Chapter Text
“We should take a road trip this summer.”
Blake quirks a brow and glances across her dorm room to give her roommate and best friend a inquisitive look, her lips twitching upwards into a fond smile at the sight of Yang hanging her head off of her bed and grinning at her goofily. Granted, when she had first met her, Blake didn’t think that Yang was the kind of person that she’d be naturally inclined to choose as a friend but as the months went on, she found herself choosing Yang again and again. It was as though she were helplessly drawn to her, always coming back to the same conclusion; she just couldn’t stay away, even when she tried. “Oh? And why’s that?”
“Because you’re stuck here for the summer since your folks have that big meeting thing for their company and I don’t want to deal with my Raven situations. We’re nineteen years old, Blake. We should be having fun!” Yang exlaims as she sits up, quickly making her way over to where Blake laid on her bed and fell on top of her, crossing her arms over Blake’s stomach and resting her chin on her arms. “C’mon. Just you, me and the open road. Who doesn’t want to take a trip with their best friend?”
“Yeah.” Blake echoes, her black cat ears pinning against her skull for a moment as her chest twists painfully. She had known for some time now that her feelings for Yang weren’t strictly platonic, just as she knew that spending that much time alone with Yang would be a beautiful kind of torture. She sighs heavily, biting her lip thoughtfully as she looking down at Yang’s face, bright and eager and hopeful. Blake swallows thickly as Yang’s smile turns into a pout and she knows she’s done for. How could she say no to that face? “Fine. But we need to actually come with a plan. We can’t just wing it, you know.”
“Yes! You’re the best, Blake!” Yang laughs as she sits up and pumps her fist, an excited grin on her face as she turns to look at Blake fondly. “We are going to have so much fun. You won’t regret it, I promise, Blake.”
Blake rolls her eyes, ignoring the heat creeping up her neck as Yang pats her leg and stands up, returning to her own bunk as she whistles to herself happily. Blake’s eyes trail over her strong back for a long moment, mentally cursing and thanking whoever invented tank tops. She forces herself to look away, hiding her flushed face behind a book, desperately trying to ignore the urge to pull Yang back into her bed beside her.
Blake Belladonna suspected that she wasn’t going to survive this road trip. At least… not with her dignity still intact.
“Alright. I think that’s everything!” Yang chirps happily, grinning at Blake as she heaves the last of her gear into the back of her black and yellow, beat up truck. “You ready to go?”
“Unfortunately.” Blake deadpans standing up from her bench and quirking a brow at Yang’s black T-shirt. Across the front of it was a graphic of the Goatman cryptid from Vacuo, with words “FUCK YOU, GOATMAN!” printed on it. “Really? Again with the cryptid T-shirts?”
“Listen, we’re travelling across Anima this summer. What’s a little summer fun without a cryptid or two?”
“A normal vacation.” Blake teases, flicking Yang’s nose as she passed her, giggling lightly as she yelped indignantly. “Now come on. If I have to stay here any longer, I might go mad.”
As if on cue, a loud explosion is heard halfway across campus, soon followed by a loud, maniacal cackle and an exasperated shout of “Nora!” Blake and Yang turn to look at each other with matching expressions of alarm before they bolted for the truck, knowing full well that if they didn’t leave this instant, they would be dragged into some new chaos or another.
It wasn’t long before they were driving out of the town of Vale, windows down and their road trip playlist playing. Blake raised her hand to her sunglasses, adjusting them, content to use them as a viable excuse to stare at Yang subtly, enthralled with watching the way Yang sang along to her favourite songs. A soft sigh escaped her, as she leaned against her door and watched Yang, trailing her gaze over the freckles that marked her tanned skin and down to the hand that rested on the gear shift, biting back the impulse to reach out and hold it.
“‘Kay. So, we’re gonna be on the road for, like, 8 hours hours until we get to this small town. It’s really cool, actually. Apparently, it’s haunted.” Yang said with a smirk, as she turned to glare at Blake over her aviators. “You’re not scared of ghosts, right?”
“Of course not.” Blake snorts, rolling her eyes as she turned to look out of her window, a deep frown twisting her expression as her ears pinned back. When it comes down to it, she knows that it wasn’t the supernatural that you had to be wary of; it was the living. She inhales deeply, counts to ten and pushes all thoughts of him from her mind before responding to Yang’s tease with one of her own. “What about you, Yang? Do I need to hold your hand? Perhaps you’d like to bury your face in my shoulder like you did last Hallowe’en?”
“That was one time, you ass! And everyone was terrified of that movie! You were the only one unfazed by it.” Yang laughs, shaking her head as she smirks again. “You’re just a horror nerd, is all. How do you love horror this much?”
“I enjoy the thrill. It’s nice, being able to get that rush of adrenaline while still being in control. Still being safe.” Blake finally answers, as she looked down at her lap and fiddled with her fingers. “It’s fascinating to see what kind of a story they tell with the monster. Are they simply evil? Are they a victim of circumstance? Can the heroes stop a viscious cycle? Will they win or was their failure predestined? Is there a meaning behind the movie or is it just a gore-fest?” Blake shrugs, glancing up at Yang, with a small, sad smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Plus… horror… sort of became an escape for me after my time with- with Adam, y’know? Horror movies were a fear that I could control. Adam wasn’t.”
Blake blinks slowly at her as Yang frowns and reaches over to take her hand, threading their fingers together and squeezing three times, her silent way of asking Blake if she needed a hug when she knew that Blake despises being vulnerable. Blake squeezes back twice, a silent confirmation, and Yang pulls her hand back and raises her arm welcomingly. Blake wiggles over the truck bench to her, curling into her side and closing her eyes as Yang’s arm wraps around her shoulders, her thumb brushing back and forth soothingly. Blake presses her nose into Yang’s collar, resting her hand over her abdomen, as she inhales deeply, drinking in the strong and quiet comfort that Yang was so willing to give. A soft hum escapes her as Yang plants a reassuring kiss to the top of her head, as affectionate as she ever was. Yang never made Blake feel guilty for needing comfort and reassurance. She never made Blake feel like she was weak for needing to be held. She made Blake feel safe enough to accept it, to let Yang hold her and support her when she needed it. She almost made it easy for Blake to ask for what she needed from her.
“We’ll take a break in a fewof hours, yeah?” Yang murmurs softly into her hair, seemingly content to drive with one hand. “Snack, stretch our legs and wake up a lil.”
“Sounds good.” Blake sighs, more than content herself to curl into her best friend. Maybe her own feelings weren’t strictly platonic… but Blake was happy to take what she could get because, in her mind, having Yang as a friend was far better than not having her at all.
“You disgust me. You’re my best friend and I love ya to death, but you disgust me.”
Blake pauses, chocolate covered licorice bullet halfway to her mouth, and turns to slowly face her friend as they pass a sign welcoming them into the town of Beacon. She narrows her eyes and very slowly and purposely places the candy into her mouth, staring stubbornly at Yang as her friend grimaces. “You eat salt and vinegar chips, Yang.”
“Your point being?”
“My point being that at least I’m not a fucking masochist. You’re basically eating the chip equivalent of pain, sunshine.” Blake says with an amused snort, reaching up to readjust her ponytail as Yang lets out an offended gasp. “I would say the truth hurts but you’d probably be into that.”
“How fucking dare- I can’t believe—“ Yang’s voice squeaks in playful outrage as she reached over to blindly bat at Blake’s shoulder. “—Listen here, you lil’ shit!”
“I’m listening. Do tell me more about your pain kink.”
“I don’t have a pain kink!” Yang growls playfully, turning to glare at Blake before pointing at her. “I can and will leave you on the side of this road, Belladonna.”
“You wouldn’t do that to me… would you?” Blake says softly, tilting her head and dropping her ears as she juts her lips out in a pout and looks at Yang with wide, pleading eyes. “You wouldn’t leave me to get picked off by coyotes and ghouls… right?”
“...oh, that’s dirty. That is so fucking dirty.” Yang groans, running a hand through her hair as they passed a statue of a gentleman with a cane, the mayor presumably. “No. Nuh-Uh. Stop looking at me with them big ol’ eyes, Blake. It’s not going to work this time.”
‘Well,” Blake thinks to herself, tapping her leg thoughtfully, knowing full well that Yang was actively fighting against her weakness for Blake’s kicked puppy dog face. ‘It looks like I have to bring out the big guns.’
“Yang? Have I ever told you that you’re, like, the best friend and roommate that I could ever have asked for?” Blake coos, biting back a smirk when Yang’s gaze softens, her jaw relaxing ever so slightly. “I’m just very lucky to have you in my life, you know? You’re-“
“Okay! Alright, okay, fine!” Yang relents with a whine, huffing indignantly as they pulled into a motel. She puts the car in park and turns to Blake with an expression of fond exasperation. “You know I hate it when you do that.”
“It’s not my fault you’re a big softy.” Blake shrugs, allowing her smirk to grow as she crosses her arms and meets her friend’s gaze. “But it’s not like I’d die out here so it wasn’t even that bad of a threat.” She muses, turning her head to glance around the old town.
“Hey, in all seriousness,” Yang says, her expression shifting to something far more tender as she places her arm along the back of the seat. “You know I’d never do something like that to you, right?”
“Of course I know that.” Blake answers, her heart beginning to race when Yang smiles oh so warmly at her. “Like I said… you’re a big softy.”
“Sure am.” Yang murmurs warmly, her hand drifting down to Blake’s shoulder and squeezing it affectionately before she pulls away. “Now move your butt. We need to go in and get a room before dinner, Princess.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not a princess?!”
“You’re next in line for a position of power, you had to convince your folks not to send a body guard with you to school and you’ve had four different people fall in love with you. Sounds like a princess to me, Blake.”
“Okay. One; my father might run a legal company but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to take over when he retires. It’ll go to whoever he and the board determines will be the best leader for the business’s future. Two; the only reason they wanted to send a bodyguard was because Dad’s a worry wart. And finally-“ Blake pauses in her rant to give Yang a bewildered look, her ears pinning back in mild alarm. “Who the actual fuck has fallen in love with me?!”
“Sun Wukong, Ilia Amitola and Weiss Schnee. Literally all of them have asked you out.” Yang says blankly before a smirk grows across her face, her lilac eyes gleaming mischievously. “Weiss was the funniest, though. It was like watching somebody stepped out from the 1920’s in an attempt to court you like an old fashioned gentleman.”
“Shut up.” Blake muttered under her breath, her cheeks burning as Yang grins triumphantly at her. It wasn’t like she wanted people asking her out. Especially since her last relationship had ended so miserably. As she’s stewing in her own confusion as to why anyone would ask her out, she pauses, a sudden realisation coming to mind.“Wait… you said four. Who’s the fourth?” She inquires, scrunching up her nose in confusion as she tried to think of who else Yang might be talking about..
“Can’t tell you. Let’s just say that I promised her that I’d keep it a secret until she’s ready to tell you herself.” Yang says with a loud and nervous cough before reaching over to open her door. “Now come on. Let’s get inside, shall we?”
Blake quirks a brow as Yang quickly leaves the truck and heads to the truckbed to grab their suitcases, a distinct air of embarrassment following her. She has no clue who Yang could possibly be talking about but she does know that the poor girl was going to be sorely disappointed if she ever truly gets to know Blake like Yang does. Hell, Blake considered herself lucky that Yang hadn’t run for the hills by this point in their friendship.
There was a small silence as the two women make their way to reception, their luggage in hand and fatigue slowly settling into their bones from the long drive, despite the numerous breaks that they took on the way up. A young man with short, blonde hair met them and smiled at them in a friendly manner. “Here for a room, ladies?”
“Yup. One night, please.” Yang confirms, leaning against the counter as the man began to check the records. “Anything you’ve got will do.”
“We do have a couple’s room available if that’s fine with you?”
Blake and Yang exchange a look before shrugging and nodding at each other. It wasn’t like they had never shared a bed before, both girls long since used to falling asleep on each other during movie night. Though Blake had to admit… the idea of actively choosing to sleep beside Yang was enough to make to make her heart race as the man booked them in and handed them their key with a cheerful goodbye, sending them on their way.
“Is that my shirt?”
Blake froze as Yang plops down beside her on the bed, distracting her from the book she’s reading. Blake glances over to Yang, mentally blanking at the sight of her orange tank top and boy shorts. “Come again?” She asks dumbly, forcing her gaze from Yang’s legs to her face, struggling against the warmth that crept across her cheeks.
“You’re wearing my shirt.” Yang says simply, leaning up on one arm and grinning teasingly up at her as she poked Blake’s bicep. “You so stole it from me.”
Blake glances down at the too big T-shirt that ended at mid thigh, hiding her purple shorts. The shirt was decorated with bumblebees, something that Blake found rather cute. She shrugs, turning her attention back to her book with a small smile. “It’s comfy.” She says, refusing to let Yang know that wearing her shirt was comforting to her.
“I’ll buy you one for the holidays, then.” Yang chuckles, moving to crawl underneath the blanket and stretching out her limbs. “Hey, do you wanna watch a movie? You can pick.”
“I’ll grab my laptop.”
Soon after, Blake finds herself resting against the motel pillows with her laptop on her lap and Yang curled up into her side, her head resting comfortably on Blake’s shoulder as they watched Beauty and the Beast. Blake tries to focus on the movie, she really does. But with Yang’s breath ghosting over her bare collar, her arms curled loosely around Blake’s waist, it was becoming increasing hard not to look down at her face as she watched the movie, seemingly enthralled with the story. As they watch, Blake’s arm curls around Yang’s shoulder, causing her friend to nestle a little more firmly into her side as she lets out a small, tired hum that vibrates along Blake’s skin. For a moment, Blake lifts her head to stare almost pleadingly at the ceiling, silently begging whatever God there was to give her the strength to resist the urge to lean down and claim Yang’s lips with her own. It was torture, being this close to Yang, and it was heaven. It was simultaneously overwhelming and not enough. She was content with what they had and yet, a small part of her wanted more.
A soft snore interrupted her lamentations and she sighs heavily, glancing back down to see that Yang had fallen asleep against her chest, arms clutching her tightly. Carefully, Blake moves the laptop to the bedside table and lays back down, her head meeting the pillows with a soft grunt as Yang lets out a soft, displeased whine in her sleep, her fingers curling tightly into the shirt that Blake wore.
“You are going to kill me.” Blake says in a strained whisper into Yang’s hair, running a hand tenderly along her bare shoulder under the blanket, coming to a rest over Yang’s waist. She lowers her head to press her lips to Yang’s head, lingering and inhaling the family scent of her shampoo shakily. “You know that, right?”
Her only answer being a sleepy grumble as Yang hooks a leg over Blake’s hip and buries her face into Blake’s chest, her arms curling around her waist just a fraction tighter as Blake sighs and brushes her thumb against Yang’s hip affectionately before closing her eyes.
Blake Belladonna was, in all ways but the desirable one, fucked.