Waiting (on You) - Chapter 19 (Patreon)
Content
Yang spent the rest of the night freaking out about her feelings for Blake, then Monday arrived well before she figured out what her heart was telling her and where to go from here. She couldn't hide from the truth any longer - she harbored deep, romantic feelings for Blake. That kiss outside Blake’s building was one glaring clue. Staying up all night thinking about how badly she wanted to be more than friends was yet another.
Being away from Blake did nothing to ease the strength of those emotions. In fact, acknowledging them only seemed to make them more powerful, as if finally freeing them to gallivant through Yang’s chest.
Out of everyone she knew, she was the least equipped to process this situation. She briefly considered calling in sick, but she dismissed the idea just as quickly. Monday morning coffee was part of her routine, and skipping part of her routine might give...certain people...the wrong impression.
As much as she needed more time to figure this out, she also wanted to see Blake and confirm that last night wasn’t just a wine-induced mistake. So, despite zero sleep and more questions than she had answers, she slunk into the coffeehouse right on time. Ruby was already there, of course, but Blake was nowhere to be found.
Blake usually arrived last - her apartment was furthest away, after all - but her absence sparked fear in Yang’s chest. If she didn’t show up...did that mean she was upset about what happened? Regretful? Afraid that she gave Yang the wrong idea?
With those growing concerns taking up her thoughts, Yang dropped into the chair opposite Ruby.
“Morning,” she mumbled before gesturing to Ruby’s drink. “Can I have some of that?”
“...what’s wrong with you?” Ruby asked, giving Yang a curious look while sliding the cup across the table.
“Couldn’t sleep.” Yang took a sip of Ruby’s coffee but immediately made a face and set it down. “That’s sugar.”
“It’s a mocha! With extra, extra chocolate.”
“Sugar,” Yang repeated before dropping her head into her hands and sighing. She desperately needed real coffee but was too exhausted to wait in line. Maybe once the rush cleared out a bit, she could convince herself to expend the effort...
“Why couldn’t you sleep?”
“Just...a lot of things...”
Every time Yang thought she might fall asleep, Blake popped into her mind. And every time Blake popped into her mind, her heart fluttered and her thoughts started racing.
“Because of Raven?”
Looking up at the name, Yang realized that Ruby was legitimately concerned about the answer. They had gone through this before, after all. Ruby knew better than anyone just how much Raven could mess with Yang’s well-being.
This time was different. Maybe because Yang was older. Maybe because she’d accepted not having her real mom in her life. Or maybe because Raven’s fleeting presence mattered so little compared to Blake’s lasting one.
“Raven’s gone,” she replied with a shake of her head. “That’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“Then...what?” Ruby asked, her brow knitting together. “Did I do something?”
“Of course not.”
“...Blake then?” Ruby asked as if she could hardly fathom it being true. When had Blake ever done anything to hurt Yang in any way?
“Blake didn’t do anything…” Yang sighed as her heart kicked into an even higher gear. “I’m the one who did something.”
“What’d you do?”
If Yang didn’t want to admit what happened, she could ask Ruby to let it go. But...she wanted to answer. She needed someone else to know. She wanted to explain, or try to explain, how she felt. She wanted words of wisdom, advice, or maybe just assurance that she wasn’t crazy.
“I kind of...kissed her.”
“You what??” When Yang shushed her, Ruby looked around the coffee shop before lowering her voice. “You kissed her??”
“Please don’t make it a big deal,” Yang pleaded, though a shiver ran down her spine just remembering that moment. “I’m already freaking out.”
“Ok, but...you know it’s a big deal, right?”
That was exactly the response Yang had and hadn’t wanted to hear - confirmation that it was as huge of a deal as her heart believed.
“I know,” she admitted before sighing and shaking her head. “And now I can’t stop kissing her -”
“You kissed more than once??”
When Ruby’s voice got louder, Yang shushed her again.
“A few times,” Yang whispered once Ruby settled down. “I couldn’t help it though. It just felt so...right. And god, she’s a good kisser…”
“Yang...that’s pretty gay.”
“Thank you, Ruby. I’m aware.”
While Ruby giggled, Yang shook her head but still cracked a smile. She had never questioned her attraction to Blake - that was an obvious side effect of Blake being so damn attractive. But now...yes, wanting to be with Blake in the way she did was incredibly gay.
“I don’t know what to do,” she groaned, running her fingers through her hair when uncertainty reared its head. “Whenever I think about her, or talk to her, or see her, my heart goes crazy. Like it wants to jump right out of my chest.”
“You like her!”
“I love her, Ruby. She’s my best friend.”
“Awe…”
“But that’s the problem!” Yang said, throwing her arms in the air at the issue she kept returning to. “She’s my best friend. I can’t have these feelings for my best friend.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because we’re friends, Ruby. It’s right there in the label. You’re not supposed to make out with your friends.”
When Ruby didn’t immediately respond, Yang dwelled on her disappointment. She used to take so much comfort in the term; today, she sighed and shook her head at it. Not even the coffee shop’s pleasant hum provided the usual comfort. On the contrary, the endless hustle and bustle made her want to curl up in bed, pull the covers over her head, and sort through her thoughts.
“Can I ask something?” Ruby waited for Yang’s nod before taking a deep breath and saying, “Why are you and Blake just friends?”
“Because then I can’t lose her. If I mess up, she won’t break up with me, hate my guts, and never want to see me again.”
“Why do you even think that’ll happen?”
“Because it happens all the time.” When Ruby didn’t offer an immediate rebuttal, Yang sighed again. “I know you and Weiss are in love and everything’s perfect, but that’s not how it works for everyone. A relationship can start off great, but most of them don’t end great.”
“That’s…” Ruby shook her head and started over. “Then what’re you going to do?”
That was the most important question, but Yang still didn’t have an answer. If she listened to her heart, she would see what these feelings could become. If she listened to her mind, she would protect what she already had.
“I think...I should just ignore it and hope it goes away.”
“What??” Ruby quickly shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. “No, that’s wrong. That’s not at all what you should do.”
“Blake’s one of the most important people in my life, Ruby. I can’t risk that for some silly emotions that’ll hopefully go away. If I mess up what we have...” Yang’s heart clenched at the mere thought of Blake not being in her life anymore. “I can’t lose her.”
“So you’re just going to bury your feelings?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
When Ruby emphatically shook her head, Yang’s brow rose.
“No,” Ruby repeated just as firmly. “Sorry, Yang. You’re my sister and I love you, but you can’t do that to her.”
“Ruby -”
“I know you have excuses,” Ruby interrupted. “But she deserves to know. How do you not get that?”
Stunned by the outburst, Yang sat back in her seat and frowned. Ruby, meanwhile, took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh.
“Blake’s already in love with you, you idiot.”
“No, she’s not -”
“Yes, she is. You’ve just been too busy avoiding relationships like the plague to notice.”
Yang scrunched up her nose but stopped short of shaking her head. She had done a great job staying away from romantic attachments, mostly by running at the first sign of deepening feelings. But Blake was her best friend...so she never had a reason to run.
“Yang, listen to me,” Ruby added in a softer, more patient tone. “People think you two are dating because you act like you’re dating. You go out of your way to take care of her. You’re late to everything except meeting her. And whenever she’s around, you’re happier than with anyone else.”
“Because she makes me happier than anyone else.”
That felt obvious to Yang, but Ruby waited for her to say something else before sighing.
“Let’s try this again. Besides Dad and me, who’s the most important person in your life?”
“Blake.”
Again, Ruby motioned with her hands as if the answer should spark some epiphany. When Yang just frowned, unsure of where this was headed, Ruby continued.
“And who can you never spend enough time with? Who’s the last person you text goodnight and the first you text good morning? The first person you go to with good news? Or some dumb joke only you think is funny?”
Yang made a face at that last line, but Ruby leaned further across the table.
“Who’s the person that, when you make them laugh, your heart does this flip in your chest because knowing you caused their happiness means the world to you?”
“What’re you saying?” Yang eventually asked. After a hesitation, Ruby patted Yang’s hands and gave her a reassuring smile.
“That’s what being in love feels like, Yang. I didn’t know before, but I do now - you’re in love with her.”
Hearing those words from someone else made them more real. Made them scarier.
“You have been for a long time,” Ruby continued while Yang’s heart clenched. “But you keep hiding behind being ‘friends,’ and she’s put up with it for years.”
“But...why would she do that?”
“Because she is your best friend. She knows you don’t want a relationship, or a girlfriend, or anything serious. Or you didn’t want that...”
That was true. Yang said so many times that she wouldn't risk her heart, but she never considered that Blake might harbor deeper feelings for her. Her heart fluttered at the thought, but it sounded too good to be true.
“If you’re finally ready, you have to tell her,” Ruby concluded. “You have to trust her, Yang. She’s stuck around this long, do you really think she’ll bail on you now?”
Yang knew that Blake wouldn’t ‘bail’ on her...but that didn’t mean their relationship would stay the same. What if Ruby was wrong? What if Blake didn’t feel the same way? What if bringing this up destroyed the closeness they built over all these years? Those terrifying thoughts grabbed ahold of Yang’s heart and refused to let go.
“I don’t know…”
“Oh! Weiss can help.”
Sitting up straighter, Ruby beamed and waved at someone over Yang’s shoulder. Yang turned around and found Weiss walking over to them.
“Good morning,” Weiss said, nodding to Yang before smiling at Ruby.
“Morning!” As soon as Weiss sat down, Ruby scooted closer and kissed her cheek. “Blake’s in love with Yang, right?”
“Ruby!” Yang yelped, only to blink in surprise when Weiss said, “Oh, of course,” without a second thought. “Wait,” Yang quickly added, ignoring Ruby’s ‘told you so’ expression. “You really think so?”
“I thought that was obvious.” After looking at Ruby for clarification, Weiss met Yang’s gaze. “It’s not like either of you are hiding it.”
“See?” Ruby said while Yang stared at them.
“I actually thought you two were married,” Weiss admitted, adding to Yang’s dismay. “Then I noticed neither of you had rings, and that you liked to hit on other women...but only when she wasn’t around. So I figured...exes or on the cusp of dating.”
“You noticed that while standing in line??”
“Again, you weren’t exactly hiding it.”
Weiss waved a hand like the disclosure was no big deal, but it was a huge deal to Yang. She hadn’t realized her feelings until just last night, yet everyone else already knew? Not only had they already known, but they apparently had been waiting quite a while for her to catch on. So, not only was she completely dense, but she was oblivious, too.
“Oh, incoming.”
When Ruby smiled and waved at someone near the entrance, Yang’s heart leapt into her throat. And that was before she turned around and watched Blake enter the coffeehouse.
Blake always looked beautiful, but there was much more to her than beauty today. Yang’s skin tingled watching Blake walk toward her. Calm, amber eyes locked onto hers, paired with a small smile reserved just for her. Normally, that smile warmed her heart. Today, her heart skipped several beats, her palms grew clammy, and her mind started racing.
At least Blake showed up. That was a good sign. She looked equally relieved by Yang’s presence, if that smile was any indication, and wasted no time joining the rest of them at the table.
“Hey,” Blake said, her eyes only for Yang as she set her bag on the chair. “I’ll get a drink and be right back.”
“Sure! Take your time. We aren’t going anywhere.”
Yang’s response sounded off. Too loud? Too casual? Fortunately, Blake didn’t seem to notice.
“Want anything?” she asked instead, lightly trailing her hand across Yang’s back while Yang swiveled in her seat to keep their gazes locked.
“I’m good, thanks.”
When Blake smiled, Yang’s heart beat faster, and she smiled like an idiot while Blake joined the line. The emotions she’d struggled with all night were louder than ever, as if time apart had only made them stronger. While new and alarming, a fair amount of excitement was thrown into the mix. That excitement was only tempered when she noticed Weiss and Ruby’s amused expressions.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything!” Ruby argued while Weiss sipped Ruby’s coffee and held back a smile.
“Yang, your girlfriend’s so sweet.”
When Ruby promptly dissolved into giggles, Weiss’ smile sprang into being. Unamused, Yang sent the girl a humorless look.
“I think I liked it better when you were drunk and going into way too much detail about how you like Ruby to make you ‘happy.’”
Weiss blushed and averted her gaze at the reminder, but that was the only small victory Yang could claim at the moment. That became especially true when she glanced at Blake and her heart went through another round of gymnastics.
How was it even possible to like someone so much? The strength of these feelings scared her to death, yet she still wanted to wait in line with Blake just for the opportunity to be together a few seconds sooner. At the same time, she had no idea what she could say or do to make things seem normal between them.
“You have to tell her.”
Yang sighed at Ruby’s advice and forced her attention away from Blake.
“I don’t know, Ruby...what if she doesn’t feel the same? Besides, I’m definitely not saying anything with an audience.”
The coffee shop felt like her second home but, if she was going to get her heart crushed, she didn’t want to be in front of a crowd. Then she would have to find a new place to buy coffee, and that...that wouldn’t even be the worst possible outcome.
“I know that look. That’s your ‘I’m too scared to do anything’ look.”
“Ruby,” Yang sighed, wishing her sister would stop reading her so well. “It’s not that easy, ok? It’s...really complicated.”
“It’s only complicated because you’re overthinking it,” Ruby argued. “You don’t need a perfect speech or anything. You just have to let her know how you feel.”
There was that word again - overthinking. Blake often told Yang to stop overthinking things, now Ruby was doing the same. Did she really overthink that often? She considered herself more of a ‘jump first, ask questions later’ type. Adventurous, laidback, willing to go with the flow.
Of course, that didn’t apply to her closest relationships - that was when she worried and stressed about the smallest things. In this case though, she wasn’t stressing out about a small thing. She was stressing out about a giant, monumental, life-changing thing.
After glancing at Blake to make sure they still had time to talk, Yang met Ruby’s gaze.
“What if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not wrong,” Ruby insisted. “You can just tell, Yang,” she added when Yang shook her head. “She looks at you, and talks to you, and treats you differently than anyone else. Like you’re the most important person in the world.”
What Ruby described could also apply to two people who were close, loving friends. Before Yang pointed that out, however, Weiss set her hand on Ruby’s and looked at Yang thoughtfully.
“Would you really pretend that you don’t know how you feel?”
“I...don’t know. I don’t know what to do.”
Weiss’ expression was more understanding than Ruby’s, and she even nodded before offering a small, encouraging smile.
“The way I see it, you have several options. You can tell her -” Weiss didn’t pause when Yang huffed at that idea. “Or you can hope those feelings go away, which I guarantee you they won’t. Or...you can spend the next year arranging your schedule around hers, hoping that one day something magically clicks and everything falls into place.”
When Weiss motioned around the coffee shop, where she had done exactly that, Ruby nodded.
“Yeah, Yang...what if your feelings don’t change, but hers do? What if she finds someone else? You don’t want to risk your friendship, but do you want to risk her dating someone else?”
Yang couldn’t answer that question because she had no idea what sounded worse. Telling Blake about these newfound feelings seemed unimaginably terrifying…but the thought of Blake dating someone else felt like the heartache Yang had been trying to avoid this entire time.
If Blake started dating someone, their relationship would inevitably change. And Blake would eventually find someone. Maybe someone at work would catch her eye. Maybe a chance meeting with a stranger would draw her in. Maybe a childhood friend would finally spark her interest. It hadn’t even happened yet, but thinking about it awakened the jealousy in Yang’s veins.
“Sorry that took a while.”
Yang’s heart jumped when Blake gently touched her shoulder before sitting down. The casual affection was normal - she knew it was - but held more significance this morning.
“What’re you talking about?” Blake asked, settling into her seat and wrapping her hands around her cup of tea. When no one immediately responded - too busy searching for a topic change and coming up empty - she looked around and tilted her head upon catching Ruby’s mouth-open, speechless expression.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, shifting in her seat before sneaking a glance at Yang.
“Oh.” Ruby finally snapped her jaw shut and waved off Blake’s confusion. “I was just saying how happy I am that it’s Monday!”
“You’re...happy...it’s Monday…?”
“Because she has an important meeting today,” Weiss piped in before sending Ruby a meaningful look. “That one you told me about - remember?”
“Oh! That’s right!” Ruby grinned and bounced in her seat. “We’re deciding if we’re ready to start testing, so I might have a game you can try!”
For a brief moment, the three of them seemed to hold their breath and wait for Blake’s response. Fortunately, Blake fell for the diversion with a demure smile.
“That’s great news,” she replied, sipping her tea before glancing at Yang - just missing Yang’s sigh of relief. “It feels like we’ve been waiting for a long time.”
“That’s because we have been,” Yang added with a laugh that sounded more nervous than teasing.
Suddenly, she wished she had gotten a drink. Or something to eat. Or anything to distract her hands with. Instead, she folded them in her lap and stared at the empty space on the table in front of her. Blake looked at her again, probably confused about the uncharacteristic response, but Ruby interrupted.
“As soon as I get the go-ahead, I’ll set you all up to play. That could be our next game night! We’ll get some food and you can try out my game!”
Eyes sparkling at the idea, Ruby looked around the table and grinned when everyone nodded.
“That sounds wonderful,” Weiss added while nonchalantly grabbing Ruby’s hand and holding it in her lap. “We can use my place if you want. I’ll take care of everything.”
“You can’t hire caterers,” Ruby immediately stipulated, making Weiss playfully sigh.
“What if I hire a party planner and they hire a caterer?” When Ruby narrowed her eyes, Weiss smiled and added, “Or I’ll cook. You’ll help again?”
“Of course I will.” After kissing Weiss’ cheek, Ruby beamed at Yang and Blake. “What do you think? I know we, like, just got together, but you can never see each other enough, right?”
The comment sounded innocent, but Yang noticed the glance Blake sent her way. “Sure,” she answered while avoiding the look.
“That sounds...fun,” Blake added.
“Awesome! Now I’m extra happy it’s Monday!”
While Ruby giggled, Yang mustered a short chuckle but kept her gaze aimed directly ahead of her. Blake glanced over every few seconds, trying to get a read on the situation while Yang struggled to remember what ‘normal’ felt like.
Normal was before they started kissing. Because if Yang looked at Blake now, she would only want to do it again. Good morning kisses were something couples did though, and they were only a couple in the sense that they were two individuals sitting on the same side of the table.
“Ruby,” Weiss said, breaking the silence before it became unbearably awkward. “Can I buy you a cookie before I head to work?”
“You read my mind.” As soon as Weiss stood up, Ruby popped to her feet, too. “But I’ll come with you!”
Weiss looked more than willing to have Ruby’s company, but Yang narrowed her eyes at them while they walked away. That had been well-coordinated - she would give them that - but their absence left her alone with Blake and a rush of feelings just hoping to burst out.
Glancing over and finding Blake still watching her, Yang offered a fleeting smile before fiddling with her hands. If she looked at Blake for too long, she would definitely want to kiss her. She already wanted to kiss her. She doubted that suggesting she ‘just to see what it felt like today’ would be a good excuse though.
“How’re you feeling this morning?” Blake asked as soon as Weiss and Ruby were out of earshot, and Yang realized that she would, in fact, have to engage in conversation.
“No complaints, I guess. How about you?”
Another glance at Blake, another reminder of last night. Their lips locked, their bodies pressed together, hands clutching each other closer…
“I’m...fine.” After a brief pause, Blake gently asked, “Are you alright? You seem kind of...quiet.”
“Oh, sorry, I was just...thinking.”
When silence followed Yang’s somewhat-truthful response, she risked a glance to the side and discovered that Blake’s expression had grown even more concerned. Emotions rushed through her eyes too fast for Yang to even read what they were, and she looked like she had so much to say even though no words came out. Eventually, she glanced over her shoulder, confirming Ruby and Weiss were still happily chatting in line, before leaning closer and lowering her voice.
“Listen...if you’re worried about last night, everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’m not upset or anything. We can just…move on.”
Usually, Yang loved hearing that everything was fine and they could carry on like usual. That was the easiest way in and out of a relationship. In this instance, however, her heart clenched at the thought of ‘moving on.’
“You mean...pretend it never happened?” she asked, but Blake quickly shook her head.
“We don’t have to do that, but…” After searching for words, Blake sighed and met Yang’s gaze. “We both had a lot of wine, and that probably got the best of us. There’s nothing to worry about. Nothing’s changed.”
But things had changed. If Yang felt it, Blake must too. They literally made out on her doorstep last night. How could that not change things? How could they pretend that nothing happened? They’d been drunk around each other countless times before and never did anything like that. And the way Blake had kissed her…held her close…melted into every touch…
Things had changed. Why wouldn't Blake admit it? She’d been there. She felt the kiss, too. She knew that they’d both poured more of themselves into it than they probably intended, so why would she sweep it under the rug without a second thought?
The answer hit Yang like a lightning bolt, thundering through her thoughts and rattling through her veins.
Ruby was right.
Blake knew that acknowledging the kiss would scare Yang. She knew that discussing the feelings they finally acted on might send Yang running for the hills. So she did the most selfless thing imaginable: she pushed her feelings aside and insisted that everything was fine in order to protect their friendship.
Apparently, Yang’s fears overshadowed Blake’s feelings. Her discomfort overrode Blake’s wants and wishes. And she’d never felt guiltier about a realization than right now.
“Blake…do you really believe that?”
Blake’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth but no words emerged. And no words would appear before Ruby pulled out her chair and sat down with a happy hum.
“These are the best cookies.”
“You said the same thing about that bakery we went to last week,” Weiss pointed out while setting a pastry bag filled with cookies on the table and sitting beside her.
“They had great cookies, too!” While Yang snuck a glance at Blake, Ruby briefly pondered the dilemma and grinned. “Guess we’ll have to go back so I can try them again.”
“I could just buy you a bakery…”
“Don’t you dare,” Ruby said before laughing. “What would you even do with a bakery?”
“Use it to feed you,” Weiss answered, much to Ruby’s amusement. Yang, however, was far more focused on Blake than on their conversation.
Even if Blake wanted to answer Yang’s question, she wouldn’t now that they had company. The concern in her eyes, however, made Yang equally worried. What if Blake wanted everything to stay the same and Yang just ruined it by refusing to play along?
“Do you two have any big plans today?” Weiss asked, forcing them to look at each other before turning away.
“Just work,” Yang mumbled at the table.
“Same.” Clearing her throat, Blake added, “I should get going, too. I have a meeting this morning.”
The comment instantly drew Yang’s gaze, and she watched Blake grab her cup and bag before standing up. Blake stopped just short of leaving though. Instead, she sent Yang a small, hopeful smile that revealed only a fraction of her worries.
“I’ll talk to you later?”
“Of course,” Yang quickly agreed with a small smile of her own.
Yang hoped the assurance helped, but Blake only nodded before ducking her head and heading outside. She glanced back once, catching Yang’s gaze one last time, before hurrying off to work. The abrupt exit left Yang’s heart aching as she stared at the door, sorting through never-ending worries and emotions.
“I have to tell her.”
The thought scared her to death, but she nodded and finally turned back to Ruby and Weiss.
“I have to tell her,” she repeated, glancing at the door as if Blake might walk through at any second...hurrying back to finish the conversation they only just started. But the only place Blake had hurried was to work, or maybe away from Yang.
“I can’t believe I never noticed...” she sighed before shaking her head and looking at Ruby. “I’ve been looking out for myself this whole time, and what’s she done?”
“She’s looked out for you, too.”
“Exactly,” Yang agreed, though the acknowledgment hurt her heart even more. “She just...hid her feelings and pretended we were friends so I wouldn’t freak out. But what about her? What about what she wants?”
Ruby and Weiss shared a look, but Yang didn’t need them to respond. All this time, she thought she was protecting her and Blake’s friendship by never crossing any lines, messing up as little as possible, and always putting Blake first. As it turned out, Blake had made the biggest sacrifice in the name of their friendship.
The worst part was that Blake shouldn’t have had to do that, but Yang put her in a situation where it must have felt like her only choice. That she had to hide her feelings while watching Yang fail at one relationship after another. Those shallow relationships were supposed to keep Yang’s heart out of harm’s way. But right now, facing the realization that she’d failed someone she swore to always be there for, her heart hurt more than it had in quite some time.
“I have to tell her,” she reiterated one more time, knowing that was the only way out of this heartbreak. Admitting her feelings might risk their friendship, but she had to do it. She had to prove to Blake that there was nothing to be afraid of, and she could only do that by making the leap of faith herself.
“How?” Weiss eventually asked, and Yang frowned.
“I...don’t know. I just have to, somehow….”
Even though Ruby and Weiss exchanged glances, they didn’t tell Yang that she was crazy or try to convince her out of it. Because they already knew she wouldn’t be convinced out of it...and they knew it was past time for someone to voice feelings left unspoken for too long.
“Oh!” Ruby suddenly exclaimed. “I have an idea - why don’t I pretend to set her up with someone? I’ll tell her that Weiss knows someone from work - someone we think she’ll like. Then we set up a date, and you show up instead!”
Yang stared at Ruby before ultimately shaking her head.
“Ruby, I love you, but that’s a horrible idea.”
“It could use a little tweaking,” Weiss said more diplomatically, patting Ruby’s leg to soften the answer. “She probably wouldn’t agree. Or, if she did…”
Yang frowned at the thought when Weiss subtly nodded at her. As dramatic and possibly romantic as that sounded, she didn’t want to set Blake up on a date, not even a pretend one. She definitely didn’t want Blake to accept a date with someone else.
Yang just had to summon the courage to tell Blake on her own. Because they’d kissed. Not a friendly peck on the lips. Not a drunken, in-the-moment kiss. They’d kissed because they wanted to. Their hearts told them to. And they were rewarded with something wonderful, amazing, and right.
Blake was willing to pretend it never happened. She would sweep it under the rug for Yang. So that their friendship stayed the same. So that Yang wouldn’t worry about ruining the best thing that ever happened to her.
Was Blake scared that Yang would reject her? Why would Yang do that when Blake was the most incredible person she’d ever met? She would be an idiot not to jump at the chance to be together, even if that meant eschewing a way of life she often swore by.
“You know what Mom would say…” Ruby eventually added, a small smile on her lips when Yang returned her gaze. “‘Sometimes, the biggest problems have the quickest solutions.’”
A laugh slipped through Yang’s lips at the phrase, which had been used often during their childhood.
“The bandaid approach,” she whispered and, once Ruby nodded, sighed at the table. She wished that she could ask her mom for advice. What to do, what to say, how to open up and put her heart out there.
If there was a chance Blake felt the same way…
Imagining what would happen if Blake felt the same way, if they could be together, Yang realized how much she wanted it to be true. But, even more importantly, thinking that Blake might be scared too made Yang sick to her stomach.
Blake had nothing to be afraid of. Yang would do anything for her. That was how it had always been and how it would always be. Now was the time to prove it.
“I’m not planning anything,” she said as her resolve solidified. “And I’m not waiting. I’ll go over to her apartment tonight and tell her.”
When Ruby pumped her fist and Weiss cracked a smile, Yang stood up and grabbed her bag.
“Where’re you going?” Ruby asked.
“To work. Shouldn’t you be working, too?”
When Ruby’s smile fell, Yang rolled her eyes and waved before hurrying out of the coffee shop. She didn’t feel like cheering yet, but she was determined to make this better - not for her sake, but for Blake’s.
Blake was the best friend Yang had ever had, but it was time she opened her mind to the idea that they could be something more. She wanted to be more. And, if Blake felt the same...
There was nothing to be afraid of. Yang would prove it by supporting Blake the same way Blake had always supported her. She would set her worries and fears aside and make sure Blake knew that, no matter what feelings were or weren’t returned, Yang would always be by her side. It might be terrifying, and it might be one of the hardest things Yang had ever done, but she would do it for Blake.
Tonight, their friendship would change. How it would change…she didn’t know, but she was determined to find out.