Chapter 6: Confrontation
Ilia hesitated, hand poised to knock. She'd been second guessing herself all morning. Ever since Blake left, really. This was her last chance to change her mind.
But no. No. She needed to be sure. Blake's happiness was at stake. Ilia had to confront Yang. Even if it meant she lost Blake's friendship. A flash of green caught Ilia's eye. Her hand had turned the telltale colour of her sadness. Again. Ilia took a deep breath, letting the emotion ebb away, grim resolve taking its place.
Ilia knocked on the door. She hadn't asked if she could drop by. She could almost feel Kali's baleful glare; Ilia's mentor would be very displeased if she knew about this breach of etiquette. But it was necessary: surprising Yang with an unannounced visit meant Blake shouldn't hear about it until afterwards. It might throw Yang off too, make it more likely she'd slip up and reveal the truth.
At least there was no risk of running into Blake. Kali had mentioned Blake was off on another mission, the elder Belladonna's cat ears pinned back with worry. It worried Ilia too, knowing Blake was risking her life fighting Grimm without Yang to guard her back. According to Kali, Ruby had benched Yang while she was pregnant. Yet another reason to reveal the truth. If Blake got hurt on a mission, it'd be Yang's fault if the pregnancy resulted from cheating.
Ilia knocked again, harder. Could Yang be scrambling to hide someone? Whoever she was cheating on Blake with? That Blake didn't believe Yang had cheated proved nothing. Blake was obviously head over heels in love with Yang. She could be seeing what she wanted to see, in denial that Yang might be lying to her. Ilia just needed to be sure.
Doubt assailed Ilia yet again. What if Blake was right? No one knew Yang better than she did. Ilia could be making a terrible mistake. And word could get back to Blake, and she'd be furious with Ilia. She might never forgive her. Ilia would lose Kali and Ghira too. They'd side with Blake if it came down to it, and Ilia wouldn't want it any other way, much as she loved them.
Ilia took a step back from the door. She could still leave. Yang would never need to know she'd been there. More importantly, the Belladonnas wouldn't know either.
The door opened.
Ilia froze, unable to fade from sight.
'Fuck me.'
Her breath caught at the sight of Yang. Ilia had been trying to steel herself for the confrontation with Yang. She'd forgotten all about preparing herself for Yang's physicality. It was almost as bad as seeing Blake. Worse in some ways, because Ilia was far more used to bracing herself for the sight of Blake.
As always, Yang looked drop dead gorgeous. A good head taller than Ilia, and both far more curvaceous and muscular. Admittedly less muscular now she'd been benched for weeks, but Yang's arms still looked strong. Her belly showed signs of pregnancy, a slight bump where Ilia imagined defined abs usually were. She'd never actually seen enough of Yang's midriff bared to be sure she had them, but thoughts of Yang's abs still crossed her mind. From time to time. All right, whenever she saw her. If only Yang showed off more of her body… Like Sun did, but unlike with Sun, Ilia wanted to see Yang's bare skin.
All right, so Ilia was a little thirsty. She couldn't help it! Blake was stunning, and had chosen an equally stunning lover: Yang the blonde bombshell. Ilia had the slim build of a gymnast, and the agility to match. Yang, though? She looked like she could tear Grimm apart with her bare hands, and probably had. Yang had also been at the front of the line when the creators handed out assets, because she had both the bust and butt Ilia felt lacking in.
Ilia's gaze was inexorably drawn to Yang's breasts. She really couldn't resist—Well that was just unfair! They were even bigger than usual, unless Ilia's eyes deceived her.
It felt like every woman Ilia met had bigger breasts than her. She was fine with it when she could enjoy them, but Yang was out of bounds. So was Blake. Oh to be sandwiched between them… Provided Yang wasn't a cheater, or that'd be a massive turn off and Ilia would hate her forever.
Ilia mentally slapped herself. 'Useless lesbian!' She was here to confront Yang, not to drool over her. She had no business ogling her even if Yang hadn't cheated, what with her being Blake's fiancée. Fortunately Ilia's hopeless reaction to the sight of Yang had only taken a few seconds at most.
Yang's eyes had been ready for someone taller than Ilia, and it took a moment for her gaze to drop and rest on Ilia. Mercifully so, or she might have caught Ilia staring at her breasts.
"Ilia? Did you call?" Yang covered a yawn with a hand. She looked tired, deep shadows under her eyes. Had she been losing sleep, perhaps from guilt? Or worry that she'd be caught? "Sorry, I must've missed it." She pulled out her scroll, unrolled it, and frowned. "Huh. Nothing."
"I was in the area for faunus rights stuff," Ilia said. "It's rude of me to just turn up. Sorry." She attempted to sound like she meant the apology, but it came out flat to her ears.
Yang shrugged. "Well, you're here now." She fiddled with her scroll. "Blake's not here, but there's nothing to stop you from joining me for a drink. So long as it's not coffee; I can't stand the smell at the moment. The joys of pregnancy…"
"You don't need to message Blake," Ilia blurted, heart pounding. "I'm sure she's busy."
"Hm?" Yang glanced up. "I wait for Blake to call me when she's on missions. I'm not messaging anyone. We set up a security system; I'm making it so the alarm doesn't deafen us." She stepped back, waving inside. "Come on in, it should be safe now."
Ilia walked in. She looked around for any telltale signs that Yang had another guest. No shoes or coats by the door that looked out of place, but that didn't necessarily mean no one was hiding in the bedroom. Alternatively they might have been there and gone. Or Yang's cheating was a thing of the past, ended when she got knocked up.
"What can I get you?" Yang asked.
Ilia resisted the temptation to point dramatically at her and shout: 'a confession!'
"I'm not thirsty, thanks," she said instead. A lie; her mouth felt bone dry.
Yang blinked. She eyed Ilia uncertainly. "Okay… Fancy a snack? Ruby brought some cookies the other day, a great sacrifice for me by her standards, and they're pretty good. They're not stale yet."
"I'm fine," Ilia said, crossing her arms. She'd be damned if she accepted any hospitality until she could be sure Yang hadn't cheated.
Yang rubbed the back of her head. Was that guilt? Or was she just feeling awkward about Ilia being kind of weird for a guest?
"Fine," Yang echoed. "Want to sit down, then?" She gestured at one of the comfy chairs she'd bought with Blake.
"I'd rather stand," Ilia said. It might let her be taller than Yang for once, if she sat down while Ilia stayed on her feet.
Yang frowned. She crossed her arms, mirroring Ilia's pose. "Maybe you'd like to tell me what I can do for you? You don't want food or drink, you don't want to sit down… What else is there? I don't know when Blake will get back."
Ilia took a deep breath, her heart racing. "I'm here to talk to you."
Yang looked taken aback. "To me? Why? I don't mind, it's just we—"
It was rude to interrupt. Ilia did it anyway. "Blake told me about what happened." She briefly uncrossed her arms to point at Yang's belly.
Yang laid a hand on the proof of her guilt. Potential guilt, Ilia reminded herself. Innocent until proven guilty was generally a good concept, even if Ilia couldn't really bring herself to believe it. At least not with something that threatened Blake's happiness.
"I know," Yang said. "Blake wasn't back for long before her mission, but I heard that much."
"Blake told me what she believes. But is that what really happened? Did…" Ilia cleared her throat, trying to make her voice firm. She failed. "Did you cheat on Blake?"
Yang's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?" Her voice held a warning note. Oh, she'd heard. She must be offering Ilia a chance to rephrase, to take it back. Probably just because of Ilia's friendship with Blake. If only she could take that easier path. But no. For Blake's sake, she had to risk her wrath.
Ilia mentally planned an escape route. She'd heard rumours about Yang's temper, and Blake had mentioned Yang was moodier than usual. It'd be wise to be prepared. Just in case. She braced herself. The point of no return…
Right. For Blake. Ilia would do anything for her.
Ilia swallowed hard. "Did you cheat on Blake?" At least this time her voice didn't waver.
Yang's eyes closed, her face unreadable. Then her eyes snapped open.
Ilia flinched, her own eyes widening. Yang's eyes were red. Not bloodshot, although the whites were a little pink from tiredness. No, the irises had changed from purple to bright red. Ilia had known that Yang's eyes could change colour, she'd witnessed Yang use her Semblance. But Yang's hair wasn't on fire, and her eyes weren't burning fiery orange. Was this an imposter?
Ilia reached for her scroll. She stopped before she could send a message to Blake. Checking with her about Yang's eyes would reveal Ilia was here behind Blake's back. Besides, it could be dangerous, risking Blake's scroll buzzing when she was probably fighting Grimm. Blake should have silenced her scroll, but what if she hadn't? The distraction might be lethal.
"Prove you're really Yang Xiao Long," Ilia said, hand on Lightning Lash, readying herself to whip it out.
"You come into my home, you refuse everything I offer you, and accuse me twice over. First of cheating, then of not even being myself." Possibly-Yang's voice was a low growl. "Fuck. You. I don't have anything to prove to you."
"I need to be sure you're who you seem. I've never heard anything about Yang's eyes turning red."
"They turn red when I'm angry," Maybe-Yang snapped. "Funnily enough I'm fucking furious right now!" She took a step towards Ilia.
"Just… tell me something only Yang would know. I have to be sure, for Blake's sake."
Could-be-Yang's lip curled. "Fine. I know you almost gave Blake up to Adam. He would have killed her, you know that?"
Ilia's stomach lurched. "That… I… Blake told you…" She shook herself. "Adam might not have killed her at that stage. Anyway, that's not proof. You might be a former White Fang agent who knew about that. Human eyes don't change colour without Semblances being involved!"
"Right. Keep telling yourself that. As for me being from that bastard's White Fang… I must have real dedication to the cause to replicate the same maiming he inflicted," Possibly-Yang spat. She yanked her prosthetic off and shook it at Ilia. "Do I need to call my team away from their mission to satisfy you? Or summon my mother so you can see where I might get my eyes from?"
Ilia cringed at the idea of Blake knowing, and with the reminder of what Adam had done to Yang. "No, I think you're proven your point, Yang."
"Good." Yang reattached her prosthetic, flexing the fingers.
Ilia met her eyes and shivered. Red eyes glared back at her.
Ilia's own eyes could turn red, among other colours, but she knew from seeing her own eyes in mirrors that it wasn't as violent a red as Yang's current glower. The sight gave Ilia the creeps. Yang's livid glare reminded Ilia all too much of a Grimm's.
Yang's fists clenched. "I get that you're doing this out of concern for Blake. But it's none of your business, and if Blake knew about it…" She bared her teeth. "She wouldn't be happy with you. She believes me." Her voice was tightly controlled, as if hanging onto her temper by a thread.
Now Ilia had to test Yang's control even more. She needed to be sure. Yang's anger wasn't proof of innocence. "Blake loves you, of course she'd believe you even if you had cheated on her."
Yang scoffed. "Please. The only way I'm any good at lying is by omission. Blake knows that. And she made sure I said it to her face: I didn't cheat on her." The furious red eyes didn't waver, nor did Yang's voice.
Ilia's doubts melted away.
Good news: Blake was right, and Yang hadn't lied.
Bad news: that meant Ilia had fucked up. Again. And this time Blake might not forgive her. If she heard about it… Maybe this could stay between Ilia and Yang?
"Now get the fuck out of my home. You're Blake's friend, not mine. You've made that very clear."
Ilia winced at the hurt cracking Yang's voice. "I didn't mean—I believe you—"
"Get. Out." Yang pointed at the door. "Before I throw you out." Her prosthetic whirred, the combat mode activating, a reminder that Yang was never unarmed.
Ilia held her hands up, palms outward, suddenly all too aware that Yang was more dangerous than she was. Ilia sparred regularly to keep her combat skills honed, but that didn't mean she was a match for a licensed huntress, even one who had been benched for weeks. Not that fighting Blake's pregnant fiancée was an option; Ilia would sooner fall on her own whip in its piercing mode.
"All right, all right. I'm going." Ilia backed away towards the front door. She paused with her hand on it. "Um, could you please not tell Blake? She'd be mad." Understatement of the year…
Yang's eyes flashed, chest heaving with deep rough breaths. Ilia wrenched her eyes away from Yang's breasts after a tortured second. It really wasn't the time, and Yang might murder her if she caught Ilia looking.
"How fucking dare you? I don't keep secrets from her."
"I know, I know, but…" Ilia fumbled with the door knob. "Blake said you both have an understanding, you wait until you're ready to talk."
"You think I'm not ready to tell her about this?" Yang hissed, stalking closer.
"It'll hurt her."
Yang snarled incoherently for a moment. "Fine," she snapped. "I won't tell her. It's your dirty little secret. But you should tell her yourself."
"Thank you." Ilia slumped against the door. "I will, I swear. Just… not yet."
"Don't thank me," Yang bit out. "I'm not doing it for you. Now… Go."
Ilia fled. She stumbled to a halt outside, the door slamming shut behind her. She scrubbed at her eyes, skin bright green, dashing away tears. Why couldn't she have trusted Blake's judgement to begin with? Why couldn't she have believed Yang was the good person she seemed to be? Why was she, Ilia, so hopeless, the absolute worst friend ever? Now she'd fucked it up beyond all repair. How could she possibly fix this? She needed to make amends. Somehow.
Maybe she could try to find out who'd done this. The problem was doing that when Yang didn't want anything to do with her. It would be difficult to investigate properly without interviewing Yang. She could go through Blake, but then she'd want to know why Ilia couldn't ask Yang herself.
There was also finding the time to do it. The White Fang kept Ilia very busy, and while she could divert their resources for a while to this investigation, she couldn't do it for long. The lives of faunus wouldn't be improved by Ilia being selfish, trying to fix her own mistakes by abusing her position as a leader. Maybe she should wait and see if the baby was a faunus, then it might be easier to justify to the rest of the Fang. But waiting months might mean the trail went cold, especially if the culprit didn't actually want to kidnap the baby.
The biggest snag, though? Kali and Ghira didn't know about the sinister origin of the baby. Ilia couldn't get the Fang involved without them finding out. Damn it. Useless! So fucking useless.
Ilia let herself cry for a while, just to get it out of her system. She hated every moment. What right did she have to be upset? She hadn't been the one with her loyalty to her lover questioned.
Maybe she could persuade Blake to tell her parents the truth, then it'd be easier to use the Fang to help discover the culprit. Except would Blake be okay with doing that? Revealing the pregnancy wasn't entirely good news… That would be cruel. Ilia knew how much Kali and Ghira longed for grandchildren.
Besides, Blake might be entirely against using the White Fang for a personal issue. She'd have to ask. Provided Yang didn't tell Blake what Ilia had done. If she did… Blake would have every right to cut Ilia off.
Ilia groaned. Blake would find out. Ilia herself had sworn to tell her. What had she done? Opened her big mouth. Both when she accused Yang, and when she committed to confessing to Blake about what she'd done. How long could she justify putting it off? She shouldn't delay it at all, but… She wasn't ready. The thought of Blake's disappointment, her anger… Ilia died a little inside.
Ilia scrubbed at her face and sternly told herself to get a grip. It felt wrong to linger outside Blake and Yang's home any longer than she already had. She started walking down the street. She didn't get far, almost tripping over her own feet, eyes wide at who she saw just ahead.
Kali had crossed her mind only a minute ago at most, and there she was, as if summoned by Ilia's thoughts. Kali hadn't seen her yet, her attention on a neighbour of Blake and Yang's as they chatted.
Ilia stifled a panicked whimper and looked around for a hiding place. There was no way she could slip by Kali without being seen; she couldn't fade from sight when in the grip of emotions this strong. And Kali would ask what was wrong, there was no way she'd miss Ilia's skin being bright fucking green.
If she was caught, the whole truth might spill out. Kali was far too good at getting her to talk, even better than Blake. Partly because she was just so warm and maternal, and because Ilia missed her own mother so much. Her father too, but at least Ghira couldn't be here to double the risk Ilia would end up spilling the beans. He was tied up with meetings today, some of which he was covering for Ilia, bless him.
A pathetic whine died in Ilia's throat as she frantically tried to find somewhere to hide. No trees or hedges big enough to hide her, especially when her skin's current shade of green clashed with the vegetation.
Ilia whirled around, hurrying back to the only sanctuary she could think of. It was the work of a moment for her to break in, the sitting room window open for the breeze and scents of the garden.
A whir made Ilia look up. Yang had the gun of her prosthetic levelled at her. They both froze for a heartbeat.
"What the fuck are you doing?! I almost shot you!" Yang hissed, eyes still red. And bloodshot. Her cheeks were damp, streaked with—
Oh. Fuck. She'd made Blake's fiancée cry. And now Ilia had to ask for help after that. Insult to injury for Yang…
"I'm sorry. Hide me," Ilia whispered urgently. "Please. Kali's almost here."
"So? Was I supposed to tell you I was expecting her?" Yang shook her head. "You get along with her, why do you need to hide?"
"She'll know something's wrong, and if she finds out why… Please, the Belladonnas are the only family I have." Ilia clasped her hands together. She'd fall on her knees and beg if she had to.
"You're a chameleon faunus. Use your trait to escape."
"I can't when I'm like this!" Ilia gestured at herself with hands still green like the rest of her.
There was a knock at the door. Yang glanced towards it, then back at Ilia. She sighed, her prosthetic whirring again as the gun retracted. Her livid red eyes faded back to weary lilac. She slowly pointed across the room to an open door, reluctance in the movement.
Yang grabbed Ilia's arm before she could move. "I don't want to see you again today. Disappear as soon as you can and leave. Got it?" She kept her voice low, hopefully quieter than Kali's cat ears could catch from outside.
Ilia nodded frantically.
Yang released her and walked to the front door.
Ilia bolted to the door Yang had pointed to and threw herself inside. She inched back to the door and slowly pushed it closed. She found herself in a bedroom, and not one she'd been inside before. Definitely not a guest room; it had far too many personal touches. Including a shelf filled with Blake's favourite books, and a photo of Blake and Yang sharing an adoring look. Oh. Yang had hidden her in the master bedroom, even after Ilia's colossal fuck up.
Ilia sank down with her back against the door and wrapped her arms around her knees. Her eyes burned with fresh tears. This wasn't how Ilia had fantasised about being in their bedroom, and now she'd definitely never live that dream. She'd ruined everything.
She could hear Kali talking to Yang, their voices muffled by the door. Ilia lifted her hands to cover her ears. She wouldn't eavesdrop. She owed Yang that much. No, she owed her far more. Starting with a proper apology. But she'd leave it for now. She had to, Yang didn't want to see her, and Ilia had to respect that. Technically she could apologise while using her faunus trait so Yang couldn't see her, but she doubted Yang wanted to hear another word from her either, at least not for a while.
Would Blake ever want to see her again? Or Kali? Yang might tell them what Ilia had done. True, Yang had agreed not to tell Blake, but she'd said nothing about Kali. Ilia could only pray she'd be more merciful than Ilia would be in her place. Her fate rested in Yang's hands, a woman who surely hated her now. Ilia could only wait for the fallout, to see if the consequences of her own actions would bite her in the butt. She'd deserve it.
For now all she could do was wait for her skin to cooperate, then fade away from sight, and slip out the bedroom window. While staying too quiet for Kali's cat ears to hear. Ilia breathed slow and deep, gradually calming herself down.
She'd tried to be a good friend. That was the important thing Ilia had to hold on to. Allowing herself to think of anything else might leave her with green skin for the rest of her days. She'd had good intentions. No, don't think about what paves the road to hell. Don't think about anything else. Even Yang had acknowledged Ilia's motivations. Among other things—
'No! Don't think about them, just focus on calming down you useless—'
Breathe. Just breathe. Maybe then the tears would stop.
Once she calmed down, she'd slip away. Then she'd find Emerald, and forget about everything else for a while. In a minute, when the telltale stain of self inflicted misery finally left her skin.
Then she'd figure out how to make amends.
Yang swore under her breath. She did her best to wipe away all evidence of tears, but it'd take washing her face to really have a chance of that. There wasn't time, she couldn't keep Kali waiting. She forced a smile, made it genuine by reminding herself that it was always nice to see Kali, and opened the door.
Kali smiled at her over a bouquet of sunflowers. Her smile faded as her eyes met Yang's. "Are you all right?" she asked. "You look tired."
"I don't sleep well when Blake's away."
"You worry for her too," Kali murmured, tender understanding in her eyes.
"Always. Especially when I'm not with her." Yang tried a reassuring smile; Kali would be just as worried, and the last thing Yang wanted was to make a mother's worries worse. "But she'll be fine. Come in."
Kali followed her inside, holding out the flowers as soon as the door closed. Yang resisted the urge to check her bedroom door was closed; she didn't want to draw any attention to it in case Ilia hadn't dared to shut it.
"For you," Kali said. "I remembered Blake mentioned these are your favourites."
Yang took the sunflowers. "Thanks, they're lovely." She stroked a petal appreciatively. "I'll get them in some water right away, wouldn't want them to wilt."
Once the flowers were sitting in a vase of water, Yang turned to Kali with arms open. Kali beamed and took the invitation for a hug. Tears prickled Yang's eyes. Again. This time because nothing reminded her more of Summer than being in Kali's warm embrace. Yang blinked away the tears and cleared her throat, trying to clear the tightness before it affected her voice.
Kali drew away, but stayed close enough to cup Yang's cheeks. Her eyes, so similar to her daughter's, were still concerned. "Have you been crying?" Her voice was gentle and non-judgemental. It was a rhetorical question. Yang knew it was all too obvious she had been.
"Just… missing Blake. Pregnancy hormones, you know how it is. I swear it's like I cry all the time." Yang attempted a sheepish grin. "I'm fine, really."
Yang resisted the urge to glare at her bedroom door. It was true enough that she'd been missing Blake, and never more than when Ilia accused her. Sure, Ilia had phrased it as a question, but she'd asked because she'd thought the worst. She also wouldn't have dared to ask if Blake had been there.
To think Yang had thought she only needed Blake to believe her… Who was she kidding? She wasn't telling her dad or uncle because she knew they'd assume the worst too. And it stung to hear even from someone like Ilia, who had clearly always been Blake's friend rather than Yang's.
It reminded Yang of the horrible time right before the fall of Beacon, when she'd felt like everyone except her own team would believe the worst about her, a fear made reality when her own uncle doubted her. Back when she'd been set up.
Now she'd been set up again. If Kali knew the truth, would she be like Blake, or like Ilia? Yang didn't want to know, and hated that it was even a question. Not that she'd find out. It'd be best if Kali never knew. That and it was Blake's place to tell her mother anyway.
Kali patted Yang's cheeks and released her. "She'll be back before you know it. And in the meantime I'll help distract you. Blake wanted me to keep you company, and that's no hardship. Ghira would have come too, but he's busy with meetings."
Yang blinked. "I thought he'd retired as chieftain?"
"He keeps talking about it," Kali said. "But he always needs one more month to prepare things for his successor, and then something comes up and it's the same thing all over again." She snorted. "I think he'll still be chieftain when we're old and grey. This time it's White Fang meetings, he's taking some of the load off Ilia, she said she had something else to do. Knowing her it must be important."
Yang's fists clenched before she could stop herself. Ilia had used Ghira like that so she could come here and—Ugh! Her prosthetic's combat mode activated with a whir. Yang mouthed an expletive and forced it to retract. It was very responsive, but sometimes she could do without it reacting to her agitation.
Kali was watching her, eyebrows raised.
"Sorry, seems I need to do some maintenance." Yang waved the prosthetic. "Being benched means I don't have a reason to do it as often."
"Can I help?" Kali asked.
"Uh, sure. It's always a little awkward doing it one handed. I'm used to it, but it can be fiddly."
"You're right handed too, aren't you," Kali observed.
"I was, but losing it made me a lot more ambidextrous. I didn't get a prosthetic for months, so I had to learn how to do everything with my leftie." Yang went to take her prosthetic off, but paused. She slapped her forehead. "Grapes, I didn't ask what you wanted to drink. Sorry, Kali, I swear I picked up some manners somewhere." Just not from her mother. She hadn't had enough time with Summer, and as for Raven… Yeah, no. Tai had been busy working or hadn't cared. And Qrow… he'd been raised in a bandit tribe. After a snide comment from a classmate's mother, Yang had resorted to learning it from a book, and then tried to instil what she'd learned into Ruby, with mixed results.
Kali smiled. "It's all right. You usually do ask like a good hostess, and I know what pregnant brain can be like. I was so scatterbrained when carrying Blake."
Yang got Kali settled on the sofa with a cup of Blake's favourite tea, and one of Ruby's cookies. She fetched her maintenance kit and popped her prosthetic off, laying it on the coffee table.
Kali watched with interest as Yang opened the panels on her prosthetic, and talked through what she did to keep her robot arm in working order. Kali picked up one of the specialised canned air dusters and helped clean out some of the dust that inevitably found its way inside. It always managed it, despite theoretically dustproof seals.
Maintenance complete, Yang reattached her prosthetic. She touched each finger to the thumb to calibrate it, and activated the combat mode, ejecting and reloading the Dust cartridge, and doing the same for the sticky grenades. It wouldn't do to find out the hard way if something jammed.
"Do you always keep it loaded?" Kali asked, a worried gleam in her eyes. "What if it fired in your sleep?"
Yang disabled combat mode and gently tapped her own temple with metal fingers. "It can't discharge accidentally. I have to consciously use the weapons. Besides, I only sleep with it on when it's absolutely necessary. Like on missions when there's a danger of Grimm attacks. At home I keep it within reach while sleeping."
"Good," Kali murmured. She patted Yang's left hand, the one closer to her. Yang knew she had no aversion to her prosthetic, just understandable safety concerns.
Kali squeezed Yang's hand. "You had a reaction earlier," she murmured. "It wasn't just the prosthetic malfunctioning: both of your fists clenched when I mentioned Ilia. I'm sorry, I thought you got along well enough. I'd never have brought her up otherwise."
Yang looked away. "Just… hormonal fluctuations. Ilia's a good friend of Blake's." She wondered what her telltale heart was hinting to Kali's cat ears. She might be close enough to hear it.
"But not your friend?"
Yang hesitated. Kali deserved the truth, and Ilia hadn't exactly endeared herself to Yang. Except… Ilia had been trying to be a good friend to Blake. What would Yang have done in Ilia's shoes? Apart from burst out of them, because Ilia was considerably shorter and had smaller feet. Yang sighed. She'd have done anything she could have to protect Blake. She couldn't even say she'd have been more tactful than Ilia. If she felt those she loved were threatened, tact wasn't even a consideration.
But she couldn't outright lie to Kali. Yang knew she was a terrible liar even without a sensitive faunus trait to pick up on indications like a change in heartbeat.
"You can tell me anything," Kali murmured, gently squeezing Yang's hand again. "I promise whatever you tell me will go no further. Not even Ghira will hear about it, he understands that sometimes I'm told things in confidence."
Yang met Kali's beseeching gaze. She bit her lip. Looking at Kali had been a mistake, how would she keep her mouth shut when she couldn't look away from those golden yellow eyes?
"Ilia won't hear about it either," Kali said.
Yang coughed into her free hand to conceal a nervous laugh. If only Kali knew Ilia was quite possibly still in Yang's bedroom, listening in. It was just as well Yang had been caught by Kali's gaze, or she might've glanced at her bedroom door. Kali might not realise it meant someone was in there, but it could make her wonder. Yang was all too aware that Blake had inherited her curiosity at least partly from her mother.
"Nor will Blake, not from me. I… I understand some things are harder to talk about with those closest to us." Kali looked pained, like she was talking from personal experience. Was there something Kali wanted or needed to talk about, but couldn't? Maybe Kali needed someone further away from whatever it might be.
"I know," Yang assured her. "But is there anything you wanted to tell me? I'm here for you too, you know. We're family."
Tears shone in Kali's eyes, and she gave Yang a wobbly smile. Kali sniffled, blinking rapidly until her smile firmed up. She nodded. "That we are. Legally as well, soon enough. Don't worry about me, Yang. I'm far more concerned about you. I would be anyway, but even more so now."
Yang touched the slight bump swelling her belly.
Kali glanced down at where Yang's hand rested. "You're carrying my grandchild. So please, talk to me. Listening is the least I can do."
"Ilia had… concerns," Yang said slowly, wondering how much to reveal. It certainly wasn't her place to tell Kali the full truth about the pregnancy, and giving Ilia away entirely felt wrong. Especially when she might still be under Yang's roof, a guest, if an uninvited one. "To do with the other biological parent, and how Blake and I won't tell anyone about that yet." Anyone else, but Kali didn't need to know Yang had left a word out.
Kali frowned. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands, stifling what sounded a lot like a whimper. Tears welled up in her eyes. She slowly pulled her hands away from her lips. "Ilia thought you cheated on Blake?"
Well, damn. Kali was perceptive enough that Yang didn't actually need to say it. She'd have to be careful what else she said, or the whole truth would come out, and Yang didn't want that. The thought of seeing the pain in Kali's eyes if she learned how her grandchild had been conceived… Besides, it shouldn't come from Yang. It was Blake's place to tell her parents.
"She did. I see it in your eyes." Kali hugged Yang tightly. "It's not true," she whispered, without a shadow of doubt in her voice. "How can she believe that? I'll talk to her, if you'll let me."
"It's fine," Yang said. "I'd suspect me in Ilia's shoes. We want to keep it to ourselves about who the other biological parent is, and that means there's a question we won't answer. Ilia can't help being suspicious."
Kali drew back, the image of a very unhappy cat faunus, ears pinned back. "She can't know you or she'd never have accused you. I know you, and I know you'd never willingly hurt Blake like that."
"Never," Yang said, startled when it came out choked. She sniffled, abruptly realising she was on the verge of tears yet again.
"Come here," Kali murmured, and gave her another warm embrace. The echoes of Summer were too much, and Yang lost the battle against crying.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Kali crooned. Her hands twitched as if she wanted to stroke Yang's hair, but resisted. Not doubt because she'd witnessed how protective Yang was of it, not even allowing her own father to touch it.
Yang pulled herself together. "Hormones. Sorry. And you have nothing to be sorry about."
"But I do." Kali sounded utterly wretched. "I… I failed you. I should have encouraged Ilia to get to know you. Then she'd have known better than to think the worst." She pulled back to look Yang in the eye. Kali's face was etched with a deep sadness, tears making her eyes shine. "I knew Ilia loved Blake, and I thought it was kinder to let her avoid you. I was wrong."
"I don't blame you. It's not your fault." Yang plucked a couple of tissues from a box on the coffee table and handed one to Kali. "Ilia's not your responsibility."
Kali dabbed at her eyes. "She's like a daughter to me. So are you. And you're the one Blake loves, and the one carrying my grandchild. I should have done more to help."
"Kali, please. The last thing I want is you beating yourself up over this. Even if Ilia knew me better, her first loyalty would always be to Blake, and her instinct still to protect her. I think this was inevitable."
Kali's face crumpled. She wiped at her eyes again. "You deserve better."
"Maybe, but Blake deserves friends as loyal as Ilia. Even if it means I get accused of cheating."
Kali gave her another sad look. "You're too forgiving for your own good."
"But I'm not. I haven't forgiven Ilia. I'm… angry." Yang's fists clenched again. At least this time her prosthetic didn't whir into combat mode. "I just…" She forced her fingers to relax. "I get it."
Kali gave her a tender smile and took her hands. "I'm so glad Blake is marrying you."
Yang smiled back. "Me too."
AN: So did I succeed in making this chapter hurt?
Again, I actually like Ilia and hope that's still clear. She's just trying to protect Blake.
Coming up next: Raven's POV. And others, I seem incapable of writing any chapter of this fic entirely from one POV.
If you want to encourage someone to write, and especially to share what they write, leave a nice comment. It really helps.