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Yang falls.
When Yang falls, she loves her team. She loves Ruby, so fiercely, that she takes the hit for her. She loves Weiss with all of her heart, and she knows that she’ll continue to grow, even without Yang there. She loves Blake, god, she loves Blake, and her only regret is not hugging Ruby one more time, not being able to give Weiss one more genuine compliment, not making sure Blake knows the extent to what she feels for her.
Those are her only regrets.
Because she knows they’ll be okay.
The last thing she thinks is, Ruby is safe. The last thing she knows is, Weiss will take care of them. The last thing she sees (and hears) is Blake, reaching out over the edge for her, Gambol Shroud falling just short of her boots. She falls, and she doesn’t regret a thing about this, at least; she would’ve taken a thousand hits for Ruby, a thousand for any of them, really, and as she falls, as the world above her fades out of existence, she expects to die.
(She doesn’t die)
---
And she wakes up in her own bed. (which, what)
She sits up. She’s in her room, in her bed; home at Patch. “Huh?” She aches, all over, but the pain is the last thing on her mind. What on Remnant..?
Footsteps pound on the stairs, Yang flinches as the door slams open. (Oh-)
Ruby and Weiss burst into the room, one after another. And Yang’s heart swells when she sees them; her mouth opens to call out a greeting, to ask how they’d saved her, but the words stick in her throat. Because Weiss doesn’t look the same. For starters, her hair, previously looped into that huge braid, is now cut short, the ends curling up just under her chin. Yang doesn’t recognize what she’s wearing, either.
“Weiss? Did you cut your hair?!” But it’s not only Weiss; Ruby looks different, too; older, maybe. Her hair is about the same length, but she’s wearing different clothes than Yang had last saw, and her eyes are brighter than she remembers. “Uh, what,” Yang blinks slowly. “Did I hit my head on the way down? Why do you both look different?”
“Why do you look different?” Ruby repeats, eyes wide. “Didn’t you just- I thought you went to the market!”
“What are you talking about?!” Yang gets to her feet, swaying before she regains her balance. Ow- her head throbs at the movement. “What happened with Mantle? Did you get everyone out? How are we here?!”
“Uh, Ruby,” Weiss says, and then she’s tugging Ruby closer to her, muttering something too low for Yang to hear. But Yang’s not even listening, really, she’s staring all around the room, trying to make sense of it all. It’s her room, except it’s not; there are different sheets on the bed, the furniture is slightly rearranged, hell, even the curtains are different. They’d been a dull blue when she’d left to find Ruby way back when, but now they’re a deep purple. Why on earth..?
“What’s going on?” Yang demands, crossing her arms. How long had she been unconscious? Had it been that long?
“Well, we’re trying to figure that out, too.” Weiss’ brows are furrowed.
“Uh, this might be a weird question,” says Ruby, who seems to be an entire head taller than Yang, now, which, what. “But, um. How old are you right now?”
“Did you hit your head?” Yang asks desperately. Weiss sighs, rather dramatically.
“Just answer the question, Yang.”
“Weiss? I- you’re the same age as me, right? Unless you had a birthday without us knowing, somehow-” Yang blinks again, like that’ll help anything. “I’m nineteen, unless I had a birthday I don’t know about. Why does this matter?”
Ruby’s eyebrows nearly fly off her face. “Yang, don’t take this the wrong way,” she begins, sharing twin concerned looks with Weiss, “but, um, I’m not even nineteen anymore. You should be twenty-three.”
What??
“Twenty-” Yang shakes her head. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re not Yang,” Weiss shakes her head. At Yang’s outraged look, she adds, “brothers, I meant you’re not the Yang we know, keep up.”
Yang’s mouth hangs open. “What,” she says again, slowly, “the hell. Are you talking about.”
“I don’t know?!” Ruby’s hands start fluttering as she begins to panic. “All we know is that Yang - the Yang who’s twenty-three, thankyouverymuch, went to the market for groceries like, ten minutes ago. And you’re clearly not her. So.” She trails off, shrugging when Weiss raises an eyebrow. “I don’t know, that’s all I’ve got.”
Weiss sighs again; pulls her scroll out of her pocket and starts typing on it frantically. Yang shifts, uncomfortable, confused, and her head still hurts, ow, but mostly just trying to wrap her head around what the hell seems to be happening. Ruby shifts awkwardly, seemingly unsure whether she should avoid Yang’s gaze or not.
But then, because apparently it’s illegal to have even a moment of peace, Blake is coming into the room (OH-) , eyebrows rising at the sight that greets her. She looks about the same; her hair is a little longer, maybe, swooping gracefully over her shoulders and hanging in her eyes a little more than Yang remembers, but other than that, not much is different. But Yang looks into her eyes and knows, knows in her soul, that this isn’t the Blake she remembers.
“Uh,” Blake says, staring at her with one ear pricked in confusion, “you’re shorter than usual..?”
“This isn’t our Yang,” Weiss explains, her head in her hands. “I just messaged her; she’s still at the market. This is some new, younger Yang.”
“How are you here?!” Ruby asks, poking Yang’s bionic hand like she thinks she’ll disappear with the slightest touch. “Was this on purpose? Were you trying to get here? How is this even possible-”
Yang stares. Her tongue feels heavy in her mouth. “Uh,” she says coherently, “I fell?”
Weiss groans into her hands. Loudly.
---
Ruby Rose, whether she’s younger or older than Yang, whether she’s the Ruby Yang knows or not, seems to still possess an uncanny ability to get under her skin. Because of that, despite Weiss’ irritated responses, it takes the four of them nearly ten minutes to regroup downstairs. Ruby and Yang can’t stop bickering.
(Siblings. What can you do)
Blake and Weiss watch as they argue, because both of them are convinced that the other is the wrong one, and though it really doesn’t matter, it continues for far too long.
“This is weird,” Yang says finally, brows scrunching up in a pout, pushing Ruby’s face away with a rough hand. “You’re weird.”
“How do you think I feel?!” Ruby yelps. “You’re supposed to be older than I am!”
“You’re not supposed to be taller than me!” Yang bites back, offended beyond belief. “I shouldn’t have to look up to talk to you!” Blinking, Ruby’s features contort into a smug look.
“Well, that part’s okay.”
“No, it’s not!”
“Are you two quite finished?” It’s Weiss, of course who finally steps in, rubbing her forehead the same way Yang’s seen her own teammate do countless times. “Because the rest of us have more important things to talk about.” Ruby has the grace to look slightly ashamed, but Yang just sticks her tongue out at her.
Then Yang gets slightly left out, because the three of them seem to snap into business mode, discussing what their first move is going to be; how they’ll even find a way to Yang’s world (assuming it’d be that easy, then) , how they’ll divide the research among themselves. Yang falls silent as they think aloud, but it's amazing to watch them. She wonders if that’s what it looks like when she strategizes with her team.
“I’ll text team JNPR,” Blake reports, “maybe with all her love of destiny and fairy tales, Pyrrha will have heard of something that could help us.”
Yang’s eyes widen at the name. “Did you say Pyrrha?” She butts in, a lump growing in her throat.
They all turn to face her. “...Yes?” Blake responds, raising one eyebrow. “Team JNPR are all in Vacuo right now. Why?”
Pyrrha’s alive here. Yang shakes her head. “It’s nothing,” she says, a smile forming on her face. “Just curious.”
It’s clear they don’t fully believe her, but no one pushes the issue. “Alright, so here’s the plan; once Yang gets back, Weiss and I will head to the library. Maybe there will be something there about this happening before. You-” she gives Yang a light-hearted scowl. “-Will stay here and stay out of sight of the neighbors. No need to start a dramatic scene if there’s no need for one.”
“Yeah,” Yang says. “Sure. Makes sense.” It.. feels weird, seeing Ruby like this, because Yang looks at her and thinks, that’s my baby sister, but she’s not; she’s a grown woman who’s brave and smart and still a little bit of a dumbass. And she’s a fantastic leader, just like Yang’s always thought of her. And maybe it’s stupid, feeling this proud of someone who’s not even the Ruby she knows, but she is. Brothers, she’s so proud of her.
(She still can’t get over the fact that Ruby’s taller than her, though)
They don’t have to wait long, because just a few moments after the plan is finalized, the front door bangs open, and Yang Xiao Long comes stumbling in, holding four grocery bags in each hand.
She thought seeing Ruby was weird enough. Ha!
And, really, Yang should’ve been ready by now; she’s been preparing herself for this moment since she’d realized where she is, but the sight of herself striding through the front door still leaves her gaping. Because that’s her; a little different, sure, but it’s her, same hair, same eyes, same grin. This Yang is older; she’s taller, with gauntlets that look mostly the same but have clearly been updated with the times. She drops the groceries on the floor unceremoniously; something cracks.
(Ember Cecelia looks really cool)
She still has the same purple bandana Yang carries around, too, but isn’t tied over her leg anymore, rather, it’s tucked into a pocket at her chest, folded neatly over her heart. Her eyes meet Yang’s, that same lilac gaze that she’s seen in the mirror, no doubt, and she’s frozen in her tracks. “Um.. Ruby??”
“Yang,” Ruby says, a cheeky grin tugging at the corner of her mouth, “meet Yang!”
Xiao Long blinks down at Yang, just as confused as the rest of them; waves awkwardly. That’s when Yang notices that she doesn’t seem to have a prosthetic. Just two normal hands. The realization plants a stone in her stomach, heavy and dull. “Uh- hey, what’s up?”
“Nothing much,” Yang responds, crossing her arms over her chest. She’s very out of her depth here. “Just trapped in some kind of alternate world with older versions of my team and myself. How are you?”
“Well, I’m looking at my younger self, so-” she taps a finger against her temple. “-Not doing great up here. Mental gymnastics, actually. Uh?” She turns to her team, who are all watching with differing levels of amusement. “Someone wanna fill me in?”
Blake laughs softly, taking pity on her. “You know about as much as the rest of us,” she says, “we were just all talking when we heard a thump coming from upstairs; when we went to investigate, she was passed out in our bed.”
(Our bed? Yang thinks, confused. What does she..?)
“Huh,” Xiao Long says, and honestly, she’s taking it like a champ. “Well, that’s cool, I guess?” She turns to Ruby, looking about as bewildered as Yang feels. “What are we doing about this?”
“Weiss and I are heading to the library to see if we can’t find any information about this, you and Blake are on babysitting duty,” says Ruby, and she ignores Yang’s affronted “ex cuse me?” coming from beside her. “Sound good?”
Xiao Long shrugs. “Yeah, sure,” she says, “whatever works, I guess.” She picks the grocery bags back up, carrying them towards the kitchen. Setting them on the counter, her face rearranges itself into an intimate, warm expression as Blake nears her.
“Welcome back,” Blake says quietly.
“Hey,” Xiao Long greets her, soft and warm. She reaches down and takes Blake’s hand; drops a light kiss on her knuckles. Blake takes this gesture like she’s seen it a thousand times, which, what, reaching up to cup Xiao Long’s neck; pressing their foreheads together for the slightest of moments, which, what, and in that slight moment, the quietest of gentle purrs reach Yang’s ears, which, WHAT; she can count on one hand the amount of times she’s heard Blake purr, and this Blake just does it all willy-nilly?!
Yang’s mouth is hanging open. She knows it’s rude to stare, but she can’t help it. They’re just affectionate, right? Like any normal teammates, right?
(She’s not stupid, just maybe a little bit in denial)
“If you two are quite finished,” Weiss says dryly, cutting through the tension in a way she specializes at, “you’ll realize you’ve gathered an audience.”
Yang flushes, hard, as both women turn their gazes to her. Amusement glints in Xiao Long’s eyes. “Got something to say, kid? Keep your eyes to yourself, huh?”
“Oh, leave her alone,” Blake chides softly, rolling her eyes. She starts meticulously putting the groceries away as they all say goodbye to Weiss and Ruby. Yang shifts awkwardly, unsure what to do, what to say. Her cheeks still feel red, and she thinks her heart (her very soul) is burning just as much. She watches as the other two finish up, maneuvering around each other in the small kitchen with a casual intimacy that makes her palms sweat. She knows what this is, but a lump forms in her throat whenever she opens her mouth to ask.
Unfortunately, she’s never been subtle.
Xiao Long notices the glances. To her credit, she does her best to eliminate any further mirth from her expression at Yang’s internal floundering, but she’s not very subtle, either. “Got something to ask us, small-fry?”
Yang swallows.
“Are you two-” her face burns at the answer she knows she’s going to get. “Like, a couple?”
“Yeah, duh,” replies Xiao Long, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Maybe it is. Maybe she’s used to it, being like that with Blake. Maybe it’s less nerve-wracking and more finally being where she’s meant to be, being with who she’s meant to be with. Beside her, Blake smiles, ears twitching in that way they do whenever she’s truly happy.
Oh.
“Oh,” Yang gulps, stumbling over her own tongue. She’s a little stunned, a little (maybe a lot) starstruck, and Blake’s grin widens. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen Blake so smiley. It’s weird. It’s.. a good look on her. Blake should smile more. A flush spreads across her cheeks, and despite her efforts to hide it, both of the women laugh.
“Are you surprised?” Blake asks, one eyebrow raised. “I didn’t think you would be.”
“I wasn’t,” Xiao Long grins. “And I’m willing to bet you aren’t either.” She gives Yang a piercing look. “Just a little blindsided at the confirmation. Am I close?”
Yang frowns, averting her eyes. “I don’t like that you know that,” she mumbles, blush burning hotter. Xiao Long’s laugh sounds off, loud and happy.
“That’s what I thought.”
For a moment, silence. And then Blake shakes her head, ears flopping lightly with the action. She turns on her heel. “I’m going to wait by the long-range,” she says over her shoulder, heading further inside, “hopefully, team JNPR will call soon.”
“Okay,” Xiao Long agrees cheerily. “I guess you’re stuck with me, then.” She gives Yang a playful wink.
Yang laughs, slowly relaxing. “Guess so.”
They go and stand on the balcony outside, breathing in the fresh air. Patch smells much better than Atlas, Yang notes; Atlas always smelled like too much dust, which she supposes makes sense. She remembers it had taken her and Ruby a while to get used to the air in Atlas. It had taken Blake much longer.
“So,” Xiao Long says, breaking the silence, “not that I don’t mind just. Standing here, but why don’t we talk?”
“About what?” Yang asks.
“Well…” She shifts on her boots. “How about..this?” Xiao Long points at Yang’s right arm. “Looks like it was pretty nasty.”
….Ah.
Yang swallows, feeling the familiar dread that still pops up whenever she thinks about that night. “Yeah,” she says, voice soft, “it was.”
Xiao Long blinks. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I don’t really need to know.”
“No,” Yang says, shaking her head, “no, it’s okay. Um, I lost it while fighting-” bile rises in her throat; she pushes it back down, angry and stubborn at the reaction he still draws from her, weeks after his death. “-Adam Taurus. It.. wasn’t much of a fight, if I’m honest. I assume you know who he is?”
“Hm. Yeah,” Xiao Long replies, and oh, Yang’s found another similarity between the two of them, because the red anger burning in her older self’s eyes is the exact same that Yang herself feels. “I know who he is. Thankfully, he got arrested the night they attacked Beacon. Ironwood managed to take him down, with the help of Qrow and Blake. Then he tried to break out of the prison they’d put him in, and he got himself shot.” She snorts. “Good riddance, if you ask me.”
“Blake and I killed him,” Yang blurts out. She avoids Xiao Long’s gaze, afraid of the judgement she might find. “We- we had to. He just wouldn’t leave us alone. He just kept coming after Blake, after me, and something was bound to break, and-” she shakes her head again. “We killed him.”
There’s silence for a long moment.
Then Xiao Long says, “good. The fucker deserved it.” At Yang’s wide-eyed look, she laughs softly. “Killing someone doesn’t make you a bad person, small-fry. You said he wouldn’t have stopped? I believe you.” And, slowly, Yang begins to tell her about her world. How screwed up it is right now, how many people they’ve lost (although she doesn’t dare say anyone by name), how it seems like every time they take one step further, they’re forced two steps back. How scared Yang is of Salem, of losing.
And when she’s finished, her older self just lets out a disbelieving laugh.
“Y’know, it’s weird to say, but I’m proud of ya, kid,” Xiao Long begins, with a familiar grin that makes Yang feel like she’s looking into a mirror. A weird, future mirror. “You’ve gone through so much, and me? Nothing I’ve done can even touch that. And, really, that makes me feel a little small, standing next to you.” She shakes her head, running a hand through her hair. “You’ve gotta be so much stronger than me; I can’t even imagine going through what you have, and here you are.”
Yang blinks. “I hadn’t thought of it that way,” she says. “Mostly just that you all made better choices than us. Maybe we shouldn’t have had to go through all that.”
“You said you’re in the middle of evacuating Atlas and Mantle right now, right? That’s amazing. We’ve always known something has to be done about Atlas, but we still don’t know what. And managing to evacuate two whole cities - a whole kingdom - in the span of just a few hours is incredible. I don’t know how you’ve managed that.”
“It’s not like I’m helping right now,” Yang mumbles. “Got myself knocked off the edge, and I have no idea how to get back.”
Xiao Long scoffs. “C’mon. You and I both know the team’ll be coming for you. I’m sure they’re already on their w-”
“What, no!” Yang interrupts, suddenly horrified. “You don’t think they jumped off, do you? Who knows what will happen to them?” She looks away, as if she’s going to spot her teammates running through the woods towards her right this second. “This is my own fault, anyways. They shouldn’t have to be slowed down by my fuck-ups anymore than they already have.”
“Okay, I know you don’t really believe that,” Xiao Long says, “and if you do, we’re going to have a completely different conversation soon.” She sighs. “Listen, kid. If it were Weiss, Ruby, or Blake who fell off, would you jump in after them! Don’t answer that; I already know what you’ll say. So why’s it different when it’s you?”
Yang is quiet for a long time. “I’d do anything for them,” she says finally, in a whisper, “and I know they’d do the same. But sometimes-” her voice breaks, but she swallows and tries again. “A lot of times, I don’t really think I deserve them.”
Xiao Long hums. She opens her mouth to respond, but the voice that speaks next isn’t hers. “Of course you are.” Jumping slightly, both of them turn to face the newcomer; it’s Blake, because of course it is. Her ears are flat against her head, and they stay that way as she sighs. “I don’t know what the Blake in your world has gone through, but if it’s at all similar to my life - which I bet it is - then you know she doesn’t trust easily.”
Yang flinches. She does know that. She hadn’t known why, when they’d been at Beacon, but even then, she’d been so careful with Blake. Slowly easing into her life. Blake had just always looked so.. tense, always looking over her shoulder, always flinching at sudden, loud sounds. Yang had noticed even that early. “No,” she agrees softly, “she doesn’t.”
“And I know she trusts you. I’d even bet she trusts you more than anyone. Now, knowing that, you still don’t feel deserving?”
“I never said it was a logical feeling,” Yang replies, but the humor falls flat as Blake crosses her arms, tilting her head up. She sighs. “Sorry. I know. It’s a thing that needs to be worked on, huh?”
“For a start,” Xiao Long agrees with a soft smile. “But hey, I bet your team would be happy to help you with that if you asked them.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Yang rolls her eyes. “...Thanks.”
“So, what’s up, babe?” Xiao Long changes the subject, eyes turning to Blake. Yang flushes pink at the casual pet name. “Any news?”
“Not yet,” Blake sighs, coming to stand next to her. She leans against the bannister, looking off into the distance. “I just got tired of waiting; I turned the ringer on, though, so we should hear if Jaune calls.”
“Mm, yeah,” Xiao Long agrees, rubbing a hand down Blake’s back. “Waiting is always the worst part.”
Yang would be compelled to agree. She’s itching to move, to fight her way back to her own world, but how can she do that when she has no idea where to even start? Her heart aches, because while this world seems perfect, almost, far better than her own, god, she misses her teammates.
Her thoughts turn back to Blake, as they so often do.
She knows Blake doesn’t trust easily; that’s why she doesn’t dare push it, this thing they might have. She knows Blake would never, ever leave again, that’s not what she’s worried about, but… she’s so afraid, terrified of a wrong move, of things becoming awkward. They’ve worked so well together after Adam; never needing more than a few words in a fight. Against the Ace-Ops, it’d felt like they were one person in two bodies. Yang just gets Blake, and Blake gets her in return.
And god, if she were ever to do anything that ruined that freeness she’s found in Blake’s clear, golden gaze, she’d never forgive herself.
Because Blake’s gaze when she looks at Yang is the softest thing she’s ever seen, and she wants to wrap herself up in that feeling and never let it go. The thing is, love seems like too weak a word for what she feels for Blake. Too weak a word for the way her soul burns when she’s near her, when she’s fighting at her side, when she’s cracking the stupidest jokes she can think of just to hear Blake’s laugh.
Love is too weak a word for what she hopes (what she thinks) Blake feels for her.
And god, she doesn’t know if she deserves it, deserves the extent to what Blake might feel for her, but god, she’s never going to dare question it. If she’s ever selfish in anything, it’s going to be Blake, and she’ll never, ever risk their relationship.
“Well, I hope I don’t have to be here long. Nothing against you guys, it’s just-” but when Yang turns to face them, there’s nothing. No house, no Blake, no older version of herself. She’s just standing in a field with nothing around her. The porch is gone, replaced by tall, golden grass, and as she looks around, she finds that this doesn’t even look like Patch anymore. What the hell..?
There’s no trace of them; there’s not even an obvious spot where the house must have rested. It’s almost like it never existed at all.
And maybe that’s a problem, maybe she’s more concussed than previously thought, or maybe it’d been a vision, somehow, she doesn’t fucking know, but whatever phenomon is affecting her does not affect her hearing, thank the brothers, because the next thing she hears, loud and clear, is her name, shouted frantically at the top of someone’s lungs.
Weiss.
Yang takes off. She’s never been good at being alone, and she’s desperate enough to even run to the strange, this-world version of Weiss. Trees and grass flies by as she speeds up, heading towards the sound.
“Weiss?” She calls, and though there’s no immediate answer, she keeps going. She stumbles into a deeper part of the forest; slows down, head rotating on her shoulders, determined to find her.
And then-
“Yang!”
And her eyes, searching desperately, catch the slightest hint of white and blue and she skids to a halt, nearly crashing full-on into a thornbush.
And Weiss is there, shoving a low-hanging branch out of the way, gaze landing on Yang’s and then not looking away.
“Weiss? Is it really you?” Yang whispers, almost afraid of the answer.
Weiss’ mouth drops open; trembles. She takes a step closer, blinking slowly, like Yang’s going to disappear the moment she shuts her eyes. Yang grins. For whatever reason, she’s not worried anymore. She might do well to be more wary, especially after how the world she’d just been in had seemed to disappear, but somehow, she is sure, positive that the Weiss in front of her is her Weiss.
“Hey, Weiss,” she says, and the grin’s becoming a little silly, maybe, but she’s just so happy to see her.
And then Weiss punches her arm, hard, putting far more power into the blow than Yang would’ve expected.
“Ow!”
“Never do that again, you absolute buffoon,” Weiss snaps at her, “or so help me, I’ll- I’ll handcuff you to Myrtenaster next time.” She looks angry, but the cracks in her voice are starting to spread to her face. A single tear escapes her eye; she wipes it away furiously. “God, look what you’ve done now.”
Yang smiles, widely, lovingly. She opens her arms. “Do you want a hug, Ice Queen?”
Weiss stamps her foot at the nickname. Then she steps into Yang’s arms, hugging her back just as tightly. “I- hate you,” she grumbles into Yang’s neck. “Do you have any idea how worried we all were?” Then she pulls back, realization striking. “Oh, gods, the others! We have to tell them you’re okay! Of course it was me who found you first-” she takes out her scroll, and as she searches for a connection, she looks back at Yang. “You are okay, right? No hidden broken bones?”
“None at all,” Yang promises; her cheeks already hurt from smiling so much, and this is just from seeing one-third of her team. “Scout’s honor.”
“Of course you were a girl scout.” Weiss rolls her eyes. Then she frowns. “Hm. I can’t seem to get a connection. I guess we’ll just have to head back to the rendezvous. Blake and Ruby should be getting back soon, too. We agreed to meet up every half-hour.” Yang’s heart jumps at the thought of seeing Ruby, of seeing Blake.
“Lead the way, Ice Queen,” she says cheekily, and doesn’t bring up the way Weiss hovers closer to her than usual as they head through the forest. After a bit of walking, they come across a small clearing with a boulder in the middle of it. Yang sits down on top of it; Weiss leans against a nearby tree.
“This is where we landed,” she says, and Yang looks up.
“Really?”
“Ruby used her Semblance on us as we fell, just in case,” she continues, “it was.. so weird. One minute we were tumbling through the blackness, and the next we were lying on the ground here.” Weiss meets her gaze curiously. “What happened with you?”
“I..” Yang has no idea how to explain what she’d been doing in the hours she’d been gone. “That’s gonna be a long story. I think it’s best to wait for the others, so I can tell you all at the same time.” Weiss scoffs at that, but she understands.
And then-
“Weiss?” Ruby’s voice echoes through the trees. Yang’s heart cracks at the tone; her sister sounds.. broken. “Are you here? Blake is taking one last lap around the perimeter, but we didn’t find anything. Did you-” she comes out of the shadows, spots Yang, still sitting on the boulder, and freezes. “Yang?”
“Hey, si-” Yang says, or starts to say, because Ruby’s slamming into her chest before she can even finish, wrapping her arms around her neck tightly enough to be slightly suffocating. Yang doesn’t care; she holds her even closer. “Aw, you didn’t miss me or something, did you?” She teases lightly, “cause that’d be emba-” now it’s her turn to freeze, because Ruby is crying.
“You’re - such - an - idiot!” Ruby snaps, emphasizing each word with a light punch to some part of Yang’s body. “Why would you do that!?”
Yang’s in freefall. “I couldn’t let her get at you from behind, Rubes,” she whispers into her sister’s hair, “but I’m sorry I scared you.”
“I thought-” but Ruby’s cutting herself off there, and Yang’s heart does break then, shatters into tiny little pieces, because even if Ruby doesn’t finish her sentence, she knows what the rest of it was. “You can’t leave me like that,” Ruby mumbles into her chest, “please, never do that again.”
She can’t promise that. She’d do it again in a heartbeat; throw herself in between Ruby and whatever might try to hurt her. She’d die for Ruby, hell, she’d kill for her. But she knows that’s not exactly what she’s asking. She’s not asking for Yang to stop protecting her; just, maybe, be less reckless about it. Yang sighs. It feels like she’s always learning the same lessons over and over again. “I promise.”
(Maybe this time it’ll stick)
Ruby sniffs, long and gross, until it becomes comical and giggles start mixing in with her sobs. Yang laughs too; she can’t help it. Ruby’s laughter is contagious like she’s never heard before. Then her little sister pulls away, and though her eyes are red, there aren’t any more tears being shed. “I’ll hold you to that,” Ruby says, giving her chest one last shove. “Weiss! You’ll keep an eye on Yang too, right? Apparently someone has to.”
“Apparently,” Weiss drawls. She hasn’t moved from her spot against the tree, but she’s smiling, a soft look shining in her blue eyes. “Although I think Yang will be having plenty of eyes on her for a while after this.”
“Oh my gosh!” Ruby’s eyes widen. “I completely forgot about Blake! Yang, Blake is going to die when she sees you- you should have seen her fighting after you fell, she-”
“Ruby,” Weiss cuts in, drawing both of their attention. “Maybe let Blake tell her that, if she wants to.”
A knot curls in Yang’s stomach. “That bad?” She asks, feeling the same guilt from before set down in her heart, threatening to choke her.
Weiss’ gaze turns sad. “She’ll be okay when she sees you,” is all she says in response, which, really, is answer enough. “Ruby, you said she was doing another circle? She should be back by now, right?”
“That’s what she said.” Ruby shrugs, rubbing the back of her head. “To be honest, I wasn’t really listening, though. We didn’t talk much; we were both.. kinda out of it.”
Guilt sinks like a stone. Yang knows it’s stupid, but she can’t help to feel to blame for making them all worry so much. She still wouldn’t let Ruby take that hit, though; not in a million years. And just then, the rustling of bushes alerts them; Yang’s heart starts pounding, eyes locked on the spot where they’d heard the noise.
(And her soul starts to sing-)
Because Blake is stepping out of the shadows into the clearing with the rest of them, and her gaze, resting on the ground, usually so golden and soft, is a dull, exhausted color. She’s walking while favoring her left arm, so her aura must be low, and as her eyes land on Yang’s boots and start to slowly climb upwards, it feels like a thousand years.
But then their eyes meet. Their eyes meet, and Yang feels like she’s coming home, like she would never have to exist in any world other than this one, as long as Blake was there, like there was an entire planet, here, existing in just this small clearing; like as long as she’s here, staring into Blake’s eyes, nothing could ever be wrong with the universe.
“...Yang?”
Blake’s initial reaction is more like Weiss’ than Ruby’s; she pauses, softly, one ear pricking up as her eyes widen. Tears are an instant. Movement, less so. Her shoulders sag, like she’s been holding herself up in just the sheer force of her will until now, and she looks exhausted; there are dark circles under her eyes, her hair is all tangled, and all of them are caked in dirt by now.
Yang thinks she’s never looked more beautiful.
And then Yang swears she blacks out a little bit, because one second Blake’s an entire ten feet away from her, but Yang blinks and suddenly finds herself with an entire armful of Blake, Blake; Blake, cannoning into her chest just like her sister had, digging her nails into Yang’s jacket, burying her head, ears pinned so far back they have to be hurting, and for a moment, there’s silence, just their twin stuttered breaths, and then-
The guttural sob that rips its way out of Blake’s throat tears Yang’s very soul in half.
Yang is quick to hug her back just as fiercely, humming soothing tones into her ears. “Blake,” she says, softly, “hey, it’s oka-”
“I’m sorry- I thought you were dead,” Blake wails into her shoulder. “I’m so sorry- I missed; I didn’t realize in time- I was too slow getting to the edge, I didn’t throw Gambol quickly enough, I’m so sorry, Yang.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” for a moment, Yang doesn’t know what to say. She slowly sinks to the ground, holding Blake as tenderly as she can. “It wasn’t your fault, Blake, please don’t blame yourself. I got myself knocked off, and you couldn’t have done anything more, I swear.”
Blake doesn’t seem to have a response to that; she cries even harder. Yang keeps hugging her, keeps stroking her hair, her back. At some point, Weiss and Ruby had joined them, each taking a position on one of Yang’s sides; each taking one of Blake’s arms in their hands. Ruby sniffles, and Weiss’ eyes don’t look the driest, either. Yang’s lucky she’s not crying (yet) ; one of them had to not be a mess.
Eventually, seconds, minutes, hours, who knows, Blake starts to quiet. Her shoulders stop shaking. Yang continues to hold her, bumping her head against Ruby’s in a silent show of affection and making sure her other shoulder is resting gently against Weiss’.
Then Blake mumbles, her voice hoarse, “I’m so glad you’re okay.” And Yang can’t stop the tender smile that spreads across her face as her heart damn near overflows with love.
“Hey,” Yang says, tilting Blake’s chin up softly. She waits until Blake’s eyes focus, until she’s meeting her gaze, and then she sends her the softest smile she’s ever given, trying to pour everything she’s never said into the one look. “I love you.” And it feels so good. The weight those words had been holding on her heart break free, and she laughs, once, quietly, suddenly feeling more free than she ever has.
Blake’s eyes go wide.
Then more tears well up in her beautiful, gorgeous golden eyes, and Yang wipes them away, now fighting back some of her own. “You’re such an asshole, Yang Xiao Long,” Blake then snaps, throat cracking on the words. “You want to do this now?”
(It sounds a lot like I love you too)
Yang laughs helplessly, holding her even tighter. “No better time like the present?” She presses her forehead against Blake’s, god, she’s missed her, and delights in the way Blake’s eyes close happily at the contact. “But I do, Blake. I love you.”
And her heart is pounding, but not with nervousness. Not anymore.
Blake’s grin widens until it looks a little stupid, and she leans closer, burying her head in Yang’s neck in an attempt to hide it. Her body’s still shaking, but now it’s because of laughter, giggles bubbling up in her chest, the same giddy feeling that Yang’s soul is thrumming with. Her fluffy ears brush against Yang’s chin; she fights the urge to kiss them. Maybe next time.
And then she murmurs, so softly, so lovingly, “I love you too, Yang. Of course I do.”
Yang’s heart explodes. And then they’re both crying a little, both laughing a lot, and Blake’s feet leave the ground with a soft yelp of surprise as Yang grips her tighter, standing up and spinning them in a slow circle. She can’t help it; she has to move. The nervous energy is gone, replaced by an absolutely giddy emotion that has her nearly jumping for joy. She thinks that if Salem were here, at this very moment, Yang would be able to defeat her by sheer force of willpower alone.
Because she loves them so much; she loves them so much. She loves Ruby, her sister , her baby sister who’d maybe not much of a baby anymore, and god, every time she sees Ruby fight, or talk, anything, really, she just feels so damn proud of her; so much so that the emotion threatens to choke her. Every time.
And She loves Weiss with all her heart, this kind, rebellious girl who grew up with all the privilege in the world and managed to understand the cruelties of it; she loves the girl Weiss has become in their years together, loves the girl Weiss will become as she continues to grow, loves how Weiss will one day be the most famous Schnee in the world, and not for the same reasons the rest of her family are known.
And she loves Blake, god, she loves Blake. Blake, who broke her heart and put it back together with one hand in hers. Blake, who broke free of Adam all on her own and still managed to fight back when it really counted. Who found the strength to look back on her faults and choose to stay. Who’s Yang’s partner, in every sense of the word. Who loves Yang, just as fiercely as Yang loves her.
She loves them all so much.
And who knows how they’ll get out of here; this world that looks normal but oozes oddness. Yang still has to explain what she’d seen here, who she thinks she’d spoken to. She has no idea how they’ll get back to their own world; she has no idea what kind of dangers they’ll face if they try. She grins and buries her head closer into Blake’s shoulder, meeting Ruby’s eyes. She and Weiss are standing together just a few feet away, watching them softly with twin, gentle smiles on their faces. And Yang knows.
The uncertainties don't matter.
She’s already home.