Brighter

by y8ay8a

It took that three day mission away from Beacon Academy, but if Yang looked back on the last months, their relationship was probably bound to change sooner or later. - Bumbleby smut. Starts in between V2 and V3, follows events of V3. May very well be continued with V5.

7. Chapter 7

Revision posted on October 12, 2018—chapter was 25000, it is now 26336 words

Enjoy!

Backstage, Yang was stretching. Doubles were already well underway, and their match was set to be against a team from Atlas. Up next was Penny's fight, and Ruby had left the three of them backstage, so she could get a good seat for the showdown.

The blonde cuffed Ember Celica to her wrists and turned to her other two teammates; Blake and Weiss were sitting a little further in the waiting area in what almost resembled a dining booth, comprising two semicircle cushioned seats and a round table. The two of them were quite absorbed in their inspection of the heiress' dust cartridges and, with no intention of disturbing them, Yang sat back to quietly observe her faunus partner.

If her gaze had repeatedly been drawn to Blake before… now, trying to keep herself in check was downright hopeless. She was still awestruck with her illumination of the evening prior and just how much better everything was ever since she was clear on her feelings. Her attention strayed from the dark-haired woman's svelte silhouette to her delicate fingers, witnessing how she fastidiously handled the dust cartridges, and her gaze then wandered back up to her features, to her focused expression; Yang's heart fluttered. She felt stupidly giddy just watching her. The fact that they were virtually always together didn't help appeasing her longing for the other woman, and in this instant, she was still overcome by the urge to talk to her, touch her hand, be closer to her… anything.

Yang hopped up and trotted to sit with her two teammates. Blake scooted over to give her some room to sit with her; the blonde still slid in exceedingly close in spite of the extra allotted space.

Pale blue orbs darted up from their work to study them a second before returning to her business. "You decided to do things properly for once and double check your ammunition?" Weiss commented.

"Yeah," Yang shrugged, leaning closer to her partner. "I know you won't let me hear the end of it if anything happened."

Weiss looked up to her again and narrowed her eyes, though she did bite back her retort. She watched for a minute as the blonde checked her own fire dust cartridges and loaded them one by one before she resumed what she was doing herself. Under the table, Yang touched her thigh to her partner's and out of the corner of her eye she could see Blake smiling faintly. An insistent grin plastered on her own features, she tried concentrating on what she was doing.

The buzzing in the loudspeakers somewhere in the background let them know that Penny's team had won their match in record time.

The three of them kept working in silence until the faunus's scroll lit up. The message from Ruby read: 'Sun is up next, I kept you a seat!'

Her gorgeous golden eyes slid to Yang, then flickered to their teammate. "Will you two be alright, doing this by yourselves?"

"Yeah," the blonde nodded, despite how much she'd rather have her stay. "If you don't watch his match, he'll be heartbroken," she still grinned.

Rolling her eyes, Blake still excused herself. As she walked away, it was beyond Yang's power to restrain her stare as it inevitably followed her; her long, silky hair flowed behind her, and each step made her hips sway in a downright hypnotizing manner.

"How did I ever miss that?" Weiss's voice tugged at her attention.

"Hmm?" It was almost painful to detach her eyes from her dark-haired partner, and they drifted to her again just about instantly.

"You're not even trying to hide it, and yet I completely missed it," she mouthed in disbelief.

"What?" The blonde dazedly questioned back.

"The way you look at her," Weiss specified.

This finally snapped her back to reality, and, eyebrows raised in surprise, Yang turned to her teammate. She never thought Weiss would address her with this… but then again, their friend had also been the one broaching the topic with Blake. The blonde sunk in her seat almost imperceptibly. "…I am actually trying to be discreet, you know," she offered.

Her tone was impressively unconvinced. "You are?"

"Trying being the key word here," she nonchalantly clarified, loading another fire dust shell. If she hadn't been trying, Blake probably wouldn't have had any semblance of personal space. Yang paused for a second and glanced to the small heiress. Blake had mentioned they talked, but the brawler had no idea how much their mutual friend actually knew. With curiosity rapidly getting the better of her, she stopped what she was doing; her stillness drew Weiss's gaze once more. "…What did she tell you?"

The snow haired lady resumed examining her ammo. "What she hasn't told you herself isn't mine to tell, Yang," she curtly offered.

Being shot down so frankly made her a tad uncomfortable. "…Right, I understand."

Weiss apparently didn't mean to be so guarded because her demeanor at once eased with something resembling sympathy. She gave a quiet sigh as her eyes found the amethyst ones again. It looked to Yang like her snow-haired friend now remembered there was a reason she broached this topic at all, and she stopped what she was doing once more, staring at her only briefly before she opened her mouth. "She has related the… status of your relationship."

"…And what does that mean?"

"I mean I know that you two are…" She hesitated on what wording to use, "…intimate."

The brawler had known her teammate knew at least this much, and she did remember Blake telling her it hadn't seemed like an issue. However, she still felt compelled to ask. "Is it a problem?"

Her cheeks had taken a slightly pink color and Weiss cleared her throat uncomfortably. "It's…different," she stated, her stare fixated on her ammunition. "But not a problem."

This awkwardness didn't go unnoticed. Yang frowned, attempting to meet her eyes. "Weiss? Are you sure?"

She quickly realized how unconvincing her answer had been; Weiss locked onto the fretful amethyst. "Certain," she affirmed, and, though the blonde had always found the iciness of her gaze to be hard to read, there was no doubting the honesty of her answer. Weiss exhaled shortly. "I know I've shown myself to be…" she paused, looking for the right word, "…prejudiced in the past," she admitted. With this acknowledgment, she leaned back in her seat, still observing the blonde. "…But that's in the past. And. Even beyond all that… this… it's an entirely different matter than racism. I can relate. In an odd sort of way."

She stared back blankly. "…Huh?" Yang couldn't seem to understand in what way one would be able to empathize other than… also experiencing same-sex attraction. "You do? How?"

Giving another sigh and crossing her arms, Weiss watched her for a moment, apparently debating whether she wanted to explain. Ultimately, she let her eyes drop to the until-then forgotten dust cartridges on the table. "My parents got married for corporate benefits," she started. "An alliance for wealth, social networking. They were calculated motives; a game of chess. And all it got them is a miserable and cold marriage. They hate each other," she recounted.

Unsure where she was going with this, the brawler still silently listened. It wasn't every day that the snow-haired heiress talked about her family, and Yang would be damned if she said anything that would discourage her from confiding in her, especially if Weiss deemed that opening up was relevant to the situation at hand.

With both hands on the table, she laced her fingers together. "I've always thought to myself that… I wasn't going to choose who I built a life with based on anything else than my own terms," she said, looking back up to her. "…I always resolved that when I choose someone… it won't matter what my parents think, it won't matter what anyone else thinks. My significant other is my choice and mine alone." As she explained this, Weiss's surprisingly open attitude towards their unconventional relationship swiftly fell into place. Still, her white-haired teammate continued, a faint smile gracing her lips. "It'd be very hypocritical of me to have any sort of issue with your mutual attraction when what I have decided for myself is somewhat relevant to what you two would experience."

"Maybe," Yang agreed, "but not everyone would've made the effort to see there's a parallel. That you are willing to… is pretty graceful of you," she offered with a small smile, truly grateful that their friend chose to see it this way.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," she warned. "…I am going to take issue with you two if it affects our team's cohesion."

"Fair enough," the blonde conceded, her smile growing to an amused grin. This footnote was so Weiss-like. "Sorry I doubted you."

"I won't hold it against you," she answered just a little haughtily. "I understand why you had some apprehensions."

Yang just kept staring at her, smiling. Weiss pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, a small blush emerging on her cheeks, and she resumed loading dust cartridges in Myrtenaster.

The violet orbs then wandered to the general direction in which her dark-haired partner had disappeared. There was no sign of her reappearing any time soon, and Yang checked her scroll for the time. Still about half an hour before her own pair was scheduled to fight—if there was no delay in schedule, that was.

After sending Blake a message to come back and wish her luck in person when Sun's match was done, she locked her device and put it away. She found herself interested in her teammate again; Weiss was more meticulous that anyone she'd known, and with such an array of different dust mixes, she probably had to be.

Yang poked a fire dust cartridge on the table. "…So…" She cleared her throat, making brief eye contact with Weiss as she glanced up at her from her work. "I…uh… Blake and I have been struggling to find some… 'private time'. Could you… keep Ruby away from our room for a couple of hours after this match?"

This evidently ticked her off. "Really?"

"Come on, please," she begged. "I'll owe you! What do you want?"

"Some sort of guarantee that this isn't going to end in a train wreck," Weiss angrily shot.

Taken aback, Yang blinked quickly in confusion. "What?"

She put her sword away; her gaze had hardened into that displeased, piercing, so very cold one only she was capable of. "Are you and Blake dating?"

The blonde found herself a discomfited mix of conflicting emotions. First, that unexpected, chills-inducing glare she was being given was rattling. Second… the general idea of officially being involved with Blake gripped her to her core. It made her absurdly giddy and also exceedingly aware of all that her faunus partner made her feel. Her voice was just a little wavering as she questioned back, "…Did she say we were?"

"No," Weiss spat somewhat harshly. "What she said is that you're using her for sex."

"But I'm not—" Yang abruptly stopped as her brain registered what Weiss had said. She knew Blake could be snarky and cynical, but the thought that her partner may genuinely feel this way horrified her. Then again, the snow haired heiress had shown herself to be immoderately sarcastic and somewhat dramatic at times, and Yang found herself confused as to whether this was nothing but Weiss's interpretation or Blake's legitimate words. She realized apprehension had her stop breathing. "…Did she say that?" She sounded more distressed than she'd expected.

Weiss's expression softened, evidently not unsympathetic to the blonde's fears. "She knows you're not using her, Yang. She didn't mean it," she offered, attempting to alleviate the shock of her previous remark. "She knows you care about her."

While her teammate had tried to offer her some comfort, understanding that these had truly been Blake's words only troubled her more. "…Weiss, she said I was using her?"

"Do you love her?" She interjected, completely ignoring her question.

Her heart was abruptly beating so hard it resonated through her entire body, making it seem like even her skin was pulsing. "…Why are you asking?"

"Do you, or don't you?" Weiss pressed, somewhat vexed.

With violet unable to sustain the severity of the icy blue boring into her, Yang found herself staring at her curled fists resting on her thighs. Why did being confronted with this make her feel so unbelievably helpless?

Though it was nothing compared to just thinking of confessing to her partner—that was just terrifying.

Yang willed herself to swallow some of her distress. After all, if she couldn't find it in herself to tell Weiss, how did she expect to ever find the courage to tell Blake? She somehow steeled herself for the few seconds of courage she needed to meet her friend's gaze once more and answer her.

"I do," Yang acknowledged, feeling a newfound confidence flood her as soon as she spoke. "I… I love her," she stated, a liberating weightlessness washing over her. Admitting it out loud felt like it solidified the concept; at once, it seemed her feelings were massively clear and incredibly simple to understand.

"Then why do you let her think something so awful for even just a second?!" Weiss exclaimed, slamming both palms on the table as she stood. "I expected better from you! You're not usually this inconsiderate!"

"I… I just, I didn't truly understand I did until…like… yesterday," Yang defended in flustered distress. "I—I-I never imagined she'd...!" She trailed off despairingly. Her eyes were lost on the scattered ammunition on the table for a second before it snapped back up to meet her friend's and she leaned closer. "I'm not using her, Weiss!" She asserted.

With a sigh, her white-haired friend plopped down in her seat again. "I know," she half-heartedly gave. "But most importantly, she knows," Weiss reminded her, taking a moment to breathe, settle down, and gather her thoughts as the blonde waited expectantly. She nevertheless still appeared angry as she continued. "The problem, Yang, is that even if she didn't mean it… she's distressed enough for the thought to have crossed her mind. It crossed her mind, and that's appalling. You should never have let it get to this."

"If I'd known it was this bad, I—…" Yang stopped mid-argument. Because, really, what would have she done? She hadn't been ready.

Four weeks for her world to be turned upside down. Only four weeks to accept this new reality of hers and move forward. Four weeks to assume the reality and shape of her desires and to understand that beyond it, she was also willing and ready to commit to a female partner despite the stigma it inferred. Four weeks was already quite an accelerated course. How much faster had she been expected to process this?

And that was without even the entire problem of… handing herself over, handing her heart over to another person. No one ever stayed, so she never imagined being able to count on anyone but herself. She couldn't seem to reconcile what moving forward into a committed relationship would mean with what anxieties ate her up from the inside at the simple thought of trusting someone so completely.

Yet, was this any reason to subject Blake to such heartache?

"I… I …I just never realized how much I hurt her…"

"So you know you hurt her," Weiss dryly underlined.

"Of course I do!"

"And you still let things deteriorate?" She argued. "You have to fix this and fast!"

"I know!" Yang bemoaned, overtly distressed. "I wanted to tell her! I was trying to! Right before Ruby and you came back home yesterday!" She admitted. "But I…I lost my nerve. I got really scared, and… I stalled. And then you got there," she miserably explained, seeing her friend's expression go from annoyed to puzzled. "And I want to fix it, and I want her to be happy," she added, "…but I'm just… ...it's easier said than done."

"Do you honestly think she'd reject you?" Weiss skeptically posed.

Feeling put on the spot, she sank back in her seat, her gaze falling on her lap. "I… think that…no," she muttered uncharacteristically timidly. Her fingers found the hem of the veil under her half-skirt, and she fiddled with it absentmindedly. "I mean... As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that's all she's waiting for," she conceded, and she could sense her friend scrutinizing her, silently bidding her to go on.

Yang's jaw tightened and she grit her teeth, feeling some frustration bubble up at the unnerving stalemate she felt trapped in. "But then I'm alone with her, and it's… I… I'm terrified," she explained, looking back up at her friend. "I keep thinking… what if? What if –I don't think I am– but what if I'm wrong about how she feels, and I make it weird? Or what if I fuck it up? What if we don't work out and she… ends up leaving because of me?"

As the vision coursed through her, she felt the blood drain from her face, from her extremities. Yang had never retold to her white-haired friend how everyone just kept leaving because of her—Weiss couldn't know how real that fear was.

"What if I wreck the team?" The blonde then threw, forcing herself to go on. "Ruby would be upset. Not only-… God, what if Ruby thinks I'm disgusting?" She thought out loud, her voice had gotten unsteady now.

Laying out her thought process appeared to have softened her friend, Weiss stared at her with an odd mix of puzzlement and sympathy.

Yang crossed her arms tightly, giving a reluctant, shaky sigh. "I know it's… maybe… mostly, maybe… irrational. And…most likely everything will be fine. But it's still…" she trailed off, not really knowing how to finish her thought.

Her teammate's pale blue eyes curiously studied her. "I didn't read you as someone who'd worry over all that."

Sharing her doubts and worries had let some anxiousness get to her, and it was with some helpless sort of desperation that she erupted. "This is hard, Weiss!" the blonde agitatedly argued. "This, it's not something I was ready for or even something I even considered just a few weeks ago, and I still…. I'm… not totally comfortable with all this. And—and I don't mean… Blake. I mean just a real relationship. I don't exactly feel ready for—… …" She exhaled shakily; her pervasive fears were starting to get the better of her, and she hoped to get a hold of herself. "It may end up not being a gamble, but it's still frightening how much it feels like one," she admitted. "I'm…. I really don't want to lose anyone else I care about! I can't lose anyone else. And I can't… I just… I can't help but worry about what my dad or Ruby would think or… if… if…Blake wasn't… if she got scared for any reason… if she finds it hard to be with me, if she…" Yang stopped herself. She didn't even want to envision this. "She said she tends to run when she can't deal."

"…Then maybe you should have thought twice before risking your relationship with her," Weiss remarked.

The blonde threw her hands in the air. "What was I supposed to do?! Repress everything?!" The memory of that morning at the inn, of how much she wanted her, of how effortlessly and naturally they'd given into each other came to her. "Even if somehow, I'd managed that, would she have been better off? You think she'd be fine right now!?"

Her snow haired friend pursed her lips, having no answer to that.

Yang sank back in her seat with a bit of an accusatory glare. "I want to-… I will fix it, and I… I… I'll tell Ruby too," she offered in an attempt to let her teammate know she was hearing her, that she truly intended to do something about the situation. "…I just…" she paused. Exhaling soundlessly made her realize how, although almost imperceptibly, her lip was quivering. Yang pressed her hand over her face. "…It's so hard because," she paused, dropping her hand down in her lap, "I always did my best to avoid being dependent on anyone. Because if I did, and then if I ever lost them, I… …" she trailed off, her throat was so tight it started to hurt.

"I guess… owning up to the fact that… I… I'm starting to…really be dependent on Blake, that I need her…" she shakily said, "Nothing's ever scared me that much. Especially if… if I resolve to… really, really pursue this—pursue her... If I do… entirely give myself to her, and she… for any reason, if she backed down, if the social pressure was too much, if… if… if she realized we weren't working out o-or… really, for any reason, she turned her back on me, Weiss… " Yang found her voice failed her before she was able to finish her sentence.

An array of distressing, raw feelings strangled her over the mere speculation of this possibility and she realized she was finding it hard to breathe. Yang absentmindedly grasped at her tan blazer somewhere over her heart as if it'd alleviate the pressure. Her face felt too warm, her fingers too cold, and all her senses were congested and blurred. It was only now that she was so attached, that the risk was real… that she realized how absolutely terrified she was of being abandoned again. Her throat hurt, and yet she still managed to push some words through. "…I don't know if I could handle that," she rasped weakly.

Weiss had lost any lingering trace of anger or annoyance she might have still held until then. She appeared to have grasped that this specific issue ran much deeper than what was happening with Blake. She nevertheless didn't seem to know how or where to start to address this, and Weiss opted not to pry. "Yang… I can't even picture a scenario in which she'd turn her back on you," she comfortingly reminded her, ever the voice of reason. "Blake would do anything in her power to avoid hurting you, to protect you, you know?"

She'd known this deep within herself, yet still somehow had felt nauseatingly concerned. Hearing sensible and reasonable words of support was more alleviating than she imagined it would be; it gave her a little more confidence in what her head had been telling her in spite of the outrageously irrational alarm her heart had been sounding. Yang sucked in her lips embarrassingly, conscientiously smoothing out the folds she'd created on her blazer as she'd clutched it.

Her relief must've been obvious as her friend's serious, concerned disposition lightened. "I have to admit," Weiss started again, "…I can't begin to imagine how I'd feel were I in your shoes," she graciously acknowledged. "I'm sorry if I was… pushy. I know it's unfair to put pressure on you to resolve this. I'm just worried. The more you drag it out, the more chances you'll both get hurt… the more chances our team… gets divided."

"I know."

"No one wants that."

"…Yeah," Yang quietly agreed.

There was another silence as the loudspeaker somewhere very far off announced team SSSN's victory. The brawler thought again of her partner. She wanted to see her.

"Lastly," Weiss's voice commanded her attention anew. "For the record," she was back to a scolding tone, "your concern that something like this could ever make Ruby love you any less is undoubtedly the stupidest thing I've heard from you. I thought you knew your sister better than that."

The surge of emotion she'd swallowed down seemed to swell in her throat again, though this time not in fear and anguish, and Yang felt choked up. She promptly changed seats to slide in on her friend's side, grabbing her into a tight hug.

A little stiff, the snow haired heiress let herself be squeezed. After a short moment, she awkwardly patted her back with one hand. "Okay," she curtly said, tentatively leaning away from her. She was unsuccessful at her silent request to obtain release. "Yang," Weiss tried more sternly, and the blonde rested her cheek on the white head of hair. Her emotional state was giving way to her growing entertainment at how fidgety and uneasy her friend was getting. "Yang, it's enough now," she protested, but Weiss wasn't fighting her off.

"The stage has been cleared," Blake's voice interjected, trotting back to join up with them. "You'll be up in a few-… …Am I…interrupting?"

"Get this one off me," Weiss demanded. "She can't control herself."

"You just realized this now?" The dark-haired faunus nonchalantly retorted, unmoving.

"Blake!" she balked, extremely betrayed that her contrasting teammate wasn't coming to her rescue. "She's smothering me!" Weiss declared quite dramatically, finally attempting to shove the blonde off.

Very amused by this point, Yang only tightened her hug; it wasn't much of a challenge to immobilize a tiny thing like Weiss. Blake rolled her eyes.

"Blake!" Weiss called again. "Recover your… your… …gir- your …partner this instant!"

At this, Yang loosened her grip in startled shock to gawk at the friend she'd been holding captive. Weiss, taking advantage of this, promptly stood up and straightened out her clothes to smooth any would-be wrinkles. The blonde was dazed, wondering if the reason her friend had considered the word 'girlfriend' was simply to attempt to shock her and take advantage of this to free herself. Whatever had been the case, though she'd either reconsidered or caught herself to settle on conservatively calling Blake her partner, even if Weiss hadn't said it, it had worked. The concept that their friend clearly had considered calling Blake her girlfriend had her startlingly gleeful. Maybe she was ready.

Her gaze naturally wandered her dark-haired partner, she instantly averted her eyes.

As the speaker came on, prompting the two representatives for team RWBY and team FNKI to make their way to the ring for the doubles match, the three of them looked at each other.

"Well… I guess… I'll go back to find Ruby," the faunus awkwardly said, pointing towards one of the exits. "Good luck, both of you," she then added, her attention drifting from their white-haired teammate to meet violet orbs as the blonde also slid out of the booth.

Yang held her stare; her heart fluttered. She still couldn't get over how euphoric just looking at her made her now that she was certain of the nature of her feelings. "Thanks," she breathed, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

In a rare moment of openness, something akin to what Yang would only witness in the intimacy of each other's arms, Blake wasn't veiling her gaze. The way she stared back at her was so enthralling, so rich of affection, of tenderness, that the blonde just found herself smitten again. She had the impression that Blake didn't want to go, and Yang certainly didn't want to do anything but admire the captivating golden color of her eyes.

"For heaven's sake!" Weiss's exasperated voice shook them out of it. "If you two want to kiss, you can, you know."

In surprise, Yang turned to her. "Really!?" She excitedly exclaimed, only realizing afterwards how giddy she sounded; she subsequently tried her best to contain herself. "It's okay? You don't mind?"

Their snow-haired friend didn't look impressed with her. "It's weirder if you don't what with the way you're staring at each other."

Feeling absolutely sanctioned, Yang promptly went to find her partner, wrapping her arms around her waist. Finally closing the distance felt fantastic. Blake however looked very self-conscious and simply rested her hands on her shoulders; golden orbs shifted to their teammate then to swipe the room around them.

The brawler found herself a little disheartened. "…Do you mind, Blake?"

With a short, nervous exhalation, her partner shook her head, meeting her eyes. "I don't mind. I simply never envisioned being able to be so open about who I am," she admitted with a sort of disbelieving smile.

"Next, the bow?" Yang grinned.

"Maybe," she mused, leaning in to press her lips to hers.

Finally being able to stop trying to maintain a forced distance between, especially when they'd been maintaining it in spite of their close friend knowing, was so unbelievably liberating. Dropping the pretence was an incredible weight off her shoulders, it was so sweet and just… amazingly freeing. A dizzying warmth flooded her and coursed through her veins, and the pure love she felt for the woman in her arms constricted her chest. Yang pulled her closer, she wanted to tell her now. She broke from the kiss and leaned her forehead to hers, gazing affectionately into her eyes.

"Good luck," Blake repeated in a whisper against her lips.

"I feel invincible now," she grinned, tightening her grip around her waist.

"Be careful still," the faunus pleaded, and Yang couldn't resist capturing her lips once more to savour another kiss. Blake indulged for a few seconds before she caressed her cheek and pulled away further. "Don't push it," she warned under her breath. "Let's not give a show."

"Right," the blonde agreed despite truly not caring. Let the world see. Let everyone know who they were to each other. She still released her, letting her step away.

Waving to them, Blake quickly made her way out, heading to join up with Ruby.

The short heiress stepped next to her, armed crossed. "I've never seen you like this," she commented delightedly, once the raven-haired beauty was out of earshot.

"I love her," Yang murmured as they both watched her leave. "I really do," she added, looking on until she was completely out of sight. "It's like everything makes sense now," she mused out loud, as they started in direction of the arena. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her friend glance at her. "I mean—from the other day. Remember that talk all three of us had that night we spent on Mountain Glenn?"

"Of course I do."

Yang smiled to herself. "Remember how I said… you two were lucky for having something that drives you?"

Weiss now fully stared at her again, attentive. "I remember."

The blonde stopped. "…I think… it's not really true that I don't have anything that drives me," Yang cautiously started; her mind, her senses filled with her partner—her lover. "…Back then when I tried looking forward, everything seemed foggy and unclear, but I… I feel like my head is clear when Blake's with me," she mused. "I know… in the future, I want to keep being with her. She's what drives me. I want to go where she goes. I want to help her accomplish everything she wants to accomplish. And I want to be there for her and take care of her when she won't take care of herself because she's so…. inspiringly driven," she trailed off, her train of thought leaping to something else. "I mean, she's so resolute and unwavering in her beliefs, and… righteous, and noble, and she has such a raw hunger for justice… She's got uncompromising integrity and such beautiful passion, it feels like her very soul is on fire." With this she turned to her friend with eager elation, with such excitement at what vision of the future her partner stirred in her.

"And…she… Blake inspires me to never lose sight of what I believe in and always be the best person I can be, so I can make a difference. I want to help her make a difference, because I know she will," she explained, so incredibly uplifted, almost euphoric at wording this. "She gives me direction just by being herself. She gave purpose to a future I couldn't see," Yang's eyes found the blue ones. "She… made it all clearer – brighter."

Weiss blinked several times, looking a little surprised. "Blake said the same thing," she observed.

"What?"

"Just that last part," she clarified. "She said you make everything brighter."

The blonde's features stretched into a dreamy smile. She didn't even care how corny she was. "She said that?"

Weiss mirrored her expression somewhat with a small smile of her own, opting not to answer. Her eyes strayed away towards the gate, towards the sunlight that was the outside world at the end of the hall. "…I guess that's what being in love feels like," she mused. "Brighter."

Her heart swelled; she was unable to wipe the smile off her face. "Being in love," Yang breathed. She couldn't believe it. "…We're in love," she repeated quietly in amazed incredulity.

Meanwhile, Weiss was utterly unimpressed. "You two need to straighten all this out," she muttered.

Yang felt her genuine smile turn into an insuppressible smug grin. "…Straight-en isn't quite the word," she countered, obviously way too proud of her answer.

"No. Don't you start this," Weiss warned.

"Hey, joking about it means I'm getting comfortable. It's good, right?"

She rolled her eyes and resumed her walk down the hall without answering. Still grinning to herself, the brawler trotted after her friend, and as they stood in the shadow of the gate, looking on to the brightly lit arena and waiting for the speaker to invite them onto the platform, Weiss addressed her again.

"Yang," she called.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Don't call me that," she scolded, throwing her an uncommitted glare. She held it only a second before returning her attention to their soon-to-be stage. "…You asked me what I wanted earlier."

Yang instantly turned to her in surprise. Was Weiss accepting to do her this favor? She would get some time alone with Blake?!

She kept staring straight ahead of her, seeming so very resolute. "I want this victory," she demanded.

"That's all?"

Her cool eyes slid to lock with the amethyst ones. "Actually, I want team RWBY to win the entire tournament, so I can rub it in my father's face," she affirmed. "But right now, this match. And I guarantee only two hours."

Yang laughed; the speakers prompted them to the stage in the background. "Deal. I intended on kicking their asses anyways," she grinned, stepping in the arena.

---

After a shabby victory and having accompanied their white teammate to medical check, they were now heading back to their room. Weiss had practically kicked them out of the resting area, insisting they leave, claiming that Ruby alone would be plenty enough for either assistance or entertainment and that, moreover, it was the red hooded girl's duty as not only her partner but also team leader. Blake decided not to argue and leave. Her own partner was extremely keen on heading back; it was obvious the blonde wanted to take advantage of the time they'd have alone.

The faunus felt eyes on her back as Yang followed a few steps behind her in silence. Something was different. She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but something about Yang was different since the evening prior.

Was it because she had come out to her? Or maybe it had been the jealousy discussion? She was reasonably sure that Yang had been jealous, but maybe stressing it ended up making her uncomfortable? Blake sighed quietly. None of the options she would come up with seemed entirely right. Yes, whatever her partner gave off held some sort of uneasiness, but it wasn't one that could be truly read as discomfort. Moreover, that peculiar apprehension felt exacerbated compared to earlier in the morning. But in the morning, Weiss had been with them. So, was it because they were now alone? Or was the escalation of her disquiet entirely unrelated? Did Yang feel bad for what happened to Weiss maybe?

With all those unanswered questions on her mind, she let them in their room, watching as the mulling blonde walked up to her desk.

Yang uncuffed Ember Celica from her wrists, resting her weapons cautiously on the wooden furniture. After an extended moment of silence staring at the yellow-golden bracelets on her desk, she appeared to find some nerve and turned to her resolutely. "Blake."

As she'd already been observing her, the faunus kept passively staring.

Her partner, still standing next to her desk a few feet away, seemed to falter as soon as their eyes met.

Blake sighed. "…What's with you? Your head's been somewhere else today," she opened for her. "I know you have something on your mind. Whatever it is, you know you can talk to me."

"I know." Her answer was short and instant, yet nothing followed.

Blake got the impression the other woman wasn't even trying to formulate her thoughts into words; amethyst orbs stared back at her increasingly fretfully. It reached a point Yang looked like she was going to have a nervous meltdown.

"…Yang?"

"Weiss got hurt because of me," she blurted.

Blake had the strong impression all this wasn't about the tournament, that the brawler was deflecting the conversation. She nonetheless decided not to push it. "She made that call. You're not responsible for what happened," Blake countered. "But it's true that match was uncomfortably close. Given how well you individually do as fighters in normal conditions, it shouldn't have been such a struggle," she then added.

"I know, and that's why I feel responsible," Yang conceded. "I shouldn't have let myself get so distracted. I should've been tanking for Weiss, not running after that brat. It should've been a piece of cake."

She gave an acknowledging hum. "True; you shouldn't let your opponent get to you this way," she said. "But, to be fair… Weiss let you," she pointed out. "We all know how you are; being taunted that way, it was plain as day that you'd get riled up. Weiss should've had the presence of mind to snap you back into focus." Blake idly walked up to her partner. "Had it been Ruby or I, we would've reined you back to our side in no time."

Her mind went somewhere else entirely and a grin at once split her features. "Wow, I need to be reined in?"

How was it even possible for the mood to shift so decisively suddenly? That cocky smile she flashed would be Blake's downfall. She advanced even closer, so close she now felt Yang's body heat. "You have slight self-control issues," she remarked in a tone feigning casual disinterest.

The blonde stared down at her; Blake could clearly see her pupils had dilated visibly, giving her a predatory look as she leaned in. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

With that unnervingly sexy, playful chuckle of hers, Yang's hands found her hips, slowly sliding around her and down. "I think I'm having some of these very issues right now," she softly uttered, caressing her ass as she brought their bodies together. "Are you going to rein me in?" She teased. "Put me in my place?"

The images these suggestions evoked in Blake had her exhale hotly. "You'd like that?"

Yang gripped her rear a little more intently, inciting their lower bodies to press closer together. "You bet I would," she whispered, moving in to claim a slow kiss, earning herself a gentle moan from the faunus.

Blake wrapped her arms around her neck, Yang's body moulding so well against hers, the heat of it, and the taste of her kiss, at once sweet, spiced and deliciously warm… all of it was criminally inebriating.

"Then again," Yang murmured between kisses, "pretty much anything you want to do to me would be welcomed." Somehow, she managed to find Blake's gaze; the darkened violet of her eyes was hypnotising. "I want you so much… all the time," she admitted, her voice laced with desire, "and the only thing that helps is when you do something about it."

A small smile grew on her lips. "I'll gladly lend a hand whenever you need," Blake offered, fully expecting her partner to pick up on the double entendre and excitedly respond with some sort of fingering joke.

Instead, realisation visibly coursed through her and her expression fell. Yang's embrace relaxed, and her touch went from needy to so unbelievably careful. As if she'd been handling something very fragile. "…Blake," she gently said, "you know I'm not using you for sex, right?"

The shock of hearing these words repeated back to her drained the blood from her face and extremities, leaving her fingers cold. Blake stared back at her partner with wide eyes and a leadened stomach.

Yang's grip on her tightened as if she was afraid she'd leave. "While you watched Sun's match, I… Weiss and I talked, and she was really angry with me, and she…" the blonde trailed off, visibly unsure what to relate, in what way to explain how it'd been relevant for their friend to end up divulging this. Yang held her breath for a second, her hands on Blake's lower back clutched the black fabric of her vest, and she searched her eyes earnestly. "…I'm not using you."

"…I know you're not, I—" Her voice caught in her throat. "I didn't mean it when I—… You know I don't really think…"

"No, I don't. I don't know for sure." She held the faunus's fretful gaze with an impressively committed one. "…So I needed to make sure you know that's not what this is."

Blake ultimately couldn't bear eye contact and her gaze slid to the side, lost in the room. "…I know," she confirmed under her breath. "I'm very embarrassed she told you this," she admitted.

Yang moved one of her arms around her shoulders, inciting her to lean in and rest her head on her shoulder. Blake willingly complied. Nuzzling into her was so, so comforting.

"She shouldn't have…" Yang agreed. "But like I said… She's been angry with me lately. And I think, it was…resent. That I made you feel like this," she whispered. "I think… she said it because she… wanted me to truly understand how I'm… I've… I've not been fair," she explained, the hand around Blake's shoulders had found the back of her head, soothingly combing through the dark curls with her fingers. Yang leaned her cheek against her head, and her warm voice next to her ear was so gentle. "I know I haven't been fair," she admitted, "and I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel like this." The pain in her voice had Blake pull her a tad closer. "I'm disgusted with myself that I ever let it get to this," Yang whispered, pressing her cheek almost closer against the dark hair as she also tightened her grip on her. "Especially since what we're doing is—…i-it really isn't just…" she trailed off, it sounded as if she'd lost her voice.

Blake tenderly kissed the skin that was available to her with the way they were hugging, somewhere on her neck, close to her jaw. "I know," she quietly acknowledged.

She inhaled shakily. "I'm not doing it with you just to get off, you know?"

With a small nod, she let her hands follow down her spine to rest on the small of her back. "I know. I believe you."

Yang separated enough to look at her. "But do you really?" Her concern was painfully obvious in her voice, on her features, in the way she so carefully embraced her.

"Yang, I know you care, I never doubted you do," Blake softly answered, omitting to broach what was in fact bothering her; just how much her partner cared. Because no matter how much this question weighed on her, she still felt sincerely blessed with the intimacy of their relationship. Of course, by the physical aspect, but also by how much deeper their emotional bond had undeniably become. By how the tenderness in moments like this one had become so natural. She was exceptionally thankful for all of it, so no matter how much she wanted Yang to be as hopelessly in love with her as she herself was with her partner, she still couldn't demean what they did have.

In an attempt to convey that she was fine, that this was fine, that though she yearned for more, she still wouldn't do it differently if she was given the chance to redo everything, she found herself compelled to speak up. "Either way, Yang, I'd much rather you be using me than not having this closeness with you at all."

The blonde winced almost imperceptibly, almost. It truly would've been impossible for Blake not to sense it with the way they were holding each other. Before Yang could say anything, she continued. "I'm not saying this because it doesn't matter to me which it is. Because it does matter, and I know you're not using me. But I want you to understand that…what we have, I'm already very grateful for," she explained.

There was a time when she didn't dare hope Yang could even have some semblance of curiosity towards women, much less that she would be inclined to explore it with her. With her jaw-dropping looks and her innate charm, her partner could probably have had anyone she wanted.

Blake exhaled inaudibly. "Believe me, what we have is already more than I ever wished for."

"You say that, but…" Yang trailed off, and Blake could read the implied question plain as day; 'you want even more, don't you?' But again, as always with this topic, she played it safe. "You were still upset when you talked with Weiss," she softly pointed out.

"I was being greedy," she affirmed.

The blonde inched closer again. Her fingers brushed her cheek before gliding into her hair, tucking dark bangs away from faunus's face. "It's okay to be," she so incredibly gently offered, prompting the raven-haired beauty to raise her gaze to meet her lover's once more. Those violet eyes held that very warmth that had Blake fall so hopelessly in love with her. "I'm greedy too," Yang recognized, "I was jealous, remember?"

She let the other woman tenderly outline her face, and Blake let out a quiet, shuddering breath. "I remember."

"See? So it's fine," she murmured, the tenderness in her touch, in her voice so dizzyingly sweet. "Be greedy."

With her fogged mind yet her body so alive, Blake could only wonder how it was possible to be feeling so many emotions at once: desperate hope and its eagerness, the anxiety that came hand in hand with anticipation, the blinding devotion, the adoration of intense love. Such overwhelmingly powerful, true love to the point she wondered if she was somehow, falling for her all over again right then.

Her thumb traced her lower lip as Yang carefully held her cheek and Blake's eyes were lost in the endlessness of that amethyst color. How she longed for her partner to want to be hers, heart and soul. "I can't be as greedy as I want to be," she guardedly whispered.

Yang kept her gaze. "…Why not? You think I'd mind?"

Through the rising tension in the air, she somehow was able to sustain eye contact, wondering what had possessed her partner to dare venturing there for once. She'd been so hell-bent on avoiding all this. Blake kissed her thumb as it had paused on her lips. "Would you?"

Leaning her forehead to hers had her close enough for Blake to notice Yang's breathing was unquestionably quivering. "I'd need to know what you want to answer that, wouldn't I?" She answered, still impressively calmly.

Blake's heart pounded so hard, its pulse constricted her throat and resonated in her head. "…What are you asking me to tell you?"

"… …What have you been meaning to tell me?"

By now, her whole body trembled, and the words were on the tip of her tongue. She had resolved to keep to herself until Yang was ready, until Yang was willing to broach the subject, and… here it was. What Yang was asking for was abundantly clear.

She'd let Yang set the pace for this relationship, and now she'd finally brought them to this point. Besides, Blake remembered telling herself how it hadn't been fair to put the burden of leading solely on her, that it must've been pressure enough already to be the one to decide to take every step, and that it'd only be fair for her to be the one taking the plunge when the time would come.

This had been what she had been waiting for and, somehow… fear paralyzed her.

It was absurd, she knew, but in that instant, she doubted everything she thought she knew about her partner—everything she thought she had understood Yang had been trying to tell her, everything Yang had in fact said out loud, every not so veiled question and excruciatingly tender touch. In all this, she told herself… since it was already an unspoken understanding that they both knew Blake loved her, if Yang felt he same, how hard would it be to tell her? If she did love her, why wasn't she telling Blake? Was there an underlying reason, outside of her…not actually loving her back? But if she didn't love her, why was she asking her to confess?

And as if these so very human fears weren't enough, she felt suffocated with the crushing weight of the concerns she'd shared with Weiss, the sickening impression of luring the golden girl into her darkness, of tarnishing her light, of being the reason she'd experience prejudice, discrimination, rejection, pain…

And though she could see Yang waited expectantly for what they both knew Blake needed to tell her, what Yang was finally telling her she was ready to hear… "Nothing you don't already know," was all she found herself capable of saying, faltering.

With a drop in tension, the air didn't seem so thick around them and the blonde unquestionably looked deflated, having evidently anticipated for it to finally come out. Blake's heart squeezed painfully. There was a small flicker of frustration compelling her to want to scream 'You tell me!', but it was clearly overpowered with the miserable feeling of having disappointed her, and more than anything, Blake wanted to erase that look from her features. She wanted to make her smile and melt, make her forget she'd been denied the truth once more, or even better, remind her of the mood she was in a second ago—because lust… Lust, Blake knew how to deal with. Lust was easy to handle; it was reassuring even, given how much of a well-known territory it'd become.

She pulled the blonde a tad suddenly into a deep, hungry kiss, bringing their bodies together completely again. Yang readily kissed her back, but the way she answered her, tenderly and yet unreservedly, made her feel… wanted. Not as much desired as... welcomed. Welcomed in a way she'd never felt before, and the intrusive conviction that she should've told her nagged at the back of Blake's mind. Yang's arms around her waist clutched her, her hands gently massaged her back, and she didn't seem to want to do anything but kiss her.

Blake's hands slipped between their bodies to unbuckle her partner's belt; the half-skirt fell on the floor, and only then was a change sparked. Yang hummed in pleasure as she went to undo the faunus's black vest, and now her fingers trailed her skin, her ribs, moved underneath her white crop-top to swiftly unhook her bra. Her hand quickly circled back to the front and slid under the cup to take hold of her breast, and as she did this, Yang pushed closer. The way she kissed her then, Blake recognized; passion, raw desire… And now her own body was on fire. Redirecting her lover's focus had been her goal, but she'd tricked herself too.

"Yang," Blake called with more urgency than she intended, "I want you," she whispered, pressing into her hand, inciting her to massage her breast more assertively. She already trembled from how much she needed to consume her passion for her partner. "…You don't know how much I want you."

"Maybe almost as much as I want you…?" Yang quietly answered, kissing her neck now.

"You think you want me that much?"

Her free hand had busied itself undoing the white shorts, and her lips wouldn't leave her skin as she spoke. "Are you kidding?" The blonde shot back, somewhere between amused and incredulous. "Blake, I worship you," she breathed, pushing the shorts halfway down her hips. She sucked on her neck longingly, certainly marking the skin. "Let me show you how I worship you," she heatedly added, and the second her lips had left her neck, they had already found her stomach. As she had knelt, she'd also pushed her shorts further down her legs, making sure to drag her underwear along as well. Yang's hands trailed her legs over the purple and black stockings.

Seeing the blonde kneeling in front of her this way, apparently incapable of tearing her lips from her skin, made her legs awfully weak. Blake's fingers found her partner's on her thighs as Yang's tongue already parted her. Her hot breathing warmed her groin, and Yang moved closer, her massive cleavage pushed against Blake's thighs. The faunus exhaled hotly. "Not beating around the bush, are you?" she noted, feeling herself smile.

Her partner glanced back up at her, she sucked lengthily on her lips before addressing her once more, that playful grin of hers stretching her features. "No, Blake. Licking under it."

She hadn't anticipated a pun. "…God, really?"

Yang laughed, resuming what she was doing. The sensation of her mouth as she pressed it again to her sex had Blake vacillate; she pushed blonde bangs back, trying to see her face. With her eyes closed and the rest of her features brightened by her enduring smile, Yang's expression was bordering on blissful as she readily lapped at her. Blake gently combed her hair with her fingers, and it seemed to prompt her to press closer. Her hands had been securely fastened to the back of her thighs now massaged the flesh as her tongue more steadily rubbed against her clit. Blake's hips instinctively followed along, and as her breathing deepened, she parted her lips for a moan she hadn't realize she'd been holding in.

It evidently enflamed the blonde; she wrapped her arms around her to cling to her hips, gripping her ass as she pressed her body, most notably her breasts, to the faunus's thighs, all along with her tongue rubbing even more insistently. Yet she'd only parted her enough to suck and play with the hardened bud. Blake felt herself twitching, aching for her tongue—or fingers, she didn't care which— to penetrate her. Yang would relentlessly tease, sucking on her, licking her clean of the fluids that kept coming, and Blake wondered if she was purposely avoiding venturing inside of her.

It didn't matter much which it was because very soon, Blake was unable to prevent herself from trying to get full gratification, and she tightened her grip on her hair, holding her head in place as she advanced slightly over her face. Not one to be ruffled, Yang welcomed her forceful invitation, seizing her thighs with both hands again as she opened her mouth, her tongue pushing into her. Blake felt her knees buck.

"Yang—" She gasped. "M-my legs are giving out…"

Before she knew it, Yang had stood up, pressing their bodies together. The urgency with which she gripped her hips as she forced her leg between her thighs, being able to taste herself in Yang's mouth as she devoured her lips, woke something so primal in Blake, she barely recognized herself. She rocked her hips to grind against her thigh, and the brawler's strong arms wrapped around her to support most of her weight. The dark-haired faunus let herself melt, her whole body rolling with the thrust of her hips, moving against her lover's absurdly divine curves and muscular build, and the purring in her throat intensified thanks to the glorious feeling.

Yang held her up and close with one arm and firmly grabbed her ass with the other hand to encourage her rocking. "It's so fucking hot when you do that," she breathed burningly.

Blake pressed closer, clinging to her partner like she wanted to dissolve into her. The unequivocal need she felt was not something she could associate exclusively with the love she had for the woman in her arms. It was also primal, savage even, and she compulsively craved naked flesh against her own, her feverish skin, the saltiness of her sweat, the sweetness between her legs. She pulled back enough to aggressively seize the tan blazer with both hands; she locked eyes with the other woman's gleaming violet orbs. "Bed. Now."

Without hesitation, Yang pulled her up in her arms and quickly moved them to bed. The blonde fell on her back, and Blake took over, fumbling to unbutton her blazer and almost ripping it off her as Yang raised herself enough to follow along with her top and bra. The faunus rapidly pushed her back down, claiming her lips again and seizing one of her large breasts, feeling the hardened nipple pressed in her palm, then coaxing a low moan from her as she rolled her nipple between her fingers.

As if this touch had prompted her to want to do the same, Yang instantly started pulling at the black sleeveless vest and white crop top Blake was still wearing. Without missing a beat, Blake got rid of them along with her already unhooked bra. Now both topless, she couldn't resist her desire to feel her skin, her flesh, her warmth, and Blake lied on her, leaving Yang's bottoms along with their stockings alone for the time being.

"Blake," she whispered, short of breath already. Her hands found her ass again, and Yang pulled their hips together, thrusting her pelvis lightly against hers. She exhaled heavily. "Holy shit, Blake…"

Lightheaded with how saturated with desire her senses were, Blake nuzzled into her neck, breathing the inebriating scent of her hair. "I love when you say my name," she mused.

"I love when you say mine," Yang promptly retorted, kissing the side of her head.

Consumed with her urges, she wasn't thinking. "I'll say it," Blake volunteered.

Her lover drew back to look at her, searching to meet her eyes. "You would?" she questioned earnestly.

There was a spark of anticipation, maybe even hope in her gaze, and Blake knew very well why her partner was so intent on this. Her guess was… it wasn't her name as much as the words that had nearly slipped on that morning that had Yang so fretful. Blake stared back into the gleaming violet orbs. "I would if you want me to," she still found herself saying.

"That's all I want," the blonde answered, and with the way she gazed up at her, rapt, fascinated, Blake almost believed it.

"…Is it really? All you want?" She quietly inquired.

Yang was still seemingly hypnotized with her. "No," she shamelessly confessed, fingers trailing on her naked skin.

"…Then what else do you want?" She dared, hoping her partner under her wouldn't feel the way her heart rate jumped as she willed this question past her lips.

Staring up at her for a second, her clear amethyst eyes shining with something Blake didn't recognize, Yang's fingers moved on her back, idly down to her rear. "Nothing you don't already know," she whispered, mirroring her partner's earlier words.

"…That's unfair," Blake protested practically inaudibly, shivering at the venturing touch.

The blonde caressed her ass insistently again. "Who's being unfair?" She murmured back.

Opting not to answer, Blake crashed her lips to hers, letting her hands fall on her hips and tugging at the black shorts. Yang allowed herself to be undressed, helping her rid her of what was left of her clothes. The magnificent experience of her flawless body moulding against hers and the enslaving taste of her lips had Blake forget herself; she didn't remember wanting anything as much as she wanted her then. Nothing mattered but disappearing in her arms, breathing her breath, feeling her heartbeat resonate through her whole being. Hands massaged Blake's naked back, ran back up through jet black locks of hair, and Yang arched her back under her like she somehow wanted to be even closer. Blake moaned gently into the kiss, pushing right back, caressing her face, her shoulders, and it felt so right to share this intimacy.

Only… in a sudden flash of lucidity, Blake remembered that this room wasn't theirs alone. She wished she could throw all caution to the wind, but this reality still weighed on her; she broke from her lips, eyelids heavy, utterly drunk with her, yet she willed herself to be speak. "Yang…" she managed, "…I know … I know I'm the one who s-started it, but what if they—"

"It's fine," Yang cut in, with evidently no intention of stopping.

Getting walked in on wasn't an experience Blake felt she needed in her life. "It's not," she protested.

"No, it is," the blonde argued. "Weiss promised that if we won, she'd keep Ruby away for a while," she then explained as her hand ventured on the back of her thigh in a light, teasing, featherlike caress.

The answer she'd received abruptly brought Blake down to earth. "…You actually asked her? So we could have sex?" she balked. "Have you no shame?"

Somewhat pouting, Yang stopped her attentions. "But she knows we're doing it already. Why is it a problem to ask for some time alone?"

Blake couldn't help thinking the blonde's point was more than valid. Their teammate was fully aware of this aspect of their relationship, and in all fairness… would probably have expected them to ask for something like this sooner or later. Somewhere along the way, the faunus had slowly leaned back to sit up without having really noticed, and after a short pause, she found herself asking, "So, how long do we have?"

A smile crept back on the brawler's features. "A bit under two hours."

"…I guess that'll have to do," Blake gave, her eyes drifting down on her partner's body. They both seemed to come aware of how exposed she'd been left as Blake had separated from her. Yang started to bring her legs together as she manifestly wanted to sit up too, but the faunus laid both hands on her knees, stopping her. "Stay like this. Don't cover yourself," she instructed.

Yang leaned back again but remained propped on her elbows to be able to look back at her partner sitting between her thighs. She looked definitely amused. "You like that kind of view?"

Unreservedly studying her, the way her breasts rose with every inhalation, the flawlessness of her smooth skin, her smooth-shaved and glistening wet sex, completely exposed with the way her legs were spread, Blake's golden orbs flickered to meet her partner's amethyst. "Shouldn't I?"

"I didn't say that," Yang said with a growing smile. "…But it's very gay," she snorted.

She pursed her lips. "You're making fun of me?"

"Not at all," the blonde instantly defended. "Look. Look all you want," she invited, smiling. She brushed the golden locks off her breasts and spread her legs wider. The twinkle in her eyes made it crystal clear she was revelling in Blake's attention. "I love the way you look at me," she still told her, completely owning up to it.

There was a long silence in which Blake did nothing but stare openly, taking her time to overtly examine her body. Though she had a stunning figure, Yang was not what one would call delicate; her athletic build was well balanced by her remarkably large chest and wide hips. In addition to this, her tight core gave her an exceptional hourglass figure. The golden locks falling all around her like a lion's wild mane, or maybe even the sun's halo, the amused grin stretching her features, and the playful gleam in her beautiful, beautiful amethyst completed the picture. Her lover was the very picture of liveliness, of health, of life, and Blake pondered a split second how the sinister shadow that she was could ever entice someone so radiant. Her fingers brushed her skin from her knees down her thighs. "…You're… unbelievably beautiful, you know?"

"I'm not completely unaware," Yang cheekily answered. "But… Thank you. Hearing it from you…" Her expression softened, losing most of its playfulness. "…It really means something to me."

"It does?" She gently questioned.

"…I don't care anymore how anyone else looks at me. I don't care if anyone else finds me attractive," she admitted, reminding Blake how she'd claimed her potential attraction to men had become irrelevant. "As long as you look at me the way you are now, I'm satisfied."

"I don't see how anyone wouldn't look at you the way I look at you," Blake pointed out; it was the truth after all. She shamelessly observed her body, both hands slowly caressing her thighs. "I've never seen someone so gorgeous."

"You mean you never looked in a mirror?"

The faunus rolled her eyes.

Yang snickered, and Blake couldn't help a small smile. In the first weeks that team RWBY started living together, she didn't anticipate she'd ever come to be so fond of her humor.

Blake's interest drifted again from her features down her body, her demeanor quickly losing her amused quality. The way she let her fingers lovingly travel the skin of her thighs turned into a more assertive massage, and the blonde rapidly followed suit with the change of mood. Looking at her with incredibly alluring, heavy lidded eyes, Yang flashed a seductive smile. "…So? Are you going to do something else but stare, Kitten? I'm kinda really bothered here."

The corner of Blake's lips curled up too. "I can see that," she purred, gaze wandering to between her legs. "You're incredibly wet."

Yang's provocative grin only stretched wider; she caressed down her own body, her hand coming to a halt on her pelvis. "It's the look in your eyes. It makes me really hot," she breathed in a playful tone.

Blake knew exactly what she meant. Oftentimes, the way Yang would stare at her, either with that most invigorating look of blatant lust, with such voracity, such greed, that it bordered on predatory… or at other times, an admiring, almost revering gaze of adoration—too often, the way her lover would so engrossedly study her would have her body readily respond, turning her on even in inappropriate times and places.

"Blake," the blonde called softly, interrupting her train of thought. "The other day… I did say I'd show you, didn't I?" She murmured; her fingers glided between her legs, parting her lips and coating themselves with the evidence of her advanced state of arousal. Yang moaned quietly, licking her lips as she started touching herself.

And with this, Blake quite suddenly found that simply breathing was a challenge. Her hands grasped at the flesh of her thighs maybe a little too roughly, and a heightened awareness of what was happening subjugated her. Her eyes only flickered away from what the blonde was doing so she could burn an image of the whole portrait in her head. Yang; her sultry expression and parted lips as she lay naked on her back, her legs spread wide open to expose everything, and then of course, the way she made a show of pleasuring herself, dexterously caressing herself.

As she watched, not failing to take notes as she enjoyed the sight, Blake eventually noticed something. "You don't penetrate yourself…?" She found herself asking.

Giving a gentle hum, she fidgeted a bit. "Not really…" she allowed, somewhat winded.

"Would you rather I not do it when I'm-"

"No," Yang cut in, "God, no! Get your fingers in there as deep as you can, I love it," she laughed, accelerating her own pace; the tone of her voice as she moaned again was now tainted with urgency.

Blake exhaled heavily, and though she knew this hadn't necessarily been meant to be an invitation, she still brought fingers between her partner's legs. Yang started removing her hand to let her take over, but the faunus hummed in disapproval. "Keep going," she whispered, pushing two fingers in.

The blonde raised her eyebrows, resuming playing with herself as Blake slowly pumped her fingers, her gaze intently locked with the violet eyes. Quickly, a wild grin etched itself on her lips, and Yang laughed saucily this time. "Okay," she breathed, her voice barely under control, "that's definitely one way to get me off fast."

Without a word, Blake pushed her fingers harder, earning herself a gasp from the other woman.

"Wow, you're not playing around," she managed shakily, her grin widening. The faunus smiled back, sliding her fingers in and out to dictate a more fervent pace and in a few thrusts, Yang abruptly grasped at the bed sheets with the hand she wasn't using to help stimulate herself. "Blake," she called, her voice louder. She met each thrust of her fingers with a roll of her hips and threw her head back, rapidly losing control. "Oh god… Blake…" she moaned feverishly.

Captivated with the show, she advanced to lean over her, feeling her own breathing get ragged. She fingered her faster, and these ferocious impulses gripped her again. She felt herself salivating, watching Yang's body writhe under her. Her abs contracted intermittently as she breathed sharply and pushed with her hips, her skin flushed with the pleasure, and Blake leaned closer, kissing between her breasts, kissing her stomach. Yang's hand was in her hair. Blake was gripped once more with the urge to taste her, but before she could head down, Yang stopped moving, holding her breath for a second, and Blake's fingers inside her felt squeezed, pulled on lightly, and slowing contractions followed. Golden eyes flowed up to her features, slowly back down her body. Yang's legs twitched closer together, pressing on Blake's sides, and the faunus sighed gently. Still without lying on her, she moved up to softly kiss her lips again and again, and Yang returned every one of those gentle kisses, smiling.

When she deemed her breathing pretty much back to normal, Blake pulled back to look at her. "That was probably the hottest thing I've seen," she admitted.

Yang had a weary smile, rolling her head on the pillow. "Probably?" She questioned, eyes still closed. "Not definitely?"

The faunus gave an amused hum, drawing her partner's gaze. "The first time I saw your face between my legs would compete with this," she offered.

"Alright, acceptable answer," she allowed, chuckling. Both of her hands had found her partner's arms, massaging them up and down, as Blake still held herself over her on all fours. "That was at the inn, wasn't it?" She mused. "Our first time properly having sex, and you took it upon yourself to straddle my face. That was way bolder than I'd expected."

She pursed her lips, somewhat embarrassed with being reminded of how audacious she'd been. "I thought you liked me being feisty," she argued defensively.

"I do," Yang instantly replied. "I was just saying it'd surprised me," she explained, watching as Blake dropped herself next to her, facing her. Yang turned on her side, without ever looking away. "I loved that you did that," she then offered,"…I'm actually kinda bummed you never did it again."

Blake raised her eyebrows in a bit of a surprise; she'd felt self-conscious having imposed herself on her partner, and though Yang had indeed reassured her it'd been fine, she still hadn't been completely at ease. "Yeah?"

"Yeah!" She enthusiastically confirmed. Yang then scooted closer, her hand slunk on her waist then unhurriedly moved a little lower. Blake could feel her grip on her hip, the way her thumb traced her slightly protruding hipbone. "It was really hot," Yang commented, her fingers moved on her stomach, lazily tracing its defined lines. "And… the view was pretty amazing too, from down there."

"Is that right?" Blake questioned back, enjoying the wandering fingers and how her lover teased to approach more sensitive areas. "I wasn't lucky enough to experience that view just yet," she whispered, her interest straying from the other woman's features down to her still obviously worked up body. The image of Yang kneeling over her face as it coursed through her mind made it feel like fire coursed through her veins. "Show me."

She looked startled. "But I just…" Yang trailed off, pausing her caresses. "It's your turn."

The faunus reached out to gently trail her fingers from her collarbone to cup one of her breasts, slowly resuming kneading it. Maybe stirring her again would sway her, she thought. "You did a lot of the work just now, plus the other morning… you made me cum twice without getting your share," she remarked.

"Who's keeping count?" The blonde shrugged, letting herself be petted. "We shouldn't be keeping score for stuff like this."

"Who just tried arguing that it's my turn?" She pointed out, unimpressed. As she said this, she squeezed her breast more assertively, her hardened nipple rubbed in her palm and goaded a small groan from her. Yang lightly pushed her chest in her hand and Blake smirked. "You're so easy to work up."

"Sorry," she sarcastically offered.

The dark-haired woman leaned in for a kiss, and her partner indulged readily. It always impressed her how effortlessly she could make the blonde comply to her own desires. She drew back not even half an inch and leisurely traced her lower lip with the tip of her tongue. Yang opened her mouth, shakily breathing out and trying to get another kiss, but Blake moved out of reach to lock her gaze with the now needy violet orbs. "Give me what I want," she pressed quietly.

Yang stared back only a second before she slowly sat up, and the faunus turned to settle on her back. Her blonde partner paused a short moment to stare down at her again. It looked to Blake like she was still hesitating, but she ultimately opted to go for it. Yang carefully pushed black hair from the pillow, an effort to avoid inadvertently pulling it by kneeling on it, as she moved her thighs on each side of her head. As she positioned herself over her, her smell and her warmth hit Blake at once, intensifying her hunger like oil thrown on fire. Looking up to the sight of her beautifully toned stomach or the underside of her generous chest, of her golden mane of curls cascading down her shoulders to envelop her body and her twinkling violet eyes peering down at her was breathtakingly arousing. Yang had been right, the view truly was marvellous; Blake's hand sneaked between her own legs as she instructed in a whisper, "Lower yourself a little."

Doing as she was told, Yang moved herself down; Blake eagerly pressed her mouth to her, eliciting a quiet gasp from her. Her intoxicating taste and how amazingly hot her sex was set Blake's skin on fire, the heat burning through to her extremities. Her fingers were already inside of herself, and she gripped her partner's rear with her other hand, inciting a motion of her hip, inviting her to follow along as she licked. Yang seemed hesitant to move much at first and Blake remembered how she had herself been cautious when she'd been in her position—wanting to be mindful of letting her breathe, trying to keep it comfortable for the one underneath. It was however only a few intent strokes of her tongue for the blonde to get in rhythm; she sighed with lust, quickly losing herself to the pleasure. Blake felt intense goose bumps course through her; the primal thrust of her hips as Yang slowly rubbed herself against her tongue, in her mouth, as she quickly started struggling to stay upright was criminally sexy. The way—oh, the way she rocked her whole body, throwing her head back, her hands ruffling her own blonde bangs before falling on her breasts to caress down her stomach, had Blake purring.

Her golden eyes stayed just barely cracked open to watch as she avidly lapped at her, sucked on her flesh, pushed her tongue inside of her, and the blonde writhed and laughingly moaned in that way that drove Blake mad. She squeezed a third finger inside herself, a harsh breath escaping her; she never used to do this herself, but when Yang would finger her with three, it'd drive her wild. And right then, those primal urges she felt rising in the pit of her stomach needed to be tended to. She pushed her fingers deep inside herself, fiercely grabbing onto her partner's hip with her free hand, hurriedly moving to grip her ass as she pressed her face suffocatingly closer between her legs.

This aggressive upsurge of lust positively invigorated Yang who grinded harder and suddenly grabbed onto the headboard of the bed with both hands, moaning a higher pitched moan than she usually would. Her body was shaking, and Blake stuck her tongue deep again. "Fuck," Yang vacillatingly whimpered. "Blake," she called, one of her hands finding her head, quivering as she clutched black hair between her cat ears. "Blake," she called even more urgently, obviously close to the edge.

The faunus felt the rumbling from her chest and throat intensify, aware that the other woman would undoubtably feel it reverberated in her mouth against her flesh. Black strands of hair messily stuck to Yang's thighs and crotch, to Blake's forehead with the sweat, and to her cheeks in her partner's fluids smeared over them. Blake panted harshly with the exertion, with her own arousal, with the heaviness and humidity of the air that couldn't seem to satisfy her lungs. Yang's thighs on each side of her head were shaking, and Blake cracked her eyes open again, looking on as her skin flushed at once; sweat rolled down the slightly spasming muscles of her lover's abs as she struggled to catch her breath, pushing her sex against her mouth. Had the taste gotten sweeter, or was Blake delirious with lust? This was so absurdly arousing, she was nearly losing her mind.

Yang gradually stopped pushing and, slowly relaxing, she raised herself slightly; Blake was gasping for air she didn't care for and she tightened her arm around her thigh, compelling her partner to stay put before she dared move off. The faunus was so close to her climax and the blonde bombshell straddling her this way was driving her insane, and she would not lose that rush. She pressed her cheek to her thigh, panting harshly against the flesh she'd been licking so avidly a moment ago.

Yang gently combed dark bangs away from her eyes. "Look up here, kitten…" she whispered, drawing her gaze.

With a fond smile, the blonde groped her own breasts, then moved her hands down her stomach, sensually fondled her body, thrusting her hips faintly as her hands outlined them and then went back up sensually, making quite a show of caressing herself. Blake's lust spiked; that magnificent sensation of free-fall overtook her at once. She stopped pumping her fingers as the rush flooded her, her mind going blank, her body pulsating. It was a few seconds for her to start regaining her senses.

She turned her head to hide her face against her lover's thigh, feeling herself blushing and most definitely dizzy. "You're ridiculously sexy, my god…"

Yang laughed, resuming combing away black locks of hair. Her fingers tenderly traced around flattened cat ears. "I just love seeing that I turn you on this much," she teased.

"You're a pervert," Blake accused, her voice slightly muffled as she pressed her face more firmly into her thigh.

"Says the cat who's stopping me from getting off her face," Yang shot back, prompting Blake to embarrassedly let go of her thigh.

Still very amused, the blonde moved off in favor of lying by her side. The faunus stuck herself to her partner almost instantly, resuming hiding her face, this time in her chest. She felt her lover's arms draw her closer and her cheek rest on top of her head between the cat ears, and Blake snuggled into the embrace. She could feel Yang's body relax to its normal pace and hear her heart as its pulse slowed to the most soothing rhythm the universe had fashioned. Blake felt herself start to drift to sleep, and as if her partner had sensed it, her voice shook her awake again.

"Did I ever tell you how good you are with that mouth of yours?"

Blake could hear her smile in the tone of her voice. "You have now," she whispered, smiling too. Pulled out of her lethargy by both the small exchange and her amusement, her mind now seemed to be quickly unfogging. She pulled her head out of her partner's ample chest. "How much time left…?"

Yang turned over on her back, one arm still stuck under Blake, and patted around on the floor next to the bed to find her scroll somewhere in her blazer. As she brought it over her head, the sudden brightness of it had the faunus push her face back into her breast.

"About forty minutes," the blonde answered, laying her device on the bedside furniture before kissing her temple. She rolled on her side to face her again.

Blake sighed. She straightened up a bit, and they both repositioned themselves, Yang's arm moved up to support her neck as the faunus laid her head on the pillow to be able look at her. "We need to leave ourselves some time to clean up," she absentmindedly reflected.

"Yeah, but we still have some time," the blonde countered, leaning her forehead to hers. She used the arm under her to wrap around her shoulder and hug her while her other hand found her waist and her hip the same way it had earlier; Blake could clearly read the intent in her caress. The way Yang's breathing had grown deeper again also told its own tale.

"We may have some time," Blake started nearly inaudibly, "but isn't it better to play it safe?" Although… how desired Yang made her feel, subtly smelling her skin, almost imperceptibly pressing their bodies closer together, was certainly stirring her again.

"Maybe," Yang quietly allowed, "but you haven't said my name," she then reminded her.

Blake held her gaze in silence as her partner took it upon herself to proceed.

The brawler's hand went from her hip to take hold of her thigh, and she lifted it enough to guide it around herself to rest on her hip. The faunus pulled her closer with the leg she'd placed around her, it drew an unbelievably fond smile from her lover. Blake's breath was taken away for a second; she wasn't quite sure if she'd ever seen that smile before. Yes, Yang had smiled at her with warmth, care and fondness more times than she could count, but not with this immeasurable tenderness.

Yang's arm under her neck, wrapped around her shoulders, moved just slightly to let her fingers travel to the back of her head and massage her scalp. She leaned in, brushing her lips to hers and capturing them in a gentle kiss, which Blake gladly answered. The blonde's hand still on her thigh kneaded it comfortingly and now, with the way it rested on her partner's body to part her legs, the faunus realized just how much she yearned to be touched. That's how, as she felt her lover's hand slip between them, she readily moved her hips back about an inch to give the other woman some manoeuvring space. She felt Yang cup her sex, gently applying pressure with her palm before her fingers slowly started tracing the wet line to gradually part her. The midnight-haired faunus exhaled a short, quivering sigh into their kiss, which prompted her partner to move back an inch and study her features.

That smile was still on her features.

It was so, so very tenderly, so adoringly that Yang smiled, an upsurge of warmth coursed through Blake's veins, smothering her with overwhelming happiness. Her heart picked up pace, but not because of the pleasant caresses of her partner's. No, what got to her was how the urgency and raw desire Yang would usually be consumed with was absent. Blake was filled with the understanding that what Yang was doing… it wasn't her giving into her hunger, into lust. This… it wasn't being done with a clouded heart or a clouded mind. It was very deliberate and somehow conveyed so much more intimacy. Fingers softly teased her opening and the dark-haired woman leaned her forehead against her partner's; the blonde rubbed her nose to hers. Blake felt an insistent smile stretch her features to mirror her lover's.

This prompted the hand at the back of her head to scratch lovingly through the jet-black locks. "Your smile really makes me melt," Yang divulged in a whisper, and what burned in her violet eyes… Blake could only think of one word to properly describe it.

Her heart swelled so much she thought it might burst, and as the blonde pushed her fingers inside of her, the faunus felt the words surge in her throat. She forgot her fears and concerns. She forgot why she couldn't find it in herself to voice it earlier. She forgot everything but how right it felt to tell her because god—this was so right. Blake gasped shakily, completely mesmerized by her eyes, by the care with which she touched her, and she brought trembling fingers to her lover's cheek. "Yang?"

Her tenderness was impossibly inviting. "Hmm?"

Though it felt surreal, Blake still knew deep within her very soul that this urge to speak her truth wasn't a foolish compulsion instigated by being caught up in the moment. Her mind, her thoughts… her heart, they were as clear as could be, and so she finally allowed herself to voice it. "I love you," she murmured.

Yang came to a stop and the dark-haired woman found herself surprisingly at ease with holding her partner's wide-eyed gaze. The blonde stared at her, speechless and… in awe, Blake realized. She seemed to have forgotten to even breathe so still she was.

Blake stroked her cheek with her thumb; her hand was still cupping her face, eyes still on hers. "…I'm in love with you," she repeated, making sure there was no mistake. "Really, truly… in love with you."

The stillness and silence stretched, yet Blake still wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest. Though she'd have to admit it really was strange, lying so motionless while Yang's fingers were still deep inside her.

"…I don't expect you to say anything," she decided to continue, not wanting the silence to pressure her. "I just… I needed to say it, for myself. Because I never thought I could possibly love anyone this much, and I… just…" she trailed off, beginning to be a little concerned with her partner's lack of reaction. "…You don't mind that I told you, right?"

Pulled out of her trance, Yang smiled a positively magnificent smile. "…If I mind…?" She repeated in a breath. She looked unquestionably exhilarated as she closed the distance for a deep, heartfelt kiss. The sort of kiss which used to give Blake a glimmer of hope that her partner may be feeling the same. In that moment, the faunus was very aware of how she likely hadn't been fooling herself when that impression filled her. Yang kissed her this way because… she'd probably felt the same way for longer than they'd both realized. The faunus felt herself pushed gently on her back, she let her take complete control as Yang lied on top of her, never releasing her lips.

Her lover's heap of golden locks fell around her, saturating her senses, and Yang's shape moulded together with hers like a missing piece of herself. The blonde faintly curled her fingers inside of her, pushing up, against the front wall, and the dark-haired beauty moaned in the kiss. Feeling so wrapped in her presence, in her, with the weight of her body and the way it moved on top of Blake, in pace with her thrusts, it all was heavenly. Her partner released her lips only to kiss her cheek, the line of her jaw, and Blake exhaled shakily, drowning in her. "I love you," she repeated under her breath, "so much…"

Yang gave a short, almost disbelieving laugh, and her expression as she pulled back to gaze at her, amazingly elated, blissful, was probably the most adorable thing Blake had seen in her life. It made her vision blur and prompted Blake to close her eyes, wrapping both arms tightly around her neck. Yang snuggled closer, focusing on pumping her fingers, and the faunus moaned gently, pressing her forehead against the side of her head, the scent of her hair filling her senses. It was so quiet that Blake nearly missed it as Yang whispered to her, "Tell me again."

Blake smiled, nuzzling into the golden mane. "I love you," she murmured close to her ear, tightening her grip around her shoulders. Yang's embrace grew stronger in return, and she dictated an intense pace with her fingers, pulling them out slower than she'd push them back in a quick, short motion; Blake rolled her hips against her hand, submitting to the rhythm. She was so dizzy with sensations, with the urgency of the rush, with how utterly intoxicating Yang was to her, she already felt her grip on reality slipping.

"Yang," she moaned feverishly, and the blonde pushed closer, assaulting her lips; Blake could feel her smile as she kissed her, and she could only smile too. She thought she was melting. She wanted to kiss her, but she panted so hard her lungs downright burned. Blake couldn't remember ever being so completely consumed with her love or for anything to have ever been as fulfilling as Yang accepting her truth, accepting her so wholly. Her trembling lips hastily found the blonde's again and again. "I love you," she let the words escape between fevered kisses as her body gave in to euphoria.

Her nails dug in the flesh of her shoulders, and her thighs jerked together on each side of her partner, squeezing her; her mind going blank, Blake pushed her hips keenly to her hand, and Yang pushed back without thrusting anymore. Her eyes were shut tightly, but everything was blindingly white; the only thing she was aware of was how her partner's heart pounded against her chest, resonating together with her own perfectly. She then gradually started coming down from her high.

Breathing heavily in the golden hair, Blake's mind progressively cleared. Yang didn't move from on top of her. In fact, she didn't move at all anymore. The faunus slowly loosened her embrace, letting her hands down the curve of her back to rest around her waist. The silence that lingered was surprisingly comfortable as they both caught their breath, immobilized. Yang almost imperceptibly leaned her head to hers, and Blake, in response, lightly rubbed hers against the blonde hair. It was another minute or so before the brawler raised herself on her elbows to look down at her.

"It's not the same just to know compared to hearing you say it," Yang gently said.

Looking up at her, she sighed silently; the relief and the weightlessness Blake felt now that she'd at last been able to let it out was astounding. "It's not the same knowing that you know and actually being able to tell you," she quietly agreed.

Yang outlined her features with the tip of her fingers, tenderly brushing away black bangs; Blake noticed she could smell herself faintly on her hand. "…You know, you didn't have to hide it. It would've been fine if you'd told me sooner," the blonde murmured.

The dark-haired faunus hummed, leaning into her touch. "I did want to tell you for a while now," she acknowledged. Yang's fingers drifted in her hair, up to trace around a cat ear, and a delightful shiver coursed through Blake. "…But I was scared," she admitted hushedly, "and… for a long time, I don't think you were quite ready to hear it."

"…Maybe not," Yang bashfully allowed, breaking eye contact. She then mustered herself enough to glance her way again, an adorable twinkle brightening her eyes. "I'm happy you told me."

Blake felt herself smile. How could her blonde partner be so endearing? "You look happy," she granted.

"I'm really happy," she whispered, smiling wider.

"Then I'm happy too," the faunus breathed. Her lover leaned in to kiss her impossibly gently, and Blake could feel her persistent smile as they kissed. She caressed her cheek and reached to comb the golden curls with her fingers; a soft hum escaped Yang. "We have to wash up," she reminded her.

"Yeah," the blonde agreed, almost inaudibly.

It took another moment before either of them moved; Yang only willed herself to roll off her when Blake commandingly patted her butt, urging her to get off.

The raven-haired woman pulled herself out of bed to start picking up clothing they'd discarded all over the floor while the blonde headed to the bathroom to start up the shower. Blake joined her shortly; her lover's golden mane was pulled up on a bun on the top of her head, and she offered to do up the faunus's midnight locks the same way to prevent them from getting wet. Once she was done, their hands found each other's, and fingers interlaced; Blake wasn't really sure who had taken whose hand, but Yang tugged faintly, guiding her under the water. They washed up in comfortable silence, Blake's touch lingered on her wet skin as she soaped her lover's back. Her lips found her spine, and her arms were around her waist. Yang leaned back into her, and oh how Blake wanted to love her more. How tempting it was to throw caution to the wind. But she knew they would have plenty of time in the future, it was no use being so greedily unreasonable now, especially since Yang would need to start getting ready for her single's match. With a last kiss on her nape, Blake managed to make herself let go of her and step out of the shower. The other woman followed, and they dried themselves quickly.

As she re-applied light makeup, Yang took it upon herself to take care of her hair again, conscientiously undoing the bun and carefully combing the dark locks. With her own, she simply pulled the hairband out and ruffled it lightly. "Blake?"

The faunus meticulously re-tied her bow. "Hmm?"

There was a short silence as the blonde slipped on clean underwear and attached her bra. "When we kissed in front of Weiss earlier…" she started contemplatively, "it felt really good, being free to just… be how we want to be. It was amazing not to have to worry about hiding," she said, grabbing her clothes. Blake nodded, humming softly in approval as she also started getting dressed. Yang gave another contemplative pause. "It made me think of… how I'd love to be able to, I don't know, sleep in the same bed, or just… just kiss you goodnight, you know?"

"That'd be lovely," she agreed absentmindedly, slipping into her stockings.

"Hence, I'm going to tell Ruby."

Blake turned to her in surprise. Yang stood motionless as she stared back, clad only in her black shorts and yellow tube top. Her skirt and belt were forgotten in her hands. She seemed to reconsider what she wanted to say, but this time for what felt to Blake like an unreasonably long time. Finally, Yang sighed. "I'm tired of pretending like nothing's going on and of… in a way, lying to her. Not to mention… It's unfair to keep her in the dark when Weiss knows."

"I agree, but I thought…" Blake paused, readjusting her white crop top distractedly. Her gaze fell on the ground, and she was very still for a few seconds. "I mean, telling Ruby," she cautiously stated, "that's not a small step to you."

"…It's not," she acknowledged, still unmoving. "But it's fine. I'm serious about you," Yang affirmed. "And I'm sick of hiding. There's no reason to hide."

As she stared at her partner, the dark-haired woman realized her vision had blurred. Her heart felt too big for her chest.

"Blake…?" She unsurely called, evidently disconcerted by her reaction. "Is that okay…? Are you fine with being open about this?"

She hummed in approval, doing her very best to get a hold of herself; she sniffed quietly and quickly blinked away the fogginess of her eyes as she slipped on her black vest. Only when she was certain speaking wouldn't instigate some form of emotional meltdown did she dare to resume. "Just how open did you want to be…?" She managed, still deeming her voice too unsteady for her liking. "Did you mean, not hiding when we're with Ruby and Weiss, or you meant… …more…?"

Yang pensively buckled her belt, the half-skirt attached to it not making any sort of difference in the decency of her outfit. She grabbed her scarf. "I meant all the time," she clarified. "I would rather really be… out. I don't want us to treat this like a dirty little secret, Blake, I… feel so lucky that we…" she held her breath a second. "…We're…" She trailed off for a second time, apparently undecided on what wording she was comfortable using. "A-and I have to admit I …I-I… don't want to have any reasons to be jealous again."

Blake could plainly read between the lines; by this, her partner implied among other things that she wanted to discourage Sun from making any further advances. "You realize some people may treat you differently?"

"As long as Ruby doesn't, I'm prepared," she answered, and she frankly, unashamedly held her gaze.

For a time, they simply stood staring at each other. They'd put most of their clothing on but finishing getting dressed had been forgotten. In the last lines they'd exchanged, it felt to Blake that what her lover was saying was that they were an item… without fully saying it. Was Yang telling her that she loved her too? Or was she not quite there yet, however still secure enough about becoming an item to overtly, publicly acknowledge the nature of their relationship? …Were they in a relationship? Blake couldn't seem to voice the question.

"…What are you going to tell your sister exactly…?" She ended murmuring, hoping for Yang to read the million questions hiding behind this one. What does that make us? You're making a commitment to me...right? Is this official? Is there a 'we'? She needed to hear it voiced. If Yang wasn't able to tell her she loved her, at least Blake had to hear from her that they were an item, that they were something. Otherwise, it didn't entirely feel real.

Yang sighed. "I'm not sure yet," she admitted, apparently thinking her words over very prudently. "…For one, I want to be with you all the time," she whispered, "and it's not going to go away. And... you're… really, you're all I ever think about." She paused. "And... I…" Her breath caught in her throat, and she started moving closer.

Blake knew what was supposed to come next, and she waited as the other woman stepped up close enough to take her hand in hers, watching her with wide eyes.

"... I…" Yang tried again, her gaze moving from the floor to around the room, stopping on the untidy bed sheets; she looked incredibly tense. "…I've never felt with anyone…" she trailed off. With a short exhalation and a nervous laugh, she ran a hand on the back of her head in her blonde mane, and she shook her head. "I don't know how this is so hard…" she admitted in apparent disbelief.

Blake felt herself smile. Even if her partner struggled, the message was clear, and she decided that pressuring it out of her wasn't what she wanted. In time, Yang would be comfortable saying what she had to say. Her heart still swelled with happiness. "It's okay if you're not ready, Yang," she gently offered. Leaning up to tenderly press her lips to hers had the blonde pull her in fiercely.

Her kiss burned with adoration, and her lips still brushed to hers as she spoke again. "You know, that I'm… …. …it doesn't mean that I don't…" Yang exhaled silently. Eyes closed, the blonde leaned her forehead to hers, evidently trying to gather herself. "It's just that… I always thought…it was fine if Ruby needed me—if other people needed me—because I knew I'd be there for them. Always," she started, her eyes fluttering open. "But I… It's just… I… I… never saw myself ever letting anyone so close that… I would need them," she confessed, holding her gaze with a vulnerability Blake hadn't yet witnessed in her exceedingly self-assured partner.

Somehow, Blake thought of that day they sat in the dusk-tinted classroom, of the first time her partner had truly opened up to her, and all the pieces seemed to fit together.

Right now, Yang was telling her that her stance had always been to be strong and unfaltering for others, without ever expecting anyone else to be there if she were to fall. And Blake now grasped that, whether Yang was aware of it or not, if she ended up this way, it was likely simply because the people she loved had left her wanting before. Her experiences had taught her not to depend on others because… even her parents hadn't been steadfast enough to count on.

So, though Yang was clearly aware that if what was happening between them was to take off, she'd need to take a leap of faith and allow herself to be vulnerable… letting her guard down remained a struggle. Overcoming her instincts, overcoming hard-wired responses surely couldn't be an easy task. Which brought them to now.

The clear amethyst saturated with emotion pulled Blake in, and she carefully cupped her partner's cheek. "I don't mind doing this one step at a time," she whispered encouragingly.

Yang pulled her a little closer. "But we've already been running full speed," she murmured with a bit of a trembling chuckle. "And now I…need you, Blake, and… it's insanely stupid how much it scares me."

Affectionately stroking the soft skin of her cheek with her thumb, Blake gave her a lingering kiss from the tip of her lips. "It's not stupid," she countered. "Even if you hadn't told me about what happened when you were younger, I wouldn't have thought it was stupid for you to be scared of letting people in," she soothingly murmured, feeling Yang's hands around her waist clutch the fabric of her vest.

Blake's own slowly caressed down from her cheek to the back of her neck, gently massaging it underneath the thick mane of blonde locks. Her ears twitched under her bow; she could pick up their teammates' faint footsteps and voices down the hall. She knew they needed to wrap up this conversation for the time being.

"Yang," she resolutely breathed. "The last thing I want is for you to be uncomfortable or feel pressured. I'm happy to wait until you naturally get to a point you… can let me be strong for you in return," Blake reassuringly offered. Yang's fingers clutching the black fabric of her vest seemed to relax and the faunus's own fingers flowed out of the golden curls to hold her sturdy shoulders. "I love you, and I promise when you're ready, if you need me, I'll be there," she finished.

A spark ignited in her violet eyes, conviction, maybe. Or rather... complete faith in her, Blake realized, and Yang kissed her once more with such readiness, such earnestness, it gave the faunus the impression she wholly and unconditionally gave herself to her. Yet the footsteps quickly approaching detracted her from the moment. "Yang," she mouthed before the blonde again stole her lips. Blake had to faintly push on her shoulders. "They're almost here."

As if on cue, the click of the door unlocking forced them to break the kiss, and Yang stepped back, turning to glance at the door. The red blur she called her sister and the poised white silhouette that was her partner let themselves in.

"Yang!" Ruby hurried to her excitedly, not paying any attention to how both of them seemed to be missing pieces of their outfits. "Singles start soon! Are you ready? Make team RWBY look good! I can't wait to see you kick ass!"

As their short-haired leader fussed over her sister, pitching strategies and tips, Blake gave a quiet sigh, watching on. She'd wished they had a little more time, but she was already very thankful for the lovely moment they were able to share. She knew to count her blessings.

She noticed the violet orbs stray her way as Yang listened to her sibling, and the dark-haired faunus offered her a veiled smile. What coursed between them felt so strong, it was almost tangible; her heart violently skipped. The blonde returned to Ruby's quasi-monologue, and Blake felt slight prodding on her arm, letting her notice Weiss nudging her with her elbow. Her white-haired teammate handed her the black sleeve Blake usually wore on her left arm. Mouthing a silent 'thank you', she subtly slipped it on.

---

As the two of them made their way back to the arena, Yang thought to herself she might as well take this opportunity to talk to her sister. She really wanted to have this talk with her before things got to a point where Blake and she were cornered and absolutely had to tell her. Above all, she would loathe for Ruby to think she'd share this with her only out of need instead of out of her desire to tell her about something that made her so incredibly happy.

"…Ruby? There's something I need to talk to you about," Yang tentatively started.

Surprised by the uncharacteristically cautious tone of her voice, she turned to her sister. "Is something wrong, Yang?"

"Nothing's… wrong," she sheepishly clarified, coming to a halt. "But there's just… a… sensitive matter I wanted to uh… …" she said, not quite sure how to broach this. Ruby's silver eyes curiously fixed on her were rapidly making her anxious, and Yang had to opt with cutting to the chase. Otherwise, she suspected her growing nervousness might deter her and she didn't want to let herself put this off even another day. She resumed walking as if to encourage herself to continue moving forward in the conversation too. "…How…" She paused once more, cleared her throat, her gaze flickering to the ground before she looked back up at her sister again. "Would you be weirded out if I wanted to be with Blake?"

Ruby scrunched up her nose lightly, looking straight ahead as they walked. "What? Aren't you two together, like, all the time?" She then thought to herself for a second before she glanced at her sister. "Or did you mean you'd rather she had accompanied you backstage instead of me?"

Yang shook her head. "No. No, that's not what I meant," she quickly refuted. "I mean…" Holding her breath a second, she found interest in the ground once more. "By being with her I meant…" the brawler exhaled shakily; there was no way around it, she simply had to take the plunge. "…I meant, if I… had feelings for her. Beyond friendship. And wanted to… be with her. I mean together with her."

Ruby stopped in her track, her eyebrows now wrinkled in a cute frown; silver orbs curiously found her sister's. "…You mean…" She started, crossing her arms and cocking her head to the side. "…Do you mean… you… love her?" she carefully questioned. "Like… romantic love?"

Paralyzed by this so very honest question and the fear of what her sibling would think, Yang found herself unable to answer right away. The silence that settled between them along with her sudden awareness of how still they both were felt crushing. Her heart had leapt in her throat, beating so hard it reverberated through her whole body, and the blonde eventually somehow willed herself to speak. "…What if I did?" She questioned back. "I mean, I …I don't want to scare you or anything, but…" She exhaled shakily. "…What if I did?"

Ruby's frown deepened. "You're both girls."

Distress was starting to make her feel sick. "…Yeah," she still acknowledged.

There was a short silence in which she seemed to be working out whether Yang was serious or not, and Ruby appeared to conclude that her sister wasn't trying to pull any sort of prank on her, her expression turned positively impressed. "Wow. I never thought of that."

Completely taken aback, the blonde felt herself frown in turn. "…What?"

"Well, I don't know. It never crossed my mind it could happen?" her younger sibling tried explaining. "But in retrospect, it makes sense it'd happen sometimes."

So very unsure of the reaction she was getting, Yang blinked rapidly a few times. "…Okay, but… Is that something you'd mind? If I had a—… …girlfriend?"

Ruby stared back at her blankly. "Huh? Why would I mind?"

Now finding herself also blank and puzzled, the brawler didn't quite know what to make of this turn of events. "…I don't know," she admitted. "…I mean, it's not… conventional and stuff…"

"Humans and faunus together is also pretty uncommon, but you didn't ask about that," she pointed out.

"…I guess," Yang hesitantly conceded. "I just never imagined you could mind she's a faunus."

Ruby was now even more perplexed. "…If both are unconventional, why would I mind one but not the other?"

Returning her stare in baffled silence, Yang felt downright stupid for ever having been worried about her sister's reaction. What had she been so worked up about anyways? "…I don't know," she eventually answered. "I guess I thought… maybe?" She then tried. In all honestly, she couldn't think of any other argument but her sibling's initial surprise. "…I mean, you pointed it out yourself. That we're both girls. But not that she's a faunus."

"That's only because I've seen some human-faunus relationships before," Ruby explained, pursing her lips. "I mean, faunus rights are all over the news with how loud the White Fang's been lately, so lots of mix race couples are coming forward," she reminded her. "While two girls—or two boys? We don't really see or hear about that. It never crossed my mind that it happened."

"A lot of same-sex couples still hide. Some people are judgemental about that," Yang found herself explaining, still completely mystified with the turn of events.

She looked genuinely saddened to hear that. "That's so unfair!" she protested.

The tall blonde shrugged. "Yeah. But that's still how it is."

Pouting slightly, her silver eyes searched her sister's as she finally started to understand why Yang had a bit of reluctance broaching this with her. "So… you were worried I'd have a problem with you liking Blake?"

"Kinda," she admitted embarrassedly. A renewed vigour nevertheless swelled within her. It was a wonderful high, a vibrant elation that rose from the relief her sibling's response incited. "I mean, I thought most likely… it'd be okay, but I couldn't help but worry."

"I really don't get it." Ruby knit her brow again. "Why would it even be seen as a problem to start with?"

"…You know," Yang started, a candid smile rapidly growing on her features, "I think it's actually awesome that you don't get it," she offered, earning herself an even more puzzled look from her sister. After all, Ruby didn't understand why people would ever discriminate against same-sex relationships. It was because she saw it for what it was when it boiled down to it: just love between two people. Trying to make her understand what could be 'wrong' with them wasn't something Yang wanted to get into, and it wasn't something Ruby would be any better off actually understanding. "Forget I was ever worried about that," she said. "So, just…about Blake. If I… If I had feelings for Blake?"

Ruby smiled back at her as they resumed walking up to the gate. "You're serious?"

"I couldn't be more serious," she acquiesced.

"Yang," she said in as serious a tone as she could muster, "if I actually think about it, you being with anyone but Blake doesn't sound right. How did it even take so long?"

She gave a hearty laugh, throwing her arm around the short girl's shoulders. "Because I'm really dense."

The speakers came on, prompting the candidates to step out in the arena for the beginning of the singles matches.

Ruby pumped her fist in the air. "Okay! Initiating mission "Seduce Blake"!"

"Initiating?" Yang laughed again, tightening her squeeze around her sister's neck. "Rubes, this mission is well underway."

With a shocked… or maybe amazed scoff, round silver darted back to her. "What? What does that mean?"

Her grin widening, Yang chose to offer a wink as her answer. Let Ruby work out whatever she wanted from this. Before her sister could protest, she stepped out onto the arena, feeling like she could take on anything, feeling unstoppable and absolutely indestructible.

---

She'd won the match.

It was close, but her partner had secured the victory for team RWBY. Yang turned to the crowd, pumping her fist in the air in triumph, and yet the next moment, her eyes dyed themselves a furious red. She violently hurled an unwarranted and devastating punch to the young man's leg.

Blake stared down at the scene, horrified.

Whatever violent impulse had possessed her seemed to vanish, and Yang stared around her, confused. Soldiers surrounded her in the blink of an eye, and she started trying to explain how he'd attacked her… while the oversized screens all around the stadium looped a replay of her brutal and gratuitous strike to a vulnerable opponent. When she appeared to notice herself on the screens, Yang looked at a complete loss; she let herself be removed from the arena.

All this was too sickeningly, too horrifyingly familiar— Blake sunk back in her chair. Many times, she'd refused to associate the blonde's impulsivity and explosive temper to her ex-partner's violent urges, but… she'd abruptly felt a powerful kick to her stomach. She had blinded herself to Adam's behavior before, and she was mortified at the possibility that she just might be doing the same with her current partner. What if she'd been making the same mistake again? Did she find herself trusting someone who wasn't who she wished they were? Was she purposely seeing only what she wished to see?

At once, she doubted everything. She wondered how impartial she'd truly been concerning the blonde… if maybe being so head over heels in love with her had caused Blake to deliberately overlook signs or willfully ignore red flags. If maybe in all this, she'd discounted indications, omens that something like this would eventually happen. The faunus's mind filled itself with the raw violence in the way Yang would sometimes attack enemies; the way she had been ferociously tearing through Ursa on that day they'd become partners, or the way she'd thrown herself at the paladin, ramming it repeatedly with a seemingly mindless urge to destroy. That rage, that fire, literally seeing red, was undeniably part of the blonde and, sickeningly distressed, Blake found herself wondering… had she been blinding herself to other instances of this violence? … to more unethical or vicious behaviors? Did she miss anything? Was history repeating itself?

It was a brooding atmosphere that heavily hung over the three of them in the dorms as they had returned without their fourth member. The Atlesian army had opted to keep her in custody overnight while the tournament committee decided on the best course of action. There wasn't much chatting between the team. The shock of the events and the void left by their missing teammate was eerie. Ruby had short outbursts, insisting this wasn't like her sister at all, that something had gone wrong, that something must've been controlling her; she'd been grasping at a million straws to explain Yang's alarming behavior. Weiss dully acknowledged their leader's countless hypotheses, but ultimately only graced her with answers along the lines of "I believe in her too, but we need to hear what she has to say." Meanwhile, Blake stayed silent.

Going to bed that night was excruciatingly painful. Yang's smell lingering in her bed kept her awake, tormenting her with memories of whispers of love, of the suffocating happiness just a few hours earlier. And then only to be cruelly reminded again of the violence that'd wrapped up the evening.

Blake could barely get any sleep, and it was clear her teammates didn't fare much better. Their short haired leader was up at the crack of dawn, pacing around the room, checking her scroll, going back to the windows to scrutinize the imposing airships of the Atlesian army, going over the same arguments and theories she'd pitched before they'd gone to bed. Her white-haired teammate kept vaguely responding to each point her partner came up with. Blake pretended to sleep. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want them to see how she couldn't help doubting her own lover.

She was only able to will herself out of bed to get dressed when Ruby received news they would be getting their teammate back shortly.

It was James Ironwood who personally escorted her back to their quarters. Ruby threw herself at the blonde, and all her questions, all her speculations were pouring out before either Yang or the general were able to say anything. With her sister still hanging onto her, Yang sat on Weiss's bed. Then she proceeded to recount her own version of the events, what she saw, or at least, what she insisted she saw. Blake wanted to believe her. She wanted to believe that the light she saw in her partner was true, she wanted to believe in that welcoming warmth she felt when Yang embraced her, in that radiant smile she fell in love with, in that goodness, that genuine kind-heartedness and compassion that had made her golden partner so special to her. Moreover, Yang was such a horrible liar, Blake believed they would have been able to tell if she'd been lying, and right in this moment, it looked to all of them that she was telling the entire, unaltered truth. General Ironwood looked a little deflated, having obviously heard her story already, and all things said, having announced the disqualification of their team, he finally left them to themselves.

After a short silence, Yang pitifully raised her gaze to the three of them. "You guys believe me... right?" She tried, her voice uncharacteristically insecure.

Ruby's answer was instant. "Duuh!"

Weiss nodded along with her partner. "You're hot-headed, but not ruthless," she firmly agreed.

As her amethyst eyes fell on the faunus, and dreadful silence stretched, chilling the room.

Yang frowned somewhat unsurely. "...Blake?" She tried feebly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Blake saw Ruby and Weiss quickly glance at each other in confusion, and as she turned back to her, her white teammate's gaze bore into her. Weiss, probably due to her personal investment in them as their confidante, with her front seat in the latest developments of their budding relationship, seemed to be taking Blake's reservations as a personal affront.

Blake looked back up at her partner, at the woman she loved. "I want to believe you...!" She exclaimed, trying so hard to convey how she honestly resented herself for even doubting her.

"What's that's supposed to mean?" Weiss angrily spat with a roll of her eyes.

At this point, Yang was succumbing to tears she evidently had been desperate to suppress. "…Blake?" She called again, in a voice weaker than Blake ever thought she'd hear from her. The unambiguous distress in her voice was heartbreaking.

Upset with herself, upset with the turn of events, Blake felt herself frown in frustration. She broke eye contact for a second time, unable to sustain the pain her lover openly expressed.

Their friend sitting beside her went from irate to livid. "How can you say something like that!" Weiss blurted, insulted on Yang's behalf. "Yang would never lie to us!" she reminded her.

Blake gave her white teammate a glance before sighing, returning her eyes to the ground. "I had someone very dear to me change," she offered, deciding that there was no going around explaining that part of her past to her team. "It wasn't in an instant," she carefully said, her eyes drifting back up to wander around the room. "It was gradual. Little choices that began to pile up," she explained. "He told me not to worry. At first, they were accidents... Then it was self-defense," she muttered bitterly, unwilling to go into details. She felt so foolish for not having instantly recognized her ex-partner's actions for what they had been. "Before long, even I began to think he was right!" She added, in disbelief with herself, at how she'd let herself be duped, at how she was now so terrified of repeating the same mistake, it instilled doubts concerning the person she loved above all. Blake searched her clear violet eyes, hoping for her feelings to come across—to reach her. "This is all just... very... familiar!"

Yang had been staring at the ground as the dark-haired faunus explained this, tears rolling down her cheeks. With this pause, the amethyst orbs glided back up to the golden ones. Blake could read it plain and clear: betrayal.

She wanted nothing more but to make her understand she knew this situation was different, that she knew her fear was somewhat irrational in its own right—Yang didn't have a drop of cruelty or malice in her and Blake knew that.

"But you're not him, and you've never done anything like this before," she therefore granted. "So… I want to trust you," she concluded, her stare finding the ground. What was she saying? She didn't simply want to trust her. "I will trust you," Blake said in a stronger voice, looking back up at the blonde brawler. As she did so, somehow, for a heartbeat, she remembered the way her eyes would turn red with rage, and in that second, her own resolve vacillated for a second. Blake breathed out. "…But first," she unsteadily added, "I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that he attacked you," she requested. "I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did."

Yang wiped her cheeks and sniffed. "I saw him attack me, so I attacked back," she reiterated.

She was telling the truth. If Blake knew anything about her partner, she could tell she was telling the truth. Or at least, what she unfalteringly believed to be the truth. So Blake decided something else, maybe an external force had to be at play, and she would believe her. Closing her eyes, Blake mustered up a smile before glancing back up at the woman she loved. "Okay. Thank you."

Her decision to put her faith in her didn't appear to weigh much against the fact that she'd doubted her in the first place; Yang still looked utterly miserable. She let her gaze drift to the floor. "I think I'm gonna rest up," she said, so uncharacteristically disheartened.

This was an obvious request to be left alone, and Blake wasn't the only one to pick up on it. The three of them seemed to stand up at once. "We'll get out of your hair," she offered gently.

As they exited and met up with their friends in the corridor, Blake felt sick to her stomach. She hated having doubted her and even more how she'd hurt her. She'd never seen the blonde so heartbroken before… and yet she was the one who was to blame. She barely listened to the exchange with team JNPR, finding herself too concerned with how this would affect her relationship with her partner to quite listen—the million questions on her mind plagued her.

Would her lover still want to open up to her again with this strain on them? Did she sabotage the progress they'd made just yesterday? Would Yang refrain from leaning on her now? …Would she rethink… coming out to her sister about their relationship? Would she back out of making it official? …Would what they had even continue? Were her explanations enough for Yang to forgive her? When would she have the opportunity to tell her how she reviled the instincts Adam had left her with? Would telling Yang… everything that Adam had done help her understand Blake's hesitations? Or maybe she should tell Yang what he'd done to Blake herself…? But then Yang would likely be even more hurt that Blake ever thought she could be like him, wouldn't she? But how to justify her own insecurities without explaining what abuse she'd been subjected to?

Her mind was unreeling with questions she hadn't been ready to start thinking of and her heart was nauseatingly constricted in her chest. Blake had still somehow followed along the conversation with their friends to be able to decline watching any more of the tournament's matches when her friends started talking about Pyrrha's. The redhead's own match would be taking place in only a few hours, but the faunus couldn't stomach any more action.

It came as a small surprise that Weiss declined as she had, agreeing she'd also seen enough of the fighting. Blake had known her white-haired teammate had followed Pyrrha's prowess since even before they'd all entered Beacon Academy; she therefore had expected her to be very excited about watching that match. It was only as the pale blue eyes fell on her and Weiss offered her to grab a hot drink, that Blake understood her friend was being just that… a friend. Weiss could likely see how distraught she was, and she simply wouldn't leave her by herself to brood this strain on her relationship with Yang. The faunus offered her a small smile, accepting her offer.

---

Seeing the horrors outside, Yang put her mulling on the backburner. Her first reflex was to check on Ruby, but to no avail—the line didn't even connect. Before she could move on to call her partner, her scroll lit up with the image of the dark-haired faunus. Intense relief washed over her; both that Blake was safe, but also that they were able to set aside for the time being what had happened. She'd been somewhat scared that there would be a rift, that Blake really didn't truly trust her and she might distance herself from her… but hearing from her, hearing the concern in her voice, hearing that she cared, invigorated Yang, and as she ran out of the dorms, she set up vague plans to meet up with both her teammates at the docks.

The influx of Grimm forced her to end the call, and though she had trusted she'd be able to join her partner fast enough, she found herself fighting her way through more Grimm than she could ever have expected. As she finally approached the docks, there was loud battling that drew her to the conclusion of a confrontation with a Paladin. She found in relief her white-haired teammate safe and sound. Exhausted, yes, but unharmed.

"Weiss!" She called, running up to her. "You're okay!" She exclaimed, resisting the urge to smother her into a hug. Her friend did look like she needed all the air and space she could get, with the way she was so heavily leaning on her weapon. "Have you heard from Ruby?

Panting, Weiss gave a weak shake of her head, indicating she hadn't.

Yang chewed on her lower lip for a second. "…What about Blake?" She asked more softly; she could've sworn Blake had been with their friend when they'd called each other earlier.

Still bent over, the snow-haired lady pointed in a vague direction. "She went after an alpha," she managed, letting her arm drop limply, "…and some members of the White Fang…"

A foreboding impression took hold of her, and in that instant, something shifted inside of Yang. "You look for Ruby. I'll meet up with Blake," she found herself saying as she took off, barely registering Weiss giving her a thumb up.

Her split-second decision leadened her stomach with guilt. For the first time in her life, she'd put someone else's safety over her sister's. She tried rationalizing that Blake was probably getting herself in trouble with the White Fang, that Jaune and Pyrrha were nowhere to be seen either, and so Ruby was likely with them. She'd then tell herself she trusted Weiss enough to entrust Ruby's safety to her, or even that Blake likely needed her more than Ruby did right now.

…But all this she knew were excuses. She'd chosen Blake over Ruby simply because… Blake had become more important.

Yang rammed her fist into a Beowulf, screaming for her partner, trying to ignore the guiltiness and shame she felt; Ruby shouldn't come second. Ruby should never come second to anyone. She had sworn to herself so many years ago that she'd keep her safe, that she'd take her fears away, that she'd make her life warm and gold.

…And yet.

"Blake!" She screamed, recklessly tearing through anything that stood in her way. And as she ran, as she pulverised Grimm after Grimm, she seemed to come more and more aware of the scenes of carnage around her. Bodies. Most mauled by the soulless beasts roaming the school grounds, but also some humans that had been shot at, even sliced through. And in the bloodbath caused by monsters in white masks, both the soulless beasts and faunus radicals, Yang was terrifyingly aware that most of them were not bodies of Huntsmen or soldiers… but civilians and students. Panic quickly started seeping into her bones, and she ran faster, so fast her lungs burned. She blasted fire dust rounds at Grimm, decimating anything that stood in her path, and her throat hurt from calling for the woman she realized had become the most important person in her life.

"Blake?!" She cried again, frantically scanning her surroundings for her. Then she caught a glimpse of scintillating red, a blade moving down, and she realized in horror what the man holding the sword had just done.

They say that when you're dying, your life flashes in front of your eyes. Yang guessed if that was truly the case… that red sword, as it buried itself in Blake's stomach, may very well have been killing her too, because every moment she had spent with her partner, every kiss, every laugh, everything seemed to come to her at once.

The world fell completely silent as Blake reached out towards her, mouthing something the blonde couldn't make out, and in that instant, Yang knew to the very bottom of her soul that… may it be laying down her own life or even taking someone else's, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was nothing she wouldn't do for her. Along with this, the single overpowering regret that now just might haunt her forever: she should've told her she loved her.

Yang's eyes watered, and unequivocal, consummate, blindingly pure rage promptly took over. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The scorching intensity, the fire engulfing her, her eyes turning blindingly red with fury; Yang had always enjoyed fighting, but what overcame her then held nothing positive. It was an urge to destroy like she'd never experienced before. And as she tore through the distance between her and that masked demon, she channelled every ounce of her strength into her hit with the firm intent to utterly pulverize him.

When she opened her eyes next, she was on an airship. She didn't know how she had gotten there, and she didn't care- the first thing on her mind was Blake. Blake had gotten stabbed. She started sitting up, but the searing sensation on her right and the lack of support as she tried to move both hands to sit up woke her up in a different way. There was absolutely no support on her right side as she tried to prop herself up. Her right arm wouldn't obey her. Petrified, she laid still in the makeshift bed, the throbbing pain radiating from her right arm pulsating through her whole body and a splitting headache threatening to crush her. Her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and glaring red of the emergency lights. She noticed Qrow drowsily sitting on her left and sleeping in another makeshift bedding on the other side of him was Ruby. Ruby looked unharmed as she slept.

The pain on her right was unimaginable. Now staring distraughtly up at the metal ceiling of the ship, Yang tried to move her fingers. She couldn't even tell if they were moving at all. The ache was so overpowering and consuming that she couldn't feel anything else. She stared out into space for a while, anxious. Her body felt so cold, and yet nauseating waves of heat would overtake her. Her stomach and throat were so constricted, they hurt. The pain from her right side. The horrendous, excruciating pain. She gave a shaky sigh, and it took another long moment before she steeled herself to witness the extent of the damage. Glancing down had her realize in horror that most of her arm was missing; not bent, crooked, or even shredded… but… downright missing.

"…No…" The chocked mutter of disbelief escaped her, and she frenziedly grasped at the void on her right side. "NO!"

Her sudden outburst shocked Qrow awake, and though he was talking to her, she couldn't seem to make out his words. She was crying, and she couldn't focus, and she felt sick with the overwhelming pain or the high stress this panic induced on her already battered body or maybe also the revulsion at the horror of what had happened. She pressed her left hand over her mouth, trying to calm down, trying to steel herself, yet sobbing and gagging and she had no idea where it came from but suddenly she had her face over a trash can and Qrow was holding her hair.

She'd barely eaten the day before so nothing but bile came out as she heaved, the cramp of her stomach almost distracting her momentarily from the vicious pain on her right side. She gagged and lurched forward for a second time, spewing up more bile, feeling her body spasm with the pain until all she could do was cough harshly, clutching her stomach with her one arm. When she finally seemed to be able to breathe again, regaining some control, she spat, and her body relaxed at once, completely drained and dizzy. Qrow wiped her mouth and nose with a towel before compelling her to lie back down.

And then she thought of Blake once more, of the image of the red blade slicing into her, and she suddenly sat up again, somehow finding some desperate strength, her alarmed gaze found her uncle's startled one.

"Again?" He reached for the bin by the side of the bed.

"Where's Blake…?" She croaked, utterly terrified of the answer she may get. "Is she…?" she couldn't even finish her sentence.

His features softened, forcing her on her back once more. "She's okay," Qrow's raspy voice offered. "Better off than you."

She passed out again.

The uncomfortable swaying of being transported out of the ship was what had her regain consciousness. She stared at the back of the stranger who was lugging one end of the improvised stretcher she was on. The pain searing of her arm called for attention, and Yang refused to let her eyes wander to the now permanent void on her right side. The deafening noise around them, loud voices, whir of the large engines and people hurrying left and right didn't faze her. This was a bad dream, she tried telling herself. She'd be waking up any moment.

Once disembarked, Qrow had the men helping him with Ruby and her set them in as quiet of a space as they could find. Everything was hazy. Her uncle said something about finding out which aircraft could make the trip home, to Patch, and she was left alone. Well, not alone. Her attention fell on Ruby, sleeping, maybe comatose. Yang cautiously brushed bangs from her face and checked her breathing before returning her gaze to the uproar around them.

As faint details of the commotion, of the utter chaos, came to her attention, she was forced to acknowledge the atrocious reality. This wasn't a dream. This was as true as it got.

She dazedly watched as Qrow quickly exchanged words with different people. She recognized some students, people she'd cross path with in the school halls, making their way through the crowd, trying to find their way to safety. She saw Cardin and Velvet sticking to each other's side as both of them evidently had lost sight of their teams… and with the horrors that they'd experienced, any familiar face would be of comfort. She then caught a glimpse of a tall man dressed in white heatedly reprimanding her white-haired teammate in the distance. The following moment, he roughly grabbed her arm and dragged her aboard a Schnee dust company private jet. It's not like Yang had the energy to move, and they were much too far for her voice to carry to them, so she passively watched, pushing away the intrusive doubt of whether she'd ever see her friend again.

And in truth, something else haunted her too obsessively much as she watched the agitation, as she watched the people running left and right. She scrutinized the chaos, but in vain; no sign of Blake. Less and less familiar faces. Some emergency airships were taking off, medical personnel and officers were starting to organize the crowd and Yang was feeling sick again as desperation was suffocating her. Until she did spot another familiar face, and knew that if anyone might know her dark-haired partner's whereabouts, it would be him.

"Sun!" She called as loudly as she could manage, hoping her parched throat would let her sore voice carry through the turmoil.

To her relief, the blond faunus heard her and, with a quick signal to his team to stay put, promptly jogged over. "Yang…" He sighed, crouching by her side. His gaze instantly moved from her features to her missing arm. He uncomfortably looked away to Ruby resting by her. "Everyone's leaving. We're not sure if Vale will keep standing now that Beacon fell."

She already knew that. That hadn't been why she'd called him, and she cut to the chase without hesitation. "Blake? Have you seen her?"

It seemed to her that he'd known she'd ask about her partner. His dark blue eyes appeared conflicted, and it looked like he was weighing what he'd say. The short silence, his hesitation to answer, let her understand that he knew what had happened with Blake, yet as he failed to answer right away, Yang felt the blood drain from her face.

"Sun?" Fear made her nauseated and the chills it brought made her tremble lightly. Had Qrow lied to her earlier? Did he simply attempt to have her settle down? Was her partner, her lover, even alive? She knew her sickening apprehension reflected on her features, yet still, the blonde young man just stared at her impenetrably. "Sun," she pressed. "What about Blake? Is she safe?"

"Blake disappeared," Sun finally said. "She got first aid and made sure…you were in good hands, then in the confusion, she just...slipped away," he explained. The way he looked at her was borderline accusatory.

She was hearing the words, but she couldn't seem to understand them. Her eyebrows twitched in a frown for a heartbeat, then she decided this was way impossible, it was insane, it was just unbelievable. Her expression returned to a more impassive one. "No," she flatly said.

Sun frowned, unsure, and they stared at each other in silence for an extensive moment. "What do you mean, no?" He finally questioned tentatively.

"I mean no," Yang heard herself say, without really knowing what she was arguing for. "No, that's just—it's—it just can't be, so no," she ranted, feeling her throat tighten.

Eventually, he tried again, his voice a little hesitant. "Before the airships got there, when you were still passed out… at some point, she sneaked off," he explained. "I don't even know if she evacuated Beacon along with everyone."

The strangling sensation in her throat spread to her chest. "That's crazy," she argued, remembering how Blake had been stabbed. "Why would she not evacuate?"

"…I don't know, she left before the airships got there," he repeated.

As he reiterated what she absolutely didn't want to process, the words hit her with more violence than a thousand red blades could have, and Yang felt too many things at once; a savage kick to the stomach, a flash of dizzying heat and the iciness chilling her spine that made her entire body contract painfully, a hollowness in her chest. With sudden desperation and misdirected anger, she abruptly grabbed onto his shirt. "What do you mean she left?!" She barked. "Where did she go!?"

"I don't know, she didn't tell anyone," he defensively answered, completely taken aback by how appallingly poorly she was handling the news. "She just… left," he said a touch more carefully, making her release him. "She's gone."

She stared at him emptily.

Because Blake couldn't really have left… could she? Something in her tried screaming from deep down that she should believe in Blake, because Blake had decided to trust her too when her own demons had surfaced. But Yang also knew that… Blake knew as well as she did that with everything that was happening, getting separated now meant being indefinitely separated. If Blake had nevertheless mustered whatever energy her wound had left her with to leave… then division was her deliberate intent.

Violet eyes drifted to the chaos around them, at the hundreds of bodies hurrying left and right, too resentfully aware of the absence of the stark shadow that was her partner. She could taste bile in her mouth.

'…Really, Blake? Like this? Without even a word?'

Yang couldn't tell what it was exactly that she was feeling.

The pain that'd irradiated on her right side seemed to rapidly be overpowered by the one tearing her ribcage; it had become impossible to breathe. Too many emotions threatened to drown her. Hadn't Blake promised just yesterday… that she'd be there? With what happened, how could she not know that Yang needed her now more than ever? More than she likely ever would have in the future, even? Then why would she leave?

Yang sharply managed to inhale a choked breath; she came aware of the tears that started rolling down her cheeks as her vision was left unclouded for a short second.

As Sun manifestly understood she was about to crumble, maybe wanting to leave her some privacy, he stood once more. "…I have to go too," He awkwardly said, and his stare flickered down to her arm for a second. "Take care," he finished, jogging back to the three other guys. With only a few words to them, he went off on his own.

The void inside her now muted the rest of the world.

As she looked down on the inert body of her sister, she noticed her tears hitting the asphalt like raindrops. Yang realized she had no desire to cling to her sleeping sibling for comfort; she wanted to be alone. She never wanted to need anyone again, and she never again wanted to hide her pain behind the mask of a smile… not even for Ruby's sake. Everything was not okay. And it wasn't going to be. She had no strength left to try and convince herself otherwise. Yang slowly, so slowly, laid on her back again, staring out at the light of dawn starting to break through the obscurity of the sky above her. This light chasing away the shadows around them was absolutely no help with the darkness rapidly engulfing her. She scrunched her one hand over her face as sobs started to rack her body, finally catching up to the tears.

---

It had been four months.

The stitches on her stomach had left a sensitive scar; she'd learned to be careful when she moved. Blake had stayed hidden in Vale in the ruins of what used to be the grounds of Beacon Academy, doing what she could to clear out endless waves of Grimm. As she lurked the premises, she would regularly see joined forces of local huntsmen, the academy's teachers, and even some students doing the same as her, hunting the Grimm, trying to eradicate the menace, trying in what more and more seemed like a vain effort to restore the institute to its former glory. Grimm kept coming endlessly. Blake had sometimes helped from the shadows the teams she'd come across, but mostly, she stayed clear of any group of people. She didn't want to connect with any of them. In part because she didn't want to grow attached to any of them, but mainly, she… didn't want to even attempt filling the void that was left in her without her friends, without her beloved partner. The gash that was left inside of her, the gaping hole left where her heart used to be, the agony of its hollowness, the ache of loneliness…she deserved it all.

From her vantage point, golden eyes followed a group of veteran huntsmen as they trailed masked fiends in the darkness. She gave a quiet sigh, looking around. No matter their own numbers, no matter how hard they struggled against the Grimm, they had yet to secure any significant grounds of the school so ceaseless the monsters seemed to be; months of fighting… and there was no end in sight.

Blake wasn't entirely sure herself why she'd remained for so long. Part of her had wanted to atone for the atrocities committed by the White Fang, both the direct massacre of humans and for flying the soulless beasts inside the territory. Blake had also told herself remaining at ground zero would keep him away from the people she loved. It might have been the bigger part of what had kept her there. There undeniably was also that she wanted to keep her mind busy - trying not to think of her now broken team. Trying so hard not to remind herself that she couldn't even think of approaching Yang, not before she was certain that Adam or the White Fang wouldn't be a threat anymore. His words would perpetually echo in her head, seared in her mind as if they had been carved in her with his red sword.

I will destroy everything you love. Starting with her.

Had her feelings been so obvious he had known from a simple glance?

Her eyes found the CCT tower for what must have been the hundredth time today only, probably the millionth time this month. The picture of the Grimm dragon frozen into that imposing tower was horrifying, and though by now they understood that it was to blame for Grimm still being attracted to Beacon to this day, they had yet to find a way to resolve this. Staring at the tower for a while, her gaze, as always, drifted to the neighbouring buildings.

She had avoided approaching any of the school edifices in favour of defending the surrounding territories, ones that used to be lined with borders impervious to Grimm. Her heart constricted in her chest when her attention fell on the dormitories.

After months of steering clear, she had no will left to resist, and Blake leaped towards the familiar buildings. Embedding Gambol Shroud high in the tree that stood by the window of what had been team RWBY's old dorm room, she swung her body weight up its trunk to one of the largest branches. The window had been left wide open, a dark gash in the wall, and yet Blake could see the outlines of the familiar furniture inside. She remembered the last time she was in this room, how she'd left the blonde to brood the events of the tournament… the heartache she'd caused the person she loved the most when she didn't readily trust her. With this, she had a fleeting realization that the last one who'd been in there before the tragedy, before everyone had to evacuate… was Yang.

With a shaky exhalation, knowing full well how unprepared she was to face the haunting memories of happiness she'd made there, Blake still leaped from the tree to their room. She had to steel herself before she looked around, and still, finding herself standing between the two makeshift bunk-beds jolted her with a million memories of better days. Her throat was so tied it hurt, her body felt numb. She wanted to attribute the sting in her eyes to the dust she'd raised as she landed in the room, but she knew better. She slowly moved around this so painfully familiar space, noticing how dust and soot had started settling probably faster than it should have thanks to the windows being left open. Everything was still exactly as they'd left it. The clothes in the drawers, the books on the dusty shelves, the heap of white suitcases in a corner, the paintings and… posters… Blake's gaze strayed to the improvised bunk-beds, specifically to the one that was shakily held up by stacks of books. Visions of her blonde partner…no, ex-partner's euphoric smile as they kissed, as Blake whispered her love to her had her stiffen completely.

Holding her breath, wary of her own memories, of herself, she nevertheless stepped closer. Her limbs weakened with the suffocating emotions, Blake carefully sat on what was once her bed. Her throat was painfully knotted, her palms clammy, her fingers cold; she gently touched the covers. For a second, she could see Yang under her, the playful gleam in her gorgeous violet eyes, the flush of her skin caused by her climax… Blake could almost feel her amazingly soft, smoldering skin and the generous curves of her firm body. The dark, abandoned room suddenly felt so much colder, so unbearably hollow. Instinctively, looking for comfort, Blake found herself crawling in her bed, curling into a fetal position… and abruptly realized what a mistake this was with the way Yang's smell still lingered faintly all over the beddings.

Blake was utterly powerless to stop herself from collapsing. She cried harder than she ever had in her life. Harder than when she had resolved to break with her own family to pursue what she'd thought was right. Harder than when she'd realized the man she trusted and admired the most, her mentor, had become… or possibly had always been a monster. She cried harder than when she had left those very ideals she'd been fighting so fiercely for her whole life behind. Blake was gasping for air, hiccupping between sobs; all those times had been nothing compared to how hard she'd cried then… when she had apologized incoherently to the nearly lifeless blonde bleeding out from that atrocious mutilation or the dawn following that same horrific night, as she watched the evacuation planes leave from afar, knowing full well she may never see her friends, her team, her love ever again. And yet somehow, as the reality of her situation was crashing down on her, right now, the pain, the guilt, the tears were even worse.

In these months roaming the ruins of Beacon, of the place she'd been the happiest she could remember… all she'd done was put her life on pause. She hadn't grieved any of the events that had gone down that night, and everything crashed on her at once. How she'd been trying to avoid thinking of how the White Fang, which she had once believed in so fiercely, had become such a monstrosity that'd been responsible for destroying what she'd come to love above everything else. Trying to avoid thinking of what then, of what now. Trying to avoid thinking of her loneliness, of how she'd abandoned everyone. Of how… betrayed Yang must've felt. Of how she probably hated her now.

Good. She should hate her.

The pillow smelled like her golden hair and Blake clutched it suffocatingly against herself as she curled in the bed, somehow crying even harder. She deserved to be hated. The wound Yang had sustained was life-altering. It was something she may very well take years to recover from. She may never have the ability or the will to fight again… she may never again find that beautiful fire of hers. And it was Blake's fault.

Beyond that, the utter betrayal Yang must have felt. Never mind Blake not having believed in her readily about the match… that breach of trust seemed so insignificant compared to how much more massively Blake had failed her when she left. The blonde had been terrified of her feelings, and though Blake had very well understood it was mostly because her partner had been scarred by being abandoned, it still hadn't prevented Blake from leaving. Her fear of what Adam could do, or maybe… the shame she felt thinking of facing Yang when she'd been the reason the blonde had been mutilated so horrendously had outweighed everything else.

As she'd left, she'd desperately tried not to think of how Yang had already been permanently scarred by what had happened in her childhood. She'd tried not to wonder if, tearing open that wound as she had, the damage she'd done could ever be healed. She'd most likely never get to find out. Because surely, Yang would never want anything to do with her ever again. Blake couldn't breathe.

Everything felt pointless. She didn't know what to do anymore or where to go. The four months she'd remained around Beacon in this senseless, insane quest to try and eradicate every coming waves of Grimm in a self-flagellating act of voluntary penance had been meaningless. She'd accomplished nothing. She hadn't made any difference in the current state of the Vale kingdom, and she'd known. She'd understood this was pointless since the first weeks, yet she kept charging head down. It had all served nothing but trying to help ease her self-loathing, trying to run from her guilt, from the pervasive thoughts plaguing her. And now she realized… she had run from her sorrow, run from moving on, run from starting to think of the future—she hadn't wanted to think of the future.

But time kept moving, and whether she wanted it or no, it wouldn't wait for her. Blake blinked back another oncoming assault of emotions and tears. She didn't want things to end like this. She didn't want her life to have meant nothing, to have been useless, to have only amounted in pain for others. She was terrified of eventually making a mistake and dying stupidly and alone against some Grimm. She couldn't let this be the end.

It felt like life was suddenly coursing through her veins again.

She couldn't stay in Vale, she realized. She couldn't come back to this room; if she did, she'd be forever trapped in a rut. She'd be forever condemned to relive these last moments here, both the best and the worst of her life. She had to gather herself—she had to leave if she ever were to start moving forward, if she ever were to start healing, if she ever wanted to accomplish anything worthwhile. If she didn't want Yang to have sacrificed so much in vain.

Blake sat up in her bed.

Trying to think of what now made her too aware she'd broken with everything that she ever had. She made herself alone. Completely alone. She'd run from her family and run from the White Fang and run from… she'd run again. She had run until she was nothing but a strayed, broken shell of herself. There was nothing she yearned more than for somewhere she could rest. For someone who'd welcome her. She exhaled shakily. If she wanted to start making things right, if she were to find any solid ground, if she were to gather any strength again… if she wanted to start healing... she had to rebuild from the bottom.

Home, Blake thought.

No… Home is where the heart is.

Home… she mused, was now probably with the golden beauty.

Her legs almost seemed to be giving out as she stood. Where she was going would be so she could start by finding herself again. She needed to go back to the start.

tbc

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There used to be a 'thanks for reading' note at the bottom of this chapter, it's not marked as TBC because after almost two years, I decided to resume the story :)