Chapter 6

"Blake?"

"Sorry, Dr. Ozpin. I was spaced out for a second."

"No need for apologies in this place, Blake. You know that."

"I know. But there are better uses of the time here."

"Maybe so. Where were we spacing off to?"

"It was just something Weiss said when we were at my office the other day. I guess it hit a little harder than I thought it did initially."

"Something regarding the past, I'm assuming?"

"Yes and no. She was just looking at a photo I have of the two of us from back when we were in college that sits on my desk. She said she missed that."

"Could she have meant that she missed the time, or was it something else, do you think?"

"I'm not sure, but it felt like she meant she missed the time, and how we all used to be."

"Be?"

"Before I got involved with Adam, where it was just me and Weiss and everything was good. And Yang wasn't.." she takes in a deep breath, unsure how to describe it, "how she is now after everything that happened."

"Do you feel like what happened back then still inhibits your friendship with Yang?"

"I feel like I invited a crazy man into our home. And it ended up hurting all three of us in ways that I'm not sure I can ever attempt to fix or even begin to repair."

Blake forces the memories to stop trying to replay over and over in her mind. It had been years. And they were still vivid in her mind.

"Walk through it again with me."

So much for that, then.

"It was almost the end of the first semester of our senior year of college. Yang, Weiss and I all lived together in a house we rented." A heavy sigh leaves her chest before continuing. "I had met Adam at a New Year's party earlier that year and we started dating shortly after. So it had been about ten and a half months at that time."

She looks up to find Ozpin listening intently.

"He was angry about something. He had called and text me all day. But I hadn't answered because I was at the library, studying for finals with Weiss and my phone was on silent. Yang had picked us up from the library on her way home from the gym, because she borrowed my car. And when we got home, he was there. It looked like he had busted multiple windows, and smashed up Yang's bike. And it looked like he had tried to beat the door in."

It was like a scene from a movie that just got stuck on loop. She saw it when she was awake, asleep, all the time.

"And when we got out of the car, Yang approached him, asked him to leave. Or else she was going to call the police. I remember them screaming at each other. Eventually he took a swing at her, and she hit him. Then he grabbed her and twisted her arm. I just remember telling Weiss to call for help. And I tried to get to Yang, but he kept blocking me from her."

At this point, the tears are swelling in her eyes, and she's trying to force them down.

"He was just yelling. Telling me how awful I was to him. That I was never there when he needed me. And that he had done nothing but great things for me. And that I didn't need them. How he was going to be the only person that could ever love me."

Then, like a mirror, something shatters in her chest. But she knows that this will never stop haunting her if she continues to gate keep it.

"And then Weiss-" she has to stop and close her eyes because she feels racked with a guilt so heavy that it could push her through the floor. She takes a few breaths and Ozpin nods approvingly. "Weiss steps between us and he slapped her so hard she fell. And I remember there was blood everywhere. And I don't know what happened. I was so angry. I hit him. I can't- I don't even know how many times. Just enough to where when I stopped, he didn't try to hurt them again."

She sits back in her place on the couch, sitting with her legs criss crossed.

"Yang's arm was broken badly. And Weiss had a deep cut across her eye from where his ring had cut her face. It scarred."

"You don't have the ability to predict the behavior of others. You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

"I know that." Her voice is small, almost childlike. "I just don't know if I can ever forgive myself for what happened to them. Because of me."

"Given everything in life that has occurred since those events, many years ago at this point, do you feel like the detachment you feel in your relationship with Yang is all due to that event?"

Blake takes a second to think. Her and Yang have been friends, best friends since they were tiny. But somewhere along the way, their paths had begun to diverge.

"If I am honest-"

"That's how we prefer it here."

"I feel like Yang and I were starting to grow up in different ways. Like the connection we had since we were younger was starting to pull in different directions. And maybe that was the deciding factor for us to realize that we weren't the same kids we had been. It wasn't that we don't want to be friends anymore. But it felt like something was beginning to run its course and then everything got completely derailed. And now, now I feel like she thinks I chose Weiss over her. Which is crazy. Because they are so different and there is no comparison between them. So I just let this animosity take over and now whenever we see each other it's weird. Like meeting someone that already knows so much about you, but it's like you're meeting them for the first time."

"But you feel like this hasn't happened with your relationship with Weiss?" Blake shakes her head back and forth.

"Weiss is different."

"How so?"

"Yang is that friend that you call when you want to go drinking on a week day. That tells you when you're being dumb. While at the same time using the most god awful puns. But deep down, you know she will always have your back."

"And Weiss?"

"Weiss is the person that can tell how I'm feeling without me even having to say a single word. She knows all the little details. Her presence isn't socially draining. She's the one that takes care of me when I'm sick. Asks me how my day was. It just feels reciprocal. When I'm with her I feel like there isn't anything I need to hide or protect myself from."

"You consider this relationship to be platonic?"

—

"You beat me home."

"More like you are home late."

"More like I had an appointment so I'm perfectly on time." Blake states, matter of factly, mirroring Weiss' accusation.

Weiss just smirks and rolls her eyes, returning her attention to whatever it was she was watching on tv.

Blake makes herself something to eat and sits down on the couch, to watch whatever it was that had Weiss' attention.

She tries to watch whatever show Weiss had picked out, but her focus was elsewhere. Thinking about the discussion her and Dr. Ozpin had earlier that afternoon.

"How was your day?"

"Hm?" Blake looks over to see Weiss as turned in place to face her, a mug held between her hands, likely hot chocolate. It was kind of cold outside today.

"How was your day? Anything interesting happen? Anything not interesting happen?"

She knows what Weiss said but for some reason, Ozpin's question rings loudly in the back of her mind. You consider this relationship to be platonic? There was an answer to this question, but it wasn't one that she was ready to give. Or that she knew how to answer entirely.

"It was okay. I had therapy this afternoon after work." She clears her throat and starts eating her food. Leftovers from the night before.

"So that's why you were late, I see."

"I wasn't late. I just wasn't where you thought I was going to be, and when."

"Fair enough." Weiss watches intently as Blake keeps eating. "What's wrong?"

"Nuffing" Blake says, mouth full of food.

"Don't speak with food in your mouth."

"Okay, mom."

"And don't lie to me. I can tell something is wrong."

"Nothing is wrong, really. I promise, I'm just feeling, I dunno, introspective, is all."

"I take it your therapy session went well then." Weiss breaks eye contact, looking back towards the tv, almost as though she wanted to back out of the topic of conversation she had just started.

"It went." Blake nods. "Talked about some stuff that I just gotta think about a little bit more."

"I have found after only a month or so of sessions that you usually answer questions, just to end up with twice as many questions to your own answers."

"Tell me about it." Blake mumbles and she gets up from her place and makes her way towards the office.

"You're going to work now? It's late."

"No. I just want to think for a little bit. And I'll do it best in there."

"Okay. If you need me for anything, I'll be here."

Blake mumbles an acknowledgment and wanders off down the hall to the office. She plops down in her reading chair, tossing the blanket that hangs over the back of it down across her lap.

She pulls her feet up underneath herself and leans her head back to rest on the back of the chair, looking almost fully up at the ceiling.

The questions that Ozpin had raised in their session that day had Blake's mind absolutely reeling.

Was her relationship with Weiss platonic? Of course it was. It had to be. Right?

They were just friends. So why was Blake sitting here trying to convince herself that she was just friends, with her best friend?

She had admitted to Ozpin that there were distinct differences in the way she felt towards Yang and Weiss. And those only seemed to differentiate more drastically as they got older.

Did she think of Weiss in a non platonic way?

Sure, Weiss was gorgeous. She had immaculate style and taste. Everything about her seemed always in place.

But she was also caring, honest, defiant, brave, and so smart.

Did she tease Weiss and intentionally push her buttons, just with the intent to fluster her? Absolutely. But Weiss never got angry with her, the way she did with Yang.

There was an unspoken softness that existed between the two of them. Could it be something-

"God damnit!" Her thoughts are brought to a screeching halt by the sound of Weiss' profanity echoing through the halls.

Blake tosses the blanket off her lap and rushes out into the hallway to see what happened and runs straight into Weiss, who is in the middle of pulling her shirt up over her head.

"Oh, oh my god." Is all Blake can manage to say as she finds herself basically hugging Weiss as she finishes pulling the shirt up over her head.

"Blake!" The redness in Weiss' face changing from angry to embarrassment. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in the office!" They step back from each other, switching places.

"I-I was but then I heard you yell so I was worried and I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Blake can't decide if she's trying to look away from Weiss' chest or just close her eyes. Thank god she had a bra on still. "Sorry. I'm just gonna go. I didn't mean to. Ugh."

Fast as possible, Blake turns around and heads off to her room, where her and her thoughts will be safe.

About ten minutes later, Blake is laying on her bed, across the middle, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spins. Trying to work what happened out of her head. It shouldn't be there.

"Hey Blake?" Oh no.

"Yeah Weiss?" She doesn't move from her spot, still looking up at the fan.

"I just wanted to apologize for running into you in the hall." She hears Weiss slide down to sit against the side of her bed, near her, but not on the bed. "I spilled hot chocolate on my shirt and I didn't want it to stain so I was trying to get it in the laundry."

"It's okay."

"You just seemed uncomfortable."

"It's not a big deal."

Blake's voice seems empty. And it makes Weiss worry. She turns so that she can rest her arms and chin on the mattress, to look at Blake.

She's still staring up, watching the ceiling fan spin. Her arms are stretched out from her sides. Her eyes are still golden as always, but she seems a million miles away.

Not knowing what else she can do, she pats the top of Blake's hand once, and stands up and makes her way to the door.

"Weiss?" She turns around to see Blake, still stuck where she had been the whole time.

"Mhm?"

"Do you think if Adam hadn't happened, that we would be different?"

"I think that even though it was horrible, the three of us, we learned a lot about what was important to us that day."

"I mean us. You and me. Not Yang."

"I feel like all coins have two sides and you can never have one without the other."

"Are we the same coin?"

"Feels like it to me."

"Okay." Blake's voice is so small that it's almost a whisper. "Night, Weiss."

"Goodnight, Blake. Want me to close the door?"

"No, thank you."

As Weiss walks the short distance between their rooms, she can't help but wonder why Blake Belladonna pulls and tugs at her heart in so many ways.