A/N: Something to help me get back in the swing of things. And maybe get me to start posting on here again. I'm not sure. I hope you enjoy and drop a review.
There was something different about herself lately, but Blake couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Was it the day? The evening of the Beacon Ball was tonight and just for the occasion - maybe even a certain someone - she wore her most fitting gown and rested a few winks prior to the dance itself. Immaculate and better rested, with a little help from some expertly applied eyeliner, she was ready.
Was it her escort? Right away she knew Sun had actually tried, his shirt a classic black in contrast to his usual white in his attempt at black tie, buttoned up and everything. He liked to grumble but he always put on a smile and stuck his arms to his side when she looked at him as though he hadn't just been caught fiddling with his 'neck trap' again as they walked arm in arm to the dance hall.
Was it the dance then? Fancy functions like these never held much interest to her, yet as she pranced around the ballroom with her date in a second dance, laughing as Sun stumbled every now and again to avoid stepping on her toes, she found that she was enjoying herself.
But something felt off.
What was it?
Earlier that day, when she had begrudgingly been searching for information on a project she forgot about for Professor Bartholomew's class in the academy library, she felt empty. Around her the people seemed lifeless, the books faded to monochromatic blocks in the background, and the computer screen flickered with a dingy static.
Something was missing.
She hardly had the time to contemplate it, because all she saw was red. The red of that irritating dot; how it taunted her - toyed with her. By the time she stomped it down she swore she almost almost broke her nose running smack into the human equivalency of an iron wall.
That stupid lopsided smile was the last thing she wanted to see, but she allowed Yang to whisk her away to an empty classroom anyway.
As she had been dragged down the hall, a closer look through her sleepless haze blurred that happy countenance, revealing what was really underneath. Her aura, normally radiant in its usual vibrancy, felt dim. Her voice was lowered, somber almost. Her usual cheer receding as she settled down on the desktop in a meditative pose.
She didn't like it, but she indulged Yang in whatever she was up to. Probably some kind of pep talk to get her to go to the dance like earlier, she assumed, and joined her on the desk, guarded.
And then she learned her story.
It hurt.
She could see the frightened and helpless little blonde girl facing the claws that would be the end of her and her sister all those years ago. That girl reminded her of a faunus, her little picket sign in hand, three diagonal slashes painted bloody on the front. Her small hands trembled in the face of terror, the ignorance falling away from eyes once blind.
They never meant for any of it to happen, to drag the innocent down with them, those who should have died at the hands of their stupidity.
They were not so different after all.
But it was not the same. Blake convinced herself it was her, only her, who could stop this. Too many were involved as it was and ultimately it was her responsibility to finish this fight, no one else's. Yang just didn't understand. It had to be her.
But Yang wouldn't hear it.
Yang insisted.
Yang fought back.
Yang wouldn't let her destroy herself.
And before Blake could summon the strength in her anger, any strength she had left to prove to Yang that could fight back, to prove she was strong, that she could do this, she was given what she hadn't experienced in many years.
She forgot what a hug felt like. It was warm; arms soft but strong held her close as a chin rested on her shoulder, a subdued voice whispering close to her ear.
"I'm not asking you to stop, just please… get some rest."
Lilac eyes bore into her when the arms fell away, intense but benign.
"Not just for you, but for the people you care about."
Blake didn't know what to say, too shocked to even react when Yang stepped away and took her leave.
And though Yang was on the other side of the room, that cloaking warmth lingered.
"And, if you feel like coming out tomorrow,"
She turned back and winked with a knowing little smile.
"I'll save you a dance."
That happened several hours ago. Yang had then left her to greet the attendees that still walked through the door as the ball dragged on into the night, leaving her with Sun. Not being in a life-threatening situation or volatile environment for once made it easier to laugh at his jokes, learn more about him, get to know him a little better.
Oddly enough, the warmth she felt previously around Yang was present near him, but they could not compare. A lively flame to a lowly spark; Sun just wasn't her.
However, once Neptune showed up, he disappeared, telling her he would be right back. That was almost a half hour ago. Although the haughty huffs and angry grumbles interspersed with familiar names erupting from the girls mingling about told her he nor Neptune were going to show their faces again anytime soon.
Across the ballroom Ruby and Weiss had taken a page from the other half of their team and paired up for a dance, though not one Blake had ever seen. They stumbled on the floor in a fashion that almost resembleda dance, the heiress trying to direct Ruby's more spastic movements into something bearing grace. She chuckled silently, hearing Weiss' chastisements from here.
Yang remained stationed at the podium by the main entrance, writing something in a booklet she had seen swapped between her and her co-coordinator. She would glance at her every now and then, thinking about dropping by and seeing what she was up to, but every time Yang could be seen talking to someone else. Socializing, organizing, and supervising, the blonde obviously was a busy bee with a lot on her plate. Blake let her be.
With nothing and no one else, she downed a plastic cup of punch, threw the cup in the nearest bin for a two-point shot, and left.
Outside, her feet welcomed the light chill as they throbbed from hours of walking in heels in place of her usual boots. Ruby was right, how did Weiss manage to fight in these things? Shoes in hand, she wearily trudged back to the dorms alone, enjoying the quiet the courtyard had to offer-
"Hey Blake, wait up!"
-while it lasted for those thirty seconds. On the bright side, she knew exactly who was calling her, so it wasn't difficult to manage a smile and an amicable greeting. Maybe she hadn't been so busy after all.
"Hey Yang."
The hem of the little white dress she wore flattened against her legs as she ran to catch up, waving to her friend as she shouted. "Going back so soon? The party was just getting started."
The students must have finally commandeered the DJ when she left and turned the ball into a real party. Now that she was aware, she could hear the music blaring at an insane volume from the direction she came from.
Blake spotted the light sheen of sweat on her partner's face, most likely from running, as she gulped down air by the time she stood at her side.
She looked as worn as Blake felt. "Sun wore me out with all the dancing. And I don't think I could stand another step in these things." She swung the dreaded toe pinchers for emphasis.
"You too, huh?" Yang held up her own heels with a grin, bare feet padding along the concrete. She held out an expectant hand. "Let me?"
Blake rolled her eyes, the right corner of her mouth peeking up. "I can carry them myself, thank you."
But she was insistent, waggling her fingers and raising her voice to a keening plead. "Let meeee?"
She sighed good-naturedly and acquiesced, knowing any protests would be shot down. After Yang took her heels and hooked them to join the other dangling pair in one hand, the bare-footed brawler sauntered along beside her, humming as they went.
As the moon was still rising, it wasn't too terribly late for the huntresses-in-training, especially in the relief that the headmaster called tomorrow an off-day for the students and staff in honor of the festival. It went unspoken that neither wanted to turn in for the night, not with the afterbuzz of the ball in their veins. So with no destination in mind they wandered slowly through the courtyard, Yang calming down but still having energy to burn.
She made it a game to hop on the stones at different intervals whilst avoiding the cracks, teasing Blake when she joined in and tried to copy her. Every once in a while the usually-somewhat-graceful-but-right-now-not-so-graceful girl tried to keep her balance on one foot as she leapt, the only reason she hadn't fallen on her butt at least five times being Yang lashing out to grab her the second she saw her tipping.
She blamed the new blisters on her feet, ones Yang miraculously didn't have. All Yang had to say to that was good fashion sense, the ability to look fabulous in anything, and a pair of cushy gel soles.
However, as they played and leapt to another stone, of which Blake was saved from another near-fall, she asked the question that had been bugging her since the golden girl appeared.
"Why are you really out here?" She was sure that if Yang meant it when she said the party was really starting up, she wouldn't have been surprised if she had stayed and partied 'til dawn.
A hum behind sealed lips filled the silence as Yang hopped two stones across to land on another, Blake close behind. "I'm not sure. I think it's 'cause it felt a little empty back there."
"Empty?" she echoed, "I think I was the only one to leave so far."
Yellow hair bobbed out of the corner of her eye. "Exactly!"
Just before Yang could take another jump, a jerk on her arm reeled her back.
"What do you mean 'exactly'?" Blake asked animatedly.
Yang shrugged, oblivious to the other's eagerness for an answer. "I saw that you were gone and I thought it was a bummer you weren't there anymore. That's all."
This girl took 'honesty is the best policy' to the extreme with her bluntness, and to be more honest Blake should have seen it coming. That warmth from earlier returned, a constant pressure laying heavily on her chest that she tried to will away like the heat on her face. "Oh."
"Yup, but I'm here with you now, so it's all good." Yang lightly elbowed her side and shook her hips in a little jig. "Now it's a real party up in here!"
She didn't say anything, not trusting herself with words. Instead, she smiled and kept a hand on Yang's arm so that they jumped to the next stones together, continuing their game of hopscotch. Her excess energy was a little infectious.
Crouching, Blake was about to jump again but felt skin slip away from her touch. Turning around, she watched Yang gambol away for a moment to dump their heels somewhere in the grass before bouncing back.
Yang bent her knees and swung her arms wide in something like a curtsy. "Would thee care for a dance, my lady?" She asked, drawing out the 'thee' and '-ance' in her best imitation of a classy socialite accent that would have had Weiss cringing.
"Another?" Blake cocked her head to the side. "Out here?"
It was unorthodox, dancing under the moon in the middle of a cobbled walkway. Music from the dance spilled out still to reach even here, clashing with the cricket chirps and lazy breeze whistling through the grass in an unholy cacophony. Yet her foot was already tapping to the out of sync rhythm, ready to move.
The very suggestion sounded so childish, but at the same time so enticing.
Then there was that stupid, lopsided smile.
"Why not."
Once her fingers slid inside her palm Yang smiled wider, swept her up and took them away.
They probably looked ridiculous, two huntresses swinging around and around on their silver stage and laughing like a couple of school girls. Sometimes it was hard to remember that it was not just a part they played, but their reality.
But Blake wasn't thinking these thoughts, hardly thinking at all really; not with the sight before her eyes.
The best way to describe Yang was a brilliant flame. Lilac lensed in starlight twinkled in merriment as her crackling laughter filled the cool night air, blending with Blake's own. Her hair flickered behind her, as fiery and alive as the rest of her. She swore it was watermelon, no, citrus that seared the inside of her nostrils and scorched her tongue as she breathed it in. If they weren't already touching, Blake would have wondered if she would burn on contact.
She led Blake gently but with little grace, hand on her waist and other clasping hers tight as they dipped and twirled to the distant beat, the other reading their partner like a book.
At times, Blake found it harder and harder to hold that smoldering gaze. It flared that warmth to an almost unbearable temperature that she resisted the impulse to stop and fan herself to ensure she wasn't catching fire.
To distract herself, she looked to the side, spotting their shadows out of the corner of her eye. The two silhouettes were so close they had melted into one entity on the pavement.
Until Yang stepped back from their little performance and posed for the finish, catching her breath as Blake stood opposite her, eyes glued to the ground.
What she saw bubbled another laugh in the back of Blake's throat. "Look, I'm taller than you."
Frowning, Yang followed her line of sight. The dim lighting from the nearby buildings cast their shadows unevenly, Blake's bow just peeking up above Yang's single unruly tuft.
"Keep dreaming, Belladonna." she huffed, relaxing her stance and releasing Blake's hand.
The loss of contact stung, but she hardly lost any warmth; that damnable smirk had an effect that boiled her blood. "Are you saying I can't be taller?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying." The vertically superior girl boasted. "And there's nothing you can do-OOO!" she yelped, "Ow ow ow, uncle, uncle!"
Yang knelt down to nurse her throbbing toe once Blake dislodged her heel, blowing on the poor, victimized digit. "Who's taller now?"
She pouted like a puppy denied its favorite toy. "That was a cheap shot..."
Blake scoffed, "Coming from the person who - once everyone was asleep - set all our alarms to wake us up an hour later so she could have the bathroom all to herself in the morning? That's rich."
"Hey, those weren't cheap shots, those were tactics, thank you very much."
"Cheap tactics."
Yang's rebuttal was sticking out her tongue and turning away with a huff, arms crossed.
"Oh, you can take it." Blake rolled her eyes, patting the blonde crown at waist high. "Don't you just absorb the energy anyway?"
"With my semblance activated, sure. But it's not so easy when you just stomp on me out of nowhere like that." She grumbled half-heartedly, accepting the hand offered to her and pulling herself up. "I'm not your personal punching bag."
"Strange, I thought that was exactly what you were."
A sharp gasp cut through the air. "How did I get stuck with such a cruel partner?" Laying a hand over her heart, she sighed and adopted a stony face, looking off at a random point on the horizon.
Her act broke quickly at the push on her shoulder. "Shut up."
Stumbling away to scoop up their heels, Yang chuckled and began to lead them away. The dorms weren't far now; a simple, hop, skip, and a jump and they were there. However, they both strolled past, not caring for sleep despite the bags beneath Blake's eyes yearning to be checked-in.
She had fended off sleep for so long; partly because she fought it, partly because the nightmares wouldn't allow it. Tonight she was sure it would take her easy as soon as she felt that pillow cradling her head.
But she didn't want to sleep. Not yet.
Ahead of her, Yang launched across the road, skipping one, two, three stones across in her continued game of hopscotch. She leaned out on one foot, balancing, balancing, balancing as she flailed her arms in a futile misfire at balance. Eventually, she tripped, catching herself with a giggling 'Whoa!'.
Blake watched, amused, as she trailed behind. It was nice this way too, neither speaking but not really having any real need to. Yang's presence was all she needed.
"Hey…"
But it seemed Yang felt chatty, which was fine too; she did most of the talking anyway.
Blake forgot she wasn't supposed to move her ears when wearing the bow, an ear flicking against her will in acknowledgement. She took note of Yang's tensed stance. "Hm?"
What she could see of bare shoulders under that blonde mane sagged under an invisible weight, her tone heavy. "Did tonight help, like, at all? I know I kinda forced you into this, which was pretty uncool, but I thought it'd make you happy. It's cool if it didn't, I mean, I just wanted you to take it easy for one night and enjoy yourself at least a little. Cause you've been overworking yourself, ya know? Oh, and nice job with the eyeliner by the way."
She turned around, unveiling an expression of worry and concern Blake hadn't meant to put there. "So, was tonight alright? Are you okay?"
There were embers in the pit of her stomach, hot and heavy that made it hard to breath.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Tonight was…" The words eluded her, her mind blanking and becoming as foggy as her vision that she tiredly blinked away. "Tonight was what I needed. Thank you, Yang, for everything."
Those content, half-lidded eyes and that tiny, tiny smile was something she wouldn't forget, the burning in her heart promised that. "Anytime, partner."
She sprung back to her side, effectively startling Blake and breaking the mood with a light grunt and a shout on impact of her chosen stone.
"Alriigghhht~! The Beacon Ball: a smashing success if I do say so myself. Tomorrow, we continue the hunt for Torchwick! And after that, more sleep!" The one-eighty's this girl could pull off was almost unbelievable.
As well as her tendency to switch topics. "By the way, I forgot to ask. How did it go with Sun?"
It was considerably easier for the cooler air to leach the remaining heat from her cheeks then. "It went… smoothly." She decided. "He was good company up until a portion of the female student body chased him and his friend away due to their antics. I'm sure we'll see him again soon."
Yang nodded. "No doubt about that." She paused for a moment, though Blake had a notion as to what she'd ask next. "What do you think of him anyway? See any possible romance with Mister Wukong once the whole Torchwick deal is over?" Her voice reached an all time high as she sang. "'Cause I think I see some chemistry~."
It was at that moment Blake realized something, experienced what the characters in her books must feel like when they came to a revelation, and why there were so many comparisons to the sensation of their heart shattering in their chest. It was powerful; it was painful.
But, unlike them, she wasn't going to give up.
"He's… nice. But I don't think I want any 'chemistry' with him." There really was nothing wrong with Sun, she did like him. Just… not that way.
Yang sighed beside her, almost sounding relieved. "I see…" She perked up then, eyes sparkling. "Well, it's not always about romance anyway. You do what you think is best."
"Yeah, it's not always about romance." Yang's voice sounded… strange. But she chalked that up to a wishful imagination. "When this is over, I'm not sure I'll ever pursue a relationship like that. But…if I do, thereis someone I have in mind."
Yang's excitement was palpable, almost strained . "Ooooo, Blake does have a crush~? Since when? On who? Do tell. Do you loooove them?" Crooning, she hooked her free arm through Blake's uncomfortably tight and pulled the other girl closer.
She ignored the no doubt visible hot pink on her cheeks that she blamed on a too warm Yang. "I don't know if that's it." She lightly chuckled, an empty sound. "It hasn't been very long, so not really love, no. And I'm not telling you who."
Yang's pout and whine just made her laugh harder and become that much more real. "Don't give me that look, you'd say the same."
"Fiiiine." It took all of two more steps before she asked her next nosy question. "If you're not gonna tell me who, will you tell me why?"
Blake stopped, arm slipping from Yang's. "Why…?"
Why did she like her? She didn't have a concrete answer.
All she knew was that there was something different about her, but Blake couldn't quite put her finger on it.
She looked up, spying the darkened dome of the sky. Expansive and free, the pitch black - starless from the surrounding academy lights - reassured her that it was okay to be candid, to say what she felt and have it validated. She earned that much.
"I don't… really know." She finally concluded, leveling her gaze at puzzled lilac. "I know I didn't like them at first. They were the kind of person I typically avoided. I thought they held no depth, no character, that they were just passing through life without a care in the world. I hated free spirits like that; the type of people who thought they were untouchable and would find out they weren't at a pivotal moment, when it was too late."
Memories of their time together flashed by, the good, the bad, and the cringeworthy. All of them made her smile. "But I was wrong. They're more, so much more. I guess it left an impression on me."
"Well," Yang looked her in the eye, mirroring her expression, the veins in her knuckles popping from the strain of the forceful hold on their heels. "I'm glad you found someone like that. I'll be rooting for you."
The following words burned in her mouth, the tang of ashes bittersweet.
"Thank you."
In front of them the stretch of cobbled stone ran to the airship docks. They wouldn't be running at this time of night. Pity, she would have liked to keep the adventure going. Just to spend another five minutes in this bliss with her.
With nowhere else to go and few options left, maybe it was finally time to turn in.
No, wait, one last jump, she decided, withholding a yawn and slipping away from Yang. To make it interesting, she aimed for a far stone nine spaces away, and made herself a bet: if she stuck it, tired as she was, satisfaction and luck would be hers. If she didn't… then it went without saying.
Crouch, aim, leap…
She sucked in a breath as she soared.
Her eyes widened in fear as she fell.
As the ground rose up to slam her out of existence, something hooked securely around her waist and pulled her back flush against something warm.
Why was it always warm?
"Whoa there daredevil, you holding up okay?"
She nodded dumbly. "Yes, thanks Yang." That seemed to be her favorite word tonight, constantly thanking her...
After Yang double-checked that she could stand on her own, Blake was released. However, to Blake's surprise, a delightful heat took hold of her hand. "Well, don't worry, I got you. I mean, I can't let my partner be offed by a sidewalk. C'mon Blake, aim for something cooler, like, a rogue ceiling fan or something."
"How about a falling bed?"
"There ya go, now we're talking."
A hint of a grin graced her lips as she let herself be led back to the dorm building. "I'll keep that in mind."