Dirty Little Secret - Chapter 9 (Patreon)
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Belladonna Castle...Belladonna Mansion...either of those terms fit the sprawling estate looming in front of Yang. It might not be the largest house in Vale - that honor belonged to Weiss’ family - but the Governor’s home had more than enough grandeur to suit such a lofty position.
Just seeing the house filled her with a combination of apprehension and excitement. This was where Blake lived, after all, and Yang loved anything that had to do with Blake. But this was also where the Governor and his wife lived - Blake’s parents serving as larger-than-life obstacles Yang had yet to face. If she wanted to be something more to Blake, which she did, she would have to face them eventually. They might look down on her lack of social status or money, but if she made Blake happy...wasn’t that enough?
All of this, of course, assumed that Blake wanted to be with her too. As much as she wanted to believe that was true, she needed to know what Blake had to tell her first. It hadn’t seemed like anything bad, but that didn’t mean it was good either. Yang’s heart hoped for the best - that Blake felt even a fraction of Yang’s feelings - but her mind told her not to get her hopes up. For all she knew, Blake just wanted to say that she decided to get an apartment with Ilia after all, so their clandestine meetings at Chateau Belladonna could come to an end.
But was the Spring Gala, immediately after fucking Yang on a desk, really the right time to bring that up? Blake said it wasn’t the time, but regretfully so. If Blake had something else on her mind, Yang needed to know. Only then could she decide whether or not to put her heart on a platter and offer it to the girl of her dreams.
So she took a deep breath and hurried up the front steps.
She knew she was asking a lot by wanting an official term for their relationship, but she just...felt like it was time. In a few months, she would graduate and, hopefully, land a normal job. She might not make much money for a while, or ever, but she could at least have a respectable career.
Whatever happened, she only wanted Blake to be happy. If that meant going their separate ways, or leaving things the way they were, then...she would accept that. But she had to know one way or the other. Her heart couldn’t take the uncertainty any longer.
With that thought in mind, she hesitated for a split second before pressing the doorbell. Blake already confirmed that she was the only one home and that she would meet Yang at the front door. Despite the reassurance, Yang still felt a small spike of nerves as a soft chime sounded inside the home.
When footsteps approached, she searched for a plausible explanation for her presence should one of Blake’s parents answer. Lost, perhaps? Selling magazine subscriptions?
It didn’t end up mattering, as the door unlocked, swung open, and revealed the gorgeous young woman who made her heart sing. Blake’s smile made Yang even happier, and her heart could have burst out of her chest when Blake grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.
“Finally,” Blake said, shoving the door closed with her foot before dragging Yang into a kiss.
Feeling Blake’s lips suddenly on hers, Yang could have melted right there on the entryway floor. She melted into the kiss instead, letting her worries and concerns be replaced by the joy Blake was communicating to her.
They had shared so many kisses in the past - fiery kisses, passionate kisses, sweet kisses - but Yang loved the kisses when they reunited the most. Something in them, something unspoken, made her heart overjoyed. And, by the time Blake backed away, Yang was smiling - even more so when she saw the sparkle in Blake’s eyes.
“It’s so weird using the front door.” Yang nodded to the door while Blake’s hands rested on her arms, seemingly content to stay in each other’s space now that they were together. “Even weirder to be here without a uniform.”
“You look great though.”
Blake leaned against Yang to kiss her again - this kiss softer and shorter than the first but no less earnest. When Blake pulled away and smiled, Yang felt more at ease than she had in a long time. If Blake had any interest in calling off whatever their relationship was, she wouldn’t be as affectionate as she was being right now.
“You look great, too,” Yang said after taking a good look at Blake’s outfit. Even in a pair of jeans and a casual top, Blake looked like a budding supermodel. But she was so naturally beautiful, inside and out, that she could probably make a garbage bag the next big trend.
Before giving in to Blake’s allure, Yang glanced around the cavernous foyer. She couldn’t keep her eyes away for long though, as they quickly returned to Blake.
“Where are your parents?”
“They’re meeting a donor for brunch then going to a play.”
“So…we don’t get all day together?”
“Unfortunately not.” Blake’s disappointment didn’t linger long though, as she quickly cheered up and tugged Yang toward the kitchen. “Which means we should savor every minute, right?”
“When don’t we savor every minute?” she asked while willingly being led further into the house.
Honestly, as long as Blake held her hands, and gave an adorable shrug like she just did, Yang would follow her anywhere. As soon as they walked into the kitchen and Yang saw the mountain of food on the island though, she laughed.
“Um...is Glynda here?” she teased while Blake released her hands and stood beside her. “Because it looks like you’re throwing a party.”
“I didn’t know what you’d want,” Blake explained, shyly hiding her face in the back of Yang’s shoulder. “So I got some of everything.”
The thoughtfulness was adorable, the explanation was adorable, and the accompanying embarrassment was really damn adorable.
“Good thing I’m hungry,” Yang said before moving closer to the island to check out their options. “Let’s see…”
Feeling Blake snuggle into her side, arms wrapping around her waist and chin tucking against her shoulder, Yang smiled at her before refocusing on the large assortment of food. Thinking about breakfast was a challenge when she wanted to concentrate on Blake instead, but several possible meals eventually came to mind.
“It looks like we can make basically anything,” she mused. “But those raspberries look good...how about crepes with raspberries?”
“God, you spoil me.”
Yang’s heart skipped a beat when Blake hugged her close and kissed her cheek. There was something so...domestic...about standing here, planning breakfast as if they just woke up after spending the night together. She loved it. And she basked in that feeling for several seconds before regretfully moving away from Blake’s embrace.
“Spoiling you is my favorite thing to do,” she said while pulling over the ingredients. “Can you get a mixing bowl?” she asked while nodding to a cupboard in the corner of the room.
“I always forget you know where everything is.” After grabbing a mixing bowl, Blake brought it over to Yang and smiled. “Sometimes, it almost feels like you live here.”
“Unexpected perk of catering your parents’ events?”
“I’d rather it be a perk of you being over here more often.”
Caught off guard, Yang froze for a split second before chuckling and shaking her head. She would like to be over here more often, too. Maybe that could be in their future if today went well.
“Think you can wash the raspberries?” she asked, opting not to bring up that topic right now. She grabbed a whisk from the utensil container instead.
“I think I can.”
With an amused smile, Blake took the raspberries to the sink. Yang watched her go before focusing on the bowl in front of her. Thankfully, crepes were simple. All they needed were some eggs, milk, flour, sugar, butter, and a splash of vanilla.
While Yang started throwing ingredients together, Blake returned and set the raspberries on the countertop.
“How do you know how much to put in?”
“I memorized this recipe forever ago,” Yang explained while whisking the batter.
“Please don’t tell me you make this for all the girls who stay the night.”
“What?” Still stirring, Yang looked over, saw Blake’s frown, and laughed. “No, never. I used to make these for my family all the time. Ruby can eat twenty on her own.”
“Oh.” Quickly unruffling, Blake smiled. “That’s really cute.”
“I guess.”
After a few more stirs to check the consistency, Yang set the whisk aside and searched for a frying pan. Once she found one, she moved everything over to the stove so she could start cooking.
“Ruby loved eating them with ice cream,” she added while turning on the flame. “Sometimes, my mom would roll one up like an ice cream cone and stuff it with ice cream for her. It was such a mess, but Ruby loved it.”
“What about you?” Blake asked, leaning against the counter to watch. “What’d you like to eat them with?”
“Just some fruit and a little syrup. Strawberries and raspberries are my favorite, just like my mom.” Yang held her hand above the pan to check the heat before noticing Blake’s little smile. “What?”
“Nothing. It’s just...nice to hear you talk about her. You didn’t use to do that.”
Blake’s observation proved how far their relationship had come and reminded Yang of one of the reasons why she wanted it to become something more. This might have started as a casual, no-strings-attached fling, but she got attached. She opened up and let Blake closer than anyone outside of her dad and Ruby.
“Guess I just didn’t want to kill the mood,” she said, chuckling to herself before using a ladle to pour the first scoop of batter into the pan.
“But she’s important to you. And I love hearing about the person who made you the way you are.”
Feeling Blake’s eyes upon her, Yang smiled but didn’t turn away from the pan. Even if she tried, she could never explain how that comment made her feel. She just...loved that Blake understood that her mom was still important to her, regardless of being here or not.
“I’ll tell you more stories sometime,” she eventually said. This time, she glanced over and watched a smile appear on Blake’s lips.
“I’d love that.”
After they shared that look for a little longer, Yang glanced at the frying pan and quickly returned her attention to not burning breakfast.
“Can you get a plate?” she asked while grabbing a spatula to flip the crepe. It was a little overdone on the bottom, but the first one always cooked faster than expected. “Thanks,” she added when Blake set a plate beside her. “This bad boy’s going to be done any minute now.”
Several seconds later, she gently shook the pan before sliding the finished crepe onto the plate.
“Voila!” She grinned at her masterpiece and set the pan back on the stove. “I present you...the first of many.”
“It looks delicious.”
“Hopefully tastes delicious too,” Yang replied before dropping another spoonful of batter into the pan. This one would cook even faster than the first, so she kept a closer eye on it. Or as close of an eye as she could with Blake’s perpetually distracting presence nearby.
Blake seemed relaxed and happy this morning, which went a long way in settling Yang’s nerves. This wasn’t a big, important day. This was just...the two of them making breakfast, enjoying each other’s company like they always did. That became even more apparent when Blake grabbed the raspberries off the island, leaned against the counter, and smiled.
“Everything you’ve ever made me has been fantastic,” she said before popping a raspberry into her mouth. “But everything about you is fantastic, so that’s not surprising.”
The outright compliment and accompanying smile threatened to make Yang blush. Or maybe it was just the heat of the pan making her cheeks feel so warm. Either way, she gently cleared her throat and said, “You’re one to talk…” before flipping the second crepe.
Was it her imagination that Blake was being more effusive than usual? Or was this really what they had become?
Weiss’ words from before crept into Yang’s thoughts as she watched the crepe gently bubble. If Blake only wanted to sleep together, why would she act like this? Why bother with breakfast at all? Why not just invite Yang over, get down to business, then go their separate ways?
Maybe it wasn’t so crazy to think they actually had something.
“Did you have fun yesterday?” Blake asked, breaking the silence and offering Yang a raspberry at the same time. After gently taking it from Blake’s fingers, Yang nodded.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
“Favorite part?” When Yang arched one brow, Blake smirked and added, “Besides the obvious.”
Chuckling at the response, Yang slid the second crepe out of the pan and thought about the Spring Gala. Every moment with Blake served as a highlight, but after family obligations pulled Blake away, Yang still had quite a bit of fun. She hadn’t danced with anyone else, as promised, but she people-watched and listened to Weiss dish a tremendous amount of dirt.
“Probably when Weiss lost track of Ruby for like three seconds then verbally destroyed the guy who tried to talk to her.”
“Is that what she was doing?” When Yang nodded, Blake huffed and fed her another raspberry. “I thought he insulted her or something. Although, I guess she might take someone hitting on Ruby as a personal insult.”
“She totally does,” Yang agreed with a laugh. “Poor guy didn’t know what hit him. But that’s what you get when you piss off a Schnee.”
“So I’ve heard.” Blake’s expression grew more thoughtful as she watched Yang pour more batter into the pan. “I saw that Winter took you home.”
“Yeah. Got to ride in a limo!” When Blake’s lips pursed, Yang quickly added, “I mean, it was pretty cool. I haven’t ridden in a limo since prom, so it was kind of a sweet perk.”
Yang couldn’t tell if that helped or not, as Blake still held a raspberry midway to her lips. Once several seconds passed, however, Blake shook her head and popped the raspberry into her mouth.
“I wanted to take you home,” she admitted so simply and earnestly that Yang’s heart thumped.
“Well...I’m here now. That’s what matters, right?”
The slow smile edging on Blake’s lips suggested that was the perfect response.
“You’re right.” Blake’s eyes regained their full sparkle, and she glanced out the window before looking at the steadily growing stack of crepes. “It looks nice out. How do you feel about eating outside?”
“I’m on board if you are.”
“Perfect.” If at all possible, Blake’s smile brightened. “Why don’t I set the table while you...do that.”
The way Blake waved at the bowl of batter and frying pan made Yang laugh.
“By ‘that,’ you mean cook breakfast?”
“I mean the dangerous part of breakfast,” Blake corrected before kissing Yang’s cheek. “You know how fast I can start a fire,” she whispered in Yang’s ear before nipping her earlobe and grabbing her ass, making her jump while also sending a spark of desire down her spine.
“I’m well aware...” Yang breathed out as Blake backed away with a pleased grin.
Blake knew exactly how to get Yang’s attention, as she so often proved. Now, Yang couldn’t help sneaking glances her way while she collected plates and utensils to take outside.
“I’ll meet you out back,” Blake said, gently brushing past Yang on her way to the backyard. Yang watched her go, respectfully admiring the sway of her hips before pouring more batter into the pan.
So far, so good. Blake was happy, which made Yang happy. She still had no idea what Blake wanted to talk about, but it didn’t feel imminently bad. It actually felt like it might be...good? Still, Yang refused to get her hopes up. It could be nothing, or just a moderate something. Most likely, it wasn’t anywhere near the topic she wanted to bring up.
“Just hear her out first,” she mumbled to herself while flipping another crepe onto the plate. “Then figure out what to do.”
She wished that she had a clearer plan of action, but...she and Blake had never approached this with anything clear in mind. They just kind of...fell into each other...and it somehow clicked better than either of them probably expected.
Vaguely reassured by their connection, which felt stronger by the day, Yang spent the next few minutes mindlessly flipping crepes in then out of the frying pan. She had found her rhythm now and, before she knew it, she had a small tower of freshly cooked delicacies ready to be consumed.
After turning off the stove and setting some dirty dishes in the sink, she grabbed the plate and headed to the backyard. Like everything else about the Governor’s mansion, the backyard was massive and immaculate. Tall, thick hedges provided a sense of privacy - though the neighbors lived quite a distance away - and blooming rose bushes added beautiful splashes of color.
The back patio was set up to entertain company - a long, elegant table sitting off to one side while a conversation area had been set up around a small fire pit on the other - but Blake hadn’t picked either of those places for them to eat. Instead, Blake chose the picnic bench at the far side of the yard, where the lawn met a forest of trees. She was leaning against the edge of the table right now, her eyes closed and her chin tilted up to soak up the sun. She looked so comfortable, free, and relaxed that Yang couldn’t help but smile while crossing the yard to join her.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Yang said once close enough, her heart warming when Blake’s eyes quickly found hers. “I forgot to cut the recipe in half since Ruby’s not here.”
“You can always take the extras to her.” After Yang set the plate down, Blake leaned into her side. “I’d say you should leave them here, but my parents will immediately know something’s up if they see these.”
Blake chuckled at the thought, but Yang mustered only a brief smile at the reminder that they still couldn’t be caught together like this. But she hoped that could change soon. And, on the bright side, the sun was shining, the sky was clear blue, and a beautiful girl leaned against her. This was pretty much the perfect day.
“It’s gorgeous out.”
“It is now that you’re here,” Blake replied, gently squeezing Yang’s arm before motioning for her to sit. As soon as Yang claimed a seat on the bench, Blake sat right beside her.
“Alright -”
That was all Yang got out before Blake casually slid over and into her lap.
“Um, hi,” she said while Blake’s arm wrapped around her back.
“Hi.”
Offering no explanation, Blake simply kissed Yang’s cheek before pulling one of the empty plates in front of them. She then speared several crepes and dropped them onto the plate, topped them with raspberries and a drizzle of syrup, and cut off a corner using the edge of her fork.
“Someone woke up on the right side of the bed,” Yang teased while wrapping her arms around Blake’s waist. “What’s up?”
“Can’t I just want to be close to you?”
“You can, but -” When Blake offered the forkful of crepes to her, Yang obediently opened her mouth. “You’re being really cute today,” she concluded after finishing that bite.
“I guess I just want to show you that I don’t have to tear your clothes off every time we see each other…” Blake mused before trying the crepes for herself. When she made a delighted sound and reached for another bite, Yang couldn’t stop smiling.
It felt like she got a hanger stuck in her mouth, but she wouldn’t complain. Honestly, she didn’t mind when Blake immediately ‘tore her clothes off’ either - those moments made it clear that Blake wanted her, and she loved that Blake wanted her. But there was something different and amazing about right now, holding Blake close, watching her eat the breakfast Yang made for her. Yang wanted all of those hot, passionate moments, but she wanted more of these too - the close and intimate moments she had never experienced with anyone else.
“What do you think?” she asked, drawing Blake’s gaze before nodding to the plate. “Pretty good?”
“Really good. I get why Ruby eats twenty.”
As if proving that point, Blake took another big bite before getting a second one for Yang. This time, she turned further around in Yang’s lap and watched intently as Yang took the crepes off the fork.
“This will probably sound creepy...” Blake said while Yang chewed. “But you bruise well.”
When Blake lightly touched the mark on Yang’s neck, which had darkened substantially overnight, Yang laughed.
“I’m not a vampire, I swear,” Blake added, smiling now. “But I kind of want to leave marks all over you...would that be bad?”
“No,” Yang answered before thinking it through. “Well, maybe. No one at the bar will mind, but...other people might.”
“Are you going to see those other people soon?”
Yang had a few shifts on campus this week, but any thoughts of work flitted from her mind when Blake leaned down and kissed her neck. The light touch was enough to make her suck in a breath, and the sound encouraged Blake to follow up that kiss with a second, longer one.
With Blake’s lips on her neck, Yang found it harder to focus on breakfast or anything else going on between them. The soft, warm skin pressing to hers was already turning her on - and that was before Blake’s teeth grazed her skin. Squirming with desire now, she tilted her head in a silent request for more.
“So...no tearing my clothes off?” she breathed out while pulling Blake closer, hoping Blake understood what she wanted. “Does that mean we’re not having sex...?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Blake whispered against Yang’s neck, dragging her lips from one spot to the next in the most arousing way possible. “I fully plan on going down on you after breakfast.”
The unabashedly sexy response surged like fire through Yang’s veins. Now, she couldn’t think of anything else. She wasn’t even hungry anymore.
“That sounds good to me…” she said while running one hand up Blake’s chest. She didn’t want to force Blake to skip breakfast, but she made her preference obvious by palming one of Blake’s breasts. The heavy sigh against her neck implied the message was received loud and clear.
“But I want to talk to you about something first…” Blake said, her eyes fluttering when Yang continued fondling her chest. “About...us.”
That was the conversation Yang had been anticipating and dreading, but right now she wanted nothing to do with it. Not with Blake in her lap, and the air between them heating up.
“Let’s talk about it after,” she suggested before capturing Blake’s lips in a kiss. Her courage grew when Blake returned the kiss - hesitant at first, with the as-yet-unspoken conversation still on her mind, then with passion and zeal. The next thing she knew, Blake spun around in her lap, lips still locked and knees now straddling hers.
“Yang Xiao Long...” Blake snuck between kisses, her hand sliding under Yang’s shirt all the while. “I didn’t invite you over just to eat breakfast and have sex.”
“You sure about that?”
Adding fuel to the steadily growing fire, Yang ran her hand up Blake’s thigh and between her legs. Blake’s jeans were too tight for Yang to make much of an impact in this position, but Blake still sighed against Yang’s lips and subtly ground against Yang’s hand.
“Going to fuck me out here?”
“Take your jeans off and I will,” Yang teased while pressing harder against the unrelenting fabric. It would be next to impossible to get Blake off this way, and Blake knew it. That was why a smirk snuck onto her lips as she reached down and grabbed Yang’s crotch, sending a spike of lust between Yang’s legs and instantly proving that she had the upper hand.
“You’re so distracting sometimes,” Blake said, recapturing Yang’s lips and pressing harder between Yang’s legs, making Yang moan into her mouth. “But you know I can’t get enough of you, right? Almost five months...and I want you now more than ever.”
Surprise briefly registered in Yang’s mind, but Blake’s tongue slipping into her mouth quickly replaced that feeling with hunger.
“Why don’t you prove it?” she murmured against Blake’s lips, only to feel immediate disappointment when Blake pulled away.
“You want me to prove how much I love being with you?”
Before Yang could answer, Blake pressed down harder, making Yang’s eyes flutter as pleasure pooled between her legs.
“Yes,” she breathed out, unsure what she was agreeing to but wanting it regardless.
“How am I supposed to do that?” Blake whispered against Yang’s lips before pulling away and searching Yang’s eyes for an answer. “What do you want, Yang?”
Faced with the earnest question yet struggling against massive waves of desire, Yang blinked before saying the first thing that came to mind.
“I...only want you.”
When Blake smiled, and a happy laugh slipped through her lips, Yang’s heart grew twice as big.
“I want you too,” Blake said, kissing Yang before chuckling again. “You have no idea how much, but I’ll show you...then I’ll tell you.”
The response was music to Yang’s ears.
As Blake leaned in for another kiss, however, she glanced at the house and abruptly froze. Confused by the sudden mood change, Yang glanced over her shoulder and felt her stomach drop.
For a second, no one moved. Not Blake, still straddling Yang’s lap with a hand between Yang’s legs. Not Yang, with one of her hands up Blake’s shirt and the other grabbing her ass. And certainly not Mr. or Mrs. Belladonna, who stood on the back porch staring at the scene in front of them.
Kali broke out of the spell first, glancing at her husband and saying a few words. Once he nodded, they stepped off the porch and crossed the lawn together.
“Shit…” Yang breathed out, her heart pounding while Blake quickly slid off her lap and they both jumped to their feet. “This is how I die, isn’t it? Your dad’s going to bury me in your backyard.”
“It’ll be fine,” Blake whispered, but she didn’t sound very confident herself. She actually looked moderately worried as she ran a hand through her hair and faced her parents.
“Hey!” she called out, the word so forcefully upbeat that Yang cringed. Fortunately, Blake quickly corrected to something more normal - still nervous, but more normal. “What’re you doing back? I thought...what happened to the play?”
“Joel’s wife came down with something, so we rescheduled,” Mr. Belladonna answered as he and his wife stopped several paces away. Up close, he was even taller and more muscular than Yang remembered. He could probably pick her up and toss her over the fence without breaking a sweat.
Blake’s mom was the more intimidating of the two though. Her gaze swept over the half-eaten plate of crepes before locking onto Yang. When that intent, all-knowing gaze lingered on her neck, Yang shuffled her feet and wished she could melt into the grass. As if being caught with Blake straddling her wasn’t bad enough, the hickey proved she had been overly friendly with someone recently.
“We didn’t realize you’d invited someone over,” Kali said, her eyes lingering on Yang before finally moving to Blake. “Are you going to introduce us?” she asked as a smile appeared.
“Right.” Subtly fidgeting under her mom’s watchful gaze, Blake cleared her throat. “Mom, Dad, this is Yang. She’s - we’ve been -”
At a loss for words, Blake looked at Yang before shaking her head and trying again.
“We’ve been...hanging out for the past few months.”
“‘Hanging out?’” Sounding genuinely confused, Mr. Belladonna glanced at his wife before turning to Blake for clarification. “Does that mean dating?”
“Well, we - um -”
Again, Blake glanced at Yang, but Yang didn’t know how to help. They had never had that conversation, so she couldn’t jump in and say that they were dating. Not only would that open a whole can of worms, but she didn’t even know if Blake wanted that.
When neither of them answered, Kali looked between them before her eyes settled on Yang.
“You look familiar…” she said, sending Yang’s heart plummeting further. “Oh.” Kali snapped her fingers when she remembered. “You work for Glynda, right?”
“Yeah...that’s me.”
“Didn’t I run into you at Vale University, too?”
“Um, you did, yeah.”
In the silence that followed, Yang rubbed the back of her neck and looked anywhere but at Blake. There was no use denying who she was now that Kali remembered. And if she and Blake hadn’t just been caught in such a compromising position, they could claim to be friends. Instead...this was the ‘meet the parents’ episode from hell.
Risking a glance at Blake’s parents, she found them both staring at their daughter. Blake, on the other hand, had a furious blush on her cheeks. She glanced at Yang, briefly making eye contact, before scuffing her toe on the ground.
“If you’re not dating,” Ghira eventually said, interpreting the lack of an answer as a ‘no.’ “Then you’re just...friends?”
When Kali laughed, Blake’s blush deepened.
“‘Just friends?’ Are you blind, honey?”
“Well, I don’t know,” he whispered to his wife, still loud enough for everyone to hear. “Kids are different these days.”
“Not that different.”
“So...more than friends.” Interpreting Kali’s smile and laugh as a ‘yes,’ he turned back to Blake. “But not dating?”
Their confusion only embarrassed Yang more. Even she didn’t know the answer to that and, from the look on Blake’s face, she didn’t either.
“It’s...complicated,” Blake eventually said. Yang couldn’t have come up with a better answer given the circumstances, but Blake’s parents looked like they expected more information than that. With Blake not providing any details, however, they glanced at each other again.
They wanted to know how to respond, but Yang just wanted to disappear. Any dream of making a great first impression had died with their unexpected appearance. Now, she honestly couldn’t see a way to recover. How could she turn this around without revealing she was Atlesian royalty or heir to a business empire?
“Well…” Mr. Belladonna huffed. “This’ll be quite the story.”
“Ghira -”
“Dad,” Blake instantly chastised him, shaking her head at the term.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” He raised both hands before his wife and daughter scolded him further. “I just meant this is...unexpected.”
“And puzzling...” Kali’s gaze again landed on Yang. But, after studying Yang once more, she smiled. “If you don’t mind, can we speak to our daughter for a second?”
Spotting an opportunity to untangle herself from this mess, Yang leaped on it.
“Oh, sure. Absolutely. I should probably go anyway, so...I’ll just get out of your way.”
Before anyone responded, she ducked her head and hurried toward the house.
“Yang, wait.”
She only made it a few steps before Blake grabbed her hand to stop her. Blake let go as soon as Yang looked at their joined hands, and glanced at her parents before lowering her voice.
“You don’t have to leave.”
“They want to talk to you.”
“Yeah, but -”
“It’s ok,” Yang interrupted. “I get it. I’m only going to cause a headache.”
“He didn’t mean it like that. Even if he did, do you really think I care?”
“Yes.” Blake’s eyes widened at the response, but Yang nodded. “Yes,” she repeated, softer this time. “If it didn’t matter, why have you been hiding me this whole time?”
“‘Hiding you?’” Blake repeated, her voice just as soft but aghast.
This wasn’t the time or place to have that conversation, not that Yang felt capable of it with her emotions taking over. She didn’t want to get too emotional and make a fool of herself. Even worse, she didn’t want to get too emotional and say something she would regret.
“Listen, Blake…” she began, realizing this might be her last chance to say these thoughts out loud. “I really, really like you. But I don’t want you to get in trouble just for being with me. So...just tell them whatever you need to, ok? I’ll back up whatever that is.”
Selfishly, Yang wanted Blake to argue. She wanted Blake to insist that she stay. That they sit down and figure this out right now.
But Blake just stood there, stiff and confused, so Yang forced a smile and backed away.
“Sorry, I’ll get out of your hair,” she told Blake’s parents before her gaze inevitably returned to Blake. “I’m sure you have a lot to talk about.”
“Yang.”
“We can talk later,” she said, mustering a thin smile before spinning around and hurrying away.
Rather than cut through the house, she took the pathway around the side - the one that passed the secondary entrance she was used to. She didn’t want Blake’s parents to feel weird about her walking through their house without a chaperone, and she didn’t want it to look too familiar with the space in case Blake made this out to be a short-lived thing.
Biting her lip and sticking her hands in her pockets, Yang got out of there as fast as possible. For as much as she had worried this would end one day, she always thought Blake would get bored or they would both just move on. She hadn’t been prepared for what just happened. She thought they were in a place where they could become something more. Instead, it felt like they just shared their last kiss.
Realistically, even if she had forewarning - even if someone told her the end date in no uncertain terms - she wouldn’t have been prepared. She loved Blake too much to ever be ready or willing to let go. She wished she’d dared to say so, but maybe it was better this way. As much as she wanted Blake to know, she also didn’t want Blake to worry about breaking her heart.
They were just hanging out, after all.