Weiss and Blake finally talk after being separated. Ruby and Winter are suspicious. Yang is cupid.
Notes:
A shorter chapter, but one that will lead to the next part of the story! Thanks for all the kudos guys!
I can't believe it's really her… Blake thinks while feeling Weiss' body around her.
Everything about this moment was like a dream to her. Here she was, in a secret basement with a group of huntresses hugging Weiss desperately while doing her best to not collapse. Although she had known that there was the possibility of her finding Weiss (she had been a lieutenant in the White Fang for a reason), she hadn't expected it to be tonight after going to some bar to get some intel about the heiress.
Blake just wasn't ready.
So she stalled by just keeping Weiss close while thinking of what to say. Not that she minded because hugging Weiss was becoming one of her favorite things to do. And that was strange for her. She had never been comfortable with physical signs of affection, mostly only accepting hugs from her mom. Nevertheless, for some strange reason Blake found herself unwilling to move away from the warmth and tenderness that was emanating from Weiss' arms. When she had followed Yang back, she had thought that there could be the possibility of her meeting Weiss again. She had even prepared a nice speech and all during the ride in Yang's motorcycle. But the moment she saw the younger Schnee standing in front of her, it all disappeared and instead she just started crying.
Her, a former White Fang lieutenant, crying like a child.
Blake should have felt embarrassed about it, but then again how could she when her weakness had been immediately embraced and reciprocated by the heiress? The fact that Weiss was just as emotionally affected as she was soothed her. It made her suspect that her presence had truly been welcomed by the white-haired woman and that coming here hadn't been a mistake.
"Are you sure…" Ruby whispered to Yang while watching the faunus and her friend embrace. "That this is a good idea?"
Yang focuses on Blake and notices how the cat faunus had started crying the moment she felt Weiss hug her back. The blonde huntress could relate to what the black-haired woman was experiencing and she didn't want to ruin this moment for them.
"Do you really think that she's capable of hurting Weiss while being in such a state?" Yang answers her sister back. "The woman doesn't even let Weiss go in fear of it all being a dream."
"That doesn't mean she isn't dangerous." the red-hooded woman murmurs. "For all we know this could be an elaborate trap set by the White Fang."
"You're overthinking things, Ruby." the blonde tells her sister. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me on this."
"I trust your judgement." Winter adds solemnly. "But I concur with Ruby's assessment that your actions tonight are rather risky. You brought a White Fang lieutenant to our secret base."
"Former White Fang." Yang says to Winter with a soft smile. "And I brought her here because they needed to see each other."
"Yang…" Winter closes her eyes. "If this has to do with what we talked about earlier…"
"You know why I did this." she interrupts the older Schnee firmly. "I mean, just look how happy Weiss is."
"She may be happy. But are you sure that this is the right thing to do?" the white-haired woman asks worriedly. "Especially now that we're getting so close?"
Yang nods.
"Weiss asked me to find her." the blonde huntress says to her. "Made me promise to do my best. And just like Ruby and you don't like to fail Weiss, I also didn't want to see her eyes dull whenever I came back empty handed."
"Yang…" Ruby whispers understandingly.
"So that's why I brought Blake here. Because both of them wanted to see each other. To talk to each other again. And who are we to deny them the chance of doing so?" the blonde huntress finishes and grabs Winter and Ruby's hands. "Now come on, let's give them some time."
"What?!" Ruby shrieks. "You can't be serious."
"I can hear everything that is happening inside this room from outside just fine." she smirks. "And, Winter can watch them from the cameras."
Looking at her girlfriend firmly, Winter groans but lets Yang pull her away, knowing that Ruby would also follow if she saw her agreeing with Yang.
"I don't like this…" Ruby mutters while watching the two women still hugging and noticing how Blake's hands were squeezing Weiss' shoulders desperately. "Her weapon…" she starts saying and quickly stretches her hand when she notices the cat faunus throwing her weapon at her, the hand that had been holding it immediately returning to her friend's shoulder.
"Well, guess that answers your question." Yang chuckles and finally pulls them out of the room.
Weiss, meanwhile, was experiencing some confusing thoughts. She had been so worried about Blake, had thought about the cat faunus almost daily and had even started dreaming about her every single night. From the moment she saved Blake at that factory, Weiss realized that the two of them had built a bond, a connection. Yet until now she hadn't been confident about her feelings being reciprocated. During their time together, Blake had been good at hiding her emotions; in fact, it wasn't until they had to part ways that Weiss finally noticed the cat faunus reacting to something.
But the way she was crying when she saw me…
The way she's holding me tight against her…
The way she keeps whispering my name even now…
"Your friends…" Blake whispers after a while. "They're really kind."
Weiss chuckles.
"They are." she hugs Blake assuredly. "They left the room, right?"
The cat faunus nods in confirmation before pointing at her hip and making Weiss realize that her weapon was gone. Yet, Blake was still surprised that Yang would show her this much trust. Then again, the fact that she was still crying and could only think about holding Weiss probably made the blonde huntress assess that she wasn't a danger to the heiress.
"I don't know what to say." Weiss whispers shyly. "Here I was, coming to have a normal talk with my friends and out of nowhere you're here, shaking my world upside down." she chuckles.
"Is that a good thing?" Blake asks worriedly. "That I am here?"
Weiss separates a little to stare at the cat faunus.
"It is the best thing." the white-haired woman says confidently to her and this makes the cat-faunus squeeze her tighter.
"I… I didn't think I would be able to do this again." Blake whispers.
"Do what?" Weiss asks curiously.
"Hold you." the cat faunus simply says and this makes Weiss blush. "I was hoping that I would, one day. But to be actually doing this…"
"I think I can relate." she confesses. "After we went our separate ways, there was no way for me to know about you. I was worried." she whispers. "I knew that no news were good news, but still… I also knew that if I didn't hear about you then that also meant that you could be gone."
"I almost left." Blake admits embarrassed. "I wanted to run as far away from Atlas as I could and start over."
"I wouldn't have blamed you." Weiss smiles understandingly at her. "We both know what happens to former White Fang members if they're found by their comrades." she continues somberly. "I would have understood. In fact, I still can't believe you're here."
"I made you a promise." Blake says simply. "And the promise I made to you…" she closes her eyes. "I didn't want to break this promise."
"Why?" Weiss questions her. "I'm a Schnee and the heiress of the SDC, the company that is responsible for the pain and deaths of many faunus. You should hate me." she looks away embarrassed.
Blake softly makes Weiss stare at her.
"You were the one who told me that we can choose to leave our prejudices behind. That we are more than our names and past." she takes a deep breath. "I want to believe that, Weiss."
Weiss simply stares at her, not knowing why she was being so adamant about making Blake realize who she was. What her family had done, the legacy behind her looks and her name.
"But all you have suffered." she looks away from Blake. "Your time in the White Fang… It was all because of my family."
"Yes, because of your family. Not because of you." Blake answers her firmly. "All this time I've been in Atlas trying to find you, I've seen things. I've heard the way people talk about you. About what you're doing for faunus and to make things right." she says proudly. "It made me realize that you're completely insane." she finishes but then opens her eyes in shock when she realizes what she just said.
Expecting Weiss to get angry or for her to further explain what she meant, she just stares in shock as Weiss starts laughing. The sight of the white-haired woman acting all carefree and warm, it made something inside Blake's heart tremble with excitement.
She had never felt this way before.
"I'm insane?" Weiss asks while still chuckling. "Says the faunus woman who was digging information about me at an SDC bar."
This makes Blake blush brightly.
"I was getting desperate." she admits embarrassed and this makes Weiss stop laughing.
"I don't get you, Blake." she whispers. "For all my family has done to your kind, you should hate me."
Blake gets close to Weiss and kisses her forehead, inhaling her smell and reveling in the familiarity of it.
"I could never hate you, Weiss." she whispers. "How could I, when I owe you my life?"
Weiss gives her a warm smile.
"Now your life is your own Blake, to do with it as you wish."
"I know. And me being here, with you, is what I wished." Blake says simply and doesn't notice how this comment made Weiss blush.
"Blake…" she squeezes her tighter.
"The way you're hugging me… It makes it seem like you missed me."
"Because I did miss you." Weiss says honestly. "In fact, ever since we parted ways I've thought about you, Blake."
This makes Blake separate and stare at her.
Nevertheless, before the cat faunus can say something in return, they hear the door opening and the three other women coming in, Ruby leading the way while staring warily at Blake.
"Sorry guys…" Yang smirks knowingly. "Tried my best to give you some alone time but you try holding Ruby back."
This makes Weiss chuckle and turn around to look at her friend and bodyguard.
"Ruby is just being cautious." she goes towards the red-hooded woman and hugs her. "You know how she is."
"Weiss…" Ruby complains but doesn't move away from the hug.
"Even though Yang did vouch for you, Miss Belladonna…" Winter says formally. "I agree with Ruby's wariness when it comes to your intentions. For all we know, you could be bidding your time and waiting until we're all distracted to abduct Weiss."
"Winter!" Weiss says loudly.
"It's ok." Blake stops Weiss from arguing with her sister. "They have every reason to suspect me. As you said, you know what happens to members of the White Fang when they return after being captured." she takes a deep breath. "But I think not many realize how horrible it is to be there. We get so many naïve and incredulous recruits that only start to understand the magnitude of their decision to join the White Fang when it is too late for them to leave."
"You mean when they realize they have to kill." Ruby says solemnly and Blake nods.
"They think it's all protests, fighting the police and rebelling against the government. But it's deeper and darker than that." the cat faunus closes her eyes. "Competition inside the White Fang to get a rank, how some faunus are capable of sabotaging you before a mission so they can earn your spot. It's all complete chaos and madness." she stares desperately at the three older women. "When I joined, the White Fang wasn't like this. We were a peaceful organization that only wished for equality. To be seen as people and not animals."
She then takes a look at Weiss and takes a deep breath.
"I was miserable at the White Fang. Trapped by my own foolish childhood decisions and unable to leave without being labelled a traitor; I just wanted to die." she whispers. "Every mission that I led, I always left wondering if this would finally be the last one. I was so tired."
"Blake…" Weiss says sadly.
"I thought that all humans were the same. That they were all evil and unkind. That they only saw us as animals and slaves that could further their wealth and fortune. But when I met Weiss…" she stares at the younger Schnee. "When we spent all that time together… It made me realize that I had been wrong. That there can be good and kind humans. Weiss, when she saved my life almost a month ago, not only did she give me a second chance. She gave me hope."
The moment she finished saying that, Blake heard someone running towards her. Without thinking much about it, she raised her arms and immediately felt a familiar body clinging to hers. Chuckling, she squeezed Weiss back.
"I didn't know." Weiss tells her with tears in her eyes and Blake can't stop herself from crying as well.
"How could you know?" she asks her tearfully. "I never shared."
"Meeting you…" the white-haired woman says softly to her, as if she only wanted Blake to hear. "Has also changed me, Blake. Talking to you, opening myself to you…" she closes her eyes. "It has also given me hope."
When she hears Weiss say this, Blake feels like her heart is going to burst out of her chest. These words, these actions, they were all confirming to Blake what she had suspected all those weeks ago.
That she was feeling things.
Before, she would have run away immediately, terrified of finding out what this could mean to her. But now, all Blake wanted to do was figure out what this was. What this connection with Weiss meant and how it was going to change her.
She, for the first time in a long time, wanted to stay.
Staring at Yang, she knows that the half-faunus can hear the way her heart is beating faster. That she could also hear what Weiss had told her and could see the way her comment had affected her.
And knowing Yang, she was going to tease her about it.
"See!" Yang smirks knowingly. "Blakey here is simply incapable of hurting Weiss because she cares too much for her."
Feeling herself blush, Blake merely looks at Winter and Ruby, who are staring at the two of them hugging.
"Perhaps…" Winter says after a while. "That doesn't mean that we shouldn't be cautious in moving forward."
"I agree." Ruby adds softly. "I don't say this to discredit your story…" she stares at Blake. "But if you were to abduct Weiss and take her with you to the White Fang… They would welcome you with open arms."
"Indeed." Blake says simply while letting Weiss down. "If I were to return. Because I don't plan on ever going back."
"Then what will you do?" Winter asks. "Faunus are not exactly welcomed in Atlas and if other faunus were to see you then they could inform the White Fang."
This makes Blake look down in embarrassment.
"I didn't plan that ahead." she admits shyly. "All I could think of since I left that hospital room was that I had to find Weiss."
This makes Weiss blush and Yang laugh.
"Well, you found her. Now what Blakey?"
"First, stop calling me Blakey." the cat faunus says annoyed. "And I don't know."
"Do you want to leave Atlas?" Ruby asks her simply. "Because if that's what you want then we can help you."
Blake stares at Weiss, and though the white-haired woman was giving her an encouraging smile, the cat faunus didn't want to leave. She had just found Weiss. And, as selfish as it sounded, she wanted to spend more time with her.
To hell with the consequences.
"I want to stay. I want to get to know you." she says to Weiss. "The real Weiss."
Weiss blushes even more than before.
"Do you have a death wish?" Winter asks annoyed. "To stay in a city that doesn't like faunus is like suicide."
"I don't have to be a faunus." Blake whispers and takes out her hairbow, confidently putting it on her head. "With this I can be Blake, only Blake."
"But your ears…" Weiss whispers. "You would really do that? Hide a part of yourself, of your identity, for me?"
Blake gives her a soft smile and nods in confirmation.
"I would." she says and this time she notices the way the heiress blushes, which makes her blush in return.
"If you're ready to do that…" Ruby interrupts their moment. "Then I think I know the perfect job for you."
