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[thepunshow]

 

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[thepunshow]

[ yang won't press for every painful moment in those five years. it's not her place to press for details about what blake has been through. but the almost imperceptible scripts and triggers of her partner are more than enough to fill in the broad strokes.

(how she freezes at loud noises, especially raised voices. how her ears tilt back in distress when hearing the word "darling", even in passing. how she braces herself for blows that never come and seems confused at the overabundance of love she receives rather than pain.) ]

'm glad. [ a beat as yang draws her closer and places a kiss to her temple. ] You mentioned that he changed when you were both in the White Fang. That he starting hurting people and saying it was just "accidents".

[ the memory of blake's barely hidden fear when asking yang to swear she hadn't hurt mercury on purpose serves as reminder to never be the cause of that look ever again. ]

Was that the reason why you left?

[kintsugambol]

[ blake lets out a soft hum at the kiss, leaning more into their embrace. at the question, though... she seems to consider it, before nodding. ]

... I thought he changed, [ she says that, slowly. carefully. ] but I... I was wrong about a lot of things, back then. Even after I left, I didn't see how bad it... [ she stops, taking a breath. ] He was never who I thought he was, was he?

[ it's... mostly rhetorical. less actually asking yang—because she knows less than blake does, even if she knows enough—and more seeking validation. ]

[thepunshow]

[ she huffs a quiet noise of assent. while she doesn't know much about him (and never wants to, for that matter), the brief glimpses she'd seen don't line up with the mentor and champion of justice blake once described back at beacon.

blake knows that now, as well. if she needs the validation that what she's seen and felt was real, yang will give it freely. ]

He tried convincing you otherwise, but.... No. He never was, [ she sighs. ] He just did a good job of hiding who he was from everyone.

[kintsugambol]

[ blake's quiet for a long moment, simply breathing steadily as she lets yang hold her. ]

... You know... sometimes, I was scared it might be happening again. Back at Beacon. It wasn't fair to you, but... [ after learning how her semblance works, after seeing the bursts of anger and flame, after what happened with mercury, after how yang was every bit the kind of person she had once believed him to be— ]

You proved me wrong. Every time.

[thepunshow]

[ yang had been nothing but flashing warning signs, brash and prideful and impulsive. despite all her reservations, blake chose her in the emerald forest anyway. months later, in the face of her demon, she'd saved her life by running away. and when facing him again, many months after that, she'd saved yang by standing her ground and choosing to stay.

she swallows past the sudden lump in her throat and sighs, slow and shaky, as she gathers her thoughts. ]

Well, I didn't give you the best first impression. Or second or third, if we're honest, [ yang says wryly. ] So it's understandable you were hesitant about trust back then.

But...thank you. For giving me chances to show you I'm not him.

[kintsugambol]

You're not. [ she agrees quietly, her breathing growing slow and steady. ] You're you. And that was always enough.

[thepunshow]

[ ah. yang knows what that tone of voice means. a small smile spreads across her face as she gently takes the glass of water from blake's slackening grip, leaning over just far enough to place it on the nightstand without disturbing her. ]

Same goes for you. You're enough. [ yang reaches behind herself to stack their pillows to cushion the headboard and leans against them, holding her close. ] Now get some sleep, Belladonna. [ a lingering, loving kiss to her hairline. ]

I've gotcha.

[kintsugambol]

Not the boss of me, Xiao Long. [ it's a fond and half-muffled drawl, lips curling into a slight smile against her. obviously, she has no intention of moving away from yang. ]

[thepunshow]

Oh, Brothers, [ she says with a good-natured eyeroll. ] Alright then, let me try that again. [ yang clears her throat and continues in a faux serious manner, ] Miss Blake Belladonna, valued member of team RWBY and my beloved partner, I humbly request that you rest.

...forsooth. Or something.