#scary or like nice monsters cause either way we could fight a bear together

[rahneii]

Apollo has friends surprisingly ( interactions with the VALORANT agents )

i am bored and i've been wanting to write some of these down for a while so yes have my content, this is also really long so bear with me. Apollo is usually a lone wolf but he loves interacting and socializing with other people if it weren't for her curse.

Controllers

Brimstone Ugly boomer

Apollo and Brimstone are like old friends with a silent grudge between each other. Brimstone was the first person for Apollo to meet in the Valorant Protocol but was hired by Viper instead.

Apollo likes to counter any of Brimstone's plans or ideas by either calling it stupid, old, already done it and 'Maybe we should do what I said instead' proceeds to say the same thing but with curse words and slangs and some dramatic posing.

They don't talk too much but whenever they talk its like Apollo just heard something offensive argues with him.

The way they bond is in the field, though Apollo hates him, she still protects him from any harm. Its the only reason why Brimstone ever respects the false saint.

"Apollo, stop glaring me with you two eyes open. I'm still getting used to your 3rd eye." "Are they too distracting for you? Here ill give both of them for you to confiscate."

Viper

Apollo absolutely hates this woman with a burning passion, and refuses to speak to her or give any satisfaction of a bond.

Viper was the one who removed his wings, though there were other doctors, he only remembered Viper being there.

Viper could care less if Apollo hated her but what she wanted was for him to work with her and the protocol and cause no trouble whatsoever. She still feels guilty about it sometimes.

"Mad scientist down."

Omen "We are both traumatized"

Apollo and omen surprisingly relates together in some way except for eating people and stuff.

Omen teaches Apollo how to knit, garden, cook etc. So that he can learn how to calm herself instead of being isolated in his room 24/7.

They both like to share their experiences in Kingdom, body changes and radianite. They also made inside jokes that only they could understand. "Apollo, isn't it funny how Kingdom keeps this good reputation up just for Monsters like us to be in the background"

Astra "She teaches me how to fly sometimes"

There's this one incident at HQ where Astra tried to teach Apollo how to float with his small wings and accidentally dropped him off the second floor. Apollo forgave her for the effort but they were banned from floating around HQ again.

"Apollo, my friend! We are finally out in the field together. Lets spread our wings and fly!"

Duelists

Reyna "Scary hot woman"

Reyna and Apollo share a mutual agreement on having a desire for bloodlust, Apollo sometimes even envies how Reyna handles it so well.

Apollo likes to get tips from her as well sometimes

"Reyna! you were amazing back there! You truly are a goddess!"

Yoru "Who? oh that guy"

Apollo tends to forget that he exists just because he teleports everywhere it makes Apollo have a brainfart.

Yoru only asks random stuff about him like his form and abilities. He also takes down notes about it sometimes so that he could flex about knowing an angel in real life.

"Killed the uh, blue boy..."

Pheonix "If he touches my wings again i will bite him."

Pheonix always asks the question everyone usually has when they meet an angel. And sometimes repeatedly...

Apollo tries his best to avoid the questions by letting him get distracted by something or changes the subject. Apollo loves his determination but he can do that from afar.

"Pheonix PLEASE stop trying to touch my wings. They're attached to my ears and its hard enough to take care of them."

Jett "She's very talented for sure"

Just like Pheonix, she has a lot of questions but she learns quickly.

She sometimes likes to run with Apollo and would most likely ask Apollo if he could fly.

"Apollo, could you promise me a race if you get your wings back?" "For sure that's something I would keep to heart."

Raze "She's fun to be around, but I also have a lot of questions "

Apollo likes talking to her and looking at her tech since she was always interested on how this stuff worked even back on the church days since his priest prohibited tech like this.

Raze mostly chats with Apollo a lot because of him and KJ meeting up a lot. She has also has a lot of questions to ask but keeps it simple.

"Damn Apollo! You are.. Scary. In a good way of course! It was badass"

Sentinels

Killjoy "She still has never told me if she made KAY/O or not, or I haven't been listening"

Killjoy has enough of Apollo's bullshit most of the time but also has been "threatening(?)" him to make mechanical wings that can fly like the jet.

Apollo has asked a lot of weird requests and Killjoy would just shame her about it.

Apollo is always seen with Killjoy and Brimstone whenever he has to go with Brim.

"Fine.. you win this time, ill think about making your request."

Sage "She's the calm to the storm and I admire her for that"

Apollo admires Sage's hard-work and personality, he'd hang out with her a lot too.

Sage gives her advice and sometimes help as well. She is one of the few that wasn't really scared of Apollo

"Apollo, You worry me as well. Find your inner peace in the battle."

Cypher "A charming fellow, he sometimes concerns me though."

They both know a lot of stuff about the other agents and would share that info together sometimes. They even have code names, inside jokes and etc.

Apollo thinks the guy needs a rest and made a lot of promises for this guy and has no clue if she'd ever make those true.

"Apollo, Promise me you'd be the one putting the knife to my throat *chuckles*"

Initiators

KAY/O "The robot is TOO human for his own good to be honest with you. How charming"

KAY/O is seen with Apollo outside of HQ, the living spaces, outside and almost everywhere since Apollo was being monitored after the incident (which was eating a whole ass chair and almost eating the person on the chair too). Every week of the month at least.

Apollo is funnily enough is allergic whatever KAY/O's electric fluid that creates fragments and supressor has. But She chooses to stick with him since that's the most "safest" option there is.

Their relationship is strange, you see they both share sarcastic jokes in a room and the next thing you know the robot has random makeup marks on his body.

"You fragile humans sure like to put up a fight." "snort"

Sova "I could steal his eye for... personal purposes."

Apollo would usually, try to steal his eye. And Sova would always try to stay away from him. He's a little scared of her but he can handle being in a team with him.

Apollo is also usually nice to him most of the time, and also kept a promise for him.

"Apollo, you are a saint. Please stay that way."

Skye "I love her hawk, it would sometimes bite me though"

Apollo. Loves. Animals. I mean who doesn't? But Apollo always wanted a pet so he'd go to Skye just to pet her animals.

Skye enjoys the company of the Angel but she intimidates her, The whole 3rd eye thing and all

"Skye please please PLEASE can you let me hold the bird?" "Last time you did that it exploded on your hand mate"

Breach "He's...interesting."

They both are scared of each other. Apollo with his intimidating eye and Breach's personality. All you can hear is awkward small talk if you make them talk to each other.

Breach accidentally hit Apollo with his arm once and has never stopped thinking about it. Apollo just promised to herself that he'd stay away from him now.

[forgetspecifics]

Such Sights are Bright - Chapter 6: I Wanna Love Somebody

Yang's incessant teasing and flirting with Blake begs the question: will their friendship bloom into greater things, or wither away?

Other links: Ao3 FF.net

Notes: Hi yes an update within a month hello it's me. DID YOU SEE HOW GAY YANG AND ILIA ARE?? I AM ALIIIIVE and gaaaay

It's a little shorter that the last few, but hey go find out what I've plotted this whole time!

February (Winter)

/

The buzz of a bee rang in her sensitive ears – well, more like the roar of Bumblebee instilled fear into her heart. It was a beast, a mechanical feat; Yang’s pride and joy.

“Why did I agree to this?!” Blake knew she was yelling a little too loudly, but at this point she could be excused. The revving of the overpowered engine did nothing to quell her anxiety, and it attracted the eyes of all the students in the parking lot.

Grinning like a madwoman, Yang bounced on the balls of her feet, itching to finally fulfil her incessant need to have Blake ride with her.

“Because you’re a rebel at heart!”

The cat Faunus, unconvinced she wanted to die this young, couldn’t bring herself to get on the bike – no matter what she’d agreed to. Not even if she was wrapped up in all protective gear that she could possibly bear plus a mile of bubble wrap. Which, by the way, she wasn’t – Yang had handed over her protective jacket; the brown one from Christmas that Blake really liked, insisting she would rather Blake wear it.

Blake would rather they both had a jacket, that was for sure. Yang had promised that she knew what she was doing, and to be fair, she had passed her recent tests and graduated from a temporary permit to an actual license – I can’t believe I’ve been in Ohio for six months already, she’d said. The blonde also explained that she had been riding much longer than she was legally allowed to, having lived on private land, and had experienced rides as a passenger as well as with one.

Not that Blake didn’t trust her, it was simply fear of the unknown. “Are you really sure this is safe?” She tried to imagine what her father would say; he had been protective, but not overbearingly. She wanted to think he would still want her to be safe, no matter where he was.

“Perfectly safe. We’re both wearing jeans, you’ve got good shoes and I’ve got boots, and Bumblebee is a dream to ride. No exposed parts or anything to be afraid of, a comfy place to sit and something sturdy to hold onto.”

Mentally following and checking off the list, keen yellow eyes scanned the purring monster in front of her. “Uh, I don’t see anything to hold onto.”

Yang smirked, her gloved hands forming finger guns. “You’re lookin’ at her!”

Of course, after recent…discoveries, Blake found that to be one of the more acceptable parts of her predicament.

“Lucky me,” Blake said sarcastically, well aware her body and mind were not looking forward to fighting the battle that would come with straddling Yang for dear life.

“Lucky me,” Yang winked, not noticing Blake’s blush, preoccupied with reaching down into her compact backpack.

The bag was severely weighted to the ground by the two helmets clipped to its straps, which triggered a realisation in Blake’s mind – Yang had had every intention of getting her on the bike if she had brought a second helmet along.

“Okay, I got you some gloves, they should fit,” true to her word, Yang held a pair of riding gloves above her head for Blake to take. “And this helmet is specially for you, made with love and consideration for those with a little extra on their heads. The best part is, it’s discreet and sleek!”

Yang stood up, holding the helmet, looking proud. Such a sweet gesture immediately dispelled any thoughts Blake might’ve been having about the impulsiveness of Yang’s invitation – while she’d sneakily planned it, she’d planned with consideration. She’d been reminding Blake every month how much closer she was getting to being able to have a passenger, anyway, so being surprised was no excuse for not expecting it.

In the end, Blake knew she hadn’t been forced. She could have easily turned down the offer for a lift to the public library; utilising her bus pass instead. Really, it was Mr. Port’s fault for assigning the paper that needed hard copy resources. The man was truly living in an era well forgotten.

Slipping on the black gloves that did indeed fit, Blake finally allowed Yang to pass her the special helmet. It was open face, with an attached shield for eye protection; painted matte black with white stripe detailing. Sleek was an accurate description.

“Put it on! The guy at the store said it gets great reviews, and I’ve been dying to see you try it,” Yang said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

“Here goes,” lifting the helmet up and onto her head, the Faunus’ mind chanted, please fit, please fit, please fit. It’d crush Yang if it turned out anything worse than okay.

As it slid on, Blake felt cushioning – as well as something she couldn’t quite put her finger on – almost mould itself to her cranium. Yet, the snugness was not uncomfortable, leaving her bound ears enough breathing and wiggle room.

Looking at Yang’s expectant and hopeful face caused Blake to grin, not bothering to verbally confirm how impressed she was.

“Hell yes! You look like a sexy badass, Blake! You should be a biker chick,” Yang was even more ecstatic as she clipped her own bright yellow open-faced helmet on. “Oh, let me clip you up.”

“Thanks,” Blake tried to ignore the blatant compliment and Yang coming closer to do her chin strap as well. It was difficult to forget Yang’s words that black and yellow was a good combination when she said things like sexy badass.

“Um, okay. How do we…do this?”

“Oh, right! There’s only a few things you have to remember. Ready to learn?” Yang began, continuing when Blake nodded affirmation. “It’s important to know that shifting your weight will unbalance the bike, so basically, you should try to sit still. Make sure to pay attention to the road so you can brace when I brake, and support yourself when I accelerate. And when we turn, you’re trying to stay in line with the angle the bike leans at. Looking over my shoulder that’s on the inside of the turn usually helps to get it.”

Blake nodded along. “Sit still, watch the road, look over your shoulder. Okay.”

“Let’s establish signals. I promise I won’t go fast or anything scary, but if you need me to stop, give me a thumbs down. If you’re feeling unsafe, panicking won’t help, and if you grab my arms it’ll probably end in us on asphalt. If you want to talk to me or rearrange your butt, you’ll have to wait till a stoplight.”

“Got it. Because I should sit still, right?”

“Exactly! I’m pretty sure you’re gonna be fine. Now we have to get you on the bike. It’s important to make sure I know when you’re getting on and getting off,” Yang scrunched her nose, snickering at the innuendo. “Heh, I just realised what I said.”

Blake simply stared at her, raised brow asking really?

“Alright, fine, back to serious stuff.” Yang put on her aviators, turning to the bike. “The important thing is that you swing your leg over and then get settled, like this,” the blonde easily got on Bumblebee, her motions well-practiced. Taking it out of its lean with a few manoeuvres, Yang motioned her over. “Your turn, Blake! Don’t use the foot peg as a step, grab onto me for leverage if it makes it easier for you.”

Being a bit shorter than Yang, Blake had to really hoist herself over the seat, but Yang’s offer did help. She let herself sit close to the body in front; they were no strangers to contact at this point, and she did not want to fall off.

“Nicely done! Now, hug me ‘round the waist.”

Once again, a task easily completed – though Blake couldn’t recall a time where she’d clung to someone and felt a bit guilty about enjoying it.

Oblivious, Yang kept the instructions coming. “In front of your hands you’ll find a good place to brace when braking. Just use one hand like you’re patting the gas tank,” she demonstrated accordingly, though Blake was inclined to believe Yang pet her bike in all seriousness.

After their lesson, the school’s parking lot had emptied considerably, and there was nobody around to watch them. Blake felt better already, but still reserved some worries about the dangers. It was probably wise to be vigilant, though.

“I’ll take you around a few laps in the lot to make sure you’re good to go,” Yang pointed at the parking lot; rectangular in shape, and motioned clockwise. “You can practice your leaning in the turns, and on the way back I’ll break halfway for you to try bracing, okay? Put those feet of yours on the pegs, and we’ll start off slow.”

Establishing herself on the seat and pegs, Blake prepared to put herself to the test. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Easing off the brake, Yang walked along the ground as Bumblebee began to roll forwards. Gradually gaining speed, the blonde shouted, “Get ready!” before lifting her legs and accelerating. They weren’t going very fast, but Blake sensed that they were braking slightly to take the upcoming corner, so she did as she was told and braced herself. Remembering the tips Yang had given her, she didn’t lean too much and looked over the blonde’s shoulder (noticing that she was going to have to deal with said blonde’s hair while riding).

They approached the next turn the same way. On the straight, Blake practiced bracing again; for braking and accelerating. Finding that the whole ordeal was not as difficult as she might have assumed, she decided to give Yang a thumbs up to signal that she could do another lap.

Once they’d repeated the process and come to a stop, Yang commended her. “Perfect passenger skills! I think you’re ready for the real thing!”

“To the library, then.”

A short ride later; something Blake (and her rear end) as a first-time passenger was thankful for, they arrived at the North Branch of the Stark County District Library. It was fairly close to Beacon, and not far out of the way of either girl’s usual route home.

Having found a place to park, Yang turned off the engine and set her feet on the ground. “You have arrived at your destination,” she spoke robotically, imitating a GPS. “You are now safe to disembark!”

Blake was eager to stretch her legs more than she was to surrender her hold on Yang. It’d been quite enjoyable to be her big spoon, so to speak. “Thank you. I’m getting off.”

“Ooh, baby,” Yang giggled, gleefully embracing the multiple meanings of the phrase.

Her teasing, however, was hitting much too close to home with Blake nowadays. “Shut up, you idiot,” she blushed madly, still clinging to Yang so she could dismount Bumblebee. Mortified at the thought of such talk between them, she was now much happier to be apart from the girl.

“Was it as good for you as it was for me?” Yang asked as she dismounted, setting Bumblebee into its self-sustained lean (Blake didn’t bother to try and understand the workings of the motorcycle; it was much too confusing).

Blake did not humour her question, giving a nice, normal, not sexual answer. “You’re not dead, I’m not dead, and only half my butt is sore.”

“Half all over, or half like, just one cheek?”

“Yang,” Blake couldn’t help but roll her eyes at such a silly question. Yang looked on, apparently expecting a reply. “The first thing you said,” the Faunus relented, giving in to the urge to have Yang satisfied enough to stop teasing.

“Sorry about your Bellabooty! But, it’s normal to have a sore ass, don’t worry. I’m really glad you let me do this with you, Blake.” The expression on Yang’s face turned from cheeky – pun not intended; she was spending too much time with her – to kind.

Bellabooty? Choosing to not question the nickname for her butt, Blake agreed about being glad. Despite her apprehension, it had been a fresh and exciting experience. “I would be happy to ride with you again sometime. I had fun, after I got comfortable.”

Packing away their gloves and clipping their helmets back onto Yang’s backpack, the two started towards the entrance. “We can go on longer day trips, if you felt up for it. Uh, sometime?” Yang offered lightly, glancing towards Blake.

Eyeing the blonde, Blake thought briefly about how ambiguous the question sounded. Did she intend to sound like it would be a date, or not? She might have been biased, but it hadn’t sounded that casual to her ears.

“Maybe,” Blake eventually answered, not trying to seem too interested or disinterested. There was a part of her that wished she was wrong; she really did not want to have to end up rejecting someone as sweet as Yang. For both their sake, it would be better if it was just a friendly offer.

Walking through the glass doors, they passed the front desk and a few librarians. Blake sent a brief smile to one that looked up to greet her. The displays near the entrance were all white cardboard cut-outs with love hearts and cheesy sayings on them, the librarians playing to the strengths of the current month to promote romance novels.

“Wow, they went all out for Valentine’s day.” Yang started bobbing her head, sounding impressed with the atmosphere.

Being the sarcastic person she was, Blake didn’t share the sentiment. “It’s a shame all the popular and mainstream romance novels are literary trash,” she commented, walking towards the non-fiction section to find a small table to sit at.

Walking faster to catch up with Blake, who had left her behind at the displays, Yang seemed amused at the remark. “You got anything better to recommend, Blakey?”

Watching Yang wiggle her eyebrows, Blake caught onto Yang’s game quickly. “We aren’t here for book club.” She placed her own backpack on an empty table, looking inside for her assignment details. “And don’t think I’ll fall for that, I’m not telling you anything.”

“C’mon!” Yang said, hopping up to sit on the table surface playfully. “I looked up that book I saw in your bag once, it’s quite steamy from what I could gather.”

Blake sent a deadpan stare at glinting lilac eyes. “Dream on, Xiao Long.” She would never admit to such a thing.

“I don’t dream about it,” the blonde defended, “well, maybe there was this one time…”

“As much as I’d love to hear about that,” finding the sheet of paper she was looking for, Blake zipped up her bag. “I have work to do. I want to find the right resources for Port’s assignment.”

“Eh, you worry too much. You manage to get me an A minus in social studies. Me! An A!” Referring to their essay from last semester; Yang had been ecstatic reading her report card. She had improved all around the board in general, but her real pride was the high grade in the class they had met in. Ms. Peach had deemed their essay to be of a high standard and commended the pair – and Taiyang had even passed along his thanks to Blake for working and supporting his daughter.

“Don’t forget you worked for that grade as well, Yang,” Blake encouraged automatically. She had seen firsthand how much of an effort Yang had made; she was more impressed by that than herself.

“I know, but I wouldn’t have wanted to if it wasn’t for you. Don’t forget that,” Yang’s legs swung from the edge of the desk as she smiled at her friend.

Those darn legs, swaying to and fro; they were so distracting to Blake. If she stepped inbetween them to kiss Yang, would they wrap around-

Stop! What are you thinking? You’re fantasising about your best friend in a library for God’s sake. Pull yourself together, Blake told herself. She was glad her imagination hadn’t skipped to something dirty. She needed to stop reading so many adult romance novels.

Turning around to hide her reddening face, Blake quickly spoke. “I have to look up the material I need on the computers. And no, I don’t need your help. Just relax, read a book or something. I won’t be long at all,” she walked away before Yang could get a word in edgewise.

Blake was begging her teenage body to calm itself. Stupid hormones, stupid imagination, stupid attractive Yang – a bad combination for someone that wanted to keep even a remnant of the walls she’d built to protect herself.

Her hopes of her crush fading with time had withered away, just like the Carnation Yang had given to her; the one that never ceased to remind Blake of Yang’s eyes and the twinkle within them. The past month, the flower sat alone in a small vase – for some dumb symbolic reason, Blake thought if she watched it slowly die, she’d get over her feelings because they would die along with it. But as it turned out, she was just like the fading flower; alone, and feeling like she was slowly dying.

Her heart had been locked up, a self-imposed isolation, to keep away from anyone that might take it again only to shatter it to pieces. Yet, Yang had found a way in, like she’d found a master key that Blake didn’t know existed.

After accepting that her feelings were not just a passing lapse in her defences, Blake had tried to keep herself in check every time Yang complimented or smiled at her, or God forbid, casually flirted. Each passing day, instead of appreciating how put-together the blonde was, Blake was finding her eyes wandering down Yang’s curves and admiring the way her clothes accentuated her features.

While her feelings were a problem in itself, the pure attraction she’d felt to the other girl was driving her insane. She’d had no idea that she was that much of a voyeur, but the beauty of Yang Xiao Long was captivating. Figuring that out had been the easy part; the hard part was convincing herself that it was just physical, and the way she felt about her had simply followed along.

It was shallow, yes, but beauty was not everlasting; it had to fade. If the allure of the person was gone, then, her feelings would disappear too.

It was a futile wish.

She didn’t know how badly she wanted to love and be loved. Imagining what it was like to kiss her wonderful lips, she would simply have to be content with dreaming of it while drifting to sleep every night.

Back to work, she thought.

Sifting through the electronic catalogue, there were plenty of references she found to be suitable. Easily drifting through the bookshelves, Blake slid each one out by the spine and stacked them in one arm. This was something cathartic to her, especially after the trip she’d had on the way here; at least she was able to be distracted for a little while.

Praying that she’d be spared from any more torture today, she returned to the table that Yang had made herself comfortable at. Leaning back in her chair dangerously; legs propped up on the table and book in hand, the blonde didn’t notice Blake. But, Blake did notice what novel had her so enthralled.

“Yang!” She whisper-yelled, taking a little satisfaction at the panic that grew on Yang’s face as she jerked in her precarious position. “Where did you get that?”

That being the same steamy romance novel that Yang accused her of reading. While she maintained one hundred percent that she did not have it in her possession, if Yang had happened to look for it in her bag, she could wave that excuse goodbye.

“Jeez! Where do you think? We’re in a library, Blake.”

She has a point. Blake felt like she’d lost her mind. That had been too much worry and suspicion for someone that didn’t own the book.

“What, you thought I took your copy? I’m not that stupid,” Yang chuckled, having put the pieces together.

Blake had far too much pride to give up now, especially when giving up meant more teasing. “My copy? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Pfft,” the blonde stuck out her tongue playfully, but to Blake, it put her on edge. “I forgot you don’t have one. Why don’t you check this one out? Or just check me-”

“Finish that sentence and you’ll regret it,” Blake was almost certain that she would be the one regretting it, but, whatever. She just wanted to check out her books – not Yang – and go home to sulk.

To her relief, Yang said nothing. Gathering her things, Blake went to the front desk with her assignment resources in hand, making idle chit chat with the middle-aged woman as she scanned their barcodes.

An avid reader and library-goer, Blake handed over her library card without prompt before sliding each book into her backpack. The only extra weight she would be willing to carry was one of a book (or as many as she could fit).

“Hey, Blake,” Yang had decided to sidle up to her, leaning on the counter with her elbow. “You don’t even need a library card to take me home.”

Hearing the surprised oh of the librarian that was currently in the process of handing back her library card made Blake’s reaction all the worse; stuttering out her thanks with the face of a tomato, she scooped her bag up and rushed out the door.

Knowing that she’d be in trouble for that one, Yang shrugged. “Worth it.”

“I don’t think your, er,” the librarian addressed her sceptically, “friend will be waiting for you.”

Thinking for a brief moment, Yang realised the woman might be right. Blake still had her jacket, and even if the Faunus hadn’t left her behind, she would rather be safe than sorry. “I better be leaving then, bye!”

Upon reaching the parking lot, one glance at Bumblebee confirmed her worries. Blake was gone, and so was her jacket. Maybe if she hurried, she could catch her – so the blonde took off towards the street, hoping to catch sight of a black bow.

“Blake!” She yelled to high heavens, counting on the fact that cat ears would hear it. To the east, there was nobody to be found, but to the west, at a bus stop, stood a lone figure. Thanking herself for her love of fitness, Yang sprinted down the sidewalk, two motorbike helmets attached her bag slamming into her backside.

“Helmets are a pain in the ass,” she huffed to herself, trying to find some humour in it. “Blake!” Relief flooded through her system when Blake turned to her; nervousness taking over once she saw how pissed off she looked.

“You’re incorrigible, did you know that?” The ravenette said, arms crossed in a standoffish manner.

“I’m sorry, really,” Yang had never seen Blake this upset before, and definitely not at her. She had changed her mind, nothing was worth this. “I went overboard with the teasing. I didn’t think it bothered you this much.”

“It didn’t before!” The Faunus snapped, silence following. “I mean…it’s not you, Yang.” She sounded apologetic, but Yang didn’t feel like she should be. Besides, what she said was kind of unclear.

“Are you okay, Blake?”

Sighing, Blake looked down at the ground. “I’m fine. I’m sorry, it was just a little too much.”

“You don’t need to apologise, it was my bad.” Having run out of things to say, Yang took in their surroundings, trying to come up with something. “I didn’t know there was a park here,” she noticed a street sign pointing north. “Well, of course I didn’t, why would I know that?” Yang rubbed the back of her neck, feeling awkward all of a sudden.

“What?” Blake was looking at her with curious confusion. Maybe she hadn’t been paying attention?

“There’s a park, right there,” Yang pointed up the road to where she could see green grass, and what looked to be sporting courts. She had been looking for parks to visit, and maybe it was as good a time as ever to talk to Blake about her feelings. Reading the street sign more closely, she laughed shortly. “Weis Park, huh? I’ll have to tell Ruby about that. Blake, come take a walk with me.”

Amber eyes regarded her wearily, silently asking, really?

After all her stunts today, she barely earned any favours from Blake. Still, Yang cocked her head, putting on her most pleading face. “Please?”

The black and yellow duo had explored the extent of Weis Park, or as Yang put it, Ice Queen park. The extent of it, well, was not extensive. In fact, it turned out that it was not really the kind of park Yang was hoping to find, but their feet were on autopilot while they experienced a lengthy period of silence.

As a cold breeze picked up, Yang considered just giving up on her courage for now. Blake was probably too polite to say anything about how much she’d been irritated and wanted to leave. Perhaps her extra layer of clothing was the only thing that granted some tolerance to the situation.

The Faunus slowed her steps, turning her head towards the south with mild surprise on her face. “Do you hear wedding bells?” She said after a moment.

Yang didn’t bother to stop, not really sure if she cared. “Do you?” She shot back, not hearing anything other than the wind blowing intermittently. Blake pointed to her bow; her cat ears, which Yang realised was much better at capturing sound than her own.

“Duh, I’m stupid.” She often forgot that Blake was different to herself. Giving her friend some credit, she promptly stopped walking and listened. There was a faint ringing, or at least she thought. “Uh, yeah, I think I can hear ‘em. How do you know they’re wedding bells?” She honestly though it was odd at this time of day, and in winter no less, for a wedding to be happening.

Blake stared wistfully into the distance. “There is nothing like bells chiming so loud the whole town can hear it. It’s announcing love.”

Yang found that to be a thoughtful sentiment – not quite what she was expecting to hear, either. “You know, you criticised little Blake for dreaming about romance, but you know a lot about wedding bells.”

Resuming her staring match with the ground, Blake spoke quietly, “As much as I know now that would be easier to not fall in love, I’m still the same girl that wanted to. Sometimes, you just don’t have a choice.”

That was the understatement of the year. If anybody had asked Yang if she had planned on falling in love with someone in a completely new place, or at all, she would have laughed. It was ridiculous, in a way, that she’d been completely swept up by one person that hadn’t even tried. “That’s a good way of putting it.”

Because she really hadn’t had a choice. She almost felt like they were meant to be.

There was nobody else that had come remotely close to what Blake was to her. Someone that she could miss at any hour of the day, feel so complete with – and she even looked forward to the school bell ringing just because she knew that she would see the Faunus over the course of her day. Whether it was quick exchanges walking between classes, or even sitting with her new group of friends, that were wonderful, but still constantly going back to the fact that Blake was there with her.

“It’s funny you should say, that, actually,” Yang started, not really sure where her words were coming from. But they had already fallen out of her mouth, and there were more pushing their way out; unable to be contained like a dam breaking from the sheer content of what it held within.

“About what happened in the library…I know I can be too much sometimes. I can stop flirting with you, if it’s a problem. I never wanted you to be uncomfortable, or think that I’m just trying to make you embarrassed. I don’t know why I do it, really. I guess the only way to explain myself is that I like it. It doesn’t feel weird, even though I’ve only known you for such a small fraction of my life.”

“You like it?” Blake turned to her, incredulous. Her eyes weren’t wide in shock, but rather bright with…worry? “What does that mean, Yang?”

Realising that she was about to breach a difficult subject, Yang kept herself from getting any closer to Blake; not wanting to risk spooking her with a pushy outward appearance. “I realise that I might like it more than a friend should. I- I’ve…got this thing. About you,” her voice wavered slightly, as Yang found it much harder than anticipated to put it into a few words exactly what she felt; how much Blake meant to her.

Taking some mercy on her poor soul, and at least trying to make sense of the disarray of words she’d just blurted out, was Blake. “You’ve got a thing for me?” She asked slowly, not wanting to take Yang’s words and twist them into something else in case she’d misunderstood. Yet, deep down, somewhere in her heart, she knew that there was not much else it could mean.

“Yeah, that’s what I meant!” Yang nodded, glad that she wasn’t a complete idiot and that Blake had interpreted it much better than her own brain. “I like flirting with you because I’ve got a thing for you,” the statement came out – pun intended – much easier the second time around.

“You’ve…got a thing for me.” Blake, on the other hand, could barely say it. Hearing Yang tell her that; so boldly, so soundly, caused a shockwave within. Fear and elation were born simultaneously, in her brain and her heart. Her mind reeled at the fact that a human was confessing to her, so oblivious to her inner turmoil. But then, her heart went into overdrive in an uncontrolled response that was incited by the forbidden attraction she had to her sunny and kind friend.

Her silence spurred Yang to fill the pause, the blonde not willing to ignore Blake’s possible thoughts. “But I’m not sure how you feel. I want you to know that you can be totally honest with me, though. This isn’t just about me.”

If honesty was the best policy, Blake had no choice but to confront the issue and tell the truth. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to go into this. I didn’t want to get close to anybody when I moved here, but you came along and changed that,” the fact of the matter was that Blake had let Yang in, never having dreamed that one person could change her life that drastically. “But I didn’t think it mattered if there was nothing more to it than friendship. All this time I’ve been pushing the idea away that you’d think about me this way, trying to stop anything before somebody got hurt. Now that I know you’re not just joking around with me, it matters much more.”

“For a long time, I was just joking around. But then you told me I made everything brighter...I realised how good it felt that you were happy. I’d never felt anything like that before. I didn’t know what to do, and I panicked after what you said on New Year’s Eve, too,” Yang didn’t want Blake to think that she had had any intentions of making things so complicated, or had spent longer than two months well aware of her feelings – if only to ease her mind a fraction.

“I know I said the wrong things that night,” Blake once again regretted ever going to Sun’s new year’s party. It had done her no good. “I should have thought about the consequences.”

“Consequences?” Yang asked, not quite sure what she was getting at – what had happened wasn’t a bad thing, or at least not in her opinion. It was more like a learning experience, even if it was an involuntary one.

Blake had started to wring her hands together, not caring about the chill of the air that was enveloping her skin when she was this anxious. “I was drunk and I had my guard down. I said things I normally would have never said, Yang. Clearly, what I said had an effect on you,” the Faunus felt guilty; if she had kept her mouth shut, maybe this wouldn’t be happening to her right now. She wouldn’t have planted these kinds of thoughts in either of their heads.

“Why would you say things you didn’t actually mean?” Yang was staring at her now, her voice laced with concern, pleading for Blake to open up to her. She was holding her breath that maybe, Blake felt the same way that she did, but the Faunus hadn’t even coming close to revealing that.

When Blake answered, it was the answer that Yang had been waiting for.

“Because I was so sure I didn’t want you, that I couldn’t, because it wouldn’t work. But it just…hit me, after we made up after our argument. When I looked at you that night under the stars, the way I looked at you changed,” Blake finally looked up at Yang, tears forming in the corners of her golden eyes. They were Yang’s favourite colour, even when they were sad – nothing would change that.

At that second, Yang’s heart sang, and her spirit felt like it was soaring. Blake felt the same way. Her worries were set free; she hadn’t imagined the last few months of her life and hadn’t been seeing things that weren’t there. In that very moment, it was like the whole world had been made for her just to experience this joy.

Yet, Blake stood there, stock still. It was a stark difference between them; one girl elated and the other so deflated. Carefully stepping towards Blake, Yang was determined to find out what Blake could possibly be thinking for her to be upset.

“That’s why you were so worried about what happened on New Year’s, isn’t it?” The blonde tried to fit the clues together, the ones that were like a myriad of puzzle pieces forming a picture she hadn’t been able to see clearly until now.

“Yes! I was worried that I’d lead you on, and if you liked me, I would have to tell you no,” Blake rubbed at her eyes, tear drops being whisked away before they could stream down her cheeks.

Yang would have done it herself, but the way the conversation was going, it seemed inappropriate. Yes, Blake liked her too – but something was wrong. “I don’t get it,” Yang felt uncertain, her joy morphing to a tightening of her chest. “If you like me too, why would you say no?”

It hurt even more to see Blake turn away from her. Nothing made sense; she couldn’t even look her in the eye?

For Blake, it was easier to say the truth without watching Yang’s reaction. She couldn’t trust herself to say what needed to be said otherwise. “I can’t lie to you Yang, I’m so afraid that this will end badly. For both of us. That’s why.”

Yang was not about to give up. She’d never been a quitter – not when it came to the people she cared about. There had to be a way to convince Blake. “I’m scared too, y’know. I’m scared to lose you, because I love you-”

“What?” Blake instantly recoiled while turning; her body trying to pull her in two different directions.

Realising that she may have worded her reassurance ambiguously, Yang backtracked slightly. “Whoa, I mean, don’t take that as I’m in love with you, that’s a different kind of love. But I feel like I’m falling for you faster than I can keep track of, and I’m scared because I’ve never felt this way about anybody. And I’m most of all scared that I’ll lose the chance to tell you how I feel if I let my fear control me.”

Seeming slightly calmer after the retraction, Blake tried again to reinforce her defence. She would have to tell Yang the real reason why they were incompatible – it was the least she deserved. “People would stare at us if they knew what I am. They’d judge you. You’re human, and I’m…not.”

There was hot air in Yang’s lungs that threatened to become shouts. It was contained, but only to become a scoff that made its way out of her mouth unhindered. “That doesn’t matter at all to me! And nobody else knows that. It makes no difference to the way we feel about each other.”

She thought Blake had accepted their differences, but this was the opposite to her expectations. Maybe she hadn’t experienced things that Blake had, but was she that naïve to ever assume Blake didn’t care she was human?

“But I shouldn’t feel the way I do!” Blake cried, trying to hold back more tears. “You should fall in love with a human and I should be with another Faunus, or alone. That’s what society wants. That’s what I was told, and-”

“Fuck what other people think, Blake!” Yang was unable to hide the bite of rage in her tone, but she’d already worn her heart on her sleeve and wasn’t going to sit down and surrender. “You’ll never be happy if you let other people make decisions for you. Especially people that wanted to control you and lied to you when you trusted them.”

She wasn’t willing to listen to her best friend talk herself down like that, and like hell she would ever let society; that had already driven her to unhappiness before, steal away her or anyone else’s confidence to trust themselves.

“You don’t understand! I’m no good for you!”

Unlike before, Blake fought back against Yang’s fire with her own. Instead of thinking about who was really against her, her body was autonomously pushing away anything and anyone trying to get close to her. “Did you know that Belladonna is another name for the deadly nightshade flower? That’s what I am, I’m dark and poisonous. I hurt people that I care about, and I’ll only destroy your light and happiness.”

Blake believing that was more painful to Yang than the rejection. How badly beaten down had this girl been? What kind of selfish people would brainwash someone into thinking they were worth nothing?

There was more to worth than what other people saw in you – Yang had heard a million times that to love someone else, you had to love yourself first…but that never stopped anybody before. If Blake couldn’t look and see what would make her happy, would she ever find a sense of harmony in her life? Would she ever get the wedding bells she dreamed about?

Yang would not stand idly by and watch her fade away; never to be loved only because of self-doubt. “Blake, without you, I wouldn’t be as bright as I am. You know that light needs the dark to shine!”

Maybe it was a bit sentimental, but she’d grown fond of their contrast. She’d always liked finding the good in people and making sure they knew about it.

“I wouldn’t have had the time to let myself get away from responsibility back home if there was no night to sneak out into. The stars in the sky wouldn’t be there without the dark. I need the dark! Nightshade or not, you’re a flower I’d pick any day.”

There was no response. Just silence in the air. Yang hoped that her words had gotten through.

But, there was a ringing in Blake’s ears – it wasn’t that of bells; it was a blend of a piercing tone like a bomb had gone off, and Yang calling her name.

Finally, the Faunus took a breath, composing herself before the argument was dragged out any longer. “I need to process…all of this,” Blake said, backing down. One of them had to. Yang just stared at her, ironically looking like the defeated one. With no objection, Blake started off to the bus stop to take herself home, forcing a separation.

Metaphorically speaking, a bomb had gone off. One that was planted in the inevitability of this moment – if she rejected her; if Blake left, it could break Yang’s heart. It might destroy their friendship for good…

“Blake, wait!”

“Yang, please.”

“No, I get it,” she muttered. “But I kinda need my jacket back.”

“Oh.” Blake shrugged out of the jacket, gingerly handing it back. She’d forgotten she had it on. “I’m sorry,” and she was.

…but if that was what it took, Blake would suffer the consequences. If Yang hated her for it, all the better.

Notes:

Song: 'Flower'

Did I get any of you with the conflict last chapter? PSYCH, I FOOLED YOU, HA HA HA. HAVE BLAKE AND YANGST.

so, um, yeah. I was and am nervous about this whole chapter. I wanted the bike part to be a trust thing. Safety is important. Plus, I said a long time ago, Yang wanted Blake on the bike. I delivered.

lemme know what you think?