[ teaching or leading people has never her realm of expertise. that's always been the forte of her other teammates: ruby with her open heart and tactical mind, weiss with her keen eye for detail and surprising kindness, blake with her fiery passion and intelligence. they could see the big picture from every angle and carry out whatever plan with utmost precision.
but yang? all she's ever wanted to be is a person and Huntress her mother would be proud of. the idea that she's actively helped someone learn, that they've taken something from her to grow into someone they like....
yang may be a little misty-eyed. she may wish blake was here so she could see how much she does for others although she can't see it. ]
There's a lot of reasons they deserve to get punched But it's nice you think I'm one of them. Thanks
And you know this goes the other way around right You and Neo deserve this. Being happy and getting gay married and all that good stuff Just...I dunno, you helped me remember that giving people second chances can be worth it So you should get yours with the love of your life And if anyone tries taking that from you I'll suplex them into the ground
Yang I'm gonna start crying again You always know exactly what to say to make me remember how far I've come A year ago you never would've been saying this stuff to me and you probably would've just wanted to kick my ass and now you're my sister and I'm your sister and we're gonna be adding two new sisters-in-law to the family and I'm just
[she can't think how to continue, so she just sends it after a moment's pause.]
I love you so much Thank you for always being here for me even when I didn't think I was worth it And for showing me that I'm always worth it I can't wait to be at your wedding You're going to look so beautiful
[gods, she feels so. silly. so stupid saying it. there's dots on her end as she types out ways to soften what she just said. ways to make it hit less, ways to hide it in different layers of irony or whatever. and she stops. and deletes it all. she doesn't need to hide. she doesn't have to be someone she isn't. if she wants to call yang beautiful, then she should do it without fear.]
You don't have to thank me for any of that. Really. I would have wanted to do that anyway Thanks for letting me stick around. And for building me up when I need it I love you too
[ their family is full of broken people--downtrodden, lonely, powerless--and somehow, they've made it work. they're stronger together, and if emerald is no longer afraid to recognize and grasp happiness with her own two hands then neither is yang.
or well. yang will grasp happiness with her one hand. you know. ]
Yeah I'm going to look beautiful at my wedding but that's forever away Let's talk about YOURS which is gonna happen SOON and that you'll look EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL at Who's ring bearer going to be and why is it Zwei
....WAIT YOUR DRESS WE GET TO SHOP FOR DRESSES YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
[gods, she wants to laugh out loud, but she doesn't want to wake neo. too bad that yang is just... so incredible and funny and the excitement is infectious. almost to the point where she feels bad responding the way she does.]
Oh my gods Well like, okay, hear me out on this You know I'm not really super big on dresses, and I could like try some on if you really wanted to, but I was kind of thinking of being the one who wears the suit Neo's way better at looking pretty and being frilly and stuff, and I think I can pull off the whole classy tux look pretty well
[ no dress? no problem, no loss of enthusiasm here whatsoever! ]
Uh are you kidding??? We get to shop for tuxes! YOUR TUX!!! THAT YOU'RE GONNA WEAR AT YOUR WEDDING!!! WHERE YOU WILL GET A WIFE!!!!! You're already going to look killer but we absolutely have to make sure you are the hottest person in a tux in the room
[yang xiao long has the biggest and most open heart of anyone that emerald sustrai has ever been so privileged to know.]
Gods you are so much in the best ways You're gonna make me cry for the 20th time in the past three hours I'm gonna have a WIFE How is that even POSSIBLE Ohhhhh my gods. Okay. Okay. Breathing.
I wanna have something that doesn't overshadow her, but something that still makes me look incredible all on my own because if you think I'm looking anything less than my best on my wedding day you're out of your mind Just something... I don't know Normal tux or suit colors, I guess Monochrome or something Maybe with a little splash of color in the tie or the uhhh thing you shove into the jacket pocket so it looks like you know how to wear a suit right
[ uh oh sisters! yang xiao long is close to crying again because of unexpected love and affection! what else is new ]
It's called a pocket square. And gold is pretty much the best color so I won't fight you on that one Normal tux colors sound good though. Maybe a white jacket with black pants? With something else fancy Suspenders?? What're your thoughts
I think I could rock some suspenders, yeah Think about how good they'd look when I take the jacket off Plus Neo can do the stupid romantic thing and pull me into our first kiss with them or something Gods I'm a mess, I didn't just type that, shut up, you're gay I'M GONNA GET MARRIED, YANG???
YOU'RE GONNA GET MARRIED TO THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE!!! The whole thing will be even more gay than you are Uncle Qrow's gonna cry, I'm gonna cry, Oscar's gonna cry, Ruby will eat all of your cake It'll be the best
Gods you keep calling her that You're right, it's right, it's the right thing to call her, it just feels so weird I know we already talked about how it's like REALLY not fair for me to compare us to you two but gods I really do love her so much I didn't know I was allowed to have this much love inside me I can't believe you guys have been feeling this way the whole godsdamned time and you didn't tell me I'm gonna get so emotional it's gonna make Ruby cry too And Oscar and maybe even Glitch Since I can't just not invite the leader of my new huntress team
If you recall you were the one who called her that while painting her nails at the sleepover So I'm just following your example
Oh that's right! GORE right? Nice job on getting the coolest team name ever Glitch seems like the kinda person who makes a good leader He's prickly but kind once you get past it. Fast thinker, good head on his shoulders Heck he might cry who knows
Ugh shut UP you know I only called her that to make fun of you and Blake, right? I was honestly still really scared about the idea of calling her anything like that back then We only just started dating, we just had that vision of us getting married and having a life together I still wasn't telling her shit about my problems I mean, gods, I talked to you more than I ever did to her You'd think I was the one who was dating you or something But like Yeah I'm just glad that I'm confident enough in who I am and who she is that it's not weird to be Yang-brand gay at her
Speaking of you Did Glitch ever talk to you about arm stuff?
Ha well joke's on you But honestly sometimes you've gotta grow into a relationship. Trusting in yourself and your partner to talk about your problems is scary And sure you were scared before but look at you now!!! Surpassing Yang-brand gay and everything I'm happy I was able to help out with that Apologies to Neo for making it look like we were dating rather than you two. I'm not a homewrecker promise
We did actually I went to check on him after everyone moved into Ozpin's place since....you know Got the experience and all Talked for a while about everything
Gods, it's okay, don't worry about it We are where we are now, and I'm so, so happy that we are what we are You and me, me and Neo I don't want it to be any different than the way it is now
[there's a bit of a pause as she gets up out of bed slowly, carefully. kisses neo's forehead. takes some quiet steps out into the main room and sits down on the couch. she types this next line while she walks.]
Because I know there's a lot of ways this could have played out differently, and there might even be some timelines or whatever where it all did
[and she types out what she wants to say. in some ways, what she's wanted to say for weeks. months.]
When we were on that hill, under the moonlight, looking at stars and talking about our lives together... there's a world out there where I kissed you that night.
[ the pause is much longer on yang's end, bouncing dots appearing every few seconds and disappearing just as quickly. this isn't...a big surprise. not really. hell, they'd pretty much spelled out "you're my type" during their intense game of gay chicken at the sleepover. can't walk that back.
and the reality is that yang is very aware they would have been compatible. maybe more than that. if they'd met a few years earlier or their lives had taken a few lefts instead of rights, who knows where they'd be?
but they're here now. and yang's got no regrets and no reason to hide the truth. ]
There's a world where I kissed you back Got no clue how that would have worked out but at the end of the day but I agree with you The way we've got it right now.... It's pretty much perfect
[ she turns her head to the left and sighs, the empty space in her bed feeling larger and colder than usual. no. not completely perfect. ]
We're all one big dumb chaotic family and it's awesome Family dinners are about to be wild
Damn right they are I can't wait for it You know Neo can food fight with the best of them, right?
[and she nestles herself into the couch and thinks about the idea of things being pretty much perfect. how the world is crashing down around them but they have each other. heh. other than that, headmaster, how was the vytal festival? she sighs, taps idly at the screen. thinks of what it must be like for yang right now. tries not to feel too guilty about what she has and what her sister doesn't. she's never been the fortunate one, really. always chasing after something in the name of... power? wealth? safety? or maybe just something to make the nights a little less cold, whether it's a roof over her head or a ratty, waterlogged security blanket salvaged from an impossible ruin.]
[and now she has that, and she will have that for the rest of her life. and the sunbeam she's texting doesn't. and the imbalance tugs one shoulder down until she's leaning on the arm of the couch. it's easy for that guilt to creep up in her thoughts, but she's just... making a guess. and an offer. because she thinks it's still something they both know.]
I would never in a million years want to replace her. But if it ever hurts so bad that you wish you had someone, anyone there instead of nothing, call me. I'll drop everything. Gotta show you how much I've learned from your hugging lessons, I guess.
[this is too much. she's doing too much. but it feels natural. it feels like a normal thing to offer, now. after yang has given her so much. she's just being fair.]
Maybe she can But! RWBY and JNPR caused one of the biggest food fights Beacon ever saw Which RWBY won hands down btw So she has some stiff competition
[ a long pause here. emerald is being fair, more than fair. perhaps fair to the point of foolhardiness. this is her happiness to own after so many years of being denied it, but she wants to share?
then again. yang would do the same. guess they really are related. ]
I know you wouldn't want to. It's I won't lie and say being away from her isn't hard Because it is. It really freaking sucks. But everyone here helps ease it a little bit. So what I'm really saying is.... Thanks. Really
[ another pause. gods, tonight is proving more emotional than expected. ]
You did learn from the master So your hugs must be amazing
They're pretty okay. Still nothing compared to yours, but I'm getting there.
[of course she wants to share. her heart isn't built big enough on its own to handle all of the love it now holds. whether it's because it started out that way or it was crushed by years of people wrapping their hands around it and squeezing every last drop from it, she's never known how to keep the right amount inside. and now she's letting her heart grow without fear and the love is still overflowing from her. what else can she do?]
Don't mention it. I can't just sit here and pretend that your whole all of you didn't have an influence on me. Love you, sis. And I wanna help if I can. Even if it's just being another body.
no subject
but yang? all she's ever wanted to be is a person and Huntress her mother would be proud of. the idea that she's actively helped someone learn, that they've taken something from her to grow into someone they like....
yang may be a little misty-eyed. she may wish blake was here so she could see how much she does for others although she can't see it. ]
There's a lot of reasons they deserve to get punched
But it's nice you think I'm one of them. Thanks
And you know this goes the other way around right
You and Neo deserve this. Being happy and getting gay married and all that good stuff
Just...I dunno, you helped me remember that giving people second chances can be worth it
So you should get yours with the love of your life
And if anyone tries taking that from you I'll suplex them into the ground
no subject
You always know exactly what to say to make me remember how far I've come
A year ago you never would've been saying this stuff to me and you probably would've just wanted to kick my ass and now you're my sister and I'm your sister and we're gonna be adding two new sisters-in-law to the family and I'm just
[she can't think how to continue, so she just sends it after a moment's pause.]
I love you so much
Thank you for always being here for me even when I didn't think I was worth it
And for showing me that I'm always worth it
I can't wait to be at your wedding
You're going to look so beautiful
[gods, she feels so. silly. so stupid saying it. there's dots on her end as she types out ways to soften what she just said. ways to make it hit less, ways to hide it in different layers of irony or whatever. and she stops. and deletes it all. she doesn't need to hide. she doesn't have to be someone she isn't. if she wants to call yang beautiful, then she should do it without fear.]
no subject
Thanks for letting me stick around. And for building me up when I need it
I love you too
[ their family is full of broken people--downtrodden, lonely, powerless--and somehow, they've made it work. they're stronger together, and if emerald is no longer afraid to recognize and grasp happiness with her own two hands then neither is yang.
or well. yang will grasp happiness with her one hand. you know. ]
Yeah I'm going to look beautiful at my wedding but that's forever away
Let's talk about YOURS which is gonna happen SOON and that you'll look EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL at
Who's ring bearer going to be and why is it Zwei
....WAIT
YOUR DRESS
WE GET TO SHOP FOR DRESSES
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
[ someone may be excited. ]
no subject
Oh my gods
Well like, okay, hear me out on this
You know I'm not really super big on dresses, and I could like try some on if you really wanted to, but
I was kind of thinking of being the one who wears the suit
Neo's way better at looking pretty and being frilly and stuff, and I think I can pull off the whole classy tux look pretty well
Um, sorry to suck the wind out of your sails
no subject
Uh are you kidding???
We get to shop for tuxes! YOUR TUX!!!
THAT YOU'RE GONNA WEAR AT YOUR WEDDING!!! WHERE YOU WILL GET A WIFE!!!!!
You're already going to look killer but we absolutely have to make sure you are the hottest person in a tux in the room
no subject
Gods you are so much in the best ways
You're gonna make me cry for the 20th time in the past three hours
I'm gonna have a WIFE
How is that even POSSIBLE
Ohhhhh my gods.
Okay. Okay.
Breathing.
I wanna have something that doesn't overshadow her, but something that still makes me look incredible all on my own because if you think I'm looking anything less than my best on my wedding day you're out of your mind
Just something... I don't know
Normal tux or suit colors, I guess
Monochrome or something
Maybe with a little splash of color in the tie or the uhhh thing you shove into the jacket pocket so it looks like you know how to wear a suit right
I was thinking gold could look good
no subject
It's called a pocket square.
And gold is pretty much the best color so I won't fight you on that one
Normal tux colors sound good though. Maybe a white jacket with black pants? With something else fancy
Suspenders?? What're your thoughts
no subject
Think about how good they'd look when I take the jacket off
Plus Neo can do the stupid romantic thing and pull me into our first kiss with them or something
Gods I'm a mess, I didn't just type that, shut up, you're gay
I'M GONNA GET MARRIED, YANG???
no subject
The whole thing will be even more gay than you are
Uncle Qrow's gonna cry, I'm gonna cry, Oscar's gonna cry, Ruby will eat all of your cake
It'll be the best
no subject
You're right, it's right, it's the right thing to call her, it just feels so weird
I know we already talked about how it's like REALLY not fair for me to compare us to you two but gods
I really do love her so much
I didn't know I was allowed to have this much love inside me
I can't believe you guys have been feeling this way the whole godsdamned time and you didn't tell me
I'm gonna get so emotional it's gonna make Ruby cry too
And Oscar and maybe even Glitch
Since I can't just not invite the leader of my new huntress team
no subject
So I'm just following your example
Oh that's right! GORE right? Nice job on getting the coolest team name ever
Glitch seems like the kinda person who makes a good leader
He's prickly but kind once you get past it. Fast thinker, good head on his shoulders
Heck he might cry who knows
no subject
I was honestly still really scared about the idea of calling her anything like that back then
We only just started dating, we just had that vision of us getting married and having a life together
I still wasn't telling her shit about my problems
I mean, gods, I talked to you more than I ever did to her
You'd think I was the one who was dating you or something
But like
Yeah
I'm just glad that I'm confident enough in who I am and who she is that it's not weird to be Yang-brand gay at her
Speaking of you
Did Glitch ever talk to you about arm stuff?
no subject
But honestly sometimes you've gotta grow into a relationship. Trusting in yourself and your partner to talk about your problems is scary
And sure you were scared before but look at you now!!! Surpassing Yang-brand gay and everything
I'm happy I was able to help out with that
Apologies to Neo for making it look like we were dating rather than you two. I'm not a homewrecker promise
We did actually
I went to check on him after everyone moved into Ozpin's place since....you know
Got the experience and all
Talked for a while about everything
no subject
We are where we are now, and I'm so, so happy that we are what we are
You and me, me and Neo
I don't want it to be any different than the way it is now
[there's a bit of a pause as she gets up out of bed slowly, carefully. kisses neo's forehead. takes some quiet steps out into the main room and sits down on the couch. she types this next line while she walks.]
Because I know there's a lot of ways this could have played out differently, and there might even be some timelines or whatever where it all did
[and she types out what she wants to say. in some ways, what she's wanted to say for weeks. months.]
When we were on that hill, under the moonlight, looking at stars and talking about our lives together... there's a world out there where I kissed you that night.
no subject
and the reality is that yang is very aware they would have been compatible. maybe more than that. if they'd met a few years earlier or their lives had taken a few lefts instead of rights, who knows where they'd be?
but they're here now. and yang's got no regrets and no reason to hide the truth. ]
There's a world where I kissed you back
Got no clue how that would have worked out but at the end of the day but I agree with you
The way we've got it right now.... It's pretty much perfect
[ she turns her head to the left and sighs, the empty space in her bed feeling larger and colder than usual. no. not completely perfect. ]
We're all one big dumb chaotic family and it's awesome
Family dinners are about to be wild
no subject
I can't wait for it
You know Neo can food fight with the best of them, right?
[and she nestles herself into the couch and thinks about the idea of things being pretty much perfect. how the world is crashing down around them but they have each other. heh. other than that, headmaster, how was the vytal festival? she sighs, taps idly at the screen. thinks of what it must be like for yang right now. tries not to feel too guilty about what she has and what her sister doesn't. she's never been the fortunate one, really. always chasing after something in the name of... power? wealth? safety? or maybe just something to make the nights a little less cold, whether it's a roof over her head or a ratty, waterlogged security blanket salvaged from an impossible ruin.]
[and now she has that, and she will have that for the rest of her life. and the sunbeam she's texting doesn't. and the imbalance tugs one shoulder down until she's leaning on the arm of the couch. it's easy for that guilt to creep up in her thoughts, but she's just... making a guess. and an offer. because she thinks it's still something they both know.]
I would never in a million years want to replace her.
But if it ever hurts so bad that you wish you had someone, anyone there instead of nothing, call me.
I'll drop everything.
Gotta show you how much I've learned from your hugging lessons, I guess.
[this is too much. she's doing too much. but it feels natural. it feels like a normal thing to offer, now. after yang has given her so much. she's just being fair.]
no subject
But! RWBY and JNPR caused one of the biggest food fights Beacon ever saw
Which RWBY won hands down btw
So she has some stiff competition
[ a long pause here. emerald is being fair, more than fair. perhaps fair to the point of foolhardiness. this is her happiness to own after so many years of being denied it, but she wants to share?
then again. yang would do the same. guess they really are related. ]
I know you wouldn't want to.
It's
I won't lie and say being away from her isn't hard
Because it is. It really freaking sucks.
But everyone here helps ease it a little bit.
So what I'm really saying is....
Thanks. Really
[ another pause. gods, tonight is proving more emotional than expected. ]
You did learn from the master
So your hugs must be amazing
no subject
Still nothing compared to yours, but I'm getting there.
[of course she wants to share. her heart isn't built big enough on its own to handle all of the love it now holds. whether it's because it started out that way or it was crushed by years of people wrapping their hands around it and squeezing every last drop from it, she's never known how to keep the right amount inside. and now she's letting her heart grow without fear and the love is still overflowing from her. what else can she do?]
Don't mention it.
I can't just sit here and pretend that your whole all of you didn't have an influence on me.
Love you, sis.
And I wanna help if I can. Even if it's just being another body.