Onwards with the chapter…

Chapter 28

"It's over."

The words echoed in Yang's mind. It was like a bell. Over and over. She tried to put meaning to them, to find some other explanation for them than what they really meant. Her head shook from side to side. She couldn't believe them. "Y-You're joking, right?" She laughed. "This is your idea of a joke, isn't it? It's not funny!"

"No jokes."

"Stop it! What are you-?" A growl escaped her. "Why are you saying this?"

"Because you need to know," he said, with a voice that seemed far too calm for the situation at hand. He stood there, arms at his side, eyes focused on her through that damnable mask. "I don't want you to come back, after all. I need you to know that you won't be allowed to see me anymore. These sessions, our time together… you should put it behind you."

Hurt flashed through her. She took a step back, eyes wide. It felt like he'd slapped her across the face. No. That kind of pain would have been better. This was a dagger to the heart. Despite her best attempts, tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. She hated herself that she dared show such weakness, but there was no holding them back. "Why?" she whispered. "I don't understand."

"It's not something you need to. It's my decision."

"That's not enough!" She stepped forward this time. "Tell me why! Was it something I said? Was it something I did?"

"No."

"Liar!"

"I'm not lying. Why would I?"

"It has to be something," she said. "There has to be a reason. There was nothing wrong with what we did last time."

"It's not you, Yang. It's me."

A laugh bubbled out of her, even if there was no mirth behind it. How many times had she laid that line on someone? Normally her male friends from Signal when they'd fallen for her… tried to make their relationship something it wasn't. She hadn't done that with Crimson, though. She'd gotten over her crush for him.

"I don't understand," she whispered. "We were fine last time. Everything was great. We were… we were friends." Her eyes clenched shut. Her hands tightened into fists. "Why are you doing this? You told me you were my friend!"

"I told you what you wanted to hear."

Her eyes snapped open. Crimson was before her now, less than two paces away. His face was neutral, his lips turned down in a frown. It was a far cry from the man she'd gotten used to. The man she thought she knew.

"Didn't I tell you when we first met? I'm an entertainer. It's my job to be whatever a woman wants me to be… to pretend to be whatever they need."

"N-No…"

"I'm sorry, Yang. That's all it ever was."

The words cut into her. "Don't say it," she begged.

"You were only ever a customer to me."

Silence reigned between them. The only thing she could hear was her own heart, which seemed dull and uneven to her ears. How could he…? He had to be joking. This had to be some kind of nightmare. Not another one. She couldn't lose someone else – even if she'd only known him for a month or two now.

It just wasn't fair.

"You're lying," she said. "What we had wasn't fake. You would relax around me, you talked. I…" She believed it was real. Saying that now felt foolish. Wasn't that the point of things like this, that he'd fake and pretend? "Why are you doing this now?" she asked. "Why couldn't you…"

"Keep pretending?"

She growled and looked away. A fake friendship would hurt, but part of her wanted to say yes. If he had really been faking it, then it wouldn't matter if he kept going. She wouldn't have ever known. Gods, how pathetic was she? When had she become so weak-willed? Couldn't he say that he was doing this for her, that it was for her own good? At least then she could believe he still cared for her. Instead of… instead of this disgustingly unbothered expression.

She felt like an insect. "Well?" she snapped. "Say something."

"What is there to say? You can still come to the Golden Oyster, but you won't be allowed to visit with me. I'll ask you not to interact with me if you see me at all." His voice was calm and even. She hated it more than she hated herself. "Act as though I don't exist. It will be easier for us both that way."

Easier… act…Yang staggered back. Her knees almost gave way, but she caught herself with one hand on the wall. Don't show weakness, she told herself. You know it won't help. He's not the first friend to abandon you. It's fine. She'd gotten used to it, after all. First there was her Mom, then her male friends at Signal, and then her female friends when their crushes developed feelings for her. This was nothing new.

So why did it hurt so much?

"Please… can you just tell me why. I want to know why you're doing this. After that, I'll leave." She looked to him with pleading eyes. "I promise."

Crimson sighed. He looked away, mumbled something under his breath, and then turned back to her. His sapphire eyes were flat. Dull. "I don't have to give you a reason." He nodded towards the door. "Please leave."

Yang's tenuous control shattered. Her teeth ground together, and despite her best attempts, the tears flowed at last. They were followed by a choked off sob, but she turned around before he could see or hear anymore. Her feet carried her to the door, and although she wanted to leave with some final, biting insult, nothing would come to mind.

Nothing but the question. Why? She swallowed it and pushed out, away from him, away from the hurt. It didn't stop the tears. The bouncer saw her. His eyes widened, and he took a step forward. She dashed past him, down the corridor, only to crash into someone else.

"Oh, is that Yang?" Nina's teasing voice reached her ears. "Where are you going in such a…" A pause, as Yang's eyes met hers. "Yang? What happened? What's wrong?"

Yang pushed her arms weakly against the woman's chest, fighting her way out of the gentle hold. "E-Excuse me," she whimpered. "I have to go."

"Yang, wait-"

"I'm sorry!" Yang pushed her aside and fled. She cleared the restricted area with ease, coming back out into the VIP area. There was a dancer on the stage. None of the customers looked her way. One of the waitresses behind the bar did, the one who always brought her drinks. The girl's eyes widened. She motioned to a colleague, then tried to move out and towards her. Yang shook her head and rushed to the door.

She had to leave. She had to go. She couldn't stay. Not like this!

Three steps at a time, four at places. Her hand held the railing as her feet hammered down the stairs. People got in her way, but rarely stayed there. Some hurled insults as she pushed by, others – the sober ones – looked at her with sympathy and pity.

It was the same look Reg gave her when she reached the bottom and he looked over to see what the commotion was. Angry Reg, rude and caustic, filled with insults. He put down his ever-present pint glass and cloth, then pushed his way out from behind the bar. In a strange, bizarre way, she wanted to run into his arms and cry.

She couldn't, though. She couldn't face any of them. How had she been so stupid? How could she have fallen for this? It seemed so obvious… so god damned obvious. What part of her honestly thought anything he said was real? What part forgot what he was? The pain mixed with anger, along with self-hate and a desperate desire to scream at the top of her voice.

She was an idiot… an idiot who let herself be taken advantage of. Crimson might not have been able to do that physically, not with her strength, but he'd found another way to hurt her.

One far more painful.

Yang dodged Reg before he could reach her. She heard him call her name, but shook her head and kept running. She was out the door and into the streets before anyone could stop her. It was raining. Good.

It would mask her tears when she got back to Beacon.

/-/

The moment the door slammed, he fell. It was like a puppet whose strings were cut, and he slumped onto the couch, head in hands. That… that went about as well as he'd thought it would, which was to say awfully. He didn't think he'd ever forget the look on her face. Who even knew someone as strong and proud as Yang Xiao-Long could cry like that?

Who knew it would be him to make her do it?

The door slammed back open. He looked up, ready to stand, but remained seated when it was Nina who entered. Her face was set in stone. "What did you do?"

"What I had to."

She growled, stormed forward and settled her hands in his shirt. Her face pressed against his as she dragged him up. "What," she asked, slowly, "did you do?"

"I cut her off. I told her I never wanted to see her again."

Nina's fist slammed into his cheek.

It hurt… but he didn't complain. The stinging was nothing compared to the dull ache in his stomach. He deserved it too. A part of him wished Yang would have been the one to do it. At least then she could have had some closure, and he feel a little less awful about what he'd done.

"Why the fuck would you do that?" Nina asked. "Damn it… such a stupid apprentice. If you act fast you might be able to catch her up. You can apologise-"

"I'm not going after her."

"What?"

"I said I'm not going after her," he repeated. His voice was firm, even if that was the only thing he felt confident in. "Wasn't this what you wanted me to do? What were your words? Oh yes, those who do nothing are destined to lose everything. Well congratulations, I did something."

"What, push her away before you can lose her?" She snorted. "Genius move."

"Well what was I supposed to do?" he roared.

"Tell her the truth!" she yelled back. "Come clean. Deal with it, move on!"

"The truth?" Jaune sighed and rubbed his cheek where she'd hit him. "She wouldn't want to hear the truth. Besides, I didn't tell her I didn't want to see her again. Crimson said it. Yang and I will still be friends. I'll make it up to her, I promise."

"You mean Jaune Arc will," Nina said. "The student at Beacon."

He looked to her. "That's who I am."

"Wrong!" She reached over to push a finger into his chest. "You're not some preppy teen in a school for huntsmen. You're Jaune Arc, the man who was a stripper and now wants to become a huntsman. You keep saying you hate Crimson because he's a mask, but you're just trying to replace one mask with another, this time of an innocent guy in school." She sighed and stepped back. "That's not who you are. You're a mixture of that and Crimson. You can't keep hiding from that fact. Hell, you shouldn't even feel guilty about it. He's your ability to adapt to a difficult situation, he's your determination given form, your resolve to keep going no matter how bad the situation is. He's a young street orphan who was forced to do unsavoury things to survive."

Jaune looked away.

"No one wants to admit they grew up like that, Jaune. You shouldn't try to pretend it never happened, though."

That wasn't it. Or… was it? He wasn't sure. His thoughts were muddied. All he knew was that he couldn't keep taking advantage of Yang like this. What kind of friend would he be if he did? Her relationship with Crimson was unhealthy. He was literally stealing her money, not to mention that her reputation would be ruined if anyone ever found out. That they hadn't so far was a miracle. It wouldn't last.

"I'm doing this for her," he said.

"Are you so sure?" Nina crossed her arms. "That sounds pretty arrogant. I just watched a girl flee the club in tears. Doesn't sound like you helped her all that much."

"Are you saying it's healthy for someone to visit a stripper that much?" He stared at his teacher, a sarcastic curl to his lips. "Or that it's okay for me to lie to her constantly? Every time she comes here, I have to lie and lie, and I end up using what she tells me against her." He sighed. "Sometimes it's to help her, true, but she still always asks me if I'll tell anyone. Do you know what I say, Nina?"

She didn't answer.

"I say no. I say no, of course not. No one will ever find out. That Jaune guy especially won't, since it's him you've been talking about lately." He dropped the mocking tone. "Funnily enough, Jaune does find out. So, I'm not only tricking her and lying, but betraying her trust too. And you think I should have kept that going?"

"No." Nina sighed and sat down beside him. "I thought you should have told her your reasons and explained yourself. Jaune, I'm worried about you. I practically raised you, along with Reg. You know I care for you…"

He felt his anger fade. One of her arms wrapped around him, and he leaned his head on her shoulder. "I know," he whispered. She'd always been there for him. Reg had too, as had Brian, but Nina's touch had always felt gentler. Like how he imagined a mother's might.

It was twisted, still… since he doubted a mother walked around naked so much, flirted or taught you to seduce and tease as you stripped naked. Everything about this life was twisted. Twisted, but also kind in its own way. They were tainted, one and all, but they looked after one another.

"I'm just worried," she continued. "I was when you first decided to attend Beacon, and this doesn't help. No matter how good you are at making women happy, you don't know how to act when that's focused on yourself."

"What do you mean?"

Nina sighed. "You don't know how to deal with you having feelings for her."

"Yang is a friend. Nothing more."

"You say that, but your reaction here suggests otherwise." Nina gave him a quick hug. "I'm not sure when she became the centre of your universe, but it certainly looks like she has. Everything you do, both in Beacon and as Crimson, seems related to her. Heh… all I ever hear from you is what the two of you are doing, or how the two of you are arguing, or have made up again, or are in a new argument…" She smiled. "It reminds me of how Brian and I used to be."

Before, he would have argued the point. Now… he wasn't so sure. Yang had always been an addition to Ruby, who he'd considered his best friend. She was still his friend, of course, but Yang occupied the spot of best, and there was no doubt there. Ruby was sweet and kind, but she didn't really know him. To be fair, she didn't try to – she was happy with what they had.

Yang, on the other hand, understood him a lot more. She felt older, more nature, a little more down to Remnant. Her hobbies were similar too. She was just… it was easier to be around her. He liked being around her. He wanted to be around her – wanted to be around her whenever possible.

…

Crap.

"Even if that's true, I'll be better off trying it without Crimson in the picture," he said. "It would just be a lie that would hang over the relationship."

"You're considering it, then?"

He refused to answer. That was probably answer enough in itself.

"I think you should," she went on. "The two of you have a lot in common. Goodness knows she's going to need someone to talk to after what you just did to her."

"You're suggesting I take advantage of an opening I made?" He laughed. "Wouldn't that just make me the worst kind of scum?"

Nina shrugged. "Where it comes to morals, yes. The thing about morals is that they're nice and friendly, but ultimately useless. If you do it, she'll feel better. You'll feel better, and you'll both be happy in the end. Or, you can be the bigger man, do nothing, and both be miserable." Her snort said enough of what she thought of that idea. "I suppose that's what happens when a person lets pride and ego come in front of their happiness. Such inflexible ideals usually lead to despair."

"I know… you've told me that enough times."

"And yet you're still as inflexible," she teased. "That or stubborn. It's hard to tell at times. Either way, if you do take this step, I'd advise some honesty down the line. The spectre of your decision here will only come back to haunt you if you don't."

"I'll think about it."

Her eyes narrowed. "This isn't something you can spent too much time on," she warned. "I love you, Jaune. I don't want this coming back to bite you."

"It won't," he said. "Yang won't ever have reason to see Crimson again. It'll be fine."

In the end, he was doing it for her, after all.

/-/

Everyone knew there was something going on. Yang could tell.

She'd done her best to hide the tears, and in the dark of their dorm room, she'd thought she managed it. Certainly, if Ruby had seen them, there was no way she would have let it be. Of course, there was always the one person she seemed unable to fool – and her partner's accursed eyes had seen through the gloom as easily as any faunus' did. Yang was just lucky Blake waited until the next day, and for them to be in private, before she confronted her on the issue.

"It's nothing," Yang lied.

"Yang, it's not nothing." Blake rolled her eyes. "For one thing, it's never nothing when it comes to you. Secondly…" She trailed off, and her partner's normally sarcastic expression was replaced with something else. "I've never seen you like this, Yang. What's wrong? You know I'll help you if I'm able."

Damn it. Concern. Yang did her best not to look at Blake, lest the sympathy there cause her to lose control and blurt everything.

"Is it Jaune?" Blake asked, with a tinge of annoyance in her tone. "Has he done something-?"

"No, no, no. It's not him. Jaune's been great."

"For once…"

"Be nice!" Yang laughed and punched Blake's arm. The last thing she needed was Blake going on the warpath, especially at an innocent. "I just… someone I thought I knew turned out to be someone I didn't."

Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine. No flowery language. Someone I considered a friend just told me they didn't feel the same… and that I was just an annoyance to them." Her hands clenched into fists, and she had to take a few quick breaths to stop herself losing it. "There. You happy now?"

"That someone did that to you? No. Tell me who they are."

Yang laughed. "What, so you can go and beat them up?"

Blake didn't deny it.

"Oh gods, Blake, no. You can't do that!" This time the laugh that bubbled from her lips was an honest one. Who would have though taciturn and serious Blake capable of it? "It's fine. I'll be okay. It sucks for now, but… well, I'll get over it."

"You're better off without them anyway." Blake crossed her arms, and her voice sounded defensive, maybe even offended. The fact that it was on her behalf caused Yang's heart to melt. Maybe she would be okay after all. She still had people who cared for her, right?

Better to be done with someone like Crimson…

At least, she wished she could feel that way. I still don't understand why he said that. Why he did it. I… I know it's his job to fake, but I was so sure it wasn't. If he was really just trying to get money out of me, then why didn't he strip for me that time I asked for it? Why did he never try and convince me to stay longer for a session and pay twice as much?

It just didn't make sense. There was something wrong with it.

"Will you be okay? If there's anything I can do to help…"

"I'll be fine." Yang shot her partner an honest smile, one tinged with just a bit of sadness. "Time heals all wounds, and I just need to focus on something else to be honest." The sooner she forgot about him, the better. "If you want to help, you can distract me. Well, that or cheer me up."

"Or Jaune could," Blake countered. "Why not ask him out?"

"When I know I'd be rejected? I think I'll spare myself the added heartache, thanks."

"I meant as a friend, idiot." Blake smirked. "Besides, aren't you already at rock bottom? What can another rejection do?"

"Ah, but I think you misunderstand my capacity for angst, my dear."

Blake and Yang stared at one another, and then descended into laughter. Well, she did. Blake just chuckled quietly.

"Heh," Yang said. "I needed that."

"No problem. If you need to talk to anyone…"

"I'll come to you," she promised. "Thanks, Blake. You're a real pal." On instinct, she leaned forward and engulfed the girl in a tight hug. Blake sighed, but refrained from struggling out of it. Heh, she'd normally never let me get away with this.

"If you want to cling onto someone, Jaune is over there," Blake said. It seemed her patience wasn't infinite, even with the current situation.

Yang's head perked up nonetheless. He was? She spotted him by following Blake's gaze. He was alone for a change, sat on a wall by the gardens and looking down at his scroll. It was a fairly nice day and in between lessons, so she imagined he was looking over some of the work they'd been given.

"I'll go and catch up with the others," Blake said. "If they ask where you are, I'll cover and say you spilt something on your hair."

"Thanks." Yang nodded and watched her go, before taking a deep breath. Crimson's change… it hurt. Did she really want to take a risk now on forcing Jaune's feelings towards her to do the same? The answer was easy. No, she didn't. Still, he would be a bit more welcoming then Blake.

She felt his shoulders stiffen when she wrapped her arms around him from behind. It only took him a second to realise it was her and not someone with less pure intentions, but there was still an odd rigidity to him. It was as though he was nervous. "Yang?"

"Were you expecting someone else? Hoping for someone else?" she teased.

"Huh? No. Actually, I'm glad it's you."

She wished he'd be a little more careful with words. They made her heart race, even though she knew he didn't mean it like that. "Why?" she asked. "Something you want to ask me?"

"Yeah." He sounded serious. "You looked out of it this morning. Are you okay?"

So, he'd seen it too… she supposed she ought to have known. A sigh escaped her, and she leaned her chin on his shoulder. Her arms tightened around his shoulders. He felt warm, soft, and more comforting than he had any right to. It almost made her feel like what happened last night hadn't at all.

"Yang?"

"Just let me stay like this for a bit," she said.

He nodded.

They stayed linked for a few moments, seconds which turned into minutes and then carried on. A few people looked their way, and she could just imagine what they thought. She didn't care. Right now, his presence helped.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

She shook her head against his cheek, making sure he felt her hair and knew the answer. Blake was one thing, but Jaune? If she wanted any chance of them being more than friends, she couldn't afford to make every encounter between them one where she was miserable. "Distract me," she said, trying to make her voice sound commanding. "Your Queen demands it."

"If Nora hears you call yourself that, there'll be a bloodbath." He chuckled. "Apparently, Ren, Pyrrha and I are her loyal subjects."

"Poop. Looks like she beat me to it." Her mind ran out of things to say. She couldn't just keep leaning on him like this. Say something. Anything. "What're you reading?"

"A message from Reg." Jaune sighed. Yang, on the other hand, felt her heart freeze. What if he-? "Apparently, he wants me to take some time off. Well, his exact words were how if he sees me in the next two days, he'll give me a black eye." He shrugged. "I guess that means I have time off."

The relief she felt was palpable. She also made a note to kiss Reg the next time she saw him. Well, blow him a kiss… she wasn't sure she could force herself to go that far. "Hm. I wonder what got into his pants."

"No idea." Jaune stashed his scroll away. "I guess that means I'm free for the weekend. You fancy going out?"

"I… kind of want to take a break from the Oyster, actually." She tried to keep her voice neutral. "Sorry."

"I didn't mean the club. I meant Vale. Do you want to do something, just the two of us?"

Did he…? Yang swallowed, doing her best not to show any indication of her thoughts through the arms wrapped around him. Like a date? Her mind kept repeating the words, and she tried to make herself say them. It wouldn't give anything away. It wouldn't give her feelings away. He could just say yes or no, and she'd know where she stood.

But did she want to hear a no? What if… what if she could just pretend for a moment that it was?

"What would we do?" she asked instead.

"I don't know. We could get a meal, walk around Vale, catch a movie… I'm sure we'd find something."

Most of those are date activities, her mind whispered. She tried not to get too excited. They were date things, but they were also perfectly normal friend things. Hell, she'd done all of them with Blake, Weiss and Ruby, and that didn't mean their team was a front for the hottest all-girl orgy on campus. "Sounds like fun," she said. It was hard to keep her voice even, to not give anything away. "I suppose I could agree. You have to show me a good time, though."

"Heh. I'll try my best. Is that a yes?"

She grinned. "It's not a no."

"I'll try and find a good restaurant," he said, heedless of the way her heart skipped a beat. Restaurant, as opposed to say a quick diner or a place to grab a snack? It sounded like he meant reservations – and that definitely felt more serious.

Holy shit. She needed to make sure she had something to wear. She also had to tell Blake! Yang's heart beat a little harder in her chest, and she took a quick breath to calm herself. It might not be a date, but it was still the two of them out together like one. If he enjoyed it, he'd consider another, and then another – and maybe she could win him over that way.

There was a chance. One she wasn't going to squander.

They hashed out some quick details between themselves, mostly a time to meet and a rough idea of what to wear. Through it all, she managed to keep her voice casual, but it was a close call. She was thankful for their position, which left him unable to see the smile on her face. When they broke apart and she headed off, it was all she could do not to look back.

Screw Crimson. He'd missed out.

She'd prove she didn't need him.

/-/

Jaune watched Yang go. She was pleased, he knew. He was too, in a different way. She was hurt… but she was getting better. Now he wouldn't be taking advantage of her every time she came to him. This was for the best.

So why did he still feel like scum?

Had a bit of a disaster day today. Well, not a disaster per se, but one of those moments. We're switching internet providers, and my oh my, are they being useless. Internet down for hours, followed by power down (they're installing an aerial for this, so it has a bit of an installation job). I lost loads of hours of potential writing, mostly because I didn't expect the internet to die, and so didn't have my laptop charged.

All in all… the internet is like 0.5 mb faster. I was told it would be 10+ faster.

Well, we'll see if it improves over a week or so. I suppose these things take time. Still, I wish I'd known how disruptive it would be ahead of time. Sheesh!

Next Chapter: 13th June

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur