A/N - I kind of adapted this for v-day... not unhappy with the results. Hope you like. General rating, nothing that needs a warning.


Blake was eight when she was forced away from the safety of her home and thrust into an environment altogether unknown. Absent from her home, friends, and family everything had an unpleasant sinister feel to it. She was the only faunus in her new school which meant she became the target of ridicule all due to her oddities she could not control. The words, insults, and slurs she'd only a half-grasped meaning of delivered with the angry voices of her peers upset her. The physical torment was worse, however. Words she could ignore, become numb to, but the sharp elbows, the quick feet shoved to block and trip her and rough, unmerciful hands that grabbed for her ears, just to make sure they were real, had Blake running to find a hiding spot at recess.

There was only one spot on the playground secluded and hidden enough. Blake rushed to the ball diamond's furthest dugout wishing only to hold her tears off long enough for her to out of sight from her tormentors.

She hadn't expected the spot to already be occupied, but it was too late to turn to look for another. Her tears broke free, salted streams tickling their way down her cheeks. The blonde girl remained, sitting in the grass cross-legged, leaning back on the metal of the dugout. She observed her unexpected visitor silently and all Blake could do was wait for the slurs, the names, the hurtful words to fall from the other girl's lips.

Instead she raised her hand, reaching out to Blake. It took her a moment to blink burning tears from her vision enough to realize the girl was holding something. Blake tentatively took the offered gift; a fruit gummy. Blake stared at it for the longest time, expecting a trick, not believing anyone in the school could be so kind.

The other girl held out another one, refusing to drop her hand until Blake grasped it as well. New treasure in hand Blake gently sat beside her, taking in the girl's blonde hair and violet eyes now that her vision was returning as her tears dried. She smiled gently at Blake before popping a red gummy into her own mouth.

Blake took her time chewing both gifts, savouring the fruity, sugared taste.

When the bell rang they made their way back to the school. Blake hung a few steps behind wondering if she should ask the girl's name, but as they stepped through the doors she turned the wrong way, leaving Blake to make her way to class alone.

She doesn't care if it's past curfew or that she'll more than likely be in shit later. She just can't stay here one more second. She rushes out the front door, slamming it hard behind her on Mary's demanding voice calling her back. Blake starts running, letting her legs carry her through the familiar streets. Her vision is blurred by angered tears and she blinks them away furiously. They aren't worth it. But the more she repeats the phrase in her head the more her eyes burn.

When she slows she finds herself at the elementary school. She's not sure why she always seems to find her way here, why the tightness in her chest unravels just a little bit at the sight, why her breaths come just a little easier as she takes in the grass smell making her way across the field. She's not sure completely sure why this place is able to unburden her a little but she's glad her feet keep carrying her here.

Blake drops to sit on one of the vacant swings and kicks her feet out. The world gently sways around her as she focuses on her breathing. The wet trails on her cheeks dry and Blake shivers int he coolness of the night air. Her eyesight clears about the same time a pair of yellow converse shoes come into view.

She'd recognize them anywhere, but their presence confuses her. How would Yang know where to find her. But Yang answers at her questioning gaze before Blake can voice the query.

"Your last message…" Yang takes a deep breath before calmly sitting on the swing beside her. "I had a feeling you might need to escape there for a few hours. So I thought I would see if you were here." Yang is silent for a few long moments before quietely broaching the subject. "How bad is it really?"

"He ruined all of them."

"All?" Blake can hear the anger in her voice, but she's so far past angry.

"Every last sketch. He ripped every single one." Her breath hitches and she takes the time to wipe his face from her mind. "My whole portfolio is ruined. I'll have to start all over again."

"That took you months, he ca-" Yang cuts herself off and it's so unlike her that Blake finds herself turning to her neighbour for answers. "You're keeping your new portfolio at my house from now on but I can't believe Adam would do that even after what you did for him the other day?"

"I think in some twisted way he did it because of what I did for him." Blake sighs.

"You saved him from a beating and he ruins your entire art school portfolio?"

"I made him look weak." Blake's jaw tightens and her teeth clench painfully together. "He was teaching me a lesson."

Yang's mouth opens and closes as she sways side to side, chains of the swing rattle above her.

"Blake, I want to help."

"You can't!" Blake takes a deep breath knowing she's trying. "He'll be eighteen in a month and will no longer be a ward of the state and I'll never have to see him again." She kicks at a small pebble on the ground, watches as it skips thought the grass. "And in a few more months time you won't have to worry about me anymore. I won't be a burden to you after I graduate."

Yang sighs. She stands taking Blake's hand leading her across the field. They round a familiar corner and suddenly Blake is taken back. It seems another lifetime, yet she remembers the exact fear she'd felt their first meeting. The comfort and happiness every other encounter elicited in her back then; the same feelings Yang has always, and still makes her feel.

"You always let me have the red ones." She says head shaking side to side gently.

"They were your favourite." Blake shrugs.

"But they were yours too." Blake hadn't ever told her that. It was true of course. She always had a preference for the same ones as Yang, but it never felt right to take a single one, especially when it was Yang who chose to share them with her in the first place. "I made a vow back then you know."

"A Vow?" She asks, confused at what an eight year old could possibly know about vows.

"I had this romanticized notion that because you let me have the red gummies…" She chuckles. "That it meant you were the love of my life." Her smile is gentle and reminiscent of those recesses spent in near silence together. "Can you imagine?" She asks, though Blake knows she's not expecting an answer. "Basing a feeling as strong as love on a snack."

"That would be too easy."

"True," Yang looks to the spot where the ghosts of your past selves can almost still be seen sitting side by side, passing fruit snacks between tiny hands. "My vow." Violet orbs meet yours. "Was to always be at your side."

"Yang." Blake's barely able to choke out, consumed by Yang's words. She'd like to brush them off as a child's fantasy but the way Yang keeps her gaze and the resolute tone to her voice tells Blake that she still means it. Yang still believes in her eight year old self's vow.

Before she can find an argument to bring forth Yang is pulling her back around the dugout, hand still firmly gripping her own.

"I may have first thought I'd love you there, but that's not where I fell in love with you."

"Yang?"

"You were gentle and caring enough to give me every one of your favourite snacks, even though - had you asked - I would have given them to you freely. But you were also strong and determined enough to walk back into that house every night, even though you knew how much pain awaited you there." Yang's voice lowers and Blake has to focus to not miss a word. "And you never let that kill your gentle side. When you stood up for him, your tormentor, where he deserved none of your protection, just because it was the right thing to do… I couldn't not fall in love with you in that moment." Her feet halt and Blake's follow a split second later. "Right here." She turns to smile brightly at you. "This is where you stood, berating and chasing off those stupid boys. This is where I fell in love with you… or where I finally realized that I had fallen at some point."

"Yang, I-"

"I don't have to say it back Blake. That's not why I'm telling you." Yang runs her hand through her hair. "I just want you to know there's someone in this world that loves you and will always be here for you." She makes a point to meet Blakes eye before continuing. Turning to pull Blake back to the swing set they'd vacated not long before "That no matter what, no matter what demons you're battling or pain you're in, I'll always do my best to keep you safe…and happy if I can."

"You do make me happy, Yang." Blake pours all the emotion she can into those words. She wants Yang to know how important she is to her. But she's never been very good at verbally expressing her emotions. "You're about the only person on this God forsaken planet that does, or that I do feel safe with."

It's then, as she bends to retrieve it, that Blake notices Yang's backpack is leaning up against the pole of the swing's rusted metal frame. Yang grabs for it, loosening the ties to allow her access.

"I was going to wait the two days until Valentine's Day but this seems like as good of time as any." Yang says as she pulls a small container out of the bag. It has a pink bow wrapped around it. Yang hands it to her with a smile. "Happy early Valentine's Day, Blake."

This is the last thing Blake expects to find when she left her foster care home. Even if she'd been expecting Yang to show up, she never would have thought she'd bring her a present. Carefully she pulls on the ribbon and watches as the material easily fell away. Lifting the lid she couldn't help but giggle. Inside was filled to the brim with gummy candy, all of them red.

"I wanted to ask if you'd be mine?" The hope in her voice is palpable and Blake knows it would kill her to refuse.

"Of course, we're always eachother's Valentines." Blake smiles grabbing one of the gummies bringing it to her lips. It has been an unspoken rule as far back as Blake can remember. No one ever seemed to catch either of Blake or Yang's attention during the holiday. They'd each had their fair share of offers that they'd turned down, nothing seeming more favourable than a day spent in each others company.

"That's good to know." Yang ducks her head, staring at herr shoes before she gains the courage to look Blake in the eye again. "But I didn't mean as just my Valentine this year."

"I don't g-"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Yang asks hurriedly. She scratches the back of her right wrist with her left hand, a nervous tick she's had for as long as they've been friends. "It's really okay if you'd rather not. I understand why you wouldn't want-" she winces at whatever she was about to voice. "I mean if you'd rather just stay friends than I won't have a problem keeping everything ju-"

Blake can't take it anymore, her rambling although cute is only working Yang up into a more nervous state. Her poor wrist was going to be sore with how she was worrying it. Blake's hand gently falls to still Yang's fidgeting and not a second later her lips descend to stop the others running mouth. The surprised sound that Yang makes the second their lips meet might just be the cutest thing Blake has ever heard. When she pulls away Yang's eyes are glazed and she has the most adorable grin playing on her lips.

"Does that mean-" Blake presses her lips quickly to Yang's once more. She was always better with showing than telling. When Yang just stares at her but doesn't say anything more Blake starts to worry. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking is all."

"About?"

"How I'm going to miss those red sweets."

Blake rolls her eyes. "We can share them, Yang. Just because I'm your girlfriend doesn't mean I'm going to demand all your favourite snacks."

A tongue pokes out from Yang's mouth and brushes slowly along her lower lip. "But they taste so much better on your lips."

Yang's laughter fills the night air as Blake's face heats up. She wants to be mad at Yang for poking fun at her but when strong arms encircle her she can feel the mirthful spasms transfer from Yang's body to hers and it pulls a smile from Blake instead of a scowl.

Besides how can she be mad at Yang when she was willing to give up her candy in hopes of using the excuse to kiss her more?

"Happy early Valentine's Blake." Yang whispers into her hair.

Blake tucks her head more firmly under Yang's chin. "Happy early Valentine's Yang."