Coming Home, Pt. II – Skylar Grey
I heard a song today and I thought of you – I thought of us. Somewhere buried in the sands of time are the whispers of you and I dancing, laughing, playing, and simply living. Once that last note is played, these fleeting thoughts are washed back out to the ocean of memories. That ocean you gazed upon so longingly – the same gaze you used to look at me with.
Memories, they are moments in time that we carry around with us.
So I guess I'll always carry a piece of you with me.
Just like how you have a piece of me.
Don't forget me, please. Because there's no way I'll ever forget you.
Present Day
"27C." The woman muttered under her breath.
A mane of blond hair was tamed into a ponytail, the figure was dressed comfortably in dark olive green jeans, a shirt with her favorite orange color, and a grey collared jacket. She wore a pensive look as she walked down the aisle of seats, everything was just so cramped and compact so she shuffled down carefully in order to not knock into other passengers who were already seated.
Yang let out a sigh of relief, she got the window seat and she wasn't that close to the engines, which meant that she wouldn't have that annoying headache from listening to the whine of the jet engine the whole flight.
It was going to be a long flight home to Vale; more specifically she decided to take a red eye from Vacuo to home.
She swung her carry-on bag up into the compartment above, unlike some other assholes on the flight, she actually organized her bag so that it didn't take up the whole compartment and allow other passengers to load their carry-ons without much hassle.
Lilac eyes scanned the plane, senses honing in on anything that looked remotely suspicious – something that she picked up during her time in the Bureau. Satisfied that the flight was going to be painless, Yang took out her headphones and scroll from her pocket, she had a TV on the headrest in front of her, but she had travelled enough to know that they didn't let you use that until the plane was up in the air.
With a sigh, she pressed the shuffle button on her scroll to let the music play.
A few pop songs came up that Yang hummed along to while bobbing her head. The other passengers found their seats and the blond didn't bother to take off her head phones while the flight attendants went through their standard pre-flight speeches that she had heard literally thousands of times before.
Yang Xiao Long watched with a slight smile at the city lights of the desert country below her window. She would never get tired of how cities looked at night from way high up in the sky.
Then she blinked.
And then she blinked, again.
Yang looked down at her scroll, as if asking the device the burning question of 'Why?'
So you can doubt. And you can hate.
4 years and 6 months ago
Twenty-one year old Yang Xiao Long fumbles with her keys, the first day at the Valesian Bureau of Investigation was mind numbing. Just a simple day filled with some welcome briefings and speeches.
Anyone who remotely knows Yang knows that she could not sit still for long, the blond had to be engaged and active with something, or else she could very well die from boredom. However, the motions of the 'first day at a real job' are a necessary evil for her ultimate plans in life – which is to become a full-fledged Agent and work cases in the field. She promised herself that she will do what ever is necessary to reach her dream.
She didn't spend all that time at Beacon University studying for her criminal justice major for nothing.
Yang finally finds the pesky key, she is eager to get inside and out of this stifling uniform and maybe pop open a cold one while she watched TV for at least an hour.
Suddenly, the doorknob turns by itself and the door opens from the inside causing the aspiring Agent to drop her keys.
"I thought I heard you." Her roommate (who also had her first day at a big publishing company) grins cheekily at her.
"Honey, I'm home." Yang calls out to her affectionately in a singsong voice.
Her roommate also happens to be long time girlfriend Blake Belladonna – Aspiring writer, former gymnast (by Oum is she flexible), and a beautiful Faunus. Yang likes the way her subtle movement with her ears could tell tales about what was running through her girlfriend's mind.
Quickly, Yang scoops up her keys and crosses the threshold, she dodges an ill-placed box that they needed to unpack still in order to make it to the counter so that she can put down her things. She does a quick sweep of the apartment and duly notes that they still had a ways to go with the unpacking this weekend.
Deft hands grabs the blond by the collar of her uniform, she feels her form spinning around and then her body is pushed up against the wall.
Golden eyes studies her intently, Yang looks down at her girlfriend – it is rare for Blake to be so aggressive, and whenever she is… that usually meant that it is going to be a long night, which definitely doesn't include any unpacking.
Or maybe there will be some unpacking… for crucial items of…. fun.
"Yes, Kitten?" Yang didn't bother to move from the compromising position because she likes it.
And the woman in front of her knows it.
"Do you know what makes today special?" Blake questions.
Yang honestly didn't know, "First day of work is a secret kink for you?" She tries.
A soft kiss is planted on the blonde's nose, "Try the first day of you coming home to me in our first apartment together."
Suddenly, the lackluster day had become something memorable.
"I love you." Yang smiles and wraps both of her strong-arms around her girlfriend, "Have I told you that lately?"
"You have, but I will never get tired of it." Blake closes the distance with her lips. Slowly, the two kiss until the fire they started within began to burn too brightly and their clothes became too stifling.
Still far away. From where I belong.
Present Day
Yang snapped up from her thoughts, the flight attendant was asking her what she wanted. Respectfully, she pulled out one of her ear buds and told her an orange juice would be fine.
For a moment, her train of thought was interrupted, but the next lyric managed to hook her right back into the flow.
Tell the world I'm coming home.
2 years ago
A heavy duffle bag drops to the floor.
With two strong arms, Yang easily catches the figure that is running at her full speed. She envelops her in a big bear hug that causes her feet to come off the ground.
Blake Belladonna cries tears of relief into her shirt. Yang rubs her hand comfortingly against her back, paying special attention to that spot in the middle of her shoulder blades and right below her neck – that special spot that helps sooth Blake even more.
"I'm so glad to see you." Yang chokes out, she didn't loosen up her hold on the Faunus.
"I'm so sorry…" Blake wasn't any better than the blond, her voice even more hoarse and is wracked with so much remorse. So much regret with how things had been since the last time they had seen each other.
"We'll be okay, from now on." Yang holds her ex-girlfriend affectionately, "I told you earlier that we'll sort out what happened, properly this time."
The past year without Blake in her life has been absolute shit.
Blake clutches at the shirt Yang is wearing, burying her face further into the material while her hands hold on to the fabric like a life line, "I'm so happy you're back here."
"I am too."
Let the rain, wash away. All the pain of yesterday.
3 years, 1 month, and 4 days ago
"Let me in!" Yang pounds incessantly on the door, "Please…" She leans her head on the unforgiving cold surface, "I… I'm sorry." The flight from Atlas was long, and she had been away from home for 3 whole months – all she wanted was to come home to something warm and familiar.
Not this.
She didn't mean for it to happen, the promotion to Agent was supposed to be a good thing. She was supposed to travel and see all of Remnant, work the field, solve cases, and maybe be a hero.
Yang didn't know that all of this was hers at the cost of a healthy relationship.
"I… I was drunk… I was lonely…. I was weak, but babe, please. Let me in." It wasn't supposed to be like this. She shouldn't be coming home like this.
She hears the click of the door and sees Blake's eyes red and swollen from crying.
"I cheated, too."
I know my kingdom awaits. And they've forgiven my mistakes.
Present Day
A pensive sigh filled the air, Yang closed her eyes and let her mind's eye finish up the scene playing. That day… she'll never forget that day, the day where she would learn to grow a little more.
Learn about the world in a broader lens.
Learn about the darker sides of love.
Learn about the things that she is capable of, whether it was good or bad.
Learn about the complexities that came with growing up and shedding the simplicities that made up her shining youth.
Not that Yang wasn't all that old, twenty-five years old is a far cry from being considered old.
With a quick swipe of the screen, Yang started to skim through her phone for that zombie helicopter shooting game that Ruby had gotten her hooked on. She paused; the message icon indicated she missed a few texts before she boarded her flight.
Her lips quirked into a ghost of a smile.
I'll be there, I asked Ruby already if I could tag along. Can't wait to see you again! Have a safe flight!
The number belonged to Blake Belladonna.
Her gaze went back out to the expansive darkness of the night sky that surrounded the airplane.
There was something soothing about night sky; maybe it's the fact that it's black.
And it reminded her of Blake.