Now *this* was the most crowded Blake had ever seen the City Hall press conference room. It was packed with even more people than the last time she had been there, back when Yang had first announced her candidacy. Blake was glad to not be in the sea of reporters this time, instead standing on the left side of the stage - plenty of space to move and breathe. Not that her breath was coming particularly steadily. She had been anxious all day, even more so than Yang.
No, Yang's emotional state that morning was way too complex to be dominated by mere anxiety. Blake was able to clearly see her excitement, relief, nervousness, and her fear with courage heaped on top of it. No amount of politician poker-face could hide the raw emotions that Yang was experiencing today.
Blake tapped her fingers against each other, holding her left hand still while her right hand moved rapidly, tapping each finger in turn. She reached into her bag for a pen to twirl, but a light hand on her arm stopped her.
"Hey Ruby."
"It's gonna be okay, Blake," Ruby said, shooting her a reassuring smile. "Yang has this under control."
Blake exhaled deeply. "I know. But what about them?" She looked out at the massive audience. What would they think of Yang's announcement? What if people got angry, what if they came after her?
And of course Mercury Black and his staff had decided to attend, although they were sitting at the back, out of sight. Still, Blake could sense Adam's presence there - she glanced around the back of the room, seeing flashes of his red hair everywhere she looked. The dread of what he could do to Yang was like a rock in her chest, blocking her lungs from expanding every time she tried to breathe.
"Blake?" The sound of Ruby's voice yanked her back into the present. Blake gasped and jolted, her eyes eventually focusing on Ruby's confused face. "Are you okay? Need some water?"
"N-no." Blake cleared her throat and tried to take a deep breath. "No, thanks Ruby. But I'm fine."
Ruby opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. "Okay, let me know if you need anything," she said finally, offering her another smile. The corners of Blake's mouth twitched up in response.
A door swung open, and in sauntered Qrow, followed closely by Yang. Blake tensed up even more, her eyes following Yang as she walked confidently to the podium to face the press. She was wearing the orange shirt again, under a dark gray blazer with a rainbow flag pin attached to the lapel. Waves of golden hair fell across the shoulders of the jacket, which Yang ran her hands through once as she arrived at the podium. She gave Blake a quick look and one of her crooked smiles. Blake stared back mutely, noticing some of her anxiety dropping away at the sight of Yang's bright face and sparkling eyes.
The moment was over as soon as it began though, and Yang immediately squared her shoulders and straightened her back to address the crowd of microphones and video cameras gathered before her.
"Good afternoon, everyone!" Yang smiled widely at the crowd. "As you may know, I'm here today to address some rumors that have been going around recently. But in another sense, what I'm about to say isn't even about these rumors. It's about honesty, and it's about openness. It's about communities that are forced to exist in the fringes of society, identities that are seen as a liability for those who have no control over them." Yang took a deep breath. The sea of reporters and citizens was almost buzzing in anticipation, low waves of murmurs flowing through the group. By now, most of them had guessed where this was going.
Blake searched the faces for anger, or disgust, or fear. But she mostly saw surprise or genuine interest. A few even looked happy.
"The reality is, sometimes it isn't safe to be who you are. And that's a hard way to live. I don't want anyone else to have to live that way, and I know that a big part of bringing these communities in from the fringes is visibility. So I do feel that it's my responsibility to unapologetically be who I am. Because it's not about me, not really. So...yes, I'm a lesbian."
The murmurs of the crowd escalated in volume instantly, dozens of cameras clicked and flashed, and nearly every reporter put their hand up. Blake tapped her fingers on the outside of her leg nervously. Yang held her own hand up to quiet the crowd, waving off the questions for now.
"I'm gay," she repeated. "And I'm not going to hide any more. Both for myself, and for all of the members of the LGBTQ+ community who don't have the luxury of coming out. To all of you, I'd like to say the following:" Yang stared directly into the closest camera. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that this has taken me so long. And I'm sorry that it's not safe or comfortable for you to do the same. But I'm here now, and I will never, ever stop fighting for you."
Blake felt a shiver run down her spine at the fierceness, the unabashed emotion in Yang's voice. She could see Yang's hands, which were glued to the edges of her podium, shaking ever so slightly. She felt a frighteningly strong urge to grab them and hold them in her own.
"I'll take questions now," Yang finished, her eyes expertly scanning the room to pick the friendlier reporters first. "Yes?"
"What made you wait until now to reveal this information?" One reporter asked.
Before Yang could respond, another reporter jumped in. "At the council meeting last week, you denied the allegations - why did you lie?"
"Good questions. I-"
"How can the people of Vale believe anything you say if you lie about such fundamental issues?" A more aggressive reporter from Vox news added.
"Right. I understand the frustration, especially after what I said at the meeting. I lied, and I apologize for that." Yang took another deep breath. "But I have to be clear that this 'information', and these 'allegations', as you put it, were framed as a personal issue - not a political one. I felt that my sexual orientation is my business, and to be honest I...I was afraid of how people would react if I were to suddenly make it everybody's business."
She paused again, and brushed her fingertips over the wooden surface of the podium. "And you know what? I'm still afraid. But I'm not going to let that stop me from being truthful with you all. I'm sorry for lying, and I promise that it won't happen again. I ask the citizens of Vale to look at my track record of service and success, and to see for themselves that I always strive to keep my word."
"What do you say to those who believe that this makes you unqualified to be mayor?" Yet another reporter demanded. Blake's fists clenched unconsciously.
Yang closed her eyes for a second, collecting her thoughts. "There's not much that I can say," she said, opening her eyes. "My sexual orientation is an important part of me, but it isn't the only part of me. It doesn't change the way I do my job, and it doesn't change how qualified I am. If people don't want to vote for a lesbian politician - well, I've made my peace with that. I hope that I can change their minds, but at the same time I know there are plenty of homophobic bigots out there who I'll never get through to."
The phrase "homophobic bigots" had caused a bit of a stir in the audience, and Blake figured that Mercury and Adam had to be fuming. But for a minute she forgot all about them, instead smiling stupidly at the side of Yang's head that she could see, knowing the exact fire that Yang had in her eyes while she spoke.
"Have you considered the example that you're setting for our children? Is the homosexual lifestyle really something that kids should be seeing?" The Vox news reporter was at it again.
"..." Yang gave him a measured look, staring unblinkingly at his beady little eyes. "...yes."
A few other reporters chuckled at that. "Well, there ya have it," a snarky one commented. But the reporter was totally undeterred.
"Could you elaborate on that?" He pressed.
Yang smiled sweetly at him. "No, I don't think any elaboration is necessary to answer a question like that." The reporter frowned at her, looking ready to ask another vaguely inflammatory question.
Before she knew what she was doing, Blake had marched up to the podium, coming to a halt right next to Yang - maybe just a little too close for a professional appearance. Yang turned to her and took half a step back. Her eyebrows shot up in unison, disappearing into her fringe of hair as they always did when she was surprised.
"Blake?" She asked softly, covering the mic with one hand.
"One sec," Blake said through gritted teeth. She gently took the microphone from Yang and pulled it to her mouth. "The example she is setting, sir, is one of responsibility, honesty, and courage. And I can't think of a better role model for the children of Vale. As for you - well, maybe you should try to show even an ounce of the integrity that Yang-"
"Councilwoman..." Yang whispered, trying to contain her grin.
"-that Councilwoman Xiao Long does." To Blake's surprise, many of the people in the crowd were smiling by the time she had finished. A reporter she recognized from News n' Stuff gave her a thumbs up. The Vox news guy turned red but mercifully stayed quiet, slinking away to the back of the room.
"Thank you," Blake said, pointing the microphone back at Yang. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Yang gave her a quick wink. Blake successfully (barely) reigned in the desire to kiss her on the spot. Instead, she returned to stand next to Ruby, who immediately nudged her in the ribs and whispered "that was so awesome" into her ear.
The next reporter, a kind, spectacled man from the Vale Times, asked a question about Yang's platform, which she latched onto eagerly. Like a bomb being defused, the tension in the room seemed to instantly drop, and the press conference wrapped up shortly after without further incident.
The four of them congregated in a hallway behind the room, away from the mass of humanity heading out of City Hall. Qrow laid a hand on Yang's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
"Proud of you," he said in his characteristically gruff voice.
"Thanks." Yang smiled, looking simultaneously relieved and exhausted. She reached over to take Blake's hand.
"You handled that surprisingly well." The sound of heels on the floor announced Weiss' arrival even before Blake saw her.
"Surprisingly?" Yang raised an exasperated eyebrow at her. "Damn, Weiss, is it really that hard to give a compliment?"
Weiss frowned. "I'm...sorry."
"She's just kidding," Ruby informed, already glued to Weiss' side. Weiss glared at Yang but only got a chuckle in response. "It's so sweet that you care though!" Ruby gave her a kiss on the cheek, effectively distracting her from her annoyance at Yang for the moment.
"Thanks for coming, Weiss," Blake said.
"Of course." She gave Blake a proper smile for once. "I wouldn't miss an important press conference from the Schnee company-backed Mayoral candidate after all."
"Yeah, yeah, can we go eat now?" Ruby interrupted their conversation mercilessly. "Jaune and Pyrrha said they'd meet us at the diner, so let's go!" She started tugging Weiss down the hallway.
"Hold on, I gotta grab some stuff from upstairs. You guys can head outside and I'll meet you in 5 minutes, okay?" Yang let go of Blake's hand and started in the opposite direction.
"I'll come with you." Blake snagged her hand again. Yang smiled softly, brushing her thumb over Blake's knuckles.
"Wow, gross," Ruby commented.
Yang just laughed and pulled Blake towards the stairwell. Blake gave her hand a squeeze as they made their way up to the office.
"You did a really great job," she said.
"Hopefully the voters agree," Yang responded. Her adrenaline from earlier had worn off, the exhilaration giving way to doubt and anxiety. Blake pulled her to a stop in the hallway.
"What's wrong?" Yang asked, her eyebrows knitting together like they always did when she worried about Blake.
"Nothing, you just seemed like you needed this."
"Needed wha - oh, you're kissing me!"
Blake smiled against her mouth, and Yang felt a familiar fluttering in her core. She took a moment to gingerly brush her fingers through the soft black waves of Blake's hair.
"You were great," Blake repeated once they had separated.
Yang didn't move her hand from its spot, tangled up in Blake's hair. She pulled her close with her other arm and pressed a kiss onto her forehead.
"Thank you." She pulled back slightly and gave her a crooked grin. "Y'know... I still feel a little anxious. Maybe you could encourage me some more?" Her eyes flicked down to Blake's mouth.
Blake laughed and gently pushed her away. "Don't we have people waiting for us? Don't be greedy."
Yang moved away without a fight, but kept an exaggerated frown. "I'm wounded. You wound me." She came to a stop in front of the office door and pulled it open for Blake. She was still smiling as she walked through the doorway after her, nearly stumbling into Blake from behind.
"Blake? What are..." Yang trailed off, catching sight of what had made her stop dead in her tracks. Or rather, who.
"What the hell do you want?" She growled.
Adam smiled. "I want what's mine." He was clearly trying to seem as intimidating as possible - leaning against the back wall of the office, his voice all low and gravely.
Yang fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Leave us alone. Now." She started for Ruby's desk. "I won't hesitate to call security."
He darted forward and slammed his hand down on the receiver before she could touch it. Blake, still frozen by the doorway, felt her body start to shake. She desperately wanted to go to Yang, to grab her hand and take her as far away from Adam as humanly possible. "Come on Yang, we're just talking. No need to overreact." The way he used her name made a shiver run down Blake's spine. It sounded wrong, like he had stolen a syllable that never belonged to him. Yang said nothing in response but took a step back, her eyes narrowed.
"Good girl." He smiled again. "Now, we'll be going." He looked directly at Blake as he spoke, piercing blue eyes tearing her out of her comfortable existence as Yang's campaign aide, shoving her right back into the worst years of her life.
"I don't think so." Yang's voice was perfectly calm and steady. She stepped back again until she was standing directly in front of Blake, who grabbed her hand almost immediately. Yang's eyebrows jolted up. She looked over her shoulder at Blake. "Are you okay?" She was still calm and steady, but a gentler note had entered her tone.
Blake held her hand tighter. "I will be," she said, surprised by how little her own voice was shaking.
"Hello? I'm right here!" Adam banged a fist down on the desk. "Blake - let's go," he barked at her.
"No." Blake stepped forward so that she and Yang were standing side by side. "Adam, it's over. I don't need or want you in my life. In fact, I need you out of it." She took a deep breath. Yang squeezed her hand in reassurance, and Blake suddenly felt overwhelmed by affection towards her. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "I know what it's like to have people who actually care about me. Who actually love me." Her heart was pounding against the walls of her ribcage, apparently trying to hammer itself out. "You, on the other hand, never loved me. And you never will." She moved aside and gestured to the door. Yang allowed herself to be pulled along with her, steadfastly refusing to let go of Blake's hand.
"Get out."
Adam's face was turning red with anger. "You goddamn bitch! You GODDAMN-"
"HEY!" Yang had enough. "Can you take the temper tantrum somewhere else? We have some work to do here, and you're in our way."
"Shut up!" He bellowed, grabbing a stapler from the desk and throwing it wildly.
"Whatthefuck!" Yang ducked out of the way just in time. She straightened up and pulled out her cell phone to get Qrow. Apparently she had slightly underestimated how batshit crazy this guy actually was.
Blake had also had enough. She marched up to Adam, who was nearly a foot taller than her, and glared directly into his eyes. "This is your last warning, Adam. Leave."
Adam laughed in her face. "And what are you gonna do about it?"
Running fully off of the fury and adrenaline from seeing Adam almost clobber Yang with a stapler, Blake grabbed Adam's shoulders and yanked his upper body down, using the momentum to drive her knee up with the greatest force she could muster.
Yang's jaw dropped open. She nearly dropped the phone too.
Adam crumpled to the ground, grabbing at his nether regions and screaming like he'd been shot. Blake locked eyes with Yang. She looked like she'd just short-circuited, mouth still hanging open. "Oh my god," was all she could say.
"We should...get out of here." Blake took Yang's hand again as she spoke, gently steering her out of the door.
"Holy shit," Yang said.
"I'll call Qrow and tell him to send security up here. I don't think Adam's going to be moving very far." She took the phone from Yang's loose grip and dialed.
"Wow..." Yang said, continuing her display of shocking eloquence.
Blake led her to the elevator. She could feel her adrenaline wearing off, her anxiety flooding back in to take its place. Her legs could barely hold her weight. She looked over her shoulder, half expecting Adam to come charging out of the office at them.
"Blake. That was amazing." Yang's eyes were glowing with admiration. "Reckless. And probably not the best idea. But AMAZING."
Her legs chose that moment to give up on her. Yang's reflexes kicked in, and she grabbed Blake before she could fall.
"Whoa...okay." Yang immediately sobered up. "You're alright, I got you." She pulled Blake against her, holding her tightly in her arms as she lowered them both to the floor. "Look, security's already here!" They watched as two people in vests entered the office.
Blake's entire body was shaking, and she suddenly felt too tired to do anything but cling to Yang.
Yang didn't say anything. She was too preoccupied with rubbing slow circles around Blake's back and placing soft kisses on her temple. Neither of them moved as they watched the security officers drag Adam, who was still howling, out of the office.
A moment later, the door to the stairway swung open and Qrow came barrelling down the hall, flanked by two more security guards. Blake couldn't believe how happy she was to see him. He crouched down in front of them and pulled them both into a tight hug, exhaling slowly.
"Are you kids okay?" He drew back to study their faces, doubtless noticing how pale Blake had become. "What happened?"
Blake tried to speak but found herself physically incapable. Yang just shook her head.
"Are you...hurt?" Qrow's voice sounded odd, like he was getting choked up or something. Blake glanced up and was surprised to see him looking right at her.
"I'm alright. Yang's the one he tried to...attack. But she's alright too." Her words came out much steadier than she had expected.
"Good." Qrow sighed with relief. "I'm sorry. I should've come up here with you." The weird choked tone was back, as wrong and foriegn-sounding as before.
"Come on Uncle Qrow, you couldn't have known he'd be...lurking." Yang shuddered and held Blake closer. "What the hell was he doing in the office anyway?" she wondered aloud.
"Let's hope we never find out," Qrow growled. He straightened and helped them to their feet, seeming mostly recovered from whatever tidal wave of emotions had overcome him before.
"Ready to go deal with this? They're gonna have to take your statements and possibly bring you down to the station," Qrow said, brow furrowing as he started thinking ahead to what would happen next.
But Blake couldn't move past the moment yet, and she grabbed Yang's hand almost frantically, hoping that the skin contact could somehow convey what she didn't have the words to say.
"Could we have a moment first?" Yang asked, squeezing Blake's hand. As always, she found the words effortlessly.
"Of course." Qrow gave them his most reassuring smile and moved to the other end of the hallway with the guards, in sight but mostly out of earshot.
Yang let go of Blake's hand, but only so that she could brush aside Blake's bangs and hold her face in her hands. She stroked Blake's cheeks with her thumbs silently for a moment, while Blake took deep breaths and tried to slow her heart rate back to something resembling normal.
"Hey." Yang rested her forehead against Blake's and stared intently into her eyes. "It's gonna be okay."
Blake gazed back steadily. It was like the mere presence of Yang beside her was enough to melt away her anxiety and fear, which had been sky-high only moments before. Somehow, in spite of what had just happened, Blake felt at ease. In fact, she felt light. She felt free.
AN: well, I've managed to procrastinate my way into a whole new election cycle... lol I'm so sorry
Anyway, thanks for sticking around and for reading this thing! :)