Present...
"-God! She has been such a pain in our asses!"
Together, Blake and Yang sat on the bench inside the watchtower.
After Yang heavily sighed, she placed her head into her hands. It looked like she was finally calming down after her endless tirade.
For a few moments, it was quiet in a fragile peace. The rain poured above them.
Normally, Blake and Yang would come up to the watchtower to enjoy the pitter-patter of the rain. If any storm occurred, this is where they were. Now, it acted as a barrier hidden from the world.
Quietly, Blake rubbed soothing circles on her crewmate's back in an attempt to make her feel better. Now that Yang had blown off most of her steam, she was calmer. It was reassuring.
"I'm sorry,' was all the faunus could think to say.
What else could she say? It's not like Yang's parents being murdered by Sienna was her fault.
Faintly, Yang scoffed. "You have nothin' to apologize for. I only wish she didn't get away. That was my only chance and I blew it," she grit her teeth just thinking about it.
Rather than continue to shift the blame to Weiss, Yang blamed herself. She didn't want to bring her poor oblivious crewmate down. Especially not when she didn't even know who Sienna was.
"We're pirates," the faunus reminded. "You'll get another chance. We don't know when, but when the time comes, we'll be ready."
That finally earned a smile as Yang gazed at her. "I like how you say 'we.'"
"I have my own bone to pick with Sienna," Blake added, crossing her arms with finality. "Be sure to include me when the time comes."
"I will, no worries," the blonde replied. "I want the Khans to leave us alone for good. The only way for that to happen is if Sienna is dead."
"True," Blake agreed. "Although, who knows who their next captain will be. They could be way worse."
"Or better," Yang commented, liking the sound of that. "Not just anyone can be as awful as Sienna. It takes a certain level of cruelness not just anyone can reach."
From that, Blake looked down to the wooden floor.
"I'm sorry…"
It was easy to catch the sincerity in those words. They carried so much weight in her voice. Yang could tell she was being genuine but was utterly confused. Her crewmate's face had darkened a bit.
Skeptical, Yang tilted her head. "Why do you keep sayin' that? You did nothing wrong."
"I lived," Blake said sternly, meeting those lilac eyes. "I was able to live and escape their clutches while your parents…"
She stopped herself and looked back down to the floor. The guilt was too much. It ate her up inside.
Why was I so special? Blake asked herself. Why was I the one who got so lucky?
"Look at me," Yang said as she gently grasped her shoulders, meeting her guilt-ridden amber orbs. "Don't apologize for being alive. It's not right."
Regretfully, Blake looked away. "Sometimes, I wish your parents could take my place. That way, you and Ruby would-"
"Don't say that!"
Suddenly, Blake was engulfed in warmth. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her body. At first, the faunus stiffened from the contact. Yang was gentle, so firm, and so caring. The realization caused Blake to nuzzle into her neck.
"I need you, Blake," Yang whispered, which caused a cat ear to flick. "Please don't ever think it'd be better if you were gone."
From those words, her eyes teared up. Something told Blake to pull away, so she did. She was greeted with a kind, soulful expression. Yang meant every word she said. Completely and unconditionally. That caring expression was for her and her alone, which caused Blake's heart to skip a beat.
"Right," Blake whispered. "Sorry for saying such things."
"What did I say about apologizing?" Yang teased.
"Sor- my bad," the faunus caught herself and faintly smiled. "Thank you, Yang."
At last, there was Yang's signature smirk. "No problem, kitten. Thanks for calmin' me down. I'm sorry you had to see me like that."
Blake simply rolled her eyes. "Please, I think that was fully justified. Call me crazy but I'd be a little mad at my parents' murderer, too."
That elicited a few small giggles. When the cheerful sounds faded, they were reminded of the pouring rain. Tiny droplets hit the glass above, racing down the tower. Silently, Yang placed a hand over Blake's own.
"Hey, Blake?" Yang asked.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for everything. Really," Yang said sincerely. "If you weren't here, I don't know what I'd do."
Fondly, Blake squeezed her hand.
"I feel the same way."
That caused Yang to perk up like a happy puppy. "Yeah?"
Blake smiled. It was a smile so beautiful, so gorgeous that Yang could hardly comprehend it. It was like the perfect picture, a lovely portrait. Yang wanted to capture this moment and savor it forever.
"Yeah."
When the faunus confirmed it, Yang felt her cheeks heat up. Her heart was pounding thickly against her chest. Their hands were still interlocked, entangling warmth.
At this moment, Yang leaned in as her eyes slowly drifted shut. She briefly thought this might be a mistake, but just before they closed, she noticed Blake's had closed, too.
All their worries washed away as they kissed.
For a few years now, they'd been inseparable. The sun rose and set with them together. Since Blake joined the Thorns, the pair got along despite their vast differences.
To Yang, Blake tasted like sweet peppermint.
To Blake, Yang tasted like lemonade. She smiled into the kiss, thinking it matched her fiery hair.
Yang could feel her smile into the kiss and formed a grin of her own. She held onto her firmly, savoring the moment she'd waited so long for. Their bodies pressed together like the perfect puzzle pieces.
The rain dripped onto the glass as the kissing continued like ocean waves. Eventually, Blake had brushed her arms with the blonde hair she'd grown so fond of. The tresses were soft despite its wild appearance.
Their feelings overflowed as the kiss continued, mixing with thunderous heartbeats.
The sound of love echoed as they separated.
They could only stare at each other.
"Woah…" Yang breathed.
Her reaction caused Blake to blush and shyly glance away. "Was- was that too much?"
"'Too much?'" Yang quoted in disbelief. "You clearly don't know how long I've been waiting for that."
"Really?" Blake asked. "I thought I was the only one who wanted to."
Sheepishly, Yang rubbed the back of her head. "Yeeeeah, I didn't want to risk our friendship if you didn't feel the same way, so I didn't say anything or do anything about it."
From that, Blake sighed. "Same."
From realizing their feelings were mutual, relief flowed over them. It was such a rush of happiness that they couldn't stop grinning.
"Wow," Blake murmured. "We're quite the troublesome pair."
That caused Yang to laugh heartily. She sent her a thumbs up with a wide smile.
"Now that cheered me up!"
Playfully, Blake bumped her elbow into her side. "Me too."
Multiple giggles echoed in the room.
The tiny T.V. somehow blared a loud volume. It only amplified the husky grunts and punches coming from the screen. On the controllers, Ruby rapidly poked all the buttons. Weiss sat next to her, staring at the controller, wondering which buttons to press.
"Come on, Weiss! Do something!" Ruby chirped. "Don't just stand there!"
One character dressed as a pirate on screen kept jumping and whirling around while the one dressed as a ninja remained still.
"If I knew which buttons to push!" Weiss yelped. "Hey, stop hitting me!"
"Press literally any button," the captain suggested. "Spam if you have to!"
"Spam?" Weiss asked like that word was a different language.
That's when Ruby repeatedly pushed the left button, which caused her pirate character to kick repeatedly. Like this was the test of her life, Weiss studied Ruby's movements and pushed the same button on her controller. Her ninja repeatedly kicked.
"Good job," Ruby encouraged. "Now try to hit me."
Slowly, the ninja scooted over to the pirate on the other side of the screen. From the sad sight, Ruby let out a sigh.
"Any day now."
"Quiet, you!"
When the two characters were finally in front of each other, Weiss was able to land a kick.
"Yes!" Weiss cheered.
From how excited she was from landing only one hit, Ruby grinned. She didn't know Weiss could be so adorable. Okay, she did, but this was a whole other level.
"I'm so proud of you!" Ruby encouraged and gleefully hugged her.
"Get off me, you dunce!" Weiss yelped, trying to keep the controller in place.
"Eheheh, sorry," Ruby happily said. "I couldn't help myself."
From that, Weiss smiled. "Now what?"
Without a word, the pirate on screen kicked. This caused the phrase to boom on screen:
Victory!
Weiss' jaw dropped. "What happened?"
"I got your health bar all the way down, so I won," the captain explained.
To see how badly she was beaten, Weiss gauged Ruby's bar in the corner of the screen. "Your's is still in the green?"
Ruby cheerfully pat her on the back. "You'll get better. Eventually."
"Gee, thanks," the former heiress said sarcastically.
Suddenly, the door behind them opened. A rush of wind violently whipped through the room until the door shut. It was Qrow, who looked a little wet from being outside.
"What's going on here?"
"I'm teaching her how to play," Ruby said. "Wanna join?"
Leisurely, Qrow sat on the couch. "I don't see why not."
While he got comfortable, Weiss asked. "If you're here, who's steering the ship?"
"No one," Qrow replied. "When storms like this happen, I usually let the Howling Thorn do her thing. She's been through way worse than this."
Weiss accepted the explanation. If anyone knew how to steer a ship, it was probably Qrow or Ruby. He talked with experience and not laziness. Fighting the tides when the weather strained wouldn't do any good.
Eagerly, Ruby handed her uncle her own controller. "Fight her uncle Qrow, I dare you. She's feisty."
"Hey!"
Happily, Qrow grabbed the controller and leaned forward on the couch like he was preparing. "Alright, kiddo," he faced Weiss. "Don't think I'll go easy on you."
"I can barely beat the dolt," Weiss said and turned to Ruby. "What makes you think I can win?"
"I'll coach you, silly," the captain reassured. "Do what I say and you'll be golden."
Already defeated, Weiss sighed.
After selecting characters, the word appeared on screen:
Begin!
"Kick his butt, Weiss!" Ruby cheered.
Since she had no idea what to do, Weiss pressed random buttons. "If I knew how!"
"Circle!" Ruby advised.
That elicited a tiny punch. Like a tap. From the impact, Qrow chuckled a little. Weiss didn't even keep pressing circle. She just pressed it once for a little punch.
"Keep pressing circle!" Ruby exclaimed.
Relentlessly, Weiss pressed the circle button. On screen, her character was spamming a jab.
Qrow smirked as she dodged. "I know your strategy."
To show off, Qrow performed a well-executed combination with his grimm reaper character. That made his opponent's health bar drop into the red.
"How on Remnant did you do that?" Weiss asked, intrigued.
"It's easy," Qrow said, holding out his controller for her to see. "You press triangle, circle, circle, x to jump, and then a final right hook with square."
"That…" Weiss was utterly speechless as the foreign video game language drifted into her ears. "Makes absolutely no sense."
"Ah, ya learn quickly," Qrow waved off. "It's really not that hard. You just gotta practice."
"You got this, Weiss!" Ruby cheered.
"Where's my cheerleader?" Qrow teased.
Playfully, Ruby stuck out her tongue. "You don't get one."
"Hm," Qrow hummed.
Every now and then, Qrow let Weiss get in a few punches and kicks. Whenever Weiss landed a hit, that seemed to make her day. To Ruby, it was obvious he was going easy on her. This made her smile.
Outside, no light drifted through the windows. The ship swayed, causing them to shift a little every now and then.
"I hate this game of emotions we play!"
The yelp caused Ruby to pay attention. Looks like Weiss lost.
In a warning, Weiss pointed at Qrow. "Don't go easy on me."
Qrow's eyebrows rose. "Alright then. You asked for it."
Even though Weiss kept losing, she was determined to keep playing.
They would be sad again if they focus on reality.
Stay dandy,
~Toto
