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“I think I love you.”
“I love you too.”
~~~
Jaune had led Team RWBY back to his village and invited them into his home. Ruby was sitting at the table, leaning her head on a closed fist. Jaune had just reunited her with Crescent Rose, The Rusted Knight disappearing back into the other room shortly after. Weiss was making herself coffee, finally a home comfort in a world that had had her flabbergasted with each place the team had been to. It was quiet, and finally Team RWBY had some time to sit down and think.
Yang Xiao Long? She was sitting next to Blake. Their hands locked together, a sense of fulfilment swirling between them. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. The ponderstorm. The bridges. The platform. Everything that was said. The crush she’d had for a long time being revealed for all to see. Her cheeks flushed. The kiss. Oh Gods, that kiss they’d both been waiting for. So much so it wasn’t even really a kiss, it was a whole makeout session. It just felt so right.
Blake flicked an ear, glancing over at her with amber eyes. Her pupils were dilated. She was blushing too, holding onto Yang more tightly. The blonde smiled, looking away shyly. Was her partner thinking about it too? How had it even been for her? Yang acted like a big-shot sometimes, but she was wholly inexperienced with romance. She’d had crushes but never acted on them, and that was mostly out of fear. Not about her sexuality, but love in general. It was a scary concept. It was a big concept.
Yet, telling Blake she loved her and Blake being so quick to answer had set alight a fire within her. Love. Realising that she’d acted out of love in so many situations they’d been in. She loved Blake Belladonna, and Blake Belladonna loved her back. It didn’t make the subject trivial, it made her want to explore it more. It made her want to explore Blake more. It made her want to explore herself more. They couldn’t do that while they were sitting in Jaune’s hut.
Yang glanced over her shoulder at Weiss and Ruby, then back to Blake.
“I think we should get some air.”
The faunus perked her ears, “Great! Me too.”
Weiss stopped blowing on her coffee, scoffing, “Is this how it’s going to be from now on? I’ve been third-wheeling for ages, and I don’t even get to see the payoff.”
“You think Old Man Jaune is hot.” Yang smirked, “You have no right to an opinion on this.”
“It was a momentary lapse!” The ex-heiress stomped her foot, “Don’t tease me!”
Blake chuckled, “It’s alright, Weiss. I thought The Rusted Knight was handsome too, before I found out they were Jaune.”
“This house is made of paper. I can still hear you all.” Jaune called out from the other room.
Weiss puffed her cheeks out, “Just get out, you fools. Go be in love somewhere else.”
As Blake teased Weiss some more, Yang’s eyes fell on Ruby. Her baby sister was burning a hole into the box her weapon was in, her eyes dull like they had been for much of the time they’d been in the Ever After. It looked like she hadn’t even registered what was going on around her. The blonde pushed herself to her feet, not wanting to leave the hut without at least making sure Ruby knew they were gone. She walked over, leaning so her face was in front of the younger huntress’.
The younger girl flinched, before making eye contact with her. She smiled, but Yang knew it wasn’t genuine. She’d been taking the gentle approach with Ruby, not pushing her to speak about how she was feeling. It hurt her so much to see her like this, and that nothing she was doing really seemed to help. All Yang could hope for was that Ruby would eventually open up, and when that happened she’d be waiting with open arms ready to listen to her about everything that was going through her mind.
The blonde smiled warmly at her sister, taking hold of her shoulder.
“Rubes, I’m going for a walk with Blake. Will you be alright?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. Have fun.” The brunette stared back at the box containing Crescent Rose.
Yang felt her heart dropping, “We won’t be long. Weiss is here if you need her.”
Weiss looked over at Yang, offering her an affirmative nod, “Of course.”
“Great.” Ruby muttered.
Yang stood up, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. She glanced over at Weiss again, who frowned and gave her another nod. Blake got up too, moving to her side and taking hold of her hand again. The blonde knew Weiss would keep an eye on her sister. She knew how hard the ex-heiress had been trying to get through to Ruby for their whole journey. She’d seen the aftermath of their last conversation, though. She just prayed Weiss’ resolve wouldn’t falter, and that Ruby wouldn’t snap and say something horrible. Something that she didn’t mean.
Blake said goodbye to Ruby too, planting a soft kiss on top of her head. This earned a more genuine little smile from Ruby, but even that faded within a few seconds. The faunus took hold of Yang’s arm, leading her outside and away from the looming darkness in the hut. Yang let herself calm down, instead focusing on the girl whisking her outside with no attempt of hiding her desperation for them to be alone. Oh yeah, the butterflies were coming back.
The village Jaune lived in was quiet, the only real activity being in the small market place. Blake had taken her by the hand again, their fingers interlocking. Yang hadn’t realised it before, but the faunus had small hands. At least compared to her. They slotted together perfectly, and Blake was so warm. Their grip on each other was gentle and desperate all rolled into one. It had been a long time coming. Yang didn’t want this feeling to go away, not ever.
She found herself watching Blake as she walked through the market. It had started getting dark, and Blake’s amber eyes were glowing slightly in the light. Her short hair, well, Blake already knew Yang loved her hair. The blonde had made an awful attempt at complimenting her not long after it had been cut back in Atlas. She’d made a fool of herself, but the more she recalled the embarrassment the more she recalled about Blake’s reaction. She had blushed. What if she’d confessed her feelings back in the floating city? Would things have been different?
Yang looked away again, knowing her own face was red. Blake was beautiful to every degree. From her smile to her body to her personality. Blake Belladonna was easily one of the prettiest girls she’d ever seen. Yet here she was, being the one that she loved. The happy butterflies swirled around more inside of her. If only she could go back to The Herbalist and stick up a middle finger. She WAS whole. She WAS fully realised. Her younger self standing before her wouldn’t believe what was happening, and it was so satisfying.
The pair eventually came to a stop. They’d found a garden, quiet and oddly secluded for being within a village. They exchanged a glance, before walking in. They picked a tree to sit beneath, still hand in hand. Blake’s ears flattened, and she leant her head against Yang’s shoulder comfortably. The brawler smiled, before leaning back against her. Hopefully, when they escaped the Ever After, Yang could convince Blake to go on a proper date with her. All it would take was defeating an immortal witch woman. Yang had already punched her in the tits and lived. How hard could it be?
Blake snuggled into her further, clearly comfortable.Yang was told by everybody she knew that she was very warm. She wanted Blake to tell her too.
“I’m curious.” Blake broke her train of thought.
Yang glanced down, “Oh yeah? About what?”
“When did you know?” Blake asked.
The blonde raised an eyebrow, “Know? Know what?”
The faunus moved away, smiling up at her, “When did you figure out that you were in love with me?”
“Oh, man.” Yang chuckled, “Are we really going into teen rom-com territory?”
“If you tell me, I’ll tell you.” Blake winked, “I might even kiss you again.”
“Okay, okay.”
Yang had always found Blake attractive, but hadn’t really addressed that until after the fall of Beacon Academy. While she’d been alone, coming to terms with everything that had happened. How Ruby could have been killed if not for her silver eyes. How Weiss had been taken away by her father. How Blake had disappeared after Yang had been taken to hospital. Coming to terms with being an amputee, and getting used to using her prosthetic. She’d had a lot of time to think, and a lot of time to think about who she was and how she felt. It turned out that she felt a lot.
At first, it was resentment. Blake had run away from her, after she’d sacrificed so much to keep her alive and protect her from her abuser. But within her, there had been so much conflict. She couldn’t be properly mad at Blake for leaving her. She realised her heart was breaking, and that more than anything she wanted her to come back. At that stage, it might not have quite been love. It may have been an intense need for the person she trusted most in the world to come back and get her through one of the hardest periods of her life that she’d ever experienced.
She fully realised what this feeling was when she had made it to Haven. Yang had blown up at Weiss and Ruby, and was fully expecting to have both of them leave her alone. Weiss had surprised her by reaching out. Reasoning that Blake’s worst fear had come true, that someone she cared about got hurt because her past caught up with her. Blake ran again to protect her. It hurt, but it made sense. Yang would have done anything for Blake, and that anything had been realised. Blake, in her own way, had been doing the same. That night, she hadn’t slept, and butterflies had flown around all over her body. The conflict within her clicked. The heartbreak had suddenly made so much sense. Yang Xiao Long loved Blake Belladonna, and at that stage she thought she’d never see her again.
“When we reunited, it was tense.” Yang continued, “It didn’t feel right saying it back then.”
“I guess not.” Blake brushed some hair behind her ear, “I’m not sure that would have been the best time.”
Yang smiled, placing a hand on her cheek, “I wanted to say it, though. I’ve wanted to say it for a long time.”
The faunus’ ears twitched, “You’re more of a romantic than I thought, fire-cracker.”
“Pfft, I’m full of surprises.” Yang trailed her fingers down Blake’s face gently, “More will be revealed in due course, I assure you.”
Blake laughed, “Ugh, can I take what I said back? I don’t love you anymore.”
There was a pause, and as Yang lowered her hand Blake caught it.
“Blake?”
“Yeah?”
Yang smirked, “You said you’d tell me when you realised you loved me.”
Blake blushed, looking away, “Oh… that’s only fair.”
Yang tilted her head, the smile not leaving her face, “Remember, there’s a kiss riding on this information.”
“Remember the Beacon dance?” Blake asked, “Well, the conversation we had beforehand actually.”
Yang blinked, “Huh? Really? But you were with Sun.”
The faunus nodded, “I was. But I just know that was the moment, when you opened up to me. You felt safe enough to be vulnerable around me.”
The blonde looked away shyly, “That checks out.”
“When we were apart, I thought about you so much. The things you said to me that day, they made me ache. It was so hard being away from you. I really thought I was protecting you.”
“I know, Blake.”
Blake smiled, “I’ll only ever run towards you now, Yang.”
The taller huntress felt her heart do a flip, “Th-that’s some line. I gotta get some better material.”
Her partner shuffled forward, their faces oh so close to each other. Yang could feel Blake’s breath against her face. A smile formed on her lips, and she took hold of her waist without hesitation. Blake entangled her hands in Yang’s hair, one of the few people who had the privilege of touching it. Their lips met, softly to begin with much like their first. Then, in the same pattern, it deepened. The pair had waited such a long time to be with each other. Waited so long to be able to express their feelings. A lot of emotions needed to get out.
The kiss continued, and eventually Blake ended up in Yang’s lap. Something the blonde had only dreamed of happening. It felt so much better in reality, and Gods she didn’t want it to stop. Disappointing then, when it did stop. Blake broke off the kiss, cupping her partner’s face. There was a soft look on her face, and she moved in to brush their noses together. Yang smiled into the movement, resisting the urge to pull her back in again. It was clear that she wanted to say something, and it would have just been rude to interrupt her girlfriend when they were so fresh, so new.
“You’re really incredible.” Blake touched their foreheads together.
“You’re that and so much more.” Yang pressed into her gently.
“I’m glad I picked you in the Emerald forest that day.”
The brawler moved away so she could look at Blake properly, “You picked me? I just thought you saw an ursa and like, wanted to kill it. We made eye contact by chance.”
The faunus tilted her head, her ears lopsided, “I sensed something good in you that night before the initiation. How you were with Ruby. I knew you were a good person, and I needed a good person in my life.”
“I genuinely thought you didn’t like me back then.”
“Like I said, I was purposely closed off.” Blake brushed Yang’s bangs out of her face, “I always liked you. You made me smile.”
Yang chuckled, “You’re a real corn-ball, aren’t you?”
“I’m just telling the truth.” Blake smiled.
Yang kissed her again, clearly catching her off guard. Blake kept her smile though, not attempting to push Yang away from her. The excitement, the thrill of their lips meeting. Yang found herself smiling into the kiss too. With all the bullshit that they’d both been through, this seemed like the perfect way to top it all off. The icing on the cake, the cherry on top, everything. She wondered how the others would react once they got back to Vacuo. She could picture Nora’s face, and if she weren’t caught in Blake’s mouth she’d have laughed. She couldn’t wait to be out of this place, hand in hand with her partner. Her love.
“When we get out of here, we have to go dancing again.” Yang said as she broke away,
“When we get out of here,” Blake’s ears flattened, “We have to defeat an immortal witch.”
“Blake, right now, I feel like I could take on Monstra by myself. We’re going to win, I can feel it.”
The faunus took hold of her hands, “You have to promise me you won’t do something like that. At least not by yourself.”
“I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without you.” Yang winked, “That’s the last thing on my mind right now, babe. Trust me.”
Blake’s ears perked up, and she stifled a laugh, “Babe?”
“More pet names are under-construction, I swear.”
“No, I like it.”
The pair stayed in the garden a while longer, just enjoying each other’s company. The happiness that radiated between them almost outweighed everything that had happened to them. Almost. Eventually, they’d have to go back and face the reality of the situation. Yang would have to go back and see her sister with every ounce of light drained from her. See how much Weiss was hurting about Atlas and how much the Ever After was confusing her. Jaune was on a whole other level, and thinking about it too hard made her head hurt and her stomach spin.
For now, they would sit. They would smile. They would be together.
~~~
Weiss watched as the door closed. Then she focused back on her coffee as the proud smile left her face. She was so happy for Blake and Yang, they’d both waited so long to realise their feelings. Seeing them happy nearly made everything else fade away. But then she remembered the looming shadow, glancing at her partner. She looked at the pot of coffee, then back to Ruby. Okay, Weiss. You’ve got this. Cream and five sugars, something familiar. That’ll get her talking. Or at least it’ll make her feel something. She put her own cup down, grabbing an empty one.
She still felt sick from their last conversation, Ruby comparing herself to Summer, questioning her about whether she even knew who the brunette was. Seeing the look on her face and how her eyes reflected nothing back at all. No. This was still Ruby. Still the dolt she’d seen grow up and flourish as a huntress and friend. There was no need to be scared, she could bring her back. If Blake and Yang’s partnership was stronger than ever, there had to be a way to reaffirm her own partnership. For the sake of her team, for the sake of her friend, she just had to.
The ex-heiress picked up the new cup of coffee, taking a breath and walking over to Ruby. Calm. Stay calm. She placed the cup down in front of her, positioning it so the handle was in her direction. Ruby seemed to perk up slightly, looking between the cup and Weiss.
“I know you said you didn’t want anything.” Weiss put on her best smile, “I just couldn’t stop myself from putting in blasphemous amounts of cream and sugar just for you.”
Ruby stared at her, before picking the cup up and staring into the drink, “Thanks.”
“May I sit here?” Weiss asked, gesturing to the chair across from Ruby.
Ruby nodded.
“Thank you.” The ex-heiress moved Myrtenaster carefully, placing it against the wall before taking a seat.
They remained silent, Weiss taking a sip of her coffee. Ruby just continued to stare at hers, keeping hold of the cup with both hands. She looked so tired, so at the end of her rope. The older girl was running out of things to say to her. Her role. It ate away at her. She was the support to her teammates, the support to her friends. She knew that, and she knew that she was good at it. At least, she strived to be good at it. But that wasn’t all that SHE was. She was Weiss Schnee, Huntress. The person who would forge a new path for herself. The person who would make the Schnee name something to be proud of again.
Ruby was hurting. She was hurting to a degree that Weiss was still trying to work out. Yang knew. Blake knew. Yang had been being soft with her, expertly so. But what did Weiss expect really? They were sisters. They had a connection on a deeper level. They understood each other. The more Weiss thought, the more the lump grew in her throat. Blake and Yang were so in sync. They were so together. They were likely freely talking about their feelings as she and Ruby sat saying nothing at all. She was happy. But she was also very sad.
“Weiss, are you okay?”
The ex-heiress nearly jumped out of her seat, not able to find any words to say.
Ruby tilted her head, “The ponderstorm. You saw Atlas. Are you alright?”
“I…” Weiss started tapping on her mug, “Surely what you’re going through is worse.”
“Tell me.” Ruby looked desperate, “Please, tell me.”
Weiss looked at her partner properly. She looked into her eyes. There was something there now. A deep sadness. So deep, in fact, that Weiss feared if she stared for too long she’d fall in. But there was a little glimmer. A tiny glimmer of concern breaking through that. The ex-heiress tapped more aggressively on the cup she was holding. She couldn’t talk about herself at a time like this. She needed to support Ruby. But the more she looked at Ruby’s face, the more she saw the desperation. The need to talk about something else. Anything else. The burden she was carrying was so heavy already, Weiss couldn’t add to that.
Ruby put her cup down, reaching over. She took the cup, replacing it with her hand. Weiss almost burst into tears just from that. She held onto her partner’s hand tightly, she hadn’t realised how much she’d needed it. Maybe she could let a little bit out. No. She needed to be strong for Ruby, she needed to be strong for her team. She needed-
“Weiss, I’m sorry about earlier.”
Weiss looked up, seeing a hint of a smile on Ruby’s face, “It… you’re hurting. It doesn’t matter.”
“I made you cry.” Ruby stated bluntly, “It does matter.”
“I… I forgive you. I wasn’t mad at you. I just needed to give myself some space.” Weiss looked down, “You were just- the way you spoke, it hurt.”
“I’m sorry.”
The ex-heiress smiled slightly as well, “It hurt because I care about you. It was selfish of me.”
“I didn’t see it that way, if that helps.” The brunette’s tone was still blunt.
Weiss could feel the tears brimming in her eyes, “O-oh, okay.”
Ruby nodded, “Now, tell me what you’re thinking about.”
Weiss froze. The guilt was still weighing heavily on her. But if she kept it in, she wouldn’t be strong enough to carry Ruby. So, she spoke, the words flowing faster than she thought they would.
Atlas. Her physical home. There were so many different feelings she felt about the place. She resented it, she resented that for so much time it felt more like a prison than a city in the sky. She grew up under the reign of a horrible, abusive man. A mother who was hurting too, so much so she had drowned herself in booze and distanced herself from her children. Weiss recalled the times where she’d blamed herself for her parents' loveless marriage, her 10th birthday being a day that changed something within her too. That had happened in Atlas, a break in the mirror that may not heal. Atlas was the home of so much misery.
Yet, there had been good times. She remembered when her grandfather would visit, offering her kind words of encouragement. How it had helped her want to break out of the princess archetype, and pursue being her own knight in shining armour. She wasn’t just her own knight anymore, and she owed that to being in Atlas. She owed that to her grandfather. She owed it to Klein, her loyal butler and friend who always believed in her and always encouraged her to fight for what she believed in. She owed it to Winter for telling her to forge a path she could be proud of. Atlas had been the catalyst to Weiss Schnee being Weiss Schnee.
She didn’t regret escaping. She knew that if she’d stayed, her life wouldn’t have been a life at all. Her father would have insisted that she be married into nobility. She would have been forced to continue to perform at charity events. The ex-heiress no longer regretted losing her title and right to the SDC. There was nothing to inherit anymore, anyway. Part of her still wished the company could have been reformed when Atlas was still floating. But there were much bigger things going on in Remnant than a shady business with awful practices. She was heiress to nothing, and that was okay. She had long since made her peace with that.
If Atlas hadn’t existed at all, neither would she. That was what she felt hurt the most. Weiss wouldn’t be Weiss without Atlas. Now, the kingdom was gone. She had nothing to go back to. Nothing to remind her of the good parts of her childhood. The place where she made her first prototype of Myrtenaster, her loyal blade that was such a big part of her identity. Such a big part of her journey. How gentle Winter had been when she was younger, being the parent she needed when her mother and father weren’t. How she and Whitley had played with each other when they were younger. None of those things would be memories if Atlas had never been created.
It wasn’t the home she’d found in Team RWBY. But it had been a home. Full of innocent people. At least they’d gotten out. Well, most of them anyway.
“I know it doesn’t make much sense.” The ex-heiress said miserably, “I have a lot of conflicting feelings.”
Ruby remained silent, still holding her hand.
“It was my fault.” Weiss spoke in a small voice, “The portals were by my design. We knew Atlas would fall without the relic.”
“I…” Ruby sighed, “You saved so many people. You fought so hard.”
“It wasn’t enough.”
Ruby held onto her more tightly, “So many people are still alive because of you.”
“Because of us.” Weiss said firmly.
Ruby’s expression fell. Weiss frowned at her through the tears that had started falling through the conversation. It was Team RWBY. It was Ruby leading them that meant they could get people to safety. They had failed. But not entirely. They’d still upheld what it meant to be huntresses. To protect people that had no hope of protecting themselves from an impossible foe. As much as it was horrible, they’d still preserved life. Any small victory in an unwinnable war was worth acknowledging. The ex-heiress looked down. How had it gotten to this point? She was dangling over the edge of hopelessness.
Weiss glanced at the box containing Crescent Rose. She needed to change the subject before she started lamenting about the war. She didn’t want to tip Ruby over the edge with her. Or rather, she didn’t want to push her farther under.
“Are you happy to have her back?” Weiss asked.
Ruby flinched, “Crescent Rose? I… I guess.”
The ex-heiress tilted her head, “You guess?”
Dull silver eyes looked directly into blue, “Have you ever felt disconnected from Myrtenaster?”
Weiss blinked, “Disconnected?”
“I can’t even look at her.”
The ex-heiress frowned, “Ruby…”
Thunder. Thunder started rumbling again. Weiss glanced out of the window. Was it another ponderstorm? No. The clouds looked normal. The rain started to fall. Weiss looked back at Ruby, seeing the tears falling down her face. The ex-heiress felt her breath hitch. Not again. There was nothing in those silver eyes again. Her face was so empty. Just like when they were talking at the night market. The nausea hit her like a brick wall, her hands started shaking.
“Ruby?”
“Who am I, Weiss?” Ruby sobbed, “What am I?”
“You’re my… you’re my partner.”