#idk i haven't written these 2 in a long l o n g time

[theoriginalmysteryincorporated]

prompt: Loud, so everyone can hear + freezerburn

Weiss didn't usually approve of public displays of affection. She didn't hug her siblings, and Yang could count on one hand (haha) how many times she'd seen her smile at her parents in the company of others. Yang wasn't even a real member of the family, so she didn't expect to get treated any better. Weiss was sharp with her at dinner events when she was being too friendly with rival business reps, though how her girlfriend thought she was supposed to be able to tell the difference was a mystery to her. This occasion was slightly easier. She only spoke to the folks with the prosthetic limbs and sturdy wheelchairs, which Weiss had dryly told her was a pretty safe bet, considering the event. She'd only been wrong once so far, and Weiss had smoothly intervened to correct her mistake.

Yang's main job at these things were to wear a clean suit and smile for photos, anyway. And she'd had pretty much hacked that, despite her unfortunately timed resolution to give up anything bearing even a remote resemblance to alcohol. She could have a good time anywhere. A Schnee Dust Company holiday party and charity mixer was no exception. But it sure tested her limits.

Weiss had a speech to make after the dinner, which left Yang in the unbearable position of sitting at Jack Schnee's right hand. Yang's temper had been "under control" for years now, but that man still thought her eyes were actually red. While he was busy applauding Weiss's introduction over the podium, Yang lithely slipped into her girlfriend's seat. She'd take breathing the same air as him if it meant Weiss didn't need to bump elbows with him at dinner.

As she slipped into her new seating arrangement (not pre-approved by Jack or Willow), Yang noticed the gleaming champagne glasses around the table, blue and gold flakes sparkling in the stems. Willow and Jack Schnee had glasses filled with the drinks faunus waiters had been generously pouring all night. But Weiss's glass had water, and Yang was proud of her for it. She'd worked hard to get to the point of making pointless speeches without a drink in hand, and while Jack Schnee's odious presence sometimes put the brakes on the recovery scheme, it looked like this evening wouldn't have any of the usual speed bumps it did when family was involved.

Yang smiled when Weiss looked at her, and it was like nobody else was in the room but them. The eyes of the richest folks in the world were on Weiss, and Weiss's eyes were on Yang. Weiss smiled back and took a small, shallow breath.

"Good evening, everybody. Tonight we gather to honor the legacy passed down through my family from my grandfather, Nicholas Schnee. When he began the Schnee Dust Company, it was his simple dream to help selfless hunters help the world." She spoke slowly and deliberately, and Yang mouthed the words under her own breath, side-eyeing Jack Schnee every now and then, searching for any sign of disappointment. There was no point in looking for a smile with a man like that.

"Today, we celebrate that dream by hosting a charity event dedicated to hunters all over the world who have been injured in the line of duty." There was some polite, rehearsed applause that made Yang's eyes roll all the way into the back of her head, but Weiss waited it out with a patient smile.

Only, then, Weiss did something Yang hadn't expected. She'd rehearsed every line of this speech with Weiss, knew it better than her favorite song lyrics. So she was completely stumped by where Weiss went next.

"I can speak from experience when I say that this charity occupies a place of importance in my life for me, personally. I've made it clear, in the past, that I don't always agree with my family's handling of this business." There were some grumblings from the crowd, and uncomfortable whispers. Jack's eyebrow twitched, and his knuckles went white around his knife.

"But I am so, so proud that our name stands next to the Healing Hunters Foundation. The innovative prosthetics have found their ways to thousands of hunters across the kingdoms, including to people very close to me." Her eyes touched Yang's, briefly, and Yang managed a watery smile back as her thumb grazed the cool, golden metal of her prosthetic.

"So, in lieu of my semi-annual temper tantrum, as the Atlas papers have so lovingly branded my lecture style, I would like to make a toast to all the people in this room and beyond its walls who have sacrificed so that we can carry on business as usual. This is just the type of community my grandfather dreamed of creating, and nobody could do more justice to his memory than the people who continue confronting the dangers of our world to protect us. May we live up to their sacrifice.”

Yang rarely got compliments from Weiss in public, let alone an "I love you". But watching her raise a cup to the air as she carefully nodded at her, Yang felt as warm as a summer's day. The tribute to her was an "I love you" in front of everybody. It was loud as gunfire. And nobody but Yang heard it.