Chapter 14: Taking the Trash Out
"I can handle it," Yang insisted. Despite her words, her voice cracked. She winced. That wouldn't convince Blake.
Blake shook her head. "You shouldn't have to."
"Blake, I—"
"No. No, Yang. No more." Blake jabbed the remote at the TV as if tempted to throw it. The screen flashed briefly, turning off. "I'll deal with this. Somehow. I'll figure something out."
"Blake…" Yang couldn't argue, not with tears welling up in Blake's eyes.
Blake wrapped both arms around Yang, resting her chin on the top of Yang's head. "I can't do nothing!"
Yang felt cold, a leaden weight in her stomach, the Bumblebaby wriggling as if they could feel it too. Blake's arm tightened around her, and Yang leaned into her warmth. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that the opinion of strangers didn't matter. But that wasn't really the problem.
No, what worried her was her family and friends seeing this. Alerting other customers of that company had been the right thing to do, Yang didn't doubt that. What she had to wonder was whether there had been some way to anonymously tip off the most ethical of the news channels, to spare those she loved from… this. Especially Blake.
Her scroll buzzed. It was a little awkward to get it out, but she managed after Blake loosened her hold a little.
"Damn it," Yang muttered.
"What now?" Blake groaned.
"Raven being Raven." She hurriedly responded before Raven could do anything drastic.
Yang: No. Absolutely no killing anyone on my behalf. Or any other punishment. I can take care of myself. I appreciate that you want to help, but leave it to me.
Her scroll vibrated with a reluctant acknowledgement from Raven, then buzzed again.
Nora: I'll break the legs of everyone in that trashy news channel! If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it!
Yang's breath hissed between her teeth. Almost against her will, a fond smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Yang: Nora no, leave it to me. Appreciated, really, but no.
Nora: Aw. Let me know if you change your mind and need any legs broken!
"Yang?" Blake asked.
"Just Nora being Nora."
"Now that's a thought, they might issue a retraction if I broke their legs…"
Yang groaned and held on tight to Blake. She couldn't go anywhere with Yang there. Sure, Blake could escape at any time using a shadow clone, but she wouldn't. Right?
Her scroll vibrated. She reluctantly took one hand off Blake to check it.
Mercury: Turn on the trashiest news channel. I promise it'll be worth it.
Yang dropped the scroll, fumbled for the remote, and turned the TV back on.
"Yang!" Blake protested.
"Mercury has something planned."
Blake grumbled under her breath, as close as she could get to a growl, but didn't try to turn the TV off again.
"—welcome a special guest, the same boy who suffered a cruel blow at the hands of Yang Xiao Long ten years ago!" The host was just as excitable as he'd been earlier. "Mercury Black!"
Mercury strutted on screen and spun the offered chair around, straddling it and resting his arms on top of it. It looked a little strange considering he was wearing his smart suit. "Hey."
"Glad you could make it! And you brought a guest…"
Mercury beckoned, and Emerald walked over, sitting with rather more grace and crossing her arms and legs. She wasn't smiling, and didn't look entirely at ease. Had Mercury blackmailed her to be there? But then again she'd never liked the spotlight.
"Oh, right, the girl who rushed to your side after you were wounded!"
"Emerald Sustrai," Mercury said.
"Girl?" Emerald grumbled, barely audible. Yang thought she was getting off lightly; the TV host might've called her Mercury's girlfriend.
"We're about thirty years old, so not a boy or a girl any more," Mercury drawled. "Matter of fact, if you looked at Xiao Long's court case files more closely, you'd see I'm actually her lawyer."
The host gasped, hands pressed to his face, eyes wide. Had he already known and was just being dramatic?
Mercury smirked. "The money as her lawyer is good, but the fact we're working together should tell you what happened back at the Vytal tournament isn't what it seems." He fumbled with a knee, something clicked, and he gave Emerald a grin. "A hand?"
Emerald rolled her eyes, but leaned over to grab his foot and pull his prosthetic off. She handed it to him, and he held it up.
"I already had this back then. Xiao Long didn't hurt me, I was just pretending." Mercury sobered, lowering his prosthetic. He somehow managed to look a bit like a kicked dog. "Back then we were both manipulated into helping bring about the fall of Beacon. We set up Xiao Long as part of that."
The host gasped again. "Set her up?!"
Mercury winced. "Made her look bad, and we're both very sorry about that. We turned against Salem in time to do some good, but we did some bad things before then. We're here to set the story straight. Yang Xiao Long is one of the good guys, and always has been."
Emerald sighed. "Neither of us knew exactly what would happen, we were both pawns. I like to think we'd have seen the light a lot sooner if we'd known more. We were made to feel indebted to Cinder Fall, like we owed her everything. She used that to push aside our doubts." She looked straight at the camera, jaw set. "But we knew what we were doing was wrong, I won't hide behind excuses. All I can say is I will always regret doing what I did when acting as a pawn of Salem."
"She used us," Mercury said. "Your Semblance especially."
The host opened and closed his mouth like a fish for a few moments before finding his voice. "And what is this Semblance?"
Emerald gave him a sidelong look. "I can show you if you like. Who would you most like to see?"
The host blinked. "What? Uh, does it need to be someone you know?"
"No, so long as you know what they look like, it'll work."
"Uh, what will work?" The host tugged at his shirt collar, smile fixed, sweat beading on his forehead.
"It won't hurt," Emerald promised.
"My dog, then."
Emerald nodded. Her eyes narrowed, but other than that, there was no sign anything was happening… Apart from the host's reaction.
He leapt to his feet and spread his arms. "Pebble! You're meant to be at doggy day care!" He reached for just above the empty table, eyes on his illusory dog. "You teleported my dog?!"
Emerald's eyes flickered with malice. It probably wasn't something most viewers would notice, but Yang knew Emerald better. Then as Yang expected, Emerald took a deep breath. The malice faded, leaving determination.
"Wait, come back!" The host ran after the dog only he could see. "Pebble!"
The Emerald of old would've had the illusionary dog attack the hapless host, or something even worse. The redeemed Emerald had still been tempted, but resisted, and that was the important thing.
Emerald turned to the camera and raised an eyebrow. "I can make people see and hear things that aren't there." She took a deep breath. "That's what I did to Yang Xiao Long in the Vytal tournament, but instead of seeing her pet dog, she saw Mercury attack her. Like any huntress would, she reacted in a way to neutralise the threat. It's what we're trained to do. Fortunately for Mercury, she did so in a non-lethal way, and hit something that couldn't feel pain."
"It did need fixing, but I had it coming," Mercury said, waving his prosthetic. "A hand to get it back on, Em?"
Emerald sighed a long suffering sigh. "Fine." With a practiced move she crouched in front of him, took the prosthetic and pushed it up the trouser leg.
Mercury reached down, making sure cloth didn't get caught between the prosthetic leg and the mount. It clicked into place, and Mercury rotated his foot in much the same way as Yang checked her hand function after putting on her own prosthetic. She didn't care for the similarity: Mercury was being helpful, but they weren't friends.
Emerald sat down in her chair. She crossed her arms, and gave the camera a very self conscious look. "I just want to say I haven't used my Semblance for anything bad since leaving Salem."
"Anyway. There you have it. My client does not have a history of lying, or of unprovoked violence." Mercury smirked. "Of course, this news channel has provoked her." His smirk widened. "But she's not the one you should be afraid of. Xiao Long has a lot of powerful friends and family who think the world of her. Especially Raven Branwen, as your faceless reporter noted. Their risk assessment fell short, though. It's no secret Raven's more than a bandit: she's the Spring Maiden."
"You know, magical power over the elements and more, not reliant on Aura, far stronger than any huntress?" Emerald smiled grimly. "Yang Xiao Long won't want anyone killed. Guess you'd better hope Raven cares about what her daughter wants."
Yang was amazed the broadcast hadn't been interrupted. Maybe Emerald had fucked with the producer's head too, and whoever was left behind the camera had been bribed by Mercury or something.
"Maybe, just maybe, Xiao Long's allies will leave it to the justice system for this news channel to get its comeuppance," Mercury said, smirk widening to his most shark like grin. "You see, the allegations your reporter made aren't true. That makes it slander. I'll be seeing your representative in court." He pulled out an envelope and put it on the host's table. "Consider yourselves served. You'll be getting this from the court too, you can't escape it even if you dispose of these documents." He glared at the camera. "I take my job very seriously, anyone else repeating these lies about my client will be the ones wasting court resources. The irony when you claim to care about that… C'mon, Em. We're done here."
Mercury and Emerald both stood and stalked away, exchanging a high five.
"Um," someone said off camera, and the feed cut, replaced by the words 'Please stand by!'
Yang turned the TV off. She stared at it for a few seconds, trying to process the weird feeling of gratitude to Mercury, of all people. Emerald was at least someone she was friendly with, if distant, it felt more natural to be grateful to her.
"Wow," Blake murmured. "If someone told me even an hour ago that Mercury would do this, I wouldn't have believed them."
"He promised he would," Yang said.
"I know, you told me, I just…"
"Hard to believe he'd actually put his reputation on the line, isn't it?"
"Exactly." Blake shook her head slowly. "I think this might actually be good for him. It shows he'd do anything for his clients." She sighed. "I hope that's what happens, anyway. Especially with Emerald. She did more to help us before he turned against Salem. I'm not sure he would have if not for their friendship."
"Yeah. I hope so too."
"Mercury must have a contact at that news channel," Blake mused. "To have known when to appear on it at the best time to keep his word to you…"
Yang nodded. "Someone Mercury bribed, or promised a job if they ended up fired for it. Or maybe they owed him a favour…"
"Maybe even a friend of his."
It was strange thinking of Mercury having friends, but then again Emerald was one. Sometimes at least. Whenever Yang saw her, Emerald bitched about Mercury. Not that she let anyone else do that; Emerald jealously guarded that privilege.
"I should thank them," Yang muttered. She typed out a message doing just that and sent it to both of them. They got back to her pretty much immediately.
Mercury: Just doing my job. I'm getting paid for this in the end: I want a cut of the compensation from the news channel.
Emerald: I owed you. Sorry it took me so long to clear your name.
Yang tucked her scroll away after assuring Mercury he would get his precious lien. "Maybe I should get in touch with one of the better news channels, give a statement. This appearance by Mercury and Emerald will spread like wildfire, and Emerald especially might be in for trouble. Her Semblance being public now will give people the creeps, and if they decide she's to blame for the fall of Beacon…"
Blake kissed her cheek. "Let me know if you'd like a hand drafting something."
"I was thinking of something like this…"
"We have an exclusive statement from Yang Xiao Long, responding to our competitor's interview with Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai."
A recording of Yang came on screen, blinking under bright lights. The reporter she contacted had asked for more than just a written statement, claiming it would boost the reach of it. Watching it now on TV, Yang braced herself for the sound of her own voice when it wasn't distorted by her own flesh and bone.
Recorded Yang cleared her throat. "Uh, hi. I'd like to thank Mercury and Emerald for defending me. While Mercury was doing his job as my lawyer, he went above and beyond. Emerald just acted as my friend, and I know she's felt guilty for her actions against Beacon, and me in particular."
She paused to take a breath, and a sip of water. "I forgave her long ago, despite the fact that the conspiracy Emerald was part of had lifelong consequences." Recorded Yang looked at her prosthetic and clenched the metal and plastic fist. "For me and many others. Friends died, and they'll never be forgotten. It took me a while to get there, to realise the truth: Emerald was a pawn, and joined the fight against Salem at great risk to herself. She's a hero. She still works for the good of Remnant as a huntress."
Most people would probably miss it, but Yang saw her recorded self's left eye twitch, as her next words came with an effort. "Mercury too. Salem wouldn't have been defeated without them. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for that."
The reporter took Yang's place. "I'm sure we're all grateful for that. Next up—"
Yang switched the TV off and turned to Blake, who beamed at her, eyes alight with pride. It took Yang a moment to remember what she'd wanted to ask. "Do I really sound like that? I thought my voice was deeper."
Blake tapped the tip of Yang's nose, still smiling. "It sounds deeper to you from the inside, but it's plenty deep enough for me. Especially when we're playing in the bedroom, and—"
Yang's scroll rang.
"Hold that thought." Yang stroked her thumb over Blake's lips. She checked her scroll. "Oh. Guess we're about to find out what Dad thinks about this legal mess hitting the news."
Blake reached up before Yang could withdraw her hand and took it, kissing her thumb before lowering their joined hands. "Together."
Blake's scroll vibrated, and not just once. A call of her own, not just a message. She checked it. "Perfect timing," she grumbled. "Not that I mind my parents calling, but…"
"Why don't we get them to have a group call? I'll host," Yang suggested. "Then we can be together for it."
Blake kissed her. "Great idea."
They both tinkered with their scrolls. Yang projected her screen so their parents' faces wouldn't be ridiculously small but roughly life sized instead.
Their parents all looked a little surprised to find themselves in a call with each other.
"Oh, hi Tai," Kali said. Ghira echoed the greeting.
Tai waved, an awkward grin on his face. He rubbed the back of his head. "Hi! Unexpected Belladonnas!" For all that Tai and Ruby didn't look alike, the resemblance between them was uncanny in moments like this.
Parental eyes switched to their children.
"Blake—"
"Yang—"
It was just barely possible to make out the words, Tai and Ghira's voices overlapping.
"Sorry, Ghira, you go—"
"Oh, no, no, you first—"
Kali patted Ghira's cheek. "Someone has to go first. It might as well be me. Hello, everyone. I hope we're all well. Now, let's not beat around the bush. I'm sure we're calling about the same thing. The news, namely our Yang hitting it, and not always in the most flattering light." A growl escaped her, eyes narrowed to yellow slits. "No thanks to a channel that doesn't deserve to be named. Are you all right, dear?"
"I'm fine," Yang said. She attempted to sound at her most confident and cheerful. "The negative coverage… they're making it up, they don't know anything. I know that. Those who matter know that."
Blake kissed her cheek. "She's doing better with it than I am, Mom."
"That's hardly surprising, you must want to have a… word… with those talentless hacks who think they're reporters. And of course we all know they're lying."
"Exactly what Kali said, I think we all want that." Tai lifted his hands into view and punched his fists together, in much the same way as Yang sometimes did.
"While I do generally prefer to follow a diplomatic path, I make exceptions." Ghira growled and tore his shirt off, claws out, teeth bared. "Let me at them!"
"I'm sure Qrow and Raven will want in…" Tai said. "I'll call him, he has her number."
"No," Yang said. She struggled to sound firm enough in her relief that they seemed to have no concerns about the origins of the Bumblebaby. "Thank you, I appreciate the show of support, but it won't help if they come under attack from people linked to me. Besides, my lawyer - thanks Kali and Ghira, for funding him - is handling it. You did see that, right?"
Kali nodded. "We did, Mr Black is doing very well indeed. He's living up to his recommendation from our usual lawyers." She put a hand on Ghira's shoulder and pushed until he sat down. "Much as I want to introduce those excuses for reporters to my tea tray, we have to respect Yang's wishes."
Ghira nodded. His claws sheathed.
Tai sagged. "True. I just wish I could help. You two are at least paying for Yang's attack lawyer, and I'm grateful for that. But what can I do? Nothing."
"You help in other ways, Dad. Like garden advice."
Tai slapped his forehead. "That reminds me, I found out what that plant is. You know, the one you asked about yesterday? It's technically a weed, but it's also rare, I have no idea how it got in your garden. There might be a botanical garden interested in it, so worth keeping it alive until I hear back." He held up an admonitory finger, much like he sometimes did in the classroom at Signal. Having her dad as a teacher hadn't been ideal, but there hadn't been enough teachers at the combat school to avoid it. "You've got to make sure to get it all out, or it will take over your garden so much it'll kill everything, including itself eventually. That's why it's rare."
"What's it called?" Kali asked.
"And what's it look like?" Ghira added.
"I'll send the pic to you," Tai said. "It's called Cuckoo's Bind in Vale, but it might be called something else in Menagerie if it found its way there."
"Thanks, Tai," Kali said. Her eyes moved, probably switching from looking at Tai to Yang or Blake. "Have you decided on what car to get? We're happy to help with the purchase, of course."
"You need a car?" Tai asked, his tone a little wounded, probably because this was the first he'd heard about it. For good reason… Yang started a mental countdown. Sure enough, Tai brightened before five seconds had passed. "You could have my old car!"
Yang took a second to try to find a balance between tact and being firm. "Thanks, Dad, but no thanks. I need something a lot less likely to break down."
"You're good at fixing things, enjoy it, even! Come on, Yang, you know you'll have fun—"
"Tai," Blake interrupted, tone gentle, a hand wrapping around Yang's clenched fist off screen. "That's very true, and it's kind of you to offer, but we can't risk being late to appointments, or to hospital when Yang's in labour." Bless her, speaking up before Yang could do something she'd regret, like snapping at her dad when he was only trying to help.
"Oh. I guess." Tai sighed. "Maybe I could contribute something towards buying a car for you…"
"We can afford to get a car without any help," Yang said. She managed to sound mostly civil, by some minor miracle. "Kali, Ghira, you're already doing more than enough for us, and I don't want you to worry about it, Dad. We're doing fine. For now we've just been hiring a car, there's plenty of time to get one before I risk making an expensive mess. Cleaning fees are ridiculously high…"
"If you insist," Tai said. Despite his words he tried to give her puppy eyes.
Yang cut his video, at least hosting the call gave her the power to do that. "Dad."
"What? I said if you insist!"
Yang pointed at the camera, glowering. At least the Belladonnas knew it wasn't aimed at them. "You know what you did, and that lost you video privileges."
"Huh…" Tai sniffled. "You're really going to be a mother, you sounded just like Summer telling you no more TV. It just hit me with that tone of voice and your words." His voice was thick, and he sounded torn between tears and pride.
Tears welled up in Yang's eyes at the mention of Summer. She couldn't really remember her super mom banning her from watching TV, but Yang knew it had happened.
Blake squeezed her hand. If she'd put an arm around Yang it would have guaranteed the tears spilling over. Yang blinked them away; she didn't want to cry while their parents were watching. It would only worry them.
"Speaking of being a mother, we were wondering if you'd thought about the baby's room yet," Ghira said.
"Uh. Not really? We don't need it for months yet." Yang rubbed the back of her head, unable to resist the urge to look away.
"Yang, dear, if you intend to do anything such as decorating or helping to move furniture, you'd be better off doing it before you get any bigger," Kali said.
Yang exchanged a sheepish look with Blake. That really should have occurred to them. "Good point."
"We'd like to help, even if it's just with the decorating," Ghira said.
"Yeah! That'd be far quicker if we all pitched in." Tai clapped his hands. Or at least it sounded like he had. Maybe Yang should return his video privileges… but knowing him, he'd just abuse them with more puppy eyes.
"We might get paint on each other if there's too many of us," Blake pointed out.
"It shouldn't be too bad, so long as Qrow isn't there." Tai chuckled. "Funny story there, for another time. Anyway, if you ask Ruby, she could do it all with Petal Burst before the rest of us even pick up brushes, so probably best not to ask her."
"Not to?" Yang asked, baffled. If it'd get the job over and done with, why not ask Ruby to do it? She'd be happy to do something for the Bumblebaby, although knowing Ruby she might paint that preferred term for her nibling on the door. Oh well, small price for getting a room decorated within a minute or so at most.
"Apart from getting rose petals stuck in the paint?" Tai tutted. "Decorating a baby's room is a family bonding exercise. All of team STRQ did yours, my sunny little dragon."
The Belladonnas cooed at the nickname. Yang sighed. Technically she was a Belladonna too now, but she meant Blake's parents. At least Blake didn't delight in her mortification…
"That just means we ask Ruby not to use her Semblance, not leave her out entirely," Blake said.
Yang kissed her cheek. "Agreed."
"True. Also, come to think of it, you should invite Raven to join the decorating party," Tai said.
Yang frowned. "Are you sure? That'd mean being in close proximity to her, the room we'll be using for the baby isn't large enough to avoid her if all the family except Qrow is there."
Yang noticed the Belladonnas exchange a puzzled glance. She'd have to explain to them about Qrow's Misfortune at some point.
"I'm sure. She should be there, she's one of the grandparents." Tai cleared his throat. "Anyway, got things to be getting on with. Flowers to water, weeding to do, homework to mark… Let me know when you want help with decorating the baby's room. Love you, bye!" Tai hung up, his screen going dark, apart from the word 'disconnected!'
"Bye Dad," Yang murmured belatedly. "Love you too."
"We should be going too, but we'll see you soon for that dinner!" Kali blew them a kiss.
"Love you both," Ghira said, ending the call.
Blake sighed. "Love you too." She turned to Yang. "Both sets of parents hanging up before we could say it back."
Yang put her scroll away and hugged her wife. "Happens. They're busy."
"…At least it means we can get busy," Blake said, lips curling with a sultry smile. "I've held that thought of mine more than long enough. Bedroom. Now."
"Ask nicely," Yang said, voice dropping into the bedroom tones Blake apparently liked so much.
"Please."
Yang gave in. She couldn't resist Blake's own bedroom voice, or those golden eyes, burning with need.
The trashy news channel issued a grovelling retraction as soon as they could, and fired the reporter responsible for the hit piece, stripping her of her anonymity. Not that Yang cared to know her name - let her rot in obscurity.
It didn't stop Mercury from suing the news channel and the former reporter, he didn't consider taking back their words nearly enough punishment. Besides, Yang knew he wouldn't be satisfied until he'd earned a healthy cut of compensation when the case eventually came before a judge. She was inclined to let Mercury pursue his payday if it meant news channels would be more diligent about their reporting, if only to make sure they weren't liable for slander.
Yang and Blake saw the Belladonnas a few times over the next couple of weeks. Occasional meals out, but visits too. The latter did impact their sex lives a bit, but it didn't stop them from doing it quietly. Come to think of it, the same could probably be said for Kali and Ghira.
Yang groaned. She'd rather not think about that; they were like parents to her too. The thought of them having a sex life was about as gross as the thought of Tai and Raven doing it to have her. Yes, she hoped the Belladonnas enjoyed one, and that she and Blake still would at their age, but the less she knew about it the better.
"Do you need a massage?" Blake asked.
"Huh? I mean, always welcome, but I'm not too sore."
Blake raised an eyebrow. "You groaned."
Yang didn't lie to Blake if she could help it, but she wasn't about to inflict that mental imagery on her if she could help it. "Just a stray thought. Not one worth sharing."
Blake stepped closer to stroke Yang's cheek. "You can share anything with me."
"I know. That doesn't mean I should." Yang cursed herself. She could see where this was going: exactly where she'd been trying to avoid. All because she hadn't slept well enough and her mind felt fuzzy.
"I can take it, whatever it is. Tell me."
"Bla-ake, you don't wanna know." Yang winced; that had come out as a whine. "Trust me."
"I do, but you can trust me too."
Damn it, there was no way she could resist that tone of voice, or those warm golden eyes.
"Ugh, don't say I didn't warn you… Our parents are coming over, to help decorate what'll be the Bumblebaby's room." Yang heaved a sigh, reluctant to go on.
"Yes? Have you changed your mind about accepting their help? It's a bit short notice, but I'm sure they'd understand."
"No, it's… It crossed my mind that we'd have to be quiet in the bedroom again, but, ugh. I didn't want to think it, it just happened! That they might do the same thing. Sorry."
"Oh, they do. Sometimes ears like mine are a curse." Blake's cat ears twitched. "There's a reason I wanted your hands in my hair while I ate you out last time we were under the same roof as my parents."
"Ah. That's why you didn't want me to avoid your cat ears."
"Best way to distract me from what I was hearing. Just too bad you had to be quiet, I love getting you to—"
"Wait, you mean they could hear me?!" Yang felt her cheeks burn, the heat spreading to the tips of her ears and down to her breasts. Maybe the floor would have mercy and swallow her.
"My mom? Maybe. My dad? Probably not. No sensitive cat ears for him."
Yang collapsed into Blake's arms and buried her face against her, the next best thing with the floor unmerciful as ever. "I'm never going to be able to look Kali in the eyes again."
Blake stroked her hair. "There, there, it's a fact of life for most faunus with ear traits. Trying to be quiet is respectful, and we do that whenever my mother visits, if we're even in the mood. So do they. Besides, just because I could hear them a bit doesn't mean they could hear you."
Yang raised her head enough to look Blake in the eyes. "Really?"
"Maybe. Anyway, knowing Mom she's happier knowing we're… happy… together."
Yang groaned and buried her face against Blake again. "Stop, please."
"…Your Dad doesn't talk to you about sex, does he?"
"Not besides giving me The Talk, and that was excruciating for both of us." Yang shuddered. "He didn't want to leave it up to Qrow though."
"I dread to think what sort of tall stories Qrow would have left you with, so I think it's safe to say your dad did his duty there. Anyway, Mom's always made sure I could talk to her about it, and anything and everything else." Blake sighed. "Up until we fell out over Adam."
Yang hugged her tight. "You started talking to her again after Beacon fell and you went back to them. Adam didn't ruin things between you forever."
Blake nodded against her. "He didn't. That's the important thing."
"So… Uh. Do you talk to her about… us?"
Blake laughed softly. "You're one of her favourite topics of conversation. But no, I don't give her details about our sex life. We talk in more general terms about that sort of thing - it's not like I want specifics about her and my dad." It was Blake's turn to shudder. "I'm glad they enjoy a healthy sex life, but I don't want details, and I definitely need distracting whenever I overhear anything."
"That's what I'm there for." Yang pulled back enough to kiss her.
"My favourite distraction," Blake purred. "You're far more than that, of course."
"I know. I cook for you too."
"Now that's true love." Blake kissed the tip of her nose.
Yang grinned. "Dad always says the way to win someone's heart is through their stomach."
"Speaking of your dad, have you heard when he'll arrive?"
Yang shook her head. "Not yet. He doesn't always remember to charge his scroll."
As if summoned by mentioning him, her scroll buzzed with a message from Tai.
"Oh. He can't come." Yang tried to bury the sadness before it could overwhelm her. She'd wanted him there, and now he couldn't be. What was new? No, that wasn't fair. She understood, really. Yang just wished it didn't remind her of Tai shutting down all those years ago. "He's very sorry about letting us down, and at such short notice. Something came up."
"That's a pity. Knowing Tai, he's beating himself up about it."
"Yeah. I'll let him know we understand, and that I'll keep him posted about how it goes. That way he might not feel too left out." Yang typed out a message saying just that. She paused before sending it. Would it just rub it in that he wasn't there?
Blake's scroll vibrated. "My parents are on their way. Should I let them know Tai won't be there?"
"No, I'll tell them myself when they get here." Yang pushed the doubt aside and sent the message to Tai. "They might be disappointed in him, and I can head that off better in person."
Blake gave her a knowing look. "You're disappointed too."
Yang groaned. Sometimes Blake knew her too well. "Yes, but it's not his fault. Sometimes bad things just happen, and this isn't even that bad. Really, I'm fine. I have to be."
"You're right. Sorry, this isn't helping." Blake hugged her tightly. "I wish…" She sighed. "Not that wishing things were otherwise helps either."
"Better to focus on what we can do, and today that's decorate the Bumblebaby's room."
Blake nodded and released her. "Do we have everything we need? Enough brushes, plenty of paint in the colours we picked, anything else?"
"I think so? Maybe we'd better check."
They ended up making a last minute outing to the hardware store to get a few more brushes and some spare tins of paint. At least they got back home before the Belladonnas arrived.
"Where's Tai? I thought he'd be here already." Ghira looked around, as if expecting Tai to be hiding behind something.
"It doesn't follow that he'd arrive first, dear," Kali said.
Blake cursed under her breath. Of all the times for Yang to need to pee… But of course that wasn't helped by the Bumblebaby increasingly pressing on her bladder. Oh well, she'd just have to do her best in Yang's place. She cleared her throat. "Tai sends his regrets."
Her parents exchanged a look, frowning. A muscle in Ghira's cheek twitched. Oh dear, that definitely wasn't a suppressed smile…
"He's not coming?" Kali asked, cat ears angling back in clear displeasure.
"No, something came up at short notice. I'm sure it was important." Damn it, it was hard to sound persuasive when all Blake could think of was Yang's eyes after she'd read the message from Tai, sadness enough to tinge them grey.
Yang finally emerged from their room. Blake had vaguely heard the flush, come to think of it, muffled by two closed doors.
"Sorry, nature called. Hello! Did Blake offer you a drink yet? Uh… Is something wrong?" Yang's eyes flicked between them all, registering their expressions, and probably the tension in the room.
Kali and Ghira walked over to hug her.
"We're sorry Tai couldn't come," Kali said.
"Especially after what he said about family bonding," Ghira grumbled.
"It's disappointing for us, but it must be so much worse for you, Yang, dear."
Yang hugged them back, before wriggling out of their grip. She rubbed the back of her head, throwing a glance at Blake. At least it wasn't a glare. "Blake told you."
"She needed to say something, we'd noticed his absence," Ghira said.
Yang shrugged. "He's a busy guy. Besides his work as a teacher at Signal, he's on call as a huntsman. I'm sure he'd be here if he could be. It's not like he's avoiding us."
Ghira and Kali exchanged another look, definitely still unhappy.
"Should we wait for another day when he can join us?" Ghira asked.
"No, it needs doing, and delaying things leads to more delays," Kali said, voice flat. "Is Raven coming?"
"Oh, right. I was supposed to let her know when you'd arrived." Yang got her scroll out and typed a quick message.
The swirling shadows of Raven's portal appeared, and she stepped through, sword already sheathed. It closed behind her. She looked around, eyes flicking from person to person, face like stone. Blake was no expert at reading Raven, but she thought that might be disappointment in her eyes.
Raven frowned. "Where's Tai? I can understand Qrow not being here after the disaster when painting your room before you were born, but—"
"He couldn't come," Yang said.
"Because I'm here?" Raven folded her arms. "Should I fetch him? He should be here, and if he'd rather not be around me, I could leave after getting him."
"No," Yang said, voice firm. "I believe he really is busy. He's the one who suggested you be here in the first place, because it's a family activity, and that all grandparents should take part."
Raven let it go with a sigh. "Do you want your sister and her Schnee here?"
"Yes, but they're on a mission, and rearranging this for when they aren't... You know how it is. Sometimes there's an emergency, and huntresses have to go when and where they're needed."
"One of the reasons why I gave up being a huntress for most of my career," Raven muttered. "And while I understand, some things are more important than that. My grandchild and preparing for him or her or them, if you're carrying more than one… Nothing is more important. I know what you must think of me saying that, with my history, but I know what's important: your child has to come first."
Yang flinched. Blake put a supportive arm around her. The thought of more than one baby was still quite frankly terrifying for her too. Yang would be due for another scan next week. Maybe that would finally settle the question of how many Bumblebabies she was carrying…
"Don't you dare imply Dad or Ruby and Weiss wouldn't drop everything for this baby if it was necessary." Yang laid a hand on her bump. The Bumblebaby was increasingly active, and probably kicking.
Blake had to resist trying to feel it herself. She hadn't felt the movement from the outside yet, and didn't want the first time to be with anyone else around. Especially when she still wanted the intimacy of sensing it within Yang using her Aura. Definitely not the right time for that.
Raven held up her hands in surrender. "I'm sure they would. Perhaps I should be out there in their place. I am the Spring Maiden, and you've told me years ago that should come with responsibility to use the power for good."
"That was before I knew it hurts you. Have you seen a doctor about it yet?" Yang crossed her arms, propped above her belly.
"It didn't always." Raven looked away. "I'm fine."
Yang tensed against Blake. "Mom! Part of being there for your grandchild the way you promised is making sure you're healthy."
Blake glanced at her parents. They were looking between Yang and Raven, expressions torn between uncomfortable and fascinated. She couldn't blame them for the latter, not when they hadn't seen much of Raven. Mother and daughter also had some uncanny similarities, including facial structure, made stranger by the way Raven was a dark reflection in both hair and most of her personality.
Raven heaved a sigh, folding her arms tightly. "If you insist."
"I do. I'll drag you to see a doctor if I have to."
"Just like Summer," Raven muttered, fortunately too quietly for Yang to hear judging by the lack of tears at the mention. She raised her voice with her next words: "Can we get on with the decorating, or are you going to insist I go right now?"
"Promise you'll go within the week."
Raven rolled her eyes, but drew her sword to cut her palm. "I promise to see a doctor."
Yang's eyes narrowed. "For?"
"Ugh… For the headaches and nosebleeds when using my Maiden powers. Happy?" Raven sheathed her sword and wiped away the blood, the cut already healed.
"I will be if there's no cause for concern." Yang pointed across the room to their painting supplies. "Pick a brush, and let's get started." She tied her hair back. Blake hoped Yang wouldn't get a tension headache from doing so; she was prone to them at the moment.
With five of them they made short work of the decorating. Ghira sat on a stool to avoid getting too much paint on his hair; it'd brush the ceiling otherwise, a bad idea with wet paint. Especially pale paint on dark hair.
"Definitely just as well that brother of mine isn't here," Raven muttered, inspecting accidental specks of paint on her hand.
"How bad was it?" Yang asked.
"With Qrow? More paint on us than on the walls. Summer and I, we weren't best pleased to have temporarily white hair."
"Was that really his fault?" Kali asked.
"His Semblance is bad luck, Mom," Blake explained, sparing Yang from having to find her voice, tears in her eyes at the mention of Summer.
"The poor fellow," Ghira murmured.
Yang cleared her throat. Her voice was still a little thick when she spoke. "It's handiest when he's fighting alone, as it tends to affect his enemies more than him. But he worked for years as part of the best team of huntsmen and huntresses from his time at Beacon, so it's not insurmountable."
"Our tribe blamed him for everything that went wrong," Raven admitted. "It's why he's named after the poster bird of bad omens. I got my own name by association as his twin, that and my hair fit the colour."
"…Did you have different names before he discovered his Semblance?" Yang asked.
"No. Qrow was born with Misfortune. 'Born unlucky,' haven't you heard him say that?"
"Oh." Yang winced. "But how'd he unlock his Aura in the womb?"
"It can happen. In his case it might be my fault. When I make bonds it unlocks Aura if it hasn't already been."
"So that's why I can't remember my Aura being unlocked. You did it to me when I was a baby."
Blake made a mental note to make sure Yang sat down soon. She sounded exhausted, and shifted like her feet especially were paining her; Aura could only do so much to soothe the bodily changes wrought by pregnancy.
"Yes. And doing that saved your life years later when I felt you were in danger through Kindred Link." Raven glanced at Blake's parents. "That's what I call my Semblance. Speaking of, it's time I was going, presuming we're finished here."
Blake tentatively touched the nearest wall. "The paint needs time to dry before we see if another coat is needed. We'll let you know, if you want to do more."
"It's a grandmotherly duty, so yes. What about furniture, clothing, toys?" Raven frowned at the bare room.
"No point getting them before the painting is done, and chances are certain people will insist we have a baby shower." Blake gave her mother a sidelong look. Kali tried and failed to look innocent.
"A baby what?" Raven stared. Blake wasn't surprised that bandits apparently didn't have them.
"A baby shower," Kali said. "Where friends and family give the parents of the unborn baby practical gifts, to help them prepare for the birth."
"When did they start being a thing?" Raven asked.
"Certainly before Blake was born, and she's a few months older than Yang," Ghira said.
"Huh. Summer must've thought I'd think them a waste of time. More fool her, I'd have loved free stuff." Raven shot a guilty look at Yang, as if suddenly realising she might be upsetting her daughter.
Yang turned away, swiping at her eyes.
"Sorry. I'd better be going." Raven all but fled, disappearing in the swirling shadows of her portal.
Blake pulled Yang into her arms.
"I'm fine," Yang sniffled. "Stupid hormones."
"May we?" Kali asked, stepping closer, arms open.
"Sure. Hugs are always good." Yang extricated an arm to hold it out to Blake's parents.
Blake smiled, feeling her mother sandwiching Yang between them, and her father wrapping his long strong arms around them all.
"Oh dear," Ghira muttered. "I'm still holding my paintbrush."
"Please tell me it's not in my hair," Yang said, voice tight.
"Um. I can't see." His arms were rigid, like he didn't dare move.
Blake shifted her head to look. Oh. Oh no. Her upper ears flattened against her scalp. Still damp paint on a brush in what had been golden blonde hair. Currently pale blue.
"Ghira, my love, I think you'd better start running," Kali said.
AN: I'm sure Ghira will be fine. Probably.
Coming up next: the baby shower. Really. It can't possibly be delayed by another chapter. Famous last words…
Comments much appreciated, it helps me keep writing.