Blake wakes up to rays of sunshine falling on her face, and the first thing she sees when she opens her eyes is Yang looking at her, head propped up on her hand.
Yang smiles, and Blake smiles too, and for a moment, they don't talk. Blake studies Yang's face, tracing with curious eyes the line of her lips and the tiny dimple of her chin, counting the myriad of freckles on her cheeks and nose. This should be awkward, but Yang doesn't show any signs of unease, and she's just so pretty in the morning light.
But birds are chirping outside the window, and the sun is bright, and so Blake resigns herself to getting out of bed.
"How long have you been awake?"
Yang glances at the alarm clock on her bedside table. "Half an hour, maybe?"
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Blake asks, yawning. "Isn't it, like, your favorite thing to do?"
Yang bites her lip. "Take it as my thank you for your help last night."
Suddenly everything comes back to Blake and she sits up, fully awake. "Oh, Yang."
Yang sits up too, crossing her legs. "Yeah. Crazy night, uh?" She sends Blake a sheepish half-smile, and Blake frowns. Yang's light tone means she's feeling better, which is good, but she's also clearly trying to deflect.
"Yang… what happened with Raven?"
Yang takes a deep breath, and turns to face the window. The sun is already high in the sky - they must have slept later than usual. Blake takes Yang's hand in her own, and rubs her thumb on the soft skin of Yang's palm, until Yang starts talking.
She tells Blake what Raven said, and how she acted, dismissive and casual and full of vaguely forced indifference. She ends the tale with the revelation that Raven left her daughter to deal with the police on her own.
"She knew what was going to happen, and she just… ran, before she could get in trouble. I'm kinda wondering if she's the one who called the cops, to be honest." Yang shakes her head. "Almost makes me feel bad for Junior."
Blake stays silent. She can't imagine what Yang must think of this woman who keeps running away from her, in every possible way she can. There's nothing in the world that would make me run away from you, she wants to say.
"Are you going to tell your parents?" she asks, instead, because the fight from last night is still fresh in her mind. Yang's face falls.
"I will, but not yet. I gotta take some time to figure out what I want - from them, from Raven."
Blake hums her understanding, still rubbing her hand. Yang scratches her neck, and lowers her eyes.
"Blake, about the way I acted last night… I'm sorry you had to see that. I was really angry and frustrated about everything, and… I don't know, it was overwhelming. I just want you to know I'm not proud of it."
Blake's mind flashes to Adam's face when he realized she'd betrayed him, the furor and bitterness in his eyes, the cruel slant of his mouth when he slashed at her leg with a fishing knife, his screams ringing in her ears as she escaped to safety. She swallows, and cradles Yang's hand between hers, throat tight.
"Thank you for saying that, but you have nothing to apologize for. I understand, and I know you."
"Okay." Yang says, with a small grateful smile. She sighs. "Time to face the music, I guess."
They make their way downstairs to the kitchen, where they find everybody having breakfast. As soon as he sees them, Tai ruffles Ruby's hair. "Hey, kiddo. Would you let us talk to these two in private, please?"
Ruby's eyes jump from Yang and Blake to her parents, obviously trying to piece together what happened the night before. "Sure," she says, picking her bowl of cereal in one hand and her orange juice in the other, before exiting the room.
Yang sits on one of the chairs, drumming her fingers on the wooden table. Blake leans against the doorframe, crossing her arms against her chest to hide her nerves. "I'm sorry," Yang starts, her voice firm. "I shouldn't have yelled at you guys last night."
Tai sits besides her, and rests a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry too, Yang. We could have handled all of this better. Summer and I were clearly too worried and angry to have that conversation, we should have waited."
Yang looks up towards Summer. Her eyes are watery, and it tugs at Blake's heart so painfully, she has to dig her nails into her palms to keep herself from reaching for her. "What I said… I was really mean to you. I'm sorry."
Summer hands Yang a mug of coffee, and then cups her cheek, briefly, gently. "It's all forgotten. I just want you to talk to us, Yang. Clearly something happened to make you so angry. So please, will you tell us what's going on?"
Yang swallows, and glances at Blake, as if to steel herself. "I will, I promise. I just need a little more time."
Blake smiles at her, trying her best to be supportive. This whole ordeal has been so hard for Yang - Blake wishes she could hug her, right there and now. She wishes she could tell Yang how proud of her she is.
"We can respect that," Tai answers calmly, though his frown suggests he's not entirely happy with the answer.
"But you're not off the hook just yet," Summer continues, sternly, eyes turning towards Blake. "And neither are you, Blake."
Guilt simmers into Blake's stomach, familiar and sour.
"I was this close to calling your parents, you know. We are responsible for you."
"It's not her fault," Yang starts to protest, glancing at Blake apologetically, but Blake shakes her head.
"I'm sorry," she says, in a small voice. "I really am. You've been so nice and welcoming, the last thing I want is to cause any problems."
Summer looks at her quietly for a moment, and Blake fidgets a little under her careful eyes, suddenly feeling very much like a repentant child after a scolding. But she holds Summer's gaze nonetheless, because owning up to her mistakes is something she promised herself she'd do after Adam.
And she does feel especially bad for Summer, who got the brunt of Yang lashing out.
"It won't happen again," Blake adds seriously.
Tai nods. "Okay, then. Let's put this past us. Yang, you wanna go get your bike?"
Tai and Yang are gone for the better part of the day, so Blake hangs out with Ruby, playing cards in the backyard. "Soooo… what did you guys do?" Ruby asks her as she shuffles the deck, eyeing Blake suspiciously.
Blake twists a blade of grass between her fingers. "Got in trouble with the police, actually - nothing serious though, don't worry. But you'll have to ask your sister for more details."
Ruby sighs, expertly dealing the cards. "Whatever it is, I don't think she wanna talk to me about it."
There's an almost awkward pause, as Blake wonders if she should apologize, or explain, or say anything at all, but then Ruby smiles. "I'm glad she has you, though. You're a good friend, Blake."
It's a compliment, and she takes it as one, thanking Ruby with a smile as well. And yet, something about the statement sounds off, though she can't quite figure it out. The feeling stays with her all day, like an itch at the back of her brain, frustratingly vague.
That evening, when they get ready for the night, Yang sits on her bed and looks straight at Blake, eyes wide and earnest, and Blake immediately understands the silent invitation, and slides wordlessly under the sheets next to Yang. Her arm curls around Yang's waist, and she falls asleep with her nose buried in Yang's hair.
She jolts awake in the middle of the night, her mind filled with images of her mouth moving against Yang's mouth, her tongue running down Yang's neck, her hands on Yang's skin.
Oh, Blake thinks, staring a Yang's bare shoulders, rising and falling as she breathes evenly in her sleep. So that's what's happening.
They spend the next five nights sleeping together in Yang's bed, and they don't talk about it once, like it's no big deal that every morning they wake up cuddling together, like it's just something friends do. Blake tries her hardest to ignore the situation until she finally gives up, on the afternoon of the fifth day. She puts on her straw hat and her sunglasses, helps herself to a tall glass of iced tea, sits on the grass in an isolated corner of the backyard, and calls Sun.
He answers after the first ring. "Yo, Blake! It's been forever, dude, how are you?"
Blake can't help smiling at the genuine excitement in his voice. Sun's always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve, and his obvious joy is endearing. "Good. You?"
"I'm great! Neptune and I went camping last week, and we saw a giant snake. It was awesome! Oh, and did I tell you I broke up with that girl I was dating, Velvet? Yeah, it wasn't working out. But it's cool cause we're still friends and she introduced me to her pal Yatsuhashi who is super hot and huuuge if ya know what I mean…"
Blake snorts. "Sun, oh my god, breathe!"
"Anyway, Yatsuhashi and I have been going out for a week now, but it's not awkward with Velvet, which is cool cause I really like her. I wish you were here though, I miss you! Hopefully we can hang out sometime next year - you promised you'd visit Haven eventually." Sun pauses, panting. "Geez, I see what you mean about the breathing. I feel like I just ran up some stairs. Okay, your turn to talk. What have you been up to? Any fun stories? You dating anyone?"
"No?"
Sun laughs at the uncertainty in her voice. "Are you asking me?"
Blake twirls the straw in her glass, and listens as the ice cubes chime against each other. "Well... I have kind of an ambiguous relationship with this one girl..."
"Oh yeah? Who?"
Blake exhales slowly, and lets herself admit it out loud for the first time. "Yang."
"Oh, buddy. The roommate, uh? Classic. Have you talked to her about it?"
"No," Blake sighs. "She's been dealing with some serious family stuff recently, so I've been waiting for the right time, you know."
"Gotcha," Sun replies. "You think she's into you though?"
"I don't know," she shrugs. "Maybe? We touch each other a lot. Like, a lot. As in, I've been sleeping in her bed for the past week - don't laugh. But, it's more than just attraction, you know, we're really good friends. She trusts me with everything that matters to her."
Blake doesn't intend to keep going, but to her surprise the words just tumble out of her mouth, her thoughts impossible to contain, like she's just been dying to talk about Yang. "She's so strong, Sun, I've never met anyone like her. And I don't mean physically - although, good lord, you should see her abs, they're like, greek-marble-statue quality. But she's also very… sweet. And kind. She always puts me at ease. And she's so funny! Sometimes a huge dork, but in a charming way, you know."
There's a silence. Blake takes a sip of iced tea, cheeks burning - she didn't mean to say so much.
"Blake," Sun says. He sounds serious, and almost in awe. "You're in love with her."
Blake chokes on her drink. "What? No, I'm not." I know what love feels like, she doesn't say. There's nothing simple, nothing warm about love, nothing like what she feels for Yang. "It's just a crush, Sun."
"That sounds like way more than a crush. You got it bad, babe."
Blake stays silent, and Sun's voice softens. "Hey, it's not a bad thing. I know you haven't had the best experiences with love, but you gotta give it a try."
"I don't… How… What makes you say that?" Blake stutters. She's never told Sun exactly what went down with Adam. She never found the right words when it all started, and she didn't want him involved in the mess afterwards.
"Come on, it's not hard to figure out that something bad happened with that dude, back in high-school. I'm not an idiot."
"Aren't you, though?" Blake deflects, drily, but she can't keep the fondness out of her voice.
Sun laughs it off. "Whatever, Belladonna. At least I didn't fall in love with my lesbian college roommate. What kind of cliche…"
"Ugh, shut up," Blake cuts him off, but she's laughing as well. "I've missed you," she adds when they've both calmed down.
"Oh, I know," Sun says, annoyingly confident. "Now go get your girl. And don't be a stranger, okay?"
"Talk soon," Blake replies. "Enjoy your boyfriend and his huge…"
Sun disconnects the call before she can finish, and she spends a solid minute giggling to herself in the backyard.
The next day, Ruby invites Oscar to hang out, and she convinces her parents to let the four of them spend the evening on the closest beach, the one that's a mere five minutes walk away from their house.
They bring snacks and sodas, and Yang smuggles a six-pack of cheap beer. The beach is empty at this late hour, everything quiet around them but for the cries of seagulls and the roll of waves. The sun sets on the ocean in a truly beautiful display of colors, yet while the others are captivated by the sight in front of them, Blake stares at Yang instead. Bathed in the faint orange glow of the disappearing sun, her hair seems almost on fire, her skin like smooth gold. The sand is warm under Blake's bare legs, and something burns in the pit of her stomach, something so strong she thinks it will consume her before the night is over.
Sun's words echo in her ears. You're in love with her.
When it gets too dark to see, Ruby turns on a big camping lantern, and, with a mouth full of chips, declares that they're playing Never Have I Ever. Yang rolls her eyes, but hands everyone a beer, and they all sit around the light.
"Never have I ever kissed a boy," Oscar starts with a cheeky smile.
"Ugh, that was my question too," Yang grumbles, as Blake takes a sip. Nobody else drinks, and Blake raises an eyebrow. "Really? None of you have kissed a guy?"
Ruby shrugs. "Nope," she says, before narrowing her eyes. "Never have I ever gotten arrested!"
She looks at Yang and Blake, but Yang grins. "Technically, we weren't arrested the other night. Nice try though, sis."
Blake sighs, and takes another sip. Yang's eyes widen almost comically. "Okay, Belladonna, we're gonna need to hear that story. Spill."
"I, hum, was involved with a pretty radical activist group when I was in high-school. A bunch of us got arrested at a march for the environment when it turned a little too rowdy." Blake remembers throwing rocks at police cars, the acrid smell of teargas making her cough, even from afar, the deafening sound of sirens. Suddenly, she's sitting in the back of a police truck with Ilia and Adam, and shudders at the memory of his heavy hand on her shoulder, reassuring at the time. He'd seem so calm and collected - his grin exuding confidence even as the officers were marching them inside the police station. She had not seen the cracks in him yet, the hypocrisy, the violence.
"Hey! Blake! Where did you go?"
She blinks, and she's back on the beach. Yang is staring at her, mouth twisted in concern. "Sorry," she says, with an apologetic shrug. "Got lost in a memory."
"Well, I don't think anything is gonna top that story tonight," Yang says, sifting sand through her fingers as she thinks of her question. "Never have I ever cut class?"
Ruby, Oscar and Blake all drink at the same time - and Blake has to smother her laugh into her hand at the look of utter outrage on Yang's face, memories of the past forgotten.
"Guys!" Yang scolds, frowning. "Attendance is super important, not to mention mandatory…"
"Take your turn, Blake, please, save us from the incoming lecture," Ruby interrupts her, jokingly desperate. Blake thinks for a few seconds, and then looks directly at Yang. "Never have I ever slept with a sorority girl."
Yang's mouth opens, and closes in shock. Her cheeks redden a little, and the sight makes Blake's heart skip a beat. "Wow," Yang says, after a moment of stunned silence. "That's a low blow."
Ruby covers her ears. "I don't wanna hear anything about it!" she whines, while Oscar coughs to hide his laughter.
"Congrats on the sex?" he says, hesitantly. Yang shakes her head, and takes a sip of her beer. "You're gonna pay for that, I promise."
"Can't wait," Blake says with a wink, and she doesn't mean to flirt, but she can't help it - there's something about pushing Yang's buttons that delights her. Maybe it's the fact that Yang is actually affected by her teasing. Maybe it's the hint of playful threat in Yang's tone, sending shivers down her spine.
Oscar and Ruby are talking, but she's not listening. Yang is looking at her, still, and Blake can't look away. The urge to grab Yang's face and kiss her builds inside her stomach, powerful like the waves rushing to shore, so she lights a cigarette to have something to do with her hands.
When they run out of questions and beers, Ruby suggests that they switch to a game of truth or dare. It starts mellow, with Yang daring Ruby to try a headstand - she fails miserably, clearly a little light-headed after one beer - and Oscar getting Blake to admit her passion for an obscure country singer.
It ends with Blake daring Yang to go skinny dipping with her.
Ruby clears her throat. "Oookay, that's our cue to go." She grabs Oscar's arm and pulls him away, and they both very carefully avoid looking at Blake and Yang.
Yang doesn't say a word, but she takes off her shirt in one fluid movement, and cocks her head, silently challenging Blake to follow through. Blake's heart is hammering inside her chest. Her eyes glide down to Yang's black bra, the swell of her breasts, the bare skin of her stomach. Her mouth is dry - she wishes there was some beer left.
She turns off the camping lamp, and strips, quickly, before her resolve breaks. Yang does the same, and a few minutes later, the two of them are naked on the deserted beach. In the darkness, Blake can only just guess the shape of Yang, the lines of her body, planes and curves and shadows, all of it enticing in its vagueness. Like a foretaste of what's to come, it makes her pulse quicken.
Yang still hasn't said anything, letting her take the lead. And so Blake ignores the heat simmering low in her stomach, and runs into the sea.
Afterwards, they walk back home together. Blake puts her wet hair up in a messy bun, and droplets of water keep falling down her neck, running down her spine like a constant reminder of what they just did together. Her clothes are a little damp - they didn't have towels to dry themselves - but Blake doesn't mind. It's one of those summer nights, hot and humid, and the air itself seems to have thickened, everything around them slow and syrupy, honey-like.
They don't talk at all on the way back. Silence has always been comfortable between her and Yang, ever since they met - silence has always been easy, until tonight.
Tonight, it's tense - the tension that comes from waiting for the inevitable, anticipation weighting like water in Blake's lungs. She knows they've crossed a line. Something is bound to happen. The two of them are walking closer and closer toward the cliff edge, and it's merely a matter of who will take the last step, who will make the first move, who will jump.
So Blake jumps.
Right before Yang opens the front door, Blake grabs her hand. Yang makes a small noise in the back of her throat, surprise and relief laced together, as she stops in her tracks. Blake pulls her to the side, away from the door, and pushes her backward until Yang's shoulder blades hit the wall.
They stand close, so close that Blake can feel Yang's breath on her mouth, so close that their bare legs brush together. Yang's eyes widen, darting to Blake's lips. She inhales sharply, as if preparing to say something, and Blake kisses her.
Yang's breath catches, her eyes close, her body stiffens. She doesn't kiss Blake back, frozen under Blake's mouth, but she doesn't push her away either. Blake kisses Yang's lower lip, the corner of her mouth, her cheek, and buries her hands in Yang's hair, nails lightly scratching her scalp. "Look at me," she whispers against Yang's mouth. "It's okay. Look at me."
Yang's eyes open and she stares at her, palms rising to cup Blake's face, thumbs rubbing Blake's cheekbones. She looks awestruck, and so, so beautiful, that all Blake can do is kiss her again, and again, and again, and this time Yang kisses her back, and oh, it's everything, kissing Yang is everything.
Sparks explode in Blake's chest, sending trails of fire all the way down between her legs. She licks the salt of the ocean off Yang's mouth, bites her lower lip playfully, delighting in the whimper that follows. One of Yang's hands drops to her hip, and squeezes - like a plea, or maybe a warning.
In response, Blake slips her tongue in Yang's mouth. The kiss turns hot, messy, desperate, the entire world reduced to lips and tongue and teeth. Yang cups the back of her neck, pushing their faces closer together. She tastes like the sun and the sea, like a summer night, warm and wet, sweet and tender.
They break apart to breathe. Blake looks up at Yang with a satisfied grin, about to make a little quip, but she swallows down the words at the smirk Yang gives her. In one swift motion, Yang switches them around, pushing Blake against the wall and pinning Blake's wrists above her head with one hand. She tilts Blake's chin up with two fingers, and Blake feels herself grow wet, embarrassingly fast. Yang pauses, looking at her with a question in her eyes. Blake nods, too overwhelmed to talk.
Yang kisses her again, this time slowly, savoring, licking into Blake's mouth like she wants to devour her whole. Blake feels blood thrumming in her throat, pulse going wild on the inside of her wrists, and she hums, half a protest and half a moan. Yang sighs and presses the entire length of her body against Blake, licking along Blake's jaw, sucking little bruises down her neck.
The buckle of Yang's belt digs into Blake's hipbone when she slides her bare thigh between Blake's legs, skin sticky with sweat and salt and sand.
"Fuck, Yang," Blake whines, unable to restrain herself.
"I promised you'd pay for that question, remember?" Yang whispers in her ear, teasingly and entirely too smug. Blake's knees tremble, desire pulsating between her legs, down her thighs, up her spine.
The door opens abruptly, and light from inside the house spills onto the porch besides them. Yang jumps away from Blake, just as Tai takes a step out of the house.
"Ah, there you are!" he says, unaware of what he just interrupted. "I got worried when I saw Ruby and Oscar coming back without you two." He pauses, and seems to take in Blake's face, the way she leans weakly against the wall, gasping for breath.
"Everything okay, Blake?"
Blake's cheeks burn hot, and she's thankful for the relative lack of light. She looks at Yang for help, too dazed to remember how words even work. Yang flashes her father a smile that's way too cheerful to be sincere. "Yeah, all good! She's a little out of breath cause we decided to race back home. I think we're gonna go to sleep now."
Tai steps aside to let them in, looking a little perplexed, and Blake and Yang hurry upstairs. Blake only starts breathing normally again once the bedroom door closes behind them. Yang sits on her bed, rubbing the back of her neck as she glances up at her.
"So, that happened."
Blake chuckles. Yes, it did. But the arousal that was burning through her veins barely a minute ago has dimmed down to embers, and Yang's grin has turned sheepish, no longer dangerous - the mood has changed. "Why don't we talk about it in the morning?" she offers, fighting a yawn. They have all the time in the world, after all. "Let's shower and go to bed."
"Okay," Yang agrees, softly, easily.
Blake wakes up half on top of Yang, her head burrowed in the crook of Yang's neck. Yang's right arm curls around her, holding her close, one hand resting lazily on her hip. It feels right, like jagged pieces that unexpectedly fit together perfectly, as if made for each other.
Blake breathes in, slowly, and her lungs fill with something other than oxygen - something equally important, something she hasn't felt in such a long time, it takes her a few minutes to recognize it.
Serenity.
Yang shifts underneath her. Her fingers graze the strip of bare skin peeking between Blake's shorts and her shirt - the touch is so light it's almost imperceptible, but Blake shivers nonetheless.
"Hey," Yang murmurs into her hair. "You're awake." Her voice is still a bit sleep-rough. Blake's chest fills with tenderness at the sound, at the inherent intimacy of waking up with someone else.
She extricates herself from under Yang's arm to look at her. "Good morning."
Yang smiles - light streams from the window onto her face, like a halo. Angelic, Blake catches herself thinking, and rolls her eyes internally. When did she become such a sap?
"I'll go get us coffee and tea, and then we should talk, okay?" she says, stretching her arms above her head.
Yang's eyes trail down her figure, appreciative, lingering on her collar bones, her chest, her stomach. Blake swallows, remembering the previous evening, thinking of picking up where they left off. But Yang's gaze softens. "Go," she says, with a little nod towards the door.
Blake walks into the kitchen with a giddy smile on her face.
"Morning, Blake," Tai greets her, sitting at the counter and reading the paper. "Did you sleep well?"
"Fantastic!" she replies, so enthusiastic that Tai reacts with a surprised laugh.
"Glad to hear that. Well, help yourself, I made some coffee, and there's water boiling in the kettle."
She fills a mug with coffee for Yang, adds a sugar cube and a drop of milk, and she's just done brewing her tea when Tai snaps his fingers.
"Oh, I almost forgot. You got some mail!"
He hands her something and Blake thanks him distractedly, throwing the tea bag in the trash before she glances at it.
It's a generic post card, from Vale. There's no signature, just one sentence - five words, but it's all it takes for her to know.
"I found you, my darling."
And everything turns to ashes in her mouth.
