Blake and Yang headed into the building and clambered up two flights of stairs to Pyrrha's apartment. Well, Pyrrha and Jaune's really, since he was over there so often he was practically a tenant himself.
Yang knocked loudly once, but barged in before anyone came to the door. Even though Blake was still busy overthinking every interaction she had ever had with Yang, she smiled a little at the action.
"What's even the point of knocking if you do that?" She asked with a gentle chuckle. Yang grinned at her, relieved that Blake was talking again.
"Gives 'em time to stop having sex or whatever. I don't wanna walk in on that."
Blake rolled her eyes. "You're gross."
"Hey, I said I DIDN'T want to see it!" Yang protested, walking further into the apartment. But Pyrrha and Jaune were simply sitting on the couch, leaving plenty of room for Jesus.
"Didn't want to see what?" Ruby asked. She had beat them there and was settled onto the floor, drink in hand.
"These two banging." Yang said plainly, gesturing at the couple in question.
"Yang!" Blake hissed, whacking her arm. Jaune turned red but Pyrrha just laughed and offered them a drink. They both accepted graciously. It had been a long night already, and Blake could still feel some lingering tension between herself and Yang. The interaction with Cinder was still fresh in her mind, and certainly wasn't helping matters. Nothing like some vodka to blur some of her unwanted thoughts into the background, right?
Thirty minutes later, the "party" was in full swing. Ren was beating Nora, Ruby, and Jaune quite handily at Mario Kart. Pyrrha was busy in the kitchen making cookies. Even though everyone had insisted that she didn't have to, Ruby had been practically drooling at the suggestion, and Pyrrha was way too nice to refuse the puppy eyes. Blake sat comfortably on the edge of the couch, sipping on her second drink. Yang plopped down next to her, fresh from her trip to the kitchen to see if Pyrrha needed any help.
"How's it going in there?" Blake asked.
"Cookies will be done in ten minutes," Yang replied with a smile.
"Yesssss," Ruby said, glancing towards the kitchen hungrily. Her cart swerved to the right and into the abyss.
"NOOOO I was in second place!" she cried.
"Ya snooze ya lose!" Nora yelled, zipping past her on the track.
"It's wise to remain focused on the game," Ren said calmly. He was about half a lap ahead of everyone else.
Blake laughed lightly and took another sip. Since Nora and Ruby were on the floor, there was plenty of room on the couch, but Yang was still sitting right next to her. Alcohol always made Blake more touchy-feely than usual, and she found herself leaning into Yang's warm body. Her eyes drifted shut.
"I'll take those," Yang said, leaning forward abruptly. Blake slipped and righted herself somewhat grumpily. Yang hadn't noticed, she was too busy confiscating Jaune and Ruby's cups.
"HEY!" Jaune said.
"No need to alco-holler!" Yang wheezed at her pun and received a chorus of groans and eye rolls. "You can have it back in a hour, Vomit Boy," she finished smugly.
Nora laughed loudly at the use of the nickname and punched Jaune's bicep. He glared at them both and rubbed his arm.
"Can I have mine back? I'm sober!" Ruby tried to snatch her cup, but Yang dodged her clumsy attempt easily.
"This is your third so, no. Plus you weigh liiiike 90 pounds."
Ruby grumbled incoherently, and Blake had to stifle a laugh at the face she was making. Yang leaned back triumphantly, snuggling against Blake. Or maybe the snuggling was only in Blake's head, which had started to get fuzzy from the drinks. She discreetly glanced up at Yang's smiling face. Her nurturing side was coming out in full force tonight, and Blake couldn't ignore the warmth she felt observing how she took care of everyone.
A hesitant knock at the door stopped any further arguments Ruby may have made. She skyrocketed to her feet the second she heard the knock, prompting everyone to look at her.
"I'll get it! I hope it's okay but I, um, invited Weiss to hang out with us." The way she said it made it sound more like a question than an announcement. Pyrrha, walking in from the kitchen with a plateful of fresh cookies, laughed lightly.
"Of course that's fine, Ruby," she said encouragingly. Ruby smiled, grabbed a cookie, and rushed to get the door.
"Thanks Pyrrha!"
Ren paused the game so they could all crane their necks to witness the entrance of Vale's one and only Ice Queen. Ruby pulled the door back so fast it hit the wall.
"Hi Weiss!" she chirped.
"Hello Ruby." Weiss looked uncomfortable in the doorway, cautiously eyeing the inside of the apartment and the cluster of people inside it. Her eyes narrowed at Ruby. "Are you eating? Don't talk with your mouth full." And with that stern admonishment, she brushed past her and entered the apartment.
"Hey Weiss," Yang greeted with a smile.
"Yang," she said, waving at her halfheartedly.
"Ice Queen," Blake acknowledged, barely bothering to hide her glower.
"You." Weiss was also less than thrilled with the arrangement.
"And I don't think you've met the rest," Ruby cut in, materializing behind Weiss and steering her fully into the living room. "Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, and Juan. This is Weiss!" Jaune glared at her and opened his mouth to speak, but Pyrrha elbowed him to keep quiet.
"A pleasure to meet you," she said graciously.
"Likewise," Weiss said with a smile. She actually seemed happy to meet someone for once in her life. "So Juan, where are you from?" Jaune looked ready to die, but Ruby spoke before he had a chance.
"OKAY enough talk, time to RACE." Ruby tossed a controller at Weiss, who yelped and swatted it to the ground. Yang and Ruby erupted into laughter. Weiss gave them both death glares before gingerly picking up the controller and perching on the couch.
Ruby stuffed another cookie into her mouth. "Okay, Yang and Blake can even out the racers."
Yang deftly snagged a few cookies before Ruby demolished the entire plate, and generously passed one to Blake. She accepted the baked good but shook her head at the game. "No thanks, I'm not great at Mario Kart."
But Yang stuck a controller in her hands anyway.
"It's okay, I suck too. I'm only decent at fighting games and RPGs," she said. That stupid grin, the one Blake could never say 'no' to, was firmly in place. She sighed and selected Dry Bones as her character.
"Nice choice, but I'll knock you off the track," Yang said, bumping Blake with her shoulder. She had picked Donkey Kong.
"Which one should I pick?" Weiss asked. "I've never played this game before..."
"SERIOUSLY? You've never played Mario Kart?" Nora pretended to faint. Weiss got an uncomfortable look again, and Ruby swooped in to help.
"Here, you can be Peach," she said gently, pointing out the character. She had already selected Toad for herself.
"Peach is a good one," Pyrrha added.
"Yeah, a princess is perfect for you." Yang was grinning wolfishly. Weiss huffed and swatted at her, but she danced out of the way, leaning further against Blake in the process.
Finally, they were ready to start. Yang deviously picked Rainbow Road as the track before any of them could protest. Ruby and Blake groaned in unison while Jaune and Nora cackled. Weiss looked at them all in confusion, but Ren answered before she could ask the question.
"It's the hardest track in the game," he explained calmly. "A bit of a cruel trick to play on an amateur."
Yang laughed but didn't bother to defend herself. "Sorry Ice Queen, this is my only chance to not come in last place for once!"
Her trick backfired almost immediately as she missed the first turn and plummeted into the depths of space, cursing loudly. Ruby chuckled smugly from her position in first place.
"Why are there no rails?" Weiss yelped as she fell in the same spot as Yang.
"It's a test of skill. Pure, unadulterated - SHIT!" Yang fell into space for the second time, dropping to last place.
"Pure, unadulterated, what?" Blake asked with a snicker. Yang grumbled something and half-heartedly swatted at her controller.
The race ended with Blake in second place, Ruby in fourth, Weiss is tenth, and Yang in eleventh.
"It's all rigged!" Yang complained, throwing her hands in the air. "And I thought YOU said that you were bad at this game?" She gestured at Blake wildly. Blake smirked and shrugged, passing her controller to Nora.
"You're just mad that I got ahead of you right at the end," Weiss said smugly.
"Damn Ice Queen, that's cold. Pun intended." Yang smiled broadly at her joke. Weiss rolled her eyes and downed her drink.
"Whoa, hey! Slow down, Weiss," Ruby said, reaching over to stop her from pouring another one. Weiss looked surprised for a second, but her expression quickly changed into one of vague annoyance.
"I got here from a dinner with my father, I could use a drink," she explained, but withdrew her hand from the vodka bottle. Yang winced and nodded sympathetically while Ruby looked at the floor intently. "And unfortunately I couldn't watch the debate because he refused to reschedule." She paused to silently curse him for a moment. "Although I heard you did quite well?" Weiss raised an eyebrow and Yang blushed slightly. Blake found herself tensing up at the interaction, though she couldn't explain why.
"She was AWESOME!" Nora exclaimed, bouncing slightly in her seat. "Really kicked that Mercury asshole's...well, ass!" They all laughed at that and congratulated Yang once again, who was still blushing from the attention.
They switched in new Mario Kart players and Blake settled back into her spot next to Yang. The alcohol was starting to make her more drowsy now, and maybe it was that plus the impaired judgement that made her rest her head on Yang's shoulder. Yang hesitated, then placed a gentle hand on Blake's thigh.
"It's time for a DANCE PARTY! Yang, get over here!" Apparently Nora had decided this was the perfect time to blast music and probably get Pyrrha evicted. Yang immediately leapt up to join in, and Blake felt the urge to scream. The urge only increased in fervor when Weiss Schnee decided to take Yang's spot on the couch.
Blake decided to be civil. "So, you don't like to dance either?" she asked amicably.
"Just what the hell was that, Belladonna?" Blake blinked once.
"Um." she said.
"You have to make a move on her, Blake, this..." Weiss stopped to select the proper word. "Ridiculous!" Blake decided not to point out that she had left out the word "is."
"You're drunk," Blake said. Her face felt very hot.
"Wow, very perceptive of you!" Weiss nearly shouted over the loud music, which Nora and Jaune were now singing along to.
"Um." Blake said again.
"Look, you're obviously in love with her." Blake's face was radiating so much heat she was sure it should be singeing Weiss. At the moment, she wished it would, if only to get her to back away.
"And she's OBVIOUSLY in love with you," Weiss continued. Blake chose that opportunity to choke on her own saliva. Weiss stared at her blankly for a second, then clumsily patted her back until she recovered somewhat.
"No, she's not," Blake choked out once she could talk again. Weiss made a noise.
"Aren't you supposed to be perceptive?"
"Aren't you supposed to be well-behaved?" Blake muttered, struggling to get her blush under control. Weiss made another noise and somehow managed to stomp her foot while seated.
"Hey, I'm helping! I know you hate me, but-"
"I don't hate you."
Weiss scoffed and waved a hand haphazardly.
"Whatcha guys talking about?" Ruby plopped down on the couch next to Weiss.
"Why don't you take your own advice?" Blake said to Weiss, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
"Maybe I will," Weiss said with narrowed eyes. Ruby looked between the two of them, hopelessly confused. Weiss whirled around to face her and grabbed onto both of Ruby's shoulders, though some of it was just to stabilize herself from the sudden turn.
"Weiss?" Ruby squeaked, blood rushing to her head from their extremely close proximity. "W-What are you-"
"Stop talking," Weiss commanded. Ruby immediately shut her mouth, which Weiss then kissed softly, her movements becoming surprisingly gentle as she moved her hands down Ruby's back.
Blake's eyes widened. Yang skidded to a stop on the dance floor, her mouth dropping open.
"Oh shit!" Jaune said.
"Ooh, get it Weiss!" Nora yelled over the music, looking positively thrilled by the development.
The party proceeded somewhat awkwardly from there. Ruby dragged Weiss, who by now was blushing profusely, into the kitchen to "talk." Yang looked like she wanted to follow them, by Pyrrha pulled her back with a stern this-is-not-the-time-to-meddle look on her face.
"They're so cute!" Jaune said, his eyes shining with happiness. Nora agreed enthusiastically and even Ren smiled and nodded. Blake remembered what Jaune said about Ruby and Yang being like his sisters. He certainly looked like a proud big brother at the moment, and she found herself smiling along with the rest of them in spite of her reservations towards Weiss. She snuck a glance towards the kitchen. They were mostly out of view, but she could make out the side of the back of Ruby's head. A small, pale hand came up to weave into Ruby's hair, and pulled her out of Blake's sight.
Blake looked away and locked eyes with Yang, who had also been watching intently. By now there was enough alcohol in her that Blake didn't shy away. She stared directly at Yang, taking in her wide eyes, her cute nose with tiny freckles dusted around it, her unruly mane of hair, which Blake wanted nothing more than to run her hands through. Yang turned an attractive shade of pink under Blake's scrutiny, and she turned away under the guise of getting another cookie.
It was right about then that Nora suggested they play a game of strip poker. Yang's face only got pinker, and she busied herself looking literally anywhere but at Blake. Luckily for her, Ren was able to talk Nora down to regular poker - but of course with a drinking component.
Ruby and Weiss returned from the kitchen just as Nora was about to start dealing. Ruby's hair was messy, and Weiss' face was an interesting shade of red, but they both looked decidedly pleased, and their fingers were tightly interlocked.
"Nice work locking that down," Yang teased at Ruby, having recovered nicely from her earlier shock. "And you." Weiss jolted under her intense gaze. "Be careful with my sister, okay?" Weiss nodded mutely and Yang gave her one of her wide grins.
"Sooooo can we start now?" Nora was way too excited about gambling.
Ren nodded fondly at her and began dealing.
"Um, what are the hands again?" Blake whispered to Yang.
"Mm, not well versed in gambling, are we? Probably not a bad thing. I'll pull a list up on my phone." Yang smiled and pushed her hair back. "And in the meantime you can work on your pokerface, Blakey," she continued. Blake smiled at the familiar nickname.
"Sure, Yang." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
"Here's mine," Yang said, her smile turning smug.
"Well, that's not very-" Blake stopped as Yang's pointer finger gently poked her cheek.
Yang burst out laughing. "Get it? It's a poke-her-face!"
"For fuck's sake Yang."
"Possibly your shittiest joke ever!" Ruby chimed in from her spot on Blake's other side.
"Hey, LANGUAGE," Yang reprimanded her sternly.
"Yang, I'm 24..."
"Are you guys gonna look at your cards or nah?" Nora interrupted.
"Oh, sorry," Yang replied, still laughing a little. "I'm in."
Blake glanced at her cards, then at the list of hands, then nodded her participation. Ruby and Weiss joined in too, while Ren and Pyrrha folded immediately. Blake figured that made sense with their more cautious personalities.
Ren flipped another card and they all craned in to see.
"Ooh, five of spades, lookin' good for me," Yang boasted and set her cards down, satisfied.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Okay, so Yang has nothing."
"Mm, we'll see about that," Yang said.
Ruby ended up folding that round anyway, and Jaune tossed his cards away too, muttering about Yang cheating again. Weiss looked about as confused about how to play as Blake was, and seemed a bit too drunk to learn effectively.
"Um, are these good?" she asked in a small voice, showing her cards to Ruby.
"Hey, that's illegal! No help allowed from the audience!" Yang yelled, pointing an accusatory finger.
"Okay, fine," Weiss said, frowning at her and scooting closer to Ruby. "I'm in."
Ren flipped the final card and Yang just about screeched in happiness. Blake rolled her eyes.
"Stop faking," she said, upping the bet.
"Ooh, getting feisty I see," Yang said with a sideways sort of grin. She took the bet, and Weiss and Nora followed suit.
"Alright, show your cards." Ren's voice was calm as ever.
Nora went first. "I got nothiiiing!" she sang, happily taking a long drink from her cup. Ren gave her a look somewhere between affection and exhaustion.
"These are mine." Everybody leaned in to look at Weiss' cards.
"Weiss..." Ruby started, sweat beading on her forehead.
"Holy shit," Jaune said quietly.
Weiss looked between them in confusion. "What is it? Ruby? Juan?"
"You, um, also have nothing," Pyrrha explained gently. "I'm sorry." She delivered the news with so much remorse that it felt like she had just brutally murdered Weiss' firstborn child.
"What?!" Weiss exclaimed. "No, I have 4, 5, and 6 in a row!"
"Yeah, that's nothing," Yang explained, halfheartedly trying to stifle her laughter. "You seriously never played poker before?"
Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "Father never allowed gambling," she muttered, then angrily finished off her drink before anyone could say anything.
"Well then, I'm feeling pretty good about my two pair." Yang grinned and flipped over her cards. Blake bit her lip and looked at her own cards before flipping them over.
"I have two fives, plus the one there..." she looked Yang directly in the eyes and smirked. "Three of a kind beats two pair, right?"
Yang sputtered and snatched Blake's cards up, holding them to the light as if that would prove them to be fake. Everyone laughed at her expense and Ruby shoved a drink at her.
"Losing at Mario Kart and now at poker?" Blake teased, raising an eyebrow. "Good thing you did so well at the debate, or I'd be worried about your ego."
Everyone turned to look at her, and Yang's eyes seemed to double in size.
"Ooh, drunk Blake is SAVAGE!" Nora yelled triumphantly. She was clearly thoroughly pleased by the night's events.
"Huh? I'm not drunk," Blake objected. Based on the looks she received in return, it was an ineffectual protest.
"Suuuure," Yang said. Blake wanted to kiss the stupid smile off of her face. Wait, kiss?
"Now can someone please deal? I've got to avenge myself," Yang continued before Blake could process the thought that had just invaded her mind.
As it turned out, Yang was actually really good at poker. If Blake hadn't been drunk before, she certainly was now after losing several hands to the cocky, purple-haired gambler sitting next to her.
Yang looked perfectly content to sit there winning hands all night, but it was Ren who eventually decided to call it. He managed to drag Nora - who was somehow still as full of energy as always - out the door after a round of goodbyes. Weiss stood up to leave as well, but almost immediately stumbled and crashed into Ruby.
"H-hey! I can walk by myself," she complained, but made no move away from the woman supporting her. Ruby gave Pyrrha a look, and some unspoken communication occurred between them.
"You two can crash on the couch," Pyrrha said before Ruby made any verbal request.
"Thanks Pyrrha!" Ruby smiled brightly and began the arduous task of steering Weiss towards the living room. Jaune scurried off to fetch them some blankets.
"Do either of you two need a ride?" Pyrrha asked, turning to address Blake and Yang. Blake blinked once and thought about how to address the question. She was taken aback by the sheer niceness of it, as if having her guests take a cab was something that never even crossed Pyrrha's mind.
"Nah, I can drive Blake," Yang said. "I only had two drinks all night." Blake blinked again. She hadn't really been paying attention, but it was true that Yang had kept herself sober over the course of the evening. It surprised her a little, although she probably should've been used to Yang surprising her by now.
"If you're sure," Pyrrha replied. "Drive safe, and text me when you get back."
"Of course." Another one of her grins spread over Yang's face. "You're an angel, Pyrrha."
"That's a bit of a stretch, but thanks Yang," Pyrrha said, blushing slightly.
"Alright, you good to go kitty-cat?" It took Blake a moment before she realized Yang was referring to her.
"...kitty-cat?"
"Yeah, cause you're so cat-like!" Yang patted Blake's head, generating a tsk of annoyance.
"Seriously, Yang? I'm not a cat..." Blake grumbled, but she wasn't really angry, and Yang knew it.
"Mm, okay." Yang was still grinning. "Lemme check on Ruby real quick and we can go." She moved quietly into the living room, Blake and Pyrrha trailing behind her. Ruby seemed to be asleep already, and Weiss had curled herself up against Ruby's body, firmly clinging onto her shirt. Her eyes were closed, and white eyelashes fluttered slightly as she slept.
Yang whisper-shrieked at the sight of them. "Oh my GOD," she said in a hushed tone, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Blake smiled, half from the undeniably adorable sight, and half from watching Yang fawn over it. Pyrrha wisely tugged Yang away before her movements woke anyone up.
A minute later, Blake was clumsily pulling on her jacket while Yang held the door for her.
"Thanks for hosting!" Yang said over her shoulder to Pyrrha.
Blake nodded her thanks as well, having finally won the struggle with her left sleeve. "It was a lot of fun," she added, vaguely surprised at the genuine smile that came onto her face without her even having to try.
"Anytime," Pyrrha responded. "Goodnight Yang, Blake!"
They waved as they started to make their way down the hallway.
"I'm thinking we avoid the stairs given your, uh, inebriation," Yang explained.
"Nice SAT word Xiao Long, but I'm not-" Blake's right shoulder smacked directly into the wall next to the elevator. "Who put that there?" she muttered, rubbing her shoulder.
Yang was just about shaking from the force of her stifled laughter. "Good thing I'm driving, huh?" she said, then gently guided Blake into the elevator without any further wall-smackings. They reached Blake's car without incident, and the second she took her place in the passenger seat, Blake felt a cloud of drowsiness drift over her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the headrest.
"Hey, don't pass out in here!" Yang said. She started the car and kicked up the heating. "Damn, it's cold. Cold as Weiss, some might say."
"Literally only you would say that."
"Very true. My wit is a gift and a curse," Yang sighed like a wearied soldier.
Blake decided not to dignify that with a response, instead closing her eyes again. She was so tired, she could feel herself drifting off despite her best efforts. Between Yang's soft humming next to her and the movement of the car, it was pretty easy for her to approach sleep...and for once her thoughts were still. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was Yang's presence so close by, or maybe it was both, but Blake felt more at peace than she had been for months, even years.
"Blake?" She felt a light touch on her shoulder. Blake opened her eyes and blinked blearily.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Uh, we're at your place. You know, where you live?"
"Mm."
"You'll have to leave the car to go inside," Yang explained patiently.
"Mm."
"Well then." Yang opened her own door and exited the car. A moment later she appeared on the other side and threw open Blake's door. Cold air swirled in immediately and Blake glared at the offender through her still half-closed eyes.
Yang moved swiftly, reaching a hand over to unbuckle Blake's seatbelt before sliding an arm around her back and the other beneath her knees. Blake jolted at the same time that Yang began lifting her.
"Ah, fuck!" Yang jumped back and slammed her head on the frame of the car, letting go of Blake instantly.
"Yang...what..." The cold air was slowly bringing Blake back to the real world.
"I was trying to be NICE and carry you inside! Then YOU started flailing! Ow..." She rubbed the back of her head.
"Trying to...Yang, I don't need to be carried," Blake said. To prove her point, she hauled herself out of the car and stood unsteadily on the curb.
"Sure thing," Yang said gently. Blake put a hand on Yang's arm - not that she needed it or anything, but just in case - as they made their way to her door.
"You're good, right?" Yang asked when they made it to Blake's apartment. "Drink some water then go to sleep, k?"
Blake nodded obediently. Then she realized something. "Yang?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"How are you going to get home?"
Yang shrugged. "I'll call a cab or something. Don't worry about it."
Blake stared at her for a solid ten seconds, which is a pretty long time to stare at someone in silence. Yang raised an eyebrow. Blake later blamed what she said next almost exclusively on that stupid eyebrow and the stupidly cute expression underneath it.
"Why don't you stay here?"
Yang looked like her brain had short circuited. And then gotten zapped by lightning.
"It'll be easier, right? And then I can drive you home in the morning so you don't have to pay for a cab. Plus it's getting really late, so it's better if you stay put." Blake had a feeling she was rambling. Luckily Yang bailed her out before she could get too out of control.
"I...guess I could. If you're sure it's not a pain?"
"Of course not! But, on the couch, of course."
"Of course!"
Blake ignored the fact that they had said "of course" three times in three sentences. Instead she focused on keeping her blush under control and on her fine motor skills, which were struggling mightily, as she unlocked the door and led Yang inside.
Yang stood awkwardly in the living room while Blake fetched a blanket and some pajamas for her. Blake winced when she passed the taped-up area on the wall that Yang had noticed last time. She was sure Yang had noticed it was still there, but she mercifully didn't say anything on the subject. Instead all she said was a quiet "thank you" while accepting the supplies.
They stood together for a second, and Blake got an unshakeable feeling that Yang had really wanted to say something else.
"I'm really glad we had this night," Yang said softly, aiming a smile at Blake that sent the latter's heart into a freefall. "I feel like stuff with us has been a little awkward recently." Her eyes darted away and her smile dropped off, like she had said something she wasn't supposed to.
Blake barked out a laugh and spoke before thinking. "Well, yeah Yang, things have been awkward since you tried to kiss me then pretended nothing happened for ummm -" she pretended to check a nonexistent watch "- two goddamn weeks." The words were harsh, but the alcohol had both loosened her tongue and calmed her down. She laughed again, but more genuinely. "Nice move, killer."
Yang's cheeks flushed. "Blake..." She looked like she had more to say, but the words weren't coming out.
"It's okay Yang, I get it," Blake continued. "You were messing around, right? It's really okay. But I am bi, and you're really-" Thankfully Blake still had the self-control left to stop herself from saying the last word. Yang's face was getting steadily redder as she spoke, and Blake would be lying if she said she didn't sort of enjoy making her flustered.
"That's not-" Yang's words got stuck again. Blake wanted to laugh at how this conversation was a perfect reversal of their typical exchanges, where Yang would do most of the talking. Of course she also wanted to cry, but that was besides the point.
"But no more kisses unless you mean it, okay?" Blake grabbed Yang's face between her hands and stared her directly in the eyes to drive the point home.
"I did. Mean it." Yang's voice was so hushed that Blake almost missed it. But she did hear it, and her eyes widened at the admission. "But, Blake, I-"
Blake cut her off with her lips. It wasn't a particularly nice kiss. Between Yang getting caught off guard and Blake being slightly...intoxicated, it ended up being more of a forceful lip and teeth smack. Yang jerked back almost immediately.
"Uhhh."
"Oh. Oh no." Blake took two steps back. "I'm sorry, I thought..." she trailed off. What exactly had she been thinking?
"No, it's my fault." Yang spoke quickly. "But you're drunk, and I..." she also trailed off.
Blake said nothing to fill the thick silence between them. Her face was burning and she felt a lump forming in her throat.
"I can't," Yang said finally.
The words cut into Blake's stomach like knives or claws or something similarly unpleasant.
"I thought you liked me," Blake said. Tears were prickling at the corners of her eyes and she hated herself for them.
"I do! But I can't." Yang was staring fixedly at the floor.
"Liar." Her voice was trembling now. She aggressively brushed the tears out of her eyes. Why the hell was she crying over a girl, like some stupid middle school kid? And why had she made Yang come into her house and THEN decide to pull this "confession" bullshit?
Blake spun on her heel, stumbling slightly in the process. She had to get out of this room.
"Blake, stop." Yang's voice sounded more strained than she had ever heard it. But Blake didn't stop. If anything, she moved faster, pulling herself into her bedroom and shutting and locking the door.
"Oh god," she whispered, sinking to the floor and putting her head in her hands. The alcohol was making the room spin, and the sting of rejection was still stabbing her, over and over. She cried quietly in the dark until she mustered the strength to drag herself to the bed. Curling up into a small ball under the covers, she attempted to dry her eyes somewhat impatiently. There was no reason for her to be this upset. Yang didn't want to be with her. So what? It's not like Yang was that special.
But as soon as the thought entered her head, Blake knew it was wrong. In the span of a few months, Yang had become more special to her than anyone else, besides maybe her parents. And even though she had locked the door, some part of her - and a pretty large part, at that - wanted Yang to barge right in the way she did to Pyrrha's apartment, to hug her and kiss her and make her feel a little less awful. But the door stayed closed and locked, and Blake drifted off, her cheeks still wet.
If she had stayed up ten minutes longer, she might have heard the footsteps come near her door, pacing back and forth nervously. She might have heard the gentle knock, followed by a more insistent one, followed by a soft voice speaking from just outside.
"Blake? Are you awake? I'm so sorry, Blake. Please come out here and talk to me. Please. Please?"
But she didn't stay up, and the moment passed.
The next morning, Blake woke up with a headache and an empty living room. The blanket and pajamas were neatly folded and placed on one corner of the couch with a sticky note on top.
"Took the bus home. Hope you're not too hungover :P See you Monday!
- Yang"
Blake stared at it for a long moment, then crumpled it up and threw it in the trash.
AN: God, these chapters keep getting longer and longer. Hopefully it was coherent, I did some alcohol-based "research" while writing some parts (to get in character, yeah?). And I apologize for the angst, but White Rose fluff offsets it, right? Anyway, thanks for reading as always!
ALSO I'm super stoked that lillylux on tumblr made some AMAZING art based on this story! And it was unsolicited, can you believe it? Here's the link (replace the underscores with dots - sorry it kept linking incorrectly and I can't use technology for the life of me ahahah): lillylux_tumblr_com/post/169472829051/