So, this chapter is going to be a bit different in that...it's not humor. This is pretty much pure fluff, with some added kind of family scenes at the start. But I hope you guys enjoy it all the same!
Disclaimer-I don't own teh RWBY. *cry*
Chapter 4 - The Story of Our Lives
The sound of the alarm, followed by the loud clashing of reinforced gates slamming into each other hit Yang's ears as she calmly waited by the door to the room. She felt naked without Ember Celica on, but she comforted herself with the reminder they would be right outside the room, in easy reach. She understood why she had to surrender her gauntlets…didn't mean it felt right, but she understood. As she waited, arms crossed behind her back, she noticed the way the two guards flanking her kept shooting glances her way. She supposed it made sense…she was something of a celebrity hero, being a part of team RWBY and the title holder for kickboxing currently. And well, she looked incredible, if she said so herself. She would have smiled, but her mission kept poking into her mind, making her keep a neutral expression on a face far more used to bright, open smiles. A cough from her right made her turn to look at the female guard, who gestured to the door.
"He's ready Miss Xiao Long." Yang nodded, stepping back so the male guard could unlock the door. As it opened, Yang stepped in, her eyes instantly locking onto the red haired man handcuffed to the metal table. He looked up and locked his hazel eyes with her lilac ones, a worried look crossing his face as he tried to stand. Both Yang's escort and the two guards behind him stepped forward as he lurched over, hands still cuffed to the table.
"You! You're Yang. Is something the matter with Blake? Is she ok? What happened?" Yang was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice, before raising her hands to placate him.
"Whoa, whoa. Chill. Blake is fine, I swear." Adam took in a deep breath, seating himself once more, hands clasped before him. The guards stayed close to him, just in case he had another outburst, but Yang waved them back. Taking the seat on the other side of the table, Yang spun it about and straddled it, leaving her hands resting on the back of it. Yang nodded to the guards, giving her permission for them to leave the room. She had set this visit up a week ago, wanting privacy. They had worked out a compromise, allowing the guards to stay outside the room, keeping their eyes on Adam, but not being able to hear what was said. The four guards shared a glance before nodding sharply, each pair exiting through the two opposite doors and standing at attention behind them. Yang looked back over to Adam, once again locking eyes with him. He spoke, his voice low and steady.
"Blake speaks of you often when she visits. But I never expected to see you here. Why are you here?"
Yang sighed, running her hand through her hair as she looked down at the table. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at Adam. "Blake told me a lot about you. How you were her first friend, you taught her to fight, to survive, how to live off whatever came your way. But you also taught her how to read. You gave her her love of books. You looked out for her. You protected her, provided for her. You did for her what I did for my little sister Ruby. In every way, for the first part of her life, you were her only family. And right now, you're still her only family." Adam cocked his head at Yang, the confusion evident in his eyes as he narrowed them. Yang closed her eyes briefly before continuing.
"When Weiss wanted to ask my sister to marry her, she asked my father's permission, and my own. Even though we all think it's an outdated tradition and unnecessary, she asked. She said it meant more to her to get our approval. And you know, I kinda see where she's coming from. So that's why I'm here. I won't ever forgive you for what you did in Vale, as part of Cinder's assault on the city. But, you're Blake's family…the only family she has left. So I came here to ask you…may I have your blessing to marry Blake?"
Adam was clearly taken aback, his entire being leaning back from her as his mouth gaped wide. Yang would have giggled at the comical expression on his face, if she weren't so nervous about his reply. Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath, composing himself, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table as he looked back at Yang.
"Blake talks about you a lot. In fact, half the time she spends here, she's telling me another story about you. She calls you her light, did you know that?" Yang's brilliant blush answered his question, making his lips twitch slightly upward. "Well, she does. Blake loves you…and the fact you came here, facing me, when we both know you hate me, to ask me this, tells me you love her. So my answer is yes. You have my blessing. As long as you promise me, promise me, you will keep her safe and happy. Just give me your word you'll keep protecting her, and I will gladly give you my blessing."
Yang nodded. "Of course. I will always protect her, forever. Nothing will stop me. I promise, I'll keep her safe and keep trying to make her as happy as she makes me."
Adam smiled ruefully. "Very well. You have my blessing, and my best wishes."
Yang smiled back at Adam, before schooling her expression once more. Nervously drumming her fingers on the back of the chair, she sighed again. "Ok…thank you. Well, in that case, I have one more question for you. More of a request. I've spoken to Ruby and Weiss about this, and we're all leery, but I know what this would mean to Blake, so…" Yang trailed off, but Adam gestured at her to keep going. Yang shook her head for a moment to clear it, before continuing. "If she says yes, when we get married…would you be willing to attend? Walk her down the aisle? You'd have to be under heavy guard, and you'd have to wear semblance disabling cuff, but…I know Blake would love it if you could be there."
Adam blinked at Yang, shocking the blonde when she noticed the small tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. He shook his head quickly, coughing for a second, before replying. "Are….are you sure? I wouldn't want to put a damper on the wedding for the rest of you."
Yang slowly shook her head, smiling softly at him. "I can't forgive the man in the mask for what he did to Vale. And you are still that man. But Blake has told me, time and again, there is much more to you than the mask. I just saw a bit of that man when you reacted to my request. No, it wouldn't put a damper on it. Blake would love it, and as long as she's happy, I'm happy. I'm willing to look for what Blake sees. Are you willing to show me what it is she sees?" Adam glanced down at the table, looking at his cuffed hands, with a half-smile on his face. The two sat in silence for a few moments, before he glanced up at Yang.
His voice a whisper, he replied to Yang. "If Blake and you would have me, I would be honored to be a part of your wedding." Yang nodded sharply, her expression distracted.
"Ok…ok. But you have to wear one of the cuffs you know. And from experience, let me tell you, they aren't comfortable." Adam cocked his head at Yang, confusion written on his face. She sighed, before continuing. "It's a new invention Weiss' company came up with. They are cuffs that can be worn underneath clothing that disable a person's access to their semblance. When it came time for human trials, Weiss asked me to be the guinea pig, since she figured if the cuffs could block my aura, they could block nearly anyone's. Well…they work. They work very well. It's not painful, but…it's hard to explain, but without access to your semblance, it feels like part of you is missing. It's very weird. I can't say I like it, but I see the use of it. I just want you to know what you're agreeing to."
Adam shook his head in negation, the rueful half smile still on his face. "I get it, but I'll deal with it. I understand why it's necessary. As long as it makes Blake happy, I'll deal with it."
Yang smiled sadly back at Adam. "Alright. Well, I don't know when it'll be, I have to ask her first-"Adam quickly interrupted her, his smile turning slightly wicked.
"How are you going to ask her?"
Yang choked on her own words for a moment, before composing herself. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Adam, a bashful blush on her face. "Well, I was thinking-"
Blake sighed, giving Yang an unamused glare as she held the two sets of earmuffs (one designed specifically for her faunus ears) and blindfold in her hand. "Why are you making me put these on?"
"Cause! Just trust me for a bit, ok? I promise I'm not pranking you, I just want this to be a surprise." Blake let out a long suffering sigh, before fitting the blindfold on. Placing the earmuffs over her human ears, she paused for a moment, consternation written on her face. Blake felt Yang quickly kiss her forehead. "I promise Blake, it'll be ok. Do you trust me?" Blake's expression smoothed out at that as she smiled blindly at Yang, before placing the other pair of earmuffs over her faunus ears. With the senses she relied on the most muffled, she felt vulnerable, but the feeling of Yang taking her hands gently and pulling her along slowly made her feel less so. She took a deep breath through her nose, taking in Yang's scent, a strange mix of citrus and smoke, something that shouldn't work together but somehow always did when it came to Yang. She felt the grass beneath her feet as Yang led her through the backyard of the estate, felt it drop off as it reached the edge of the forest behind, the scent of carefully manicured grass cut off by the leaves around them.
Blake allowed Yang to lead her on further, deeper into the forest, never once stumbling with Yang's exceedingly careful guidance. Her nose twitched as she smelled fresh water, leaving her even more confused, before Yang finally stopped in place. The first thing Yang removed was the earmuffs over her faunus ears, making Blake breathe a sigh of relief as she got to air them out slightly. They were not used to being pinned like that. She could clearly hear Yang's giggle as she twitched her ears, rolling her eyes beneath the blindfold at how much that amused the blonde. Next, Yang pulled off the other set of earmuffs, followed by the blindfold. Blake blinked, the afternoon sunlight blinding her slightly, until her eyes adjusted to the brightness to see what lay before her.
Yang and Blake were standing a few feet away from a large pond in a clearing somewhere deep within the forest behind Weiss' house. A small wooden bench sat to Blake's left, with a leather bound book laying on it. Yang smiled softly at Blake before leading her to the bench, gently pushing her down onto it. Blake looked up at Yang, confused as the blonde sat next to her and picked up the book. "So, are you going to tell me what this is about yet?" Yang chuckled, before opening the book.
"I'm gonna read you a story, Blakey. It's one you know pretty well. This book is called 'Day and Night.'"
"I've never heard of this book," Blake arched an eyebrow at Yang.
"Don't worry, you know this. And you'll love it! Ok, here, lemme get started." Yang flipped the book open, revealing the first page. Blake noticed it had no copyright nor dedication pages, and the writing appeared handwritten, unusual for most published books, but Yang's voice drew her attention back to the blonde next to her. "One fateful day, traveling through an ancient, dark, Grimm infested forest, a young girl stumbled across two Ursa. Quickly finding her strength within, the girl exploded into action, slaying one of the two bear Grimm, but before she could finish off the second, it fell at her feet, dead from a blade impaled in its back. Looking up, she locked eyes with the dark haired beautiful girl from the night before. She remembered the amber eyed girl from the night before and her subsequent attempts to help her sister make friends. But, that didn't matter now. Now, as their eyes had locked, they were partners." Blake caught on quickly to the story being told, a tiny chuckle coming from her as she slipped her arm around Yang's waist. She lay her head on Yang's shoulder and closed her eyes, listening to the blonde's surprisingly calm voice as she read from the book, reliving all their memories together.
It took well over an hour, as Yang steadily read from the book, not once losing her place. Blake was snuggled deeply into Yang's shoulder, a smile practically fused to her face, knowing how much work Yang had to go through for this. The way it was worded, it was pretty clear Yang hadn't written it herself…Blake assumed she had gotten a ghostwriter, or a friend who was good with words to record her stories. Her ears twitched again, noticing the same tiny giggle off in the distance she had heard a few times throughout Yang's reading. She rolled her eyes to herself, her face still hidden in Yang's shoulder…Ruby and Weiss might think they were sneaky, but between Ruby's persistent fidgeting and the fact Weiss kept scolding Ruby under her breath, Blake was very aware of their presence in the trees to their right. Idly, she wondered why they were watching, but left it aside in her mind. Yang had reached recent events, and looking down at the book, Blake realized it had far more pages than this would take. When Yang's voice stopped abruptly, Blake shuddered for a second, lifting her head to look up at the blonde.
"Hey Blake, I think you outta read this last page." Yang held the book out to Blake, the faunus blinking in confusion, but taking the book in her hands, it open to the last page with writing on it. Blake shrugged, deciding to play along. Blake began reading it aloud, quickly realizing it was a chronicle of the events of that day. As she reached the final paragraph, her mind noted Yang getting up, but so focused in the story she didn't even realize what that meant.
"And as Blake read the final words, she looked down to see Yang kneeling before her, a box in hand. Yang smiled up at Blake, looking deep into beautiful amber pools, before speaking softly. 'Blake Belladonna, will you marry me?'" Blake's eyes went wide as she read those words out loud, slowly lifting her gaze from the book to see the truth of the words written on the page. Yang was on one knee before her, brilliant lilac eyes glinting up at her, smile so wide it must have hurt. One hand outstretched, a small dark box in hand, open to reveal a white gold band with a single sapphire resting in the center of the band. In Yang's other hand, a pen rested, held out to Blake.
Blake's hands were shaking as she stared, wide-eyed, unable to move from pure shock. Her eyes darted between Yang, the ring, and the pen, before taking one final glance down at the book resting open in her lap. A muffled squeal erupting from the woods to her right, along with a hissed admonishment, made her jolt. Blake took the pen from Yang's hand, still shaking, and bent over the book in her lap, scribbling quickly. Blake dropped the pen, lifting the book up before her like a shield, holding it open before Yang's face. Yang quickly scanned over the words, her smile brightening even more, as she read from them.
"As Blake recovered from her shock, the only response she could make came from deep within her heart. 'Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!'" Blake dropped the book as Yang finished reading, diving forward off the bench into Yang's welcoming arms, tears of joy pouring down her face as she hugged her girl-no, fiancée tightly, repeating the words she'd written down over and over. Yang drew her to her feet, arms wrapped around Blake, twirling her in place as she laughed. Separating slightly, Yang took the ring out of its resting place in the box and took Blake's hand in her own, slipping the ring onto her finger. Blake lifted her hand, mouth gaping as she gazed at the ring, eyes still blurred with tears. She buried her head in Yang's neck, squeezing her tight enough to rival the blonde's own insanely strong hugs. Lifting her head up, she took Yang's face in both of her hands and slammed their lips together fiercely, possessively, pouring all of her love and affection out for her little sun dragon.
Breaking the kiss, Blake's eyes met lilac ones as she smiled, panting slightly from being out of breath, before gently touching her forehead to Yang's. Chuckling slightly as she heard another squeal, she rolled her eyes before calling out. "Ok you two, enough hiding. Come out!" Seconds later, a red blur appeared beside her and Yang, wrapping her arms around the two of them in a tight hug. Sheepishly, Weiss emerged from the tree line, looking positively ashamed to have been caught as she walked over to them. Blake extricated herself from Ruby's arms as she glanced down at the book on the bench, before lifting her eyes to meet Weiss'. "Did you write that?"
Weiss shook her head in negation. "No, Yang wrote it. I helped her with the wording, but she did all the writing herself." Blake turned back to Yang again, in awe of what she had gone through for her, but Yang just shrugged, still smiling at Blake, her own eyes watery in joy. Ruby kept dancing around them, giggling happily, looking for all the world like she was fifteen again as she wildly danced in happiness.
Blake glanced down at her hand, noticing the cut of the sapphire was unusual. "Where did you get the ring?" Yang nodded at Ruby, who noticed and paused in mid dance, glancing down sheepishly. Blake looked at her in confusion.
"Well, I made Weiss' ring for her too. I learned how to cut stones for it. So when Yang wanted something special for you, of course I worked on it! You've been my sister for years…so I'm happy to help you become my sister legally too!" Blake choked out a laugh, a fresh batch of tears coming to her eyes as Yang took her in her warm arms once more.
"You guys…" Blake cut herself off, unable to continue as she sobbed, head buried in Yang's shoulder. Ruby wrapped her arm around Weiss' waist, the red and white pair just smiling at Blake. Ruby met Yang's eyes for a second, nodding to Yang as Yang returned the look. Swiftly, Ruby snatched Weiss up into her arms, holding her bridal style as the older girl eeped, wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck in confusion.
"Well, we'll leave you two alone. See you back at the house Blake, everyone is waiting to hear how it went! Weiss has everything ready for you two to start planning set up for you!" Without waiting for a response, Ruby disappeared in a blur. Blake had lifted her head to say something, but shut her mouth with a clack as she realized the pair was gone, leaving her and Yang alone. Blake lifted her head the rest of the way, meeting Yang's eyes once more. Yang kissed her forehead softly.
"Let's sit out here for a while, ok? We'll go back later. But we can't forget the book…lots of pages left in it for us to fill out. We'll have plenty of time to fill them." Blake sniffled, laughing softly, as she dropped her head down again to nuzzle Yang's neck.
"Yeah. Let's do that. I love you Yang…I love you so much."
"I love you too, kitten."
So, that was a thing. I hope you guys liked it! If you want, I will continue this storyline in a later (but not next) chapter, showing the whole preparation and wedding scene. I mean, sure, its overdone, but I'm terrible shipper trash and will write such cliche overdone things happily! Once again, thanks for reading, and keep on being awesome!