Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters and am not affiliated with Rooster teeth or rwby's creators.

A/N - These stories will be a collection of AU's scenes etc, I may decide to expand on in the future... I'm not sure yet. If there's enough interest in certain snippets or scenes I'll probably expand. I usually post these to my tumblr before posting here... But I'll try by best to remember to update here.

Enjoy!

"I can't do this anymore."

Her voice is soft, if you weren't so tuned into her every movement, her every breath, blink, turn of her head, everything, you might have missed it. You know the five friends you've just run into don't hear the melodic voice, but you do. You always do. You turn to her and she refuses to meet your gaze. She lowers her head allowing her hair to fall, obscuring her face from your searching eyes. Her ears are pinned so tightly to her scalp the black fur disappears into the same coloured tresses.

You reach for her and she steps back, away from your touch. You take a step forward, needing to get to her, needing to make her look at you, but she shakes her head furiously.

"I can't." Her voice hardens, cracks, but is resolute nonetheless. She's suddenly running, and not towards you like she's done countless times. She's running away, and the knife twists in your heart as you realize you might have pushed her too far this time. She's running from you and you might never get her back.

"Is she okay?"

You barely hear your teammate's words. Your friends, basketball, highschool, all fading away. Nothing matters but the girl currently hell bent on getting as far away from you as she can.

Breaking into a run, you push your muscles to drive harder, faster, needing to catch up to her, cursing when you round the corner of the food court and lose sight of her. Frantically you spin, searching, thinking, praying, but she's gone. You search every inch of the mall and don't find her. She's not answering her phone and you're suddenly panicking. She won't. She can't. She wouldn't cut you out.

But you know it's a lie. She would. She'd been telling you for weeks, months even, that she was on the edge, that you had one more chance, and with one ill-fated appearance of your friends you'd used that one chance up.

You rush out the main doors, and sprint around the corner of the building. You keep telling yourself she wouldn't be cruel enough to leave without telling you. She would know you'd be searching for her. But even as your mind rationalizes it you know you're wrong.

Ripping your phone from your back pocket you dial her number once again. It goes straight to her messenger.

"Fuck." Hot tears are blazing trails down your cheeks. Your heart hurts, you can't breathe and you need to think. This isn't helping but the thought of her actually leaving you has you leaning against the building for support. You force your lungs to expand, and your hands to stop shaking. You need to find her.

Her friends. She would have called one of them for a ride, having come with you. You dial Sun's number and bring the phone to your ear, pacing, toes scraping the pavement, you growl as his messenger comes up.

"Call me!" You all but yell into the phone ending the call.

You're about to dial another number when you hear a noise. Following it your round the next corner of the building and find her. She's on the ground, legs pulled tightly to her chest and her face is buried between her elbows, body shaking with similar tears that still flow from your own eyes. And it pains you more than anything, because you've caused this. You've been the cause of this pain for her, so many times. And she's right. It isn't fair.

"Blake," you whisper, not wanting to startle her. But your voice breaks and little more than a squeak makes it past your lips. You kneel in front of her, reaching your arms out without touching. You don't think you could take her pulling away from your touch again. "Please."

Her head shakes rapidly as she lifts to stare at you with tear filled eyes, a continuous shadow streams from both amber orbs, mascara tainted tears dropping from her chin. A fresh wave of your own fall at the sight. She shakes her head again and you mimic her.

"No," you plead again.

"Yang…" a piece of your heart shatters the way her voice quivers saying your name. "I can't." She releases her death grip of her legs to swipe the trails on her face. "I can't."

"I know." And you do, because this is it. You don't have any more time to figure it out. She's been patient. She's been forgiving. She let you love her in silence, in secret, like she's not worth sharing to the world. But she is, and that's not how you wanted to make her feel. But what you meant to do and what you are doing are two different things. How can you justify anything that makes her feel like this?

She stands and you follow, on autopilot, your body just reacting to the need to not let her leave.

"Then don't stop me," her voice isn't harsh, or accusing. It doesn't break, or waver, it just sounds tired, exhausted, finished. She takes a step to round the corner you've just come from and you can't let her leave. You should respect her request, she's been living by your rules for so long that you should give her this one win. But you can't. You can't lose her. You won't.

She stops before you can say anything and it's only after you feel a tug on your shoulder that you realize your hand is around her wrist. She tugs again, harder, trying to break your hold, but you bring your other hand to hold hers more steadily.

"Stay," you beg.

"I can't, Yang." She doesn't look or turn to you, she just tugs again. "It's not fair for you to keep asking me to be your dirty little secret. I can't-" her voice cuts off as her shoulders shake, sobbing once more. She pulls hard at her wrist, putting her entire weight into the effort and you brace against her strength, moving with her so as not to hurt her or jarr her shoulder. You fingers rub apologetically at the skin they're squeezing a little too roughly. "I can't!"

"You won't have to." You say the words before processing them, because they're the only words you know will work right now. You're proven correct as she turns to face you. So many emotions show on her face and you quickly try to process all of them: hurt, betrayal, anger, worry, skepticism, love, and hope. After everything you've put her through she still loves you and she still believes you're capable of doing the right thing.

You'll lose her if you don't, and you can't stand the thought. The past half hour has been enough of a wake up call. If you lose her, you're going to lose a part of yourself. And nothing is worth hurting you both like that.

"I won't," you step forward, bringing one hand to wipe her remaining tears, caressing her damp, puffed cheek. She's still the most beautiful girl you've ever laid eyes on. She's the gentlest, most loving, funny, intelligent person you've ever know and she deserves to be happy, she deserves the world. And you want to be the one to give it to her. "Not anymore." Her eyes plead with you, because you've said similar before. It hurts she can't trust you, but you understand why. "It's a habit now and I can't say for the next little while I won't pull away out of reflex." You wrap your arms around her and place a gentle kiss to her forehead. She sinks into your touch, wrapping her own arms around your middle, using you as her support. "But I will fix this, us. I promise."

You pull back and wipe the last tear from her cheek and grab her hand. You pull, leading her back around to the main door of the building. You smile at her, bright and wide and her ears prick forward and eyes sparkle just a tiny bit. You touch your lips to hers, right outside of the mall's main doors, people break apart to go around you. Some you sense stop to stare, most continue on as if you're only a slight nuisance standing in the way.

When she opens her eyes after you pull back, the anger is gone from them and she's staring back at you with so much love and hope you vow never to disappoint her again.

"Yang," you hear a friend call to you. Breaking your gaze you turn to acknowledge them. Your five teammates are waving as they skip their way to your side. They eye how your arms are still wrapped loosely around Blake's middle, but you ignore them, gripping the back of her shirt a little tighter so you don't accidentally pull away. She would leave you if you allowed that to happen. "Do you and Blake want to join us for a movie, it's starting in twenty."

Turning back you silently ask if she wants to go home or continue their outing. Whatever she wants you'll agree to. She nods almost imperceptibly. And you turn back to your friends.

"Sure," you respond moving to wrap one arm around Blake's shoulder, pulling her through the doors, entering the mall once more. Your friends fall in step around the two of you. "But you all have to keep your damn thoughts to yourself if I can't help macking on my girlfriend during the film, got it?"

"Girlfriend?" A few ask in unison, and you feel their eyes raking over the two of you. Judging.

Your fingers twitch on Blake's shoulder even though you try to still them. It's nerve wracking because although Blake is worth more than any of them, coming out to your closest friends is always supposed to be hard, right? A soft hand is gripping yours suddenly and you look to find Blake smiling up at you, her hand steadying yours at her shoulder. You take a deep breath, taking comfort in the fact you've just made Blake happy.

"Yeah," You eye each of your friends in turn, looking for any negative energies. "Any of you got a problem with that?"

"No Cap," they all rush to reassure you and suddenly they drag Blake in on some story about you fumbling in the last tournament she wasn't able to come watch.

When you hear her laughter at your own expense you realize no matter how many people that will blame, condemn and shame you for being with her, it doesn't matter.

You can handle their hate as long as you have her love.