In a Land Far, Far Away
A/N: Oh look! An update. :P This is the alternate version to Drabble # 16, "Best Laid Plans". I could have gone one of two ways with that drabble and decided to explore the second option first. Here is what Drabble # 16 originally started off as. XD
A quick warning. There's some mild language in this chapter. Nothing extreme though. ;)
Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.
Summary: Long ago, Blake had given up on finding happiness. Happiness, however, did not give up on x Blake. Friendship/Romance.
*** ~ Whole Again ~ ***
"Blake, you need to get wasted."
Amber coloured eyes blinked as fingers paused in the midst of turning a page.
"I'm sorry, what?" Blake asked, her gaze moving from paper and ink to meet blonde hair and lavender eyes.
"I said you need to get wasted," Yang repeated, the brawler flopping onto Blake's bed stomach first, just shy of the sword wielder's feet. "You know, like at a club or something. I'll come with."
A smirk.
Staring at her partner blankly for a few seconds, Blake gave the blonde a quick once over before going back to her book again.
"That's what I thought you said," the Faunus said, Blake flipping to the next page.
The weekend was upon them. With Friday's classes having finished a while ago, many of Beacon's students chose to head off for a night on the town, hunters and huntresses alike taking some much needed time off from school. Team RWBY was not one of those teams however, the four girls deciding upon a different course of action for the night. While Ruby dragged Weiss off to who knows where, Blake happily indulged in the guilty pleasure that was reading one of her favorite book series, leaving the last member of the group to explore… well, other options.
"Blaaaaaake."
Namely annoying the heck out of her partner.
Blake sighed.
"Blaaaaaaaaaaake," Yang whined again after a few seconds of getting no response.
Fighting down the urge to roll her eyes, Blake kept her gaze focused on page one hundred and thirty nine of The Man with Two Souls II: The Man With Four Souls, answering her partner back in kind.
"Yaaaaaaaang," the Faunas groused.
Huffing at her own tactics being used against her, Yang flailed a bit before coming to rest on her side, facing Blake on the bed.
"Let's go to a club so you can get waaaaaaaaaasted," the blonde drawled out, Yang pouting adorably for all to see. That is, had Blake actually taken the time to look up from her book.
She did not.
"Right," Blake said, the Faunus miraculously continuing to read on uninterrupted despite the nuisance that was currently her teammate.
Not getting the hint, Yang rolled back and forth across Blake's bed grumbling, the other girl always coming within an inch of Blake's foot before rolling the opposite direction to the foot of the bed, only to reverse direction once again.
"Blaaaaaaakkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy," Yang whimpered once more.
Sighing in defeat, Blake temporarily set her book down on her lap, her thumb acting as a makeshift bookmark.
"Yang, what's going on?" the ninja of the team asked. "And don't tell me you just want my company to go drinking, because we both know there are other, more qualified people you could ask for that."
Finally getting the attention she desired, Yang sat up on her heels opposite Blake, her eyes bright.
"Is it really so hard to believe I wanna spend time with my best teammate and partner?"
Blake blinked at Yang. "When you start the conversation off saying that I need to get wasted, yes."
Blake was not a social butterfly. Not by any means, not like her partner. And while it could be said that she was rather ignorant of societal norms when it came to hanging out, Blake knew in this particular situation, it was not simply a case of Yang being bored. No, right now, her partner was worried about her.
Yang opened her mouth to retort but then looked away. "Well, when you put it that way, it does sound-"
"Suspicious?" Blake offered.
"I was going to say strange, but that works too," Yang said.
Blake didn't do well under stress. Often closing in on herself as a means to protect herself, the sword wielder had an unhealthy habit of choosing the company of books over that of actual people when push came to shove. That was especially evident in the weeks before Beacon's dance, when Blake had recklessly thrown herself into hunting down every single White Fang lead she could get without abandon. Luckily for her, Yang was her partner. Had it not been for the pep talk she got all those weeks ago, Blake didn't want to think about where she would have been now.
A questioning look.
"So, are you going to tell me what's going on?" Blake asked.
Sighing heavily, Yang ran shaking hand through her mane of gold, Blake's gaze narrowing slightly on the trembling limb.
"Promise you won't laugh?"
Things were different now from how they were back then. While her stress levels had gone up and down with the times, the very thing stressing Blake out now was no longer a misguided organization, but a person. The very person sitting directly opposite of her, in fact. Blake didn't know exactly when she had fallen for the blonde, but she did, very hard and very fast. Something about Yang made her feel things, things she didn't even know she could feel. But she would never tell Yang that. Her partner could never know. Nor the rest of her team. Not after all she put them through.
Blake frowned at her partner's hesitant, almost scared expression. With the book in her lap now forgotten, she sat up straighter, giving the girl opposite her her full attention.
"I promise, Yang," Blake said without hesitation. "Whatever it is, I won't judge you for it."
At those words, Yang smiled at her, the same smile Blake had fallen in love with long ago.
"Thanks partner," Yang said, her eyes so full of warmth. "That means a lot."
Her heart thudding away uncontrollably in her chest, Blake dipped her head in acknowledgement, the Faunas not trusting her voice right now.
"I meant what I said before, that we should go to a club," Yang said, emboldened. "Or somewhere else. Somewhere that isn't here."
Not quite sure what the blonde meant by those words, Blake raised an eyebrow.
"You see," Yang continued on, her expression turning into a grimace. "I've kinda been having... problems... lately. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I was hoping to... I don't know... see if a night out would get me back into the swing of things."
Even though Yang was clearly speaking English, the brawler might as well have been speaking another language for all the good it did Blake.
"You're having problems..." Blake began. "Getting into... the swing of things?"
Perhaps she was just brain dead from all of their classes earlier, but for the life of her, Blake didn't understand what the problem was. It wasn't like Yang was doing miserably in any of her classes. Or that she wasn't getting along with her fellow peers. Yang was excelling in her courses, surprising a lot of people, and Blake couldn't think of a single person who didn't like her partner, whatever the reason.
"Yeah," Yang said, wringing her hands together for a moment. "You know, the swing of things."
Blake stared at her partner unblinking as Yang made a variety of hand gestures she was obviously supposed to understand.
She didn't.
"Uhh..."
"Oh my god," Yang said, face palming.
Blake pursed her lips helplessly.
"You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" Yang said, her voice muffled by her hands.
"Yang-" Blake began, fumbling for something to say to her distressed partner.
"No, no," the blonde muttered, yanking on her beloved hair. "It's…"
A sigh.
"It's fine," Yang said, still not looking at Blake. "I came to you after all. It's just… It's just that... well, I…"
Another sigh and an inaudible murmur.
Blake's feline ears strained to hear what the brawler said, the sounds coming out of Yang's mouth muffled by black ribbon. Yet even with her super human hearing, she still couldn't make out what was said.
"What was that?" Blake asked.
Yang gritted her teeth, expelling another loud sigh.
"I…"
More incoherent babble.
"Yang-"
"I can't flirt anymore! Okay!?" the brawler exclaimed, Yang throwing up her hands in exasperation. "No matter what I do now, the words just won't come out! Alright!?"
Blake stared at the Y in Team RWBY wide eyed and as still as a statue. Despite not knowing what was bothering her partner so much, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it would be that.
"I'm sorry," Yang said, quickly catching herself. "I didn't mean to shout at you. I'm sorry."
Feeling it safe to move, Blake relaxed in her seat, giving her partner a small smile.
"It's alright Yang," she said, putting a hand on her teammate's shoulder. She frowned when Yang flinched under her touch. "I know you didn't mean it."
"But-"
Blake squeezed Yang's shoulder softly. "It's okay Yang. I'm not mad. Like I said before, I'm not judging you."
So caught up in trying to comfort her teammate, Blake almost flinched herself when Yang reached up and encompassed her hand with her own.
"Thanks Blakey."
Yang's touch was warm, as were her eyes, Blake quickly tearing her gaze away from sparkling amethyst in the hopes of keeping back the heat threatening to overwhelm her cheeks.
"S-So how long has this been happening?" she stuttered, desperate for a distraction.
A wistful sigh drew her eyes back to her partner again, Yang now staring off in space.
"Since… the end of first semester maybe?"
Blake looked at Yang, her thoughts swirling.
"And that's why you wanted to go out tonight?" the Faunas queried. "Hoping the change in scenery would help you get over whatever was holding you back?"
Yang nodded. "And to get you wasted of course. Or at least me."
Blake rolled her eyes. "Of course."
Looking down at the blanket underneath them, Blake couldn't but silently rejoice in relief. If Yang wasn't able to flirt since the end of the first semester, that meant she was still single and-
Blake closed her eyes, her jaw clenching. She had to stop thinking like that. Nothing good would come of such thoughts. For her. And Yang.
"Well," Blake said, looking up again. Suddenly, she felt rather tired. "While I have no inclination to go drinking with you tonight – no offense-"
"None taken," Yang chuckled.
"If you wanted to practice flirting with someone, why not practice with me?"
Only when Yang choked did Blake realize what she said.
"R-Really?" Yang stammered, looking just as surprised as Blake felt.
Fighting against the nearly overwhelming urge to bolt, Blake forced a smile on her face as she opened her mouth to refute what she just said.
"Sure."
Damn you traitorous mouth! Or was it her heart to blame for this? It certainly wasn't her head's fault. If she had been following her head all this time, she'd have been somewhere else entirely by now.
A sigh.
"Why not?" Blake said, succumbing to her fate with a shrug. "I could use a break."
There was no use in fighting it now. And it's not like anything would really come of it anyhow. Maybe if she got things out of her system now rather than later she could finally move on to someone else.
"You're sure?" Yang asked, sceptical.
Yeah right. Like that would ever happen. Whoever could be better than Yang?
"Of course," she said, Blake mentally cringing as she dug herself a deeper hole.
A thought.
"That is, if you want to," Blake said quickly, her eyes widening when she realized how presumptuous she was being. "If you don't, then-"
"Blake. Blake!" Yang laughed, both hands now holding her own. "Stop, stop!"
More laughter.
"Of course I want to. I was just surprised."
"Surprised?" Blake echoed, staring at their joined limbs. She swore her cheeks burned hotter than the sun right now. Thankfully, her partner didn't seem to notice.
"Well yeah," Yang said, in much higher spirits now than she previously was, much to Blake's elation. "It's just that…"
"Just what?"
"Don't take this the wrong way," Yang warned, causing Blake to look at her curiously. "It's just that, I didn't think you knew how to flirt, what with you always having your head in a book."
No sooner had those words left her partner's mouth, Yang's expression morphed into one of panic.
"B-Blake," Yang sputtered. "I didn't mean it- Well, I did, but not like that!"
Clearly the blonde hadn't meant for it to sound as bad as it did, Blake knowing this, the Faunas not the least bit offended. That said, this opportunity was too good to pass up, so she sat there, stoic and unresponsive, leaving Yang to squirm for the better part of thirty seconds.
"Blake," Yang tried again, swallowing nervously. "I'm so-"
Blake burst out laughing. Hard. Like for almost a minute, hard. Soon Yang was joining her, the brawler quickly realizing no harm was done.
"Please," Blake chortled, once she regained some semblance of control again. "Did you honestly think that's the only kind of book I read?" she said nodding at the book on her lap.
Laughter was immediately cut off with a choked cough.
Wait a minute. Did she just say that out loud? Well shit.
"S-So are we doing this or not?" Blake said sharply, immediately pulling her hands from Yang's, her face as red as Ruby's cloak. Maybe if they finished things quickly enough, she would still have time to crawl under a rock and die. "This book won't read itself after all!"
"R-Right," Yang stuttered, her partner rubbing the back of her neck wearily, the blonde looking away to gather herself. That was a nervous habit of Yang's that Blake had picked up on months ago, one of a handful of Yang's cuter ticks if Blake could say so herself.
Watching silently as her partner fought for words, Blake couldn't but sympathize with the other girl as Yang's mouth opened and closed, no words coming out. Her eyes darting to the wringing hands in Yang's lap, Blake smiled as she put her own hand over the brawler's, stilling it. Yang was so cute when she was flustered.
"How about we try a different approach?" Blake offered, an understanding smile stretched across her lips. "Who are you trying to impress?"
Yang's eyes widened in surprise. "W-What? N-Nah! You got it all wrong Blakey. There's no-"
"Yang."
Tilting her head to the side just enough, Blake gave her partner a look.
Mouth open to protest, Yang sighed, before hanging her head in defeat.
"How did you know?" the blonde asked quietly.
"I'm your partner, Yang," Blake replied, her thumb gently stroking the top of the brawler's gloved hand. "I kind of notice these things."
That was a complete lie of course. Blake hadn't even realized such a thing, the sword wielder saying those words just to put Yang at ease. And while it seemed to work, Yang's tense shoulders slowly relaxing again, Blake's heart on the other hand, was now tearing at the seams.
"Figures you would," Yang said, smiling at Blake.
She knew this was going to happen. At one point or another, it was just bound to. Yang was an attractive and loveable girl. Not only that, the blonde bombshell was also strong, kind and caring. Who wouldn't love Yang Xiao Long? It would have been impossible for Blake to have kept her partner all to herself. Blake knew that. Yet her she was, feeling as if her whole world was crumbling down around her. And in some ways, it was. Someone else had stolen Yang's heart. And it absolutely killed Blake to know that.
"Blake?" Yang said hesitantly, snapping the Faunus out of her thoughts.
No use in crying about spilt milk now though. Her partner needed her help and nothing was going to stop Blake from doing just that. As a friend.
"I'm sorry Yang, what did you say?" Blake said, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Are you alright?"
Blinking, Blake looked at her partner in confusion. "Am I alright? What do you-"
Blake's breath caught in her throat when Yang reached forward to cup her cheek.
"You're crying," the brawler said softly.
Eyes widening at that statement, Blake raised a hand to her face, fingertips dragging across her cheek. Her digits came back wet.
"What-"
A small sound escaped her throat as soft lips encompassed her own. Amber coloured eyes widening even further, barely a handful of seconds passed before they were fluttering shut again, Blake completely losing herself to this indescribable feeling wrapping around her. Only when Yang pulled back for air did the Faunus remember she also needed to breathe, Blake dazedly looking at her partner as she panted.
"Y-Yang?"
The said blonde swallowed thickly, both hands now cupping Blake's face.
"Sorry," Yang murmured, gentle. The brawler's thumbs caressed Blake's cheeks. "I never could stand seeing you cry."
Her mind still fuzzy, Blake continued to stare at the Y in Team RWBY, the warmth in Yang's gaze making her feel all tingly.
"I meant what I said earlier," Yang said softly, the close proximity of her partner making it difficult for Blake to remember what exactly they had been talking about before. Something about clubbing? Or drinking?
"I thought that if we went out somewhere, and I got wasted enough, then maybe, just maybe, I could finally tell you how I've felt for a long time now."
It took a few seconds longer than normal for Blake to process what Yang said, what with her mind still feeling like it was floating up with clouds. But when she finally did, her lips trembled, more tears spilling down her cheeks.
"But then you started to cry," Yang said, her brows furling in guilt. "And I just… couldn't sit by and do nothing anymore."
A kiss to the forehead.
"I know what it's like to be surrounded by people, yet feel utterly alone," Yang said softly.
Yang's thumbs wiped away her tears, the brawler pulling Blake to her, wrapping the Faunas up in a hug.
"It's a horrible feeling. Like you're drowning and no one cares, because they can't see past your fake smiles and false reassurances that you're okay."
Blake's jaw trembled, her lips pressing into a fine line as more tears fell unhindered from her eyes.
"But I care, Blake," Yang said, her voice unwavering. "About you. I see you. And I don't want you to be lonely anymore."
A lock of hair was tucked around Blake's human ear.
"Even if you don't feel the same way that I do about you," Yang continued. "I still care. Even if you hate me now and want nothing to do with me. While it will hurt, I won't bother you anymore if that's what you want. But know I will still be there when you need me, even if you don't ask."
Blake was openly sobbing now, her hands clutching fistfuls of the back of Yang's shirt as she shook.
"B-But…" Blake stuttered. "B-B-But..."
"But?"
This was too good to be true. It had to be. There was no such things as fairy tales. The world was not full of sunshine and rainbows. It was a dark and cruel place, a place where the rich got richer and the poor got poor. It was a place were the Faunas were always seen as second class citizens, if not worse, and were treated as much. It was a place Blake had long since given up on, just like happiness, her experiences with the White Fang forever stealing her innocence and childhood from her. And yet...
And yet...
"B-But w-w-why me?" Blake cried, her entire body shuddering. "W-Why me and not s-someone else?"
Yang's smile was kind. So, so kind.
"What's wrong with you?" the self proclaimed Big Sis of the team asked.
"I'm a F-Faunus," Blake almost spat out, disgusted.
Yang was not the least bit phased.
"So?"
Stunned for a moment by that lacklustre response, Blake quickly found herself retreating again as she said her next words.
"I was part of the White Fang," the sword wielder admitted, Blake truly ashamed of herself as she thought back to the end of her days with the former organization. The things she had done, they were unforgivable.
Yet just like before, Yang was not bothered by that revelation, her partner going even so far as to laugh softly, her lavender coloured eyes so full of warmth.
"So what?" the brawler said. "You're not part of them anymore. So what's the problem?"
This was too much. This was just too much. How could Yang say that, act like that, after knowing what she was, what she had done?
"Why?" Blake asked, her voice sounding so small even to her. Her face half buried in Yang's shoulder, Blake didn't dare look at her partner out of fear of what she would find if she did.
"Why do you care about me so much?"
Yang was silent for a moment, fear festering inside of Blake like a cancer in the silence. Then her partner started to shift, Blake fearing the worst as Yang pulled away, only for calloused hands to find their place cupping her cheeks. Tears ran down her face like rivers now.
"Because," Yang said, the blonde absolutely beaming. "I love you Blake. You make me feel whole."
Long ago, Blake had given up on finding happiness. She didn't deserve it. Any of it. Despite not being given a fair hand at life, the Faunas truly believed that. She was weak. She was a coward. Instead of fighting for the things she believed it, she ran away. From Adam. From the White Fang. From being a Faunas. Yet even after all the things she had and hadn't done, even after all of the people she hurt and couldn't save, happiness, however, had not given up on her.
"You're beautiful, Blake," Yang said, kissing her tears away. "And if you let me, I'd like to be the person who makes you feel whole too."
Unable to hold it in anymore, Blake surged forward to capture Yang's lips before sobbing again.
"Y-You already do."
A/N: So for this drabble version, the girls act a bit more mature than teenagers should. Lol. I figured that given Blake's experiences as a Faunus, growing up in Menagerie, she'd have to grow up much faster than other teenage girls her age. Not to mention a bit more jaded too. As for Yang, losing two mothers, seeing her father crumble in on himself, having to act as a mother to Ruby, I really don't think it's a surprise for her to act like this either. Kindred spirits, the two of them.
I envision this drabble taking place sometime after Beacon's Dance but before the school's destruction.
Apologies for that rough ending. I had originally written out three quarters of this drabble before scraping it for the other version. Having to finish it now after the fact was a bit... challenging. Ah well.
For those of you who have seen the Chibi RWBY shorts, you'll recognize the book Blake's reading from there. Lol.
On one final note, updates for my RWBY stories will be happening at a much slower pace from this point onwards. I'm not sure if I'm suffering from burnout or if it's a really bad case of writer's block or what, but I've been having huge challenges lately writing anything RWBY related despite having an enormous backlog of things to write about. Rather than bail on the fandom completely, I'm just going to take things at a slower pace.
Thanks for all of your support and understanding!