Waiting (on You) - Chapter 21 (Patreon)
Content
Another story comes to an end...
I hope you enjoyed this one. It's one of my personal favorites because I think the emotions landed right. They did for me, at least.
I'll be posting a new chapter of RCR next week (yay!) then taking a week break during which I'll hopefully recharge, then be back with the start of a new story! This one is a giant too...48 chapters long, meaning we'll be in 2024 before it's finished! (That's actually pretty depressing lol) It is White Rose AND Bumbleby in equal parts. One of them isn't the side couple - both of them are the main couples. Oh, and all 4 POVs. I'm nervous, but I hope you're excited!
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Yang considered herself a city girl through and through, but there was something special about leaving the maze of concrete and people and things to do behind and going home. The drive was pleasant - a little colder than expected but nothing a good jacket couldn’t handle. And the scenery...the scenery alone was worth every second spent soaring along increasingly empty streets lined with more and more trees. The leaves had started to turn, creating a dazzling display of orange, red, and yellow that reminded her of hot chocolate, blanket forts, and inevitable pillow fights.
There were no neon lights out here. No billboards, no traffic jams, no double-decker buses plastered with ads. Just trees, single-lane roads, the steady rumble of Bumblebee’s engine, and Blake’s arms wrapped around her stomach.
She’d always loved bringing Blake home with her, using it as an opportunity to show off the amazing, gorgeous person she called her best friend. Today was no exception, but simmering anticipation hung in the air. She’d felt it the moment she and Blake woke up this morning, and it had only grown stronger as they left Vale behind.
Not long ago, she would have been out-of-her-mind, upset-stomach nervous about today. But she wasn’t nervous at all - she was excited. The kind of excited someone felt after looking forward to something for quite some time.
After turning from the main road onto a familiar tree-lined path, she slowed Bumblebee to an easy crawl as the woods thickened around them. Before long, the driveway opened into a large clearing revealing her childhood home. The small house tucked amongst the trees held some of her happiest and saddest memories, but she treasured each and every one of them. And today, she hoped to make a few more.
She pulled up beside Ruby’s car before turning off the engine and setting her feet down. Blake’s arms disappeared from her stomach shortly after, the subtle loss of warmth making her turn around and watch Blake hop off the back of the bike.
“Now I know why Ruby usually drives…”
Blake’s helmet muffled her words, but Yang understood the feeling. Crouching over the bike was uncomfortable for long trips. Even Yang’s muscles protested the lack of movement over the past hour, but she couldn’t find much to complain about while watching Blake twist from side to side. First to the left, then to the right, before reaching up and pulling off her helmet.
Yang’s heart immediately ratcheted up, and she unabashedly stared while Blake casually shook her long, gorgeous hair. Then she ran her fingers through those beautiful black tresses, lifting her chin and soaking in the late-afternoon sun as she did so, before finally catching Yang’s gaze.
“What?”
Yang should probably feel embarrassed for being caught ogling so openly, but she didn’t. Instead, she grinned while setting Bumblebee on the kickstand, swinging her leg across, and removing her own helmet.
“Now I get why you want me to wear a helmet,” she teased, placing hers on the seat before moving closer to Blake.
“To protect your head.”
“Pretty sure that’s a secondary benefit.”
Smiling at the joke, which drew an eyeroll from Blake, Yang set her hands on Blake’s hips and leaned in for a kiss. The drive hadn’t been that long but having Blake’s arms wrapped around her the entire time had made her crave a multitude of kisses. Then again, being close to Blake in any way was enough to kindle that desire.
One kiss would have to be enough for now. One soft, lingering, affectionate kiss that made her heart stutter and her resolve wane. She managed to pull away before losing herself to that feeling, but she smiled when Blake’s eyes fluttered open and happiness swirled within them.
“Have I mentioned how much I love kissing you?” Yang asked, her smile growing when Blake laughed and shook her head.
“Not in the last few days, at least.”
“That long?” The response earned a playful shrug, so Yang tugged Blake close and gently lifted her chin. “Blake Belladonna...I really, really love kissing you. And a lot of other things that aren’t appropriate for the location or possible audience...but kissing you is incredible.”
Laughing at the flattery, which Yang never tired of giving, Blake shrugged the backpack off her shoulders and set it on the ground. By now, they both knew that any response could set off a dangerous string of events, so she smartly avoided the potential pitfall. Instead, she unzipped the bag, glanced inside, and sighed.
“Thank god. They’re alright.”
Blake’s palpable relief confirmed that she hadn’t fully believed Yang’s assurances that a long, bumpy ride in a backpack wouldn’t hurt the world-famous dessert she baked that morning. When Blake removed the dish, which looked the same as it had when they left, Yang chuckled and reached for Blake’s free hand.
“Can’t forget those, can we.”
“Pretty sure I’m not allowed through the door without them.”
“Sure you are!” When Blake’s brow rose, Yang grinned and tugged her toward the house. “You’d just have to bake some here.”
“Good thing I have the recipe memorized.”
“And I’d help,” Yang added before kissing Blake’s temple. “I’ll be your sous chef. Or sous baker, I guess.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad…”
When Blake drifted into silence, Yang glanced over to gauge her feelings. The silence wasn’t unusual or uncomfortable but, considering the circumstances, was worthy of extra attention today.
“Nervous?” she asked as they stepped onto the wide front porch that had seen its fair share of wear and tear.
“A bit.”
“You know he loves you.”
“He loved me when we were friends.”
“Except we were never just ‘friends.’ You know that.”
Seeing as how they’d spent many conversations over many days trying and failing to pinpoint the moment they went from ‘friends’ to ‘more-than-friends,’ Blake didn’t argue. She understood, just like Yang now understood, that there had always been something more between them. That was why their ‘friendship’ had blasted off like a rocketship racing toward the stratosphere, shattering all of the relationship boundaries Yang had set.
Realizing that wasn’t Blake’s point though, Yang stopped just outside the front door and squeezed her hand.
“But you have nothing to worry about. He thinks you’re one of the greatest people ever. There’s no way he’s not thrilled.”
When Yang smiled, knowing without a doubt that her words were true, Blake managed a fleeting smile in return. Her expression conveyed gratitude for the attempt but still a healthy amount of apprehension for the conversation to come.
For the longest time, Yang had considered Blake one of the most collected, unflappable people in existence. As they’d gotten to know each other even better over the past couple of months, however, Yang had discovered something amazing, wonderful, and adorable all in one: Blake was great at pretending to be calm and collected. But she got nervous too, like many other people did.
Those glimpses of vulnerability were few and far between, and not expressed the same way Yang dealt with her nerves, but they still happened. And, when they did, Yang found it nearly impossible not to wrap Blake in a giant hug and tell her how unfairly cute she was. Now wasn’t the time to gush though. Instead, Yang drew Blake forward and gently kissed her forehead.
“Everything will be fine,” she added upon pulling away, though she stayed close enough to lend Blake comfort through proximity. “Besides, Ruby and Weiss already softened him up.”
“I wonder how that went…”
Blake’s furrowed brow and uneasy glance at the door suggested she wasn’t ready to head inside just yet. Not one to rush anyone, especially knowing how challenging moments like this could be, Yang embraced the subject change.
“It’s my dad,” she pointed out with a chuckle. “Weiss could say she just got out of prison and he’d still find reasons to like her.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better…”
“You’re clearly not just out of prison,” Yang said before giving Blake a thoughtful look. “Unless you have something to tell me? Secret lives I should know about?”
“Well, there was that one time…”
When Yang laughed, a smile tugged at Blake’s lips.
“I’d be really impressed if you managed to keep that from me,” she teased while playfully tickling Blake’s side, prompting a full smile and adorable little giggle.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you can be a little dense sometimes.”
“That’s absolutely not false,” Yang agreed, sharing a smile with Blake before glancing at the door. She would stand out here forever if Blake wanted her to, but she was also excited to go in. To see her dad, Ruby, Weiss, and spend time together as one big family.
“I still can’t believe Ruby wouldn’t let us be here,” she whined for possibly the hundredth time, earning an amused look from Blake for possibly the hundredth time.
“Ruby wouldn’t let ‘us’ be here?”
“Fine, fine. I can’t believe Ruby wouldn’t let me be here.”
“Because you know what you would’ve done…”
“Lightened the mood?” she joked, but waved it away when Blake arched one brow. “I know, I know. Ruby wanted everything to go smoothly. But isn’t it my right as an older sister to tease her when she brings a girl home for the first time?”
“How would you feel if the situation was reversed?”
That was all Blake had to say for Yang to drop the idea entirely. Weiss had been nervous, just like Blake was nervous. Yang would do anything to make this easier for her, just like Ruby had for Weiss, and that began with squeezing Blake’s hand.
“You’re incredible,” Yang said as soon as Blake’s gaze met hers. “Smart, sassy, perfect -” When Blake shook her head, Yang squeezed her hand again. “And you make me so happy. Like...happier than I ever thought I could be.”
When Blake stilled at the words, Yang reached up and trailed her fingers through soft, black hair. Being affectionate like this - even more affectionate than they were as friends - made her the luckiest person in the world. The best part was...now she knew exactly why she felt this way, and she never hesitated to admit it.
“I love you. And if you think my dad won’t be ecstatic about it...then you don’t realize how much he worries about me or how much he adores you.”
Finally, progress. First, Blake’s eyes brightened, then a slow smile spread across her lips. The response filled Yang’s heart with happiness of her own - a feeling she held onto while motioning to the door.
“So...what do you think? Ready to leave the friendzone once and for all?”
After looking at the door one last time, Blake took a deep breath and nodded. By the time she turned back to Yang, she didn’t look even half as nervous. Instead, she looked...genuinely, inescapably happy.
“Absolutely,” she said as a wave of love swept through Yang.
No sooner had the agreement slipped through Blake’s lips did Yang pull her into another kiss. This one started out as passionate bordering on lustful as Yang expressed just how much she loved reassuring and supporting Blake like Blake so often did for her. In Blake’s lips, that affection and zeal flowed right back to her - an addictive loop that often led her further than intended. Unfortunately, further wasn’t an option right now, so she pulled away well before she wanted to.
“We probably won’t get to do that inside…”
“You mean we aren’t sneaking off to your room?” Blake asked without missing a beat, freezing Yang in surprise before she laughed and kissed Blake one last time.
“You’re amazing,” she murmured against Blake’s lips before kissing her forehead and finally backing away. If there was anything better than showering Blake with affection, Yang hadn’t found it yet and probably never would. “That’ll have to tide me over until then.”
“Then I hope it was enough.”
With Blake back to her usual, teasing self, Yang grinned and reached for the door knob.
“We’ll make up for it later, right?” she whispered while opening the door and stepping inside.
“Depends on how today goes.”
“As if I needed more incentive to make this go well,” she teased before glancing toward the living room, where a fast, energetic voice filtered down the hall. “Ready?”
“Actually...let me put these in the oven first.” Blake held up the baking dish but shook her head when Yang narrowed her eyes. “I’m not stalling. I just want these warm sooner rather than later. Why don’t you lay the groundwork and I’ll be there in a minute?”
Yang would have accepted the suggestion even if Blake was stalling, so she nodded and squeezed Blake’s hand one last time before heading to the living room alone. Her heart sped up while familiar voices grew louder and clearer, but she smiled as soon as she poked her head through the doorway.
Her dad, Ruby, and Weiss sat around the coffee table - Ruby and Weiss sharing the sofa while Dad occupied one of the big chairs across from them. Weiss’ spine looked like it had been replaced by a steel rod, but she was at least smiling while Ruby held her hand and jabbered like a squirrel. Dad looked like he might burst out laughing at any second, as he often did whenever Ruby told her stories, but his gaze drifted up as soon as Yang walked into the room.
“There you are.” Ruby’s story paused when he stood up and went over to Yang. “Late, as usual.”
“Ruby told me to be late,” Yang complained while hugging her dad, who just chuckled and patted her back.
“It’s good to see you,” he told her before looking over her shoulder. “Where’s Blake?”
Yang hadn’t told him that Blake was coming - he just expected it and looked genuinely confused by her absence. That alone made Yang beam like nothing else could. After all the conversations they’d had about relationships, and all the times she’d wished he would stop asking if she was dating someone, she couldn’t describe how overjoyed it made her that his first thought was to look for the person she should have been looking for all along.
“Actually…” After sneaking a glance at Ruby, who grinned and nodded, Yang smiled and squared her shoulders. “I brought someone special with me today.”
“‘Someone special?’” he repeated before his eyes widened. “Special special?”
“I’ve been dating someone,” she explained, watching his shock double while her heart grew twice as big. “And I want you to meet her, so...I hope you don’t mind, but I brought her with me.”
“Mind??” He scoffed at the question and turned to Ruby. “Ruby, is she messing with me?”
“She’s not!”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not,” Yang said, laughing at his dismay. “I’m really excited for you to meet her. She’s the most incredible person I’ve ever met, and I know you’ll love her.”
Spotting Blake out of the corner of her eye, Yang beamed and motioned her over. She took a deep breath first but walked into the living room and caught his attention moments later.
“Blake, there you are -” was all he got out before Yang grabbed Blake’s hand and intertwined their fingers. That gesture alone made him freeze. Then he looked at Yang for an explanation, and she nodded.
“Hi Mr. Xiao Long,” Blake greeted him, a soft blush on her cheeks while Yang beamed at her. “It’s nice to see you again.”
Normally, he would insist that Blake call him Tai. Today, however, he stared at the two of them, jaw dropped and eyes flitting between them and their joined hands. “Ruby,” he eventually said, speaking over his shoulder so he didn’t have to turn away. “Please tell me this is real.”
“It’s real!”
A scoff of disbelief slipped through his slips, then a huge smile appeared and he wrapped Blake in a giant hug. The reaction caught Blake so off guard that she hardly had time to return the embrace before he pulled away.
“This isn’t just a joke?” he asked her, keeping both hands on her shoulders while seeking an honest answer. “You two are actually dating?”
After glancing at Yang, Blake smiled at him.
“Yes, we are.”
The answer made him so elated that his smile might blind anyone looking directly at it. That turned out to be the entire room, as he looked at all of them before setting his hands on his hips and sighing.
“Finally.”
“Right??” Ruby agreed, sitting on her knees and leaning over the back of the sofa to watch the conversation unfold. “Took them long enough.”
“Better late than never?” Yang offered, but Ruby shook her head, and their dad gave Yang a long, thoughtful look before turning back to Blake.
“Then it’s about time I gave you The Talk.”
“Dad…”
“Blake,” he began regardless, again setting his hands on Blake’s shoulders while Yang sighed and shook her head. “Now that you two are dating, I have to say...I’m so glad my daughter finally pulled her head out of her ass.”
“Dad!” Yang yelped while Blake started laughing. Her eyes sparkled now, and her smile came easily as she nodded.
“I am, too.”
“Me too!” Ruby added, and Yang rolled her eyes.
“Alright, everyone just pile it on now…”
“Sorry, sweetie, but you kind of deserve it.” When Yang scrunched up her face, her dad chuckled and squeezed her shoulder. “How did this happen? And when?”
“A couple months ago -”
“Months ago? And you’re only telling me now??”
Hearing his palpable disbelief, Blake glanced at Yang before responding.
“I didn’t want to rush her into anything…”
“And we wanted to tell you in person,” Yang added, although that had been her desire more so than Blake’s.
Blake wouldn’t have cared if Yang opted for a phone call or text, but Blake was also one of the most understanding and patient people alive. After years of friendship, she knew Yang almost better than Yang knew herself. What scared her, what worried her, what made her nervous...Blake learned all of that before they even started dating. So when Yang said she wanted to tell her dad in person, and together, Blake agreed without hesitation.
What Blake sometimes forgot was that Yang knew her pretty damn well, too. And Yang knew that Blake needed to see his reaction to fully believe that he was happy for them. Based on his smile, ‘happy’ didn’t begin to capture how he felt about their news. Ecstatic might be a better word. Euphoric. Over the moon.
“This is the best day ever,” he concluded while leaning against the sofa and wrapping an arm around Ruby’s shoulders. He smiled at Ruby, then Weiss, before his gaze returned to Yang. “How’d you two get so lucky?”
“Beats me,” Ruby quipped before beaming at Weiss, who couldn’t resist smiling in return. Yang, meanwhile, squeezed Blake’s hand and kissed her temple.
“Guess someone’s looking out for us,” Yang suggested.
In the brief silence that followed, during which Blake held Yang’s gaze with a loving one of her own, they all likely thought the same thing - that there could only be one person behind their good fortune.
“I think you’re right.” After gently shaking Yang’s shoulder, her dad smiled and hugged Blake again. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he told her before backing away and giving her a more beseeching look. “Did you happen to bring anything with you...?”
Yang scoffed at the question, which she’d known was coming sooner rather than later, but Blake couldn’t stop smiling.
“Already in the oven.”
After clapping his hands at the positive answer, he kissed Blake’s cheek and patted Yang’s shoulder one more time. “I love this girl,” he announced before hurrying off to claim his dessert, leaving Yang chuckling in his wake.
“Yeah,” she said as her heart warmed and her gaze returned to Blake. “I do, too.”
With the big reveal having gone as well as expected, and with Blake’s relief visible in her eyes and relaxed posture, Yang leaned in and kissed her. After their nerve-filled morning, she wanted nothing more than to seal the latest chapter of their story with a kiss. And begin the next phase of their relationship - the one where everyone knew they were together and in love - with another one.
They ended up beginning the next phase of their relationship with a kiss and with Ruby dramatically flopping back onto the sofa.
“They’re so cute!!” she squealed while Weiss laughed and tried to pull her up. “Seriously,” she added once Weiss got her into a seated position. “And that’s my sister. The one being all cute and lovey-dovey in her serious relationship.”
“Ok, Ruby…” Yang said, chuckling as blood rushed to her cheeks.
Secretly, she hoped her feelings were as obvious as Ruby made them sound. The last couple of months had been so incredible that she couldn’t imagine being committed to anyone else. She didn’t waste an opportunity to tell Blake that either, but she wouldn’t complain if Blake could see her commitment along with the rest of the world.
“Ruby!” Dad called out from the kitchen, drawing everyone’s attention that way. “I’m eating all of these if you don’t get in here!”
Gasping at the ‘threat,’ Ruby jumped to her feet and grabbed Weiss’ hand.
“You’ve gotta try one,” she said while dragging Weiss out of the room. “They’re my favorite dessert ever, and Blake only makes them for Dad, my birthday, or if Yang asks - which she never does because she doesn’t love me enough.”
“Or I love you so much that I don’t want you to get diabetes,” Yang argued, but Ruby shrugged off the response before leading Weiss to the kitchen. With everyone else eating dessert before dinner, a Rose-Xiao Long tradition, Yang reached for Blake’s hands and blew a big breath through her lips.
“That’s how you feel?” Blake teased, making Yang smile as they gravitated closer. “Can you put it in words?”
“I’m really, really happy right now.”
“Are you?” Eyes shining, Blake moved even closer. “No regrets? Or cold feet?”
“Why would I have cold feet?” Yang asked while tucking a strand of hair behind Blake’s ear, watching Blake subtly lean into the touch.
“Because we just told your dad that we’re dating...”
“And...?”
“And...isn’t that a big step?”
“It is.”
Blake’s brow rose at the easy agreement, but Yang smiled and squeezed her hands.
“It is a big step. Now he knows we’re dating, so he’ll ask about you all the time. He’ll want to know how you’re doing, what we’ve been up to, and he’ll always expect you to come home with me.”
Once upon a time, those expectations - and the fear of failing to meet them - made her run the other direction. Today, she wrapped Blake in a hug, savoring the closeness they shared, and whispered in her ear, “But he was already doing that.”
“...he was?” Blake asked while Yang pulled back, and she nodded.
“He was.”
Unwilling to move too far away, Yang dropped her hands to Blake’s waist and held her close, almost as if they were swaying to the beat of their own music. Then she rested her forehead against Blake’s and smiled.
“It’s a big step,” she agreed. “But I’m not scared of taking it with you. I love you, I love being with you, and I want everyone to know it.”
That was how Yang had felt the past couple of months as the two of them grew even closer than before, and that was certainly how she felt now when Blake smiled back at her.
“What about you though?” she asked, softly clutching Blake’s sides. “How do you feel?”
“I’m...really relieved, and really happy.” Weaving her fingers through Yang’s hair, Blake looked happier and more relieved than Yang had seen her in some time. “I’ve always loved your family, but I know how protective they are of you -”
“Wait a second.” Yang held up a hand and laughed. “They’re protective of me?”
“They don’t want you to get hurt, Yang.” When Yang conceded that argument, Blake sighed and rested her cheek against Yang’s shoulder. “I always worried they wouldn’t accept me as more than your friend. So...yes, I’m happy.”
Yang had known that Blake was nervous about being accepted, but she hadn’t realized how much Blake had thought this through. The idea of Ruby or her dad not approving of Blake seemed almost ludicrous though - they loved her and loved having her around. Keeping those thoughts to herself for now, she wrapped her arms around Blake’s shoulders and hugged her. For the next few seconds, they were content to just stand there, unmoving, listening to the cheerful voices drift from the kitchen. Once that moment passed, they sighed in unison.
“Well, now he knows,” Yang said, chuckling at their mutual relief. “That wasn’t so bad, was it? I mean, it could’ve been worse.”
When Blake tilted her head, Yang gently poked her side.
“It could’ve gone like how your parents found out.”
“Oh.” Just like that, Blake was smiling again. “But that went really well.”
“‘Really well??’”
Blake struggled to hide her smile and shrugged as if she didn’t remember the absolute thrill she put Yang through. Yang, meanwhile, held a hand up to her ear like a pretend phone.
“‘Sorry, sweetie,’” she mimicked in Blake’s mom’s voice. “Didn’t mean to wake you up. How’re you? How’s Yang doing?’”
Switching the ‘phone’ to her other ear, she mimicked Blake’s voice next.
“‘Oh, I don’t know, Mom - why don’t you ask her yourself?’”
When Yang held the pretend phone out to Blake, Blake finally laughed.
“I wish I could’ve seen her reaction…” she mused, eyes sparkling at the shock she’d effortlessly dropped in her mother’s lap - and on Yang in the process.
“You know, you’re more like her than you admit.”
Blake half-heartedly shrugged rather than acknowledge that she had a mischievous streak rival to her mother’s. “It was a little funny though,” she said instead.
Remembering the internal chaos and panic as Blake shoved the phone into her hands, Yang laughed and shook her head. The two of them had just woken up in bed together, neither of them clothed or thinking about getting up anytime soon, when she abruptly found herself in the unenviable position of explaining their relationship status to Blake’s mom.
By the time she finished sputtering - much of which she couldn’t even remember now - both Blake and her mom were laughing uncontrollably. Then Blake’s mom signed off with a ‘well, don’t let me keep you’ - the implication prompting the deepest blush Yang had ever experienced - and Blake immediately rewarded her for stumbling through that moment.
Looking back on it, Yang didn’t know if the conversation or what came after made her blush harder...
Before Yang dwelled too much on that memory, Weiss returned to the living room. Having company prompted Yang and Blake to finally leave a little space between them, but they still held hands as Weiss walked over.
“Will you teach me how to make these?” she asked, holding up a piece of Blake’s delicious cookie bars.
“Don’t do it,” Yang whispered loudly. “She wants to steal your secrets and use them for evil.”
“I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars,” Weiss added, so Yang’s brow shot up.
“On second thought...my dad already loves you. Take the money.” When Blake scoffed, momentarily caught off guard by the offer, Yang turned back to Weiss. “I thought you weren’t supposed to be buying expensive gifts.”
“Ruby doesn’t want me buying her things,” Weiss explained, her expression softening at the mere mention of Ruby. “But she said I can spend money on anything we can both enjoy...and I think we both enjoy these.”
When Weiss held up the cookie, Ruby rushed into the room and grabbed her free hand.
“My dad wants to hear you sing!” Ruby announced while pulling Weiss away.
“...sing?”
“Yeah! I told him you sing like an angel, and he wants to hear!”
“But Ruby -”
At a loss for words, Weiss glanced at Blake and Yang before meeting Ruby’s shimmering, disarmingly pleading eyes.
“Ok,” she relented. “We’ll discuss later?” she asked Blake while holding up the cookie, waiting for Blake’s nod before letting Ruby pull her away.
“And we’ll eat soon!” Ruby told Yang before she and Weiss moved across the hall. “Meet you outside?”
“Sure.”
Left alone once again, Yang chuckled at the hopeless display of devotion. Honestly, she loved that Weiss became an utter softie when it came to Ruby. Ruby, on the other hand, had a subtle way of inviting Weiss outside of her comfort zone without being pushy. Together, they just…clicked. Yang saw that now more than ever before.
“What do you think?” she asked, nudging Blake’s side before taking her hand and leading her to the backyard. “Could you use the extra cash?”
“I won’t make her pay me.”
“You’ll teach her for free?” Yang asked, stunned that Blake would so easily give up the recipe she’d perfected over the years. “But...why? She can just pay some professional baker to create something new for her.”
“But she wants this one for Ruby. And she wants to be able to make them herself, to make Ruby happy.”
The response proved yet again that Blake was the more emotionally intelligent of the two of them. She didn’t boast about it though; she just smiled toward the conversation drifting from the kitchen as they passed by.
“Please let me be there,” Yang said, making Blake laugh and shake her head. “I’m serious! I need to see Weiss Schnee bake something - with her own two hands and not a credit card.”
“Couldn’t you use a refresher, too?” When Yang’s grin immediately dropped, Blake smirked at her. “I can teach both of you at the same time. I’m sure she’ll enjoy watching you confuse the measuring cups and measuring spoons.”
“That happened once,” Yang said while holding the door leading to the backyard. “But that’s fair. You’ll have your hands full with both of us.”
“I already have my hands full with you,” Blake teased, tapping Yang’s chin before they walked to the edge of the patio. Leaning against the wooden railing, she looked out over the yard and sighed. “It’s always so nice here…” she mused, more to herself than to Yang. “So peaceful and beautiful.”
The quiet, tranquil woods might be beautiful, but Yang was too caught up in the beautiful girl beside her to notice.
“Mhmm…” she replied when it felt like she was supposed to say something, but the distracted response drew Blake’s gaze. It only took one glance for Blake’s expression to become a knowing one, and her eyes flitted to the door before fixating on Yang. The smile tugging at the corner of her mouth implied that she knew exactly what Yang was thinking, and she appreciated every unspoken compliment directed her way. She even decided to offer a reward for the flattery as she leaned in and stole a kiss.
Not content to let Blake get away with just one, Yang pursued those soft, addicting lips and stole another one for herself. The soft hum that slipped through Blake’s lips convinced her that another one was welcome, and the way Blake pressed against her suggested a third wasn’t uncalled for.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth kisses were all Blake’s doing. At least, that was what Yang told herself while giving in to whatever Blake wanted. They were outside and alone, after all. And this might be their last minute of privacy for the next few hours.
They broke apart when the back door slammed open and Ruby raced onto the porch carrying a large bowl of salad.
“Ugh,” she immediately said, confirming they hadn’t separated fast enough. “You still have a room here, you know.”
“I thought Weiss was singing for Dad,” Yang pointed out, blushing as Weiss returned to Ruby’s side holding a second bowl filled with vegetables.
“We’re waiting until after dinner since the food’s ready.” Thrilled about Weiss singing, or about eating soon, Ruby hopped off the porch and motioned Weiss after her. “Let’s set the table!”
After sending Blake and Yang a knowing look, Weiss followed Ruby across the lawn at a much more refined pace. Yang, meanwhile, looked at Blake, saw the residual blush on her cheeks, and chuckled.
“How many more times do you think that’ll happen?”
“It’s like she has some sort of radar…” Blake mused while leaning into Yang’s side, inviting Yang to wrap an arm around her shoulders as they headed to the patio table.
“Maybe we should stop kissing in public places,” she suggested before glancing over to see Blake’s reaction - a furrowed brow and shake of the head.
“That doesn’t seem like the right answer…”
“Guess we’ll just have to get used to it then.”
This time, Blake hummed and rested her head against Yang’s shoulder. Ruby’s extremely poor timing had been an unexpected and unwelcome discovery, but they weren’t willing to rein in their affection just to save Ruby’s eyes. Besides, they weren’t the only ones caught in compromising situations recently…
But they didn’t bring up those moments, especially not now. Instead, they walked over to the table and looked at the dinner taking form.
“Is there anything else to bring outside?” Blake asked.
“A few more bowls, and we need silverware.”
When Ruby held up the one lonely fork that made it to the table, Blake gestured at the house.
“I’ll help set the table,” she said before her gaze settled on Yang’s dad, who had just made it to the grill.
“I’ll see if he needs help,” Yang replied before Blake suggested it. Blake’s smile made it clear that was what she’d wanted though, as she nodded and headed inside with Weiss. After watching Blake go, Yang joined her dad near the grill on the other side of the yard. She and Ruby often joked about how ‘all’ he could do was grill, but he was actually really good at it.
“Smells fantastic.”
“The secret is giving it a long, long time to cook,” he said while basting their dinner with one of his homemade barbeque sauces. “The more patient you are, the more flavorful it is.”
“See, that’s my problem,” Yang replied with a playful shake of her head. “I’m not patient.”
“And you turn the heat up too high,” he reminded her. “We want food not lumps of charcoal.”
Laughing at the memory, she grabbed a pair of tongs for him so that he could flip everything over and baste again.
“Thanks for making dinner,” she added, but he waved off the gratitude.
“You know I love having everyone over. And I love grilling.” When Yang nodded, he smiled at her. “How’re you doing? You’ve had quite the life change recently.”
“You could say that, and it’s been really, really great.” Spotting Blake talking to Weiss while carrying a stack of plates to the table, Yang smiled. “What about you though?” she asked, lightly slapping her dad’s arm. “What do you think of Weiss?”
“She’s not what I expected,” he admitted. “But in a good way. Besides, you know all that matters is if she makes Ruby happy.” Glancing at the table, where Ruby was showing Weiss how they arranged the silverware, he smiled. “I didn’t know she had another level of happiness.”
“Right??” Yang said while he laughed. “She’s been over-the-moon for months now. By this point, she’s never coming back down.”
“I wouldn’t want her to.” He smiled at Ruby for several more seconds before giving Yang a thoughtful look. “What about you - are you happy?”
Again, Yang looked at Blake. When her heart promptly fluttered, she nodded.
“Definitely happy.”
“Good. I’m happy for you.”
“Glad I finally figured it out?” she joked, but he shook her head.
“I knew you would eventually. Besides, that girl wasn’t giving up without a fight.”
When he bumped her elbow and nodded at Blake, Yang beamed that way. He was right - Blake refused to give up even though so many others would have. Instead, she was patient, she was understanding, and she waited for Yang to figure out her feelings on her own, with nothing more than a nudge or two along the way.
“You two have always been great together,” he added, nodding to himself while setting the sauce and baster aside. “I’ve just been waiting for you to take that next step.”
“Have you??”
His nod added him to the growing list of people who’d figured it out before Yang, prompting another laugh at how dense she’d been. All that time wasted thinking she would end up alone...and she had the perfect girl just waiting for her.
“I apologized for taking so long. I just had to stop worrying about getting my heart broken, I guess.”
“Heartbreak sucks,” he agreed before looking around the yard, where he had raised his family through good times and bad. Liking what he found, he took a deep breath and smiled. “But giving your heart to someone is always worth it.”
A few months ago, Yang would have viewed that statement with a great deal of suspicion. After spending the past couple of months with Blake though, she knew what it felt like to give her heart to someone and trust them to protect it. It could be terrifying, but it felt incredible, too.
“You mean you don’t regret it?” she asked, knowing that he’d experienced the endings she feared so much. But he didn’t even hesitate before shaking his head.
“Of course not.” After handing her a platter, he grabbed the tongs and started removing pieces of grilled chicken one by one. “My life didn’t turn out how I expected it, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Really? Not even like -”
“Nothing.” After setting the last piece of chicken on the tray, he put the tongs aside and set a hand on her shoulder. “Things might’ve been rough here and there, but I ended up with you and your sister. And watching you two grow into incredible young women has been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”
“Don’t you mean most challenging?” Yang teased, but he laughed and shook his head.
“It wasn’t so bad once I got the hang of it. Although, there was that whole ‘Robot Ruby’ phase…”
Both of them chuckled at the alternatively hilarious and frustrating period of their lives. Once their laughter trailed off, however, he looked up at the trees and sighed.
“As your mom would say…‘we learn something from everything.’”
Yang stood there for several seconds, letting that bit of wisdom sink in, before frowning.
“Did she just make things up?”
“All the time,” he admitted with a laugh. “She always made it sound good though…and you two would stare at her like she just unlocked the secrets of the universe when she actually just convinced you to go to bed early.”
While he chuckled at the memory, Yang smiled. As far as she and Ruby were concerned, their mom could do anything - including convincing them into bed earlier than they wanted.
“I never figured out how to do that,” he added with a shake of his head. “She always told me, ‘You just have to believe, Tai,’ but it’s a little hard to ‘believe’ when you’ve got two toddlers hanging off your arms while someone’s knocking on the front door and the oven timer’s going off.”
He wore a fond smile thinking about that moment, but Yang watched him with more curiosity than before. He dropped little stories like that often, but this time she realized that they hardly ever discussed what her mom was like outside of being a mother extraordinaire. She hadn’t always been a mother. She’d been a daughter, a friend, a wife and partner, all before she ever took on the title of world’s best mom.
“Do you think we could talk about her sometime?” Yang asked. “About what she was like with you and...as a person, not just as a mom?”
Now that Yang was old enough - finally ‘ready,’ she might say - she wanted to know what her mom was like when she wasn’t busy being a superhero. And, based on the joy and excitement in her dad’s eyes, he wanted to talk about the woman he’d loved just as much as the rest of them.
“Of course we can.” After setting a hand on her shoulder, he smiled. “She would be proud of you, you know. Both of you.”
“I hope so…”
“I know so.”
Fighting a sudden lump of emotion in her throat, Yang nodded but couldn't possibly respond. That wasn’t the first time he’d said something like that, but it was the first time she actually believed it. She had always wanted to be someone her mom would have been proud of, whether that meant successful, outgoing, beautiful, or anything else. In the end, all she had to be was happy with herself and accepting of who she was.
Knowing that they could talk more about it later, and noticing Blake walking over to them, Yang left the conversation there for now.
“Sorry to interrupt…” Blake said while tentatively joining them. “I was just wondering if I can help with anything?”
“Is Ruby hungry?” Yang’s dad asked, and a smile flitted across Blake’s lips before she forced a neutral expression.
“She may have mentioned being ready to eat,” she answered diplomatically. “And Weiss may have silently begged me to hurry things along, but I assure you I walked over here on my own accord.”
“I don’t know who taught that girl to eat,” he joked before taking the platter from Yang’s hands and heading over to the table. “Weiss?” he called out once close enough. “Are you feeding her eight times a day?”
“Of course, but she insisted on skipping second lunch today…”
“So I can eat lots of Dad’s amazing food!”
Yang chuckled at the conversation before smiling at Blake.
“Doing ok?” Blake asked while reaching for Yang’s hand.
The gesture and concern filled Yang’s heart with love, and she wasted no time nodding. All this time, she’d wondered who she could possibly find that she’d feel comfortable bringing home. Who could she trust enough to let them get close to her small, tightly knit family? Apparently, her heart had made that choice long ago - and her heart chose correctly.
“I’m doing great, all thanks to you.”
Before Blake disputed that statement - because Blake was too humble to accept the praise she rightfully deserved - Yang kissed her cheek. The intimacy held any argument at bay just long enough for Yang to look into bright amber eyes she’d always adored so much.
“Thank you for being my friend when I needed you to be,” she added while brushing a strand of Blake’s hair behind one ear. “I know it took me way too long to figure things out, but I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you so, so much.”
She couldn’t say that enough, especially when Blake always responded with a smile that warmed her heart through and through.
“I love you, too.” After lightly kissing Yang on the lips, Blake lingered close enough that they could share the same air, the same warmth. “Even though you give me far too much credit,” she whispered. The teasing glint in her eyes made Yang feel lighter than air, and she would spend forever in this moment if that was possible.
“Yang!” Ruby shouted at them instead. “Stop kissing your girlfriend so we can eat!”
Yang rolled her eyes at Ruby’s impatience, but her heart fluttered at the term when she and Blake shared smiles. She had run from that label for so long, afraid of getting too attached and too entangled with someone who would leave her. Now, that label didn’t even seem good enough for how important Blake was to her.
But it was a hell of a lot better than ‘just friends,’ so it would have to do for now. One day, it would change though - for the better. Yang already knew it. She thought about it sometimes - she imagined that future with them together - and it didn’t scare her in the slightest.
“Let’s not keep them waiting,” Blake said, squeezing Yang’s hand and tugging her toward the table.
“You’re right.” Still smiling, she glanced at Blake while following her to their seats. “I don’t want anyone waiting on me ever again.”
Considering Yang had been late meeting Ruby and Weiss for dinner just last week, Blake laughed off the comment. Eventually, she would understand what Yang meant though.
After being friends for too long, Yang wouldn’t let fear stand in their way again. She would follow her heart. She would communicate her emotions. She would stop worrying so much. And, as soon as they were ready, they could move forward together. She might not know how long it would be before they reached that point, but she knew one thing for certain - Blake wouldn't be waiting on her to get there.