Ruby hovered nervously beside the door, glancing at Pyrrha for support. She responded with a nod of encouragement, gesturing towards the heavy wooden door. Ruby reached out hesitantly, her fingers brushing over the door handle. Behind the door was her sister. In fact, her sister had been behind the door all day, steadfastly refusing to speak or interact with anybody. But the debate was set to start in an hour, and someone had to get Yang out of her office and onto the stage. Blake would have been an ideal choice, but of course she was the cause of Yang's self-imposed isolation. Meanwhile Qrow had already tried to coax Yang out three times, and each time had been quickly sent scurrying back out of the office, muttering obscenities under his breath. After which Jaune had volunteered his services, but Pyrrha recommended that Ruby try first.
So here she was, more anxious about an interaction with her sister than she had even been in her entire life. Ruby took a deep breath, steeled herself, and opened the door.
Yang was slumped over her desk, her arms crossed and resting on the wooden surface with her head down on top of them. She didn't even react to the sound of the door opening and then shutting behind Ruby.
"Yang?" Clearly she had been expecting another Qrow visit, since her head jerked up at the voice. She fixed Ruby with a steady stare.
"What're you doing here, Rubes? Go back outside, I'll be there in a minute." Yang looked back down at the grain patterns of her desk. "Despite what Qrow thinks, I won't be late."
"Oh...we weren't sure if you were still going," Ruby said hesitantly. She shifted her weight awkwardly.
Yang sighed. "I'm not quitting on this now." For a second, there was a glimmer of passion, like she was almost back to her former self. It faded quickly though. "I just need a minute."
Ruby hesitated for a second longer, then rushed forward to Yang's side, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Yang leaned into the embrace, squeezing her eyes shut.
"I'm okay, Ruby," she whispered.
"Are you sure?" Ruby pulled back to look at her. "Oh, Yang you're crying!"
She was right. Yang laughed humorlessly and rubbed her eyes. "That's alright, it's been happening off and on today."
Ruby softly kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Yang. Is there anything I can do?"
"Make her pick up her phone," Yang mumbled. She sighed and finally stood up from her desk. "It's alright, I'm ready to go."
Ruby looked hesitant. "Do you want to talk?"
A firm head shake. "Even if I wanted to, we don't have time. It probably wouldn't look great if I showed up to this thing late, huh?"
"Probably not," Ruby replied with an attempted smile.
Yang started towards the door, then stopped abruptly. Ruby crashed directly into her back.
"Yang?"
She reached back over her desk, her hand hovering for a moment above a fancy-looking silver and black pen. After vacillating for a couple seconds, Yang grabbed the item and continued wordlessly out of the door.
She was similarly silent as she and Qrow clambered into the backseat of Ruby's car, and throughout the car ride, even as Qrow continued to remind her of her main talking points around each issue. Ruby watched apprehensively from the rearview mirror. Yang looked nothing like her usual fiery self - she looked completely extinguished. Ruby pulled into a parking spot and Yang mechanically exited the car, staring down at the ground.
Ruby looked on, feeling an emotion that she felt only on rare occasions: dejection. It was kinda disconcerting. But watching her depressed big sister trudge aimlessly into one of the most important nights of her life like a zombie was making it hard to be optimistic. Qrow guided Yang around to the back of the building while Ruby hugged them both and then made her way in through the front. The hall was already pretty full, but it didn't matter since the campaign had several seats reserved in the first row.
Ruby walked down the rows slowly, listening intently to get a feel for the energy of the audience. Qrow had coached her on this before the first debate, as a way to roughly gauge public opinion about Yang and her opposition. Ruby caught several conversations about the whole "Yang is gay" thing, but most people seemed either curious or critical of the Black campaign. The crowd was also on the younger side, which was also to Yang's benefit.
Ruby nervously took her seat. Even with a relatively supportive crowd, Yang was in no state to debate with Mercury Black right now. But obviously there was no choice. Ruby leaned back in her seat and pulled out her phone. She pulled up Blake's contact and tapped to start a new text. Then she stopped, her fingers hovering over the phone screen but not moving.
She wasn't totally sure what she was doing. What was she supposed to say? "Heeeey Blake! I hope you're doing okay but I feel like you might not be after the whole you-and-Yang-screaming-at-each-other-and-then-you-storming-out thing from yesterday. Yang isn't doing okay either - you two should talk to each other! Okay, thanks!"
Ruby closed the messaging app. It's not like she knew what Blake was thinking - what if she just made things worse? She checked the time then slid her phone back into her pocket morosely. Only a few minutes until the debate was set to start.
Qrow appeared from a door to the right of the stage a minute later and took his seat next to her.
"How's she doing?" Ruby asked quietly.
Qrow gave her a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Not great, but she's tough enough to get through this," he answered confidently. Ruby turned to look at him. He seemed calm, but she could see the concern on his face.
He turned to her and gave her a sideways smile. "Stop worrying, kiddo. She can do it." He ruffled her hair, eliciting protests immediately.
"Hey! You're messing it up!"
Qrow rolled his eyes. "You kids spend way too much effort on hair."
"Oh yeah, and I guess yours just magically arranges itself into those spiky things every morning?" Ruby was smiling now.
"Yep, that's exactly it. How'd you guess?"
Further banter was cut off by the lights dimming as Lisa Lavender got ready to introduce the candidates for debate number two. The crowd applauded as Yang and Mercury entered the stage and took their spots behind their respective podiums. Ruby scrutinized Yang's easy smile. She looked surprisingly normal, although her eyes were uncharacteristically dull.
Yang got the first opening statement, and as she gave her practiced speech Ruby couldn't help but feel like it was lacking her usually enthusiasm, like she was just going through the motions. But the crowd didn't seem to notice, and Qrow looked reasonably satisfied with her performance.
"...and those are just a few of my ideas to make Vale an even better place to live in the coming years. I promise each and every one of you that I'll fight my hardest for you, for your families, and for this city. Thank you so much for tuning in tonight!"
The crowd applauded while Mercury readied himself for his own statement.
"Good evening people of Vale! Thank you all for your engagement in our debate tonight - I'm looking forward to getting into the issues. Unlike my opponent, I have a unique understanding of the costs associated with..."
He kept talking, but Ruby's attention was starting to wane. She kept her focus on Yang, who seemed to be listening with a polite and level gaze, even as Mercury started to attack some of her ideas. From her vantage point, Ruby could see Yang's hands behind the podium, which were casually flipping the silver and black pen, spinning it around her fingers like some sort of nervous tick.
"It's clear to see which of the candidates is the best choice for Vale, and I hope that tonight I can convince you all of that fact. Thank you!" Mercury waved and smiled at the audience.
"Thank you both for your statements," Lavender said. "We'll now jump into the question-and-answer portion of the debate. These questions were submitted by our viewers and selected for their relevance to the race thus far. The first question concerns Beacon Park."
"Yikes," Ruby whispered.
"Recent polls have shown that nearly 70% of Vale citizens are opposed to the destruction of Beacon Park for the new Schnee Company factory. This issue has come up numerous times over the course of the mayoral race - how will you address the desires of Vale citizenry with regards to the park?" Mr. Black, you have the first response: your two minutes begins now."
"Thank you, Lisa. It's a great question about an important issue," Mercury began with a toothy smile. "I've already expressed my support of the new Schnee factory, but of course that doesn't mean that I'm ignoring the will of the people. The sad truth is that developments like this are often impossible to avoid. The Schnee company purchased the land containing Beacon Park through reputable means, and they are fully within their rights to build on that land. We all wish that the park could stay, but let's not forget the economic boost that will come from having a large Schnee factory operating in the center of town!"
Mercury paused to flash his teeth again. "In addition, if elected, I am fully committed to using Public Works funding to create a new park elsewhere in Vale. Again, I truly empathize with all of you that are sad to see the park go, but this is a compromise that we must make to ensure our future economic prosperity. It's a hard thing to acknowledge, but I am more than willing to do so - and to be fully honest with you all. On the other hand, my opponent here prefers to make rash and idealistic promises that will, in time, prove her to be a liar. I'm not here to coddle - I'm here to be honest and to find the best, realistic solution available for everybody involved. Thank you."
The crowd cheered loudly as he finished speaking.
"Councilwoman Xiao Long, your response?"
"Thanks, Lisa. You all know how important this issue is to me," Yang began, turning to address the audience directly. "First, I want to say that a couple months ago, I made a promise to every Vale resident that I would save Beacon Park. I will keep that promise, even if I'm not elected mayor." Clapping from the crowd punctuated her statement.
"I am continuing to work with Weiss Schnee and the Schnee Company to find a solution - something that perhaps Mr. Black would call 'idealistic,' but that I know we can make happen. I'm not going to offer a flimsy consolation prize like his 'new park' proposal, which by the way he has never mentioned nor consulted with Public Works about. I'm going to actually work to solve this complicated problem, not offer useless platitudes about realism"
"However, my opponent is actually right about one thing: the factory will be a valuable economic boost for the entire city, and expansion of businesses of all sizes in Vale should be encouraged. But that expansion needs to be responsible - it needs to take into account our environment and our future. I urge you all not to listen to Mr. Black's defeatist attitude. We can and we WILL save Beacon Park!"
More loud cheering. Ruby had to restrain herself from jumping out of her seat and woo-ing in Mercury's sneering face.
"Is that it?" he asked when the audience had quieted down. "You've been talking for months now about your supposed 'solutions' that will magically preserve Beacon Park and also the factory, but I haven't heard anything about them! Strange, isn't it? Almost like Ms. Xiao Long is willing to lie about her progress to get elected."
Yang's eyes narrowed. "I'm not lying. I've met with Weiss Schnee several times to discuss this issue, and we're extremely close to a new proposal for the factory that doesn't sacrifice our park. And if you want documentation of our meetings, why don't you check the security tapes from City Hall? Your campaign seems to like doing that in their spare time."
Many of the younger audience members laughed.
Qrow, on the other hand, grimaced. "Why would you bring that up," he muttered under his breath.
Luckily, Mercury ignored her last comment. "Easy to say that you're close, isn't it? There are many reasons for the CEO of the city's largest company to visit City Hall." His eyes flickered down to Ruby for a second, and a chill ran down her spine at his smirk. Yang noticed the interaction as well, and Ruby saw her fist tighten its grip on her pen.
"You've still provided absolutely no proof that anything has come of these alleged meetings. Why should I believe you? Why should any of us believe you?" He gestured widely at the assembly.
Yang didn't look at him, instead angling her body towards the audience. "I understand that I'm asking for trust while I work on this, and I know that trusting a politician can be difficult. But I'm here asking for your patience. Weiss and I - uh, Ms. Schnee and I will be presenting a new proposal to her board within the next couple weeks."
Ruby inhaled sharply.
"What?" Qrow whispered, not taking his eyes off of Yang.
"It's just...she's not supposed to give them any details. Weiss hasn't been telling her father or board about the meetings or the new proposal. She can lie about why she was at City Hall, but if Yang gives too much information she could get in a lot of trouble..." Ruby fidgeted as she spoke.
"Shit. Does Yang know that?"
"She should." Ruby bit her lip.
"You've done nothing but avoid the question!" Mercury was on the attack. "All of us here are still waiting for any sort of assurance that you're actually doing what you claim that you are. Can you or can you not provide that? And don't lie to us now, Yang."
Yang's grip tightened further, and her hands started shaking slightly with anger. "Well, Mercury, I've actually already gotten an alternative factory idea approved by Weiss Schnee, and I-"
"Sounds like a lie. And a frantic one at that." Mercury's favorite smirk was firmly in place.
"That's not true, and you-"
"What's the so-called "alternative" factory, then?" He leaned forward to jeer at her.
"I, ah, unfortunately I can't-"
"No answer, ladies and gentlemen!"
Yang's face was starting to turn red. Her knuckles were showing white as she clenched her hand tighter onto the pen. Tighter, and tighter.
The crack was nearly inaudible, but Ruby heard it loud and clear. Yang visibly flinched, her eyes briefly flickering down to her right hand, which was now holding two halves of the silver and black pen. It was cleanly fractured through the middle, ink leaking over her palm.
"This is yet another example of how these career politicians lie to and scam their constituents!" Mercury continued peacocking for the audience, not even noticing Yang's shocked expression.
For a terrifying moment Ruby thought that Yang was going to cry right there on the stage, but instead she hastily shoved the pen into her pants pocket and gripped her podium with both hands, glaring at Mercury with white-hot rage.
"It's going UNDERGROUND!" Yang yelled, interrupting his rant. Ruby and Qrow winced in unison.
Mercury looked at her with his mouth hanging open. "What?"
"I have personally developed an alternative eco-factory design, wherein the main factory will exist underground, below Beacon Park," Yang explained in a much calmer tone. "And it's been approved by Ms. Schnee, no big deal." Cheers from the youth crowd punctuated her statement.
"Yaaaaang, noooooo," Ruby whispered to no one in particular.
"Well, there's no way THAT could possibly work," Mercury scoffed, but he looked like he had lost his footing.
"Oh but it has, and it will," Yang shot back. "This is what happens when public officials actually put in the work to find useful compromise," she continued, addressing the audience. "And I promise that, as mayor, I'll continue to put in the time and effort to make Vale a better place. I won't give up or sell out - I'm here to represent YOU, and I can and will make things like this happen."
"And that's all the time that we have on this question," Lisa Lavender cut in. Both Mercury and Yang looked perfectly happy to move on. "The next question is about mayoral communication. One criticism of the current City of Vale government is a lack of connectedness between Vale residents and their politicians and lawmakers. As mayor, how do you plan on fostering an environment where the concerns of citizens can be heard and addressed? Councilwoman Xiao Long, you have the first response."
Ruby exhaled. This question wasn't bad, and Yang had all her ideas and arguments prepared.
"So, how bad was that?" Qrow asked quietly, relaxing for a moment.
"Weiss won't be happy... And neither will her board when they find out. Or her dad." Ruby went back to biting her lip.
"I see." That was all he said in response.
The remaining questions of the debate were mercifully easier, not that it could've gotten much harder for Yang than Beacon Park. Ruby felt a wave of relief rush over her as Mercury wrapped up his closing statement and the debate ended without further incident.
While the crowd was applauding for them both one more time, she and Qrow swiftly got up and made their way to the stage. Yang and Mercury were shaking hands and forcing cordial smiles. Mercury sauntered off to talk to Cinder and Emerald - they all looked pretty pleased with his showing.
"Yaaaang!" Ruby waved her arms to get her attention. Yang walked over, her fake smile fading away.
"Hey. Should we go?" She sounded exhausted.
Qrow nodded and the three of them left quietly from the back exit.
"I'm sorry," Yang said softly.
"Huh? Why?" Ruby asked. They were walking across the parking lot now.
"That Beacon Park stuff, I shouldn't have said that. And just in general." She sighed and put her hand in her pocket, the one with the broken pieces of the pen. "I sucked."
"N-no you didn't!" Ruby protested. Qrow said nothing. "It'll be okay!"
Yang came to a stop beside the car and gave Ruby a pained look. "I screwed everything up."
"HEY!" Ruby whirled around. A very angry and very quickly approaching Weiss was barreling her way across the parking lot towards them like an incoming missile. She has wearing a long, silvery gown and heels, her outfit of the night for a benefit she had been attending. Something about the way she was striding towards them, her dress streaming out behind her and her eyes shooting daggers, made Ruby lose all capacity for coherent thought.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Weiss came to a stop directly in front of Yang and jabbed her index finger at her.
"Okay, calm down," Qrow stepped in.
"Excuse me?" Weiss shot him a bonus glare, then went back to glaring at Yang. "I've spent tonight dodging calls from my father and my board members about why a certain Yang Xiao Long is claiming that I've been meeting with her behind their backs - and that I've approved some harebrained underground factory proposal, no less!"
"Um, Weiss," Ruby squeaked out. She was fully ignored by everybody present.
"I know, I'm sorry," Yang mumbled, looking at her feet.
"Well sorry doesn't help! I just KNOW my father is already contacting them all and convincing them to vote me out immediately. How am I going to pitch this if I don't have a job?"
"I..." Yang bowed her head further.
Weiss stopped suddenly, lowering her accusing finger and tilting her head up at Yang. "What's wrong with you?" She sounded confused and maybe even concerned.
Yang looked up for the first time, and even though it was dark outside, they all clearly saw the tears in her eyes.
"I'm walking home," she said shakily to Ruby and Qrow. "I'm sorry, Weiss." Then she turned hastily and started speedwalking, almost running, towards the street.
"Oh, Jesus H Christ." Qrow rubbed his face in exasperation and started after her.
"What just happened?" Weiss asked, turning to Ruby in confusion.
"She and Blake had a fight. A biiiig one."
"Oh...I didn't know." She shifted awkwardly. "Did they break up?"
Ruby shook her head. "I'm not sure. But Blake quit, I guess? I mean, she didn't show up today."
Weiss sighed deeply and closed her eyes. "I was so harsh."
"You didn't do anything wrong! You didn't know, and you're right that she shouldn't have said that." Ruby reached out to rub Weiss' arm.
Weiss groaned and leaned against the car, impatiently kicking off her heels. "Tonight has been such a catastrophe. Having to suck up to all those rich idiots and then coming here and acting like a bitch to someone who actually doesn't deserve it."
Ruby made an uncomfortable noise. "Don't call yourself that! Yang's gonna be fine. And you're, like, the kindest and most generous person I know."
Before Ruby could react, Weiss launched herself forward into her chest, nearly bowling her over.
"Whoa!" Ruby stumbled backwards but managed to keep on her feet. Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist tightly, burying her face in her neck.
"Awwww, Weiss! You're adorable! But give me a warning next time," Ruby laughed.
"I'm sorry. I really needed to hear that today... I missed you." Weiss' voice was muffled since she was essentially talking into Ruby's shirt, but she heard every word regardless.
"Weiss..." Ruby held her tight and lightly kissed the side of her head. She smiled brightly. "I love it when you're nice. Nice-Weiss!"
"Shut up."
"I love you."
Weiss pulled back an inch to stare at her blankly. "Seriously? I just told you to shut up, and that's what you say?" Her face was turning pink.
"What? I love you independently of you telling me to shut up." Ruby gave her another blinding smile.
"You've never said that before."
"That I love you? Oh..." Ruby felt her face heating up as well. "I - I thought it so many times that I didn't even realize - ah, um, well you don't have to say it back! It's okay if you don't want to! I won't be mad, or sad - um, maybe a little sad, but that's not your fault!"
"Stop talking." Weiss kissed her cheek, and her lips felt soft and cool against Ruby's burning skin. "Obviously, I love you too. You dunce." Ruby grinned like she had just won a million dollars.
"You know, I think I can help you save this night."
"It's not such a bad night," Weiss replied, trying and failing to hide her smile. "But what did you have in mind?"
"Well, after we check on Yang, we go to my place. And then..." Ruby paused for dramatic emphasis.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Get on with it."
"Four words for ya." She took Weiss' face in her hands and kissed her nose. "Wine, Disney movies, cuddling. Yes?"
"That was technically five words," Weiss said.
Ruby frowned in concentration, trying to remember how many words she had said.
"Don't pull a muscle. What movie are we watching?"
"So you are coming over!" Ruby cheered, restraining herself from jumping up and down. "Umm, how about Mulan? We haven't watched that one together yet."
"Okay." Weiss grabbed Ruby's shirt with both hands and tugged her into a firm kiss. Ruby responded enthusiastically, sliding her hands down Weiss' back and drawing her in closer.
"What was that for?" Ruby breathed when they pulled apart.
Weiss rested their foreheads together. She was looking down, and Ruby found herself entranced by her eyelashes, and her eyebrows, and that scar...
"For being sweet," Weiss mumbled.
"AWWWWWW!"
"Ugh, and intolerable," she scoffed. Ruby smiled and gently tilted Weiss' chin up with her fingers so she could kiss her again.
Yang wasn't running away. She was just, very calmly, walking away from her problems. At a totally normal pace. She kept her gaze fixed on the sidewalk in front of her, watching the squares and lines flood past.
"Would you slow down?" Qrow called after her.
He had been following her for nearly a minute. But since neither of them felt like running, it was turning into some sort of Olympic fast walking event.
"Leave me alone!" Yang yelled back. It was a good thing that the street was deserted, or someone might call the cops on them. Yang almost chuckled at the thought, but she was way too upset to laugh at anything right now.
"I'm not mad at you! Jesus, stop speeding up!" Qrow finally bit the bullet and broke into a trot. "YANG."
He grabbed her arm to stop her. Yang groaned, turning around to face him. "What? I'm sorry, okay? I sucked tonight and I know that I fucked things up with Weiss, just like I fucked things up with-"
"Blake, yeah I know." He was breathing deeply to catch his breath.
"You knew?"
"Oh come on, do you think I'm stupid or something?" Qrow straightened up and ran a hand through his hair. "I knew what was going on from the day you tried to hide her behind your office door. You realize that I saw her go in there, right?"
Yang blinked at him. "You didn't say anything."
"How was I gonna say anything? I hadn't seen you that happy in years, Yang." He gave her a sad-looking half smile. "Just like I haven't seen you this depressed in years."
Yang grunted. "Is there a point to this conversation?"
"No need to be snippy," Qrow grumbled. He pulled his flask out and took a long drink. "Want some?"
"Actually, yeah." Yang took it and cautiously took a sip, then promptly made a face. "God, what the hell is that?"
"It's damn good whiskey is what it is. What the hell are you kids drinking nowadays?"
"We make mixed drinks. Like a nice screwdriver. Or a strawberry sunrise." Yang own half-smile came out, mostly in response to Qrow's disgusted expression.
"That's a fuckin' travesty," he said, shaking his head. "Okay listen, now that you've calmed down a bit, we need to talk about this debate."
Yang's face dropped instantly. "I don't want to. I know, it was terrible."
"Nah, it wasn't." Qrow scratched at his stubble. "You had some bad moments, and some good ones. You did fine, kiddo, and I mean it."
"But..." she fiddled with the sleeve of her dress shirt.
"You did remarkably well considering all of the, y'know...emotional..." He gestured vaguely. "Turmoil."
"Really? But what about Weiss?" Yang ran a hand down her face.
"Yeah, you screwed up there," Qrow admitted. "But c'mon firecracker, what do we do when we screw up?"
Yang went back to her sleeve and said nothing.
"We take responsibility, and we fix it," he continued, in a surprisingly gentle tone. "As long as you two stay one step ahead of Jacque-ass Schnee, everything will be alright."
"Damn, that was a good pun." Yang looked up at him with a watery smile. "Can I use that?" Qrow chuckled and nodded. They stood together in silence for a few seconds.
"I...I broke Blake's pen." Yang couldn't believe that she was really spilling everything right now, and to Qrow of all people. He furrowed his eyebrows at her.
"Uh, what?"
She bit her lip and fished out the two halves of the pen, which was still spurting out ink.
"What the hell!" Qrow jumped back out of the splash zone. "Why is that in your pocket? It's leaking everywhere, Jesus!"
"Blake gave it to me." Yang gingerly put the pieces back in her pocket, ignoring Qrow's groan and protests about getting ink on her suit. "It was a gift from her father, and it meant a lot to her. She let me borrow it for good luck and I-I ruined it!" More tears were coming now. "She's not talking to me, and now she probably never will! What if she hates me forever, Qrow? What am I going to do?"
"Okay, c'mere." Qrow pulled her into a tight embrace. Yang let her head rest against his chest, crying quietly.
"Women are tough. Hell, relationships of all sorts are tough. But even with my limited exposure, I can tell you right off the bat that there's no way she could hate you." His voice was softer than normal, almost soothing. "Give her some time, and I guarantee you that she'll want to talk. And I doubly guarantee you that she won't be caring about a damn writing utensil."
"You're sure?" Yang asked.
"Absolutely. Trust me, I've had enough relationships to know." He gave her a final squeeze, then pulled away.
"Thanks, Qrow." Yang wiped away her tears with her sleeve. "It's crazy when you're nice to me."
"I'm a nice guy!" Qrow protested. Then his expression grew serious again. "I know I'm tough on you. But hey, you know that I love you, right? You're like my kid, only better 'cause I can say 'fuck' around you."
Yang laughed for the first time all day. "I know. I love you too, Uncle Qrow."
Qrow gave her another lopsided grin. "So, you know what you're gonna do?"
"Fix my mess, then get the girl?"
"There she is."
AN: Here's some WR fluff (am I the only one who loves the idea of Ruby ending up significantly taller than Weiss?) and a whole lotta Yangst (sorry)
As always, thanks so much for reading!