Chapter 18
The wind blew her dark hair across her face. She moved a hand to try and push it back to see Yang making her way towards her, two cones of ice cream balanced in one hand. The Faunus smiled as she neared, watching as the wind billowed her golden mane. The weather wasn't as perfect as she'd like it to have been. The wind was harsh and the sky was cloudy. But Blake didn't care too much though, it was the first day she got to spend with Yang as her girlfriend. It still felt surreal, like it shouldn't have happened. But she had to count her blessings that Yang would try to make it work. Because of that fact she felt their relationship felt somewhat hollow, but it was nothing that couldn't be changed with the right words and some time.
She was stood besides a wall, beyond it was the beach. The ocean looked grey and dull, the sand was wet as the tide had pulled out recently. The entire beach was empty, the only discrepancy upon it were a few pairs of tracks. But again, it could be raining for all she cared. She smiled to herself as she looked back to Yang who had now drawn close enough to hold out both cones of vanilla ice cream towards her. The Faunus took one of the cones carefully as her eyes glanced across Yang's. The woman smiled back at her as she closed her eyes, she seemed happy.
A soft chuckle escaped Blake's lips, she couldn't help it. She didn't find anything funny, it was just that she hadn't felt herself this happy in a long time. Perhaps even in years. She watched as Yang gestured with her head to a set of steps that led down to the sand of the beach. Blake nodded in response as she followed her lead. She brought the cone to her lips as her tongue took a scoop from the creamy vanilla dessert. She shivered slightly, though not from the treat itself but from the wind that rushed by the two once more as they stood down onto the sand. Yang paused to look back at her partner who had wrapped one arm around herself to keep warm. As a result the blonde stood by her and motioned for Blake to get closer.
Blake blushed softly and nodded as she wrapped her left arm around Yang's waist. With a smirk from Yang the two began walking together, leaving their first footprints in the sand. The biting wind blew in from the west and up the beach but Yang now stood as a barrier between it and Blake. At first the Faunus found it difficult to match pace with her partner, but sooner rather than later she managed to remain in sync and was comfortably leaning against her as they continued. The warmth that came from Yang was strong, she believed it to be partly due to her semblance. Either way it was a comfort.
As they kept walking Blake peered past Yang and towards the ocean. The waves were being picked up by the wind, crashing back down into the ocean. Their sound was all she could hear. Off in the distance was the silhouette of Patch, Yang's home. "It's sad" came Yang's voice as she looked out in the same direction. Blake looked up to her with a curious expression. "The city... The way it's empty like this..." she answered as she looked forward once again, her lilac eyes glancing briefly to Blake.
The Faunus understood what Yang was referring to. She frowned as she peered to her right, back towards the city of Vale itself. Barely a sound came from it. "Yeah... It used to be so full of life, there was always people, always something happening. It was bright and..." she lowered her gaze down to the sand in front of them.
"I hope we get to go back to it all sometime. Back to training in Beacon. To seeing our friends and just... having fun with everyone" replied Yang. She felt Blake's arm tighten around her waist.
The Faunus pressed her head against Yang's shoulder as she spoke. "We might. We might not. The city might stay like this forever, Beacon might never be cleared from the Grimm" she answered as her golden eyes peered up at Yang who returned the glance. "But we should look to how we can enjoy our lives now and ahead instead of how we did back then. We need to focus on the assumption things will never be the same. And if they are, we'll be pleasantly surprised and return to it" she answered, offering a bright smile up at the woman.
Yang thought upon Blake's words, nodding in return. "You're right. No use sitting on the past. It was good while it lasted" she answered. The two had walked some distance down the beach now. Yang moved to take another bite from her ice cream, but before she could her grip on the cone proved too tight as she crushed it, the treat falling to the sand as she and Blake came to a halt. "Well that sucks" she commented.
Blake offered her own ice cream to Yang who looked to it with uncertainty, once glancing to Blake. "I don't mind sharing if you don't" spoke Blake. The blonde offered a soft chuckle before accepting the cone. "Just don't break this one" added Blake with a wink as Yang took a bite from her borrowed dessert. With that the two resumed walking.
Further down the beach the wind was starting to pick up even more which caused both of their hair to blow wildly in its presence. Yang began leading the two towards another set of stairs that led back up to the city street. "You're cold right?" asked Yang as she looked back down to Blake. She received a nod in response. "Then let's go grab some coffee" suggested Yang as they began to ascend the stone steps back up to the pavement.
"Tea" corrected Blake as they reached the street. Nobody was around and the road was empty of cars. Behind them the sun had started to set, dipping under the clouds as its light shined the city in orange. Some of the windows of the tall buildings reflected the light and glistened. The couple crossed the street as Yang continued to lead. She directed the two towards a small corner diner, it was different to the one she usually frequented but this one had a nice view of the beach through its large glass windows.
Entering the diner the warmth of the interior washed over them. Blake's nose and cheeks had reddened slightly from the cold outside and her hair was a mess, much like Yang's. "Find a seat, I'll place the order" suggested Yang to which Blake nodded. She walked down the length of the diner as she looked for the best seat. Unlike with the weather she had a choice now, to pick the seat with the best view. She settled on the booth at the far corner, it was against the window and they would be less likely to be disturbed should any other customers come in. She took a seat at the window, it was on her left side as she looked out to the beach they had come from. She still felt cold but she was beginning to warm up.
It didn't take long for Yang to join her. She approached looking at the spot Blake had chosen. She made to sit across from her but paused. With a smirk she chose to sit besides her partner instead, moving up close enough so that Blake was practically pinned between the window and her. Blake gazed at Yang, "Good enough?" she asked as she referred to the spot she had picked.
Yang seemed to inspect it once more before nodding, "It'll do" she answered, "drinks should be a minute" she added as she rested her arm across Blake's back, her fingers idly stroking at her shoulder.
"How's it going so far?" asked Blake, eager yet anxious to hear Yang's reply as she offered her a smile. She seemed to be thinking upon her answer.
"Well... it doesn't feel weird" responded Yang, "The weather could've been better but otherwise uhh... Yeah, I'm enjoying myself. It's nice, being with you I mean" she answered, looking over to see that their drinks were being brought to them. Two mugs were placed upon the table, one tea and the other, surprisingly, also tea.
Blake breathed a silent breath of relief at Yang's words, "I was worried it might be a little... boring for you" she admitted before looking to the two mugs, her expression turned to one of suspicion as she looked back to Yang. "You didn't get coffee?" she asked as she pulled a mug of tea towards herself, cupping it in both hands.
Yang moved her arm from around Blake to pick up her own mug. "Hey, any day with you is fun" she replied to which Blake's heart fluttered. If Yang was trying to impress her with compliments it was working. "And I dunno. Felt like you might prefer it if I stuck to tea or something" she added.
To the second sentence Blake became more suspicious. She was no fool and believed that Yang had implied there may be a kiss at some point, despite having said she wanted to take it slow. The Faunus decided to prod her with more questions to sate her curiosity. "Why would I prefer it?" she asked coyly.
"Like I said, dunno" responded Yang with some hint of sarcasm in her tone. From the corner of her eye she peered back at Blake as she took a sip from her mug of tea. The Faunus snickered at her reaction as she looked to the window, the sun had almost set completely now as its last rays crested over the ocean in the distance.
"It's getting dark already..." spoke Blake as the light from what was left of the sun reflected from her golden eyes, only seeming to enhance their brilliant glow.
Yang took another sip from her tea, placing the mug back down gently. "Just because the sun is leaving doesn't mean we have to" she replied as Blake turned back to face her. Yang pointed a finger at her, "Something I want to ask you though" she spoke as the Faunus nodded, listening intently to her words. "Did you like me like you do now when we were back in Beacon?" she asked curiously.
Blake took on a ponderous expression as she answered, "I always thought you were cool. A little loud sometimes, but nice. I'd be lying if I said I never thought about it before either" admitted the Faunus as she looked back down into Yang's lilac eyes. "But ever since we met again here in Vale it just happened. It might have always been there, and if it was... seeing you again is what made me realise it" she answered, she looked somewhat embarrassed as she confessed.
"Huh, yeah. I think I know what you mean" responded Yang. When she first saw Blake in that abandoned building she had felt something of her own. Though she didn't fully understand her feelings back then. Perhaps they weren't so different from Blake's? Perhaps, without her realising, she also had a crush on her friend.
"You do?" asked Blake with a puzzled look. She could feel her heart stop at the possibility of Yang returning her feelings in full.
The blonde continued to think it over as she took a gulp from her mug of tea before putting it back down. "Kinda. I did feel... something when I saw you again. I thought it was just me being excited to see you" she responded as her eyes briefly scanned over Blake's form before returning to her face.
Blake offered a rather flirtatious smile in response, though she hadn't intended to do so. "You're really dense" she replied.
Yang chuckled as she jokingly tapped Blake's shoulder with her fist, "You're the one who seems to like that about me" she answered in return. The two laughed quietly together and as they stopped a silence drew over the two as they kept looking to one another. A part of Blake felt like this would have been the perfect moment to try for a kiss, but she had told herself she would take it slow enough for Yang to adjust to their relationship. Of all the things it was something she hadn't expected, for someone like Yang to be the type to want to take the slow approach. It certainly seemed to conflict with her headstrong and carefree attitude. Though maybe she was simply cautious because Blake was her friend and she feared ruining what they have? Her focus came back upon the woman who sat besides her, her eyes seemed to narrow with intent as she spoke. "Look ahead" said Yang.
The Faunus tilted her head in confusion at first before nodding in an unsure fashion. She looked forward across the table, the empty seat in front of her. After a second she felt Yang's hand brush the hair on the right side of her face behind her ear. Blake predicted what would happen and blushed before she felt Yang's soft lips against her cheek. It was a gentle sensation and her eyes widened in realization of what was happening. She felt Yang's hand move to the back of her neck to hold her still. For a simple kiss on the cheek it lasted a few seconds before finally she moved away. Blake was frozen in place, her mouth slightly open. It only confirmed the fact she wasn't dreaming as her eyes turned to Yang who smiled back at her.
"You look surprised" stated Yang, her hand still upon Blake's neck.
Blake closed her eyes with a smile, "I just... wasn't expecting it" she said, opening her eyes again as she gazed at her partner.
"Come on, you try me then" replied Yang as she looked forward, removing her hand from Blake's neck to brush back her own golden hair to make it easier for the Faunus. Blake hesitated first before the blonde's voice returned, "Don't be shy now Blakey" she answered.
Cautiously Blake leaned her face towards the side of Yang's and pursed her lips. She planted them against the woman's soft cheek. Something so simple made Blake's heart pound furiously. Her lips didn't remain upon Yang's cheek for half the time as Yang's kiss had lasted, pulling herself back as she smiled widely.
Yang placed a finger to her own lips as if in thought, though her posture was clearly made in jest as she replied, "Hmm... That's about... four out of ten. You gotta try harder next time" she answered with a wink at the Faunus who chuckled at her in response.
"You idiot" joked Blake as she turned back to her tea, taking a sip from it as she brushed her own hair in a self conscious manner. The two continued to finish their drinks before Yang idly checked her scroll to find she had one message from Neo. She frowned to herself as she looked upon the screen. Blake noticed this and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yang shook her head, she wouldn't let Neo ruin her day as she pocketed her scroll. "Just Neo again, I'm not bothering with it though" she replied to Blake as she half-smiled at her. The Faunus gave a pat to Yang's shoulder reassuringly.
"We should be heading home soon though right?" asked Blake. Outside was now completely dark, the sun having left for good. She took a last gulp from her tea as she finished it.
With a grin Yang leaned heavily against Blake, her face drawing close to hers, "Why, you bored Miss Belladonna?" she whispered in a mockingly threatening manner.
Blake breathed a short laugh in amusement at her girlfriend, "Never say my name like that again, sounds like Winter" she replied as she flicked her finger at Yang's nose, causing her to recline slightly.
"Hey, my nose is really sensitive" replied Yang in a sarcastic fashion as she rubbed her nose. Afterwards she finished off her tea and stood up to her feet, holding out her hand for Blake. "But yeah, it is late, we should get going" she answered. The Faunus reached up to accept her hand as she was pulled from her seat. The blonde never let go as they made their way out from the diner after paying for their drinks.
Outside the diner the weather was still cold and the wind had barely settled. Immediately Yang once more placed herself upon Blake's left side to shield her from the wind. The Faunus as before wrapped her left arm around Yang's waist as they started walking through the night streets of Vale. "Shame about the sky tonight" spoke Blake as she looked up to the clouds that blocked out the stars.
"You wanted to watch the stars with me? That's really corny" laughed Yang as they made their way back towards their home.
Blake shivered as they entered Yang's apartment, the cold had certainly got to her on the way back. Yang closed and locked the door behind them before turning to snap on the lights. There was a second of delay before the bulb actually turned on to light up the room. The window had been left open and the Faunus sighed as she climbed over the bed to close it. It had made the room itself especially chilly.
"Yeah, probably should have done that before we left..." said Yang as she watched Blake. She moved to the corner of the room where a portable radiator sat. Plugging it in she turned it on as its orange tubes lit up the room, gradually starting to warm the atmosphere. When she turned around Blake had already undressed and climbed into bed, wrapping the quilt around herself. With a grin Yang kicked off her boots as she approached, "Well someone is eager" she joked, prompting a smirk and a shake of the head from Blake.
"It's freezing" stated the Faunus as she reached for the remote and turned on the TV. More cooking channels. Yang removed her jacket and her cargo pants before climbing into the bed alongside Blake. She leaned her back against the wall as she casually started to watch the screen ahead of them.
Looking down at the Faunus Yang asked, "If you're that cold get a little closer". Blake awkwardly nodded as she shuffled closer to her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her waist as she cuddled up to her. In silence the two simply watched TV, Yang's hand softly stroking against Blake's back.
After some time Yang had fallen asleep in her awkward position. It took a while for Blake to realise, she herself was always the last one to drift off it seemed. When she looked up at Yang she sighed to herself as she pulled her down into the bed properly so that she was laying on her back. The Faunus made herself comfy beside her, resting her head on her collarbone as her arms remained tight around her. Their legs brushed against one another. Yet Blake knew she couldn't fall asleep yet, there was a real chance of the portable radiator burning down the room after all. After a few more minutes she decided to deal with this issue and reluctantly climbed out of bed. Almost stumbling off the mattress as she made her way to the glowing radiator and switched it off. It had most certainly done its job in making the room rather toasty.
Turning back Blake realised the room was a little darker than it should be, not that she had any issue with that due to her Faunus eyes seeing better in the dark than that of humans. It was then she noticed that the street light outside of Yang's window wasn't on, it was completely dark. It must be broken she thought as she made her way back into the bed, once more getting into her comfortable position against Yang. She wore a smile on her face, today had been nice and she hoped for more calm and quiet ones like it in the future. At this rate she could maybe have a real thing going with Yang, though she wondered how her team mates would feel about it when they eventually find them again.
Before she could close her eyes she heard Yang's scroll vibrate once more. And again. In fact it started happening repeatedly as if she was getting a call. Blake reached out for it and opened up the screen to find that it wasn't a call, it was simply repeat messages from Neo. The Faunus narrowed her eyes, she wouldn't let Neo upset Yang with these messages in the morning. So she clicked the first to find it was blank. She deleted it as the second message opened up automatically. It was of an image of herself at the beach, Yang was in the distance bringing their ice cream.
Blake's eyes widened as she deleted the message only to find the third was a similar image only further along in their day. Neo had been watching them the entire time. With an angered expression Blake continued to delete every message, every image of her and Yang spending their time together. She got to the last one. The first thing apparent was Neo's face, she had a soft smile on her lips. But behind her was the diner, and within of course was Blake and Yang again. With a final tap Blake deleted the last message. At least this way Yang wouldn't have to deal with them.
She was too tired to remain awake now and so placed Yang's scroll back where she picked it up from. After her golden eyes closed the room lit up with the street light outside as the obscuring shadow left the small window.