Part 4

Blake didn't know what to expect when Yang said they would go to the park. As they left the café, her mind began to envision a scenery with trees that towered overhead, colourful flowers that speckled the green grass, and a dirt trail that cut through the park. Birds would be heard chirping amongst the branches and every now and then, the two of them would catch a glimpse of a chipmunk running by. The more she thought about it, the more excited she got. Unfortunately, her excitement was short lived.

"Voila!" Yang exclaimed as they made a sharp right turn. "Welcome to Fairy Point Park!"

"It's…" Blake started as she took in the view. "It's so pretty."

It was atrocious. To begin, the white paint on the fence surrounding the park was peeling off. Actually, the same could be said for all the equipment. Yes, equipment. Save for the grass and three trees, the park was just a fancy cover up for a playground. To make matters worse, it wasn't even big. Everything was made to accommodate young children, not teenaged girls. The only thing there that the two could fit on was a rickety wooden bench and that, too, looked like it was nearing the end of its days.

In retrospect, the cat-eared girl should have known by now to expect the unexpected when with the blonde. It was her own fault for imagining a lavish park and she knew it. That didn't stop her from being thoroughly disappointed. The bright smile on her face said otherwise though. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Yang's feelings. In the end, the act was all for naught because Yang had already entered the gates and made her way over to the bench.

"This is my second time here," Yang said, sitting down on the bench. It creaked violently but she paid it no heed. "I passed by it a few weeks ago but never had a reason to come in until now."

Blake sat down very gingerly next to Yang in fear of the bench collapsing. "So… What's so special about this park?"

"Special?" Yang repeated. She paused briefly before breaking into hysterics. "Are you kidding me? Look how gross it is! Rusty swings, rusty slides, rusty bench. It just reeks of old. I can't believe you called it pretty."

In her mind, Blake responded hotly with 'I only called it pretty because I thought you thought it was pretty.' However, all that came out was a mumbled, "Whatever," as she turned away from Yang to hide her reddening cheeks.

Yang chuckled at the faunus' reaction and ruffled her raven hair, making sure not to disturb the bow. "I'm joking, Blake," she said. "I knew what you'd think when you saw it."

"Wait, you knew?"

The blonde nodded her head, her laughter subsiding. "Yeah, it was hard to not laugh. I'm actually surprised you didn't say it was ugly right away." She then moved her hand from the top of Blake's head to her chin and moved her head so that they were facing each other. "That just goes to show you how much good there is inside you. How can someone so nice possibly work with the White Fang?"

It went without saying that the whole change in topics caught Blake off guard.

"I- I don't-" Blake tried to make a coherent sentence but couldn't string the right set of words together.

"Exactly. They can't and they won't." Yang didn't let her finish as she moved her hand so that they laid on top of the faunus'. "Look, I didn't say much yesterday and I've been feeling really, really lousy about it. You can only trust in words so much, right? That's why I've been thinking of how to prove it to you and, well, here's your proof."

Blake was stunned. All this time she had thought their little trip to the park was just that, a trip. She had no idea that it doubled as Yang trying to reassure her.

The silence must have worried Yang because she lifted her hands and said, "I'm sorry. This was a mistake. I shouldn't have brought it up."

The sudden loss of contact snapped the amber eyed girl snapped out of her trance. She didn't want to lose contact, not yet, and cupped Yang's hands in her own. She then shook her head to disagree with what her friend had said. "No, Yang, it's ok," she replied. "I know you meant well."

"Then… then you don't hate me for ambushing you like this?"

"Of course not. To be honest, it's not much to get rid of all my insecurities but it's a start." Blake smiled sweetly. "And for that I'm grateful."

Yang was so choked up on happiness that she could barely speak. It meant the world to know that her plan to rid Blake of her fears had a slight effect. Maybe, just maybe, she could get rid of them altogether. Then the faunus wouldn't have to deal with such unpleasant thoughts on a daily basis.

The thought of a happy Blake filled Yang with motivation and purpose. Unlike Blake who was in check with her emotions, Yang's feelings overwhelmed her. Without warning, she threw herself onto Blake and embraced her, albeit very tightly. Blake didn't mind the sudden display of affection. She welcomed it entirely and even reciprocated the hug. All she thought about was how nice it was to be held.

After a few minutes of hugging in silence, Yang pulled back and placed her hands on either side of Blake's cheeks.

"I really do believe you're incapable of joining them," the blonde whispered.

"I'm not so sure of that," Blake replied, putting her hand atop of Yang's.

Yang pursed her lips and smacked their foreheads together, causing Blake to wince.

"With time, I'll make you believe it, too," Yang said defiantly.

Amber eyes looked into amethyst ones. Blake was amazed at the conviction in Yang's voice. The blonde truly wanted her friend to be happy. No one had ever extended their hand so far for her before. No one had ever cared so much about her mental wellbeing.

"Yang," Blake murmured as she leaned in close. Their lips were inches apart. She closed her eyes and moved closer, opting to worry about the consequences later.

Then the bench broke and the two fell with it.

A/N:
Found a song I think fits nicely for this story. It's "J'envoie Valser" by Zazie though the cover by Olivia Ruiz is nice, too!
Also songs by Yann Tiersen are nice to listen to. Ok, just French artists in general are nice for romance stories. uwu"