Red Carpet Romance - Chapter 35 (Patreon)

While Blake asked the question, she set a few more dishes next to Yang at the kitchen sink before disappearing to clear off the rest of the table from breakfast.  

“No idea!” Yang answered, washing a small plate before setting it aside to dry.  

It was rare that she had a day off in the middle of filming, but there was a problem with the set or...something.  She couldn’t remember exactly what the issue was because she stopped paying attention after the ‘We don’t need you to come in today’ part.

“You wanna play hooky with me?” she asked, looking over her shoulder and waggling her eyebrows at Blake.  The question earned her an amused head shake. 

“Maybe later, but I really want to write out a few scenes that are stuck in my head.”

“Ah, no problem.  I’ll check in when you’re done with that!”

After putting the leftovers in the fridge, Blake walked over and kissed Yang on the cheek.

“Thank you for understanding.”

Turning off the water and drying her hands, Yang scoffed at the perpetual thanks she earned for being ‘understanding.’  Not that she minded being thanked (she especially didn’t mind the kisses), but it was unnecessary when she was just being considerate of Blake’s feelings.  Wasn’t that one of the first rules of being in a relationship? 

“No need to thank me - I understand how your mind works.”  When Blake raised her brow, Yang quickly added, “I mean, kind of.  I know that you need to get ideas out of your head at least once a day!”

Satisfied with that answer, Blake “hmm”d while reaching up to straighten Yang’s collar - and Yang immediately grinned.

Blake had this nonchalant habit where she straightened the collar of whatever shirt Yang was wearing, then ran both hands across her collarbone before resting them on her shoulders.  It was a surprisingly intimate gesture for anything involving the collar of a shirt, and she immediately fell in love with it. In fact, she’d developed a new habit of her own - making sure her collars were always out of whack.

“I appreciate that you understand,” Blake said, her amber eyes sparkling with a smile she wasn’t showing yet.  “It should only take a few hours, and then I can spend the rest of the day with you - how does that sound?”

“Any time with you sounds fantastic - you know that.”

Finally smiling, Blake dropped her hands from Yang’s shoulders and headed out of the kitchen (with a sexy saunter that was always stare-worthy).

Now that breakfast was over, their day could begin.  On a typical morning, this usually meant Yang running off to work or some other appointment while Blake sequestered herself in the office for a day of writing.

The unplanned day off was going to mess up their routine, but they were masters of dealing with the unexpected by this point.  Plus, Yang didn’t need a babysitter or someone to entertain her - there was plenty she could do on her own! Like, she could watch a movie - although she wasn’t in the mood for one this early in the morning.  She could read some magazines, since plenty of those were scattered about. She could be lazy, but that didn’t feel right when Blake would be working.

“Oh!”  An idea suddenly sparked in her mind, and Yang followed Blake into the living room.  “I have an idea!”

Curious, Blake turned around and gave Yang her full attention.  

“What’s that?” she asked, one eyebrow quirked with a hint of amusement.  “And how long will it delay me from writing?”

Picking up on that train of thought, Yang sauntered over and set her hands on Blake’s hips.

“Well, I mean...if you have time…”

When Blake playfully pushed Yang’s shoulder away, she laughed and pulled Blake into a hug instead.  After planting a quick kiss to Blake’s temple, Yang backed away and smiled at her genius idea.

“You know how sometimes you come to the set and watch?” she asked, growing more excited by the second.

“Yes…”

Grinning at Blake’s slightly-narrowed eyes, Yang reached down and squeezed her hands.

“How ‘bout we switch it up today?  I’ll watch you work!  See what trouble you get into when I’m gone.”

It was the best idea Yang had had in a long time.  Not only could they spend their entire day together, but she could see what Blake’s typical workday looked like when no one else was around.  

Sure, Yang saw Blake write all the time - constantly jotting down notes or stealing away time in the evenings to organize thoughts - but this was part of Blake’s dedicated writing time.  This was like...entering the holy sanctum of writing heaven with the world’s hottest writer as a personal tour guide.

“You realize that’ll be boring, right?” Blake asked, looking a bit doubtful about Yang’s brilliant idea.

“How could it possibly be boring?  I get to watch you work!”

“Which is just me typing at the computer and drinking several cups of tea -”

“So?”  Surprised by Blake’s hesitation, Yang tilted her head and struggled to read Blake’s mind.  That skill was still a work-in-progress though, so she came right out and asked the questions she wanted answers to.  

“What’s wrong?  You don’t want me to watch you work?”

“It’s not that…”  

But it was - Yang could tell something was wrong with the idea by the way Blake’s eyes drifted to the corner of the room.  Fortunately, that was nothing she couldn’t solve by asking a few more questions.

“Then what is it?” she pressed, squeezing Blake’s hands one more time.  “I’ve watched you write like a gazillion times!”

“It’s just...you’re always doing something else at the same time,” Blake explained with a shake of her head.  “You get distracted, and you don’t see that my job is...pretty boring. It’s not action-packed, like yours.”

“I bet that’s not true.”

“Yang, the last time I went to see you at work, you were jumping out of an exploding building.”

“Fake exploding building,” Yang clarified, but rushed forward when Blake opened her mouth to argue. 

“So we have different jobs.  I mean, I kinda knew that coming into this - didn’t you?  I didn’t meet a writer in a bookstore and think…‘Gee, I bet her job involves bungee jumping through rings of fire.’”  

When the words put a hint of a smile on Blake’s lips, Yang grinned, knowing she was on the verge of success.

“I guess you have a point…”

“You know I do!” she continued, lightly swinging their intertwined hands.  “Plus, I’d rather you didn’t jump out of exploding buildings or bungee jump through fire.  I like knowing you’re nice and safe - I don’t know what I’d do without you, you know?”

The sentiment was honest, and Blake knew it.  Accepting the response, she squeezed Yang’s hands in return while a warm smile appeared.

“You’ll never need the answer to that question,” she said, waiting for Yang to smile before huffing in pretend capitulation.  “And ok, you can watch - but only if you aren’t too distracting.”

Having won that argument (and honestly, she won very few of them), Yang pumped one fist in excitement and followed Blake to the office.

“You got it!  How ‘bout I work on my lines?”  Reaching over, she pulled her book of lines from the coffee table and raced after Blake.  “That way you won't have all my attention.  Just most of it.”

“That works for me.”

Walking into the office, which was unofficially Blake’s space, Yang claimed the comfy armchair near the window while Blake sat at the desk and started up the computer.  

The armchair was one of the few pieces of furniture Blake had insisted on moving in with her, and Yang could see why.  It was bigger than a regular chair, with enough room to pull both her feet up onto the cushion if she wanted to, plus high armrests that acted as comfortable backrests if she wanted to sit sideways.

It was the perfect reading chair.  Sitting next to the window, looking out over their little section of Vale, it was the perfect reading spot too.  And, by happy chance, it was angled in such a way that Yang had the perfect view of Blake at the desk.

“Good morning, Bang,” she overheard Blake whisper while the computer was still starting up.

Yang’ eyes immediately narrowed while she watched Blake open a jar of fish food and sprinkle a few flakes across the top of Bang’s bowl.  After putting the jar away, Blake watched Bang swim to the surface of the water and gulp down as much food as he could. 

The little smile Blake currently wore was super cute, but Yang felt her jealousy rising with each passing second.  Blake was looking at the fish almost...affectionately. Like...like the tiny creature was near and dear to her heart.  

Near and dear to Blake’s heart was a spot reserved solely for Yang, and no one else.

“How long do goldfish live?” Yang asked, flipping open her book of lines and shooting Bang a quick glare.  “Assuming they die of natural causes and don’t get, ya know, accidentally flushed or something.” 

Spinning around, Blake gave Yang a suspicious look.

“I’m not sure...why?”

Playing it casual, Yang shrugged and looked at her lines instead of the stupid little fish that was still busy gulping down way too much water.  “Just wondering…” she hummed, shooting one more glare at Bang when Blake pressed one finger to the bowl. 

It looked like she was trying to pet the damn thing.

“Hopefully a long, happy life,” Blake mused before finally turning her attention to the computer.

Eventually, Bang finished his food and resumed drifting without a purpose in his bowl.  Blake, meanwhile, opened whatever story she was currently working on and started typing whatever scenes had captured her thoughts.  With the two of them mostly separated, Yang’s jealousy dissolved and their morning truly began.

With her book of lines opened to the scene they’d shoot next week at work, Yang watched Blake instead of looking at the page.  She had no idea what Blake was typing, but her fingers flew across the keyboard while words filled the screen and a steady tap, tap, tap filled the air.  

The sound was really relaxing - so much so that Yang leaned back in the ultra-comfortable chair and took one deep, content breath.

Forget calling this an ‘office’ - this was some sort of meditation room or something.  She’d never been one for meditation, but she could see the draw of it right now. It felt like her worries were being carried away by the steady sound of fingers hitting keys.

When the sound briefly paused and Blake reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, Yang smiled and felt her heart grow about two times bigger.

It wasn’t the sound of the keys that was calming - it was Blake.  Everything about her personality and demeanor put Yang at ease. And in her life, which was sometimes chaotic and uncontrollable, she needed a calm presence like that.  It made her feel saner and less...affected by it all.  Because nothing fazed Blake - not the fame, not the money, not the constant yet unpredictable responsibilities.  She took everything in stride - and when she was unrattled, Yang knew everything would turn out ok.

Plus, something about that all-knowing smirk was just so damn sexy.  Quiet confidence - Yang totally dug it. 

With Blake typing away and the room settling into ‘work mode,’ Yang finally decided to read her lines.  

At least, she tried to read her lines.

The peacefulness was great - she loved it, she really did!  But it was a little too peaceful for her to memorize dialogue for a scene where she and another character discuss the imminent destruction of the world.  That kind of ruined the ambiance a bit…

So, half an hour into the day, Yang gave up on memorizing lines and started fidgeting instead.  Not noticeably fidgeting - she didn’t want to lose the privilege of watching Blake work - but she wasn’t used to sitting still for so long this early in the morning.  By this time, she was usually running around doing something, not lounging in a chair reading lines. 

Blake's one stipulation was that Yang couldn't be distracting, so she couldn't be distracting.  At least, she was going to try really hard not to be distracting.

That didn’t mean it was boring - definitely not.  There just...wasn’t much going on.  On set, the action happened out in the open for everyone to see.  But in this room, all the good stuff was happening in Blake’s head.  And Yang couldn’t read Blake’s mind - at least, not yet. She still hoped that maybe one day that’d be a possibility, but as of right now she was in the dark.

Hearing her stomach grumble (even though they'd just eaten breakfast), Yang decided that a light snack was in order.  Sliding out of the chair, being extra careful to make as little noise as possible, she ducked into the kitchen and sighed in relief now that she had something to do.

This was a great idea though!  Everyone needed some brain food early in the morning.  She’d bring Blake a snack too, because that's what a good girlfriend would do.

Opening the fridge, Yang pulled out the containers of leftover fruit from the breakfast they’d made for Ruby yesterday.  After finding two plates, she took her time arranging the fruit as neatly as possible.  She wasn’t a master snack-maker, but she tried to make it look visually appealing - like those trays of fruit and vegetables the set always had on hand!  

Once the plates looked not-at-all like the trays at work and more like a child arranging fruits by color, Yang carried them into the office and set one on the desk next to Blake.  Taking a brief pause from typing, Blake looked at it before smiling.

“Thank you,” she said, picking up a strawberry and popping it in her mouth before going back to writing.

“No problem!”

Heading back to the armchair and collapsing onto the cushion, Yang found it hard to stop grinning.  She felt like a million Lien right now - all because she’d been helpful and made Blake smile.

After balancing her own plate on the arm of the chair, Yang picked up her lines and made one more attempt to memorize something that’d be helpful when she went back to work.  Her efforts went about as well as expected - meaning her eyes drifted to Blake every half second. 

Maybe today was a day off for a reason - so that Yang could clear her mind of work and focus on what really mattered.  Mainly...watching Blake, who casually popped a raspberry in her mouth and made a soft hum of delight.

How did Blake make eating raspberries look sexy?  Because that was ridiculous.  Pyrrha got paid boatloads of money to look sexy on catwalks and advertisements and stuff, yet Blake did it while eating raspberries sitting at a desk.

“Yang?” Blake suddenly asked, making Yang jump in surprise and nearly knock her less-sexy fruit all over the floor.  “Can you help me with something?”

Like Blake even needed to ask.  The answer to that question was always “Of course!” 

Sticking her lines in the edge of the chair, Yang was about to stand up when Blake swiveled around and motioned for her to stay put.

“I need you to stay there,” she explained as she got up and walked over.

“Uh, ok.”  Sitting back, Yang set her arm on the armrest before moving it to her lap - unsure what she was supposed to do.  “Is this ok?”

“Hmm...on the armrests would be better,” Blake said, taking the plate away and setting it on the desk behind her.  Moving her arms to the armrests, Yang looked up at Blake while her curiosity rose.

“Good?”  Her skin tingled when Blake examined her from head-to-toe before landing on her eyes - and when Blake subconsciously licked her lips, Yang’s heart instantly doubled in speed.

“I think that’ll work,” Blake said, before climbing onto the chair, her knees straddling Yang’s legs in the suddenly-intimate space.  

With Blake now sitting on top of her, Yang was forced to look up to meet those pretty amber eyes - which she willingly did.  Every corner of her mind was going haywire at the moment, praying she was right about what would happen next.  It would be a rather cruel time for her to be wrong, as Blake reached out and ran a hand through her hair.

“Um, what...what do you want me to do now?” Yang managed to ask, her tongue rapidly tying itself in knots under Blake’s eager gaze.  She was prepared to do anything Blake wanted right now - no matter what it was.

“Now we see where the scene takes us…” Blake answered before leaning forward and kissing Yang on the lips.

She was quick to respond, dropping her arms from the armrests to Blake’s sides and clutching her closer while the kiss deepened.  The instructions were unclear, but Yang could figure this out on her own - especially with one of Blake’s hands lightly tugging through her hair while the other trailed down the front of her shirt.

Giving in was always easy, and Yang surrendered when Blake’s tongue slid into her mouth for a rather one-sided battle for dominance.  Blake had already won though - she had positioning, and she had...well, she had Yang wrapped around her finger.

The temperature in the room rose while their lips clashed together, and Yang felt greedier with each passing second, grasping Blake’s sides before finally releasing her loose hold over her self-control.  Slipping her hands under Blake’s shirt, she ran her fingers across soft, smooth skin before finding the curve of Blake’s hips.

“Mmm -” Blake hummed, leaning away.  Yang followed as far as she could, but a hand pressed into her chest and broke apart their kiss.  “Good,” Blake said, her breathing heavy and her cheeks flushed. 

“Good?” was all Yang could say, her mind still confused as to why that ended so suddenly.

“Mhmm…” Blake replied, standing up and walked back to the desk.  Without another word, her fingers flew across the keyboard while Yang stared and waited for an explanation to be tossed her way.  

Her heart was beating a million miles per minute and she was excited in more ways than one, but Blake seemed to have moved past the moment.  She was engrossed in her story once more, but damn if Yang wasn’t going to figure out why that happened and when it could happen again.

“I...uh…” Clearing her throat, Yang sat up in the chair.  “I hope that was...helpful?”

“It was - thank you.”

When Blake’s hands didn’t pause, Yang had no idea what to think.  Had Blake needed inspiration, or had she used the idea that she needed inspiration to get Yang to play along?  

Blake knew she didn’t need a clever ploy to convince Yang to do...well, anything.  But she couldn’t say she didn’t enjoy being tricked in that way…

“So, uh...who’s writing this story?” she asked.  “Blake Belladonna? Or...Ella Lake?” 

The sound of typing stopped, and Blake turned to smirk at Yang.

“I think you already know the answer to that.”

When Blake went back to writing - smug as all get out over her coy response - Yang struggled to get her breathing under control.  

It never ceased to amaze her how Blake could play off that situation so coolly.  Yang went from zero to a hundred in seconds, but getting back to zero took a long, long time.  Blake, however, could ratchet up the heat in no time, then disengage and act cool as a cucumber in a flash.

Yang knew that Blake didn’t forget though.  She was just better at concealing her desires.  Yang might as well have a neon sign above her head flashing ‘hot girl alert.’

“Can you let me know when Ella’s writing from now on?” she asked, picking up her lines and using them to fan her cheeks.  “Cuz maybe I’ll stay home more often.”

She was only partially serious (although filming would wrap soon and she’d have a lot more free time…), but Blake laughed and continued writing.  Her fingers seemed to have new life now, flying across the keys faster than they’d been moments before.

Yang would give almost anything to read those words right now.  She wanted to know how that kiss felt through Blake’s eyes, because to her...it had been pretty damn spectacular.  Would Blake describe it using terms like...mind-blowing? Astounding? Unforgettable?

She’d let Yang read it later, but until then...all Yang could do was imagine and re-imagine that moment - with Blake straddling her lap, taking control...

The sound of a phone ringing jolted Yang out of her daydream and back to the quiet office, where the noise was far too loud - loud enough that she cringed when Blake gave her a look.

“Sorry!” she said, fumbling in her pocket and pulling out the offending device.  She found an unknown number on the screen, which meant she jumped out of her seat to answer it in the hall.  She learned long ago that answering unknown numbers was a good idea - she never knew who might be on the other end of the line.

Closing the office door behind her, she answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Yang!  I got a new phone!”  

Seeing as how Ruby was shouting, Yang moved the phone further from her ear so she didn’t lose any hearing.

“But you just got a new phone a couple days ago.”

“Oh...yeah, well, that one kind of died…”

Even though Ruby couldn’t see her, Yang shook her head in disbelief.

“How did you break a phone in two days?”

“Easy!  I accidentally dropped it down a sewer grate.”

“That’ll do it…” Yang replied, still shaking her head at Ruby’s continued misfortune when it came to cell phones.  “Is Grant still working at the place you like?”

“He is!  They’re having a deal for families right now - a buy one get one free thingy.  So now I have a new phone and a backup!”

The fact that Ruby took advantage of a sale marketed towards families made Yang laugh.

“Well I’ll save this number while you have it,” she said, leaning against the doorframe separating the hallway from the living room.  “Try to keep this one alive for more than a day?”

“I’ll try!”  Ruby giggled after the words, a clear indication that this phone was a goner within a couple of weeks.  “What’re you up to though? Do you and Blake wanna hang out?”

Ruby’s inclusion of Blake immediately made Yang smile.  If the two of them became friends, Yang would be the happiest person in the world.

“Absolutely.  When are you thinking?”

“I dunno...whenever?  I’m not busy. And there’s not much to do around here…”

“Don't you dare get bored already!” Yang said, feeling a small spurt of panic at the comment.  “There’s plenty to do! I’ve got like a gazillion parts lined up for you, and if you’re really bored, come see me on set!”

“Guess I could do that!  Are you there now?”

Yang should’ve known Ruby would take the offer - she loved coming to the set.  It probably helped that she got treated like a mini-celebrity whenever she was around.  The cast and crew adored her and went out of their way to give her cool things to do. She got to light fires, set off explosions, pet crocodiles - all the cool stuff the producer deemed ‘too dangerous’ for Yang to try.  

“I’m actually at home today,” Yang answered, suddenly a bit regretful that she had the day off.  “But let’s hang out tomorrow night, k? You, me, and Blake.”

“Ok - sounds like fun!” 

“Cool.  And you’ll find something to do today?” Yang added.

“I’ll go to the grocery store, I guess.  And maybe check for new bakeries!”

Yang laughed at the answer, knowing that Ruby would scour Vale for any new bakeries that emerged while she was away.  She’d then begin the process of taste-testing each one and adding them to the rather-complex ranking system she’d developed years ago.

“Let me know if you find any good ones,” Yang replied, knowing she’d receive the final report regardless.

“‘Course I will!  I’ll see you later though - tell Blake I said ‘hi!’”

“Will do, kiddo.”

When the call disconnected, Yang looked at the random number on the screen and sighed.  

She didn’t know why Ruby thought Vale was so boring.  To Yang, it wasn’t any more boring here than other big cities around the world.  Unfortunately, Ruby didn’t agree. Maybe she felt that way because she didn't have a job or anything to do besides hang out with a few friends.  Maybe she felt that way because they’d grown up here, so this was always boring old home. 

Well, Yang could help solve those problems.  She’d make sure Ruby had plenty of people to hang out with.  She could get Ruby a job too, but...Ruby didn’t know what she wanted to do yet - hence all the time spent traveling the world.

If Yang could convince Ruby that Vale was interesting, maybe she’d stick around for good...

Not quite ready to go back into the office, Yang made another phone call instead.

“Hello?”

“Hey Pyrrha!” she said, smiling at her friend’s voice.  “Are you free for lunch today?” 

“I am - where would you like to go?”

“Oh, no - not me.  Can you take Ruby out for lunch?”  

Yang’s smile grew when Pyrrha laughed at the question.  

“And here I thought you actually wanted to spend time with me,” Pyrrha teased.  “Is she bored already?”

“Yes!  I don’t know how - she's only been back for a second.”  

When Pyrrha laughed again, Yang could imagine her shaking her head in disbelief.

“I’ll call her right now and see if she wants to get lunch.”

“Thank you!” Yang said, breathing a small sigh of relief that Ruby’s attention would be diverted away from ‘boring Vale’ for today.  “Tell her all about you and Jaune! I’m sure she’d love to hear about that.”

“I’m sure you’d like that - because you’ll get all the details from her later.”

Apparently, Yang was a bit see-through sometimes... 

“I don't know what you’re talking about,” she fudged anyway.  “I’d never do that!”

“Uh huh...well, I’ll take her to lunch regardless.  I’ve missed having a kinder version of you around.”

“Ouch!  I’ll remember that the next time you need a favor!”

Not at all fazed by the threat, Pyrrha laughed again - that light chuckle never ceasing to make Yang smile.  Of course, they both knew that Yang was more likely to be the one calling in favors - kind of like how she was right now.

“Let me know how it goes?” she asked.  “Oh! And did you want to hang out with us tomorrow night?  Blake and I will make dinner, then we can watch a movie or something?”

“I’d love to, but I already promised Jaune we’d spend time together.”

“I see... the two of you aren’t getting enough quality time?” Yang teased, grinning when Pyrrha sighed in exasperation.

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.  Now if you’ll excuse me...I have an important call to make - to someone’s important little sister.”

This time Yang dropped any hint of a tease, understanding that Pyrrha was doing her a favor right now.

“Thank you, Pyrrha,” she said with genuine gratitude.  Of course, Pyrrha laughed off the thanks.

“No need to thank me - I enjoy spending time with Ruby.  I’ll see you later though?”

“Yeah, of course.  We’ll talk soon.”

After hanging up the call, Yang tapped her finger on the screen while lost in thought.  

Ruby adored Pyrrha - and vice versa - so the two of them were bound to have a great time at lunch.  That should be enough for Ruby to feel mildly occupied today, and then she’d come over for dinner tomorrow...

An idea popped into Yang’s mind then - another genius idea, if she said so herself.  Unlocking her phone one more time, she typed out a quick message - 'Dinner tomorrow?  Ruby's coming - Blake and I will cook.'  Sending the invitation, she finally put her phone away and headed back to the office.

It seemed highly unlikely that Weiss would be free on such short notice, but if she was, maybe she’d like to hang out.  It’d be nice for them to spend time together as a group. Plus, maybe she could be another person Ruby could hang out with while in Vale.  Really, Yang was looking for anyone who could even remotely occupy Ruby's time and keep the little bugger stuck here for longer than a few weeks.

Weiss, Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora, Ren...and anyone else Yang could think of who Ruby would get along with.  That was the new strategy - surround Ruby with people. Interesting people.

When Yang slipped into the office, Blake was still typing, but she stopped when she heard the door open.

“We’re hosting tomorrow?” she asked, turning around and watching Yang sit down.

“You have such good hearing,” was Yang’s first response, shaking her head at the fact that Blake overheard the conversation from here.

“Or you talk really loud,” Blake teased.  

Yang really couldn’t argue with that, so she laughed and shook her head.

“Yes, I do and yes, we are - if you’re ok with that?  It’s just Ruby, and Weiss, if she’s free.”

“You invited Weiss?” Blake asked, her brow going up at the name.

“Yeah.”  Sensing Blake’s surprise, Yang immediately questioned her decision.  “Why? Do you think I shouldn’t have?”

Thankfully, whatever concern Yang felt disappeared when Blake shrugged and smiled.

“l think that’s a great idea.  I hope she can make it.”

Blake already knew that Yang had the same wish.  She wanted Ruby to make a new friend, and she wanted Weiss to make friends, period.  

Now that Yang could somewhat call Weiss a friend, it was time to broaden the horizons a bit.  And who better for Weiss to meet next than Ruby? Ruby was sweet, kind, funny, maybe a bit too energetic, but in an endearing way.

“Sorry,” Yang apologized, realizing Blake was still focusing on her instead of work.  “You asked me not to distract you, and I’m being all distracting…”

She felt pretty guilty about continually interrupting Blake’s work, but Blake quickly shook her head.

“You're not distracting.”

“Really?”

“Well...kind of, but I enjoy the company.”  The way Blake smiled told Yang that she could relax - that Blake wasn’t bothered by the distractions, and that she was still happy to spend time together.

“You still got some stuff done, right?” Yang asked, sitting on the edge of her chair so they could be that much closer.

“I did.”

“So...am I gonna be in it?”  

As soon as Yang asked the question - which she asked about every story written in this room - Blake laughed and shook her head.

“You’ll see…”

It was the same answer as always, but it still made Yang excited.  She’d love to see herself through Blake’s eyes. Hopefully, Blake had only good things to write about her...

“Can I read it?”

This time, Blake looked at Yang intently, lightly biting the bottom of her lip while she pondered the question.  It was a lot to ask, and the completeness of the chapter dictated the response. If Blake felt like she was mostly done, she’d let Yang read it.  If it was only in the early stages of completion, Yang would have to wait a little longer.

“How about I read some to you instead?”

“Even better!”  

Bouncing on the chair, Yang was more than happy with that answer.  She loved hearing Blake’s voice.  Blake could read the weather report, or pages out of an encyclopedia, and Yang would willingly listen.  Not just listen - she’d hang onto every word.

“Just a small section,” Blake said, turning to the computer and finding the spot she wanted.  “It’s not finished though.”

Yang motioned with her hands at the caveat, because of course it wasn’t finished.  Blake only considered her stories to be ‘finished’ when they were sandwiched between two covers and sitting on a shelf in a bookstore.

“And it will be out of context, but…”  Glancing towards Yang, Blake finally relaxed into a smile.  “But you know that already.”

“I do.  But I’m excited to hear it anyway!”

With those words of encouragement, Blake took a deep breath and began reading.

“‘She could say ‘I love you’ a thousand times and it would never feel like enough.  Not after everything they’d been through - not after everything they’d yet to go through.  The words were powerful on their own, but not powerful enough to express the joy of being held in each other’s arms, of falling asleep by each other’s sides.  For those moments, she combined the phrase with a lingering kiss, a gentle touch, a warm smile...anything that would help her express her feelings in a deeper way than mere voice.’”

Trailing off, Blake sat back in her chair before turning to Yang with a timid smile.

And for a second, Yang couldn’t think of anything to say – because every word had just been taken from her.

“Wow,” she finally managed.  Her heart thumped blissfully in her chest now, spurred to action by Blake’s beautiful words.  “That’s so romantic!” she added. “Like...wow. That’s - I can’t even express how good that is!”

When Yang smiled, Blake smiled too.

“I’m glad you like it -”

“I love it,” Yang corrected, “And I love you!”

“I love you too,” Blake replied with a content smile before an idea sparked in her eyes.  “I need to write down another thought -”

“Go ahead, go ahead.”  Yang waved Blake back to work, and her attention quickly shifted to the screen while words flowed once more.

Sitting back in her chair, Yang watched Blake write while an adorable little smile never left her lips.  Whatever she was writing at the moment - which could be literally anything - was the source of that happy expression.  The story must be at a happy moment, and Blake was reflecting that delighted glow for all to see.

Suddenly, Yang had an idea.

Grabbing a pen from the table beside her and picking up her script, she started writing in the margins, trying to be inconspicuous while she planned the perfect date.

Yes - the perfect date, for the perfect girl.

This was probably the best idea Yang had ever had (besides that time she decided hiding in the bathroom of a bookstore was a good idea).  

Blake lived in these ultra-romantic worlds - where the guy always got the girl and true love was just around any corner.  But why did those worlds have to exist only on a page? Why couldn’t their lives be like that, if only for one night?

Yang was going to make it happen.  It might only be for an evening, but she’d make a fairy tale moment come to life.

As she jotted down every possible idea that came to mind, Yang unexpectedly discovered an activity she could focus on in almost complete silence - planning a surprise for Blake.  She tried to be sneaky about it but every time Blake looked over, Yang swore that her mind was being read. Still, she searched for ideas and started creating a plan in the midst of her lines for work.

What were the most romantic things she could think of?  Flowers were a must. Candlelit dinner. Dancing beneath the stars. 

She could take her time and plan this for some day in the future, but their lives were too busy to count on that.  Chances were, that day would arrive and they’d have to postpone or cancel.

But they were both free today.  The only question was...could she pull this together in just a few hours?

Thankfully, she thrived under pressure.  Also, she knew a lot of people who knew a lot of people.  With her phone as her lifeline, she sent out messages looking for help while cashing in a few favors in the process.  Once she started receiving responses, a plan began to form.

This was doable.  It would be super romantic - or end up not at all as she planned.  But she was willing to try because it would be worth it. Even if she had to star in some crappy horror movie later on, it would be worth her time.

The morning passed quickly as Yang pulled her ideas together.  She’d just reached a stopping point when Blake stood up and stretched her back - she yawned as she did so, and Yang stared just a little bit.  Ok, a lot.  But she was allowed to!

When Blake shut off the computer, signaling that her writing was done for now, Yang stuck her book of lines in the chair and waited for Blake to come over to her.

“What’re you planning over here?” Blake asked, sitting across Yang's lap and wrapping her arms around Yang's neck.  Yang tugged Blake closer, willing to sit like this for the entire day if Blake agreed to it.

“It’s a surprise,” Yang answered, grinning while Blake lovingly ran a hand through her hair.  “You’ll see tonight.”

“I like the sound of that…” Blake murmured in response, pressing a kiss to Yang’s lips before leaning further forward to whisper in her ear, “But before that...I think we have a scene to finish…”

When soft lips pressed against her neck, Yang’s pulse rocketed back to where it had been earlier that morning.

Planning the rest of their date would have to wait, because Blake hadn’t forgotten - and it looked like they were going to pick right back up where they left off.

This was shaping up to be one of the best days ever.