The council chambers were packed. Or at least, they were packed relative to what Yang was used to - AKA, there were more seats taken than empty. And she assumed that they weren't all there to hear the Council talk about rebranding Vale to up tourism, or to hear Port haranguing everybody on why Public Works funding should be cut. The smattering of reporters certainly weren't there for the regular council session. Yang gulped and gave Qrow a look. He was looking even more disgruntled than normal.
She sighed and took her seat at the front while he selected a spot in the middle of the audience, probably so he could eavesdrop on any conversations people were having about Yang.
"I move to call this session of the Vale City Council to order," Glynda stated.
"Seconded," Ironwood said.
"Very well, our first order of business is to receive an update on recent rebranding attempts for the city of Vale with an emphasis on drawing increased tourist activity. Councilman Ironwood, would you - I'm sorry, is there a question?"
One of the gathered citizens had already raised a hand. He was young-ish looking, although his hairline was already receding pretty severely, revealing a shiny and vaguely sweaty head. The man cleared his throat and stood up, running a hand through the little of his hair that was left.
"I was wondering - and I'm sure many other people here are also wondering - about the, uh..." The wheels in his head were almost visibly grinding as he tried to find the right phrasing. Yang struggled mightily to keep her face neutral. She glanced at Qrow, who wasn't even trying to hide his grimace.
"Well, I'll just get to it. Councilwoman Xiao Long: are the rumors true? Are you a...lesbian?" His voice got weirdly hushed on the last word, like he didn't want anybody to hear. Which was stupid considering he was literally speaking to all of them. Yang inhaled deeply.
"Sir, this is a council session," Glynda said before anybody else could react. "Idle gossip and tabloid stories aren't welcome here." Her tone was brusque as always.
"Yes, I agree," Oobleck chimed in. "If you have any questions or concerns about council matters or city matters, we would be more than happy to discuss them. However, the council chambers are no place for rumors such as these. We hope that you'll understand."
Ironwood and even Port nodded along to his words. Yang slowly exhaled the breath that she was holding, feeling a surge of affection for her fellow council members.
"Mmkay, yeah but isn't it, like, kind of a city manner or whatever?" A woman from the other side of the room entered the fray. She was loudly smacking on a wad of chewing gum as she spoke..
"Uh, a city MATTER I think she means," Mr. Receding Hairline corrected.
"I fail to see why my colleague's sexuality is relevant," Ironwood responded stiffly. The chewing gum woman scoffed while receding hairline guy made a face and sat back down.
"Now, if that's all, I believe we can continue with our work," Port said.
"Not so fast!" Another man stood up. He was wearing a baseball cap over his exceptionally thick eyebrows, and he looked quite a bit angrier than bubblegum or hairline. "How come all of you are answering, but she won't say anything?" He pointed aggressively at Yang.
Ironwood openly glowered at him. "We've addressed this, and we're moving on," he stated firmly.
"No, it's okay, Councilman," Yang cut in. It was becoming clear that they weren't going to get anything done until she said something. "Sir, the rumors you've been hearing are totally baseless. My opposition knows that they're losing, so they've started making up drama as we get closer to election day."
"So are you denying the rumors?" a new voice spoke up. The reporters had been lurking like vultures, waiting for Yang to make a statement so they could attack. This one was a young woman with thick-rimmed glasses and piercing eyes.
Yang picked up her pen (well, Blake's pen) and tapped it lightly on the table. "No comment," she said.
"So you're NOT denying the rumors?" the reporter pressed.
Yang groaned and subtly looked at Qrow. He was staring at her intensely, then raised his eyebrows briefly and gave her a look to convey...something. Yang had no idea what exactly.
The reporter was also looking at her intently. So was eyebrow dude, and the gum lady, hairline man, plus every other person in the room.
"The rumors are unsubstantiated nonsense," Yang said finally. "I'm not dignifying them with a response."
"So you're a gay?" the eyebrow man asked.
"No!" Yang spoke without thinking. Her next breath got caught in her throat. Everybody was staring even more intensely, waiting for her to follow up. It felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest, leaving behind a bloody mess. But honestly the "bloody mess" outcome was starting to look pretty nice to her.
She glanced at Qrow again, whose mouth was slightly ajar. Her mouthed one word to her: "commit." Yang sighed. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized that there was only one way out of this situation.
"No," she said again, calmly this time. "While I support people of all sexual orientations, the rumors you've been hearing are false."
There was a sort of collective sigh as the tension in the room suddenly subsided. Qrow was making one of his typical inscrutable expressions, leaving Yang wondering if she had made the right decision. It definitely didn't feel right.
Luckily nobody felt the need to ask any follow up questions, and several people left the room, seemingly satisfied. The council continued with their session, although Yang found it hard to focus. She had spent so many years hiding her sexuality, and yet this was the first time that she had to lie about it so directly.
"Fucking Cinder," Yang growled under her breath.
"Do you have a comment, Councilwoman?" Glynda asked.
"Oh, no I don't. Sorry." Yang sat back in her seat and continued her fuming in silence. She kept tapping Blake's pen against the desk, mostly to stop herself from picking at her nails in frustration. Even with all the news coverage, she'd thought that most sane people would ignore the rumors, and certainly that they wouldn't show up en masse to a damn council meeting. And she couldn't believe that they had successful goaded her into an outright denial.
Once the meeting was finally over, Yang made a beeline to Qrow, who was standing near the door with his arms crossed.
"Are you angry?" Yang asked.
Qrow gave her a quizzical look. "Nah, not at all. You did a good job."
"Oh, well thanks!" Yang tried to smile. "Your expressions are kinda hard to read. I mean, except for annoyance, that one we all know pretty well. Oh hey - there it is now!"
Qrow chuckled. "But seriously, this is a really tough situation, and you're handling it well."
"Whoa calm down Uncle, you're gonna blow through your monthly compliment quota all at once there." Yang managed a more genuine smile, but it dropped off her face quickly. "I don't know, it felt really weird."
"How so, Councilwoman?" Yang recognized the smug, condescending voice instantly.
"Why are you even here?" she demanded, turning to face Mercury. He gave her a nasty grin.
"Who, me? I'm just an active citizen here to observe local politics in action! Although I must admit I've also found the recent scandal to be pretty intriguing." His grin got even wider, if that was possible.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Yang said bluntly.
"And aren't you also intrigued? Wouldn't you like to know where my lovely campaign manager got her information?"
Yang's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Mercury rubbed his chin, pretending to think. "Let's see...Ms. Fall just so happened to be looking into some of the organizations over at Haven University, and imagine her shock when she found a certain Yang Xiao Long on the member list for a certain Gay-Straight Alliance."
Yang's mouth fell open. "Wha-that member list isn't supposed to be public!"
"Oh it's not," Mercury replied. "Thankfully our new aide Adam - he's over there by the door, give him a wave! - is quite the gifted hacker."
Qrow looked between Mercury and the red-haired man at the door. He scowled, then placed a protective hand on her shoulder. "Yang, it's time to go."
Yang ignored him. "Do you people have no morals at all?" she aimed at Mercury. "Anyway, the GSA proves nothing, idiot."
Mercury laughed out loud. "Oh goodness, what a biting insult!" He exchanged a look with Adam. "Well, that may be so. But we've also been noticing your rather ~cozy relationship with your campaign aide. Blake Belladonna, isn't that right? Adam here knows all about her."
Yang had always thought that the expression "seeing red" was meant to be figurative, but in that moment she could swear that everything in her vision turned into a reddish blur. Her hands clenched into fists and her nails dug viciously into her palms.
"Stay away from her." Her voice was low and dangerous, and Qrow's firm grip on her shoulder was the only thing keeping her from physically attacking Mercury.
"Oh don't fret about it Yangy, we won't drop that rumor until the week before the election. Nooo, next up is putting some spotlight on your sister's relationship with Weiss Schnee. Who would've thought that the whole family was gay? And more importantly, are you whoring out your sister to try to get a deal for Beacon Park with-"
Qrow couldn't move fast enough to stop Yang from grabbing Mercury by his shirt collar and yanking him forward.
"I swear to god..." Yang snarled, torn between punching him in the face and kneeing him in the balls.
He laughed again, although it was somewhat strained sounding. "What are you gonna do? Hit me? Please do, that'll be more great scandal material!"
"Yang, let him go," Qrow said steadily.
Yang stared at his pathetic face for a couple more seconds, before acquiescing and roughly shoving him away. Mercury stumbled slightly but quickly recovered.
"Okay, good talk," he said with a grin. He straightened his shirt and cleared his throat. "Look, all you gotta do to stop us from releasing all these stories to the unwashed masses is withdraw from the election. Then we'll leave you alone for good."
"Blackmail is illegal," Qrow growled at him.
"Mm, good point buddy, but you've got no witnesses." Mercury gestured to the long-empty council chambers. "So, whattdya say?"
"Fuck you," Yang said.
"Hurtful!" Mercury put a hand over his heart and gasped. "Why don't you think it over? I'll look forward to our debate in the meantime. Let's get outta here, Adam." The aide followed him obediently out the door, but not before shooting Yang and Qrow a smug look.
Yang stood in place, physically shaking with anger. She couldn't believe anybody, even Mercury Black, could be enough of an asshole to go after Blake and Ruby. Taking deep breaths to calm herself, Yang started walking briskly to the door of the chambers.
"You okay?" Qrow asked quietly, falling into step beside her. Yang didn't trust herself to speak without screaming out a long list of obscenities. She just shook her head.
"We'll figure something out, firecracker. I'm not letting him get away with this, I promise."
Yang sighed heavily as they climbed the stairs back up to the office. "Thanks. But what are we supposed to do about it?"
"It's not like they have anything that isn't a rumor or irrelevant to your campaign," Qrow said. "Just try not to worry about it for now - focus on the debate, okay?"
"Okay," Yang replied, running her hands through her hair in agitation. She paused in front of the door to their offices, inside of which she could see Ruby and Blake standing together, talking and smiling about something. Yang swallowed to try to banish the sudden lump that had formed in her throat. The thought of either of them getting caught in the crossfire of the election was almost too much for her to handle.
Ruby's head turned slightly and she caught sight of Yang and Qrow out of the corner of her eye, waving eagerly for them to come in.
"We have great news!" Ruby began as soon as they had entered the main office room. Then she saw the expression on Yang's face. "Oh...what happened?"
Yang took a deep breath. "It's okay, it's just...people are taking the rumor more seriously than I thought. I ended up having to deny it. And..." she trailed off. Ruby was waiting for her to continue, eyes wide with concern. Yang looked away from her, locking eyes with Blake.
"Mercury Black showed up and made a few empty threats." Qrow mercifully stepped in to fill the silence.
"What sort of threats?" Blake asked.
"He wants to go after Ruby and Weiss' relationship. Something about me using it as leverage for Beacon Park," Yang said. "And he - uh, he thinks that there's something going on between you and me too."
Blake winced. Ruby's entire face turned red.
"Obviously he's just trying to rattle Yang," Qrow explained calmly. "Let's not panic or do anything stupid. He's a liar trying to bluff us into making a mistake."
"A-are you sure, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby sounded shaky. "Because Weiss and I can tone it down maybe?"
Yang's fists clenched again. "No Ruby, I can't let him control your life."
Qrow raised an eyebrow. "It's not a bad idea. They can just tone things down for the next month and then the election will be over."
Yang scowled at him. "But that's bullshit! They shouldn't have to hide because my opponent is a homophobic piece of crap."
"No arguments on that." He raised his hands in surrender.
"Yang, it's okay." Ruby gave her a smile. "We don't mind if it'll make things easier for you."
"See, everything's alright," Qrow gave Yang a reassuring nod.
"It'll be okay," Blake agreed soothingly, sensing that Yang needed her input.
Yang frowned. "God, I hate him. And that Adam guy. And everybody else on his stupid campaign."
Ruby nodded sagely to show her agreement.
"Adam?" Blake's voice sounded weirdly muffled, and her face was pale. Yang gave her a confused look.
"Yeah, he's some Black campaign aide that's been digging up all this dirt. You okay, Blake?" She didn't look okay, judging by the look on her face. If anything, she looked ready to faint. Yang took a step towards her and lightly touched her arm. "Do you know him? What's wrong?"
Blake jolted, like she hadn't expected the contact. She pulled away, and as she did Yang noticed that her hands were shaking.
"It's fine, I just...need to sit down." She darted around Yang and half-ran towards their shared office.
"Blake!" Yang called after her. There was no response as the office door shut heavily behind her. Yang's eyes narrowed and she started after her.
"Maybe that's not the best idea, kiddo."
Yang brushed him out of the way and marched to the door, barging into the room to see Blake sitting at her own desk, holding her head in her hands.
"Yang, can we talk about this later?"
"No, we can't." Yang approached her fearlessly, coming to a stop right beside the desk. "You've been avoiding this for too long already. Please? I just want to know what's going on, Blakey."
Blake raised her head from her hands slowly. Yang took the chance to cautiously brush back her hair, gently stroking the side of Blake's face. Blake sighed and closed her eyes, leaning into Yang's hand.
"Blake?"
Her eyes fluttered back open. Yang was staring at her, face full of innocent concern.
Blake sighed again. "Now isn't a good time for this, Yang. I promise it's nothing that I can't handle, and you don't need the stress of it right now."
Yang's frown deepened. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Like I haven't been stressed out worrying about you for the past two days."
"You don't need to worry!" Blake protested. "Please don't worry about me."
Yang made a face. "What's with the martyr stuff? Blake, I WANT to worry about you. And I want to help you if I can. Why won't you let me?"
"You can't help," Blake mumbled. "And you don't want the extra stress, trust me."
"Yes, I do! Now why can't you tell me what's wrong?" Yang asked again. She was starting to get frustrated.
"I don't want to," Blake responded firmly. "And you should respect that."
"Wha- I do respect that, but you can't bottle stuff in like this!"
"It's not really your business how I deal with things."
"It kinda is though?"
"Why? You're not my therapist, Yang." Blake crossed her arms defensively, breaking eye contact in favor of staring intensely at the carpet.
Yang furrowed her brow. "I know, and I'm not trying to be! But I am your girlfriend."
"Barely," Blake said under her breath.
Yang's mouth dropped open. "Blake, what the fuck? Where is this even coming from?" Blake kept her eyes down and stayed silent. "All I want is to know what's going on with you!"
"Well, I don't want to talk about it," Blake repeated. "I'm sorry Yang, but I need you to drop it. We'll talk another time." She sounded genuinely apologetic, but Yang wasn't about to let it go. Maybe it was the stress of the council session, or the confrontation with Mercury Black, or the fact that Blake had just relegated their relationship to something that was "barely" happening.
"Tough luck."
Blake finally looked up to glare at her. "I think it's obvious that Adam and I have a history, and I'm sorry if I don't want to get into that with you right now." This apology sounded much less sincere.
"A history? What's that mean?"
Blake groaned. "Stop asking questions! Give me some space. Please."
"I gave you space! For two days!" Yang felt her anger flare back up. "You know what this feels like to me, right? It's like you don't trust me. Maybe because we're only 'barely' dating." She crossed her arms and stared daggers at Blake.
"You know I didn't mean that."
"No, I don't! Because you clearly won't trust me with anything. How am I supposed to be here for you if you won't open up?" Her voice was starting to fray.
Blake stood up, her expression dark and pained. "Don't do that, Yang."
"Then tell me what's wrong!"
"No!" Blake snapped. "I'm not dragging you of all people into this. So stop prying!"
"I'm not prying, I'm HELPING."
"Really? You seriously think you're helping?" Blake's eyes were starting to brim with tears.
"I'm TRYING to help - you won't fucking let me!" Yang yelled at her. "And don't you think that maybe I deserve an explanation for why you won't let me make physical contact anymore?"
Blake winced but didn't back down. "If you could just be patient then this wouldn't be a problem! And you need to stop yelling, people are outside."
Yang's frustration boiled completely over. "FUCK, Blake. I just don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this!"
"YOU'RE THE ONE making it a big deal!" Blake broke her yelling rule on that one.
"Oh geez Blake, I'm SO SORRY that I care about you!"
"Good." Blake's tears spilled over, flowing freely down her face. "This was a mistake."
"What? What was a mistake? Or can you not tell me THAT either?"
"Taking this job," Blake said through her tears. "I...I quit!"
"You - what?" Yang asked in a much quieter voice. The harsh edge to her voice was gone in a second, replaced by confusion and hurt.
"You heard me." Blake wiped at her eyes, storming out past a completely frozen Yang. The door slammed shut.
AN: Yikes...I hate writing arguments. Seriously, kinda fun in a weird way but mostly awful.
Anyway, thanks so much for reading and pls drop a review if you're feeling it!