Blake's ears twitched. She'd come to the forest for peace, quiet, fresh air, and alone time, but she was about to get the opposite.
Faster than the blink of an eye, she lunged forward. A fraction of a second later, crouched where Blake once stood, was Yang.
"Awww, man! How did you know I was coming?" Yang grinned as she rose from her crouched position, tackle-hug for Blake unsuccessful.
Blake's ears twitched again as her lips twitched into a smile.
"But I did so well covering my tracks!" Yang wasn't satisfied.
"Just how long have you been following me?" Had it been anyone else, Blake wouldn't have asked the question with such an amused tone.
"Eh, only ever since you slipped away earlier," Yang shrugged.
"That was 20 minutes ago!"
"So, not that long." Hehe, Long. Yang didn't verbalize the joke, but the sudden smirk on her face said enough and Blake rolled her eyes.
"As much as I applaud your attempt, it was unsuccessful. With the surprise over, feel free to let me continue my walk in peace!" she teased.
"Awww, I was kinda hoping we could do a little bit of sparring." Yang rubbed an arm as she looked away.
"Yang…"
"Oh, come on, please? I came all this way out here!" Yang's purple eyes went wide and sparkly.
"Well whose fault is that?" Blake crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, but she couldn't totally keep a smile off her face.
"Yours, since I was trying to surprise you." Yang didn't miss a beat, and her tone was completely matter-of-fact.
Blake scoffed, almost taken aback by the audacity. Almost. If I didn't know Yang so well… But it wasn't just Yang's behavior or way of speaking that Blake knew too well. It was also the effect Yang had on her.
Five minutes later, shouting and metal clashing on metal filled the serene, sun-kissed forest. Two figures darted through the leaves and trees at a speed so fast that even some of the forest creatures were having trouble seeing them until the pair was already flying through.
"Ha, ha, you can't catch me!" Yang sing-songed as she hopped and darted from branch to branch, taking a jagged path rather than a linear one.
"Are you really going to say that to a feline Faunus?" Blake scoffed, picking up her speed. To her surprise, so did Yang. They trained together constantly, so it made sense that they would be fairly equal in their physical capabilities, but Blake typically always maintained an edge on speed and agility. By contrast, Yang seemed to prefer outright blunt, brute, brutal force, which was far more suited to her personality, but not today.
"I've been practicing!" Yang shouted triumphantly, not even risking looking over her shoulder as she kept running. As soon as she spotted her next chance, she took a hard turn and boomeranged around in attempt to catch Blake off guard with an attack from the side. It was half a success, for Yang did indeed manage to throw Blake off balance, but because Blake was at least able to anticipate such a strike from Yang, she twisted around in such a way that she went with most of the force of the blow rather than against, making it easier for her to regain her balance afterward.
"Awww!" Yang was half joking and half serious as she pouted, watching Blake soar through the air only to twist herself around and land perfectly on her feet several yards away. Not only was the attack not a complete success, Yang hadn't done much more than throw her partner a few yards away, and it was ground Blake could easily cover in the blink of an eye.
Sure enough, Yang didn't even have time to blink before something slammed into her chest and it was her turn to go flying. Unlike Blake, although Yang was still able to orient herself in midair, her landing was not quite as graceful. She hit the ground hard, wincing, but she covered it up with a determined scowled as she silently commanded her body to recover and prepare for a second offensive.
"Ready to give up?" Blake asked, sauntering over.
"If you really have to asl, let me spell it out in sign language!" Yang lunged against, fists glowing golden as her gauntlets powered up. Blake smirked and lunged to the side, at the same time unsheathing Gambol Shroud.
Yang hid a smile as she heard metal on metal again, signifying Blake's willingness to match weapon for weapon. Good! That means I got her warmed up enough!
It was her initial concern that Blake wouldn't be in the mood for a battle, especially one that became intense enough to require them to use their weapons rather than just practicing basic, hand-to-hand combat, but Yang trusted her luck and charm and slowly seduced Blake to her side of things.
Perfect! Now… it shouldn't take too much more from here… She was unusually calculating that day, victory in a sparring match less important to her than Blake realized, but Yang didn't want her to realize. Not yet, at least. Just a little more…
Yang persisted, and at last, her determination paid off. She and Blake continued their impromptu battle all the way through the forest until Yang had Blake just tired out enough that she was making mistakes. They were minor, so tiny that only Yang could've caught them, but that was exactly what she wanted. All she needed was a small gap… and then… With one gauntlet, she punched.
Predictably, Blake went to deflect the blow with her sword. At the same time, Yang brought in her other fist for an uppercut. It wasn't anything she hadn't done before, but by that point, Blake was used to a different striking pattern from Yang and Yang used that to her advantage, catching Blake off guard as she punched the flat of the blade so hard that it flew up out of Blake's hand and into the air.
Before Blake could jump up and catch it, Yang grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her in for a quick kiss. The action left Blake stunned and Yang smirked against her lips as she calmly raised her other hand in the air and caught Blake's sword like it was nothing. Once they broke apart, they were both breathless, but it was no longer just because of all the punching and sword-fighting.
"Don't tell me you planned out an entire battle for us just so you could push me against a tree and kiss me at the end of it," Blake panted.
"You know me too well," Yang replied with a smile, fist-pumping the air. Blake only rolled her eyes, smiled, and leaned in for another kiss. Yang, admittedly, had won that battle, so it was only fair that Blake reward the victor with her spoils. Yang was more than happy to oblige as the Knight reveling in her Lady's favor. The walk in the forest may not have been what Blake expected, but she certainly couldn't say that she was unhappy with the outcome, and neither could Yang.
AN: Here ya go, Snorlax891, the symbol for this is the fist (as seen on Pride flags, and in the theme of persisting and resisting). I know I could've done a darker fic that tied the experience of being a Faunus to being queer, but that felt too cliché and sad, and I wanted to do a battle couple because of a conversation Snorlax and I had in May.
