blake’s narrowed eyes, Yang held up her hands defensively. “I’m not going to do anything, I promise. Just trust me.”

“Alright…”

As amber eyes slid closed, Yang took the time to look over her partner. Blake seemed.. Happy. Even without trying, there was a small smile that lingered on her lips, a warm glow to her cheeks that had Yang breathless. Stepping forward, Yang’s hands shook as she brushed Blake’s hair to the side.

“Yang?” Blake’s voice was soft.

“Shh.. Just… one more minute.”

The faunus gasped softly in surprise as cool metal touched her neck, a weight resting against the hollow of her throat. Her eyes opened, fingers rising to touch the small pendant that hung from a light silver chain. Yang watched with baited breath as Blake examined the pendant; a small, black teardrop that made up one half of the yinyang symbol.

When amber eyes turned towards her, Yang could only blush, pulling out her own pendant from underneath her shirt; the matching yang to Blake’s yin. “Weiss always calls us complete opposites with our personalities, but I like to think that we’re more than that. I don’t think our being partners would work half as well if we were opposites, more like…” Yang paused, cheeks brightening even further. “Not opposite, but complementary. Connected.” Stepping forward once more, Yang took Blake’s hand in her own larger one. “The moon to my sun, the shadow to my light, you’re like my better half, Blake. And I wanted to give you something to remind you of that.”

“Did you steal that from a fortune cookie?” Blake’s voice was rough, her eyes watery again.

Smiling, Yang brushed away the tears and kissed the brunette’s forehead. “A placemat, actually. Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Blake whispered. Her fingers let go of the necklace to grip Yang’s jacket tightly as she leaned forward, lips barely ghosting over Yang’s own. “Yang, can I…”

“Please..”

Their lips brushed once, then twice. Looping her arms around her partner’s waist, Yang pulled Blake closer as a hand rested on her shoulder, the kiss deepening. It was only when Yang began to grow lightheaded that she pulled back, gasping for air. Blake did the same, resting her head on Yang’s chest.

“Happy birthday, Blake,” she whispered softly. They could figure out what this meant later.

Blake’s grip tightened in response. “Thank you.. And Yang?”

“Yeah?”

“My wish came true.”