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“Bottoms up,” Jaune muttered, as he placed a tray with five tankards on the table. He took one for himself, and then flopped down on a chair.
“Is this alcohol?” Ruby asked, as she held up the tankard, carefully inspecting its contents. Across from her, Yang lifted the tankard up and sniffed it. Deeming it acceptable, she took a small sip.
“It’s not bad,” Yang said, and she picked up another and brought it over to Blake, who was still sitting beside the fire. She hesitated before accepting.
“I’m not sure this is my kind of thing,” Weiss said, studying the tankard, “but I’ll try a sip.”
- An hour later -
“That’s pretty impressive, Yang,” Jaune reached across the table to clap Yang on the shoulder. “Holding off a jabberwalker moments after you got here – and missing an arm, too!”
Blake wasn’t sure how long they had all been sitting at the small table. It was kind of cramped. Ruby and Weiss had their own seats, Jaune was currently sitting on top of a box because there weren’t enough seats, and Blake found herself sharing a seat with Yang and practically sitting on her lap.
An easy grin spread across Yang’s face as she reached over Blake, placing her tankard on the table, “I could have taken it, but it ran off.”
“The first time I came up against that thing I did not do so well,” Jaune rolled up his sleeve to reveal a scar on his forearm that definitely resembled-
“It bit you?!” Weiss exclaimed, horrified. Beside her, Ruby’s eyes were wide open. Blake grabbed hold of Yang’s arm, instinctively, as if trying to protect it. Yang smiled at her, pressing a soft, silent kiss into Blake’s shoulder blade, which was pretty much level with Yang’s face at this point because of how they were sitting.
“It looks worse than it was,” Jaune shrugged, tugging his sleeve back down. They were all a couple of drinks in – and Jaune was slowly beginning to sound more like himself. “I have some pretty impressive war wounds now, huh?”
“Still not as impressive as this,” Yang detaches her arm and waves it around. She offers it to Jaune for a high five which he accepts. “Finally! Someone did it!”
“Blake, please tell your girlfriend to stop doing that,” Weiss groans, taking another sip of her drink.
Blake felt her face flush. Girlfriend. They hadn’t talked about that yet. She offered Weiss a sympathetic smile and took a small sip of the tankard in her hand in lieu of formulating a response. She grimaced at the taste.
“If we’re all exchanging stories of battle and scars,” Ruby said, the alcohol having turned her face the same colour as her name, even though she was barely halfway through it, “I have the most impressive scar of all time-”
“Are you about to show everyone the scar on your knee again?” Yang raised an eyebrow, but her tone was playful. Still, Blake elbowed her. It wasn’t as if their leader had been very talkative lately and Blake didn’t want to risk discouraging her.
“It’s a pretty bad scar,” Blake said, in Ruby’s defence. The younger girl gave her a small smile in thanks for the recognition. Suddenly, she clapped her hands in excitement.
“Oh! I have another! I haven’t told you about this one on my pinky-”
“You were standing up on a swing and”-
“Hey! You don’t count! We grew up together!” Ruby interrupted, pointing her tankard accusingly at her sister. Yang grinned and held up her hands in mock defeat. “As I was saying – I was standing up on the swing and I was going so high, and I somehow managed to cut it on the chain. And Uncle Qrow told me later that I was lucky I didn’t lose it”-
“That’s not true at all,” Yang exploded into laugher, “There was no way you ever going to lose your pinky!”
“At this point I think we know every scar that each other has,” Weiss interrupted, taking a small sip of her drink. She looked like she was enjoying the beverage just as much as Blake was - but it wasn't like they had many other choices of beverages in this place. “Physically or otherwise.”
“I have a scar on my leg from when I broke it two places,” Yang said, proudly. “The bone was sticking out and everything.”
“That’s…disgusting,” Weiss frowned.
“I didn’t need that image,” Jaune shook his head. “Blake? Weiss? Any childhood injuries you want to share?”
Blake decided it was better to direct the attention to Weiss than to herself, so she turned to look at her, “Did you ever run around and break some kind of fancy ornament in the process?”
“Are you joking?” Weiss scoffed, “I was barely allowed to tiptoe never mind run. I do have a lot of burn marks on my hands from styling hair styling, though. There’s definitely got to be some behind my ear, too.”
Ruby pushed herself off the table and swung back on her chair, “Huh, I never noticed that.”
“But Weiss, as an heiress, I always thought your hair had to be naturally perfect at all times,” Yang gasped, in mock surprise. “You don’t mean…it’s all a lie?”
“Hey!” Weiss crossed her arms, but she was grinning, “I keep your secrets, don’t I?”
Blake peered into her tankard. She considered taking another sip, even if only because she was thirsty. But whatever it was – it was strong and Blake’s past experiences with drinking alcohol were…not pleasant. She hated the feeling that it gave her. She hated how disorientated and groggy it made her feel.
“I’ve always wanted to ask you about this one,” Yang interrupted her thoughts. Blake felt the coolness of Yang’s prosthetic fingers running lightly over a scar that was on her bicep. Blake stilled; unsure of how Yang knew of its presence when she had always ensured to keep it covered up-
“It’s nothing,” Blake said, quickly, “A bullet grazed me one time-”
“A bullet?” Jaune exclaimed, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.
“You didn’t tell us you were shot!” Ruby exclaimed.
“We’ve all been shot at here,” Weiss mused, “Multiple times, actually, but I didn’t think any of us have ever been shot before, have we? I mean stabbed, sure. It’s basically a rite of passage on this team”-
“When were you shot?” Yang frowned, cutting off Weiss’ ramble. “Was it before we met?”
Blake hesitated, but she knew she had to speak fast so that her teammates didn’t put the pieces together. There hadn’t been a scar there when they met, so she desperately needed to stop them from working out the truth-
“Um,” Blake faltered, “I don’t remember. It was ages ago. And really, it wasn’t a big deal…”
Blake could feel Yang staring at her, but she was afraid to see the expression of betrayal on Yang’s face at the blatant lie. She shut her eyes; trying to calm the panic that was building inside her and threatening to spill out.
“Blake,” Weiss’ tone was firm but gentle, “On behalf of your girlfriend, please tell us everything so we can add tracking down and murdering the person responsible for shooting you onto our list of things to do when we get back.”
Blake shook her head, struggling to hide how fast she was breathing.
“We…kind of…did that already,” Blake said, hesitantly. She knew the moment her team realised who she meant -
“Him? He shot you?”
“When?!”
“Why are we only hearing about this now?”
Blake winced at the questions. She finally allowed herself to look at Yang and was surprised to find that Yang’s face wasn’t full of anger, as she had been expecting. Instead, Blake couldn’t find anything but concern. Yang studied her for a moment – taking in the panicked expression on Blake’s face, her quickened breathing, and the way her hands were starting to shake.
“Okay,” Yang declared, evidently making a fast decision. She moved her arms so that one was across Blake’s back and the other at her knees, “Hey, Blake? We’re gonna stand up now so we can go talk about this somewhere else, okay?”
Blake nodded, wordlessly. She got to her feet, wobbling slightly as she took a step forward – Jaune responded by throwing an arm out, in attempt to break her fall. Satisfied that she wasn’t about to fall over, Jaune reached up to take the tankard from her.
“We’ll be back,” She heard Yang tell the group, as she placed her own drink down on the table. Yang stood behind her, a hand protectively placed on Blake’s back as she guided her forward, “Let’s go get some air, okay?”
--
Blake crumpled to the ground as soon as they had made it outside, breathing hard.
“Hey,” Yang fell beside her in an instant, “Blake, just breathe with me, okay?”
Yang shuffled around on the dirt, so that she was in front of her. She cupped Blake’s face, tilting her chin slightly so that she was looking at Yang’s face.
“Watch me, okay?” Yang soothed, “Breathe with me.”
Blake tried to copy as Yang breathed in, but she let it go too quickly. She felt Yang rub her arm, the coolness of the metal tingled against her skin. Blake breathed in again and held it this time for a few seconds breathing out. Blake shut her eyes, so she could concentrate better on her breathing. She took another deep breath, shuffling forward slightly so she could bump their foreheads together.
“Good,” Yang whispered, “You’re okay. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
They stayed together even after Blake’s breathing had slowed down. Blake tried to swallow down another wave of panic as she realised that Yang would be expecting her to explain herself soon, but the blonde girl had shut her eyes, too, and showed no signs of moving until Blake was ready.
“Yang?” Blake sniffed, and Yang opened her eyes to meet hers.
“Blake, I’m so sorry,” Yang reached up immediately to cup her cheek. “If I knew - I would never have brought that up in front of everyone-”
“What?” Blake frowned, “Why – why are you sorry? Yang, I kept something from you and that’s not okay - you should be angry -”
“Blake,” Yang said, patiently, “Why on earth would I be angry at you for something that someone else did to you?”
“I kept it from you,” Blake looked down, “I lied to you.”
“I’m not going to be angry at you for something like this.”
“You don’t even know what happened,” Blake whispered. “How can you know?”
“So, tell me,” Yang said, “I promise you, I won’t be angry.”
--
The rain bounced from the rooftops. Blake nearly lost her footing as she landed, but she couldn’t slow down or stop. She knew they weren’t far behind her.
She spotted them back at the hospital. With no signs of Ruby or Yang waking up any time soon, she had gone outside to get some air. She needed a break from the smell, the beeping of the machine and the expression of Weiss’ face – a combination of grief and sympathy that Blake didn’t deserve. The streetlight didn’t reach the bushes just outside of Valcuo General Hospital – but Blake knew they were there. Watching her. Waiting.
It was obvious who had sent these two goons after her, even if they didn’t wear the brandished White Fang uniform. She was suddenly terrified; but not for herself. But for the rest of her team and friends who were inside. If the White Fang knew that she was here – were more on their way? Was he on his way?
I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love. Starting with her.
She ran.
She wasn’t as fast as she normally would have been - her aura wasn’t back yet and the wound on her stomach only recently stitched together. But still, it wasn’t like she had a choice.
Blake glanced over her shoulder. She couldn’t see them anymore, but that didn’t mean she’d lost them.
A gunshot rang out and Blake moved just in time. The bullet whirled past her ear. She had to weigh her options and quickly. Should she keep running, or try to fight?
It wasn’t like she could take them right now. Not like this. Not without her aura. Not without her partner. But it wasn’t like she could run for much longer. She dove behind an airduct, trying to buy time that she knew was running out.
A ringtone sounded out and Blake felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket.
Shit.
Blake scrambled to silence it quickly. She hesitated when she saw who was calling her. Weiss. It would be so easy to answer; to tell Weiss where she was and ask for her help.
“Here, kitty, kitty!”
Blake’s stomach crawled as a voice called out to her. She couldn’t lead Weiss here. Not to the White Fang - she could only imagine what they would do to the Schnee Dust Company.
Footsteps approached. Blake reached behind her and pulled out Gambol Shroud.
She couldn’t outrun them. So, she would just have to be smarter than them. She took a deep breath before she launched herself out from behind the airduct.
She was face to face with one of them. Before the surprise could register on his face, Blake slammed her elbow into his face. Taking advantage of his shock, she grabbed him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Tight. Cutting off his oxygen. She pulled him down to the ground.
Just like he had shown her. Back when their missions had been about stealth. When the worst they’d ever do was knock someone out. She held on tight, until she felt his body go limp.
“You bitch!” The voice spat from behind her, and Blake scrambled to her feet. She turned to face the other White Fang member, stumbling over the unconscious form of the other.
She pointed Gambol Shroud at her attacker, shooting out a few dust bullets in the hopes of getting him before he could get her. She crashed to the ground as a searing pain ran across the top of her arm. Gambol Shroud fell out of her grip.
She knew that she had been shot.
Shit.
She pushed herself back with her uninjured arm and kicked out her legs. Fortunately, she had also managed to strike and injure her assailant. He groaned as he staggered back, winded from the dust bullet that had struck his chest.
Suddenly fuelled with the idea that maybe she would survive this encounter after all, Blake sprang to her feet, grabbing Gambol Shroud. She pointed it at her attacker.
“I’m going to leave,” Blake told him, firmly, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “You’re not going to follow me.”
“What makes you so sure?” The man huffed out a laugh, “You look like you’re about to pass out any minute now.”
Blake lowered Gambol Shroud, pointed it at his knee and fired. He howled in pain.
“You fucking bitch!” He roared.
“If you follow me,” Blake said, unable to hide the wobble in her voice this time, “It won’t be your knee next time. Leave me alone.”
Satisfied that, at the very least, she had bought herself a head start, Blake fled. She didn’t stop running until the building was long behind her. She stuck to the ground this time, as she knew it was unlikely that the White Fang members would be getting off the rooftop any time soon and she didn’t want them to see which direction she went.
Blake only stopped to rest when it was no longer possible for her to run any longer. With the adrenaline wearing off, she was acutely aware of the lingering pain in her lower abdomen as well as the fresh blood trickling down her arm. Her legs threatened to buck beneath her, but she managed to keep herself upright.
What the hell was she going to do now?
Not for the first time, Blake wondered what was wrong with her. It wasn’t just bad luck; it was as if she were contagious; as if she poisoned everyone and everything around her. Everyone she got close to, everybody she loved – either they became a monster, too, or they were hurt. It was all her fault.
At least the White Fang had followed her in the first place. It meant their orders were for her only; not for that of her team. Still – she couldn’t go back. Adam would just send more White Fang to track her down. There was no way she was going to lead the White Fang back to her friends. Never again.
No one would ever get hurt again because of her.
--
“I should have stabbed him a second time,” Yang muttered once Blake had finished. “Maybe even a third.”
“You don’t mean that,” Blake whispered, but Yang gave her a look that said otherwise, “It wasn’t like he was the one to pull the trigger, anyway.”
“Ask me again if I’m angry,” Yang changed the subject.
Blake snuck a quick look at Yang’s face, but her expression was blank. Blake tried to swallow down her nerves.
“Are you angry?” Blake asked, hating how small she sounded.
“Yes,” Yang admitted, but she hurriedly continued before Blake could jump to any conclusions, “I am angry – but not at you.”
Blake’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She had kept this from Yang – and the rest of their teammates. When they had asked Blake to share what she had been up and how she got to Haven – she had kept something from them. She hadn’t told them the full story.
“Just so we’re clear,” Yang said, firmly, “There is nothing that I don’t want to know about you, Blake…except the things that you aren’t ready for me to know. You don’t have to tell me everything, okay? It’s not a requirement. I want to know everything, sure – but only when you’re ready. And not sharing something that you clearly weren’t ready to talk about isn’t the same thing as lying, okay?”
The words went against everything that Blake knew about being in a relationship with someone. Yang wasn’t pushing for more. She wasn’t filing away information to use against her later. She wasn’t insulted by Blake’s omission; nor was she twisting it into something it wasn’t. Yang spoke with such confidence that Blake knew that she meant what she was saying. She wasn’t the kind of person to say things she didn’t mean.
“That night at Beacon,” Yang continued, “Was a whole thing, right? For both of us. What you went through after that…was a whole other thing. A whole other nightmare…So, I’m not mad that you weren’t ready to talk about it.”
Oh.
It wasn’t as if Blake was the only one going through a nightmare, but Blake could see the cogs still turning in Yang’s brain as she thought over her words carefully, what she wanted to say next. So, she waited.
“I’m not mad,” Yang repeated, “But I’m disappointed that I didn’t know about it until now because I wasn’t able to support you. I thought I understood why you ran. I figured that you had decided that this,” Yang gestured to her arm, “was your fault – which it wasn’t, by the way. It didn’t occur to me that he would send the White Fang after you.”
“You weren’t wrong about the other reasons,” Blake admitted, “All of those feelings combined with the fact that he was following me was why I left.”
Yang reached over to squeeze her hand, “If I had known…I would never have been as hard on you as I was when you came back. You must have known that, right?” Yang said, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. “I’m not blaming you. I think I understand why you didn’t tell me. I just want you know that…the option was there.”
“I think that’s partly why I didn’t,” Blake looked down at their joined hands, “I felt like…I deserved it. And I thought that…if you hated me, you wouldn’t try to find me. You wouldn’t get hurt.”
“I didn’t hate you,” Yang said, stroking her thumb across Blake’s hand, “I couldn’t hate you...And believe me, I really tried to.”
Blake huffed out a laugh, “I’m glad that you couldn’t, then.”
Yang grinned at her, evidently satisfied with herself for getting a laugh out of Blake, no matter how small. Blake offered a shy smile in return.
“So, um,” Yang coughed, “About what Weiss called us back there…”
“Oh no you don’t,” Blake said, teasingly, “You don’t get to be the first one to say I love you and the one to make it official”-
“Too slow, Miss Try-To-Keep-Up,” Yang laughed, sneaking an arm around Blake’s waist. “Will you be my girlfriend? Officially?”
“Yes,” Blake replied, almost cutting her off, reminiscent of her earlier confession, “A thousand times. Definitely. Absolutely.”
Maybe, Blake thought, as Yang pulled her in for another kiss, her bad luck had finally run out.