Things were going well with Sun, the dance was surprisingly finding her in high spirits and Blake laughed freely. She was deeply grateful that her partner had convinced her to go, and while she enjoyed the presence of another Faunus immensely, Blake couldn't shake the sensation of her teammate's pleading hug, the sheer worry in her voice as she desperately tried to get through to her friend, the panic when she shoved Blake against the big lecture hall desk, the huge grin she'd worn when she spotted Blake at the dance, arm in arm with Sun, the smell of gunpowder and fire that followed the blonde girl wherever she went. All of these were present in Blake's head the whole night. All too soon, the clock struck midnight and the dance was over.
Sun walked her back to her dorms and, being the sweetheart that he was, never made a move on her. Blake, torn, grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, kissing him softly on the lips. His tail wrapped around her and held her close to him. She desperately wanted to deepen the kiss, start something with the silly monkey. However, she knew what was waiting for her in her dorm room: a fiery blonde girl who meant the entire world to her. So with that in mind, she stepped back from Sun, her head bowed, and opened her mouth to speak, only to find herself cut off.
"I know." he shot her a grin. "Hey, Neptune was right; she's a hell of a woman. Just remember that so are you, Blake. You deserve the best. Thanks for tonight. I had a blast. And if you ever, and I mean EVER, need anything, just call me, okay? I programmed my number into your scroll when you weren't looking. Team SSSN and Team RWBY will always have each other's backs, right?
Blake just smiled up at the dashing young man, his sparkling teeth and mop of blond hair, nodded, and whispered, "Of course, Sun."
Sun grinned even bigger and stepped back. "Now go on, Yang's in there, and she didn't have a date tonight."
Blake desperately wanted to say something more but Sun just smiled his trademark smile and walked away, down the hall, leapt out the window, and was gone. Blake wiped a tear from her face and went to open her door.
What she saw when she got in there was not what she was expecting. Yang was sitting on a chair in front of the window, a couple empty bottles around her and one that was half-full in her hand. Blake knew it was alcohol, despite the fact that alcohol was banned on school property.
Blake was taken aback. She knew that Yang went to clubs and partied, but she never knew that she drank. Yang always put on a tough act, but when it came down to it, she was a softy that usually followed the rules, even if grudgingly. Blake tentatively approached the chair, Yang oblivious to her presence. When she got close, Blake could hear quiet mumblings coming from the drunken girl's mouth. "...damn him...damn...dirty monkey...I wanted to dance with her all night...I wanted to kiss her..." Blake stopped at those words. She had known Yang had a crush on her and she knew that she had feelings for the feisty berserker too, but she didn't know how strong Yang's feelings were until right now. Blake turned to go when she heard the bottle crash against the hardwood floor. She turned and saw Yang tottering, staring at her with crimson eyes, tears flowing freely.
Blake glanced down and saw that her teammate's hand was bleeding, cut by the bottle that, Blake realized, had been crushed and not dropped. Yang opened her mouth, "You..." and fell face first to the floor. Blake caught her before she hit her head and held the now snoring mess in her arms. Blake looked at the clock. 12:35. Ruby and Weiss would be home soon having stayed behind to clean up.
Blake bit her lip and hefted the girl up into her own bed, then set to work cleaning up the spilled liquid and glass shards. After making sure the floor was safe and dry, she sprayed air freshener to mask the smell of the booze.
Then Blake turned her attention to the snoring blonde. She needed to get her cleaned up, there was vomit on her lower lip, she stank like booze, and her beautiful prom dress was in shambles. Blake's heart sank. She had unwillingly hurt the most important person in her life and seeing Yang sink this low hurt her just as much. Blake went over to Yang and lifted her, the girl surprisingly light in her arms.
Blake carried her to the dorm's small private bathroom. Each dorm had a small bathroom for nightly urges when it was not convenient to walk down to one of the public bathrooms. The bathroom had a small tub that doubled as a shower, a toilet and a small sink. Blake sat the girl on the toilet and started running hot water. When it was an acceptable temperature, Blake turned and eyed the passed-out problem.
Blake blushed furiously. I've seen her naked before in the public bath, I can do this. Of course, the public bath wasn't an intimate place and nudity there was restricted to a brief period between removing the towel to get in or getting out to put a towel on.
She decided the best way to do it was to wriggle the dress over Yang's snoring frame and then dump her in the tub. As her hands lifted the soft cream material off her best friend's body, Blake realized that Yang had scars all over her stomach and chest. Curious, Blake ran her hand over Yang's arm and makeup smeared onto her fingers. Blake realized now why Yang always wore long sleeves. As the Faunus ran her damp hands over Yang's arms, the makeup gave way to a variety of scars, from small cuts to deep gashes. One in particular curved from the girl's left wrist, wrapping around her forearm, another gash forming an 'x' at the elbow, and the original scar wrapped up the girl's shoulder and down her back, stopping right above her rear.
Blake gasped, wondering what horrifying Grimm could've marred such beauty. It wasn't long before Blake discovered an even worse scar on the young woman's stomach. A stab wound. Sure enough, there was an exit scar on her back, mirroring the front. Blake examined the wound and then, covering her mouth, realized it was the exact same shape as the widest part of Crescent Rose, Ruby's giant scythe. Yang, my love, what happened to you? Blake was running her fingers over the scars, oblivious to her crush's lack of clothing when a small gasp followed by throat clearing snapped her out of her daze.
Blake looked up into scarlet eyes, and her pulse quickened suddenly. However, before she could run, the girl's quieted down to their normal lilac color. Yang sat there, vomit on her lip, completely naked, and stared down at the small Faunus that still had her finger on the horrible scar.
"I-I'm sorry! You were... And I just wanted to... I didn't mean to..." Blake's eyes widened and she scooted back on the tile flooring. Yang made no move to cover herself.
"Blake..." she said, softly, her voice husky, her eye sockets red from crying. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have seen mean like that. I shouldn't have... I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry, Yang. I didn't know how much my going with Sun would hurt you. I shouldn't have gone with him. I should've gone with you."
Yang laughed softly then groaned. "Dammit. Dammit. Dammit!" She held her head. "First time drinking. Should've known. Should've known..." Blake looked at her with questioning eyes and Yang looked up in between locks of gold. "My semblance. Because of it, my body heals at a faster rate. My aura can take a lot of damage and my semblance usually heals what isn't soaked up by my aura. It usually leaves a scar. Apparently, it nullifies alcohol. Should've known. Dad never could get drunk either. Not for long at least."
Yang then followed Blake's eyes, seeing them roam over her nude body then focus on the giant scar on the young berserker's stomach. "You can ask..."
Blake looked up and whispered, "What happened?"
Yang sighed quietly, "No one is supposed to see the scars. What I don't hide with clothing, I hide with makeup. Sometimes I just wear outfits that keep people's attention elsewhere. When I was fourteen, Ruby was twelve and had just finished Crescent Rose. Our uncle was so proud of her. He told her that Crescent Rose was even more beautiful and deadly than his scythe. She wanted to play with it of course. Qrow told her, he said 'Ruby, this is a weapon. It is a companion and a tool. Not a toy.' But she didn't listen. She was in the yard playing with it. I saw her swinging it faster and faster and I didn't realize until too late that she had lost control. I ran up and pushed her away, but the blade hit me in the stomach. There was blood everywhere. I didn't wake up for two months. When I did, Ruby had dismantled Crescent Rose. Eventually, Qrow and I managed to convince her to rebuild it. Ever since, Ruby has always worn red. People think it's because of her name. I know it's because it's a reminder of how she almost killed me.
It is sweet, in a way. But I've told her to let it go. My semblance saved me that day, no harm done. I'm fine. But now she always holds back when she fights. She doesn't want to harm anyone else like she did me."
Blake looked at the girl's scar then laughed softly. "She holds back? If she was holding back when we fought the Nevermore, I'd hate to see her when she isn't holding back."
Yang's brooding finally broke and she smiled. Standing up, she turned to the still running shower. "Well, I'm going to clean up. Can't have the rest of the team see me like this, can we?" Blake nodded and moved to leave. "Blake, wait..."
Blake felt a warm hand on her shoulder and she turned, surprised to see her teammate so close. Her pulse quickened and her face turned red. She looked up into her love's eyes, and found her staring back with equal passion. Yang leaned in slowly and kissed Blake softly. "Thank you, kitty. I promise never to put you through that again."
Blake flushed crimson and hugged her teammate, very aware of her nudity. She whispered quietly in her partner's ear, "You owe me a shower." Then she bolted. She ran through the hallways of Beacon, finally stopping on the top floor and burst out onto the roof.
She stopped suddenly when she saw Jaune and Pyyrah also on the roof. Both of them in dresses, both of them kissing, both of them suddenly aware that they were not alone. "I'm so sorry!" Blake cried and she disappeared back into the school, leaving a confused Pyyrah and a dizzy Jaune behind on the roof, their hands still intertwined.
Dammit, why did this school have to be so damn good at making people fall in love! Next thing Blake knew, she would want to get with Ruby or Weiss! Gods, I need to get away from here. So she ran. Out of the school, off the grounds, she kept running until she was miles away from Yang and her stupid, perfect, gorgeous self. She hated herself the whole way. She had run from her team when they found out she was a Faunus. She ran from her partner and mentor, Adam. She ran from the White Fang. Now she was running from Yang. From the one person she well and truly loved. Blake kept running, leaving behind a trail of tears. She ran until the night consumed her.
As soon as this was over, she needed to tell Blake how she felt. That night still burned in her memory. It had taken Yang six hours to find Blake, curled up, in a tree, outside of From Dust Till Dawn, a Dust shop in downtown Vale. Yang gently carried the sleeping Faunus all the way home, tucking her in, and when no one was looking, kissed her on the forehead. The next few days went by and neither of them really acknowledged what had happened between them. Weiss made an offhand comment about how Blake was even quieter than usual, to which Blake just shrugged.
The next few weeks went by, and before they knew it, they were working with Doctor Oobleck in the ruins of Mountain Glenn, an abandoned expansion of the Vale kingdom. Things happened, there was a train and some bombs and Yang didn't like to think of the fight against that ice cream girl. She had lost, badly, and she still did not know who saved her.
Now was not the time to think about that. There was a hole in the city, Grimm were everywhere, and Blake was in danger. Well, technically, they all were in danger. But mostly Blake. Yang grinned in anticipation and readied her aura. She sprinted at an Ursa and landed several hits before kicking it back into a group of Beowolves. They scattered like bowling pins and Yang scanned her surroundings. Blake was firing her pistol in an arc, hitting Grimm after Grimm after Grimm. Damn, she's a good shot! Yang grinned again and launched herself towards her teammate. Team CFVY showed up and of course, Coco had to overdo it with her minigun satchel. Yang concentrated on fighting next to her beloved, promising herself that as soon as it was all over, she'd make it official.
Blake Belladonna, my pretty kitty cat, after this, you and I need to have a long and important talk about what you do to my heart. Yang stood, back to back, with her partner, and no Grimm could get close. Yang's semblance burned and later, Nora would excitedly describe it as "night and day, but night burning just as brightly as day". Yang and Blake's semblances combined seamlessly, their auras meshing in a perfect union of sunshine and shadow. Yatsuhashi later told Team RWBY that it seemed as though "Yang blazed in yellow fire, and Blake burned with the black flames of Amaterasu herself." Yatsuhashi never explained what that meant, but the man was quiet and kept his worship close to heart. Since he had divulged that much meant that their fighting must truly have been a spectacle.
Yang was just happy that she could keep her partner safe. Reloading Ember Cilica, Yang yelled and charged at a King Taijitu, it's white head rearing to bear its fangs at her. To her rear, Blake quietly dealt with the black head. Moving in perfect unison, they expertly dealt with the giant snake. Lie Ren would go on to mention that the snake was at least three times the size of the one he had taken down during initiation. Ruby, of course, would gush about how there were blazing yellow copies of Yang and shadowy clones of Blake dancing and dealing death to any Grimm that would get close. Ozpin himself seemed impressed with the level of synchronicity that the pair displayed.
"It's very rare that we see a pair of hunters or huntresses that display a level of connectivity that you two displayed during that battle. I've already taken the liberty of scheduling you two to train under our best combat instructors, Professor Cole and his wife, Professor Lapis. I am very proud of you two, and the rest of Team RWBY. You have proven that I have placed my trust in people worthy to carry the hopes and burdens of future generations. Now, why don't you and your team take some well-deserved time off? After all, there are only a few weeks until you compete in the festival."
And with that, the crisis was over and life would slowly returned to normal.
Then Yang began having the dreams. The whole team had collapsed upon returning to their dorm room. Only Yang fidgeted and moaned.
I can't see. I move my arms. Nothing. Slowly, light returns to my eyes. I'm in the courtyard outside of Beacon. There are fireflies buzzing through the night sky. The sky? It's so...purple. I shake my head and start walking. In front of the Memorial is a figure. Obviously female. Tall. Long black hair. She looks like a Grimm. Ah, it is a mask. I stop in front of her."Who are you?" I ask.
She takes off the mask, her hair falling in thick waves not unlike my own. She looks up at me and I might as well be staring at myself. She has deep scarlet eyes and she smiles at me. "Yang. We have a lot to talk about."
I feel the fury rising, my aura powering me up, and then nothing. Blackness engulfs me and I'm falling.
Yang woke up with a gasp, sweat beading on her forehead, and her body trembling. She swallowed a few times and tried to catch her breath. Looking over to the other side of the dorm, she was relieved to see that Ruby and Weiss were still asleep. She sighed in relief and then jumped when she heard a soft voice call out. "Yang? Are you okay?"
Shit. Blake had woken up. "Yeah, I'm fine." she replied. "Just a dream." Before she could protest, the young Faunus was sitting on the foot of her bed, cross-legged, and staring at Yang with those beautiful amber eyes. Yang checked her scroll. It was 3:52 in the morning. Ugh.
Blake reached out and put her hand on her partner's wrist, lowering the scroll. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here. If you don't that's okay, I'm still here. What do you need?" Yang could almost hear the worry in the Faunus's voice.
"I..." she started, "I need...you." Yang looked up, barely able to make out her love's features, but knowing full well that Blake could see every detail, including the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Ever...ever since that night, I've wanted, no, I've needed you. You are all I think about, every day, every night. I...I know I'm a girl and you're a girl and I've never felt this way about anyone, and I just want you to know that I love you and even if you don't love me, I'll always be there for you, always. I'll always have your back and I'll always love you."
Blake sat there quietly for a few moments. Quietly, carefully, she leaned in to Yang. Yang couldn't see so much as feel Blake get close to her. She flinched when Blake's cool hands touched her face. Those hands cupped her cheeks and her thumbs ran across the tear-stained skin. Blake leaned in closer until their noses almost touched, breathing short, shallow breaths. She let her eyes roam over the blonde girl that had bared her heart. Whispering so quietly that she wasn't even sure if Yang had heard her, she said "Yang. I have loved you since I saw you dragging your sister towards me the night we first met. I have loved you since you jumped in front of a Nevermore for me. I have loved you since the day I met, and I have found a new reason to love you every day still. Yang Xiao Long, I love you with my all of my heart, mind, and soul."
Finally, shadow touched sunshine and their kiss exploded like fire on dry leaves, leaving both girls trembling and yearning for more.
"Sleep with me." Yang said.
Blake reached a hand to her shoulder and began to slide her top off but warm fire stopped her. Yang's hand on hers, she whispered, "No, Blake...not that. Sleep with me." Blake smiled softly and let her black yukata fall away anyway.
"Then you'd better keep me warm, sun dragon."
"Anything for you, kitty." The way Yang called her that erased years of hatred and prejudice. Nearly two decades of pain and torment at being a Faunus, slanders and insults aimed at her cat-like ears and animalistic traits, were gone in an instant of pure love. Blake had found her soul mate, and her soul mate not only accepted her as she was, but also reveled in it.
She curled into the blonde girl's body, her back to the taller girl, fiery hands wrapping around her slender frame, warming her whole body. "Oh and Yang?" she whispered, closing her eyes and sinking deeper into her lover's embrace.
"Yeah?"
"I like my ears scratched."
Yang grinned at the trust that her shadowy partner had just displayed. Moving a hand, Yang gently scratched the delicate girl's ears. They both fell into a deep, peaceful sleep as Blake's purring permeated their embrace.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first taste of Bumblebee. I hope this doesn't seem too rushed but being a Bumblebee fluff/smut fanfiction, I wanted to jump right into it. Another side note here, all references to Taiyang and his team are made with the following assumptions:
1: That Taiyang led his team
2: That Qrow's last name is also Xiao Long
3: That Raven Branwen was their teammate and Yang's mother.
4: That their team name is Team TRQS (Turquoise)
Thanks for reading!