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: I know I'm a day late on this one but there's been a lot going on in terms of planning behind the scenes (huge shoutout to my beta). It's nothing major but there are a few things that I'm juggling both for the upcoming chapters and possibly even some slight changes for the previous chapters. If there are going to be any changes I'll post some kind of update in these notes. Anyways, here's the chapter, we're going right from where we left off last chapter so it's going to be a bit of a heavy one. Hope you like it!


Chapter 25: History

When Klein knocks on her door to let her know that she's got a visitor, the last thing Weiss expects to find is Blake sitting on her living room couch, knees hugged to her chest.

"Blake?"

All she gets in response is a quiet, shaky whimper as the girl's shoulders start to tremble.

Deciding that she's already wasted enough time being confused, she hurries over to take the vacant spot on the couch and immediately pulls Blake into her arms.

"Hey…" she says, doing her best to keep the anxiety from bleeding into her voice too much, "what's wrong? Did something happen?"

It takes forever for Blake to even make a sound, spending a few minutes barely able to do much more than burying her head in Weiss's chest. And she feels this stabbing pain in her heart that grows uncontrollably as she watches her friend endlessly sobbing in her arms.

"I… I went…" Blake finally chokes out, "I went to Yang's."

With that her heart practically sinks into her stomach. Honestly she probably should have expected this. Because really, who else could possibly send Blake into this state?

"You… you did?"

"Yeah… and I… I think it's all over Weiss. For real this time."

Weiss can't help but stiffen up at Blake's cryptic words. "Blake… what? What do you mean 'for real'?"

"I should have known," Blake says, her voice so shattered that it's barely louder than a whisper, "I kept saying it all along that it wasn't possible, I was just so stupid that I couldn't even listen to myself."

"Blake." Weiss says firmly, "I can't help you if you don't talk to me, now what is going on? What happened at Yang's house?"

The girl looks up for the first time that night, boring into her with her bloodshot eyes and tears still streaking down her cheeks.

"I… I saw Yang… with Neo!"

Her eyes go wide as Blake collapses back into her arms. This is exactly what she'd been afraid of when Yang had first told her about all of this a few days ago. And for once, being proved right is the last thing she would've wanted.

"Blake. I think this is just a misunderstanding."

"What… what do you mean?" Blake wails, "she's at her house right now Weiss! And it's almost midnight! What else could it possibly be?"

"No." Weiss says, "Blake, please listen to me. Neo is only at Yang's house because… she's homeless right now. Okay? Her idiot brother disappeared and she got evicted and Yang is just letting her stay with them for a few days."

"Yeah but you didn't see them." Blake replies dejectedly.

"What do you mean?"

It takes Blake a second or two to compose herself, and for a moment she almost wants to tell her to just forget it with how difficult it obviously is to get out. But she can't bring herself to do it. No matter what, right now, they have to get through this.

So she sits and listens as Blake goes through the details, fighting tears the entire time. She listens as Blake describes walking up to see Yang and Neo on the porch struggling with the keys, how much of a hurry they were in to get inside, how Neo was wearing Yang's jacket, and finally how Yang's arms had been wrapped protectively around Neo's body.

Even she can't even find the strength to argue anymore. And it certainly helps that Blake's words only fuel the concerns she had been harboring for days now, just enough for her to second guess whether or not Blake had actually misunderstood things.

And there's a part of her that wants so desperately to reach over for her phone and clear everything up with a simple phone call. But then Blake's phone rings on the coffee table and brightly lights up the screen displaying Yang's name, instantly sending the girl into another round of tears that completely clears away the thought of calling anyone.

Yang hears Blake's voicemail message for what must be the hundredth time tonight and immediately flops back into the pillows, tears welling back up in her eyes.

Neo comes up next to her, gently setting a hand on her shoulder and giving a shy, reassuring smile. "Maybe she's just gone to bed already."

She lets out a deep sigh at the girl's words, finding it overwhelmingly sweet how hard Neo's trying to cheer her up. She really wishes she could actually reward those efforts in some way, but no matter what she can't seem to do anything about the hollow feeling in her chest.

"It's okay Neo." She says quietly, "I appreciate it but… you don't have to lie for my sake. We both know she just doesn't want to talk to me."

"Well…" Neo says, nervously wringing her hands, "here, maybe she'll listen to me. I can run over there really quick and tell her that there's nothing going on and…"

"Neo." She interrupts, voice weak and completely devoid of energy. "It's over. Trust me on this one, when someone decides to give up on you… there's no going back."

"Well… at least let me call Pyrrha."

"No. She's out with Jaune for like the first time ever. There's no way I'm going to be responsible for ruining that."

"Yang…" Neo says quietly, "I'm sure she would understand."

"I know she would. That's why I'm not going to say anything."

"Well what about Ruby?"

At the mention of her baby sister Yang lets out a light huff because with this she at least feels a little conflicted. Ruby had mentioned earlier that she would merely be at a friend's house to finish up a science project and it wouldn't be much of a problem to leave a little bit early. But, to be honest, the main thing is that she still doesn't know if she can handle Ruby seeing her like this.

"She…" Yang starts slowly, "she's kind of busy right now."

She can tell immediately by the girl's expression that Neo isn't at all convinced. And it honestly isn't even a surprise at this point. Because not only is Yang a terrible liar, but she'd also noticed over the past few weeks that Neo is surprisingly perceptive.

"Yang." Neo says, "you've got to talk to someone."

"Listen Neo, I promise you I'll be fine. It's not like this is anything new for me anyway, it's like I told you… I'm used to this."

She hears Neo let out a light sigh, causing Yang to raise her head slightly and catch a glimpse of the girl pressing her lips into a thin line, jaw clenched tight and eyes helplessly sunken as if she's also on the verge of tears. There's a part of her that wants to reach out to Neo, pull her in for a hug and reassure her about how much she appreciates everything she's done tonight.

But she just doesn't have the strength.

Weiss isn't sure how long it takes for Blake to finally stop crying, but she eventually settles down enough for the two of them to curl up comfortably on the couch

She's just starting to wonder to herself whether or not it's safe to go looking for another box of tissues or maybe some tea for the two of them when Blake suddenly breaks the silence.

"I… I'm really sorry Weiss." The girl mumbles, voice weak and muffled from pressing her face up into her side, "all those things you said before I left, I know you've just been trying to look out for me."

"No I should be the one apologizing." She answers, "I had no right to lose my temper at you like that when I've known all along how scared you are of telling Yang how you feel."

She feels Blake curl up just a little tighter up against her leg.

"No." Blake says, "you don't need to apologise at all. This is all because of me. Because I'm still just a stupid little kid."

Weiss can't help narrowing her eyes in confusion. "A kid? Blake what are you talking about?"

The girl stiffens suddenly, drawing in a sharp breath that she only barely hears even in the chilling silence of her home.

"Blake. What aren't you telling me?"

She doesn't get a response, only feels the girl's shoulders starting to shake once again.

"Blake I… if you don't want to tell me I'm not going to pressure you. But I just want you to know that I'm here for you. Whatever reason it is that makes you think you can't tell me, I promise it won't affect our friendship."

She hears Blake sniffling quietly before the girl lets out a deep sigh.

"It's… complicated."

"Well," Weiss says gently, "if you're willing to uncomplicate it then I'm willing to listen.

It takes another few minutes of sighing and gnawing on her lip before Blake finally sits back up, wearing a deeply conflicted look on her face.

"It… happened the year I transferred here to Beacon High, actually it's kind of the whole reason my parents and I left Menagerie to begin with."

Weiss finds that she can't manage a single word in response. This was all completely new ground and the sheer shock of it has her absolutely speechless. In the past three years that they've known each other, even in becoming best friends, Blake had never even once mentioned anything about her time in Menagerie.

"When I was young," Blake continues, "I had this neighbor that lived across the street. His name was Adam. He was a few years older than me so growing up, he was kind of like a big brother."

Weiss finally manages a slow nod, desperate for Blake to continue.

"It wasn't until middle school that I realized that I had developed a bit of a crush on him. And honestly, there's probably no way that I wouldn't have had feelings for him. Adam was… everything. He was smart and driven, always filling my head with stories of all his activist groups, he was like a hero to me. To me… and basically everyone I knew."

"Okay." Weiss says, "did you ever tell him how you felt?"

"No." Blake scoffs. "He was like three years older. He always just thought of me as this stupid little girl that lived on his block, and I was content with keeping my distance, maybe talking to him whenever my parents had a dinner party. But then… I think he started to notice how willing I was to go along with basically anything he said."

"What… what do you mean?" Weiss asks, starting to get worried about where this could be heading.

"It wasn't anything big in the beginning. In fact the first time we actually hung out alone was just to help him make posters for some protest he was participating in. And of course, I was so excited to even talk to him that I immediately said yes. And then after a few weeks, he started letting me participate more, even letting me join in on a couple events in person."

"That's… pretty irresponsible considering how young you were." Weiss says carefully.

"It… it gets worse."

"How?"

"Well, after a while, Adam started to get more… extreme. Simple protests and peaceful demonstrations weren't enough for him anymore. He started to get more violent, losing control of his temper. And then, the summer before my first year of High School, he and a few of his friends... burnt down a factory."

Weiss lets out a light gasp. Wherever she thought this story was heading, this definitely was not it.

"He did what?" Weiss says, "was anyone hurt?"

Blake presses her lip into a thin line, struggling to keep them from trembling. "I… I didn't find out until a few days later that… there was a night shift, just a couple security guards and maintenance people and… a few of them got trapped inside when part of the building caved in."

"Oh my god, Blake…"

"And the worst part," Blake chokes out, voice growing weaker by the second as tears start to well up once again, "is that I was the one who told them about it."

Weiss's eyes immediately go wide. "You did what?"

"I was so stupid." Blake spits out, "I always just did everything I could to impress Adam. So when I found out that this factory was polluting the nearby water supply, I didn't even hesitate to tell him."

Weiss moves quickly to close the distance between them and pulls the girl back into her arms.

"Okay Blake, listen to me, this was not your fault. Okay? You didn't burn down that building. That was Adam."

"But I knew!" Blake sobs, "I knew how violent he was getting, it had been going on for months and I was right there next to him the entire time. I just refused to see it because… because of my stupid feelings for him."

"But that still doesn't mean…"

"It does." Blake interrupts, "I'm just as guilty as he was. Only… only I didn't get punished for it like he did."

"What?"

"After a few days… I couldn't take the guilt weighing down on me anymore and… I went to the police."

It comes out so weak and deflated that Weiss can barely hear her. And it's not too surprising that it's so hard to say either, with Blake clearly having guarded this secret closer than anything else for the past few years.

"Blake." She says firmly, "you did the right thing."

"Nobody else saw it that way." The girl answers weakly, "like I said before, people worshipped Adam. Everyone saw him as this brilliantly talented person fighting for what he believed in. And when people found out that I was the one that got him thrown into prison, everyone absolutely hated me."

"Blake…" she whispers, "is that why…"

"That's why I transferred to Beacon." Blake confirms, "I tried to just stick through it and focus on my schoolwork. But midway through my first semester… it just became too much. My grades were slipping, all of my friends became these… hate filled monsters. They'd do things to hurt me that they were never capable of before. It got so bad that I could barely even sleep at night. So yeah, a couple weeks later my dad got an offer from his work to transfer over to Vale, and with everything that had happened with Adam, my parents decided it would be best for us to leave Menagerie."

"Blake," Weiss says, "why didn't you ever tell me? Or Yang? We could've helped you."

"I really wanted to." Blake cries, all but shattering Weiss's heart with the look in her eyes, "there were so many times that I wanted to, I just… I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because!" Blake shouts. Her amber eyes suddenly go wide before she timidly sinks back into her seat, instantly clamping a hand over her mouth.

Weiss feels her eyebrows furrowing. "Blake… what else aren't you telling me?"

"No I… I can't."

"Blake." She says, doing her best to keep her voice gentle and reassuring, "no matter what it is, I promise you I will still be here for you. You're my best friend, practically a sister to me. There is nothing that you can say that will change how much I care about you."

Blake looks up with another heart shattering look, tears flowing freely from her eyes. "That's… that's why I couldn't."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Blake turns her head away again, desperately trying to blink away the tears. "You and Yang… the two of you mean more to me than anyone I've ever met, so much more than Adam ever did. And… and my feelings for him didn't just cost me all my friends… but it also landed him in prison."

With that Weiss's eyes go wide. This is what Blake had been holding onto this entire time? A constant fear of ruining the lives of those around her?

"Blake," She breathes out, "is this why… with Yang..."

"Yeah," Blake says, head hanging in defeat, "I… I meant what I said the other day before I left for the airport. The best thing I can do for Yang right now… is leave. One way or another everyone around me either ends up filled with hate or… or worse."

Weiss takes in a long, drawn out breath as her friend's words truly sink in.

"Blake." She says, slowly, deliberately, "those people back in Menagerie, they were not real friends. Okay? Me, Ruby, Pyrrha, and Nora… we would never do that to you. And Yang, Yang is definitely not Adam. Do you hear me? You opening your heart to us is not some kind of curse that's inevitably going to ruin our lives. Just because it happened before, doesn't mean it's going to happen again."

They sit there like that for a moment, both of them frozen, eyes locked on the other's and unable to even make a sound. After a second she realizes that her breath is caught in her chest, but she doesn't dare release it for fear that the slightest motion would somehow scare Blake off.

But then the tension in Blake's shoulders relaxes and Weiss is finally able to release the breath she'd been holding. If she's being honest she'd been expecting the girl to fully break down in tears again, and seeing some the anxiety disappear from her face is an immense relief.

But any hope that they'd be moving past this starts to fade when Blake suddenly stands up, head lowered so that her raven hair falls in front of her eyes.

"You're wrong Weiss."

"What?"

"You're wrong." Blake repeats. "You and Yang, Pyrrha, Ruby, Nora, all of you mean too much to me to even risk something bad happening again."

"Blake…"

"No. You have Ruby, and now Yang has Neo, you guys can all be… you are happy. And there's no way I'm going to do anything to risk that."

Before she can even react Blake is halfway to the front door, leaving Weiss frozen to her spot on the couch, too shocked to even move.

There's this voice in the back of her head, one that sounds remarkably like her father, telling her that she should have seen this coming. That as Blake's best friend she just… should have known that something of this magnitude had been hanging over her this entire time. But then her more rational side kicks in, trying to tell her that there's no use dwelling on the past, that all she can do now is focus on finding a way to help Blake as they move forward.

But no matter what she does she can't come up with any semblance of a plan. Her first instinct is to tell Yang, or at least Pyrrha. But with how big of a secret this is, how hard it had been for Blake to just tell her, she's not sure if she can bring herself to betray her trust like this.

So she's left with basically nothing, mind going a mile a minute as she stays there glued to her seat, endlessly switching her phone on and off as she comes to the heartbreaking realization that she has no idea what to do.


Author's Note: This was a huge chapter to be honest, it's really the first glimpse we actually get into Blake's real thoughts. It's pretty heavy but hopefully we'll have some more fluff in the upcoming chapters. Anyways, hope you all liked it and thanks for reading!