Yang blearily opened her eyes, entirely unsure of where she was or what had happened. She seemed to be laying on a couch, although the room itself was unfamiliar. It was dark, the only light leaking in from a door to her right, which appeared to lead to a hallway. Straining her ears, she could hear muffled voices from beyond it.
She gathered her strength and slowly managed to haul herself into a sitting position. Feeling a twinge on her left arm, she squinted down at it and discovered a thin bandage around her forearm. She looked up at her surroundings with a frown. Her eyes had somewhat adjusted to the dark, and she could see the shape of a table, chairs, lamps, and a television in the room around her. Swinging her legs around, she braced herself to attempt to stand. Then she paused, hearing footsteps from outside growing louder. As she peered up at the door, it abruptly swung open.
"Yang?" A familiar voice called out. It moved closer and flicked on a lamp, bathing the room in dim light. Yang had never been so happy to see anyone in her life.
"Blake?" She croaked, then winced at the sound of her own voice. "Yikes, I sound awful." Blake just smiled softly at her. She was carrying a tray containing a tea pot and some cups, which she set on the table before approaching Yang.
"Thank goodness you're awake," she said quietly, sitting down beside Yang and, quite unexpectedly, wrapping her arms around her tightly.
"Whoa, Blakey, it's okay," Yang said, patting her back. "I feel a lot better, I swear. How long was I out?" Blake pulled back and regarded Yang critically, as if searching closely for anything that may be wrong.
"All day. It's almost 6:00 now."
"WHAT?!" Yang leapt to her feet in surprise, then immediately sat back down and held her pounding head. "Dammit," she groaned. "I never learn."
Blake laid a gentle hand on her arm but spoke firmly. "Stop trying to move..idiot. Just listen." Once it stopped hurting, Yang raised her head to look at Blake.
"You passed out at the office this morning," she began.
"Yep, I remember." Yang chuckled, a little embarrassed.
"Well, I wanted to take you to the hospital, but Qrow thought it would start a panic because of the whole flu thing." Blake paused and made a noise that can only be described as a growl. "I was about to knock his teeth in but luckily Pyrrha stepped in. I didn't know she used to be a nurse."
"Yeah, right before she started working here," Yang stated.
"And she assured us that it was nothing serious, just exhaustion. And so we agreed to take you somewhere to rest and here was closest so…" Blake trailed off with a shrug.
"Where exactly is here?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow.
"O-oh yeah. Welcome to my apartment," Blake said with a weak smile. "Sorry it wasn't under better circumstances."
There was silence for a long moment, then Yang cracked a grin.
"Hey, I thought I told you to take me out to dinner first?" Blake huffed but couldn't stop the wider smile growing on her face.
"You haven't told me the important thing yet though," Yang said, suddenly serious. "Do I have it? G1R1?" Blake bit her lip.
"I don't know. One of Pyrrha's doctor friends took some blood but the results aren't in yet."
Yang lightly touched the bandage on her arm. "Well that explains this," she muttered. A hand gently covered her own, and Blake's fingers quickly interlaced with her own.
"Hey. I'm sure it's fine," she said in a soothing voice.
"You don't know that." Yang tried to sound nonchalant but her voice was uncharacteristically weak. Blake gave her a concerned look but she refused to make eye contact.
"Have some tea, I'll get Qrow from the other room," Blake said finally, moving to stand. Yang's hand darted out and snagged the bottom of her shirt tightly.
"Uhh, can you maybe stay here a little longer? I just. I know what he's gonna say and I reeeaaally don't want to deal with it right now," Yang said, her eyes pleading. Blake knew she was a goner as soon as they made eye contact.
"Of course," she sighed, sitting back down. Yang sighed too, and Blake peered at her sideways. "You want to tell me what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Well, no, more like everything." Yang attempted a chuckle. "I'm sure Qrow's pissed that I got myself sick, and if it is the Grimm Flu, I'm totally boned. Plus Schnee's being…Schnee. And I may have to go back on that Beacon Park promise, which is gonna suck. That park means a lot to me, and this town, y'know?" She waved her hands in frustration.
"Yang…"
"AND the gala is next weekend and there's so much to do and meanwhile here I am being useless as always." The hands formed fists.
"Yang."
"Maybe it's a sign that I'm not supposed to be doing this. I mean, Ozpin said some crap about doing it for the right reasons, what does that mean? God, should I just stop? Cause it feels like everything and everyone is against me and I…can't…uh, Blake, what're you doing?" Blake's steady, cool hands were holding Yang's face lightly, forcing her to look into those lovely gold eyes.
"Yang." One hand came up, brushing Yang's bangs back off her face, and as Blake inched closer, Yang felt her heartbeat skyrocketing.
"I need you to calm down," Blake said, though Yang could barely hear her through the blood pounding in her ears. Soft lips pressed down gently but firmly…on Yang's forehead.
"Mm, you definitely have a fever," Blake diagnosed, pulling away and leaving Yang in a daze.
"Everything you're stressed about, you've got a right to be stressed about," Blake continued. "But right now you need to focus on your health and getting better. Leave the gala to us, and don't worry about Weiss Schnee. We'll find a way around her, together." She paused and hesitantly took Yang's hand. "And as for giving up..Well, I didn't think Yang Xiao Long was the type to quit. Or did I get the wrong impression?"
Yang wiped the tears from her eyes and grinned.
"Nah, you're a great judge of character."
"That's what I thought," Blake said, a small smirk working it's way onto her face. "Now drink this." She thrust a teacup at Yang's face.
Yang sniffled a little and happily accepted the tea. "Thanks Blake."
For a few minutes they sat in silence, sipping the warm beverage.
"Blake?"
"Yeah?"
"What's up with that?" Blake followed Yang's pointing finger with her eyes and winced.
"It's…It's nothing." Blake's voice sounded hollow even to herself.
"Oookay well it looks like you duct taped some tarp to your wall which is kind of an odd thing to do for nothing, y'know?" Yang offered a crooked grin. Blake huffed a little. She had been hoping Yang wouldn't notice. But once again the woman proved to be more observant than she had expected.
"Fine. It's a hole, alright?"
"Blakey, please. First of all, that's what she said." Blake smacked her shoulder. "Second-of-ly, wanna tell me how it got there?" Blake crossed her arms and said nothing, suddenly very intent on studying the lamp beside them.
Once again, the door slammed open, and both of them jumped at least a foot in the air.
"Is everything okay? We heard noise and—Yang!" Ruby bounded across the room for a hug.
"Well, well. Looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally up," Qrow said from the doorway, although he allowed himself a smile. "Good to see you conscious, firecracker."
"Not gonna give me a lecture, old man?" Yang asked over Ruby's shoulder. Her sister had attached to her like some sort of parasitic organism.
"Me? Lecture?" Qrow feigned shock. "Nah, not this time. Your little stunt actually got us some good press for once. Even the Ice Queen was impressed."
"What?!" Blake and Yang spoke in unison.
"Yep, she called a couple minutes ago, apparently willing to come by again for an actual discussion."
"Well, that's a drastic change of heart," Blake said, sounding somewhat suspicious. Qrow shrugged.
"Don't look at me, it was Ruby she called." Ruby de-latched herself from her sister, looking a little sheepish.
"Yeah, I, um, just happened to run into Weiss a couple times and she's not that bad once you get to know her she's actually kinda nice?" Her voice got faster and higher in pitch as the sentence went on. The statement was met with three blank stares. Ruby laughed nervously.
"Just don't be too harsh on her, please?" she said, mostly to Yang.
"I'm never harsh, dear sister. I'm sweeter than honey, that's why they call me Goldilocks."
"That doesn't make any sense," Ruby muttered. Yang shot her a glare, but the sound of the doorbell interrupted any further bickering.
"I'll get it!" Ruby darted out of the room. A moment later she trotted back in with Pyrrha in tow, both of them beaming. Blake and Yang found themselves grinning back even before Pyrrha delivered the good news.
"Yang, you don't have the Grimm Flu," she said, her voice sounding quite angelic to all the occupants of the room. Impulsively, Yang grabbed Blake's hand and gave it a quick squeeze.
"All you have is a nasty cold, exacerbated by a lack of rest and being out in the cold," Pyrrha continued. She kept talking about it, but Yang suddenly wasn't listening. Blake was sitting really close. And even through Yang's sinus issues, she smelled really good. Yang blinked a couple times, trying to remember how breathing worked. She was acutely aware of every point of contact they shared: knees, thighs, hips, shoulders—was Blake leaning against her?
"Yang?"
"Wha-huh?" Yang jolted, sitting up very straight.
"I was saying you'll be fine in a couple days, but you need to take it easy, understand?" Pyrrha repeated patiently.
"Yeah, you're looking a little feverish sis," Ruby added.
"We shouldn't overcrowd her," Blake said, concerned. "Let me get some water and medicine for the fever." She stood up and Yang immediately missed her presence beside her.
"Guess that's my cue," Qrow drawled. "I'll be going then, kid. Call if you need anything." He nodded at Pyrrha. "Thanks for keeping this under wraps."
"Of course," Pyrrha replied amicably. "I'd better head out too. Take care, Yang!" She smiled warmly. "Ruby, would you like a ride to your place?" Ruby looked at Yang critically.
"Will you be okay here?" She asked her sister. Yang gave her a grin.
"Yep, I already feel much better," she responded. Ruby smiled broadly and went in for a hug. Pulling back, she softly kissed Yang's forehead.
"Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"
"I'll see what I can do," Yang said, smiling fondly.
There were a few more minutes of goodbyes as they filed out the door. Once the three were gone, the apartment seemed strangely quiet. Yang silently took the medicine Blake shoved her way and drank the water.
"You should get some more sleep," Blake murmured as she finished drinking. Yang shook her head.
"Nah, I'm not tired. And I really do feel better, I promise." She winked at her. Blake exhaled through her nose. Yang scanned the room, purposely ignoring the tarp area on the wall. Clearly Blake didn't want to talk about it.
"Ooh, I see you've got a Wii there. Got any good games?" Yang asked, her eyes lighting up. Blake couldn't hold back a laugh.
"How old are you again?" she questioned, incredibly relieved Yang seemed to have forgotten about the wall. "Anyway, I don't play much these days. But feel free to take a look." Yang rubbed her hands together in anticipation before standing up quickly to check it out. The blood drained from her face and she sat back down even faster.
"I seriously never learn," she groaned, closing her eyes to fight the sudden dizziness.
"Yang?" Blake was at her side in an instant, rubbing her back gently.
"I'm alright…Thanks Blake." Yang cracked her eyes open and gave her a grateful smile. "Maybe video games isn't the best idea," she said with a laugh. "Hey, how bout you play something and I watch?"
Blake sighed. "Only if you promise to lay down."
"Only if you let me use your lap."
"Deal."
That was all it took to get the blood rushing back to Yang's face again.
"Jesus, Blake, I was only kidding. But if you want me to that bad.." Yang grinned. Blake just rolled her eyes, but Yang could've sworn she saw a blush.
That was how Yang found herself resting her head on Blake's really comfy lap, while wrapped in one of Blake's warm blankets, listening to the incredibly soothing sound of Blake's voice as she commented on the game.
"They're fantastic strategy games, and the characters are great too. I'm surprised you've never played any of them," she was saying.
"Honestly I only know it from Smash," Yang admitted, glancing up at Blake's face. How did she manage to look so good from every angle? Blake's eyebrows suddenly knitted together and she cursed quietly.
"Goddammit Edward," she hissed through gritted teeth. Yang glanced at the screen, where one of the characters, a swordsman, seemed to be in pretty bad shape. She had to admit seeing Blake frustrated was pretty cute.
"Eh, just let him die," Yang said nonchalantly. Blake frowned.
"No way, I always restart the level if someone dies. And Leonardo needs him," she explained.
"Wait, what?" Yang burst out laughing. "What's that mean, he NEEDS him?" Blake got very quiet, and this time Yang was positive she saw a blush.
"Nothing. Go to sleep."
"Oh my god. You ship it. I can't believe this." She was shaking from the force of her giggles.
"Shut up." Blake looked down at Yang, her face getting redder by the second. Yang wasn't laughing anymore, but her eyes were still shining brighter than usual. For a long second, Blake just stared at her. A new sort of blush worked it's way onto her face, and she hastily looked back up at the game. She continued on the level, trying to slow her heartbeat and wondering just what the hell she was doing.
AN: Yep, this story is back from the dead! I'm just as surprised as you are tbh. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and sticking with it! Tentative plan is to update every Friday but...we'll see how that goes. Leave a review if you'd like 3