{Tough girl whose soul aches; Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking}
There were many times she had seen Blake visibly shaken and none of them were very easy on her. She was a strong girl that could fend for herself against any beast with the grace and ease of a typical skilled huntress. They had fought many battles together and it was never often that Yang would have to jump in to assist her partner when things got too tough.
But that was on the battlefield. And this, a simple outing together with just the two of them, a stroll down the sidewalk, was not.
The brick was rough against her arms, the jagged and weathered stone nicking her exposed skin. Encased in her arms was her trembling partner on the brink of tears. The shadows of the alley hid them well, more so in Blake's case than Yang's. Her bright yellow hair was a beacon in the darkness, her likeness to fire making it more difficult to be shielded from the prying eye.
But Blake was different. She was one with the shadows, kin to the darkness. Her inky black hair mimicked the shadows of a child's nightmare, creeping at the edge of their vision as they struggled to sleep. If not for the shaky breath on her skin and the warm skin against hers, Yang wouldn't have been able to pick her out herself.
The chill of the night settled in but Yang was ignorant to it, her overactive body heat enough to keep the two warm. She just wished it was enough to stop the young girl's shaking.
"I hate this."
Yang winced; the words an arrow to her heart. The defeated crack in her voice rang through her head, echoing for what would be nights on end. She brought her hand to cradle Blake's head and stroked her hair.
"I know, baby."
"I hate this."
She squirmed in her arms but Yang tightened her grip, knowing what she was planning to do next. She'd only seen it once, but once had been enough. And she had sworn to herself that she would never witness it again. Ever.
The squirming stopped and it was dead silent between them. Blake's ragged breathing came to a halt, her trembling died down. Her body weight came fast and hard, head dropping onto her chest and the rest sliding down the wall until Yang caught her in her grip, holding her even tighter than before.
"You can't protect me from everything."
The first few tears slipped from Yang's eyes and she rested her chin on Blake's shoulder. "And you have no idea how much I wish I could."
The faunus stiffened.
"But you can't!"
Yang pulled back suddenly, her eyes red with anger. But not directed towards Blake, never at her. Just at all of this. This whole. Damn. Situation.
And they both knew that. But it didn't stop the shouting. Or the crying. And it did absolutely nothing to quell the pain for either party.
"And it hurts! It hurts so goddamn much!"
Amber eyes flew open in fury, the frustration and sadness being channeled somewhere new. Yang knew that Blake wasn't angry at her either, but it didn't stop the guilt or hesitation when Blake's mouth curled into a scowl, her hands bunched into fists, her eyes burned with hellfire.
"It hurts? How…how do you think I feel in all of this? I never asked for any of this! If you think you're in pain imagine what I feel right now!" She took a step back, using the wall to support her and her arms to hold herself back. That, or hold herself together.
"The leers, the jokes, the taunts, the harassment….I'm sick of all of it! It's been going on for all of my life and I don't know how much I can take anymore! People see me as nothing more than an animal, a monster just because I don't look like them! Men think they can get away with harassing me or…or touching me because I'm some kind ofpet! I'm not allowed in certain restaurants or clubs or stores all because of these…these…these stupid fucking ears!"
Her hands began to rise and Yang shot forward, yanking her wrists into a vice grip and away from the top of her head. She cradled them to her chest and more tears spilled over when she saw Blake struggle against her, trying to fight for the use of her hands again. Her heart began to shatter and her chest began to burn with the amount of self-control she was utilizing to not break down into a mess of broken sobs.
With Blake still struggling against her she pulled her into another hug, making sure to keep her hands trapped between their bodies. Once she was wrapped in Yang's arms again Blake's thrashing stopped and she went still, her breath low and short like gasps. Then they slid down to the ground together, the cold cement unforgiving on their knees. But it was nothing compared to the horrors they experienced outside of that alleyway, so they paid it no mind.
The minute she felt her shirt getting soaked Yang took a deep breath to calm herself.
"And this….this is why it hurts Blake. Because it hurts you so much and I just…I hate seeing you this way. I hate watching you breakdown because of who you are and the fact that some people just can't understand that! I hate all of those people who make you feel this way, as if you're worthless when you are not. Okay? You're not. You're beautiful and fantastic and a kickass fighter and one of my favorite people in this entire world." She paused to kiss the top of the faunus' head, right between the cat ears perched there. "And that's why it hurts me so much to see how much these people get to you when they have absolutely no right. And I hate how…helpless I feel when I can't protect you from them all because goddammit Blake you don't deserve any of it!
"I love you. I love you so much and I just want you to know how much I care about you. And I want you to love yourself as much as I love you." She raised a gentle hand to caress the shell of one of Blake's cat ears, feeling the soft fur underneath her fingertips. "And I don't want to see you try and hurt yourself ever again, okay?"
Blake nodded and gripped Yang's shirt tighter. "I hate this."
Yang sighed and tucked her head beside Blake's, stroking her hair and rubbing circles on her back.
"I know, baby."
A/N: A bit more angsty than usual but don't worry! The fluff shall return (soon).
I got this prompt on tumblr where someone would give me a ship and then a line and I would have to write a drabble. In this case I got "You can't protect me."
So this happened.
I have the firm headcanon that whenever Blake gets especially frustrated with her heritage/people harassing her she pulls on her ears. This kinda stems from my early Elemental Gelade obsession where Ren once tried to pull off her gelade (which would effectively kill her).
Yeah I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff.