CW: Traumatic Sexual Encounter, References to Child Abuse

Blake was worried.

Things were good! Her talk with Ren had… rattled her, but had confirmed that Yang wasn't interested in Jaune in that way. And the interview had helped confirm her standing with Jaune. She had spent so much time actually advising him, carrying out her duties, and, afterwards, praising his performance, loving the way he beamed at her and told her that it was all thanks to her preparations.

But at the same time…

Yang Xiao Long was, if anything, now closer to them than ever. And Blake was now fairly certain that her intentions with Jaune were not… so crass, but that got at a deeper issue in Blake's mind. A more worrying one. The interview had proven that she still had standing, still had a place in her brother's world. But it wasn't secure, and Blake lived in terror of what might happen if it finally slipped, and she was…

She wouldn't even think it.

But there were always contingencies. Blake always made plans, and she accounted for things slipping. So long as she stayed on top of this, she could… she could just wait it out. Wait until the Festival was over, and then they could return to the Grimmlands.

Where it was safe.

She was idly sketching some of Beacon's architecture when Emerald suddenly came down, in an unexpected hurry. Crooking a curious eye towards her sister, Blake could immediately perceive that she was nervous, though not in her usual way. Odd. Kind of hard to place, to be honest. Like she was worried for Blake… and Blake didn't like that.

"Something the matter?" she asked.

"Um..." Emerald stood there, aimlessly for a moment before finding her words, "J-Jaune would like to speak with you."

Blake's mood brightened immediately. Something at hand that needed her assistance? Blake hardly even had time to thank Emerald for relaying the message before she shot off, back to their room.

But when she reached the room, Blake froze as she realized the situation was not what she thought it was. Pyrrha and Jaune were both there, and the look on Jaune's face, that look of nervous uncertainty, told Blake that this was not a conversation he was particularly wanting to have. Not angry, just… awkward. A terrible nervousness on the subject matter.

Starting to place together enough of the pieces, Blake's enthusiasm cooled as she approached the two.

"What's up?" she asked, quietly, "Emerald said you needed to see me?"

"Yeah," he answered, his voice soft, "Emerald, um… Emerald mentioned to me..." his voice trailed off as his eyes drifted down. Blake looked to Pyrrha, who didn't seem to have any better sense of what was troubling Jaune, but seemed very, very unnerved by his hesitant concern.

Suddenly his eyes shot back up to meet Blake's and he blurted out, "Do you have feelings for me!"

What.

What?

In an instant, Blake's mind exploded down a dozen different lines. Panic at being discovered. Uncertainty as to how he might have found out. Fear at how Jaune might respond to the honest answer. How Pyrrha might respond? How could she possibly respond in a way that would work with both him and Pyrrha listening? Or could Pyrrha be an asset here? Dammit all, Emerald! Was there a way to-

"No!" Pyrrha blurted out, her face flushed red in a way that made Blake thankful that her pure-white features never blushed, "I mean, I- I didn't- I- I- Please, Jaune, please d-don't hate me for-"

"Wait."

Blake raised her hand, silencing Pyrrha and the stunned Jaune.

The situation was bad. Control was lost, and Blake knew it. Her heart was thudding in her chest, her adrenaline high. Everything was ruined, and desperation clawed in her mind.

Action was needed. Now.

Thinking could come later. Blake lunged, faster than Jaune, faster than even Pyrrha, could react, and with a single motion… she kissed him.

Their lips met in a singular moment that obliterated Blake's fears. Ever since she had first discovered those books in Ms. Fall's travel bag, Blake had imagined what it might be like to kiss a boy, maturing into a wonder of what it would be like to kiss the man she loved. The one person who was worthy, who truly meant everything to her. And it was like… this. Like time stopped as she felt his lips against hers, the suction of her mouth on his skin, the softness, the pure, serene softness that she had been trained to eschew as she became his Spy, his Hawk, but could never be wholly removed from her.

Breaking the kiss with a soft pop, she came back to reality, feeling the pure, unfettered shock of the room that that had just happened. But she knew, she knew, that while surprising, they would understand soon that Blake knew what they all wanted. And though this was a… rough way to introduce the matter, she knew they would forgive them. After all, she was going to bring all of them the happiness she just felt.

"Pyrrha," she instructed, "Kiss him."

Jaune was stunned. Pyrrha was afraid. But she also followed orders. Under Blake's guidance, the way things should be, Pyrrha leaned forward and met her Prince's lips with her own.

It was a wondrous sight, enough to melt Blake's heart to see her sister get what she had so longed for.

They would- they would share him. Yes, it would ensure that they both got what they wanted. Pyrrha would be his Queen and Blake would be his advisor and Jaune would be happy. They would both make Jaune happy and no one would come between them and they could just be safe and happy and loved together.

As Pyrrha broke the kiss, her eyes were dazed in a wonderment that confirmed to Blake that her kiss had been just as fulfilling as Blake's. It was time for the next step.

"Pyrrha," she said, warmly and sweetly, "We should undress for our Prince. Show him what we would offer him, show him how grateful we are for his protection. How much we desire his love."

Blake swiftly disrobed, her motions deliberate and tantalizing, making Jaune's eyes go wide as he beheld her naked form. Pyrrha was more clumsy in her gestures, still dazed from the kiss, but she wanted Jaune, wanted their brother so deeply she did not hesitate to tear her clothes off, revealing the harsh, bony plates of her natural armor… but also the soft, supple curves that Blake was certain Jaune would enjoy.

She licked her lips, looking at Jaune, frozen in sheer disbelief, but such a lovely, perfect man that she only desired for him to admire her, to appreciate her, to enjoy her body and her service to him, to repay the boundless debt of gratitude and fealty she felt towards him. She knew she was beautiful, even if deeply unnatural. Both of them were. No man would resist this. He wanted them, Blake knew he wanted them.

"My Prince," she whispered, sashaying closer to her beloved, "Allow us to… serve you, as you deserve. Pyrrha?" she turned to her sister, "I know how much you want him… I won't stand in your way. Just… let me have a taste as well."

But there was no motion. Both Pyrrha and Jaune seemed to need even more guidance from Blake to understand their own desires.

"Pyrrha," she whispered, more forcefully, "You want this, you've wanted this for so long! Take him!"

"I..." and Pyrrha, fearless Pyrrha, the Eagle, did what Blake had never seen her do before. She hesitated. "I… can't."

Blake couldn't believe her ears. "W-what? What do you mean—Pyrrha, this is what you want, this is what you've always wanted!"

"I… I know, but..." and then the tears started running down her face, "He's scared, Blake. Jaune's scared, and I- I can't!"

"No..." she looked to Jaune in a panicked dismay, "No, that's not… that's not true!" she whirled to him, pressing her body into his. "Jaune, please, you want this, you can't- you… you can't."

But she saw it clear on his face.

He was afraid.

He was afraid of her.

And Blake felt more wretched and broken in that moment than she'd ever felt. Not since the Pool of Darkness stripped her soul bare and laid it open, telling her that she was nothing before the world, had she realized how meager and cruel and useless she was.

Unable to hold anything more together, Blake felt her facade crack. Tears streamed down her face as a sudden sob overtook her. She was nothing. A wretched, broken creature who'd ruined everything she touched and had almost- had almost-

What had she done?

"No… no..." she shook her head, unwilling to admit it, "No, Jaune, you want this, you- you w-want me..." her voice trailed off into a desperate sob. "Please… J-just… love me, Jaune, please, love me..."

Her composure dissolved into a mess of pathetic tears, her disguise failing as her true form, ugly, jagged, and malformed, revealed itself. She closed her eyes, unwilling to look at what she'd done, and wanted to find a dark corner, some far-off pit she could hide herself in and die. Until she suddenly felt arms around her.

His arms.

The unearned grace of his touch burned her. The pain was excruciating, but she couldn't let go! She needed to feel him, to feel some trace of love in her soul, and she clung to him, even as the contrast of herself against his purity and goodness tore her soul to pieces. As he clasped them both to his chest, as the three sobbed together, helplessly, as the whole world around them broke down.

Jaune pulled them onto his bed, the place Blake desired more than anything, but now she hated invading this space, despoiling it with her presence. She didn't deserve him. Didn't deserve anything, but wrapped in his arms, she clung to him, along with Pyrrha, desperately hoping just that he wouldn't cast her out, away from him. Into the darkness.

Slowly, over time, the tears stopped, their breathing slowed, emotional exhaustion overtook them and the pull of sleep drew down Pyrrha, then Jaune. But Blake couldn't sleep. The familiar enclosure of her brother's arms gave her succor but no comfort. Because she knew she didn't deserve it. Because she knew the truth.

She was nothing.

And all she had was him.

"Nora… go 'way. It's a Ren problem..."

But then Yang was shook, even more insistently, and, with a quick reminder that she couldn't murder her partner's dearest and closest friend (and maybe wife?) blearily opened her eyes and-

TEETH

Yang's eyes shot open, adrenaline surging as a monster loomed over her and instinct kicked in as she threw a wild punch that the boogeyman dipped backwards to dodge.

"Yang! Yang, it's me! I- it's Blake!"

Somehow, Yang's eyes got wider. But yeah… she had the ears and the eyes and… Blake had a tail? And claws? And the… how did that many teeth fit into a mouth?

"I- I'm sorry, I can't- I can't stop looking like this, because..." and then she let out a great sob, and Yang realized that there was something much more important than fear right now, "Because I need help! I need- I need you to help me. I'm scared and I'm lost and I've ruined everything and please, Yang, I-"

"Okay, okay," she whispered, signaling to Blake to try and keep it down. Though, glancing to her roommates, she was pretty sure as long as they didn't start firing Dust rounds, they'd probably sleep right through whatever happened tonight. "Give me a moment to get dressed and we can-" her eyes glanced over to her alarm clock. 3:30 AM? Oh, this was going to be a long day, wasn't it? But, Yang reminded herself, the Beacon kids had issues, and she had made the effort to reach out, so it was up to her to handle these things. "Once I'm dressed, we'll chat it out in the common area. Get some coffee or ice cream or whatever you need to feel more sensible." Blake stammered something, and Yang cut her off. "Uh-uh, I gotta get dressed first, you need to do something to calm down. Get a drink of water, meet me outside, and you and me—we're gonna get through this. Okay? We've got this, together."

Blake quietly dissolved into the darkness—either because Yang's eyes hadn't adjusted or because that was something Blake could literally do—and Yang had to take a moment to catch her breath and get her heart rate back to something resembling reasonable. This was… this was not a great situation. And she'd need to have her wits about her, have to be clear-focused so that she could handle this. But, like every time Nora woke her up in the middle of the night staring, just an inch over Yang's face, she knew it'd take her a few minutes after waking up to that before she could breathe properly again.

Glancing upwards, she had to ask herself once again—why had she agreed to give Ren top bunk?

The common room was deserted this early in the morning. And while Blake was no longer in her "impossible nightmare beast" form, it wouldn't be good for someone to come upon them. Not only for what they were surely about to talk about, but because… well, Blake had managed to get her form mostly under control, but… yeah, even though Yang couldn't place exactly what was off, there was something about Blake right now that made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

Alright. Take a moment. Breathe. Important things aren't easy, and you were the one who put yourself into this. And… Jaune and Pyrrha are your friends. And you want to help them. You can do this. Just breathe. You can do this.

"Hey Blake," she started, softly, "I just… I want you to know, whatever you tell me here? I can keep a secret. But if this is something that's dangerous to anyone—anyone at Beacon, any of your siblings, I've gotta get help. Is that okay?"

Blake just nodded, morosely, evidently too exhausted and broken up to say much.

"So..." Yang took a seat, trying to get comfortable. She figured she'd be in this for the long haul. "What… happened?"

"I… I told Jaune… how I feel… about him. That I… like him."

Damn.

That was a surprise. This whole time, Yang had been thinking in terms of Pyrrha's crush on Jaune and she hadn't been thinking that there was a love triangle complicating things. Shit, she'd really put her foot into it by trying to lean on Pyrrha, hadn't she...

She could beat herself up later, right now, Blake was what was important. Yang offered her a sympathetic smile. "I take it it didn't go well."

But Blake had more to say, her eyes darting back to the floor. "And I… kind of made a move on him. And I might have… tried to..."

There were tears in her eyes as she struggled to admit to what happened, and Yang had to brace herself, not knowing what to expect.

"Him and… and Pyrrha, I dragged, I dragged both of them into it and I tried..." her words were becoming wild and frantic, and Yang felt a knot of dread form in her stomach. "I tried to seduce him. I tried to make Pyrrha help me, and I thought… I thought if we just had sex, then he couldn't… he would have to love me."

Yang almost had to sigh in relief. Yes, Blake's answer reflected an unsettlingly unhealthy attitude towards sex and relationships, but Yang had been expecting a lot worse. She felt a twinge of guilt for suspecting Blake of that, though. Perhaps her bias because of how hostile Blake had been to her? But still… nothing that couldn't be walked back.

"But you didn't… you didn't do anything," she said, reassuring the Grimm Faunus. "I mean, you didn't do anything that couldn't be... apologized for and taken back, and, I mean, have you and Jaune and Pyrrha talked about-"

"No," she shook her head, but then paused. "Though he… he held me, held both of us… in his arms, and..."

Her voice trailed off.

Jaune was as important to Blake as he was to Pyrrha. Yang had initially thought it had something to do with him being the only boy in their lives, but listening to Blake's tone, the way her eyes grew misty as she thought of him holding her… Yang realized that there was something more than a crush here. This was more than romance, though thinking of it made that little knot of dread start to tug as she was picking up that there was something more going on here.

"Jaune's… really important to you, isn't he?"

Blake gave her a harsh look, annoyed at the obvious question, but Yang had to guide her to talking. "He's… he's always been there for us. He's the only one who ever..."

She trailed off again. Yang wasn't sure she wanted to prompt an answer here, but could change tack. "When did you realize you first had feelings for Jaune?"

A pause. Briefly, but then Blake spoke up. "He'd just gotten back from a week in The Hole, and he really wasn't in much of a state, but he… when he recognized me, he smiled, and I- I couldn't help myself. It meant everything to me that my big brother smiled when he saw me and I just… I just wanted to make everything perfect so he would smile at me again. That's all I wanted, just to see him smile at me like that again. So… pure and beautiful."

Yang had to admit, just like when Pyrrha talked about Jaune, there was something so… innocent in their love that her feel a little envious. It wasn't that she had a serious crush on Blake, mostly just teasing her, but she wished she had someone who felt that way about her.

But Blake's answer raised a few questions even with her explanation.

"I'm sorry, what's The Hole?" Yang asked, "I don't know… geography of the Grimmlands so much, cause… you know. Distant and secretive land hostile to all of Remnant."

A weak attempt at a joke, not particularly funny, but Yang didn't miss that Blake was doing anything but laughing. It was like the room grew colder, like Blake wasn't really here anymore. Like she was pulled back to the Grimmlands and taking Yang with her.

"When Jaune… when we were in trouble… Jaune was punished."

Yang didn't miss how Blake flinched to say those words.

She didn't really want to know more, but she'd realized that she had to. It sounded like something really bad was going on here, so she nodded at Blake to continue. She'd found the source of the knot, and now she had to engage it.

"When we… asked for things, from Mother, or when one of us m-misbehaved, Jaune got sent to The Hole, until… until Mother thought he'd been in there long enough… but then," she cracked a weak smile, "We usually got what we asked for, l-like food and beds and clothes-"

"I'm sorry," Yang didn't want to interrupt, but she had to, "You didn't have food?"

She shook her head. "Not before Jaune won it for us," she said, then smiled wistfully, "He must have, over the years, spent months in The Hole to get us the food we eat today."

"What..." swallowing nervously, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer, Yang continued, "What was The Hole?"

Blake's suddenly shot to the floor. "We weren't… we weren't supposed to know."

But you did, Yang thought, seeing the way her body started to tremble.

"Emerald once… once went to see him, to try and… bring him some food. She s-said it was an old well with a sealed lid on top, p-pitch black inside, and v-very scary. Jaune still c-can't handle the dark now..."

Yang stared at her in undisguised horror. She had thought what she was dealing with was a complicated love triangle amongst kidnapped children, raised in a stressful situation. But she'd never thought… why would Salem take these children from Remnant and do that to them, why would she do any of this?

"That wasn't… that wasn't punishment! Blake, that's… that's torture! Actual torture! You say he spent up weeks in- That didn't- that- oh gods…"

She wanted to vomit.

Blake shook her head. "No… no, it's… Mother wouldn't… it's when we misbehave. It's because he's the Prince. Because we're her children. It's how we've always done things."

Blake just looked confused, stammering out statements that were clearly not her own words. It was like she wasn't understanding what the deal was, because of course she didn't realize what the deal was! If it was how they'd always done things, then it wasn't abnormal! It was just one more mark of being raised in the Grimmlands!

For- For fifteen years, these children have been held by a monster who- and why only Jaune? What was this sick freak's game? Did she even have a goal, or was it like trying to puzzle out the motives of any other Grimm?

This was… she had been wrong. She had been so wrong. Yang had thought that the kids just needed normalcy, that if they got a space to open up, they could feel normal and integrate, but she had… everything she had learned from Pyrrha was cast in a new light. All the words of being "The Eagle" and her brother's sword now had their proper context… Everything she'd learned about Pyrrha, her relationship to her Prince. Their powers, the way they held themselves so antagonistically to the rest of Beacon. They weren't the product of being raised in isolation.

They were the products of being raised as child soldiers.

Brutal discipline. Routine abuse. Indoctrinated into loyalty.

She… she wasn't able to fix this. She was so far out of her depth that she was drowning, before she even realized it, but with her arms wrapped tightly around Blake, Yang knew she couldn't leave them behind. As scary as this all was, as absolutely beyond her ability as this was, Yang knew she had to be there for her. The least she could do. But they needed more than that. More than Yang could give.

She needed to get help.

And here we are at the end of another Act. Act 3 wraps with sort of the culmination of Yang's arc started in Act 2. She's realized the limits of her ability and that she's dealing with something much, much bigger than she can handle, and Act 4 looks to see if anyone can handle that, looking closer at the psychological state of the claimed, with Atlas and the Belladonna-Schnee conspiracy looming over them all.

But while Act 4 engages in some of that heavier emotional stuff, there's still opportunities for levity. Romance still goes on, Roman and Neo encounter A Bad Idea, and Pyrrha flexes her might. I'm looking forward to posting it!

And thanks to Renarde and Danish for feedback!