Work Text:
When Yang walked into her English class that morning, she had not been expecting to see a book laying on the floor near her desk. She knew immediately that it wasn’t hers; there were no outrageous colors or swirling designs on the cover, or her name written out in marker on the front. No, the book in question was a notebook with a plain black cover, the spine cracked and worn from how many times it had been opened.
Curiosity piqued, Yang swiped the book from off of the floor and flopped down onto her seat, glancing around. No one was looking her way, no one was shouting “hey, that’s mine!” at her or demanding that she return their property. Satisfied, she turned back to the book and stared at it, fingers twitching with anticipation.
She shouldn’t…
But that nagging sense of curiosity poked and prodded at her, imploring her to just take a peek inside. Maybe the person who owns this wrote their name in it… Yeah. I’m just doing them a favor by checking so that I can return it to them, she thought. Feeling completely absolved of any guilt, Yang flipped open to the first page….
And came face to face with herself.
“What…?”
Someone had drawn her in painstaking detail, sketching Yang’s image onto the crisp paper with such talent that it looked as if it was a photograph taken in black and white. Shaky fingers touched the curve of her jaw, where the drawing of her was grinning widely as if someone had just told a joke.
Inhaling sharply, Yang raised her head and looked around at the students that were beginning to file in. No one was paying any attention to her. Flipping the page had her coming across a small poem, the writing small and neat.
The color yellow
Yellow like her hair
Yellow like the sun that dances behind her eyes
Warm and full of life
The way she laughs, deep and full
Her smile can light up the room
“Oh my god..”
A poem.
About her of all people.
Yang’s cheeks burned hot as she sucked in a deep breath, heart pounding wildly in her chest. Someone had written about her. Not just once either, but several times it seemed as she continued to look through the book. She couldn’t bring herself to care about the breach of privacy, not when there was someone that cared so much about her that they had filled a book with their thoughts about her.
It seemed to be a reoccurring theme though that the person wished they would “finally work up the courage to say something to her.”
Yang wished they would too. Anyone who could make her feel this giddy and happy over simple words deserved a shot. The only problem was.. She didn’t know who it was. There was no name written anywhere in the book, no hints or clues as to the identity of this mysterious person that was so smitten with her.
No matter. She was determined to find out who it was, if only so that she could give them a big hug for making her so happy.
More and more students filed into class, and Yang turned to examine each one as they sat down, scrutinizing each of her peers for any signs that they were the mystery writer.
Was it Cardin, the football player that hit on her occasionally? Probably not. Yang doubted he could string a sentence together, let alone write so beautifully.
How about the scraggly blond guy that sat at the very back of the class? No, Yang had seen him hanging out with her friend Pyrhha the other day, and they were pretty close.
What about the cute brunette that sat a few seats over from her, the one that always had her nose in a book and the prettiest eyes ever? Yeah right, she wished…
On and on it went, with Yang coming no closer to finding out who it was that had left the notebook behind. She wasn’t sure if her coming across it was intentional or not, but she didn’t care at this point.
A tap on her shoulder had Yang jumping in her spot, knees banging painfully into the bottom of her desk. Irritated at being interrupted in her task, she glared up at the intruder.
“Someone’s a little jumpy today,” Pyrrha said, sliding into the seat next to her. “Are you alright?”
“Fine, just fine.” Yang sighed, a sappy smile coming to her lips. She tapped the notebook with her finger, smile widening. “I just found like… The greatest thing ever.”
“Hmm?” The redhead peered over, one eyebrow arched. “That’s a new look for you, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were in love.”
“I might be….” Sliding the notebook over to Pyrhha, she waited as her friend opened it and began to read through it.
“Wow… This is, wow Yang.” Pyrrha smiled as she handed it back over, Yang taking the book and cradling it to her chest. “Someone has a secret admirer.”
“I know. I just need to find out who it is so I can hug them to death.” Yang grinned widely. “God, I can’t believe someone wrote all those things about me, it’s just, I can’t even…”
Pyrrha laughed, patting Yang on the arm. “It’s cute. But if you have their book, what are they going to write in?”
“Oh… I dunno, I didn’t think…” Frowning, Yang set the book on her desk and stared at it. “I’d give it back if I could, but even if I could I’d never see any of this again. I just wished they’d… like, leave a note or something. It’s stupid, but you know how much of a sucker I am for romance.”
“Believe me, I know,” Pyrrha said, voice dry. “How many times have you made me watch Summer in Vale with you?”
“It’s a classic!”
“Right…”
The two girls chatted until the bell rang, signalling that class had started. The entire time the professor droned on, Yang had only one thing on her mind.
I need to find out who wrote this.
–
The next day came all too slowly, with Yang eagerly counting down the minutes until she arrived at school. It was a strange change from her usual hatred of all things academic, but she had reread the notebook once again before bed and was more determined than ever to find out who it was that had written such sweet things about her.
As Yang walked into the classroom, her eyes zeroed in on an envelope sitting on her desk, her name written on the middle of it. Heart speeding up, she rushed over and snatched it up, drinking in the way the letters that made up her name flowed. She slid a nail under the seal, opening the envelope more carefully than she had ever done before.
A single piece of paper was inside.
Love is purple
Amethyst like her eyes
The color of royalty
I would gladly kneel before her
Pledge my allegiance
To the queen
She rules my heart
My mind
My soul
Not a day goes by that I don’t
Think of her
I wish that she
Would think of me
The way I do her
“Oh gosh…” Yang practically swooned, sinking into her seat with a lovestruck sigh. Whoever it was, they were definitely going to get a date out of this. Then something clicked: whoever had left the note had to have come in either way after the last class of the day, or before she had arrived. Looking around, she noticed there was only one person in the room. The cute bookworm that sat a few desks down from her was sitting down at her own desk, pencil scratching down notes.
Bounding over to her, Yang knocked a few times on the desk. The girl’s head snapped up, amber eyes wide with shock. Suppressing a snicker at the owlish look she got, Yang cleared her throat. “Hey there, you wouldn’t have happened to see who left something on my desk, would you?”
“Me? No. No, sorry, I’ve been.. writing notes.” The girl’s voice was soft and apologetic as she gestured to her papers.
“Oh.. No that’s okay, sorry to bother you.” Not bothering to hide the crestfallen look on her face, Yang slunk back over to her desk and sat down, resting her head on the cool wood. It had been too much to hope that anyone had been paying attention.
Still…
Sitting up straight, Yang gave the paper a smile before folding it up and tucking it into her pocket. She would find this person no matter what.
–
That had been the plan at least. However, no matter how hard Yang tried, she had been unable to catch the mystery writer in the act. She had tried coming early before class, running back to the classroom after the last bell had rang, even going so far as to camp out in front of class in hope of stumbling across whoever had been leaving notes for her. She had found out quickly that if she tried to catch her admirer, there would be no note for her so she had given up.
Months had passed since she had found the notebook, and Yang had gotten a letter each day after that. Some had little poems written down, other had beautiful pictures drawn on them of flowers and dragons and fantastic scenes from the book they had been assigned. Others had her admirer’s heart poured onto them, and how they lamented their inability to say anything to her.
I wish I could tell you how I felt about you face to face. I’ve admired you from afar for so long, but every time I’ve worked up the courage to talk to you, I see your face and I get scared. I’m glad that these notes can put a smile on your face even if I can’t do it personally. Please don’t ever stop smiling.
Yours Truly.
There was no name, as always.
And then one day the notes just…. stopped.
Yang was devastated. After all the buildup between her and the mystery writer, to have the letters that were the highlight of her day just disappear on her felt like a punch to the gut. The first day that her desk was barren of any paper, she chalked it up to a fluke. Perhaps her admirer had gotten sick, or was late that day. But the next day and the day after that… Nothing.
Her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. Sitting down numbly, Yang was hard pressed not to cry. Had they given up? Had she driven them off somehow? Had something happened to them?
The answer came in the form of a throat clearing right after the bell rang. Standing at the front of the room, the professor looked unusually solemn for such a nice day. “As you may or may not be aware, one of your fellow classmates was in a severe car accident the other day. Miss Blake Belladonna is currently in the hospital. We’re all wishing her a speedy recovery.”
Several gasps rang throughout the room, and Yang’s blood turned to ice.
It was her.
It had to be. It made perfect sense. Yang wracked her brain, trying to figure out who exactly Blake was, looking around the room for any sort of clue. For once, it seemed that there was perfect attendance, making it easy to spot the empty desk.
The cute brunette…
The rest of the class was spent in a daze, with Yang trying to figure out how she had missed the signs. She had been crushing on the other girl since classes had started, but had never been able to work up the nerve to ask her out. Blake tended to keep to herself, so Yang had never gotten her name.
She felt like an idiot.
A shrill ringing made her jolt, nearly tripping over her bag in her haste to get up. Screw classes, she had to get to the hospital. She had to see Blake and let her know that she felt the same way. Ignoring Pyrrha’s confused voice asking where she was off to in such a hurry, she shouldered her backpack and raced to the door, intent on getting to the hospital as fast as possible.
“Miss Xiao Long?”
Her professor’s voice, along with a hand on her shoulder, had Yang screeching to a halt. Turning to face the man, she hoped she didn’t convey her irritation at being stopped. “Yeah?”
“I don’t know how close you were to Miss Belladonna, but she had this on her.” Reaching into his front pocket, he pulled out a sealed envelope with Yang’s name on it, handing it to the dumbstruck girl. Her hands trembled as she took it, trying to ignore how the edge of it was stained a rust brown. “She had her student card with her, which is how we were notified. And this was turned into the front desk.”
“Th-Thank you,” Yang said, voice hoarse with emotion. A few more details were shared with her, such as which hospital Blake was staying at, and a pile of papers were given to her. Notes and various assignments so that Blake wouldn’t fall behind. Thanking the man profusely, Yang took her leave, bypassing the next class in favor of rushing to her car.
It was a miracle that she didn’t get pulled over for speeding, but Yang managed to make it to the hospital in one piece. Once she had pulled into a parking spot, Yang turned her car of and reached into her pocket, pulling out the envelope. Breaking the seal, she pulled out the letter.
I know we haven’t talked much
I know that you aren’t mine
But I want you to know that
You have my heart
Seeing you sitting there
With the sun shining through the window
You glow
Radiantly
Like an angel
Yang,
If I were to ask you out to the school dance next month, would you give me the honor of escorting you? If yes, I’ll be waiting in the library after classes have ended. If no, that’s alright. I’m just glad I could make you smile with these letters.
Yours Truly.
Yang covered her mouth with a hand, tears dropping onto the page below and staining the ink into a blurry illegible mess. Letting out a wet laugh, she rested her forehead against the steering wheel, shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs. Blake was going to ask her out? God, she hadn’t even gotten the chance to say yes!
It took a few minutes to get her crying under control, but once she managed to calm down, Yang wiped her face clean and tucked the note back into her pocket, determination washing over her. She needed to see Blake face to face. Needed to make sure that she was okay.
She needed to give Blake her answer.
Gathering the papers in her arms, Yang made a quick pitstop at the hospital’s gift shop, choosing a small black cat plushie that she was sure Blake would like. She may not have gotten Blake’s name before this whole incident, but she had paid attention to the girl. Blake liked to drink tea in the mornings, loved to doodle in the margins of her notebooks, and had the cutest cat sweater known to mankind.
After paying for her gift and getting Blake’s room number from the front desk, Yang found herself standing in the doorway. She could see the girl sitting in bed reading a book. As per usual, it seemed. A shy smile came to Yang’s face as she knocked gently on the wall to get Blake’s attention, prompting the brunette to look up. Yang could pinpoint the exact moment that Blake spotted her; amber eyes went wide with shock, the girl’s face paling rapidly before turning bright red.
Beep! Beepbeepbeep!
Yang’s smile widened as Blake’s heart monitor sped up, stepping closer until she was at the girl’s bedside. “Hey there.”
“H-Hi,” Blake whispered. Her voice was rough and scratchy, nothing at all like the sweet melodic sound that Yang was accustomed to. Awkward silence descended upon them, with Blake looking at her like she was the devil herself, and Yang uncertain how to break the ice.
In the meantime, she took the time to look Blake over. The poor girl looked awful, with cuts and scrapes and bruises on almost every patch of skin Yang could see, and judging from the sling on her shoulder, had probably broken something. And yet Yang had never seen a more beautiful sight then that of Blake laying there in an oversized hospital gown. “Wow, you look… like you got hit by a car.”
Yang could have slapped herself.
Still, it did the trick as Blake let out a tiny giggle, lips twitching upwards. “I… I kinda did. I think it was a Prius, actually.”
Groaning, Yang gave Blake the most sincere, apologetic look she could. “Geez, I’m so sorry. My big mouth gets the better of me sometimes.. I was just trying to lighten up the situation…” She sighed and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “And clearly doing a terrible job of it.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Blake tilted her head, the blush finally fading. “I have to ask, what are you doing here? We’ve never…. Really talked before. Or ever…” Her face was blank, giving Yang no indication as to whether or not she knew that Yang knew that she was Yang’s secret admirer.
Wow, that was headache inducing right there…
Shuffling in place, Yang gave Blake a nervous smile. “It was announced in class that you were in an accident, so I wanted to come visit and make sure you were okay. Also, I thought I’d bring something to brighten up the room.” Pulling the plushie out from under her arm where it had been tucked, Yang presented it to Blake with a flourish. “For you.”
She was pleased when Blake let out a gasp of delight, slim fingers plucking the stuffed animal from her hands and cradling it close. “Thank you… Although it doesn’t really brighten up the room? I thought you meant flowers or something along those lines.”
“Yeah well… It made you smile, didn’t it? So I’d say it definitely brightened up the room.”
Yang was delighted to see Blake’s cheeks turn pink, feeling rather proud of herself.
“S-So, umm… How’s class?”
Blake’s question brought Yang’s attention back to the stack of papers she had set down earlier. Scooping them up, she set them on the bed by Blake’s side. “Just as boring as you left it, I promise. But I have these for you so you can catch up on what you’ve missed.“ She flashed Blake a smile. “I bet you’re bored in here with nothing to do. Even homework must be better than staring at the walls.”
“Oh, thank you…” Blake grimaced, her nose wrinkling ever so slightly in a way that Yang found to be absolutely adorable. “I guess you got volunteered to come bring me my homework then?”
“Hmm? Nah.” Settling down in the chair that sat by Blake’s bedside, Yang let out a loud laugh. “I’m not nearly that nice. I just thought.. Well.. I wanted to see you. Make sure you were okay, y'know?” Her words were rewarded with Blake ducking her head in an attempt to hide her renewed blush.
Despite how uncomfortable the hospital’s chairs were, Yang stayed with Blake until visiting hours were over, getting to know the girl that had stolen her heart one letter at a time. There was no mention of Blake being the person who had been leaving her love notes, although it had been funny to watch the heart monitor speed up when she had mentioned that she knew just how good of an artist Blake actually was.
“Y-you know?”
“Sure I do, I always see you drawing in class. You’re pretty amazing.”
It was only when a nurse announced that Yang had to leave that she actually stood up, stretching her stiff legs. With a promise that she would be back the next day after school, Yang took her leave.
They fell into a pattern, with Yang heading over every day once the bell had rung and staying until visiting hours were over, her arms full of that day’s assignments that Blake’s different teachers had decided to give her. Slowly but surely, it seemed that Blake was beginning to relax around her. The shy, stuttered words slipping away in favor of witty remarks and dry humor that had Yang bursting into shocked laughter more often then not.
And every day without fail Yang would bring her hand to her pocket, intent on bringing out the note that she held in her possession so that she could call Blake out and assure her that her feelings weren’t onesided like the brunette seemed to think. She could never bring herself to do it though, too scared of the possibility that she was wrong, even though logically Yang knew that her admirer could be no one else but Blake.
Finally the day came when Blake was to be released from the hospital. Her cuts and bruises had long since healed up, with only a few scars to add to her appearance and her arm in a sling, for the next few weeks. Although Blake had complained about them, Yang had been quick to reassure her that they didn’t mar her beauty in any way; rather, she thought the scars gave Blake a rather roguish look.
It was pretty sexy and Yang told her as such, snickering when the girl’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.
As Blake’s ride pulled up to the front of the hospital, Yang inhaled slowly. It was now or never. Tapping Blake’s shoulder to get her attention, Yang pushed her nervousness to the side when amber eyes met hers. “You know what I’m looking forward to the most?”
“What’s that?”
There was no going back. Shyly, Yang pulled the note out from her pocket and held it out to Blake, whose eyes widened in shock.“Now that you’re back, I’m hoping I’ll be getting more of these on my desk again.”
“I-I..”
“I really do love them,” she confessed. “They’re the best thing about my day, Blake. Every day I ran to school in the hopes that there would be another one on my desk. And there always was, without fail, until you were hurt.”
Blake let out a small noise, making Yang giggle. “I won’t keep you since your ride is here. I… I really am glad that you’re okay.” She pressed her lips against a flushed cheek before pulling back, purple eyes twinkling with amusement. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Y-Yeah…”
When Yang arrived at school the next morning, there was a note on her desk that simply read:
I guess your secret admirer isn’t so secret anymore.
Would you like to go out some time?
This time Blake was the one that got a letter. Writing her answer down, Yang took her time folding the piece of paper into the shape of the heart before slipping it onto Blake’s desk. The look of absolute wonder on Blake’s face as she read Yang’s response proved to Yang that she had made the right decision.
Yes.