Just Tell Me To Stay

Summary: Yang and Blake have been in love with each other since the moment they met, but neither could ever reveal their feelings. But now that they're entering their senior year and all the talk is on colleges and plans for the future, their friends aren't sure they can just sit by and watch as they lose each other for good. High School AU. Bumblby, WhiteRose, Arkos

Author's Note: First chapter with some fluff! There are a couple things in this chapter that really captures everything I love about Blake and Yang. Hope you like it!


Chapter 3: First Phase

"Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaassssseeeeeeeeee"

"Ruby…"

"Please Blake, she's even worse than yesterday and I'm really worried."

"Can't someone…"

"Dad's still on his business trip and I texted a bunch of people but all of them are really busy. Pleeeeeasseee Blake, I don't know what else to do."

Blake lets out a frustrated sigh. It's not like she had anything she needed to do today, she just wasn't sure she was ready for this yet. She had basically spent the entire week thinking about Yang, missing the blonde desperately. But at the same time, just the thought of seeing her again fills her with a sense of anxious dread.

"Blake?"

"Okay Ruby, okay just… give me a few minutes to get ready and I'll be right over."

She hangs up before Ruby's high pitched answer shatters her eardrums.

Immediately she's hit with another wave of panic but forces it to the back of her head. If she focuses on it too much she'll probably never make it out of the house.

She quickly makes her way to her room to grab her bag, then straight to the bathroom to search for medicine from the cabinet above the sink. But the second she opens it she realizes that Ruby never actually told her about any of Yang's symptoms which means that she has no idea what medicine is actually needed.

She ponders it for a second, briefly considering calling Ruby to ask, but deciding that she had already wasted enough time, opts instead to just empty the entire cabinet.

In total it has to be at least 20 bottles. It's probably a little excessive but she doesn't have the time to think about it. She hastily zips up the bag and closes the cabinet door but stops abruptly upon seeing her reflection.

Spending the past few days holed up in her house meant that she had gotten a little lax with her appearance. Her hair is tied in a messy ponytail and the color is dull, lacking its usual onyx sheen. On top of that her face is pale, even for her, missing its usual light layer of makeup and she's dressed in nothing but sweatpants and a baggy lilac shirt that hangs off of one shoulder.

Letting out a groan, she debates taking the time to make herself more presentable before deciding that she's waited long enough already and slams the bathroom door shut behind her.

But the entire distance to her car she's cringing internally. First for going out looking like such a mess, and then at the fact that despite everything going on, she can't stop thinking about how she had originally bought this shirt because the color reminded her of Yang's eyes.

…..

She's not sure what angel had sent Sun to bail her out of work this weekend but whoever it was, she'd be forever grateful.

Making it to the diner would have been absolutely impossible when even walking from her room to the kitchen is a colossal struggle. She's absolutely freezing and stumbles the entire way, somehow making it down the stairs on her feet and not rolling down them.

Upon reaching the living room, she takes a second to rest, trying to ignore the chills that run up her spine when she leans up against the wall. But soon the cold becomes overwhelming and she decides she was better off when she was walking.

Once she gets closer to the kitchen, having resumed her lifeless shambling, she starts to hear voices.

"Where is she?"

The voice is high strung and laced with anxiety. Immediately recognizable as Weiss. Which at this point, is not at all surprising to hear. The heiress had become a common guest at their house since she and Ruby had started dating.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon." answers the high pitched voice that undeniably belongs to her sister.

"You're sure… who… will be here soon?" she croaks as she makes her way into the kitchen. It comes out slow and quiet, barely more than a rasp.

"Yang?" Ruby shouts, quickly jumping out of her seat. "Yang what are you doing down here? I told you to stay in bed!"

She doesn't get much of an answer out before her body is racked by an intense spurt of coughing. Without hesitation, Weiss darts past her and into the living room, returning seconds later, gently wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.

"It's reckless behavior like this that got you sick in the first place."

She gives Weiss a weak smile for the light scolding and looks back to Ruby.

"Who are you guys waiting for?"

Her sister doesn't answer her right away, instead sharing an anxious look with Weiss.

"Well…"

It's at that moment they get interrupted by a knock at the door and all three of them freeze.

Yang is barely able to react before Weiss lets out an exasperated sigh and briskly walks past her to open it.

Maybe if her head wasn't so fuzzy she would have expected this. At the very least Ruby and Weiss's strange behavior should have given her some indication as to what was coming.

But when Weiss opens the door to reveal the shining black hair and glowing amber eyes that had become so captivating to her, she's absolutely floored. The past few days she had thought about little else other than Blake, how she was doing or how to make things better after her freakout earlier in the week. And the entire time she had really gotten nowhere.

And so, unprepared as she was, seeing Blake now is more than a little overwhelming. Especially when she gets to actually see her for the first time in… way too long.

Her hair is tied back with a few loose strands framing her face in such a perfect way that she wonders if it's deliberate. And then… her outfit. The light purple color of her shirt suits her so well it almost feels like it was made specifically for her. And then the way it hangs off of one shoulder combined with how her sweatpants hug at her hips to show off just a little bit of skin is just… unfair.

Honestly, how could it be possible for someone to be so casually, breathtakingly gorgeous?

"Yang?"

Hearing her name breaks her out of the trance that she was apparently under and it's only then that she realizes she's been staring.

"Sorry, um hey Blake. It's… good to see you."

"Um… yeah" Blake answers, noticeably avoiding her gaze, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"She is not fine." Weiss corrects pointedly, "do not let her get out of bed again."

"Thanks again for doing this Blake," Ruby says, grabbing her coat from the closet.

"Wait… what's going on?" Yang asks, looking from Ruby and Blake who are directing their eyes anywhere but at her, to Weiss who's made herself busy putting on her own coat.

"Well uh… Blake's going to take care of you while Weiss and I go out ok bye!" Ruby says, grabbing Weiss' arm and frantically rushing for the door.

"Wait what? Ruby!"

But she barely manages a step before they're already gone, leaving just her and Blake. Alone.

It feels like an eternity goes by with neither of them able to figure out what to say. She ends up awkwardly fussing with the blanket wrapped around her while Blake takes off her shoes.

God how on earth did they get to this point? Just a week ago they had been inseparable, talking endlessly about anything and everything and now…

She starts to think of excuses to get Blake to go home, that she's tired or contagious or… something, anything that can put an end to this horrible tension. However the second she opens her mouth, all that comes out is another intense fit of coughing. This one continuing for long enough that she starts to get a little lightheaded.

But then she realizes that she's actually falling forward and thinks maybe she's more than just a little lightheaded. She tries to catch herself, but her movements are so sluggish that it becomes immediately clear that she's not going to make it. Her eyes squeeze shut as she braces for impact.

And then… nothing. Instead of colliding with the cold, hard wall she suddenly feels herself wrapped in something soft and… warm. She snaps her head up and is surprised to see Blake's brilliant amber eyes gazing right back at her, eyebrows scrunched with concern.

She's got to be some kind of angel.

"Yang? Yang!"

"Sorry," she mumbles weakly, "guess I'm not doing too hot after all."

Blake gives her another worried look. "Do you want me to take you up to your room?"

Yang answers with a slow shake of her head, "Not… sure I can… make it."

"I can carry you."

"S'okay…" she says, shaking her head again, "I'm… too heavy."

"Well… let's at least get you to the couch then."

She feels Blake's arm wrap delicately around her waist and she's suddenly aware of how close their bodies are pressed together. But she doesn't even have the energy to object and she ends up leaning onto Blake's shoulder, trying not to think about how much her heart is racing.

…..

Blake tries to set the blonde down as gently as possible but Yang ends up flopping into the cushions anyway. Yang was probably right about not being able to carry her up the stairs.

"Are you cold?" she asks, noticing that the girl had started to shiver.

The only response she gets is a quiet squeak that's so adorable her heart just about melts.

"Wait here."

She runs up the stairs to Yang's room, having long since become familiar with the house, and grabbing the thick, white comforter off the bed, simultaneously looking for some tissues to bring down. She spots a box on the nightstand on the other side of the bed and moves quickly to grab it but suddenly comes to a stop when she sees the picture frame lying face down next to it.

Picking it up slowly, she turns it in her hand to reveal nothing but an empty frame. She blinks twice in confusion, knowing exactly which picture it was that should be there and she frantically starts searching the area around the nightstand.

Had Yang thrown the picture away? If she had, then that would mean that the blonde was even angrier at her than she previously realized.

But then she spots it, gently folded and tucked neatly into Yang's wallet just a few inches away from where the frame sat. She reaches out for it with trembling hands, carefully pulling it out and unfolding it slowly, revealing the image that floods her brain with memories.

It was the first day of summer, the year she had transferred to Beacon High. By that point she and Yang had already become fast friends, and to celebrate a whole three months without school, Yang had convinced Weiss to let them all stay for a weekend at the Schnee cabin in the mountains.

The picture shows the two of them in front of the lake, Yang with an arm around Blake's shoulders, blonde hair shining bright in the summer sun but still somehow outshone by her brilliant, beaming smile. Blake on the other hand has the more shy, reserved look that she always does but still shows a small smile to the camera.

It's a memory she's cherished ever since, one where she truly felt like she belonged for the first time.

Yang had printed both of them a copy and given one to her as a gift for her birthday that year, Blake still had her copy on her desk at home.

Just looking at it now threatens to bring tears to her eyes.

It's only then that she notices that the tissue box is almost empty and the trash can next to it is near capacity with them. But what's more surprising is how worn the photo has become, the edges having gotten slightly frayed and losing a bit of the original color.

What had Yang been doing with it?

She doesn't get the chance to think about it any further when she hears Yang break into another fit of painful coughs. Giving the photo one last wistful glance she sets it carefully back in its place and hurries downstairs.

…..

Blake makes Yang a cup of tea to help her with the coughing and they end up on the couch together watching this show on Netflix that they always end up coming back to when they can't decide on what to watch.

It's a bit of a routine that they've become familiar with over the years and one that Yang has always cherished. Falling into it now is basically instinct for the two of them but this time it feels… different.

Yang doesn't make any bad jokes and she's desperately missing Blake's usual sarcastic quips about the characters. Instead the air is charged with this tension that's only made worse by the concerned look Blake gives her every time she coughs.

She's got to… say something. She's spent the past couple days worrying about what would become of their friendship with Blake leaving for Mistral but this… this is somehow worse.

But while she's racking her brain trying to figure out what she could possibly say, Blake beats her to it.

"Are you still cold?"

Yang gives her a surprised look. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn't even realized how hard she was shivering despite all the blankets and the hot tea.

She gives a small nod and sees Blake's eyebrows furrow slightly in response. There's a moment of silence as a decision is apparently made and without warning, Blake jumps to her feet.

Yang looks at her in complete shock, noticing a newfound look of determination in her friend's amber eyes.

Before she can get a chance to ask what's wrong, Blake closes the short distance between them and motions for her to sit up. Too confused to question it, Yang complies and is immediately hit with a blast of cold air to her now exposed back and curls into herself, clutching the blanket a little tighter.

But then all of a sudden, the cold is gone, replaced by a delicious warmth that she melts into without even thinking, letting out a deep, contented sigh.

It's only when she feels a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders that she realizes that Blake had sat herself in the now vacant spot on the couch directly behind her and pulled Yang up against her chest.

She can immediately feel her cheeks heating up as she realizes how intimate the contact is.

"Um… is this better?" Blake asks.

God that question.

If she wasn't so flustered Yang would probably notice the trembling in her voice or the anxious fidgeting in Blake's fingers. But she doesn't. The only thing she's capable of processing right now is how right it feels to be in Blake's arms.

"Yang?"

"Sorry," she says finally, "this feels… amazing, thank you."

With that she snuggles a little deeper into Blake's chest, letting a smile spread across her face as she feels Blake tangle their legs together and her body actually starts to warm back up. She takes a deep breath, reveling in the familiar and intoxicating scent of Blake's lavender scented shampoo.

Then she feels Blake start to stroke her hair. It starts off rather tentative, with Yang's sensitivity over people touching her hair being common knowledge, but soon, her hand settles into a slow, soothing rhythm and just like that, all the pain Yang had suffered through for the past week disappears without a trace. There's a part of her that's screaming at her to stop. Telling her that Blake is going to leave and latching on even harder now is just going to make the eventual goodbye that much more painful.

But no matter what kind of pain she's bringing herself in the future, right now, it just feels too perfect to let go.


Author's Note: So there is definitely some angst here but I still love writing any moment Blake and Yang get to just relax together. Hope you all liked it! Please drop a favorite/review if you did!