{She said walk on over here to the bitter shade; I will wrap you in my arms and you'll know that you're saved}
The gentle waft of flowers tickled her awake. Amber eyes slowly revealed themselves to the world, peeking out from underneath fanned black lashes which fluttered against pale cheeks as the world refocused. Her first sight was the canopy of spring flowers, pink with novelty as buds blossomed. The petals unfurled around her, circling into magnificent flowers that painted her in pastels.
Blake heaved a deep breath, inhaling the scents around her, the fresh breeze cleansing her lungs and renewing her from within, relaxing her body so that once more her eyes fluttered with sleep not quite forgotten. She shut them for a second, relishing in the tranquility flowing around and through her, as if she were apart of the scenery and the scenery apart of her.
A flighty giggle rang in her ears, prompting her to open her eyes once more to locate the source. When she looked to her right she was met with a mass of golden curls, glowing in the light bestowed by the sun through the tree blossoms. They were vibrant - ethereal almost - as if the Sun had given a part of itself to radiate from those blinding curls which hung down the back of her partner, Blake's beloved girlfriend - Yang.
Clutched in her grip was a single tree blossom which must've drifted down to the ground. Her fingers pinched the stem and rubbed together to make it twirl, the flower dancing at her beck and call.
"Wakey, wakey, eggs and Blake-y!"
Struggling to not roll her eyes at the comment, Blake rose until she was sitting up. A gentle yawn made her pause, a sight that seemed to amuse Yang because she giggled again. She looked around the immediate area, scanning briefly to recall where she was and what had brought her here.
Underneath her lay a quilted blanket, a brilliant blue with intricate white designs etched into it. While not large it was enough to seat the two of them and even had room for Blake to lay down on it evidenced by her recent nap. The blanket was devoid of any objects except for the single book that lay next to her on the opposite side of where Yang sat. It was closed and its cover unmarked, which wasn't very unusual given that it was old. The spine was battered but sturdy, the edges and corners frayed but the book otherwise was unharmed. The color seemed to have faded from the brilliant black it once was, now instead it was a splotchy gray, with some areas still black and others completely white.
A hand going through her hair brought her attention back to the blonde beside her and she turned just in time to watch as Yang wove the flower she had been twirling into her thick, black locks. The soft pink color was a bright contrast to her dark hair and once Yang had removed her hands she looked at Blake proudly, her smile enough to rival a thousand suns.
"How long have I been asleep?"
Yang hummed and plucked her forehead with no menace fueling the action. "Long enough that I got all tired of waiting."
"So you woke me up?"
"Hey!" Yang objected. "You did that all on your own. I just decided to have a bit of fun while you slept." Her grin now turned mischievous and Blake grew suddenly worried.
"Yang Xiao Long, what did you do?"
Her laughter rang out again, the sound enough to quell most of Blake's worries. It was so rich and loud, so uniquely Yang that Blake could place it just about anywhere if need be. It was a sound she could listen to forever, one that could lull her to sleep just as well as bring her into a new day. It was a sound that could revive life and feeling inside of her while at the same time kill her in an instant.
"Oh relax! It was nothing bad, I promise!" And then her hair was being lifted over her shoulder to lie on her breast and when Blake looked down she saw it speckled with more tree blossoms, all woven in just as the one she had watched Yang place in her hair was. They were so light and pink they were practically white and against the dark background of her hair they closely resembled…
"Starlight," she whispered.
"A beautiful compliment to my Moon, don't you think?" Soft hands cupped her cheeks, fingertips radiating warmth and kindness and then lips were upon hers, so light and soft, like petals of a flower. It was chaste; Yang pulled away just as soon as she had leaned in, but Blake could still feel the presence of her, could still taste the scent of her.
Her head still spinning from the kiss, Blake was unable to reply and thus distracted herself by picking up her book. She could practically hear the grin of triumph beside her, but saved herself the humiliation of actually glancing up to see it. Instead she idly flipped through her book to find where she had left off before her impromptu nap, only to frown when it landed right on the last page she remembered reading. The top corner was folded down, the crease in the paper ruining the otherwise integrity and smoothness of the page.
"Did you dog-ear my page when I fell asleep?"
Yang leaned over to glance down at the book, a firm pout on her lips before she moved back to her spot. "Nope. You did that."
Her fingers had already begun working out the crease in the paper. "You know I'd never do that." She folded it the other way to work out the bend of the corner so that it would lay straight again. Doing so only made the crease worse, but now at least when she closed the book it wouldn't be so obvious what had been done.
Beside her Yang shrugged and plucked another flower from the ground that had floated down from the tree hovering over them. "Well I didn't touch your book. Maybe you just don't remember." Soft fingers stroked even softer petals before Yang began to affix the flower to her own hair, tucking it just above her ear.
Amber eyes watched as she did all of this, narrowed to detect any trace a nervous tick or tell that would signal a lie, but surprisingly found none. And then lilac turned to her, the color so fluid as pure emotion swirled behind them and Blake knew that she was telling the truth. Her shoulders deflated, the tension disappeared, and she smoothed out the page, guilt weighing down her fingers as they dragged down the page.
It wasn't something she would do, but it was wrong of her to accuse Yang so baselessly like she had.
"I'm sorry."
Yang blinked, clearly not expecting the apology, then leaned over and ran her thumb along Blake's bottom lip - soft fingers against softer lips. "No need." And then her thumb fell away and was quickly replaced by her lips, so sweet and chaste that Blake felt actual dread when she began to pull away. So she surged forward and pressed closer, hands grasping at the fabric of Yang's white dress and pulling her so that their lips remained together. It was sweeter this way.
And when they did pull apart Blake looked down to find another flower in Yang's hand, as if she had procured it simply by willing it into existence. It lay so lightly in her palm, its petals outstretched in full bloom, the curves unmarked by any imperfections. The pink petals lay fanned out in a circle, the tips gently touching Yang's upturned hand, as a ballerina on tiptoes. So delicate and light. So beautiful and strong.
While she remained focused on the flower, lilac eyes drifted to her still open book, curiously eyeing the tome with a hardness in them. "You've barely started."
Blake blinked and tore her eyes from the flower, shaking thoughts of how Yang compared away. She looked down at her own lap where the book lay and saw what Yang was saying - she hadn't gotten far, probably not even a hundred pages in yet. It was odd, because that also wasn't like her. She was a fast and avid reader, able to knock out half a book in just one sitting if given the proper space and peace of mind. Even with books that didn't grab her immediate attention she still managed to get a great deal of the way through. But judging by how thick the amount of unread pages she had compared to the miniscule amount of pages she had read, it barely looked like she had cracked open the book at all.
"I guess I was more tired than I thought," she murmured, but even that didn't mean much. She had sacrificed many a good night's sleep to finish a book she had vast interest in. Even when her eyes were weighing heavily and the sands of sleep irritated her as they beckoned her to lay down and dream, she had always pressed on, her determination and love for books always victorious.
The flower that was in Yang's hand was dropped onto the page she had left off on, before a second pair of hands reached over and closed the book. "Well, you'll have plenty of time to finish that later. You have a very beautiful and loving girlfriend to entertain right now." And that brilliant smile was back, and all the oddities disappeared in its resilience.
Blake smiled back, allowing Yang to pull the book off of her lap and set it off to the side, already forgotten. "Yang Xiao Long, are you jealous of a book?"
The smile was replaced by a pout which made Blake's heart swell bigger at least five sizes. It took every ounce of self-control not to kiss her right there and then, to take her bottom lip between her teeth and to caress her smooth skin, to keep intact the coy attitude she was playing at.
"You do dote on them more than you dote on me…"
To hell with it.
Her hand slid behind Yang's neck and yanked her forward, their lips crashing together in a harsh and feverish kiss. Her teeth pulled on Yang's bottom lip, tongue coming forward to swipe across it before she added a bit of suction. The delighted hum prompted her to do it again, yet she was pleasantly surprised when a tongue darted out to meet hers. She felt herself falling and two sturdy arms reached out to catch her, pulling her close to a warm body, so soft and yielding. Fingers played with the ends of her hair that ran to the small of her back and Blake felt shivers course through her body, an odd occurrence when held by someone so fiery and warm.
When they parted her lips tingled and her lungs gasped for air, but the haziness of her head muted it all and she felt nothing but light and feathery in Yang's arms.
Her girlfriend smiled at her, a lopsided grin that she adored so much, and removed one arm from her waist to reach inbetween them to tap the tip of her nose. "I love it when you're feisty."
Blake scrunched her nose at the contact and leaned forward to place a brief peck on Yang's lips. "I try."
They settled down after that, content to just sit there with one another, wrapped in each other's embrace as they looked over the hill they sat on, fully bloomed flowers occasionally drifting down around them. It was beautiful, so outstandingly gorgeous it was practically surreal, and Blake had never seen anything like it. The air around them was so quiet and tranquil, only disrupting now and again with a gentle breeze that rustled the tree branches, the flowers making a hushed sound as the wind blew through them, inviting them to leave and come dance. The few who listened drifted along the currents so gracefully, carrying off and riding down to beyond the slope of the hill, to the fields lit by the bright afternoon sun.
Blake sighed and leaned heavier on Yang who shifted to accommodate the change in weight placement. "This is wonderful," she whispered.
Yang hummed in agreement. "Isn't it? Truthfully, I've been wanting to show you this for such a long time."
Amber eyes turned upwards to look at her girlfriend, but lilac eyes evaded her gaze as they looked out over the hill. "Why wait until now?"
There was a pause in which Blake watched the corners of Yang's mouth pull until it was a straight line, compressed and strained as her brow furrowed in thought. It was offputting, seeing Yang so grim, and Blake felt worry creep into her system as she contemplated what she said and how it may have upset the blonde. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but before she could get a single syllable out Yang's face suddenly relaxed and all traces of severity had vanished into thin air. As if it had never happened. As if Blake were just imagining things.
Blake's head bobbed with Yang's shoulder as she nonchalantly shrugged. "I guess I just never had much of a chance until now."
Blake eyed Yang carefully, watching for any other dramatic change in emotion. However Yang seemed rather passive now, almost unreadable even, which while not extremely odd, still seemed out of place.
Yet it was gone in an instant once again as a magnificent smile brightened up her face, so wide and large it nearly split it in two. And then she was being lifted to her feet, a warm hand grasped tightly in hers, so firm and unyielding that it was borderline painful.
It was desperate almost.
Yang began to lead her away from the base of the tree, a bounce in her step and an airy lightness surrounding her. It was a marvelous sight to behold, her girlfriend so carefree and energetic, and Blake was once again reminded why she had fallen in love with the rather rambunctious girl. It was her abounding vigor, her optimistic attitude that could not be dampened by anything no matter how hard it tried, and her ability to make Blake feel worth something, as if Yang had picked her up and placed her on top of the world herself.
Golden locks bounced behind Yang as she pulled Blake away from their blanket, towards the edge of the shade provided by the tree into the domain of the afternoon sun. The fabric of her white dress billowed around her knees and whenever Yang looked behind her to offer Blake a smile she was able to catch glimpses of sunkissed cheeks and shoulders.
Blake patted down her own dark grey skirt as she stumbled along after the flighty girl, hardly noticing the flowers that fell from her hair to the ground behind her, wilting and turning to dust as soon as they hit the ground. "Where are you taking me?"
"There's still so much I want to show you!" The answer was accompanied by a giggle and Blake found herself smiling as her own contained laughter bubbled in her chest. It was heavy, almost explosive, but she resigned herself to just a smile as she tried to regain some footing as Yang tugged her impatiently along. They had almost reached the slope of the hill, the sun's warm rays just within reach where the whole world before them glowed so brightly that darkness seemed like a myth.
And as they got closer, Yang's grip tightened and her pace quickened, pulling harder and squeezing tighter. Almost as if she were rushing Blake along. As if their time was limited.
The worry festered inside her again and she wanted to dig her heels in the ground and question Yang, to interrogate her on her sudden urgency when they had all afternoon with each other. When they had so many other afternoons to share together. She wanted to assure her that they could return here at any time, set up a blanket just as they had and waste the hours away in each other's arms. That Yang could show her all her secrets then, that there was no need to rush any of their time together because Blake wasn't going anywhere.
They had forever.
She wanted to do all of these things, but the heavy weight in her chest, previously thought to be bubbling laughter then tumorous worry, exploded. The blinding pain froze her immediately and she collapsed to her knees, the soft grass beneath her welcoming her gently. The pain was so much she couldn't bring herself to cry out, only double over in pain as she clutched at her chest with her free hand.
The hand that gripped hers so tightly was suddenly gone and when Blake looked up everything was blurry, all colors mashed together in a whirlwind of vibrancy. Black dots obstructed her vision as her heart duly throbbed in pain, the ache so strong it resonated in the rest of her body. Parched lips struggled to move, struggled to call out for Yang, for help. But no such help came and Yang was nowhere to be seen.
Those golden locks had disappeared in the mess of her vision and the ringing in her ears prevented her from possibly hearing Yang's voice. It was a nightmare, to feel so alone in such a dire time, to feel the harsh abandonment while in so much pain that death would be a merciful option to living past this. She longed for Yang's warmth as she felt her body grow cold, her limbs shaking and lips trembling. Blake faintly felt stinging tears well in her eyes and the burning of her lungs as she struggled to breathe past the pain.
Through the haze of agony, Blake briefly wondered if Yang knew this was going to happen. It would certainly explain the urgency and the solemnity she had adopted once she had awoken from her nap. It seemed unfair though, for Yang to keep something of this magnitude from her, whether she thought it was protecting her or not. Besides, if Yang really did know, wouldn't she had done something to prevent this? Or, at the very least, help her once the inevitable happened?
Her throat was raw and hot and Blake could only guess that she had been screaming in agony since she had fallen, even though her voice had not been able to fall upon her own ears. Yet despite this, she still called out for Yang, or at least, that's what she hoped she was doing.
Just when the pain couldn't be bad enough, another piercing pain hit her dead on in her chest, effectively knocking the breath out of her. She felt herself falling forward, the shock of it rendering her weak and unable to hold herself upright any longer. Fully expecting the ground to be the one to catch her, she was surprised when suddenly engulfed in the warmth comparable to the sun itself. The embrace was soft and Blake tried to open her eyes and see past the tears and blurred vision to see who had caught her and was holding her so tenderly, so loving.
It had to be Yang.
She tried to call out to her, to relay the absolute agony she was suffering, to beg Yang to help her or, even better, end it altogether. But all that she was able to utter was a pathetic whimper as more tears trailed down her cheeks and another shock went through her body. Her lips opened in a silent scream and her body jolted in Yang's hold, but the blonde held her fast and steady.
She was dying. It was the only explanation.
Blake wanted to feel sad, but found herself in too much pain and too tired to muster up anything but the desire for the sweet release of death to descend upon her quicker. It was an awful thing, waiting for death to come and take her while she lay there writhing in agony in the arms of her love, to be so torn between wanting to remain by her side and to be relieved of such turmoil.
And Yang held her through it all, her arms strong and steady, so calm and collected. Even though she couldn't see her, Blake somehow could feel that Yang was not crying and while that normally would've been a depressing thought, she was somewhat content to know that Yang wasn't as shaken by this as she was. It was good to know that even when she was gone, Yang would be able to remain strong and keep going, because that's what Yang always did. She never stopped for anything. She always trekked on and kept moving forward.
Another reason why she had fallen so deeply in love with her.
It was this thought that Blake held onto as she felt herself slipping away, her consciousness ebbing as the pain began to alleviate, the warmth surrounding her fading away as everything became nothing.
The harsh stench of chemicals roused her from her sleep. Amber eyes slowly revealed themselves to the world, peeking out from clumped black lashes against bruised cheeks as the world refocused. Her first sight was the ceiling, a dull, off-white color that was speckled with brown water stains. The stains were irregular splotches accented with holes in the tiles where the water damage had been too much, crumbling from being weakened too much.
Blake heaved a deep breath, her chest crying out when she did so and her nostrils burning from the harsh chemicals that filled the room. She winced as the ache in her chest became a sharp stab just below her ribs and sighed as the soreness of her spine receded as she relaxed once again. She shut her eyes for a moment to recollect herself, willing silently for all her aches and pains to go away.
A slow, methodical beeping sounded off to her left and a quick glance confirmed that it was a heart monitor, the green line moving across it rhythmically. Then she looked down to find herself attached to it, becoming very aware that that was her heartbeat she was hearing.
Now fully awake, she glanced around the room, so barren and depressing. As was to be expected of a hospital room of course. She risked trying to sit up to get a better look at her surroundings but her body cried out when she tried and she dropped back harshly onto her bed which only awakened new pains.
A chilled hand guided her back down gently and amber turned up to meet icy blue, narrowed in silent scolding.
"You shouldn't be moving."
Blake blinked tiredly and only hummed, allowing Weiss to settle her back into bed, offering a small thank you when the girl tucked her blanket around her more securely and brushed some sweat soaked strands of hair from her face. Once she had finished she sat back in the chair that had been pulled up against the bed, taking care to cross her legs elegantly and folding her hands across her lap. Blake wanted to laugh from seeing the heiress so refined and proper as always, but figured it would be poorly received from both Weiss and her ribs and settled for a strained smile instead.
They sat in silence as Blake tried to regulate her breathing again and will away the pains with a frown and furrow of her brow. Seeing this, Weiss stood up, murmuring something about notifying the doctor for more pain medicine, and briefly stepping out of the room, leaving Blake alone.
Blake looked around again, amber eyes settling on the small table that stood at her bedside. On it were some cards, presumably signed by her friends with wishes to get well. In the middle of all of them sat one of her books and next to that a thin, tall vase with a single flower inside of it. The stem was curved as the flower was bent over, its pink petals luminescent under the white fluorescent lighting of the room.
It was the same flower as the one in that field she had been in with Yang that afternoon, the very same that had been woven into her hair and had fallen around them by the handful as they sat underneath the tree in each other's arms. Tenderly lifting her arm, she reached out to stroke the petals, so soft and cool underneath her fingertips. Yang must've brought that.
Speaking of Yang, she must've gotten help for her after all. It must've been after she had passed out in the field. Yang probably went to her scroll to call for help during the first shockwave of pain and held her until someone had come to carry her here. It didn't explain everything exactly, like why had Yang seemed to have known what was going to happen and why she seemed so calm when it finally did, but the fact that she was here and alive (albeit still in a lot of pain) cancelled out most of that confusion. Besides, when Yang got back (because Blake assumed her teammates were taking turns watching her), she could ask her all those questions then.
Weiss entered the room again, announcing that a nurse would be there in just a few minutes to get her another pain medicine dose. She sat back down, smoothing out her combat skirt after crossing her legs. Her hands fidgeted nervously, plucking at invisible spots of lint and smoothing creases that didn't exist. Blake frowned at the unusual behavior, but chalked it up to Weiss having been here so long, cooped up in the room with a comatose person for so long.
They sat there silently once more, this time more uncomfortable than the last and Blake willed for the nurse to hurry up to alleviate the tension in the room. She caught that icy blue gaze turned her way a couple of times, always so filled with worry and apprehension with an underlying hint of relief.
"I called Ruby to tell her you were awake. She'll be here later."
Blake nodded and hummed, brow furrowing in slight confusion that Weiss had left out Yang. Wouldn't she be the most worried of all? Yet when she went to ask the question the nurse decided to make her appearance, engaging Blake in a brief conversation as she checked over all of her vitals, making records of everything on her clipboard before offering Blake two pills to take and a tall glass of water to help her wash it down. After a few more questions and more scritches on the keyboard, the nurse left, reminding Blake that if she needed anything that she was just a button press away.
Once the nurse had left the room and closed the door behind her, Blake turned back to Weiss, who was looking at her oddly. Her lip jutted out in a pout and her brow was furrowed deeply, blue eyes gazing at her so intently that Blake suddenly felt uncomfortable with so much attention directed towards her.
"What?"
"You scared us, Blake. We thought we had almost lost you."
The faunus sighed and let her head drop to her pillow, already fatigued from the impending conversation. "I'm sorry. But in my defense, it wasn't my fault."
Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course it wasn't. I suppose you want me to believe you running into a horde of Grimm without your teammates 'wasn't your fault'. Listen here, Belladonna, you can't just -"
Blake jolted up in bed, ignoring the way her body cried out when she did so, her action effectively cutting off the heiress. "Grimm? What Grimm?"
There was a brief pause where Weiss looked at her incredulously, then narrowed her eyes as if to seek out some hidden joke before blinking slowly. "Do you….do you not remember? We were on a mission on the outskirts of Vale: you, Ruby and I. The Grimm swarmed us and you ran in like an imbecile -"
"No! I couldn't have been a mission, I was just with Yang! We were sitting in a field and there wasn't any Grimm anywhere…" She trailed off at the solemn look that took over Weiss' expression, eyes suddenly filling with pity and sympathy. "Why would you -"
"You died, Blake. The doctors...they had to bring you back...twice."
Blake shook her head as she felt her throat clamp shut, the stinging hot tears overflowing as they poured down her cheeks. The flower...it was the same….Yang had brought it she knew she had….
"Where's Yang? Let me talk to her!"
"Blake…."
"Where's Yang?"
Weiss stood up abruptly at her outburst, lurching forward and grasping her shoulders in an iron grip that would surely leave bruises later. The tears were flowing freely now and her breathing was erratic as she was borderline on hysterics, her entire body shaking so hard that she could see Weiss trembling too. (Or maybe that was because Weiss seemed on the brink of tears as well.)
"Blake, you need to calm down…"
"Not until I talk to her! You called Ruby now call Yang! She deserves to know I'm okay -"
"Blake please. Don't make me get the nurses…."
" - she's the one who brought me here! Doesn't she care? -"
"Blake, you need to calm down! You're still recovering; this isn't good for you!"
" - bring her to me! I need her! Please Weiss just tell Yang I want her here - "
Weiss closed her eyes and the first few tears fell past those pale lashes, dribbling silently down her cheeks. And with those tears, Blake knew. She knew everything, she remembered all of it.
And when Weiss opened her eyes, so full of pain and sympathy that Blake was practically choking on it, she started shaking her head frantically, convinced that if she denied it hard enough whatever Weiss said next wouldn't be true.
"Blake….you know that Yang's been dead for months….you need to let go."
And with that, her entire world shattered. All the energy she had just had left her in one fell swoop and she collapsed into Weiss' arms, sobbing her heart out. Weiss awkwardly held her in response to show her support in an attempt of comfort, but compared to Yang's warm hugs, it was cold and distant. She felt isolated, barren and empty, just as the room she sat in.
In an attempt of escape she let her mind drift back to that golden field lit by the afternoon sun, the quiet hush of the warm breeze rustling the tree blossoms above her head. She remembered what it felt like with Yang's arms around her, her soft lips pressed against her own, those twinkling lilac eyes looking at her like she was the world…
And she remembered what had happened just before she had left that world, with Yang's arms holding her so steady and kindly that she yearned and ached to return there, no matter the cost. And although at the time she had been in so much pain she couldn't focus on it, she recalled the whispered words that Yang had uttered as she had slipped away, and new tears fell to her lap as she shuddered and sobbed into Weiss' arms.
"It's okay. I can wait to show you another time. You still have that book to finish."
{"Death is easy. Living is the hard part."}
A/N: Okay, straight off the bat: you can all blame Twilight for this one. 100% serious. I got sick recently, as did most of my family, and my mom and younger sisters decided to marathon the entire Twilight series. And as I was puking my guts out for almost the entire day, I was subject to sit there and watch it too.
Although I'll admit it. The cinematic artistic choices they made for that movie aren't all that bad. Especially in the first movie where Bella is dying. I really liked that. I also liked the song that was playing during that part. So naturally it got stuck in my head. And once I did find it, I thought of this lovely fic that you just finished reading.
So yeah. Blame Twilight.
Also, as some of you may know, exactly one year ago the creator of this series, Monty Oum, passed away. So this is my contribution. Sorry it's not exactly uplifting, but I wanted to create something for this day at the very least.
So this one's for Monty and everything he's done for this world, for Roosterteeth, and for me personally.
Anyway, if you like this fic and want to support me as I make more, consider pledging to me on ? The link is on my profile page and all patrons get to see all of my fics 1-2 days early. You can pledge as little as $1 and get early access to fics. Great deal there.
Or maybe you have a specific idea in mind that you want me to write? Well, I am also open for commissions right now. Those details are on my profile page as well under the commissions link.
I don't really like begging but I could seriously use the money right now guys.