Chapter 10) Reality Check
A/N: This was going to be a more light-hearted chapter, a breather of sorts in between the last one and the next one, but it turned out like this instead.
I wonder what that says about me, that I find writing angst easier than writing comedy or fluff?
Just beyond the police barricade, it was clear to see that the Dust shop had been completely and utterly trashed.
The main window had been put through, as had the front door and even the upper-floor windows of the apartment above the store, presumably the owner's home. What could be seen of the interior from the outside indicated that the place had been ransacked top to bottom. All of the shelves were knocked over, broken vials and containers and torn magazines were strewn all over the floor, even the light fixtures had been torn loose and left dangling from their wires. The culprits had done a very thorough job of rendering the establishment unusable for the foreseeable future.
But the thing that drew most of the crowd's attention was not the sorry state of the store, but what had been sprayed on the wall next to the now shattered front window.
A red skull, three scratches behind and a circle around.
A number of journalists with clipboards and cameras and microphones, not to mention quite a few ordinary people alongside, were surging forwards and pressing against the barricade, volleying questions both curious and panicked at the detectives who were combing through the debris.
"Was this a White Fang attack!?"
"Do you have any leads on the culprits!?"
"How could you let this happen!?"
One detective eventually stepped forwards and raised a megaphone. "Alright everyone, clear the area and stay behind the line. This is a crime scene in an ongoing investigation, and we will not be taking any questions at this time. Anyone who does not comply is liable to be held for obstruction of justice, so please, get lost!"
The crowd took the hint, and began to disperse, albeit with no small amount of chatter and complaints.
"Aw, man. Ruby really liked that store," muttered Yang. "She's gonna be so upset when she finds out."
Blake snapped out of her daze hearing Yang's voice, tearing her eyes away from the graffiti. "We should go. Didn't you still wanna get your snacks?
Yang perked up slightly at that. "Sure do! And they're not just my snacks, they're the Team's snacks, for everyone!"
Were Blake in a more jovial mood, she might have rolled her eyes good-naturedly at Yang's assertion. Instead, she simply nodded and followed after her partner as she led the way through the scattering crowd of people, towards the very specific convenience store that Yang had boldly claimed sold 'the best barbeque chips in the whole city.'
Ruby would have ordinarily accompanied Yang on these weekly snack runs, but Yang had insisted that her sister needed to rest, owing to the injury to her leg she had acquired the previous day.
Blake had been quite happy to get out for a few hours when Yang had asked her to come along that morning. She hadn't had much opportunity to get out for a while, so even though it was just a 'snack run' as Ruby had called it, she was grateful for the offer.
It was also nice to not have to wear her uniform for a change. Granted she didn't own very many ordinary clothes, so she still wore her white shorts and black leggings from her combat outfit, but she did swap out her usual vest and undershirt in favour of a black button-up shirt under a white jacket.
Yang had made a comment on her lack of other attire, and had suggested that they could swing by a clothes store while they were out if she wanted, maybe even pick up lunch as well and make a day of it, just the two of them out in town.
It had sounded like such an enjoyable day. Now Blake was wishing she had just stayed at the dorm with the other girls.
Hoping desperately that no-one noticed her actions, Blake hastily double-checked that her bow was in place and hadn't come loose.
A few seconds later, she checked again.
She almost checked a third time before she realised that constantly checking her bow would just make her look more suspicious, so she stopped.
Why can't I ever get away?
Blake knew she was being absurd. Anyone could have attacked that store and sprayed that symbol on the wall. The odds of it being him were almost non-existent. She hadn't told anyone where she was going when she left. He probably thought she was still somewhere in Anima, if not back in Menagerie with her family. He had no reason to suspect she was in Vale, and no reason to come all this way. Certainly not for her.
She knew all this, but still her stomach flip-flopped at the mere notion.
And that was on top of the reminder of everything else she had left behind making her feel an unpleasant combination of guilt, worry and, of all things, loneliness.
She still missed them. Despite everything, a part of her still wanted to see them all again.
"Blake!"
A hand waved in front of her face, and Blake stopped walking as she noticed Yang looking at her in confusion. "Still in there?"
Blake blinked. "Huh?"
"We're here, this is the place. You almost walked past it."
Blake turned her head. Sure enough, they were standing outside a small convenience store that looked more or less the same as any other convenience store that could be found in Vale.
"Oh, right. The snacks." That was why they were here, after all.
Yang cocked her head to one side. "You feeling alright, Blake? You seem kinda out of it today."
Blake shook her head. "I'm fine," she lied. "I just spaced out a little is all."
Yang shrugged. "Well, alright then. Come on, let's get our stuff and head back."
The pair entered the store, whose interior was just as nondescript and generic as its exterior. Yang made a beeline for the shelf stocked with chips and began grabbing bags, passing them off to Blake who accepted them with some slight fumbling as Yang all but threw them into her arms.
I guess her and her sister have a system for this sort of thing.
In short order, both girls had armfuls of chips, candy bars and soda bottles.
"Schnee is gonna burst a blood vessel when she sees all this," Blake mused, recalling how the shorter girl had shot Yang and Ruby a withering look a few days ago when they had both helped themselves to sizable portions of ice cream when it had been served in the cafeteria.
It turned out Schnee was rather health-conscious.
"Well, that's her problem, not mine," quipped Yang. "Now let's pay up and bag up before-"
"Get the hell out of my shop!"
Blake jumped out of her skin, almost dropping everything she was holding as the sudden yell startled her.
It had been some time since she'd had that yelled at her, but she supposed it had only been a matter of…
"Hey, I'm not gonna rob anything! I just came in to buy some milk!"
The shopkeeper had not, apparently, been yelling at her. The object of their ire was instead a boy who had just entered the store. A Faunus boy, with a pair of grey mouse ears poking out from his curls.
"I said get out! I don't want your kind in my store, not after what happened to the Dust shop! Get out before I call the cops!"
The boy didn't look very old, maybe twelve at most. The shopkeeper's threat of calling the police clearly had him in a bit of a panic.
"Please, I swear I'm not with those guys. My mom just wanted me to-"
"Five." The shopkeeper held up a Scroll, the number for the police already typed in, their thumb hovering over the call button. "Four, three, two…"
The boy turned and ran out of the store before the shopkeeper could make good on their threat. Blake was just able to make out tears beginning to well up in his eyes before he fled.
Blake felt a rush of sympathy for the poor boy, but given the situation in town presently, he really should have made more of an effort to blend in. It was a shame that they still needed to resort to such things to get by these days, but that was just the way things were…
"What the hell was that?" Yang was staring at the shopkeeper, brow furrowed.
"Sorry about that," the shopkeeper replied. "Gonna have to put the sign back up, it seems."
Chip packets crinkled as Blake's grip on her armful of snacks tightened, her anger at the whole situation beginning to rise.
He said that so casually, like it's OK to just bar any Faunus from buying food.
But Blake couldn't do anything about it right now. She certainly wasn't eager to draw the shopkeeper's attention to herself. Better to just pay for their stuff and leave as quickly as possible.
"Hey Blake, I just realised that I left my wallet back at the dorm," said Yang. "What about you?"
Blake's wallet was in her pocket, and she knew for a fact that Yang's was in her own pocket too.
It took a few seconds for Blake to realise what Yang really meant.
"Oh no, I didn't bring mine either," she deadpanned. "I must have forgotten to pick it up before we left."
"Well then," Yang added. "I guess that means we can't buy our snacks today. We'll just have to leave them here."
And with that, both Yang and Blake unceremoniously dropped what they were holding. Chip bags and candy bars and bottles of soda fell to the floor in a messy pile, and the two girls turned and walked out of the store while the shopkeeper simply stared after them, apparently at a loss for words.
As soon as they were outside, they broke into a run and put some distance between the store and themselves before anyone could start yelling at them for making a mess.
After about a minute of running, the pair slowed to a stop to catch their breath in an alleyway.
"Well, I know to never shop there ever again. Seriously, what a jerk!"
Blake sighed. "It was bound to start happening after what happened to that other store."
"That doesn't make it OK," Yang said. "People shouldn't just assume the worst like that. He was just a little kid, for crying out loud!"
A sniffle from somewhere behind Yang caught Blake's attention, and she peered around her partner to see who was there.
It's the kid.
The young boy was sitting on the floor of the alleyway, legs drawn up to his chest and head buried in his knees. His mouse ears were pressed flat against his head, and his body shook slightly with his sobs.
"Hey, what's your name?" Blake asked, kneeling beside the boy, and keeping her voice low and level.
The boy raised his head. His eyes were puffy, and his cheeks streaked with tears. As soon as he saw Blake, his face paled. "Please, I swear I'm not a thief! I'm not with those guys, I promise! Don't call the police!"
"I'm not going to call anyone," said Blake in what she hoped was a reassuring tone of voice. "That shopkeeper was wrong to treat you like that."
The boy didn't look too sure. His eyes still darted around, seemingly looking for somewhere to run if the stranger kneeling in front of him turned out to be lying.
Blake didn't really know what to say to put the boy at ease. She had never really been one for providing comfort to people. Her talents lay elsewhere.
Ilia was better at this sort of thing than I was. What am I supposed to say here?
"Hey kid, you hungry?" Yang knelt beside Blake, holding out a candy bar to the boy. "Here, take this."
Blake blinked. Why did Yang have…
Blake fought down the urge to groan and admonish her partner for engaging in petty thievery. Outing Yang as a shoplifter would probably not help in earning this boy's trust.
The boy looked at Yang, at the candy bar she was holding out to him. Slowly, he reached out and took it, stowing it away in his pocket rather than eating it.
"Saving it for later, huh?" Yang said, her voice light and friendly, not unlike the tone of voice Blake had heard her use when talking with Ruby sometimes.
"My name's… Luke."
Yang gave the boy a warm smile. "Nice to meet you, Luke. I'm Yang, and this is Blake. Sorry about how that jerk acted back there, but don't let it get to you. I'm sure you're a good kid, Luke."
The boy, Luke, sniffled, but gave a watery smile. "Thanks."
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're feeling a little better." Yang stood up and offered a hand. "Need a hand up?"
Luke shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. "I should go. I still need to get the milk."
Yang moved out of the way, and Blake did likewise, following her partner's lead. "Take care, Luke! Be careful out there!"
With a wave, Luke walked out of the alley and back onto the main street, turning a corner and walking out of sight.
"Good job," said Blake. "But did you have to steal that bar from the store? Don't you think that was going too far?"
Yang snorted derisively. "I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it. That guy was out of line, and besides, it's not like I stole anything really valuable. It helped cheer Luke up as well, so I think that balances out."
Blake frowned. "Well, just don't make a habit out of it."
Yang's expression turned sheepish, and she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "Sorry for putting you on the spot back there, by the way. You probably wanted to keep your head down, didn't you?"
Blake shrugged. "It's fine. Like you said, he was a jerk. I mean, robbing him was a bit much, but I don't feel bad about leaving like we did."
Yang let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I was afraid you thought I was being petty."
"You were, but in a good way."
Yang blinked, then snorted, then began to laugh.
Blake began to chuckle as well. The whole situation wasn't really funny, but it did feel good to be able to laugh about it, nonetheless.
After about a minute, the two of them were able to calm down.
"So, you still wanna get some new clothes while we're out? We can grab some snacks from another store on the way back."
Blake nodded. That sounded like a nice idea.
The curtain pulled aside, and Yang stepped back out into the store. "What d'you think? Pretty cool, right?"
'Pretty cool' was not quite how Blake would have described how Yang looked in the outfit she had chosen. Dark jeans paired with a muted-yellow sleeveless top worn over a black t-shirt, with her usual purple sash tied around her arm instead of her leg, and her orange scarf still worn loose around her neck. It all looked…
"It's a little mis-matched, don't you think?" Blake commented. It honestly looked like Yang had just grabbed a bunch of random items and thrown them on without thinking.
Yang pouted a bit. "I mean, I'm gonna tweak it here and there after I buy it. Add some more character to it, y'know?"
"If you say so," Blake muttered.
Yang huffed, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face before drawing the changing booth curtain closed again, mumbling something about how no-one else understood her aesthetic.
She emerged from the booth a few moments later, back in her usual attire, her chosen items bundled up in her arms. "I'm getting these, and you can't stop me."
Blake arched an eyebrow at that. "What you wear is up to you, Yang," she said as she entered the booth herself to try on her own selection.
After a few minutes, Blake emerged from the booth. "Well, what about me? Thoughts?"
Blake didn't have a lot of Lien to work with, so her options in this particular store were a little limited, but she was quite satisfied with her own selection. A pair of loose-fitting pants that faded from black to purple down the legs, paired with a silver belt, alongside a charcoal shirt with long sleeves that had a few white accents on the ends of the cuffs and the hem. She had also taken a page out of Yang's book and added a scarf, dark grey instead of orange, which she could add her emblem to if she wanted.
Yang was leaning up against one of the clothes racks when Blake emerged, checking her Scroll. She looked up when Blake spoke, casting her eyes up and down Blake in appraisal.
"Uh… yeah! You look great. Good! You look good. Good choices…" Yang trailed off, suddenly averting her gaze, and looking pointedly in a different direction.
Blake noticed that Yang's cheeks were dusted a light pink, and she had not missed the way Yang's voice had hitched slightly when she complimented her.
Well, this is nice and awkward now.
Pulling the curtain across once more, Blake sat down on the stool inside the booth and lowered her head into her hands.
Blake wasn't blind, and she was not oblivious. She had had her suspicions for a while, but now she was pretty certain of her assumptions.
Yang liked her. Or, at the very least, she found Blake attractive.
Yang was nice. She was open and friendly, and wore her heart on her sleeve most of the time. She spoke her mind no matter what, but she was kind as well, never out to hurt anyone's feelings. She was strong, and driven, and always up for a challenge. And yes, if Blake were being honest, Yang was quite pretty.
But this was not what Blake wanted. Not after how things had ended with…
No, don't even think about him. He doesn't factor into this at all.
Yang was nice, but Blake wasn't interested in her that way. She didn't want a girlfriend, not now. She wanted… needed… a friend. Just a good friend. Someone she could just… be calm around.
How am I supposed to deal with this?
Blake sighed, rose from the stool, and began to absentmindedly change back into her own clothes, folding the new clothes in a neat pile.
Hey, maybe I'm still jumping to conclusions. Maybe I'm just seeing something that's not there. Maybe things don't have to be this awkward.
Blake considered what to do. She could confront Yang, tell her upfront that she wasn't looking for a relationship right now and that she just wanted to be friends.
Or she could say nothing, pretend things were fine and normal, and not worry about upsetting her partner.
I don't even know if she's come out to anyone yet. Maybe it's best to just say nothing, at least for now.
A small part of Blake knew that this was a terrible idea in the long run. The longer she ignored this, the more likely things would just get more awkward for them both.
…
The rest of Blake was very, very eager to avoid this entire mess at all costs. It was this side of her that won out in the end.
Gathering up her new clothes, Blake opened the curtain again and stepped back out into the store. "Alright, ready to go?"
Yang seemed to have collected herself a bit. She wasn't blushing any more for one, so that was good. She stood up a bit straighter, smiling at Blake in her usual way.
This is fine. It's going to be fine.
Yang's eyes flicked upwards. "Oh, you forgot your bow."
Blake froze.
"What?"
Yang gestured to her own head. "Your bow, you don't have it on. Did you drop it?"
Blake dropped the clothes she was holding, and her hands flew up to check her head.
Her fingers brushed against fur, not fabric.
Her cat ears were on full display.
Yang had seen her ears.
Yang knew she was a Faunus.
Yang knew.
Yang knew!
Panic overtook Blake in an instant. Whirling around, she darted back into the booth and yanked the curtain closed. There, on the floor lying forgotten in her earlier daze, was a black ribbon that should have been on top of her head.
"Blake?" Yang sounded concerned, confused.
"Go away!" Blake yelled, frantically tying her bow back into place. How could she be so stupid? How could she forget something so important so easily?
It was a nightmare come to life. Yang knew she was a Faunus now; knew she had been lying about who she was. She would want to know why. She would ask questions. She would find out more, learn what Blake had done, what kind of monster she had been at her worst.
She needed to run. Now.
Flinging the curtain aside, Blake sprinted as fast as she could. Out of the store, into the street, ducking and weaving past everyone in her way. She had no idea where she was even going to go. All she knew was she had to get away as fast as she could.
Why? Why? Why!?
It had been going so well. She had been settling in, growing comfortable around people again. She had made some friends, people she liked spending time with. This was supposed to be a fresh start…
Blake ducked into an alleyway and slumped against the wall, panting from the exertion of her mad dash. She had no idea where she was, but at least she had gotten away. At least she… At least….
Blake's eyes stung, and her vision began to blur. Scowling, she wiped away the tears before they could fall, refusing to let herself cry.
It has to be this way. You have to go.
But it's not fair…
"What am I even doing?" Blake murmured.
"That's what I wanna know."
Blake whirled around. Standing at the entrance to the alley was Yang.
"You followed me?"
Yang nodded, slowly walking into the alley and towards Blake, who reflexively backed away as Yang approached.
"You scared the crap outta me back there." Yang did not sound mad. She sounded genuinely worried. She looked worried as well. "I was scared I was gonna lose you in the crowds."
Blake's back hit the wall at the end of the alley. She was trapped.
"Why?"
Yang stopped advancing, her worried expression morphing into one of confusion. "Why what?"
"Why did you follow me?" Blake wasn't quite able to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke.
Yang was silent for a moment…
"I followed you because I was worried about you."
"But… you saw… don't you…?" Blake stumbled over her words, unable to form a coherent thought as her mind whirled in panic.
"Blake, I've known you were a Faunus for a while now."
Blake's racing thoughts ground to a halt. "What?"
Yang once again awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, pointedly avoiding looking directly at Blake. "I, uh… I kinda saw your ears one time a few weeks ago. We were training, and your bow had come loose, and I, kinda, saw them. Before you put your bow back on properly."
Blake thought back, trying to recall if her bow had ever come loose like Yang had said. She had a vague recollection of her bow almost falling off during a sparring session with the rest of the team…
A fresh wave of panic rose in Blake's mind. "Ruby and Schnee? Did they-?"
"No," said Yang quickly. "They didn't see. At least, I'm pretty sure they didn't. I didn't tell anyone, either. Not my business, and all that."
So only Yang knew. Blake calmed down a little, but she was still far from OK. This was still a terrible situation. She had intended for no-one to find out at all.
And if Yang could find out, other people would as well. It was only a matter of time.
"I have to go."
"Why?" asked Yang, sounding genuinely mystified by Blake's statement.
"I can't stay here. I have to go."
"No you don't," said Yang. "That's dumb."
"Yang, I can't stay here anymore! I have to go!" Blake tried to get around Yang, but the blonde refused to let her pass.
"Blake, stop. You don't have to go anywhere." The alleyway was narrow, so all Yang had to do was plant one hand on one wall to keep Blake from getting past her.
Blake felt her frustration begin to build. "Yang, I mean it. Let me go!"
Yang did not budge. "Tell me why you need to leave, first."
Blake tried once more to get around Yang, but it was no use. If she wanted to get past her, she would have to force her way through, and Blake couldn't do that. She couldn't hurt Yang.
"I…" Blake began, tailing off before she could even get a word out.
I'm a criminal trying to start again, but now you know so I have to leave?
It sounded absurd now that she considered it.
Blake searched Yang's face for any sign of distrust, or hate, or anything to indicate that Yang was angry with her.
There was none. Yang was certainly not happy with her, but her face did not show any animosity. She was worried.
She had been nothing but concerned for her this whole time, and here Blake was, assuming the worst of someone who she considered a friend.
But the doubt and fear still lingered in her mind.
"You don't… you're not… it doesn't bother you?"
Yang shook her head. "Not one bit. And I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise."
Blake took a shaky breath. "You won't tell anyone else?"
"Of course not," Yang said firmly. "I understand why you wouldn't want anyone knowing. Especially after what happened earlier with Luke."
Blake felt herself sag with relief. There was still a bit of apprehension there, but this hadn't turned out to be the worst-case-scenario she had been envisioning.
"This has been a stressful day," she mumbled.
Yang chuckled. "I guess it has been a bit. And we didn't even get anything we came out for."
Right, she had just ran out of the clothes store and abandoned everything there. That was two shops she had done that to in one day. Granted, the second had not been quite so intentional, but Blake had a feeling the store clerks still likely weren't too happy with them for leaving bundles of clothes on the floor.
"Well, we could still grab some things on our way back, but I think I'm done for the day." Blake shot Yang an apologetic look. "Sorry."
Yang waved her hand dismissively. "Hey, it's fine. We can head back if you want."
Blake nodded in appreciation, and the two began to slowly walk back towards the pick-up point in silence.
It was a comfortable silence. One that Blake appreciated.
She appreciated how Yang had not tried to pry in any way.
Yang, her partner, her friend. Someone she could trust not just in a fight, but with her secrets as well.
How long had it been since she had had something like that in her life?
Far too long.
Yang really was a good friend, and Blake had almost thrown that away in a moment of panic.
"Hey, Blake?"
Blake turned to see Yang was looking at her, the dusting of pink back on her cheeks.
"For what it's worth… I think you look good without your bow."
Blake felt her own cheeks warm slightly, and turned to stare straight ahead without saying a word.
The rest of the walk back was quite awkward.
Hello again to my patient audience, and greetings to any new arrivals! I'm Not Scot.
In continuing with this fic's trend of having events happen a bit earlier than in the canon show, Yang has already figured out that Blake is a Faunus, and Blake has already started to pick up on Yang's feelings for her. Yes, Bumbleby will be happening in this fic… eventually.
Blake's not in a good place emotionally right now. She left all her old friends behind when she came to Vale to get away from her past, and after how things ended with a certain individual that shall go unnamed for now, she really doesn't want to think about relationships at this point in time. She needs a friend first and foremost, but she also doesn't want to make things awkward, so she's decided to just ignore Yang's attraction to her for now.
Is this a healthy thing to do? No, it is not. Don't do this, kids. Be honest with each other.
As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. I love reading what you have to say about this fic.
Next chapter is another Weiss-focussed chapter, and will mark the end of 'Act 2' of Volume 1. Look out for that when I finish and upload it.
For now, I shall take my leave.
Until next time,
Not Scot.
P.S: Bi disaster Yang is going to be a recurring thing in this fic. Enjoy!